Ch. 35. Meanwhile…
At the manor, right after Castiel left, Hester made sure their father heard what happened. Michael patiently listened to his daughter and, without giving it much thought, took the matter into his own hands, it was a ridiculous situation his youngest son was putting them all in.
Dean heard Jo's voice coming from the outside, and even though his back was burning with pain he stepped over his bed to look out through his small window. Right after Master Castiel and his uncle left his room, Martha went inside and took Jo away from his side, 'so he could heal faster' she said. In the hour or so since that he tried to sleep, but that wasn't happening, his Master's horrified face was a constant whenever he closed his eyes, and now Jo's screams coming from the yard were enough for him to risk reopening his wounds.
Martha and Master Michael were taking Jo with them, she was crying and begging for something but they weren't listening, they just put her in a coach and drove her away.
By the time Dean could manage to get to the backyard they were gone, so he sat in the kitchen's back door to wait for their return. Two hours or so later the carriage was back, but Jo wasn't there, so Dean asked the chauffeur if he knew where she was.
"I'm sorry, boy, your sister was left at the auction house…" The old man said and patted Dean on his shoulder, making him wince for the second it took for him to process those words, then, Dean felt his world freezing. "Th-the auction house?"
"Yeah, the poor girl cried all the way there, begging the Master to let her see you one last time…" the old man looked at him with pity in his eyes. "Well, what can you do, right?"
Dean nodded and turned, not fully aware of how it was possible for him to be walking at all. Once inside the house, his brain suddenly began to work frantically, guiding him to the staircase, where the Head Housekeeper stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"
Dean looked at her without actually seeing her, till her voice reached him from outside of the invisible cotton-like bubble he was currently inhabiting. "Master Castiel would want his supper any minute now" he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He needed to see his Master quickly, he was the only one who could help.
"The young Master left with his uncle and hasn't come back yet, and even if he was here, you're useless as you are, you can't even carry yourself. Go to your room and rest, you're bleeding in the hallway" She made a point by lifting Dean's shirt with two fingers, peeling it from his bloody back.
Dean flinched in pain, bowed his head and went to his room. He lay on his stomach and forced himself to sleep, he needed to heal before he could be useful again, Jo needed him strong. And besides, Jo wasn't going anywhere, it was almost night time and the auction house would be closed for business so, even if Master Castiel would have been home, it still would not have made a difference.
The morning didn't come fast enough for him, but once it arrived Dean wanted to take advantage of it. He didn't have a good start though, failing miserably in his futile attempt to change his own bandages but, his painful whimpers attracted Adam's attention to his room, so he helped him. Dean then dragged himself to the kitchen to have some breakfast but, after some tea and toasts, he was sent to his room again.
Back in his room Dean was sure everyone else was able to hear the frantic beating of his heart, he was freaking out bad on the prospect of losing her too… He sat on the floor by the door and took a few deep breaths knowing he needed to calm down. Master Castiel will surely help them once he came back home, he had no doubt about it, so he stayed in his bed trying to focus on the noises coming through his window. He was sure that if he paid attention he could be able to hear a coach arriving, and with it, his Master.
The day went by and Dean was fretting, too much pent up energy and no chance to burn it down since he couldn't move without bleeding again. Lying perfectly still on his bed he could feel how little by little his heart was shattering into smaller pieces. He ate his dinner and asked one of the girls that served the family's meal if Master Castiel was back already (maybe he had missed the coach entering the house) but she told him he wasn't.
Again at night in his bed he tried to force himself to sleep, but there was no way he could shut his mind off.
Maybe Master Castiel got disgusted with the way he looked and he just decided to forget about him, or maybe he was never coming back. Maybe he was taking his stupid advice and decided to start over somewhere far from here, far from him…
No. Dean knew the angel cared for him, so maybe he was taking some time before coming back... yes... Castiel was going to come back soon, even if only for his books but… what if he didn't come back in time? What if he takes his sweet time, like he did before, and he's too late and she's gone… Jo was in pretty bad shape… she needed him now.
Dean took a deep breath and made up his mind. The night was spent shaping a plan born of a bad idea, but it was the only one he knew he could pull off. It was a crazy plan but that was all he had.
