Chapter 4: Down Payment Blues

Cas felt sleep fade away as sunlight brightened his room. He was used to traveling, to sleeping in hotels or motels along the road, but he had always been alone. The heavy warmth at his side, the arm slung across his chest holding him down, and the gentle almost-snore of another person were foreign to him.

He turned his head to find Dean tucked up against his side, even though they had been facing away from each other when they went to sleep. The boy had been exhausted from his emotional turmoil of a day, but in sleep he looked peaceful, almost angelic. Cas reached up and ran his fingers through the omega's dark blonde hair, amazed again at his beauty. Those green eyes, darker than usual as he pulled himself to consciousness, flew open, contentment filling them after a brief flash of fear. How often had he been allowed to sleep in a comfortable bed, clean and warm without worrying about what awaited him in the morning?

"Good morning, Dean."

Dean mouthed the word morning, clearly trying to teach himself to speak again. It would probably be some time before he could manage more than half-formed words and soft whines, but he was determined to do it so he could truly thank Cas for saving him from the hell his life had been for the last decade. He leaned closer, breathing in his alpha's honey and ginger scent, storing it in some attempt to keep himself protected during the day. Spending the night in Cas's bed had impregnated his skin with the biker's aroma, marking him at least for the day and guarding him from any other alpha who might dare approach. Azazel, though he had been a jealous and controlling bastard, had never bothered to protect him like that.

"You seem to like my scent," Cas observed, stretching under the comforter as he convinced himself that he had to start his day. Dean nodded and pointed at his neck, at the scent glands hidden under the skin there, a question in his jade eyes. "Yes, Dean; I like your scent, too. You may not have ever been able to detect it before, living with someone who smells as awful as Azazel does, but it is lovely. Apples, cinnamon, and vanilla . . . you smell like apple pie with ice cream." Dean grinned at that and ducked his head, daring to nuzzle against Cas's chest, just for a moment. His former alpha had beaten him harshly whenever he dared to beg for affection, for even a simple touch, but Cas smiled gently instead. "Do you like pie, Dean? None of the places we visited yesterday served any, but I bet Gabe can find us somewhere for lunch today that will. Would you like that?"

Dean nodded enthusiastically, turning to rise from the bed. He had always been up before his former masters, fixing breakfast or getting the pups ready for school. That had been in the past, before Meg's first heat and when Tom was still a child. Now Meg was sixteen, mated off to Alastair, and Tom was thirteen and nearing his first rut. Lilith was even pregnant again, with her third and probably last pup, and Dean had been caring for her when he was home now that she was too big to care for herself. How would that end, now? She had been vicious and cruel, but she was not as bad as her mate, and Dean wondered how she would care for her family without him. How would she raise a baby with Azazel on the road so often?

Cas must have sensed how dark his thoughts had grown, because he reached up and ran gentle fingers across the omega's cheek. "I don't know what you're thinking, Dean, but it is normal to miss your previous life, no matter how cruel and abusive your former alpha and his family were to you. Some part of you is still loyal to them, still worries about them. It's something called Stockholm Syndrome; I don't know if you've heard of it."

Dean shook his head; his schooling had ended when he was eight, as soon as John realized that he was going to present as an omega. What use did an omega have for an education, anyway? But this syndrome sounded interesting, something he would like to learn about.

A sharp knock on the door startled both of them out of their thoughts. Cas groaned and slipped out of the bed, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on before answering. Gabe poked his head into the door, catching a whiff of his brother's scent overlaid with Dean's softer notes, shrugging as he passed a small box to the alpha. "Delivery. I'm heading down to breakfast in ten; put on some clothes and join me."

"Alright, we'll be ready." Cas closed the door and carried the box over to the bed, smiling at the logo on top of it. He handed it to Dean, the omega grinning as he realized what it had to be. He lifted the lid and sighed in wonder, running his fingers over the green leather of his new collar. He could see the embroidered words inside, the gold thread creating valleys in the plush green lining, and he already loved it.

Pulling the collar out of the box, Dean held it out to Cas, frowning when the alpha shook his head. "It's your collar, Dean. Only you can put it on and take it off. I won't force anything on you that you don't want. Do you want to wear it?"

Dean nodded, biting his lip as he stared at the lovely thing. The diamonds in the center of each embroidered flower sparkled in the early morning light, and he could even see tiny emerald chips buried along the length of the leather. Lifting his chin, Dean fitted the collar around his neck, happy that it was so much softer and more comfortable than the one Azazel had made him wear, finding the buckle in the back and fastening it. He jumped out of bed and hopped two steps to the mirror over the desk, smiling at the way the collar brought out the green in his eyes.

