Author's Note: I'm a sucker for all stories with Charlie. I love her relationship with the boys and I wish she would come back on the show now and get the boys to stop fighting. Anyways, set in season 9, so spoilers apply.

"Your hope dangling by a string

I'll share in your suffering

To make you well, to make you well."

—Philip Philips, "Gone Gone Gone"

"Well, this is definitely the best way to welcome a girl back." Charlie slumps back against the cool, stone wall and she runs a hand through her hair, tugging at a few loose ends. She glances at Sam, grimacing at seeing his pale skin and his shallow respiration.

"Yeah, sorry," He mutters, opening his eyelids to a slit. "Bet you had it easier in Oz." His eyes are glazed over; hair clings to his brow. They've been through a lot in the past few hours, but the hacker finds this waiting game the worst bit of it. Running from crazy ghosts? Yeah, she could handle that. Being trapped in a stone pit with no way out while Dean went to kill said ghosts and then coming back for them? That's been the hard part.

"Maybe," Charlie mutters. Then, mustering up a smile, she extends a hand out and holds his within hers, trying not to notice how cold and clammy it feels in her grasp. "But, you boys need me more."

"You and Dorothy, you're an item, right?" He sees her faint blush and he chuckles, though it dissolves into a rattling cough. "Dean and I will need to talk to her."

"What, why?" She sees the blood on his lips and she frowns, but goes along with the game. For Sam's benefit, she needs to keep him talking. Besides, she likes to hear his voice. The silence unnerves her, reminds her of hospital vigils with her mom.

"She may be a hunter but," He lets out a rattling breath. "You're practically our little sister. We gotta make sure she can look out for you."

A tear rolls down her cheek, startling her by the sudden wave of emotion. A few years ago, she was a loner. She had no one to talk to, no one that cared for her—she was just a girl wandering lost in the world.

Then, the Winchesters had come barreling into her life and suddenly things changed. She found herself becoming fond of them, wanting to help them. Leaving for Oz had been one of the most painful decisions in her life because it meant not seeing them for a long time. She couldn't send them emails, couldn't pop in with a movie and bond with them. While in Oz, Dorothy filled the void—it had been so long since she had been in love before—but Charlie had still felt something missing. She had grown to miss Dean's gruff voice and Sam's endless hunting tips.

She had missed her boys.

"Sam, I—"

His hand comes to rest on her cheek, wiping a tear away and leaving a bloody mark. He smiles gently at her.

"Don't cry," He tells hers softly. "It'll be okay. We've been in worse spots before."

"Really?" She barks out a laugh, holding in the tears. She wants to be like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, brave in the face of immediate danger. She needs to be the rock in the storm and keep Sam safe and conscious.

"How are you doing?" Her voice breaks and she gives him a watery grin.

"Fine." He winces as he sucks in a breath. His ribs must be busted.

"Bull." She reaches forward and places a hand on his forehead. He's feverish and who knows how much blood he's lost. He may be bleeding internally and fuck, Charlie doesn't know how to fix this. She wants to be useful, but there's nothing she can do, but sit here and wait.

Wait for Dean to find them.

"Sam?"

He stirs somewhat and she lets out a breath. It's been three hours since they ended up trapped in this room and the air has gotten thick and syrupy. They must be losing oxygen, Charlie notes, and if Dean doesn't find them soon, then it won't matter about the ghosts. God, how did they get here?

She'd come back from Oz, intending to tell her boys about her newfound love and spend some time with them, only to find that things were a mess. Sam and Dean barely spoke, angels were everywhere—basically, the whole world was falling apart again. The redhead had been prepared to knock some sense into her boys, but things had gotten out of hand when a few of wards in the bunker broke and all of sudden, vengeful spirits started coming at them left and right. She'd been helping Sam put of vigils when the ghost had gotten her, wrapping it's freezing hands around her neck.

It was a blur after that.

