A/N: I am not dead, and this story IS still going. Life hit me hard these last couple months, but I am not going to let that get to me. The next chapter is already outlined and ready to be written. Since I am going to be spending a great deal of time writing this semester for school, I don't know if I will be pushed to write faster or not... On the other hand, I am taking a Greek History course, so I will be making changes and corrections to this story as I go. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this! You all deserve a great BIG SLOPPY KISS FROM THE PERSON OF YOUR DREAMS.

(And if you thought the last chapter was soap opera-y, I am just getting started)

Denathus walked into the Athenian home, his footsteps echoing in the halls that had never been silent, their echoing loneliness crawling beneath his skin. His feet took him down the narrow corridor towards the room that he would find the man he was chasing after in, the door opening with a faint moan under his hand. Castiel was sitting at the writing desk, his face a mask of concentration as the pen in his hand flowed over the paper before him flawlessly. The motion was well praticed, endess days of writing the same words engrained into each motion. Denathus found himself watcing for a moment before clearing his throat, the noise breaking the silent that was ringing in his ears.

Castiel made no motion that he had heard the noise, his focus solely on the piece of paper before him. The silence came back stronger than before, a feeling of unease melting into the emptiness. Denathus opened his mouth to speak, the resulting words cut off as Castiel spoke, "Is it wrong for me to be selfish?"

Denathus moved from the doorway, sliding into the room to sit on the other man's bed. Leaning his elbows against his legs, he bore his stare into the back of Castiel, "Talk to me."

The sound of the pen scratching against the paper filling the room, Castiel's attention solely on the work before him. Denathus waited as the minutes dragged by, his patience wearing thin as the seconds ticked by. Standing he strode to the desk, slamming his hand down on the paper that Castiel was current scribing. The brunette jumped, the pen jerking across the page. Started blue eyes rose to meet stern green, the innocence that Castiel so purely held cascading from them. Denathus did not faulter though, his voice concerned and forceful as he said, "What is going on Castiel?"

Castiel sighed, the tension leaving his body as he slumped in his seat. His hands rose to wipe the sleep and emotion from his eyes, recharging himself before answering Denathus, "Am I asking too much by wanting something for myself?"

Denathus crossed his arms, looking down at the other man, as he demanded, "Where is this coming from?"

Castiel turned his head, the feel of the Spartan's gaze on his body heavy and uncomfortable, "All I've ever wanted is something for myself, something that I could call my own. Really, it's a ridiculous notion." His voice trailed off, his thoughts carrying him away.

Denathus groaned, knowing that this was going to be harder than he had previously thought, "Castiel. Look at me."

The Athenian turned with reluctance, the faintest sparkling of tears in his eyes. Denathus softed, his arms falling to his sides and voice lowering, "Tell me what you are thinking."

Blinking several times, Castiel took in the sight f the man before him, the Spartan oozing the sincerity that plagued his voice. With a heavy heart and tightening throat, Castiel began, "Why is it that I can never have anything for myself? That's all that I've ever wanted, someone that I can love and call my own. But it seems that fate has decided I should be by myself for the rest of my life."

Castiel paused, finding the strength to continue with his admittance, "Samandriel was the first, he was my younger brother and I failed him. It was my job to take care of him, to love him and make sure that nothing would happen to him. That is what older brother's are meant to do, care for the younger and love him more than life. And yet I failed, I failed and that curse has followed me for the rest of my life. It seeped into every aspect of my life and poisoned it. Yes, I have the rest of my family, but that is never the same. The love between my siblings and I has never reached the level of admiration I held for my youngest brother, heaven's littlest angel. That misfortune oozed beyond my family also, tainting the first love that I ever had. She was torn from my hands with just as equal voracity. It was at that moment that I had decided to never love another again, the pain too much to bear. I believed that I had suffered enough. And now fate has turned her cruel hand again, bringing you to me just to have you taken from me yet again."

Denathus shot up, tension rising up his back as his temper simmered beneath his flesh, "Who said that I was going to leave you?"

Castiel's wide blue eyes sang of his abandonment, the empty black hole of his pupil just as dark and bottomless as the one in his heart, "Then promise me that you are going to stay. Tell me that you are not going to sweep in here just as easily as you swept in. That you don't have other's waiting for your return, other's that love you and wish for your return. Tell me that you are not going to return to the woman that holds your heart and is waiting anxiously to bind herself to you for the rest of her life. If you can promise me that none of this will happen, I will believe you whole-heartedly. But until that moment, I cannot believe a single word that comes from your mouth."

Denathus froze, the lup that had formed in his throat causing him to choke. The images of those that he left behind in Sparta flashed through his mind one by one, each one building on the guilt that devoured his heart. The image of Johannas formed before him, her gentle smile ripping at his heart as he recalled her words to him, "Promise that you are going to come back to me."

Hands shaking, Denathus made his choice, reaching out for the man before him as he croaked, "On my life, Castiel, I will never leave you behind. I will always come back for you."

Eyes blue as the summer seas shone with tears, their hope and trust burning stronger than fire. Reaching out for the face that held complete and utter faith in him, Denathus placed his lips gently against Castiel's, comforting the broken man before him.

Elsewhere a red cloak billowed in the wind, a message for his princes pressing on his mind.

A/N: I will not be posting any new stories on this site due to some rat bastard flagging a story I posted, twice. So if you want to read anything new I write you can follow me on AO3 under 'Keefer' or 'Xiel'. I will finish the stories I started here, but there will be nothing new. Sorry about that.