WARNING: There's some violence in this chapter.

Chapter: 02

Castiel met Dean at the end of each of his classes, leading him to the next room on his schedule in silence. Dean tried to strike up conversation – complaining about his work, and asking Castiel's opinion on several of the girl's they passed in the hall – but the younger boy remained eerily silent. By the time he met Castiel between his fourth and fifth period, Dean had learned to walk in silent synchronization with his guide.

It wasn't that Castiel didn't want to speak to Dean- he just couldn't. The younger boy wanted to speak to his older companion so bad it physically ached, but his mind had simply made it impossible; he had sat through every class of the day thinking of ways his mother could punish him if she discovered that Castiel had taken an interest in the new kids. He mused over all of the rumors that people would spread about Dean, or even little Sam for that matter, if they saw the boys talking to Castiel. Every worst case scenario passed through Castiel's head that morning and he silently promised himself he wouldn't let such things happen.

Glancing at Dean's schedule, Castiel bit back a groan; the boys shared the same lunch period, which only made things harder. Silently tucking the crumpled paper back in his coat pocket, Castiel motioned Dean to follow as the two headed towards the cafeteria.

The room was bustling with activity when the boys arrived, people going about their usual lunch time business as Castiel made his way to his usual table in the very back. Dean said a quick goodbye that Castiel acknowledged with a nod as he dropped his backpack on to the top of one of the rounded tables. The area around him was deserted, excepting a few strangers in search of a quiet study space. When they noticed Castiel, they quickly retreated. The junior sighed, retrieving his bag lunch from his backpack, and plopped warily down in his chair.

He wasn't always the social pariah- he used to be quite popular, but those days were long gone.

Sighing quietly to himself, he pulled an apple out of his lunch and took a bite as he retrieved his history book and let it fall open to a random page. Though he wasn't assigned any pages in the book for the night, he had always been fascinated with history; reading this particular text book was a popular pass time for Castiel.

"Hey, Cas!" Castiel jumped, slicing his finger on the edge of a page as he looked up in time to see Sam plopping down in a seat across from him. His stomach flipped nervously as a few people in the surrounding area turned to stare curiously at Sam.

"Cas?" He questioned quietly, fighting the urge to scream at Sam to get up. He wanted the boy's company, but he didn't want Sam to suffer for it.

"Castiel is a mouthful," Sam shrugged, popping a grape in his mouth. "Do you mind if I call you Cas?"

"No, no… Cas is fine," Castiel shrugged, his heart tightening a bit. He'd never been given a nickname from anyone, let alone a boy he'd only just met this morning. Sam and Dean were making it incredibly hard to maintain his quiet, self-loathing reputation.

"Cool," Sam grinned.

"Harassing my friends, Sammy?" Castiel jumped, spinning in his chair with a surprised sound to find Dean standing behind him. The senior grinned down at him, winking, and took the seat directly to his right. Castiel felt his blush all the way down to his belly button.

"It's Sam," Sam huffed, glaring at his older brother. "And I'm not harassing him."

"He's harassing you, isn't he?" Dean smirked, looking to Castiel for an answer. The teenager shook his head, taking another slow bite of his apple and hoping his blush would die quickly.

Dean turned back to Sam, and the two exchanged a playful dialogue of insults ending in "Jerk" on Sam's part, and "Bitch" on Dean's. Castiel returned to his reading, fighting a smile, and hoped that he could learn to ignore the very interesting siblings sitting with him.

He had no such luck.

Dean and Sam both wolfed down their meals as if it was a race, finishing their entire plates before Castiel had even disposed of his apple. The two conversed briefly about how their first day was going, and from the sound of it Sam was enjoying himself far more than Dean. Whereas the younger sibling could name several new friends and a favorite teacher, the older could only name Castiel.

"I've seen a few girls staring at you," Sam told his brother. "I'm sure you'll get a girlfriend in no time."

"C'mon, Sam," Dean scoffed. "You know I don't get girlfriends."

Castiel glanced at Dean with a confused expression, unsure how truthful that statement was. With someone with Dean's physique and his charming personality, it seemed almost impossible for him to not have girlfriends.

"It wouldn't kill you to have something more than a one night stand," Sam sighed, tearing his napkin into precise little pieces. "I mean, seriously- if you don't bring someone home eventually, Dad's going to think you're gay."

Castiel flinched at the word, his nails digging into the skin of his apple. Dean glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow, and Castiel simply shook his head.

That one word had uprooted every aspect of his life and planted them in an entirely different garden. He had gone from popular to pariah in a matter of seconds, lost the respect of his family, and ruined any chances at a future… All because he wasn't born right; he was born from the fires of Hell, the local church said; a creature of sin.

