Author's Note: Thanks for this inspiring feedback! I'm stoked that you guys like my intriguing plot for this so far (honestly, in the beginning, I was scared it was a little too off the wall). And yes, I've been free during this week, so I thought I should post another chapter. Anyway, read away so you can hopefully leave that review of this because you love me!
"Do you think he's cute?" Gabriel blurted out suddenly, taking his eyes off of the road to look over at Cas in the passenger seat.
It took Castiel, who was too wrapped up in his thoughts as he stared absently out of the car window, a moment to realize Gabriel had spoken before his gaze flickered over to his older brother, "Pardon?"
"Did you think that Winchester back there was cute?" Gabriel asked curiously, watching Castiel's reaction closely out of the corner of his eye as he glanced back at the desolate highway.
Even in the darkened car, Gabriel noticed Castiel—who, he might add, was the most asexual creature ever created as he thought of the concept of sex for fun was ridiculous—flushed a faint pink as the boy stayed silent for a moment before answering stiffly, "My opinion on whether Dean is attractive or not is inconsequential—" He was cut off by the sudden sharp swerve of the car caused by the startled Gabriel.
"What is wrong with you?" Castiel demanded as he quickly looked to the backseat to see if Anna, who was curled up in the cramped space and sleeping soundly like a newborn kitten, was awoken by the abrupt but brief change of direction of the vehicle. Seeing that she looked undisturbed in her slumber, Cas moved his gaze back to Gabriel, who was staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes.
"What?"
"I was talking about Sam!" Gabriel exclaimed once he seemed to get over his shock, "Why the hell would you think I was talking about that—" He stopped immediately as his amber eyes flared up in realization and a knowing grin graced his features, "Oh Cassie, don't tell me our little Virgin Mary has a crush."
"Don't be preposterous," Castiel scoffed as he rolled his eyes, his stomach suddenly nauseated by the uncomfortable knot residing in his abdomen, "Stating that someone is attractive is simply an innocent observation—"
"Aw, so you do think he's hot!" Gabriel laughed out with a shit-eating grin before he began musing in a sing-song voice, "Cassie and Dean-o sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes an adopted foreign baby in a baby carriage—"
"Gabriel, be quiet!" Castiel hissed in a harsh whisper, watching Anna as she began to stir, "She's sleeping."
"We should go on a double date," Gabriel declared firmly, ignoring his brother, "Just think about it, Casanova: You and Dean, and me and Sammy together—"
"You and Sam?" Castiel scoffed briskly, rolling his eyes, "Oh please, the boy can't even stand you, Gabe."
"It's called playing hard to get, Cas," Gabriel informed with an exasperated sigh, "He just likes the chase. And so do I, which proves that we are, in fact, soul mates."
Castiel rolled his eyes as he pointed out, "Really? Because if I saw correctly, Sam seemed pretty quick to get away from you and seek protection from his brother."
"Oh yea?" Gabriel snorted, pulling into their motel's parking lot so they can change into clothes that didn't look like they were just beaten repeatedly by a mud puddle, "I bet you I can get Sam into bed by the end of tonight."
Castiel glanced at the clock and stated, "It's already ten o'clock, Gabe. How can you get a man who obviously despises you to want to have sexual intercourse?"
"Oh don't worry," Gabriel said with a smirk as he parked the car, "I have my ways."
"Why are we doing this again?" Dean heard Sam demand glumly through the door as the eldest Winchester brother got out of the shower and changed into clean clothes.
"Oh come on, Sammy, don't be such a buzz-kill," Dean said as he rolled his eyes and ran a comb through his damp blonde hair, "You just don't want to go because of your new biggest fan."
He heard a long sigh as Sam replied irritably, "No, Dean, it isn't just that," There was a beat of silence before Sam continued, his voice becoming suddenly so soft that Dean had to strain his ears to hear him, "There's something off about them, you know? They don't act like most the hunters we've met."
"Well, that isn't necessarily a bad thing," He replied curtly, silently wondering why he was even defending them because he knew Sam was right, "Most of the hunters we've met are kinda dicks."
"I don't know, it just may be me," Sam sighed out, admitting to defeat, "But I just got this strange feeling when I was around them."
"Maybe that's just around Gabriel," Dean pointed out with a shrug as he stepped out of the bathroom in a clean black shirt and fresh jeans, "You should give the other two a chance."
"You're just saying that because you probably want to get into the redheaded girl's pants." Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"No way, Dude," Dean said quickly, putting on his leather jacket as he grabbed the car keys off of the in-table beside the bed, "Chick's insane. And I don't mean in the hot kind of way either."
