The Blood You Drink

Chapter 1: Church

Father Castiel awoke at 4 a.m. Sunday morning just like always. He carried out his morning routine of taking a shower, going over his sermon for the day, and feeding the cat. He pulled up to the church in his small broken down car and unlocked the church. Volunteers at the church helped him put bibles in the pockets behind the wooden seats. The choir rehearsed the days worship songs while other volunteers passed out pamphlets as people filed in for church.

Castiel always recognized the people that showed up every single Sunday. Small families and couples were usually the regulars. But there was always one man that came on his own. He would pull up in his '67 Impala, and he always ran inside. Sitting in the back away from the crowd, he would sit completely still, almost like he wasn't breathing. The main thing Castiel found strange about the man was that he never socialized. The church was small, and almost everyone knew each other. Everyone would attend the same Christmas parties and church picnics, but the man with the impala never did. Castiel didn't even know his name after all this time.

As people arrived for morning service like always, Castiel found himself waiting to see the Impala. Soon enough, the car pulled up and the man darted inside. As soon as he was in the building he looked relieved, like he had been in pain. He sat in the in the back and buried his nose in the bible until the choir started singing.

After the choir finished singing, Castiel began to preach. "Let us open with a prayer to our Father." Everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes. "Father we thank you for this morning. Let us take a moment of silence." As everyone remained quiet to pray a personal prayer, Castiel let his curiosity get the better of him. He opened his eyes and looked at the man in the back. The man looked like he was in pain as he prayed. Castiel could have sworn he saw smoke emerging from the man's hands.

Prayer ended and Castiel started his sermon. As he spoke the word of God, he found himself glancing at the man in the back. The man was following along closely with the Bible in his lap. He was the only one that seemed to truly care about the message.

After the sermon ended, Castiel said his goodbyes to the people he knew in person, which was almost everyone. He turned and saw the man about to leave. Part of him wanted to go over and properly introduce himself, but the man ran out to his car in a hurry. He sped off leaving dust in the air. Castiel's current smile faded and he decided to just carry out his day as usual.

Castiel did marriage counseling after church ended for the day. It broke his heart to see people struggling. The most common case was one member had simply fallen out of love. Divorce was frowned upon, but it wasn't illegal. It saddened him to see couples that he once wedded go their separate ways.

"You are never there for me anymore!" cried out the wife. "I know you cheated on me! If you weren't happy why couldn't you just be honest with me?" Tears began to run down her face. She brushed her wavy brown hair that fell just below her shoulders away from her eyes and behind her ears.

Her husband slammed his fist on the table in front of him. "Dammit, what was I supposed to say? You never wanted sex anymore and I couldn't take it!"

"Yeah well maybe I would want it if you were actually intimate with me instead of using me like a sex doll!"

"Okay, okay calm down," said Castiel. "We've already cleared up the fact that the two main roots of your problem are sex, and unfaithfulness. Now to work this out, firstly, Matthew, you already confessed your sins to me, and have been forgiven by the Lord for your mistake. But we cannot fix this unless you forgive him as well, Amelia."

Amelia wiped away her tears. "How can I forgive him when he cheated? And he also just uses me during sex."

"That's the part of your relationship you two will have to fix," replied Castiel. "You will have to come to an agreement for your sex life. If you can do that, we have a greater chance at saving this marriage." Castiel glanced at his watch. "Your counseling is done for today, but I will see you two next week. Hopefully we'll have made an improvement."

Matthew shook Castiel's hand. "Thank you, Father." He and Amelia left the church with the aura of resentment still fresh around them. Castiel sighed and leaned back in his chair. How could this happen to people, he wondered. He had never been married himself, and never could be. He felt sadness rush over him thinking about how painful it was to fall in love and then have it taken away. Whether it be circumstance, disagreements, or a star crossed love, having it taken was the most painful thing.

Castiel hoped in his car and started to drive home. He glanced around while he was at a red light. On the side walk to his right he saw someone with an umbrella. Who would be carrying an umbrella in this weather? It was summer in California, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He took a second look at the person and realized it was the man from church. The man stopped walking near Castiel's car and Castiel suddenly felt uncomfortable. Castiel made very awkward eye contact with the man. He felt himself unable to turn away as the man stared at him with bright emerald irises. A car honked their horn and Castiel nearly jumped out of his seat. He looked up and saw the light was green. He raised his hand out his window as a thank you and felt red spread across his cheeks. As his car accelerated, he turned to his right only to see the man was gone.

He made it home safely and was greeted by his cat. The cat rubbed its body contently against his leg and then retreated down the hall at full speed. Castiel chuckled and went to his bedroom to change into normal clothing. He put on jeans and a plain white button-up shirt. He was already tired from a long day at the church, but he was running low on cat food and milk. He figured he might as well take care of shopping before his week became busy again.