"It looks lovely on you, Dean," Cas purred. "Now, put some of your new clothes on and we can go down for breakfast. I like to choose hotels who include that for free; otherwise it would cost me a fortune to feed Gabe every morning."

Dean chuckled at that, the sound broken but louder than he had expected. He was really getting quite good at this verbal communication thing. Maybe one day he would be able to manage whole sentences. If nothing else, Cas truly had given him his voice back, offering him for the first time in his life to have a say in his own destiny. The collar proved that, if nothing else.

"Mornin' Boss."

"Hey, Benny. Where's my cousin?"

The Cajun cleared his throat as he piled more bacon on his plate. "He headed out to Chicago to help Anna and Ezekiel pack. He's going to close up your house, as well, and bring your truck down with everything Alfie packed for you last night. You don't have much, and you said you want to leave the furniture so we can rent it out like that, so I think it'll all fit without a problem. He'll be bringing your youngest brother back with him."

"Good." Cas handed Dean a plate, having already discovered that the omega was too timid to dig into a free buffet, and pushed him toward the bar where a beta cook was creating omelets from scratch. Hopefully she would understand when Dean pointed at the toppings he wanted. "Any plans for the Demon Hunters meeting?"

"Yeah, Balth recommended a place before bouncing. Some bar north of downtown. Ketch and I will scout it today and finalize the meeting details with Sam's people." Benny grabbed his silverware and found a table, blue eyes watching as Gabriel joined Dean at the omelet bar, both to get his own and to make sure the boy had been understood. "You going to bring him?"

"To a clan meeting? No. He's been through enough trauma, and I think that yesterday may have been one of the few times Azazel ever made him attend one. I'd prefer that he not be exposed to any potentially violent situations until he's a little more stable. I'll take you, Ishim, Balth, Ketch, and Akobel; Gabe won't let me not bring him, but we can leave Dean with Charlie, Zeke, Gilda, and Anna. They can go to a park or something."

Benny nodded as he pulled out his phone, typing a quick message as he shoveled food into his mouth with his free hand. "I'll let Sam know," he managed between bites, looking up as Ketch joined the omegas at the omelet bar and escorted them through the hot buffet in the center of the room. Both of them had two plates, and the alpha was helping them get both as full as possible, carrying full glasses of orange juice back for both of them. Regardless of his tough exterior and the reputation he had among the various large and small biker gangs across the country, Arthur never failed to be gentle, kind, and protective of the omegas in his clan.

Dean slid into the seat between Cas and Benny, only hesitating for a moment before deciding that he could trust the bearded alpha. Gabe took a spot on Cas's other side, Ketch returning to the line to fill his own plates while the omegas started to eat. "Dean, I don't know how you plan to put away that much food," Cas teased. Dean paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, a half-scared look on his face as he glanced up at the alpha. "It's not a criticism, Dean. Eat what you want. Just . . . go slowly, okay? You'll make yourself sick." The omega nodded, returning to his meal, albeit at a more sedate pace.

"What's the plan for today, Boss?"

Cas glanced up at Gabe, nodding toward Dean. "Get Charlie up here; I want her to evaluate Dean's level of education. He was taken from his father, presumably taken out of school, and I don't want him to live the rest of his life hampered by that. I want him to get his GED, so we're going to task Charlie with that. She'll be good at it."

"No problem," Gabe replied, offering a fake salute. "Can you read, Dean, and write?" The younger omega nodded sharply; Azazel and Lilith hadn't allowed him much freedom, but he had been give free access to what books they had in their house. "Ok, good. Do you remember much of the math you learned in school? History? Any science?" Dean made a so-so signal with his free hand at each question. "Yeah, okay; I think Charlie can get you set up."

"Benny, buy me a car today. Something reliable. I'm going to teach Dean to drive so he can get his license. I'd hate for him to be reliant on me for transportation forever."

Dean swallowed hard and looked up at his alpha, tears in his forest green eyes. He worked his mouth a few times, clearly trying to work out the shapes before he spoke. "Dr-ive?"

"Do you want to drive, Dean? I know you've been riding on someone else's bike for years, but I'm sure no one ever asked you if you like motorcycles. I thought it would be easier to get you a license in a car before we start worrying about a bike."

The omega nodded enthusiastically, finishing his breakfast quickly as if he thought his lessons could start immediately. Benny reached over and patted the boy on his back, silently promising to find a usable vehicle as soon as possible. Cas watched the brief interaction, smiling at the hint of a friendship blossoming between his bodyguard and newest clan member. He was glad that Dean was making friends.