"We're going just so you can talk to the lanky guy then?" Sam asked, following his brother as he exited their motel room and headed towards the Impala.
"He's not lanky," Dean said before he could stop himself, "He's just really freaking tall. And besides, you're one to talk, Moose."
"So…we are going because of him." Sam persisted as he piled into the passenger seat, noticing Dean was dodging his question.
"No, Sam," Dean snapped exasperatedly as he closed the car door behind him and started up his baby, "I'm just going to get a damn drink, okay?"
"Fine," He heard Sam mumble over the roar of the Impala's engine, "No need to get so mad about it. I was just wondering."
Dean's eyes soften at the miserable look on his baby brother's face and he felt himself saying gently, "Look, we'll only stay an hour, alright? And if you still want to go, we'll leave and never see those damn Novaks ever again."
Sam sighed as he gave Dean a weak nod and smile, "Okay."
"You won't regret it, Sammy," Dean told him with a grin as he drove down the road towards the bar, "I promise."
Oh, how promises can break just as easy as Sam's fragile bones when he's beaten by a garrison of angels only a few months into the future.
As the Winchesters sauntered into the bar, Sam's anxious gaze swept around the room and a subconscious sigh of relief escaped his lips as he noticed Gabriel Novak was nowhere in sight. As if observing his alleviation, Dean's grin widened as he clapped Sam on the back, leaning in and saying lowly, "See. They were probably talkin' about another bar anyway."
Sam smiled but there was an ounce of something that oddly felt like disappointment settling deep his stomach as he nodded and agreed quietly, "Yea."
Dean, though, didn't seem to notice as he sent Sam another wicked grin before strolling up to the pretty bartender to ask for a drink and probably her phone number. And since this was Dean Winchester, he'll probably succeed in both requests.
As he watched his charming brother go and talk to one of the many obviously single women in the room, Sam sat down on a bar stool and politely asked for just a simple beer. The bartender smiled at him as she nodded and turned around to comply with his wish. But just as she was about to fill the tall glass of the golden liquid, an annoyingly familiar male voice said behind Sam, "Hey, Sweet-cheeks, cancel that order." Suddenly, there was a foreign tan hand on Sam's shoulder as the voice continued, "We'll have two shots of vodka. Just put it on my tab."
"I don't want vodka," Sam muttered as he watched Gabriel slid into the stool beside him, "Especially if it's from you."
"Oh come on," Gabriel replied with a toothy grin as he took the two shots from the bartender and sent her a wink before switching his attention back to Sam, "What's with the cold shoulder, Samquatch? I thought we were getting along swimmingly before we were sadly interrupted."
"Oh yea," Sam said, recalling the actual terror on Gabriel's face as he heard that female scream, "How is she anyway? The girl, I mean."
Suddenly, Gabriel's face tightened and he remained silent for a second as he downed the shot with one large gulp before answering stiffly, "Anna's fine. She was just a little shaken; thanks to your darling brother, I might add." Sam's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by Gabriel looking around and subtly changing the subject, "Where is Dean-o anyway?"
"Probably getting drunk and flirting with a pretty girl." Sam answered with a shrug as he reluctantly drank the vodka that scorched his throat as it slowly slid down to his hollow stomach.
"So is he strictly into chicks, or does he like all the colors of the rainbow?" Gabriel asked as his eyes locked on Dean, who was leaning against the wall as he chatted up a tipsy college girl.
Sam rolled his eyes, "Why? Are you looking to chase after my brother too?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Sammy," Gabriel scoffed as he signaled the bartender for two more shots, "Dean may be pretty to look at, but he isn't my type. I'm asking for my brother."
Sam's brow furrowed deeply as he looked to him in confusion, "You mean the really tall guy you were with?"
"Yup," Gabriel confirmed as he threw the newly refilled shot back down his throat before continuing, "I think Cassie's smitten with him. And it's my duty as an awesome older brother to make sure he doesn't stay completely celibate forever. Whether it's with a chick, dude, or a freaking donkey."
"That's…kind of you," Sam said slowly, "I think."
"So, is he fruity or not?" Gabriel asked again, causing Sam to shrug.
"I don't know. It's not something we really talk about." He told him, draining the shot glass slowly and feeling his stomach gradually get a warm, fuzzy feeling, "What about your brother?"
