A/N: A little bit more than a week later but I was at the beach with no internet. Anyway, here it is! The next chapter of "The Righteous Man". And ladies and gentlmen, may I present ... Castiel!

Disclaimer: I own neither Supernatural nor Castiel nor any of the shows that I make vague and not so vague references to in this chapter.

The Righteous Man

Chapter One: The Avenging Angel

Castiel Novak was considered one of the FBI's best and brightest. He was the kind of man that could have risen speedily to the rank of a cushy desk job with silk suits and an actually decent salary. Silk suits – not the kind of thing you associate with the FBI … but if you get high enough- the FBI had a corporate elite like any other organization and Castiel could have become one of them. But each time he was up for promotion, he respectfully declined. He was where he really belonged, doing what he was meant to do. He was putting dirt bags in jail for the unspeakable things that they did. The desk job, the administrative politics – they weren't for him. He had a … higher purpose.

Castiel's parents had been brutally murdered on his 21st birthday. As it turned out, they were murdered by a serial killer that the FBI had been after for years. Unfortunately, after killing Castiel's parents, the killer had disappeared - vanished – and the FBI had never been able to bring the murderer to justice. Castiel realized the truth of that old adage – if you want things done right, you've got to do them yourself. It would be up to him to avenge his parents' murders. However, he wasn't an idiot and realized that he would have the best chance at finding the bastard if he was with the FBI instead of becoming some kind of renegade.

And so, Castiel Novak had joined the FBI and it quickly became obvious that he was something very special, having the highest closed case rate in the entire FBI. He soon gained a reputation for being some cross between a blood hound and a pit bull. He could follow any trail and he never let go. Yet, strangely enough, he maintained a kind of childlike naivety, often evidenced by a confused look on his face.

However, if you were dumb enough to allow that outward naivety to fool you, you would soon find out that Castiel Novak was not the kind of man it was a good idea to underestimate.

All of the FBI's hardest, most elusive, and despicable cases were handled to Castiel in the hopes that the blood hound would soon be able to put them to rest. So it was no surprise that they handed him what was being called the murder spree of the century. Over thirty different crime scenes spread all over the country, 59 victims, and no discernible MO other that a love for the theatrical, this case was every lawman's nightmare. It was also every American's nightmare because no race, sex, or age group was safe from the killer.

As soon as Castiel received the case, he began studying each and every murder, memorizing each detail, and trying to get into the unsub's head. When he felt like he had gotten a handle on it, he called his team together and briefed them.

"Meet the Hunter. That's what we're going to call our unsub because he goes after his victims with the precision and skill of a hunter. But not a hunter that shoots deer or hunts wild game. More like a bounty hunter or an assassin. He's killed 59 people in 27 different states and no two murders are alike. In Georgia, Dr. David Smith was stabbed 10 times with a screwdriver and left outside the police station. In Colorado, Janet Pond was murdered execution style, in a church. And in Virginia, Jack Harkness and Jill Kennedy were found with broken necks at the bottom of a kill in the country."

Adrian, one of Castiel's agents and also a personal friend, interrupted. "They don't sound like they're related at all. How did we connect them?"

Castiel nodded. It was a valid question. After all, 59 murders – that was a huge amount, an almost mythical amount. How could one person have committed them all without being in any danger of capture? "We didn't for a long time, which is why the unsub has been able to continue his ungodly killing spree without halting. Each murder is different, that's true. But they're all characterized by a couple of things. One, they're all very precise and methodical. The Hunter has military grade skills and executes each murder with control. David Smith was stabbed 10 times, which could indicate rage and passion. But he was stabbed in rows - each stab lined up and neat - and the scene was completely clean. No scrap of evidence was left behind. And when Dr. Smith was left at the police station, he was actually left sitting on a bench outside. Dozens of people walked by but no one noticed our unsub and he avoided the police station's cameras. Jack and Jill both had broken necks. But every single other bone in their bodies had been broken before death. Again, this sounds like over kill. But they were all broken by someone possessing a medical knowledge of human anatomy and equally medical precision. He took time to break each bone, methodically. Afterwards, he deposited them each carefully at the bottom of the hill and lay a broken crown beside them. This wasn't some fit. It was planned and executed almost brilliantly." Castiel paused and looked around expectantly, waiting for someone to notice the Hunter's second quality that was clearly at work here.

