"Oh, look!" Jack holds his arms in front of his face with a grin. "I almost forgot what color these are supposed to be!".

CastieI chuckles. "Well, don't get used to it just yet. You're not done bleeding." He probably was until CastieI started touching the barely-formed blood clots, but he still thinks this was for the best. He can mostly gauge how bad the wounds are, and except for a cut or two that looks to be purposely made with a knife as opposed to just scratches presumably from hitting the ground, he thinks it will all heal on its own in time.

"Huh." Jack inspects his forearm for a moment. "Do you think that's why I feel lightheaded? 'Cause I'm, like, dehydrated or something?"

CastieI, who's been kneeling by Jack's side for at least an hour, smacks his head into the edge of the couch.

"What?" Jack asks. "What'd I do?"

"You probably should have mentioned that earlier," Charlie says, much more politely than her exasperated partner would have said it.

"Sorry, it didn't feel as important when I was, you know, really bleeding." In a brighter tone, he adds, "But on the bright side, my ankle is super numb. I can barely feel it!"

CastieI groans. God, why him? Why does he have to be the one in charge of this kid? Neither the police academy nor his time with the Hunters prepared him for this. Maybe he should have studied nursing instead of criminal justice.

CastieI sighs and looks up at him. "You're killing me, kid."

Jack shrugs sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Okay," Charlie says, "this has been a fun little game of Operation, but I think it's about time we get him to the hospital."

"No!" Jack and Castiel say in unison.

"Oh, come on!" Charlie groans. "I know you want to do this yourself for whatever weird-ass reason, but the kid is bleeding out in your fucking sofa."

"I'm not bleeding that much," Jack protests.

"Bringing him to the hospital would cause a whole slew of problems," CastieI says. "A minor with no identification whose name is in no system anywhere walking into a hospital looking like that would raise a lot of questions better left unanswered."

"Oh, come on," she says. "He's not a ghost, Cas. Just 'cause he's probably not in school and probably doesn't have a job or a house — legally, anyway — doesn't mean he's not in any system."

"I think he's right," Jack says. "I was born a Hunter. My parents were both off the grid, so they didn't exactly try to get me a birth certificate or anything. As far as the government is concerned, I just don't exist."

"Exactly," CastieI says. "I'm sure they'd treat him anyway, but I don't know if we'd get him back afterwards." And if anyone found out that he was a Hunter, the cops might try to get information out of him — and knowing how much Lucifer loves his family, they might actually succeed if the guy heard they had his son.

"Maybe that's worth it," Charlie says. "I mean, if the alternative is dying —"

"Woah, no one is dying today, okay?" Castiel says quickly. "Can you just go get Jack another cup of juice?"

"I've already had, like, three," Jack says. "I'm not really thirsty anymore."

"Maybe not, but you need fluids," he says. He has a feeling the hospital would be pumping fluids intravenously, but this is the best he can do now. He just hopes that's the right thing to do.

Why couldn't the Vamps have just shot him? At least that's something he knows how to handle.

Charlie runs out of the room on her apple juice mission. CastieI turns his attention back to Jack. Part of him wants to try to clean the blood from his torso; part of him just wants to give the kid a break.

"They might be right," Jack says quietly.

"What?"

"Charlie might be right," he repeats. "Maybe I should go to the hospital."

"Hasn't Dean always told you not to go to the hospital if you don't have to?" It was an unofficial rule towards the end of Castiel's time with the Hunters. He was always afraid the cops would get involved. This just seems like a surefire way to make it happen.

"I know," Jack says. "But maybe this time I should. Maybe it's time I got out."

"If you get out like this, you might end up in jail."

"And if I don't, I'll end up dead," Jack says. "Maybe not today. Maybe not from this. But the Vamps aren't done with me. They'll get their revenge sooner or later if I stick around."

"Then I'll get you out a different way," CastieI says firmly. "I've got connections; with a little bit of time, I could help you build a new life somewhere far away from here." He grins. Now this is an idea. "I could take you to California! You could meet Dean's brother! I think you'd get along really well."

Jack looks at him hopefully. "Really?"

"Of course," CastieI says. "I've done it once; I could do it again."

"For the record," Charlie says, and Castiel jumps, "I am firmly opposed to this idea."