"As far as I know, the dude's a monk," Gabriel admitted, looking down at his empty glass, "Never shown any special attention to anybody. I tried hooking him up with both genders and even a damn goat once, but he always refused on the grounds that 'it would just be a distraction to his work.'" He snorted, and by the look of his slightly glassy eyes proved to Sam that he had been drinking way before he walked up to Sam, "Little bastard hung out with Mikey for too long, if you ask me."
"Who's Mikey?" Sam asked curiously, causing Gabriel's loose grip on his glass to tighten.
"Doesn't matter," Gabe said with a shrug as he took the offered shot out of the bartender's hands and drank it quickly, a bitter smile forming on his lips as he said plainly, "He's dead anyway." Sam's brow furrowed as Gabe just looked back to Sam and cocked an eyebrow, "What about you, Sammy? Think a quick one-night stand is too much of a distraction?"
"I don't do one-night stands. I'm not like my brother," Sam said simply as he abruptly stood up, "Or my father. Goodbye, Gabriel." He began walking away but something in him snapped, and he couldn't help but turn his head around and say quietly, "I'm sorry to hear about your brother, Gabe. If it means anything, I've had a lot of people close to me die, too." Suddenly, the image of Jess flashed before his eyes and Sam had to shake his head for it to dissolve back into the darkest part of his mind.
"It's okay," Gabriel said with a slight smile, but as he watched Sam leave, the twenty-eight year old waved the bartender over for another shot as he added lowly to himself, "It's my fault he's dead anyway."
As Castiel sat in a booth with a sleepy Anna sitting across from him (he reluctantly took her with them since the last time they left her alone, she almost got herself killed), his fingers tapped on the table absently as he watched an already tipsy Gabriel try to 'charm' his way into Sam Winchester's bed.
"You can go ahead and yell at me, you know," Anna's flat voice caused Cas' gaze to shift over to his sister, who was staring at him with faintly pink eyes (though he didn't know if they were from exhaustion or crying as she pleaded for her and her brother's life), "For breaking my promise and almost getting you killed. I know you want to."
"I don't want to shout at you, Anna," Castiel said tiredly as he ceased his offhanded tapping, "I'm angry, of course, but I will never raise my voice at you because of it."
"You did one time," She pointed out, a sad smile lacing her thin lips, "A few years back when I was stupid but sane…" She trailed off as the memory came flooding back to her before she asked softly, "Cas, do you remember that day? When I..." Abandoned me, Castiel finished silently, just like Gabe did.
Yes, he remember that day; it was the only time that he had ever felt true rage pumping through his veins as he realized his sister was leaving him (or them, more like, since Michael was alive back then) and never coming back. He had yelled a lot of things at her that day—a lot of hateful, ugly things that he had once thought he actually meant.
"You hated me back then," Anna blurted out suddenly as her eyes moved to stare numbly at her hands in her lap, "I knew it, too; I could feel it by the betrayal in your eyes as you stared at me like you were a pet left in the rain. And you basically were based on the awful ways people treated you—the way I treated you." She swallowed the lump in her throat as she continued, "I'm so sorry—"
"It's alright, Anna," Castiel cut her off stiffly as his grip on the edge of the table tightened, "That hatchet was buried a long time ago; please, let the memory be buried with it." Though he knew that was impossible.
Castiel can forgive, but he can never forget.
And somehow, he's pretty sure Anna knew that.
Audrey (or was it Amy?) was hot and all, but her excessive giggling was starting to really wear down Dean Winchester's patience. So, in the end, he decided to just give up on the silly college girl and scope out a new prey. But as he swept his gaze around the room, he finally caught sight of the Novaks (or two of them, at least; he didn't know where Gabriel was and he hoped he hadn't already found Sam). He smirked as he drained the last of his tall glass of beer and made his way over to them, though as he got closer to the duo, Dean could tell he might just be intruding on something as the two Novaks seemed to be entrapped in an intense staring match with each other.
But Dean was becoming bored and he couldn't find Sam, so he'll have to settle with being impolite as he greeted them cheerfully and slid in beside Castiel (there was no way in hell he was sitting next to the nut-job, that's for sure), "Long time no see, Novaks. What has it been? Thirty minutes?"
"Close to forty-five actually," Castiel pointed out, his body suddenly going rigid as he scooted the farthest away from the Winchester as possible (which Dean tried not to take too personally since he did, you know, tried to kill him earlier that night), "Hello, Dean."
"Hey, Cas," Dean greeted with a smirk before he reluctantly switched his gaze to Anna, who was watching him with glaring eyes and pursed lips, "Hi, Anna."