Castiel walked up and down the aisles of the local Walmart placing various necessities in his basket. It was basic routine again. Purchase the necessities, go home, have a drink, and sleep. He picked up a large bag of cat food and swung it over his shoulder to support the 30 pounds. He turned around just in time to see someone duck to avoid being smacked with the bag. "I am so sorry!" he said as he quickly placed the bag in his basket. He was taken aback when he saw emerald eyes looking into his sapphire ones. "I know you," were the only words he could find. The man with the green eyes just nodded and began to walk away. "Hold on a moment." The man turned the corner, and Castiel went to follow him, but just like before, he seemed to vanish into thin air. Castiel sighed and walked back over to his basket.

The drive home was slow and dangerous. Rain fell down in harsh sheets making the streets slick. Most people drove like complete morons. The sound of skidding tires pierced Castiel's ears as he merged into the slow lane to stay safe. Another red light, another glance, and there he was. Castiel rubbed his eyes as he was certain he was going insane. But as soon as he opened his eyes the man was there standing in the rain just staring. The man didn't have an umbrella this time. Who used an umbrella for sun and not for rain? Castiel suddenly felt frightened and was thankful when the light turned green. Was the man following him? How could he on foot? It didn't make any sense. He shook his head and convinced himself he was just seeing things due to exhaustion.

Meow, meow. Castiel found himself getting smacked on the nose by his cat's paw. He gently pushed the tabby aside. "Mary…go away. You have food…" he mumbled as he rolled over to try and get some more sleep before his alarm would summon him for the day. He slowly found himself drifting to sleep only to be greeted by terror.

"Cas," moaned a voice. Castiel felt a tight embrace. Someone was holding him roughly as they sat on a mattress. "Cas," the voice moaned as Castiel felt a sharp pain where his neck connected to his shoulder. It was like two needles were puncturing his flesh.

"Dean," Castiel moaned as he tilted his head to give more access to his neck. "Please," he begged.

Dean pulled away from Castiel, his face smeared with blood. He brushed his lips against Castiel's. Castiel felt a strange, pleasurable sensation from tasting his own blood. Dean leaned back to look at Castiel. Castiel's eyes widened with horror as he saw his reflection in the emerald orbs before him. Dean smiled wickedly. "That's my boy."

Castiel sat upright in his bed with a strangled cry. His black tabby stared at him and pawed at his leg. Castiel sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep, shaken breath. You're just sleep deprived. You just need some extra sleep. Turn on your ringer in case you get called, but get some extra sleep. He turned off his alarm, and turned on his ringer. Closing his eyes, he fell into the dream scape again.

"Dean," Castiel moaned as his pleasure increased. He felt his climax building. "Dean, please," he begged.

Dean roughly kissed Castiel and sank his teeth into Castiel's bottom lip to draw a few droplets of blood. He licked away the red and moved from Castiel's mouth just enough to speak. "What do you want? Tell me."

Castiel let out a wicked moan as Dean scraped his teeth over the puncture wounds on his neck. "Let me come. Please!"

Dean smiled cunningly and licked Castiel's wound as he stroked his neglected erection. "Come for me, Father." Castiel cried out as he finally hit his orgasm. His seed spilled over Dean's hand, and Dean began to lick it all away. Dean sighed as he felt Castiel shudder beneath him. "That's a good priest."

Castiel's eyes snapped open as he heard his phone ring an obnoxious old style telephone sound. He reached over to his nightstand and answered his phone. "Hello?" He sat up when he heard crying on the other end. He quickly glanced at the caller I.D. "Amelia?"

"Father," said Amelia as she let out another sob. "Can you come? S-something terrible has happened!"

Castiel practically jumped out of bed and grabbed his cassock. "I'm on my way."

Castiel parked in the drive way and was instantly mortified. There were several police cars on the property. Castiel stepped out of his car just in time to see a body being wheeled into an ambulance. Whoever it was, they were dead. Before Castiel could lift his arm to knock on the door, Amelia had flung the door open. Her face was red and stained with tears. "Come in," she said, her voice barely audible. Castiel walked into her house and sat down on the couch. Amelia sat down in the chair in front of him. Her brown eyes were red and puffy. "It's Matt…"

Castiel felt his heart sink. "What happened, Amelia?" He reached over to the coffee table and handed her a box of Kleenex. Amelia blew her nose and let out another sob. She set a glass of water on the table in front of her for Castiel, and he gladly took it.

"I woke up this morning and rolled over to say good morning, and he wasn't there. So I came downstairs, and I found him on the floor," she turned to head to the left. Castiel followed her gaze to a policeman standing over a small pool of blood on the floor. Tape outlined the shape of Matt's body. "His body was completely drained of blood except for what leaked out from other wounds. He was beaten. And there were two little holes on the side of his neck." Castiel sprayed water all across the table and began to choke. He patted his chest and tried to breathe properly again. Amelia looked at him with worry.