The faces of all his agents were completely blank. This was strange, because the Hunter had been referencing something in the murder and Castiel had thought it a very clear reference –one even he got. "Jack and Jill …" he hinted, waiting for someone to catch on. Fascinating. His agents were always making fun of him for not understanding references to "pop culture". Now the joke was finally on them.

"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water." The faces began to change, realizing, finally, what Castiel was talking about. "Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after."

"He based their murders off a nursery rhyme?" Balt, their British liaison in the back of the room asked in an amazed voice.

Castiel nodded and explained his voice grave … as it always was. "I believe they were chosen simply because of the nursery rhyme. The Hunter's other characteristic is that he is extremely theatrical. Every single one of the murders was performed almost like a performance – almost like a show." His eyes intense, he continued, "So, we're going to start with those two marks – methodical and powerful like a hunter and theatrical like a performer. Using those marks, I want us to find his first murder because the first one we have on file can't be his first – it's too perfect, with no mistakes. He had to have … 'practiced' before then. And that first murder will hold the clue that leads us to him."

"Just one thing," A young agent named Anna raised her hand. Pushing her red hair back, she cocked her head and asked, "Why are we assuming the Hunter is male? Isn't it possible that our unsub is female?"

Castiel looked at her with some confusion. He'd thought that it had been obvious. Then he realized that his agents hadn't read and studied all the case files the way he had. He'd forgotten to include that.

He should have included that.

Blushing slightly with embarrassment, he explained. "Cassie Robinson was, as far as we can tell, his 13th victim. She was found in her bed, with a decorative dagger that she owned in her heart. She was naked because directly before her death, she had been having sexual intercourse with a man. The sex was consensual, it seems, as there was no sign of tearing or bruising. In fact, her face was still in ecstasy. Incidentally, the local police department received a ... 'strip-o-gram' later that night, inviting them to her apartment ... his idea of an 'anonymous' tip. No fluids or semen were found that could have linked us to the murderer. But in the elevator of her apartment building, the Hunter allowed himself to be caught on camera. The footage was time stamped slightly before her time of death, and he was the only person to enter the building during the window of opportunity that the killer would have had. The Hunter, therefore, was the man on camera."

Anna pushed harder. "You say he 'allowed' himself to be caught on camera. Why do you say 'allow'? Wasn't that a mistake? Don't we have a description of him now?"

If he had a description, wouldn't he had told them? "He kept his back to the camera and stood hunched with bent knees, draped all over Cassie as they were … 'making out' in the elevator. This disguised his dimensions, so all we really know is that he was 'well built' and muscular, which could already be gleaned from the strength which he used to kill some of his victims. As they exited the elevator, he waved behind his back and then gave thumbs up to the camera. He knew exactly where it was. It was the only time he was caught on camera and still, he was playing with us." He ended softly and the agents dispersed quietly, realizing finally what they were up against.

Castiel Novak went back to his office and his desk. While his agents began looking at the cases, Castiel took a minute to think about the families. He knew what they were going through and he was going to bring this monster to justice – for them, for the families. If the families had seen the man fighting for them at that moment – his mouth determined and his eyes full of righteous fury, they might have been able to rest more easily.

You see, Castiel had a reputation among the agents at the FBI. Amazingly enough, he had also garnered a reputation amongst the families he helped. One inspired by his dedication, incorruptibility, swift hand, and just execution.

The Avenging Angel, they called him

And if you were able to look close enough into those bluer-than-blue eyes as he worked on the case, late into the night, you might fancy that you caught a glimpse of some angelic fire.

A/N: So there it was - the lengthy introduction. Sorry if it was a bit boring, but it had to be done. I had to give my characters a bit of background. Did you notice the references? If not, check out the names and certain characteristics of the victims. Don't forget to check out the agents as well. I swear, SuperWhoLock is everywhere.