"What are you doing?" She demanded bluntly, causing Dean's eyebrows to knit together as he saw Castiel shoot her a venomous glare out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm sitting here," Dean informed her slowly, "Talking to you two."
"Yes, but why?" Anna asked in puzzlement and Dean could swear he saw a glint of hostility in her blue eyes (which were lighter and slightly less winsome than Castiel's, as Dean innocently noted). He guessed that she still might be bitter that he didn't "hear the angels like she can."
"I apologize, Dean," Castiel said suddenly, sending Anna a scolding look before flickering his gaze back to him, "Anna becomes slightly bad-tempered when she's tired."
"And there you go again," Anna mumbled under her breath, her eyes sullen but sharp as the knife Castiel had pulled on Dean only an hour ago, "Talking about me as if I'm not even here."
Cas ignored her and instead kept his gaze trained on Dean's face, and the Winchester boy silently confirmed that he liked Castiel's blue eyes way more than Anna's. His were much more deeper and richer—just like an electrifying ocean in the middle of a hurricane as the sea rippled and churned in the surrounding dark gray clouds that rained lighter specks of blue hues onto the shimmering midnight azure. They were ravishing and it took more effort than Dean would like to admit to look away from them.
"So…" Dean said slowly, clearing his throat like he always did when he was suddenly uncomfortable, "Have either of you seen Sam anywhere?"
"He's sitting beside Gabr—" Castiel began to say but stopped abruptly as his eyes narrowed at something behind Dean. The eldest Winchester followed the younger boy's gaze and found Gabriel sitting at the bar alone drinking what seemed like his seventh vodka shot.
"That's peculiar," He heard Castiel mumble under his breath, "I could have sworn he was there a minute ago."
"You should keep better track of your brother, Dean," Anna said sharply, causing Dean to stiffen as his jaw locked in annoyance, "You never know when a sibling could disappear—"
"Anael." By Castiel's tone, Anna (or Anael, or whatever the hell her name is) seemed to have said something that hit a little too close to home. Dean turned his gaze back just in time to see Anna flush in shame as she began glaring ruefully at the floor.
"Well, that sucks," Dean said to clear the tension in the air, "I was looking forward to beating his ass in pool."
"You can compete against Castiel," Anna told him, her eyes flickering back up to rest firmly on Dean, "I'm sure he would enjoy—"
Dean cut her off with a humored snort at the ridiculous 'completion,' "Sorry, Sweetheart, but I don't think your brother has played a game of real pool in his life." Dean hadn't meant it as an insult nor a challenge (it was an innocent statement that, by looking at Castiel's delicate frame and preppy attire, appeared very factual), but Dean could have swore he thought he saw a flicker of unreadable emotion flash through Castiel's blue eyes.
"Are you referring to that strange wooden table over there?" Castiel asked in confusion, his head cocking to the side as his eye narrowed at the empty pool table.
Dean silently scoffed but put on a big smile as he nodded, "It's called a pool table, Cas."
"That's odd," Castiel muttered to himself, his brow furrowing as he looked to Dean, "It's not really a human-built body of water used for swimming purposes, is it, Dean?"
"No," Dean told him as he pointed to the cue stick, "To play pool, you take that long stick and try to hit balls into the holes on the table."
Castiel stared at the table for a moment and Dean could practically see the gears turning in his head before the boy finally shrugged, "It doesn't seem that difficult."
"Cas, there's more to it than—"
"Are you attempting to discourage me because you're afraid that I might be victorious in defeating you at phool?" Castiel said with an arched eyebrow.
Dean sighed, "It's pool, Cas. Not phool," He rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to put this without hurting the guy's feelings, "And I don't think it'll be as easy as you think it is."
"Then teach me," Castiel told him sternly, "If it's so effortless to you, then it should be easy to instruct its basic principles and guidelines to me."
Dean groaned, knowing Cas was dead set on learning how to play, and rolled his eyes as he said reluctantly, "Fine. Come on then." Castiel beamed as Dean led him over to the abandoned pool table and handed him a cue stick.
"Watch," Dean said as he set the balls up and placed the cue ball in position, "All you have to do is take this stick and hit the white ball into the other balls. Like this." He took himself a cue stick and aimed very carefully before hitting the ball hard enough for it the smack into the triangular pile of the other ones, causing the balls to scatter in different directions. He didn't hit any in, but that was usual since the first turn was only used to help separate the balls around the pool table randomly.
Dean noticed the slight awe in Castiel's gaze at his fluid motion and smirked as he racked the balls up again and handed the stick to Cas, "Your turn, Tiger." Castiel nodded intently as he attempted to mimic Dean's stance when he aimed, which he failed quite miserably at it.