The slave waited for the first lights of the morning to come, and acting as nonchalantly as he could, he went out to the backyard just minutes after the gardeners, took some gardening tools from the shed and walked into the forest that surrounded the back of the house, like he had done many times before. No one paid attention to the new addition, the gardeners had their orders and Dean was usually among them when asked to collect wildflowers to spice up the floral arrangements at the house. Once Dean made sure he was out of sight he left the tools by some tree and, with his heart beating out of his chest, ran away escaping the manor.
Dean knew that the only thing he could do was try to find Master Castiel in town and hope he'll do something for his sister, so he would face the consequences once she was safe.
The road was lined with trees, so Dean went through there, praying not to be seen. The thick forest and the lack of traffic due to the still early hour of the morning helped his endeavor. His back was burning with pain, and he could feel some of the cuts opening again, bleeding and making his shirt stick to his flesh. It simply was torture whenever he stretched a muscle a bit much, but that didn't stop him. He ran the five miles that separated the Manor from town, and then headed for the Council Building, trying his best not to look suspicious, which was a hard task considering the state of disarray he was in.
He felt his heart coming out of his chest when he finally arrived at the Council building, his plan had many fouls, being the main one he had no idea where his Master could be…
Maybe the best bet was the linguistics department, given that he had finished a few commissions on the previous days and they were now closer to the deadline, but the place was huge and he had no idea where to start looking. All in all, it was the first time he was stepping inside the building.
Dean made an effort to stay focused, fighting the impression of being devoured by the ornated construction and the overwhelming size of the thing. He needed to look like he belonged there or he could get into (even more) trouble. He tried to go in a logical way, but the receptionist at the front desk blatantly ignored him, so he sought someone else's help. He approached a guard in a Hallway and stood by his side, fidgeting for a second before speaking. "Excuse me, Sir, can you please help me?"
The guard eyed him briefly before averting his eyes again, seemingly annoyed by his presence.
"Please Sir, I need to find the Linguistics department so I can find my Master"
The guard humpfed and kept ignoring him so Dean sighed and continued his wandering deeper into the building. He needed to find Castiel quickly, Jo didn't have that much time.
After his third turn to the right, only to find himself in a luscious winter garden desperation was taking over him. Whenever he tried to ask around all he got were disdainful looks, and even the building itself wasn't friendly either, every wing and passage was named after some Council big shot and not the section it belonged to.
Dean kept going till he reached a portraits' gallery. He was traversing it when suddenly Master Robert's face was in front of him, piercing him with his squinted eyes. A quick glimpse to the wall by his side showed him Metatron's portrait as well, and it only could mean a thing, he had to be getting closer. Dean pushed his pace and reached a heavily emblazoned door, and trespassed it with intent but, before he could take another step a guard grabbed him by his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
Dean yelped and winced, his blood dripping down his back was the reason he needed a moment to breathe and recover before attempting to give an answer, but the guard took his silence as an offense. "Answer me, you stupid thing!" he said while shaking him, only making Dean whine in pain, but when the guard was about to slap him, a swirl of gray hair slid in front of him, shielding him.
"Donovan! What are you doing?" The stern demand came from a very old lady that, as petite as she was, towered over the guard.
Donovan respectfully bowed to her "I'm sorry if I upset you Mrs. Leonowens, I was stopping this stupid creature from wandering into the chambers, I'll take him outside"
Dean, knowing he couldn't waste more time, recurred to the last resource he could think of and, dropping to his knees he simply started to beg. "Please, I'm looking for my Master, I need to go to the Linguistics Department! Please help me!"
"You need to learn how to behave!"
Donovan raised his hand aiming to slap him when the lady, Mrs. Leonowens, interceded again "Thank you, Donovan, I'll take it from here" and motioned for Dean to get closer to her. Donovan greeted her and went out muttering a few choice words about the lady's female ancestors and their chosen profession.
The old lady looked at Dean and softened her gaze. "I'll take you to the linguistics department, come with me boy" and started to walk.
"Thank you Mrs. Leonowens" Dean sighed in relief and went behind her. After a few turns and hallways, the place was truly a maze, they reached a door marked with a small sign. They entered and a secretary was the first person they encountered, but she explained that his Master wasn't there, he wasn't supposed to deliver his work until the next week. Mrs. Leonowens thanked the woman and left the office with Dean, who looked like he was about to cry.