Shit. CastieI turns around to look at her. "Um sorry, Charlie, I didn't —"

"I'm not gonna stop you," they interrupt. "Hell, if there's something I can do to help, I will. I just won't be happy about it."

CastieI gives her a smile. "That's why you're the best."

"I know!" She hands Jack his cup of juice. "Drink up, kid. You can't die before you've tasted freedom."

"Thanks!" He pauses. "I think." He takes a few sips of his juice and lets out a content sigh. "I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"Or you could not?" CastieI says awkwardly. He doesn't want to worry the kid, but the idea of him falling asleep kind of scares the shit out of him. The fact that Jack is conscious right now is the only thing giving him hope. If he falls asleep, Castiel won't have any type of warning sign if things get bad — err, if they get more bad.

"But it's so late," Jack whines. "I'm tired!"

"We're all tired, kid," Charlie says. "You gotta stay up, though. We're gonna suffer through this together."

Jack frowns. "But I don't wanna suffer. I wanna sleep."

"I know," CastieI says. "But I really have to ask you not to."

Jack sighs. "Fine, I'll try not to fall asleep."

"I appreciate that," CastieI says.

Ring!

CastieI groans. Again with the fucking doorbell — and this late at night, too. What is this, a fucking bed-and-breakfast?

He cracks the door open, and he's greeted by Dean fucking Winchester. Of course, because why wouldn't Dean be paying him a late-night visit at this exact moment after not seeing him for months?

"The fuck do you want?" Castiel asks, exasperated.

Dean snorts. "Nice to see you, too."

"Look," CastieI says, "I have company right now, so you have to go."

"Does that company happen to be Jack?" Dean asks hopefully.

CastieI glances behind himself to where Jack is lying on the couch. The boy shakes his head emphatically, so Castiel turns his attention back to Dean. "Does Jack have red hair, a police badge, and an unhealthy obsession with nerd shit? 'Cause if not, I'm pretty sure it's just my partner."

"Dammit," Dean mutters. He runs a hand down his face. "He's been gone half the day and I can't find him anywhere."

"He's 16," Castiel reminds him. "He's old enough to spend a night on the town."

"He was literally just getting McDonald's," Dean deadpans. "He should be back by now. Your brothers are kind of freaking out."

CastieI grimaces. He hasn't mentioned his brothers to Charlie yet. He has a feeling they're going to ask about that. Instead of mentioning that, he just says, "Well, go remind them of all the stupid shit they did when they were 16 and maybe they'll shut up."

"Jack isn't them," Dean says simply. "Look, just, if you see him for whatever reason, tell him to call us."

"I don't know why I'd see him, but sure," Castiel says. "Now bye." He closes the door in Dean's face before he gets a response. He turns back around, and, predictably, Charlie looks like she has a lot of questions.

"Who was that?" they ask.

"Doesn't matter," CastieI says.

"Was it Dean Winchester?"

Castiel throws his head back as though this was an exasperatingly stupid question. "You know there are other Hunters besides Dean and Jack, right? Like, not everything is going to be Dean." Granted, this time it was, but his point still stands.

"Like your brothers?" she asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Like my brothers," CastieI replies. He turns his attention to Jack just so she doesn't have the chance to ask any more questions. "Are you sure you don't want to tell them? Especially if you're staying here for a few days. They're gonna be worried sick."

"And if I tell them, they're going to commit a fair number of war crimes in the name of revenge."

"And probably do more to lower this city's crime rate than the cops ever have in the process," CastieI says. The Hunters are bigger and more well-known than the Vamps, but it's no secret to anyone who pays attention that the Vamps commit the more violent crimes. They kidnap and murder people just for kicks. There's been an unofficial truce between them and the Hunters that they won't just outright murder each other, but it might be time for Dean to call that off for the greater good.

"What are you even talking about?" Charlie asks. "I swear, it's kind you have your own language or something."

"It doesn't matter," Jack says. "It's not happening."

CastieI sighs. "Will you at least give me your dad's number? If you pass out from blood loss, I'm going to call him."

"No."

"Okay," CastieI says says, "then if you pass out from blood loss, I'm going to stuff you in the back of my car and bring you to him instead."

Jack narrows his eyes. "That's not fair."

"Life's not fair."

And, in the end, he does get Lucifer's phone number, because he's good at what he does.