Dean rolled his eyes, "No, Dude, like this." Tentatively, Dean hovered over Castiel and lightly fixed the blue eyed boy's posture to the appropriate pose. But just as Dean's hands touched him, Castiel stilled and remained with his muscles clenched until the Winchester was finally finished and took a few steps back (which was seriously starting to hurt, Dean might add).
"Okay, now aim the white ball and try to hit the other ones." Dean instructed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Castiel nodded and stayed completely still for what seemed like forever before he finally pulled the stick back and hit the white ball with all of his might…which then made the cue ball miss all the other billiard ball completely, fly off the table, and hit the wall with such a hard SLAP that everyone in the bar stopped what they were doing and looked over at them.
"My apologies," Castiel said as he cleared his throat awkwardly and addressed the whole bar, "Please, continue conversing and drinking to oblivion." With a few more wary glances and dirty looks, the crowd reluctantly turned back and carried on as if nothing occurred.
"I suppose that wasn't a good thing." Castiel said in an uncertain tone as Dean walked over and picked the cue ball back up.
"Second time's a charm." Dean encouraged as he set the white ball back on the table and moved away for Castiel to give it another go. The second attempt went remarkably better—this time, he lessened the force so the white ball stayed on the table and hit the other ones, though he barely broke them apart more than an inch or two.
"Good job." Dean said, trying his hardest to appear sincere.
"I think I've got the hang out of it," Castiel said with a proud smile as he handed another cue stick, "Now we can play."
Dean sighed, "Cas, I don't think that's—"
"Oh come on, Dean-o," Sometime during their lesson, Gabriel had stumbled his way over there and was now standing over beside Anna, his grin mocking and his eyes twinkling as if he was holding back a silent laugh, "Give the ole rookie a shot."
Dean's eyes narrowed at him, knowing he was only encouraging this to mock Castiel and his incompetence of billiards but the excited fluttery feeling deep inside his gut at competing against someone (even someone as clueless as Cas) finally won him out as he sighed tiredly and turned around to face Cas, "Fine, but fair warning: I've been playing this since I was a kid, so don't feel bad if," More like when, "You lose. Okay?"
"Don't worry, Dean," Castiel said as he set up the balls just like Dean had just a few minutes ago, "I'll try not to take the loss to heart. May I break?"
Dean shrugged as he moved out of the way, "Go for it, Man."
Castiel smiled at him for a moment before he leaned down and took aim. Dean thought it was going to take forever for the guy to shoot considering how long he had to wait for Castiel to finally hit the thing, but just seconds after getting into position, Cas sent the white ball smacking loudly into the rack of balls with incredible ease. Instantly, the balls went flying around the table in utter pandemonium for a few seconds before one striped ball went into a pocket. Then a second one did, third, fourth…
In that one smooth break, five striped balls sunk down in the pockets as a few others teetered on the edges, just waiting to be taken out. It was a shockingly beautiful shot and it took Dean a moment to realize who exactly made it.
"Is that good, Dean?" Castiel's curious voice caused Dean to snap out of his startled stupor as the eldest Winchester brother switched his wide gaze to him.
If it wasn't for Castiel's eyes, Dean would honestly think that he was actually being serious. But as he stared into those dancing blue eyes that were lit up in pure mockery and amusement, Dean Winchester knew he had just been hustled.
"You tricked me," He finally blurted out once he recovered from his surprise and regained his voice, "You knew how to play."
"Of course not, Dean," Castiel said exasperatedly but while the boy's face was completely blank, Dean could hear the evident smirk in his condescending voice, "I haven't played a game of real pool in my entire life, remember?"
"Oh Dean-o, I forgot to mention," Gabriel said with a wicked grin, "Cassie here got second place in the national pool tournament when he was just fourteen years old."
Dean wanted to feel pissed off and humiliated like he would have if any other joker pulled that stunt, but thinking back to how much of an offhanded jackass he acted when he declared that there was no way a guy looking like Castiel could ever know how to play such a manly game, Dean realized he kind of deserved it.
"Do you wish to continue our game, or have I made my point?" Castiel asked with a mocking tilt of his head.
Yes, he did make his point but Dean was damned if he would give up without a fight.
"Fifty bucks says I can win and wipe that smirk off your face." Dean challenged, causing Castiel's small grin to widen.
"Fine, Dean, but fair warning: I've been playing this since I was a kid, so don't feel bad if you lose. Okay?" Castiel said, matching Dean's earlier tone.
