AUTHOR'S NOTES: All right so to establish a time I'm thinking this is anywhere between the late 1850's to the early 1900's. I really wanted it to be after the Civil War and Spanish American War. Please note that you could not just go into a store and buy shoes or clothes like we do today so this story is not historically accurate. I just wanted to speed the story up a bit. There will be more Steampunk items later on in the fic since Charlie hasn't made her appearance yet. So you can look forward to more gear and cool goggles!
Chapter Three: Thieves
The path across the grasslands was much smoother then the rocky desert terrain of Texas. All around them was space—a huge expanse of empty land the likes of which Castiel had never seen. Growing up in New York he became used to the cramped spaces and smells of millions of people crammed in one place. Out here in the wild plains there was no one for miles but the two brothers and him. Sometimes they rode in silence with only the clip-clop of Baby's hooves to cushion the soundless plains, other times Sam's bark of a laugh from a joke of Dean's would send the birds flying from the grass.
Sam and Dean asked him about where he was from, how his family was and things like what was his favorite food. They did not ask him why he was in the desert. He told them of his Uncle's fiddle, his love for the stained glass windows at the seminary church and his favorite tales that were left out of the bible.
"The Catholic church left out how Jesus went to hell to get the old Jewish heroes out. I never understood why since it explained why he was gone for three days." Castiel said. He kept the excitement out of his voice so Dean would not think him odd. The cowboy looked at him with awe.
"How do you keep that much stuff in that head of yours Cas? I mean, I know Sam here is just a freak of nature with all that knowledge but you know things the Catholic Church doesn't want other people to know."
"I bet he's in a secret society." Sam theorized. "Is it the Knight's Templar or the Illuminati?"
"What? I don't understand that reference." Clearly flustered. He squinted at them. Though he was an avid reader Castiel had not ventured far enough into the history of the Catholic Church to know about secret societies.
"It's the Illuminati then."
"Yup, I would say so." Dean agreed with his brother. They erupted into laughter at Castiel's expense. It felt pleasant to be part of a family again.
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Rufus Turner ran his settlement with a stern hand. He was rabbi, sheriff and judge in the three-horse town called Redemption. One of a few stops on a long trade root, strangers were always riding in and out with fur or gold to trade for supplies. Rufus stocked his general store well with bullets, blankets, clothes and rare items like sugar or fresh meat.
They rode into town late in the evening. Sam was asleep in the back while Castiel sat in the cab with Dean. Dean had told him of Rufus's life as an outlaw before he found a wife and settled down. Dean idealized the man despite his crimes. It was an odd view of the world for Castiel who usually thought in black and white, but as he came to know Dean's views he began to see shades of grey.
Rufus greeted them with a shotgun in his hand.
"Can I help you boys with something?" He cocked the gun and pointed it directly at Dean who laughed like he was pointing a finger. Baby pawed at the ground restlessly she did not like guns, especially when they were pointed at her human.
"Didn't you get our message Rufus?" Dean gave the reigns to Castiel and hopped off the wagon. He walked slowly towards the man who kept the gun trained on Dean.
"Yeah I got your mechanical bird. But I'm waiting for the catch. Last time you boys came to town a U.S. Marshal came sniffing around. You know I hate them mother fuckers." Rufus narrowed his eyes but allowed Dean to come close enough to put the barrel directly against his chest. They spoke in hushed tones that Castiel strained to hear. He wondered what they were hissing to one another but all he could hear were random words thrown in the air.
"There's nobody on our tail this time Rufus. Sam and I have been working the cowboy shtick out in Texas. We haven't done a gig in months. Not since The Ruby Rails nearly got us caught. Now put the gun down I got gold to spend and a priest to feed."
"You mean that raggedy twig-thin mother fucker is a priest?"
"Ex-priest. We found him in the desert half-dead."
"Boy, you know better then to pick up strays."
"Rufus, I got a good feeling about this kid. Leave him be. He's under my protection."
"Yeah fine, whatever. Get your gold and your priest I'll get you some supplies." The merchant ordered. He lowered the gun from Dean's chest; Castiel puffed out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. At least Dean was safe from imminent harm. "Now where is that brother of yours? He promised to look over my books next time he came so I don't have to pay out the ear in taxes. You know the government loves charging my black ass for everything."
Dean woke Sam up by clanging the metal cooking pot right above Sam's head.
"Rise and shine buckaroo!" He shrieked right into his brother's ear. Castiel could not muffle his laughter after Sam sat straight up ending with the pot on his head. He didn't know what was more hilarious, how silly Sam looked in his new "hat" or how hard Dean was laughing. Sam pushed him out of the wagon still laughing till his head hit the ground.
The young men continued their merry making into the general store. It wasn't as nice as the department stores in New York but the food looked just as good. There were rock candies glittering in jars, hunks of freshly dried jerky next to plump looking tomatoes and corn. Castiel was dazzled after living a life of poverty for so long. Dean placed a solid gold bar on the counter where Rufus sat puffing on a pipe.
"Pick whatever you want Cas. You need some damn clothes other then that blanket and my shirts. They're falling off of you." Castiel didn't want to say it out loud but he would miss wearing Dean's clothes. The shirt smelled so much like him, earth and the tang of salt that it was easier to sleep at night. Reluctantly he picked out a simple button down with a black shirt vest to go over top. Though Dean wore jeans all the time Castiel chose a pair of trousers made of cotton. The clothes were tight compared to Dean's cast offs and his preacher habit. He didn't miss the white collar against his throat, sometimes he could still feel the suffocating press of it against his Adam's apple, and it had not been a comforting sensation.