She and Sam got tossed around—the youngest Winchester taking the brunt of the damage—and they'd somehow ended up locked in what was the equivalent of an air locked dungeon.

"Sam? Hey." She reaches out and shakes him. His head lolls to his side and she forces herself to move to him. Her heart beat echoes in her ears and lightheadedness assaults her senses, but she still keeps moving forward. "Sam?"

"M'here." His eyes meet hers and she smiles, glad that he's still with her.

"Stay awake, okay?" She won't lose him. She'll fight to keep him here with her.

"Charlie." His voice is slurred, but his grip on her hand increases. "S'okay."

"Don't leave me, okay?" Biting her lower lip, she wipes away the tears away, but finds herself failing miserably. She can't cry. She needs to be strong now. She can do this.

She has to do this.

"M'not goin' anywhere." He assures her.

And the air just keeps getting heavier.

"Charlie?"

"Hmmm?"

"You okay?"

"I'm hanging in there. You?"

"I've been through worse."

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to get out of here."

"I know."

"Dean will find us."

"I know, Charlie."

"Just, stay with me, okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Charlie believes him.

It's dark in this room and she finds herself shivering as a chill sets in. Sam's presence by her grounds her though and prevents her from panicking. Dean will find them. Sam will get help. Then, they'll all laugh about this tomorrow morning.

She hopes.

"D'n?" Sam's mental state has been deteriorating over the past hour. Charlie's been trying to keep him relaxed, but as the oxygen becomes scarcer, Sam's becoming more and more agitated and distressed. Not that she can blame him all things considering.

"He's coming." She places a hand on his pulse point, counting the heartbeats. It soothes her, reminds her that he's still fighting so she should be too. She turns her head to the left, the effort nearly exhausting her. Still, the sight of Sam's eyes meeting hers keeps her somewhat calm. Hey, she couldn't be a true ally of the Winchesters without a few near-death experiences, right?

It's probably bad that she's joking about dying considering how close she is to actually dying.

"I need . . ." Sam's gaze becomes cloudy and his head darts to the other side. "D'n, the cage, I . . . D'n, please." Charlie rubs comforting circles on his wrist, trying to keep him with her.

"He's coming." Her own voice is slurring now, her eyelids drooping. "S'okay, Sam."

And then she's lost to the darkness.

"Charlie?"

She emerges from the fog slowly, her mind feeling lost in a slew of feelings. Her eyes open slowly and she winces at the light, flinching somewhat.

"C'mon Charlie," Sam's voice now, unusually soft, but it's his. "Open your eyes." She does so and sees Dean smiling above her. To her left, she sees Sam lying down on a chair beside the bed that she's in.

"There you are." Dean grins.

"Hey," She mumbles. "Guess you found us, after all."

"In the nick of time." Sam adds. She notices the oxygen tank by his side and registers the flow oxygen under her own nose. It was close then, but not exactly fatal.

"Yay." She cheers, though her voice lacks any enthusiasm. All she can manage is exhaustion. "Guess I'm a true Winchester now?" She laughs dryly and Sam nods his head.

"Of course." Dean informs her.

"The spirits?" She ventures.

"Dean took care of them. The sigils are back up now too." Sam informs her.

"Then, case closed?"

"Yeah." Sam informs her. She wants to say something more; something witty and awesome that would make her boys laugh, but a wave of exhaustion hits her. All her mind can register is the tiredness of such a draining ordeal. She and Sam were a bit worse for wear, but alive.

"Get some rest, Charlie." Sam's murmurs and Charlie's already halfway to dreamland when she hears it.

"Night, boys."

The last thing she feels are Dean's strong arms tucking a blanket around her shoulder and Sam's hand rubbing a circle on her palm. It's these little things that remind her that she isn't alone anymore.

She's got family now.

Author's Note: I love Charlie. I adore her so much. I hope you guys enjoyed this piece. Please review if you have a second. Thanks!