Walking back into the office was pleasant. The last visit was tense ,and he barely remembered it. This time, he was greeted by his secretary and others that he passed in the hall. It was a jovial atmosphere. He took a stack of files from his secretary into his office and prepared to accomplish whatever he could in just a few hours. It is always hard to get work done though when you are returning from a leave. Everyone always wants to talk, or just pop in for a sec.
It wasn't long before Sam was hanging about in his doorframe with Anna at his elbow. "You up for a break?" Sam asked.
"I literally just got here." Cas responded with a tone of mock frustration.
They came in and sat across from him. "So, how are you doing, Cas?" Anna asked.
"Been better." Cas looked at her and smiled half-heartedly.
"Is Dean being a nuisance or is he helping?" Sam asked.
"A little from column A and a little from column B." Cas could see Sam processing the statement and wondered if he should mention the issues from the day before. It would be nice to talk it out.
"So, full disclosure," Sam began, "Dean may have called me to make sure that you made it here okay."
Anna chimed in then, "And he may have called me for advice that I am not allowed to discuss around Sam, because, and I quote, 'he is a bitch' end quote."
"So, I guess that means that Dean is suddenly comfortable talking about his so called private life." Cas chuckled a little at the irony.
"Well, he did try to talk about it with me, but I was all kinds of not helpful. I guess it was a good thing that Anna was able to offer up a more sensitive perspective. He did call me back after he spoke with Anna to make some arrangements, so I guess that I am a little forgiven."
"What arrangements?" Cas asked.
"Oh, nothing to worry over. He is just trying to be a better human being," Sam offered.
"So Sammy, cover your ears so I can ask Cas a question without breaking the Dean trust." She waited for Sam to comply then continued, "So are you still mad at him? I'd hate to think that I was helping him out if you weren't ready for him to apologize or something."
"Is he planning to apologize?" Cas wondered why an apology would take effort. It's just two to three little words. It's not rocket science.
"You know how he has some issues with the whole talking thing, right?" Anna threw a glance at Sammy to make sure that he was still covering his ears.
"Yeah, I kind of picked up on Dean's little issues." Cas was having trouble staying serious with Sam covering his ears like one of the hear no evil monkeys.
"Well, he is over thinking it, because he said the wrong thing before, and it was very easy to go down that path. His heart is in the right place, he just needed a little help. I think that I got him on the right path. Let me know if I made a mistake." Anna got up and swatted at Sam's arm. "Come on, silly." She headed for the door. "Love ya, Cas."
Sam followed obediently. "See ya later buddy." Sam called back as they left.
Their visit was the shot in the arm that he needed to get back into things. It didn't hurt that Dean was thinking about things and possibly planning to apologize. He allowed his mind to focus on the papers in front of him, and the universe allowed him to maintain that focus for a few hours. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the quiet was broken by the sound of his intercom.
"Sorry to interrupt Mr. Novak, but I have a Mr. Crowley here to see you." His secretary's voice sounded genuinely sorry. Cas considered several options, all of which seemed problematic.
After several seconds, he pushed the button and said, "Send him in. Let Gabe know that Mr. Crowley is here." Cas decided that this visit might be better as a group meeting.
He stood up as the door opened and in walked Lucky. "Hello, Mr. Novak." He walked to Cas with purpose and extended his hand in what seemed like an attempt at a handshake. Cas ignored it and instead gave him a nod and directed him to the seat. Cas sat back down at his desk again and waited for Lucky to speak. The waiting continued for a few more awkward seconds. Cas hoped that Gabe would join them soon. He had no intention of starting the conversation with Lucky. "I mentioned to your secretary that we would not be needing any additional company for this meeting, so if you are waiting for Gabe, it will be a long wait." Lucky rested his hands on his legs. His impeccable black suit gave him an added air of seriousness. Cas continued to stare at Lucky and debated the option of not speaking whatsoever.
"What's on your mind, Mr. Crowley?" Cas asked to speed the meeting along and hopefully bring it to a quick end.
"A great many things, Cas." He used Cas' first name and Cas cringed at the sound of it, too familiar, on his lips. I came to apologize for the actions of my associate. It has come to my attention that you were attacked by A and that he is now in the hospital. Some very well-meaning officers showed up at my office to question me about the incident. You can only imagine my surprise when I heard that you had been harmed and M. I can't even imagine why A would do such a thing to her. He knew that she was one of my favorites." It was hard for Cas to keep listening to him, his tone was all wrong.
"As you can imagine, I am very busy. So, if that is all, then…" Cas began to stand to signify the end of the talk.
"Actually, there is more. I won't lie to you, Cas. That's important. That's fundamental. So, believe me when I say that, if I wanted to sic A on you, I would have been man enough to tell you as he slit your throat." The words did not offer the comfort that Lucky's tone seemed to be trying to impart.
"Well, I think that you'll be going now." Cas started to stand up again, but Lucky's words pushed him back into his seat again.
"I have just one more thing. It's about Lil." Lucky reached into his coat and withdrew an envelope. He slid it across the desk. "This is for her. I heard that she was in your custody. So I will assume that you will know how to handle this. It is money that would have gone to her mother had she lived. We'll call it hazard pay. It is not a pay off. So, don't don that troubled expression. You may find it hard to believe, but I actually had a soft spot for that woman. She was one of the special ones. Her kid deserved to know her. I wish that I had known A's plans so that I could have shot him myself." Cas saw something in Lucky's face that seemed honest. It was eerie and he did not want to trust it.
"So, if I accept this for her, it will not represent payment for her losses. Should she choose to address her losses through the courts, you would not consider this to stand in conflict with that." Cas stated this in a flat voice, all business like in its tone.
"I do believe that I said this already." Lucky began to get up then.
"I would like to sever our relationship now. I do not believe that it would be in either of our best interests to continue working together." Cas stood too.
"I would like to ask you to reconsider. I think that you would do an excellent job on our upcoming merger."
"There are better choices out there. Like I said, I do not think that it is in our best interests to work together." Cas waited for Lucky to leave.
Lucky, instead reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a second envelope. "I wasn't going to give you this, but since we are severing our relationship, it seems fitting." He placed the envelope on the desk. "Consider it an apology. Like the other envelope it comes with no strings. I would like for you to consider the possibility of continuing to represent my interests during the merger, but if you can't, then so be it." Lucky strode out the door in four quick strides and left Cas standing at his desk bewildered and concerned.
Cas tried to go back to the work that he was doing before Lucky interrupted. He couldn't concentrate though. The envelopes were staring at him. He opened Lil's envelope and looked down in shock at the numbers. She would not want for anything. He hesitated as he stared down at his envelope. He could justify opening her's, but he could not see a reason to even consider his. He tapped his hand with it for a second or two, and then sliced through the seam. He pulled out the check and could not think of a justification for such a sum. It felt corrupt and dirty, M's life boiled down to dollars and cents. He got up and plucked his briefcase from the floor. He opened it and tossed the two checks in. He felt done. He hoped that home would offer up comfort and an escape from the issues that must be confronted. He stalked out the door and did not look back.
Review, Fav., Follow, Rec.
The reviews really do a lot to encourage my writing, so know that I am grateful, even if my acknowledgements are less than elegant.
Thanks Master's daughter and Mummabro. Sounds like you two are singing the same tune in your reviews. I think that you two will like the next chapter. 'Till tomorrow.