Chapter 22

They both slept soundly after the long day and their tension relieving sessions. Sam wasn't completely sure their plan would work, but he did feel more relaxed than he had since first seeing Amelia at Bobby's. While Sam went to the office to grab some breakfast, Amelia gathered the papers and his laptop; they reviewed the information they had on Charlie while eating their breakfast.

Charlie Michaels and her husband, James, had moved to Columbus after marrying and both worked for the state. She had studied Social Work and worked in the Child Protective Services office. Cassie had found an article in her school paper where she cited a childhood incident had led her to want to protect children. Sam guessed she wasn't completely untouched by her encounter with the vengeful spirit; but she had turned into a positive and was trying to make the world, or at least the state of Ohio, a safer place for kids. He wasn't an ancient god, but was pretty sure that made her a good candidate to help Dean.

Sam thought it would be safer if they avoided being around government buildings while trying to find her office. There would be more security personnel and cameras than they could chance. It was still early, so he thought he'd try her home number first. He dialed the number then handed the phone to Amelia. It was another habit they were developing, using her ability to determine the truth over the phone.

"Hello?" A male voice answered the phone..

"Is Charlie there?" She asked as airily as if she was calling her BFF. Amelia looked at Sam with her brows furrowed, not understanding the 'BFF' thought. They had already established was one of those occasions where mind-reading would be a good idea. 'I'll explain it later', he thought for her benefit.

"Hang on, she's just getting out of the bathroom." Amelia could hear his voice call out away from the phone. "Charlie? Honey, you've got a call."

"Who is it?" A female voice replied.

"Uh? I think it's one of your girlfriends." The male voice returned to the phone. "May I ask whose calling?"

"It's Amelia. I'm a friend of Sam." It was vague but the truth. "An old friend." Okay, that was stretching things a little.

Several seconds passed before an obviously harried woman's voice answered. "Sam. Sam who?" Amelia handed the phone to Sam, nodding that it was indeed the young woman they were seeking and not a demon, shifter or Levi.

"Charlie? It's Sam Winchester." He knew that would take a second to sink in, so he paused. He wasn't expecting her to drop the phone; or hear her retching, and then a brief conversation in the background.

"Hey. You still there?" The male voice came back on the line.

"Yes. Is she okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It's just the morning sickness." The male voice said.

X

Sam regained his coherency after it dawned on him that Charlie was pregnant. Sam had asked if Charlie could meet him somewhere this morning. Her husband, Jim, had acted as go-between until she could talk again. To say she was shocked to hear from Sam was a massive understatement. But she did remember him and agreed to meet him. When he explained he wouldn't be able to get through the metal detectors at the entry to her building, she suggested a coffee shop on her route to work.

x

They made it to the shop before Charlie. Sam had stepped into the restroom of the café, when a pretty blonde woman came through the door. Amelia almost gasped when she saw the glow of the healthy baby she was carrying. Despite being back among humans for over a month, she hadn't encountered such a beautiful example of life renewing itself. She could feel the joy, of knowing her work was being carried on so perfectly, spreading a glorious warmth out from her core. She sat there admiring her legacy, when she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder.

"Amelia" He whispered in her ear. "Tone it down. You're starting to glow." She snapped out of her trance, as Sam waved at Charlie to get her attention. They stared at each other for several seconds. Both of them had grown up a great deal in the nearly seven years since they had seen each other. She eventually wove her way through the tables towards him. When she spotted Amelia, she stopped for a second to look at the unknown face, having been expecting to see another man.

Sam extended his hand to shake. "Charlie. Thanks for coming." She took his hand, still looking at Amelia. "This is my friend, Amelia." Amelia stuck her hand out and Charlie took her hand. All of Charlie's uncertainty disappeared the second she touched Amelia's hand. They smiled at each other, as Sam pulled out a chair for her. As she sat down, Charlie noticed all of her nausea was gone.

Despite their long discussion on what to say when they met the young woman, neither Sam nor Amelia knew how to start this conversation. They had agreed this was also one of the occasions where mind-reading was necessary. 'Well? Do you and Apsu think she'll be okay' Sam asked Amelia with his thoughts. She nodded her head. The exchange hadn't taken long, but long enough had Charlie gotten tired of waiting.

"So, Sam? What can I do for you?"

"Charlie, we need your help."

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"What do you mean 'that went well'?" Sam asked Amelia somewhat heatedly as they got back to their motel room.

After glaring at him for the tone of voice, she replied. "She agreed to help in any way possible. And, she's pregnant." She paused and looked at Sam like it should be obvious why that was good news. "She said you could have some breast milk as soon as the baby was born."

"In SEVEN God-damned months!" This time it wasn't just heated, it was obvious he was frustrated beyond reason. "I can't wait another seven months to get Dean out of Purgatory! I'm no closer to getting him out of there than I was before I found; okay, you found me, a week ago."

Amelia said nothing. She let him storm around the room until he cooled down. After he finally sat down on the foot of his bed, she sat on hers and faced him. "I'm sorry. What I meant when I said it went well was that she was willing to help us with no hesitation. Just like Cassie was." She reached across the space and took one of his hands. "It's just like Missouri and I promised, they'll all want to help save Dean."

"But if we can't find a nursing mother; it won't matter if we find everybody we ever met!" She was trying to block out the despair emanating from him. She gave up, stood and took the step to cross the space between them and then wrapped him in her arms. She reached up to stroke his hair, but he pulled away after the second brush.

"Don't." He looked at her like she had betrayed him. "Dean used to do that when I was a kid." He touched his hair, like he was trying to erase her touch. "You said you wouldn't invade my memories anymore."

She was hurt by his reaction, but even without reading his thoughts she knew he was lashing out because of his fear. "Sam, honey. That's how I've always tried to soothe all my children." She sat back down on her bed and looked at the floor. "That Dean did it too, only tells me how much he loved you. Nobody wants to see a loved one suffer." She raised her head to look at him and saw the tears he was trying to hold back. She stood and embraced him again. This time he hugged her back and they just stayed there rocking back and forth slightly.