Ishim and Inias settled down in one of the large benches along the edge of the park, the slim beta leaning against his mate's shoulder as they watched their charges. Cas sat at a nearby table with Charlie, going over a GED lesson plan on her tablet as they tried to figure out the best way to get their new omega charge up to speed while Gabriel stretched out in the clover-heavy grass at his feet and dozed. "So, seventh grade?"

"At most. He may have been pulled out of school even earlier than that, Char."

"It shouldn't be too hard regardless, as long as he wants to learn. Once he has a GED, he can get a job or go to college, whatever he wants. As an unmated omega from a forced bonding, there are grants, programs, and scholarships that will help him become independent. If that's what he wants, of course."

Cas glanced up at the park, azure eyes tracking the skinny young man sitting with the pups near the sandbox. Dean was great with them, so gentle and patient, and the pups doted on him, even though he didn't speak. One of them, a blonde girl, offered her plastic dinosaur toy to Dean, grinning when he took it and made it stomp through her sand city. "He was sixteen," Cas murmured, fingers tracing abstract patterns on the old wood of the picnic table.

"Hmm?"

"I checked his medical records," Cas explained. "I'm actually surprised that Azazel included them with the packet. Dean's first pregnancy was at sixteen, after his second heat. Chemical abortion. Honestly, he may have taken the pills without realizing what the doctor was handing him. The second was at nineteen, and the procedure almost killed him. The doctor thought he might never go into heat again. He recovered, though, and Azazel impregnated him again seven months ago. That one is listed as a trauma-induced miscarriage that they sped along with an abortion 'for the omega's health'. I think Azazel beat Dean when he realized he was pregnant."

Charlie bit her lip and ran her fingers across the tablet screen, closing the scheduling app they had been using. Part of her, a pretty strong part, wanted to tear Azazel to pieces for what he had done to the boy, but she knew that she had to control her instinctive alpha reactions. She knew that her boss was doing the same thing, keeping his scent calm for Dean's benefit. Cas had never been a hothead like many alphas, especially clan leaders, but every time he learned about another abuse that Dean had suffered, it tested that patience. "Does he want pups?"

"Yeah, he does. I can watch him play with those kids and see that, even if he hadn't reacted so strongly when Azazel mentioned the abortions that had been forced on him. When his next heat hits, I want him to have a choice of alphas to help him through it, and a chance to keep his pup if he ends up pregnant. But he'll need some independence if he plans to do that without living under the thumb of some alpha for the rest of his life."

"Are you planning on sending him away?"

"No! No, of course not. I just want him to have a choice. I will protect Dean for as long as he needs me, but I don't want him to have to stay with me."

Charlie nodded, tapping something on her tablet. "I'll get him taken care of."

The pair looked up as a male alpha and female beta settled down across from them, clearly not posing any threat because Ishim and Inias had not reacted. The alpha reached out his hand to Cas first, recognizing him as the more dominant of the two. "Hi, I'm Tom, and this is my mate, Ally. We just wanted to let you know that our pups adore your omega. I know he's only been there an hour, but this is the most our son has interacted with anyone in years."

Cas smiled politely at the pair, glancing over to see Dean plying cars with one of the little boys. "He's very sweet, and I think he has wanted pups of his own for a while."

Ally tilted her head at Cas, taking a tentative sniff of the air. Betas didn't have the enhanced olfactory senses their alpha and omega peers developed at puberty, but they could still detect familial relationships in most cases. "He isn't your mate."

"Uh, no, he isn't. I've only known Dean since yesterday." The biker wasn't sure why he was explaining his relationship with the omega to two strangers, but he was going to need to learn how to talk about Dean eventually. "He was the second omega to a cruel alpha, and my only goal was to free him from that situation. He thinks he owes me, but . . ." Cas trailed off, not entirely sure what to say. He knew that Dean would bend over for him in a heartbeat if he asked, but he knew that the instinct wasn't healthy. Dean hadn't made a choice for himself in a decade, and one day of freedom wasn't long enough to shake off the shackles of his physical and mental imprisonment. "He doesn't know himself well enough yet. I want to give him space and time to figure out what he wants."

"What if he wants you, baby bro?"

Cas smiled at Gabriel, who had cracked an eye when their guests arrived, climbing up onto the bench to join the conversation. "I don't know, Gabriel. I like his scent, a lot, which is one of the prerequisites to a good mating, but I don't know if he likes mine. He has suffered so much at Azazel's hands, yet he's still sweet and gentle. He deserves to be happy, whatever that means to him, and I want to be here to watch him become the mate and father he has clearly wanted to be for some time."