"I'd invite you to dinner but Linda hates sweaty cowboys at the supper table. You boys will have to clean up. Lucky for you I got my own genius. My boy Kevin made us a heating tank for the water. No more cold water baths for this old coot. " Rufus grinned widely. Kevin was the son of his wife Linda who he met while he was working on the railroad. Linda was a smart woman who made her living translating the workmen's orders to Korean or Chinese for the immigrant workers. Her husband had been one of fifty that died the day the tried to blow up a mountain to make a tunnel. Kevin had been too small to remember his father, which made Rufus the only Dad he ever knew.
"You know he's going to Harvard next year? I had to pay an arm and a leg just to get him there but it will be worth it." Rufus was obviously proud of his adopted son. He continued to gush about the boys various inventions as they walked towards the big white house in the middle of town.
The house had been built by Rufus himself—every brick, every window, was laid out just the way he wanted. They walked up to the hand-made porch that didn't creak a bit through the pretty oak door that held strange symbols all over the front of it past a kitchen where delicious and unfamiliar smells hovered up a flight of stairs to a bathroom. The sink and the bathtub were made of fine ceramic that shone a prestine white under the gaslight.
"The priest can go first. I have a few things to talk to you boys about." Rufus walked back down the steps with Sam following closely behind him. Dean's hand circled Castiel's wrist and squeezed reassuringly. Castiel's heart began to beat at double the pace while his face warmed up like a stovetop. Even the tips of his ears were hot with the fever of admiration.
"You going to be alright man?" Dean was reluctant to let Castiel do anything without him. Dean perceived that if he looked away Castiel would fade like morning mist. He knew Cas wouldn't abandon him, he just wished he knew why he felt so afraid that he would.
"Dean I'm just taking a bath."
"Just don't slip in fall okay?" He slapped the ex-priest on the ass and sauntered down the steps.
0
"So let me guess… you have a job for us." Sam sat down at the kitchen table with a plop. He had on his best bitch face that was usually directed towards Dean, turned towards the merchant.
"You bet your ass I do. I heard about your last fuck up with The Ruby Rails. I thought you would like another chance to get back at ole' yellow eyes for your Daddy." Rufus smirked knowingly. Sam knew right away that Dean would take the job whether or not Sam advised against it.
"Yellow Eyes" or Azazel Holle was one of the richest coal barons in all of America. Nearly every train was powered by his coal, and if they weren't they were bought out by Azazel's partner Crowley James. John Winchester had worked a long time on the railroad, building tracks, running steam engines, and developing plans to expand the tracks further to Mexico when Azazel decided he needed the young man's trains to run on his coal. He tried everything to convince John to join his crew but John did not like the shady way Yellow Eyes ran his business. He refused to join the crooked businessman and his group of thugs, until Azazel decided to use a new way to convince John to join his crew. Instead of scaring John into a deal he burned down their home killing Mary, the boys' mother, and scarring John for life. John did everything he could to seek revenge after that.
John began to run with a harder crowed. He ditched railroad workers for outlaws and bandits. That's where he met Rufus and Bobby. They became an unstoppable force causing trouble across the settling west from Saint Louis to San Fran. They were Jonny Bronco and the Rowdy Ranchers known for slipping on and off trains without being seen. John became a legend while the boys became orphans. Dean raised Sam, becoming everything to the kid while their Father was off robbing trains.
"So what's the line we're running this time?" The younger man pressed a hand against his temple. He could feel a headache coming on thanks to stress. He hated robbing trains. It was messy work that often ended in someone getting hurt. Usually they only robbed the trains' wealthy people road on. They made a mistake when they had tried to rob the Ruby Rails, discovering it was full of impoverished immigrants instead of rich well to do city folk like it had been advertised. It had been a trap set for them by the rail company and the government. They had been lucky, the two boys had been able to sneak off the train without anyone noticing they had attempted to rob it in the dead of night.
"It's the Grand Central Flyer—you know, the one that runs from San Fran to Saint Louis to New York. Only the richest folk can afford a ticket on that one. I've got intell that a couple of oil barons are riding that train. It ain't gonna' be easy since they have their own security system now but I figured you boys have God on your side now."
"You mean Cas? Castiel can't rob a train Rufus. The poor guy was nearly dead when we found him." Sam felt protective of Castiel. Dean thought the guy walked on water despite barely knowing anything about him. But if Dean trusted Cas then Sam trusted Cas, no questions asked.
"I mean that saving a priest is good luck boy. Calm down." Rufus rolled his eyes. He was used to the Winchester brand of drama but it didn't stop him from being annoyed by it. The two kids had always been more theatrical then most.
"I still have to talk to Dean about this before we can decide."
"Talk to Dean about what?" The cowboy threw himself down at the table to while munching on a spare apple.
"I've got another run for you boys. This one is full of fancy chickens waiting to be plucked. I figured you boys would want to take advantage of it." Rufus tore the apple out of Dean's mouth and threw it behind him.
"Hey what the hell?" Rufus shot him a chilling look knocking the jokes right out of Dean's mouth. "Ah, I mean why don't we look at the map of the run. Where did you say it was going again?"