Castiel Novak was gay, and everyone in the community made a point to remind him of how wrong it was.

"You okay, Cas?" Castiel barely heard Sam's voice over the roar of blood in his ears, but he nodded weakly anyways and took another bite of his apple despite the churning in his stomach.

"Cas?" Dean questioned, glancing between his brother and the pale teenager beside him.

"Castiel is a mouthful," Both boys chorused. Dean chuckled, nodding, and Castiel didn't notice the concerned stare that Dean was giving him. He didn't even notice how pale he'd gone or the slight tremble in his hands as he glanced around the cafeteria.

Dean's hand feel gently on Castiel's shoulder and the younger boy jumped, turning to him with a startled expression.

"You alright?" He repeated his brother's question, his frown deep. There was a long span of silence in which the two stared at each other, but in the end Castiel never answered Dean's question, and Dean didn't bother to ask it again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After that first day, Castiel no longer had to show Dean where his classes were. However, in the month since the senior's arrival, he had insisted on escorting Castiel to class. On occasion Sam would tag along, talking animatedly about some kind of assignment he was working on, and Dean would just smile and nod along while Castiel asked questions.

Castiel had learned a lot about the Winchester boys since they arrived- Dean was eighteen going on nineteen, and Sam was four years younger. They moved a lot, according to Sam, and they had come here from a brief time spent living in Tennessee. Dean loved old cars, women, and classic rock; Sam was more successful with books and country music.

The two Winchester boys were total opposites, and they often fought, but Dean was fiercely protective of Sam. There'd been more than one occasion where someone caught bullying Sam had been sent home in tears, Dean watching them leave with a smug expression but denying his involvement when asked.

Castiel quite enjoyed the boys, to be honest, and as time went on he slowly slipped out of his shell. After two weeks without any news reaching his mother, or any rumors reaching the Winchester's ears, he started to grow more comfortable with the situation. Now, a month into things, he had truly fallen into the role of Cas; the Winchester boys' closest friend.

As far as Dean was concerned though, Castiel wasn't sure what to think. Sam had made several comments about the two of them being inseparable, and in many ways he was right; it wasn't often that Castiel felt alone at school anymore. Dean was always nearby, grinning at Castiel from the lunch line or asking Castiel to join him in his quest to bed as many women as he could before the semester ended. They were often late for class, unaware of time when they wandered the hallways in comfortable silence, and Dean was constantly attempting to make Castiel smile.

Castiel's demented mind tried to trick him into believing that Dean was flirting with him, but the hoards of women that constantly blushed when Dean passed told him otherwise.

This particular day in the middle of November began just like the rest. Sam was lying quietly in the grass, studying for a Geometry exam, while Dean and Castiel sat a few feet away in respectable quiet. About a week ago, the Winchester's had been sitting at his bus stop when Castiel arrived; he didn't ask questions, because it was a surprisingly pleasant surprise.

Dean's arm brushed Castiel's as he stared out at the highway, his jacket zipped all the way to his chin, and Castiel noticed he was shivering.

"It's not that cold," Castiel teased, receiving a fiery green glare in response.

"I could be in my car right now," Dean grumbled, struggling to pull the collar of his jacket over his ears. "Blasting the heater… Listening to Metallica… Instead I'm stuck waiting for the stupid bus…"

"Why didn't you take the Impala? I thought the repairs were complete," Castiel questioned, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin there. Dean shrugged, a particularly violent shiver rippling through his body as he glanced at Castiel out of the corner of his eye.

"Sam likes to walk in the mornings," He explained quietly. "And I don't mind coming out here,"

Castiel watched Dean's face carefully as the older boy looked around them. Castiel's house sat two miles behind them, at the end of a gravel drive-way. Sam had often asked what his house was like since the trees surrounding the place made it impossible to see, and Castiel had always shrugged and said 'nothing special'. Because it wasn't anything special- if anything, it was big and empty.

Castiel actually preferred this spot, sitting at the end of the driveway. Very few cars drove by on the highway before them, and across the blacktop there was a small pasture of horses that Castiel used to follow along the fence line when he was small. The grass was soft, and during the spring wildflowers would pop up all over the place. It was calm, it was beautiful, and it was something no one could take away from him.

Dean seemed to see the same in the area, his expression soft as he watched a black foal stumble along behind its mother. The few rays of dawn that were breaking through the black-clouds over their heads seemed to be drawn to Dean's eyes, highlighting the flecks of gold hidden amongst the green.