"I swallowed wrong," he lied. "Continue."

Amelia put her face in her hands. "I don't understand how it happened, Father!" she blew her nose again. "There are no prints. There's nothing to help us find the murderer."

"I am so sorry," said Castiel trying to clean away the water. "If there's anything you need you just let me know." Amelia nodded her head and stood up. Castiel got to his feet and hugged Amelia. "It's alright." He held her and let her cry for a few moments. He gently rubbed her back and felt deep sympathy. He knew there was nothing worse than losing a loved one, especially because of murder. Amelia pulled away and sniffled.

"Thank you, Father. You'll be there for the funeral in two days, right?" she handed a piece of paper with the information for the funeral.

Castiel took the paper and placed it safely in his pocket. "Of course, Amelia, I wouldn't miss it." Castiel hugged her quickly again. "I have to go make preparations with the church for the funeral now. They've probably already started calling me. But if you need anything, do not hesitate to call me. I'm always here." Amelia nodded and walked Castiel out.

Castiel drove over to the church after answering six missed calls from worried neighbors and friends of Amelia and Matt. He began making arrangements and sending out the information to everyone that attended the church. That was the nice part about attending a church where everyone knew each other, whether you were much of a good person or not, your funeral was a full house.

It was the afternoon of the funeral. Castiel stood before everyone waiting for it to be time for him to pray and speak on behalf of Matthew. As he stood there in the hot sun, he looked around at the sullen faces. He spotted one woman that seemed to be the only one as upset at Amelia. That must have been her. The woman quickly wiped away her tears when Amelia sat down next to her and they shared an embrace. Castiel lightly shook his head. He hoped he was wrong about his assumption. If that woman was the one sleeping with Matthew, it would be hard for him to keep it to himself.

The funeral began with loud sobs in the air. Castiel sighed and began to speak. "We are gathered here today for Matthew Parker. He was a good man, a devoted member of this church. Sadly, he was taken from us much too young. Let us take a minute to pray." Castiel closed his eyes and bowed his head along with everyone else. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. He let curiosity strike him yet again and he opened his eyes and looked out. Out behind the rest of the crowd was the man from his nightmares. He stood under the shade of a tree; he was staring right at Castiel. Castiel felt his breath rattle in his chest. He quickly bowed his head and closed his eyes again. "Thank you." He raised his head and made sure not to look out at the man.

The funeral carried out much like any other, tears, speeches, and a gathering afterwards at Amelia's house that Castiel was obligated to attend despite his exhaustion. When he first arrived, he greeted Amelia with a hug and a casserole. Nothing said, "Sorry you lost someone." like a casserole. It was cliché, but he was too tired to think of something else. Most people were gathered in the backyard on the porch under the cabana. It was over 90 degrees outside and everyone was wearing black. Castiel exchanged small talk with a few people and said many prayers over grieving souls. Amelia walked over to him when he wasn't associating. "Thank you so much for everything today."

"It was my pleasure to be here for you, Amelia. I'm very sorry for your loss. Take your time grieving. I promise you, you will heal over time," replied Castiel.

Amelia nodded her head and wiped away a few stray tears. "I know I will. It's just so hard. I'm terrified of what might happen with that murderer on the loose."

"That fact is troubling," Castiel agreed, "but I'm sure the police will find the criminal. No one can escape forever."

"You always know just what to say," whispered Amelia as she placed her hand gingerly on the back of Castiel's neck. "You're so comforting. I should have married a man like you."

Castiel didn't know how to react to Amelia's gesture, but he didn't want to hurt her any more than she already had been either. "I'm sure you will find someone that will treat you the way you deserve to be treated, Amelia. But take your time. You're still grieving and it will cloud your judgment."

"I know, but I just don't care right now." Amelia brought her other hand to the back of Castiel's neck and smiled. "You always did make a girl swoon."

"You're looking for comfort in the wrong place," said Castiel starting to feel uncomfortable. "And besides, I can't be romantically involved with anyone."

"I know," Amelia sighed. "But regardless, you've always meant a lot to me." She leaned up and quickly brushed her lips against Castiel's. She pulled away and left without another word. Castiel stood in place in a state of shock, and shock it off as hysteria from the loss of a loved one.

The sun began to set in the horizon, and one by one, family by family, people left Amelia's house. Castiel and the other church volunteers that helped with the funeral were the last to leave, leaving Amelia alone.

