Castiel Novak sits in the courthouse thinking of his sixteen year old self. He can remember his brother Luc protecting him from the others when he presented as an Omega. Luc was only a beta, but he was furious. He remembers Luc calling Micheal, remembers being picked up and carried home. Luc made him a grilled cheese.
Thinking of his dead brother makes him upset. He wants to cry but refuses to. People already treat him like glass without tears. He breathes a sigh of relief when his brother Micheal sits next to him, and grabs his hand. The comforting scent of his Alpha brother washes over him. Micheal's eyes are red. He smells like cigarettes and salt.
Castiel hates this. A man in a police uniform walks to them, and asks them to come into the room. The trail is beginning.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
As Sam stares at the battered body of his older brother, a tear-jerking sort of panic starts to drown him. "Dean," he says. "Dean."
Dean's blood stains the bandage on his head. Dean is not awake. Dean's heartbeat is steady. Sam stares at the monitor as he sits in the hard plastic beside Dean's bed. He looks at the nurse staring back at him. "How?"
The nurse's eyes soften. She has pretty eyes that crinkle in the corners. They don't match the stern line of her mouth. "He has a severe concussion. He might be out for a few days. Two broken ribs, a broken wrist, three shattered fingers," Sam's mouth is dry. The spit he tries to swallow makes him naueous. "and slight internal bleeding," she says. She walks to the door, but pauses. "The police will be in soon to explain the rest."
She pulls the door close as she leaves. Sam doesn't know he's crying.
o.o.o..o.o.o.o.o
"It was all captured on the camera attached to the red light. Traffic measure, really. But you understand how it's helpful here," the officier has dead eyes. He must hate his job. The rolls around his waist look uncomfortably squeezed by his belt. "Your brother here ran the red light, going twenty over the limit. Not to mention he was completely knackered," he laughed. Sam cringed. The Beta smelt like sweat and stale bread.
Sam can understand Dean being drunk. Dean had just been fired from his job at the bank. Actually, 'let go' was the term. Dean pays for all their bills. He pays for the student loans. He pays for the gas. He always had. So Dean was stressed. And Dean drinks when stressed. Simple.
"Son," the officier says, leaning in toward Sam, " You realize what this will mean for your brother, right?" The cop gives him a blank stare. Sam hates him. The cop glances at his partner by the door, and elaborates.
"You boys can raise holy hell in the courts all you want, but when your brother wakes up, he will be arrested." Sam takes in a breath and holds it, terse. "Dean will be going to jail, Mr. Winchester. All you can do is pray for a merciful judge. Two people killed in a drunk driving incident? In a small ass town like this? The citizens will make sure of it. Just be aware, okay kid?" Sam nods. He looks at the ground.
The officiers leave. Sam holds Dean's hand that isn't shattered.
o.o.o.o.o.o
Dean is sentenced to seven years. His lawyer, Amelia Richardson, said it was for negligent homicide. Sammy convienced her to do the trail for free. She is one of the partners of Sam's firm. Sammy is helping Dean pay the $5000 dollar fee, too. Dean feels nothing. He knows he should be grateful to his brother, but he can't look at him.
They put the cuffs over his cast. He hears Sam say his name. He doesn't look at him as he's shuffled out the court room.
.o...o.o. ..
Castiel wants to be numb. He sits in the court room as Dean Winchester is sentenced. Dean smells like the earth. Earth and leather. He didn't look up the entire trial.
Castiel hears Dean's brother cry when they take Dean out. Tears go down the man's face. No, no. It isn't right. None of this is fair.
Now he loses his brother, too.
Abigail's friends are crying. Her mother isn't allowed in the room after trying to hit Dean with her purse. She accuses him of awful things. She says Abigail wouldn't have got in the car. That Dean must have drugged her. That Dean raped her. Dean said nothing.
But no, they did that test already.
He's a murderer, not a rapist.
Micheal has his eyes closed. He is drunk.