"It's peaceful," Dean seemed to voice Castiel's thoughts, turning and smiling timidly at the younger boy. Castiel looked away with a faint blush, realizing he'd been staring.

The two fell silent again, and Castiel jumped as a sudden flake of snow landed on the tip of his nose. He went cross eyed staring at the small crystals before Dean's thumb suddenly brushed over his nose and wiped it away. His heart leapt into his throat and he made a small sound, trying to pass it off as anger as he glared at Dean. Dean flashed him a grin before climbing to his feet and walking over to his younger brother.

"Sammy," He toed his brother in the ribs lightly. "It's snowing, dude- think we should head home,"

"But, Dean, my test…" Sam whined, looking pleadingly up at his brother. Dean sighed, shaking his head, and grabbed the text book from Sam's hands and dropped it in his younger brother's bag before zipping the bag closed.

"You know what Dad said," He murmured, slinging Sam's bag over his shoulder with his own. Castiel knew Dean hated this; he'd seen Dean look at Sam with the 'dad said' expression several times in the past few weeks. He didn't know what it meant, and he didn't ask because the mere mention of their father seemed to make Dean and Sam uncomfortable.

Sam huffed out a disappointed breath and climbed to his feet, allowing Dean to carry his backpack for him. "See you later, Cas," He smiled weakly as he passed, walking silently along the side of the highway. Castiel watched, frowning, and Dean waited until Sam was out of hearing range to turn back to Castiel.

"We may not be in school for a few days," He sighed, raking his free hand through his hair. "You think you could do me a favor?"

"Collect all of Sam's work, and give any curious girls your number," Castiel chuckled a little, nodding; Dean had asked him this favor two weeks ago, too.

"You're an angel, Cas," Dean smiled weakly. "But don't bother handing out my number- just make sure you text me, alright? I mean, if a girl is interested- text me about it,"

Castiel smiled, watching as Dean stumbled over the words.

"Sure thing," He agreed, burying his hands in the pockets of his coat as a gust of wind ruffled his hair. Dean quickly turned – he wasn't good at goodbyes – and headed off down the road after Sam.

Castiel watched the brothers until they disappeared from his sight, wrapping his arms around himself and waiting in silence for the bus. It wasn't until quite some time later that the vehicle rolled to a stop, and Castiel hurried inside; snow had begun to fall steadily outside, and he was practically frozen solid the entire bus ride. He blew on his hands, jiggled his feet; anything to warm himself.

The ride seemed extremely long, and the time dragged on. Castiel realized that he had grown accustomed to Dean's presence in the seat beside him, and silently cursed himself; he had only known the boy a month, and he was obviously a player- so why was he allowing himself to fall for him?

Caught up in thoughts of Dean, Castiel was distracted for the rest of the ride.

When the bus finally stopped at the school, Castiel waited patiently for everyone to get off and thought of the day before him; a test in first period, and a presentation in third. He thought of sitting alone at lunch once more, and of walking the halls without Dean's protective presence and Sam's rambling.

It was going to be a long day, he decided.

"Hey, Castiel!" The teenager looked around, frowning as he stepped off the bus. Who would be calling his name with Sam and Dean gone for the day?

Lucifer came striding forward, Michael following behind him. Castiel chocked down his shock – his brother's were actually talking to him! – and raised an eyebrow as Lucifer stopped in front of him.

"We were wondering if we could talk to you alone," He explained with a smile, his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans as Michael watched Castiel with a dead expression.

"What about?" Castiel asked quietly, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Just some family stuff," Lucifer shrugged. "Come on," He motioned Castiel to follow him as he started walking towards the small wooded area beside the school. Castiel hesitated, glancing back towards the school building.

"Come on, Castiel," Michael spoke, his voice deep and somewhat soothing. Castiel bit his lip, nodding after another brief moment of consideration, and walked silently beside Michael as they made their way into the woods. They walked for awhile until they reached a small creek that Castiel could remember playing in as a child, Gabriel and Anna holding his hands as he tried to balance on the rocks, the summer sun burning his face.

He frowned, shivering. He hadn't thought of Gabriel and Anna in awhile.

Michael stopped and Castiel followed his older brother's example, looking curiously at Lucifer where he was propped against a nearby tree.

"Well, Castiel, it seems we have a bit of a problem." Lucifer sighed, pushing off the tree and taking a few steps closer. "You're straying from the flock again, little black sheep."

Castiel's heart beat picked up, realizing why he'd been brought out this far as Lucifer took another step closer, and he stumbled backwards. Tripping over an unseen root, the youngest Novak tumbled back and landed heavily on the snow damp ground. Michael stood silently to the side, watching on with cool eyes as Lucifer hauled Castiel up by the front of his shirt.