"Who would've thought a nice guy like you could be such an ass?" Dean asked with an eye roll as Castiel scoffed and took aim for his next shot.
The game was embarrassingly short and let's just say Dean's wallet felt lighter once he stuck it back in his pocket.
"You're a cheating dick, Cas." Dean stated bluntly, though his grin betrayed his true emotions.
"And you are a judgmental, trigger-happy simpleton, Dean." Castiel said with a shrug as he stuffed his newly acquired fifty dollars into his coat pocket.
"Cassie," Gabriel began as he walked over and laced his arm around Castiel's waist (seriously, Dean had never met such a person who was so handsy with his own family), "Hate to interrupt you and your new boyfriend, but I think Annie and I are ready to split."
Castiel nodded immediately but Dean could swear he saw the younger man's shoulders sag ever so slightly, "Of course."
"You don't have to leave if you don't want to," Dean blurted out before he could hold his tongue, causing both Novak brothers to turn to look at him questionably, "I mean, if you want to stay while Gabe and Anna leave, Sammy and I can drive you to your motel when you're ready."
A corner of Castiel's lips twitched, as if he was going to smile but decided against it at the very last second, before he shook his head, "No, Gabriel's drunk and there's no way I'm letting Anna drive—"
"It's okay, Cassie," Gabriel assured him, "Go on ahead and stay up pass your bedtime. Anna and I'll take a cab to the motel and you can drive my car."
Castiel sighed, looking torn between having some fun and his responsibility, "Gabriel, I can't. Anna—"
"—will be just fine," Gabriel finished sternly before his eyes softened as he said gently, "I can take care of her for one night, Castiel. I'm not that much of a screw-up."
Castiel stared at him and said quietly, "Gabe, you're not a—"
"Look, it's settled," Gabriel cut him off in a firm tone as he turned his attention to Dean and raised a warning finger at him, "Take care of my baby brother, Dean-o. I know you're still mad about me and Sammy's epic love affair—"
"You just met him a few hours ago!" Dean exclaimed, "There is no affair!"
"—but I'm going to ask you to put your many deserved jealousies aside and help the Luigi to my Mario out." Gabriel continued, actually looking serious for once.
"Don't worry," Dean said as he rolled his eyes and clasped Castiel's shoulder, "We'll be fine. We're just going to try to find a game I can successfully beat him at."
"Yea, good luck with that." Gabriel snorted as he turned around and made his way over to the door where Anna was standing, who was looking absolutely miserable. Gabriel mumbled something lowly to Anna that made her brow furrow as she casted a glance at Dean and Castiel. Dean looked over to Cas as he gave his sister what seemed like an apologetic look, but that only seemed to make Anna angry as she glared furiously at Dean for a moment before storming out of the door. It was fairly obvious to Dean that Anna wasn't used to Castiel choosing something over her, however little it may be.
By Anna's reaction, Castiel looked like he was ready to run after her, but Gabriel quickly waved him off as he disappeared through the exit and ran to catch up with her.
"Well," Dean began slowly as he turned to look over to Castiel, "Wanna drink?"
"I don't drink alcohol," Castiel told him seriously as he matched his stare, "It fogs up the mind and poisons the liver."
"That's a shocker," Dean mumbled sarcastically as he and Castiel filed into a booth and Dean called the bartender over, "Two beers."
"Dean, I said I don't drink." Castiel said lowly to him once the bartender left.
Dean snorted and rolled his eyes, "Who said any of them were for you?"
"Favorite song?" Dean asked with cocked eyebrow as he continued to drain his second beer.
"Rocket Man by Elton John," Castiel told him with a ghost of a smile on his face as he stared down at the wooden table between them and continued, "My father loved it; he used to sing it to us every single night to help us go the sleep since we never really liked motel rooms."
"Interesting choice," Dean complimented, grinning, "Your dad sounds pretty awesome."
"He was." Cas agreed, his tone softening as his gaze intensified, "My father was a great, devout man."
Dean noticed Castiel's sorrowful voice and he couldn't help but ask awkwardly, "Is he…?"
"Dead," Castiel finished with a wry smile as he looked back up to Dean and shook his head, "I have no idea. He disappeared when I was twelve. My eldest brother, Michael who was only twenty at the time, was forced to become head of the family after he vanished and devoted everything we had to finding him. I used to look up to him for that—I thought it was noble and righteous. But now…" He trailed off and went mute for a moment before continuing, "I realize how selfish it really was for him to force us to stay hung up on the man instead of learning how to cope with the fact that he was gone and there was no bringing him back."
