And Then We Wait / by anglophileprussian (G)

Title: And Then We Wait
Author: anglophileprussian 
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairings: Dean/Castiel
Genre: Friendship
Length: Short (Words: 6,272)
Admin Note: rec'd on fancake

Author's Summary:
Dean is a basket case of emotion and Charlie likes a challenge (and is kind of lonely).

Review:
Confession: I'm kind of obsessed with Charlie - I think she's awesome.  Fandom doesn't write enough fics about her.  I like this one because it's a great friendship fic and I think Charlie's about the closest to a normal person Dean could manage to be friends with while also being clever enough and strong enough of a character in her own right to stand up to the overwhelming character-ness and angsty drama that is Dean's life.  So it's a great match for friendship fic.  This fic is Charlie-centric and does a good job of staying that way even though its about her friendship with a main character.  She doesn't end up looking like her life revolves around Dean.  I especially like how she puzzles through the friendship because as good as her social skills are, Dean clearly doesn't know how the motions of friendship work, at least not as she expects them.  But she nevertheless manages to be exactly what Dean needs in a friend sometimes and he does the same for her (since she's cut off from people too because she keeps moving and changing her name) and I think that's really cool.

And Then We Wait (on AO3)