"What's going on with the Winchester boy, Castiel?" Lucifer demanded, his face inches from Castiel's. The younger boy was shaking; he wasn't good with confrontation, or violence. Being the center of both, he was absolutely terrified.

"N-Nothing," Castiel stuttered, fighting tears. "W-We're just… Just f-friends,"

"Need I remind you what happened last time you lied about your boyfriend?" Lucifer growled, his hand tightening in Castiel's shirt as he pushed the smaller boy into the nearest tree. The bark scratched against the exposed back of Castiel's neck, and his hair fell in his face as he struggled to breathe correctly.

"I swear!" He pleaded, panic building as the memory of a bloody boy flashed behind his eyelids. "D-Dean is just my friend,"

"What about the other one?" Lucifer growled. "Sam?"

"No!" Castiel cried. He may be a born sinner, but there were certain things not even the devil himself would do; touching Sam, or even thinking of him in that way was one of them. Sam had a pure heart, and that was something that simply shouldn't be tampered with. Not to mention, Sam was almost three years younger than him.

"For some reason, I really don't believe you." Lucifer growled, pressing harder against Castiel's chest. The younger boy hissed in pain, struggling to expand his lungs between the tree and his brother's hand. "You see, Michael's been keeping an eye on the two of you; apparently, Dean's taken an awful lot of interest in you… Been asking some weird questions,"

Castiel struggled weakly, kicking out his legs, and Lucifer jerked him off the tree, throwing him to the ground once more. Castiel scrambled back, watching his oldest brother with frightened blue eyes. He backed up to the creek's edge, his hands dipping into the icy water as he came to a stop. Lucifer continued to advance slowly, his grin dark.

"He wanted to know why poor little Cassie didn't have any friends, and why he was so quiet," Lucifer sneered, bending to grab Castiel's ankle. The younger boy rolled over on to his stomach, uncaring of the water's frigid temperature as he crawled forward and tried to make it to his feet. Lucifer got a quick hold on his calf, jerking him down. Castiel gasped as he landed face-first in the creek, inhaling the icy water and rolling back on to his back as he spluttered, his teeth clicking. The whole time, Lucifer continued his rant.

"About a week ago someone finally told him you were a demon- sent straight from hell, meant to tempt him. He didn't get it at first, but when he finally figured out that Michael and I were your big brother's, we told him the whole story." Lucifer hauled Castiel out of the water by his hair, and the younger boy grabbed at his brother's wrist with a weak cry of pain.

"We told him all about your little stunt with Balthazar, and what happened to him when it was over," Lucifer hissed, allowing Castiel to get his feet under himself as he stood shivering, his brother still gripping his hair. "We told him how ran away like a scared little girl when everyone found out- how poor Balthazar was so ashamed that he killed himself,"

"Stop," Castiel pleaded, a sob hitching his chest.

"I think you need to be reminded just how dangerous you are to this boy, Castiel," Lucifer growled, letting go of Castiel's hair. The younger boy sagged, his weak knees unable to hold him as Balthazar's face danced in his mind.

His Balthazar, lying in a bloody puddle…

"You shouldn't have even been born, Castiel!" Lucifer growled, landing a hard kick to Castiel's ribs. The boy cried out softly, curling in on himself as quickly as he could. The next kick caught him in the jaw, the toe of his brother's boot cutting the skin.

A gun, still in his hand…

"Do you hear me, you pathetic piece of shit?" Lucifer hauled Castiel up, and the boy weakly tried to cover his face. His mind was doing more damage to him than Lucifer's actions ever could, but that didn't mean Lucifer wasn't hurting him.

Balthazar… Wake up…

The solid thump of fist hitting skin was all Castiel could comprehend, hearing nothing but his own thoughts over the roaring in his ears. He felt the snow damp Earth pressed against his cheek as he laid still, taking the abuse with no retaliation.

Please… You can't be gone…

"Lucifer, that's enough." Michael's voice passed the noise in his ears, and the hits came to a sudden stop. Castiel finally opened his eyes – or tried. His left was swollen closed.

Balthazar… Please!

Michael slowly crouched in front of Castiel, his expression passive. "I trust you've learned your lesson," He whispered calmly, smoothing Castiel's hair away from his eyes and gingerly petting his hair for a moment before he climbed to his feet and disappeared.

You can't leave me here… Don't leave me here!

Castiel laid entirely still, hot tears squeezing past his defenses as he pressed his swollen eye to the cool comfort of the snow.

I don't want to be alone.