"But it was his father," Dean said a little too snappish before he could stop himself, feeling defensive of the man he had never met, "He couldn't just go on with life and pretend like it never happened while his dad was out probably suffering at the hands of the son of a bitch that took him."
"We searched for nine years, Dean," Castiel told him in a hollow, bitter voice, "We never found him. The only reason we finally stopped looking for him was when Michael disappeared, too. Now he, however, we did find."
"Where is he now?" Dean asked softly, not sure if he really wanted to know.
"Dead." Castiel answered bluntly with no trace of emotion in his flat voice. It went deadly quiet for a whole beat before Castiel spoke again, "What's your favorite monster to hunt?"
Dean was relieved at the change of subject and thought about for a moment before replying, "I don't know…personally, I enjoy the pleasing sensation of seeing the life drain out of their eyes quite evenly among them. You?"
"Ghosts," Castiel told him, "It's more of a mystery than an actual hunt and requires more mental power than physical."
"I can't tell you how many times a ghost has screwed me over," Dean said, "I mean, one threw me in a muddy river once! I mean, I had mud everywhere, Cas. And I mean everywhere."
Castiel chuckled, "Gabriel almost got sold into prostitution in result of a ghost one time."
Dean stared at him with a raised eyebrow before declaring, "Okay, I have got to hear that story."
"Okay, it was five years ago—"
"There you are," Suddenly, Sam's relieved voice cut Castiel off as Dean and Cas turn to see Sam walking towards them, "C'mon, let's go. Gabriel told everyone here I was gay and now five guys have already asked for my number."
"Fine," Dean sighed out, barely listening as he threw his keys to Sam, "Take my baby and go pout in our room. I'll probably be there soon…ish."
Sam's brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth to say something but Castiel cut him off, "You can leave with your brother, Dean, if you wish. You're not required to stay just because of my presence." At Castiel's voice, Sam tensed as he looked over at the boy in surprise, eyes widening as if he had just noticed Cas was there.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Sam apologized, cutting Dean a puzzled sideways glance, "I guess I'll just go…"
"Yea, you do that," Dean encouraged, not entirely understanding why he was so eager to be alone with Cas again, "I'll be there later."
Sam started nodding slowly as he said his goodbyes and left, obviously bewildered at his brother's behavior just as much as Dean himself was.
"So," Dean began as he emptied his beer glass, "Which would you rather bang: A starving vampire, or a werewolf during a full moon?"
Castiel stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before he cleared his throat, "I would prefer neither. I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't believe I would risk my life just to satisfy sexual needs." There was a beat of silence before Castiel added in an uncertain tone, "What about you?"
"Depends on how good the sex would be." Dean said with a wicked grin.
Castiel's eyes got as wide as saucers as he opened his mouth to reply when a phone rang. Quickly, Cas shut his mouth and dug around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out his buzzing cellphone and answered it, "Hello?" Dean faintly heard someone on the other line talking fast and loudly before Cas finally cut them off, "Gabriel, slow down. What happened?" With every mumbled word Dean heard, Castiel's face grew whiter and whiter until he blurted out weakly, "Gabe, is Anna okay?"
There was a pause of silence before Dean finally heard Gabriel's muffled reply, "Cas…they found us." As soon as those words left Gabriel's mouth, Castiel abruptly stood up and bolted out of the bar.
Castiel drove down the dark highway as fast as his crappy car could go and Dean, who was sitting in the passenger seat as he followed Cas out of the bar and piled into the car since the younger man had no time to protest, tried his best to keep his demanding questions at bay. The vehicle was silent, adding to the dripping tension in the thick atmosphere.
But after a few agonizing minutes of hearing nothing but Castiel's uneven breathing, Dean finally cleared his throat and said softly, "Cas—"
"Why are you here, Dean?" He cut him off short with an honest, blunt question and if it wasn't for his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel that was trembling, Dean would think Castiel was perfectly calm by the even level of his collected voice, "Was it just your inner hunter's curiosity? Because if it is, I'll slow down the car right now and push you out. This isn't a hunt, Dean Winchester, it's a nightmare—my nightmare."
"Cas, I'm coming because I'm worried about you," Dean was shocked at how honest those words really were, "And even if Gabriel's a dick and Anna is c—"
"Don't say it," Castiel commanded as he let out a shaky breath, "Please, just don't."
"And Anna is quirky," Dean continued, scolding himself for almost getting his ass kicked out of the car, "I don't want anything to happen to them." He paused before adding, "Look, this may not be a hunt, but it is a monster problem, right?"