"Also he's hella sexy and has amazing eyes," Charlie teased, nudging her boss with her elbow. She wasn't attracted to male omegas, but she could still appreciate beauty when she saw it.

Cas fought the blush that threatened to darken his cheeks, clearing his throat as Tom and Ally joined Gabe in chuckling. "Hush, Char; you don't even like men."

"No, Boss, but this is the first time I've ever seen you attracted to anyone, so he must be pretty special. And I've known you a long, long time."

Cas frowned as his phone started to ring, vibrating in his pocket with the strains of the song he had assigned to his rainbow-winged cousin. He tapped the answer button and raised the device to his ear, glancing at Dean still playing with a dozen pups in the sandbox. Some of their parents had withdrawn, probably accepting his offer of a few minutes of peace from their rambunctious offspring. "Balth."

"Heya, Boss. Just got a ring from Crowley; he has a house for you to see this afternoon."

"Hmm, just one? I thought he would line up a dozen or so for us."

"Just one, Cassie. He says you'll love it."

Cas shook his head, still not sure if he liked this real estate agent. "Was he upset when you told him you were out of town?"

Balthazar chuckled, the sound of a diner in the background. He must have stopped for food on the way to Chicago, maybe two hours away from the gang's homes. "He was a bit miffed, yeah. I told him I'd take him for tea when I return."

"Oooh, Balthy has a boyfriend."

Cas could almost hear his cousin's blush. "Cassie, please. I only just met the man. Don't be arranging my mating ceremony so soon."

"Alright, I won't. Where are we meeting your surly omega?"

"I'll text you the address. He'll meet you at four."

"No problem." The line died and Cas put his phone down, waiting for Balthazar's text with the address. He would have Ketch and Benny meet him at the house that afternoon when they were done finalizing the plans for his meeting with the Demon Hunters. That would give Dean a little more time to play with the pups while he and Charlie worked on a schooling schedule.

"Ready to get back to it, Boss?"

Cas nodded and leaned over the redhead's screen once more.

Benny had found a suitable car at a local dealership, something only a couple of years old with low mileage and a pretty decent warranty. He took the driver's seat with Gabriel by his side, Cas and Dean comfortable in the back. Inias, Ishim, and Ketch followed behind them on their bikes, still determined to guard their boss even in the peaceful little neighborhood north of town that they had scouted earlier. It was actually a bit outside the city limits, which Cas preferred, and he was glad to see how lovely an area Crowley had chosen.

Benny pulled up to a house that wouldn't exactly be called a mansion, but it wasn't small by any means. Deep, crimson red crepe myrtles lined the driveway, their branches heavy with their papery blossoms. Cas heard Dean purr happily, the sound coming out a bit better than it had the day before. Benny parked the car outside one of the three garages, beside a shining black BMW with a surly British omega standing next to it.

"Quite the entourage you travel with, Mr. Novak."

Cas shrugged, helping Dean out of the car before approaching the agent. Ishim and Inias would stay outside while Ketch walked the perimeter and Benny accompanied his boss and the two omegas on a tour of the property. "I have a big family."

Crowley shrugged, heading for the door and using his phone to unlock the key box hanging on the handle. "I don't. It was just me and my mother for my entire life." He opened the door and gestured for the group to follow him inside, flicking on a light as he entered.

"Tell me about this place."

"It's on five acres, the backyard is completely fenced in, the previous owners had a few flower beds but there is plenty of room for more, and you already saw the trees out front. There are more in the back, which we'll get to later. The house itself is five bedrooms; four are on the second floor and the fifth is a finished attic with an attached open bonus room type area. Two of the bedrooms have their own bathroom, two of them do not, there is an additional full bath on the second floor, and a half on the bottom floor and in the attic bonus room."

Castiel walked slowly through the huge living room, glancing at the large windows and the rich cherry hardwood floors. The living room opened into a large dining room with French sliding doors on one side and an even larger kitchen on the other. Gabe whined softly, desperately, as he all but ran into the kitchen, running his hands over beautifully patterned marble both on all of the countertops and on the center island. There were more glass-paned cabinets than even the blonde omega thought he would need, and he gleefully opened and closed each one.