She was a bit impressed when Dean declared his Master's name, she hadn't met Castiel before but she certainly knew the family. Well, who didn't. She also clearly had a soft spot for the strays, so she tried again. "Think boy, where could he be? The more you stay away the worse it'll be for you"
Dean looked at her with pleading eyes, the lady was his last hope. "Maybe he could be at Milton House, Master Gabriel Milton is his uncle, but I don't know how to get there by myself"
To his surprise, Mrs. Leonowens told him she lived close by and could take him there, if his Master wasn't there his uncle could take him in and return him. Dean thanked her profusely, a bit awestruck with her kindness so far, unaware of the pity looks the state of his shirt earned from her.
They got there a while later and Mrs. Leonowens rang the doorbell with Dean by her side. When a girl answered she asked to see Castiel, which lead them to a study where, through the open door, Dean saw his Master and his uncle were over a desk working on some papers.
"There's a lady for you, Mister Castiel" said the girl that opened the door for them. The angels looked at each other for a moment and then told her to let her inside.
Dean wanted to scream Castiel's name but was told by the lady to stay out of the office so he did, exercising more self-control than he thought himself capable of.
The lady entered the room and the young angel walked towards her, frowning slightly to the unknown woman standing in his uncle's study. "Good morning, I'm Castiel, how can I help you?"
"I think I have something that belongs to you" she said before motioning for Dean to enter the room. Apparently, the lady was a bit of a drama lover.
Dean couldn't care any less when he saw how his Master lifted his head only to tilt it in confusion. "Dean? what are you doing here?"
The slave was about to answer but the lady got ahead of him. "This poor thing was trying to find you at the Council Offices, but as he was mistaken about your whereabouts I helped him here. I know it's not my business but please measure the punishment you're giving him, he may be stupid enough to get lost but he did try to get back"
"..." Cas was baffled, Dean was in town, all bloody and dirty, and there was an old lady calling him stupid?! Gabriel, possibly reading his mind at the moment, opportunely cut in. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met…"
"Mrs. Anna Leonowens, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Milton, Mr. Novak"
"Mrs. Leonowens, thank you for helping Dean, you don't need to worry, it was a silly mistake so he'll be fine. Dean go wait in the hallway for a bit" Gabriel dismissed him with a hand gesture the slave was quick to follow, giving a last glance at his Master that was just staring at him, unable to move. The older angel then flashed her a toothy lawyer smile, more a turn off than an invitation. "Do you care for some tea, my dear?"
Mrs. Leonowens declined graciously the tea invitation, of course, but stayed a little, chatting about how they had been neighbors for so long and never met before, and the fact that she had a pretty niece she would like to introduce to Castiel one of these days. They politely smiled at each other till she finally retired.
Gabriel rolled his eyes "Thank god that old gossip left… You know, there was a reason why we weren't acquaintances" Cas chuckled absently at the remark, he was more concerned to know why Dean was there at the house. His uncle, reading his mind yet again, opened the door and called the slave in. "Dean, get in please"
Dean entered the room partly relieved the first part of the plan had worked, he miraculously had found his master, now it was time to propose the second part, so he stood still and bowed his head, trying to conceal how stressed he was. Castiel approached him and lifted his chin a little to meet his eyes. "Dean, how did you got here? You shouldn't be out of bed…"
"I-I got here by myself. I came looking for you, please Master, you have to help me, please don't let them take her from me, please!" Dean's speech grew frantic, his pleading eyes were shimmering and Cas needed to know more, he wasn't following him, but before he could ask for a further explanation his uncle blurted out a question.
"You escaped the manor just to find Cassie?" Gabriel was bewildered. His nephew indeed had a very strange relationship with his slaves.
Dean just nodded his answer so Cas went again. "I'm not quite following you, why is it you want my help, what happened?"
Dean breathed and tried his best to explain. "It's Jo, they took her to the traders because she's ruined now, please Master, please, the way she looks now… she'll be sold cheap… please…" Dean was sobbing and it disgusted him, he felt he needed to man up or his Master would grow tired of him soon.
Cas on his part had never seen him like this before, and it broke his heart. He was growing sicker of his family's ways, and this was just another confirmation of his resolution.
Gabriel considered the whole situation as a big overreaction from the boy to separation anxiety, but he still placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder and spoke to him "This is your chance to do as we talked about and buy her for yourself, put her under your name as yours, him too" Maybe later he would suggest some form of discipline reinforcement for the boy, he did escape the house after all and that was serious.
Castiel nodded and took Dean's hand. "Don't worry, we'll get there in time, I'll tell them I changed my mind about her or something" Dean nodded and breathed out for what it felt was the first time in a few days.