Castiel didn't answer before he reluctantly agreed, "Somewhat."
"Then you obviously don't need to go alone." Dean told him sternly, reaching for his knife that he kept with him at all times, "So, I'm gonna be your back-up. That's the thing about hunters, Cas, we protect our own."
"You don't understand," Castiel said quietly to himself as he pushed the gas pedal down all the way to the floor, "Nobody can."
"I understand losing a father, I understand having many responsibilities that shouldn't be yours to begin with, I understand the profound love you have for your siblings…I understand because all those statements describe me, too."
"Back at the bar, when you became defensive of Michael's actions," Castiel began slowly, "Is that because you're still searching for your own father?"
Dean wasn't going to answer—he didn't want to answer, but he knew if he wanted answers from Cas, he'll have to give some too, "Yea."
"Little piece of advice, Dean...just stop while you still can," Castiel told him bluntly, flickering his gaze to stare at Dean with misery filled eyes, "It always ends in heartbreak."
As he finally parked Gabriel's stupid automobile in their motel's driveway, Castiel flung himself out of the car and raced to his room, Dean Winchester following close behind him. Please let them be okay, Castiel prayed—something he hadn't done in quite a while now, God, I'm begging you, don't take them away from me and leave me all alone.
As he reached the door with their motel room number on it, Castiel realized that the wooden door was already cracked open just a sliver. With one last painful inhale of oxygen, Castiel pushed the door open…and the first thing he saw was blood—lots and lots of blood.
The once dirty brown carpet was stained in an ugly scarlet color and the overwhelming metallic smell made Castiel's head spin. The place was trashed with both beds flipped over and what little furniture the room had was broken and scattered around the small perimeter. The walls had big splotches of hot, sticky blood and even a few flickered specks of the red liquid decorated the ceiling.
"Cas." Gabriel's hoarse voice made Castiel jump but he had no time to react before his brother threw his arms around him and forced Castiel's head to be buried in the crook of his neck as Gabe whispered over and over to him, "I'm so sorry, Cassie. I didn't know. Please, forgive me. Please…"
"Where's Anna?" Castiel demanded as he tore himself out of Gabriel's tight grasp and stepped further into the blood soaked room. And that's when he saw her:
Anna was sitting on her knees with her head bowed down, looking as if she was praying as she whispered rapid incoherent things that only sounded right in her own ears. She was covered in blood but to Castiel's relief, none of it was hers. Neither was it Gabriel's. So whose—
As Castiel moved closer as he stood right beside where Anna sat, he finally saw them. Over a dozen severed heads laid perfectly stacked in a neat row lined a wall and Castiel faintly recognized them as the other residences that was staying at the motel room. Castiel had to cover his mouth to keep his rising vomit down as he narrowed his eyes and discovered that every head's eye sockets where their eyes were supposed to reside was blackened with ash—as if someone, or something, had burned their eyes out.
Not being able to stare at the products of the dozen of lives that were slaughtered because of them, Castiel raised his gaze to the wall and felt a bolt of lightning shoot down his spine once he recognized the ancient symbols written in the blood of their innocent victims.
"What the hell is that?" Dean's voice behind him didn't register for a few moments until Castiel realized he was speaking to him.
"It's Enochian," Castiel felt himself say breathlessly, yet how he knew that was beyond him as his mouth seemed under the control of another, "The language of the divine."
"Well…what does it say?"
Castiel swallowed the lump in his throat as the foreign meaning of the bloody scribbled flooded his mind and poured out of his lips, "Ye shall drink the wine of God's wrath and be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels."
"I told you so," Anna whispered as she tipped her head back and stared at Cas with terrifying pure white eyes, "I told you death would happen tonight."
Author's Note: Ahh...don't you just love foreshadowing and cliffhangers? And ooh, what are the Novaks hiding from Dean? Well, that's what he would like to know xD. But I'm pleased to inform you that Bobby makes an appearance next chapter, and we also learn from him a few more things about the Novaks' mysterious past (because what Castiel told Dean this chapter isn't really the whole story...) And the message someone left on the walls in Enochian is from a paraphrased bible verse, so please don't give any of that credit to me.
Also: Because of everyone's heart-warming comments and constant encouragement, I have decided I am going to put Sabriel as the second pairing to this fic (I was a little mixed feelings about it at first since I didn't know if I would be able to write it right, but you guys have convinced me otherwise so kudos to you). But anyway, until next time, loyal readers!
Side Note: Please review-It makes updating a whole lot faster.