Dean followed more warily, his fingertips barely touching each surface before he pulled them back, probably afraid of being scolded. When the alphas didn't say anything, he headed for the shiny new gas stove, touching the knobs and opening the oven doors. It had two small ovens instead of one big one, and he nodded in approval. He headed for the fridge and examined it, looking inside and taking a sniff. It was brand new, never used, probably having been replaced for the purpose of selling the house. It was a French door style, bright stainless steel like every other appliance in the house, with water and ice in the door and the freezer on the bottom. Dean grinned and pointed at the touch panel above the ice dispenser, catching Gabe's attention.

"He likes the ice in the door," the older omega pointed out, grinning at his brother. "Also the double ovens, and I agree on that one. New dishwasher, too, and the microwave above the stove. This is a big kitchen, should be good for entertaining the whole gang."

Crowley pointed at the closed door at the back of the kitchen, on the opposite side of the house from the French sliding doors. "That door leads to the garage. Three car. There's also a decent sized den off of the living room and a porch out back."

Dean jumped at the word, heading for the glass doors and glancing outside. He could see a covered, screened in porch leading out to a huge backyard with a scattering of trees and a tall privacy fence. Crowley led the group out into the yard, letting them explore the colorful flowers and well-kept yard. Dean examined everything, glancing over at Cas every few minutes with his eyes shining like emeralds in the sunlight. Joy threaded through his scent, every movement begging the alpha to let him have this. Crowley watched Cas, knowing that the alpha would make the final decision but reasonably certain that the silent omega's reaction would be a factor.

Crowley led them upstairs after examining the den, taking them first toward the master bedroom. "This is huge, Chief," Benny murmured, glancing up at the sloped ceiling and the fan hanging down from it. The walk in closet was tucked in one corner, with the door to the bathroom along the same side wall and two windows along the back wall. Benny pointed out that there would be plenty of room between them for a bed. The bathroom itself was spacious, with a large shower stall and a huge, oval tub under a large window. A long counter filled the other wall, with two sinks, plenty of storage, and a huge mirror behind it.

The second bedroom had its own bathroom, also, though both were a bit smaller than the master. Gabriel glanced out the windows that looked onto the back yard and proclaimed it his room, finding that he liked the setup of the bathroom and could imagine his small amount of furniture would fit in the bedroom just fine. They examined the other two rooms and the bathroom across from them, heading up the stairs to what had once been an attic.

Benny fell in love with the bedroom and its small, attached den in the attic. He exclaimed over the small windows that looked toward the front yard and driveway, giving him a view of any approaching visitors. The den was suitable for small gatherings, to which Benny decided he would invite Ketch, Balth, Ishim, and Akobel on nights when none of them were on guard. Cas watched his friend's excitement, slowly letting acceptance fill his scent.

"I like it," the head alpha finally murmured, glancing down at Crowley. He spotted Ketch in the front yard, examining the perimeter as he exchanged pleasantries with Ishim before moving on. "Gabriel likes it, Benny is planning a party in the attic, and Dean would ask me to buy it if he thought he had the right to." The tall omega glanced over at his alpha and nodded slowly in agreement, slowly reaching up to rub his collar.

"And you, Mr. Novak?"

"I hate to give my cousin any credit, but he is right. You truly do understand our needs. I want this house, Crowley. Do we have a price?"

The realtor nodded, pulling out a sheaf of papers from his pocket. It listed the important specs of the house, including the age of the roof and appliances, assurances that the hardwood floors downstairs were original and that the carpets upstairs had been replaced just a year earlier. It also had the sellers' asking price, which Crowley was sure had been set too high.

Benny led Dean and Gabe back outside as Crowley led Cas to the kitchen and spread his papers out for the alpha to see. They went over the price, the details, and the salient points of the offer Cas would make on the house. Once it was all hammered out, Crowley typed everything into his tablet, noting that his client would be making a cash offer, which was generally very appealing to sellers in the area. Thankfully, nothing had to be wet signed except for the contract for Crowley to represent Cas in the purchase of the house, which the real estate agent already had prepared. Once the alpha had signed that and squiggled the best approximation of his name on the tablet in the appropriate places, Crowley led the group out and locked the door behind them.

Cas ushered the omegas back into the car, letting Benny take the wheel again as the other alphas and beta hopped on their bikes. Dean, sitting in the back with Cas, took off his seatbelt and scooted to the middle seat and bit his lip, carefully leaning against the alpha's side. When Cas didn't resist, Dean let out the start of a stuttering purr, his throat vibrating furiously as he tried to keep it up. "Do you like the house, Dean?"

"Y-yes," the omega managed, cursing himself for the effort that it took. "Y-yours?"

"Yeah, I'm making an offer on it. Crowley will send it over to the seller's agent this afternoon. He is hopeful that they will accept."

"Good."