Castiel arrived home, and with a loud yawn he tossed his keys on the table to his left and plopped down in his chair in front of the TV. He didn't even have the energy to change out of his cassock. Ever since he started having the nightmares about the man, he had hardly slept. He rubbed at the circles under his eyes. His cat hopped on his lap and paced 4 times before laying down. Castiel felt his eyes closing without his permission. He couldn't sleep right now. Not with everything fresh in his mind. Dammit.

"Oh, fuck, Dean!" cried Castiel as Dean pushed inside him. "Dean," he moaned, "this is wrong." Castiel bucked his hips and dug his nails into Dean's shoulders.

"But it's so right," said Dean. He rolled his hips and whispered Castiel's name. Dean's voice fell into an echo.

Castiel opened his eyes to see himself in his old home. The house was torn apart. The walls were sickly with mold, the carpet covered in stains that could only be blood, and the windows were boarded up. The furniture was tossed and broken glass was scattered across the center of the living room. Castiel immediately felt terrified and ran for the front door only to find it was locked from the outside. He tried the back door, it was also locked. He heard a shrill cry that obviously belonged to a girl. "Castiel!"

Castiel screamed as he sat up in his chair. He scrambled around before snapping back into reality. He was home, his real home. He gasped and wheezed trying to breathe correctly again as he ran his fingers through his hair. Getting up from his chair, he made his way upstairs to change into sleep wear. He pulled on sweatpants and a wrinkled, black short sleeve shirt.

Castiel's room quickly became a mess as he dug through his closet looking for a box. After a while, he finally pulled out a small black and gold box with the initials H.G. He opened the top and took some of the contents into his hands. There was a small bag of baby teeth, a lock of hair, and some jewelry. Castiel felt tears gather in his eyes. He hardly ever opened the box that carried the only remains of his first and last girlfriend. She was murdered when she was 19. Castiel had been given her box of memories since she had almost no family left. He was so heart broken when he lost her. It was her death that made him decide to become a priest; he wanted to help people, but most of all, he wanted to sever any possibilities of falling in love again. There was nothing more painful than losing the one person you wanted in your life.

Sunday came all too soon. Castiel knew he would be speaking for Matthew again, which meant more tears and more grieving. He didn't particularly mind, this things happened, but he also felt himself slipping into slight depression. The loss of Matthew, the way he died, brought up his girlfriend. She also had two marks on her neck, at least that's what the police said. Castiel never saw, and he was glad he hadn't.

Castiel's sermon ended and he prayed over several people. He looked up from a prayer and saw the man standing in the back. He couldn't stand it anymore and started to walk over. Emerald eyes gleamed at him and turned away, running out the door. Castiel chased the man through the parking lot. "Wait!" He ran and ran until he was in park. For a sunny Sunday, the park was eerily empty. Castiel suddenly heard something that sounded like hissing, followed by a groan that suggested pain. He followed the sounds until he saw the man seated underneath a tree. Patches of his skin had turned an angry red and there was steam emerging from all exposed flesh. The man crawled into the shade and his skin slowly stopped burning. Castiel stood in place terrified. "What…what are you?"

"Just leave it alone, buddy," replied the man. "Just go away."

Castiel couldn't leave this person. "Are you hurt? Is there anything I can-"

"I said beat it!"

"Please," Castiel kneeled by him, "I see you at the church every Sunday. I can't leave you. Please, at least tell me your name."

The man sighed and winced. He turned his head trying to keep it away from rays of light. "Dean." The name sent shudders through Castiel's entire being.

"Dean!"

"D-Dean?" Castiel stuttered. Dean nodded his head.

"Yeah, Dean," he mumbled. "Now get out of here." Castiel opened his mouth to protest. "I have a condition okay! I'm literally allergic to the sun! Alright, look it up. I'll be fine. Just get going." Castiel scrambled to his feet and slowly backed away. "Go!" Castiel turned and ran back to the church. He struggled to breathe from running and from the terror. His stomach churned and his head spun. This isn't happening.

"Father?" asked Amelia.

Castiel's head shot up. "Amelia, hi."

"Are you alright? You look awful, like you've seen a ghost." Amelia gently cupped Castiel's face. "What happened?"

"Nothing," replied Castiel with a huff. "Nothing, I'm fine. Just…tired. I'm just tired, Amelia." Castiel stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Listen, I need to head home, but if you need anything, feel free to let me know."

Amelia gently drew her hand away, lightly caressing Castiel's face. "Alright, but you call me too, if you need anything." She walked away slowly, turning back just once before disappearing around the corner of the building.

Castiel arrived home and locked all the doors and windows. He shut the drapes, and double checked the back door lock. He ran upstairs to his room and locked that door, resisting nailing it shut. His breath was rapid and shallow. This couldn't happen. These things didn't happen. He lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know what was happening or why, but the one thing he knew was that he wasn't going to sleep very well that night.