Chapter 4.

Cas was cleaning the floor when Chuck returned, dressed in what were probably his cleanest clothes, which were nowhere near clean. "That's better" said Chuck.

"In the sense of being less bad, yes. When did you last do any laundry?

"I can't do everything!" said Chuck.

"Put anything salvageable in a sack, I'll get it cleaned for you."

"Okay. The place doesn't look so bad now, does it?"

"It looks like a slum. It's just becoming a slightly cleaner slum. When this is done, you need to keep on top of it. You can't live like a slob. You'll get evicted."

"You could come and do it for me." Said Chuck hopefully.

"No. It's not my job."

"But you're good at it. You were created to serve me. You were my servant."

"I was your slave. No longer. I have better things to do."

Even knowing Chuck had no power to harm him, he felt a visceral reaction to the glittering rage in the former deity's eyes. He also felt a guilt he should not have felt, shame at having defied his father. Dean would have been furious with him for that. Which was one reason why he never told Dean about his trips to Missouri, that and a thousand others.

"You helped to do this to me and now you refuse to help me in my helplessness."

"You're human, not helpless. I am not your mother,"

"Yu are still my son!" said Chuck.

"You murdered my son!" Cas retorted.

"Jack isn't yours. He never was. I killed an abomination, the child of Lucifer and your friend Dean pointed the gun at him first."

"You engineered it all and Dean refused to shoot."

"Maybe I engineered that too. Ever think of that?"

You didn't. I saw your anger."

"Exiled kings usually get a staff to take care of them. Can't I have a couple of angels?"

"No, you can't."

"Just you, then? You said you still care about me."

"I said I pity you."

"Good enough. I'll take it. Babysitting the Winchesters can't take all your time."

He knew he was talking to a threat. He reminded himself to say nothing of Jules, of being an archangel, of the power and responsibility he now had. Above all, he must say nothing of the Winchesters. He was no longer a god, but Chuck was manipulative and vindictive and he would use anything Cas said to hurt them.

"As I said, better things to do."

"Special duties in Heaven? Jack's favourite?"

"Jack has no special regard for me."

Chuck shot him a calculating glance, then smirked. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth .."

"Jack is not ungrateful."

"Come on, Castiel! I know how it feels to be in charge, how little all those under you matter. Jack barely sees you now." He adopted a look of fake contrition. "I get now that I never saw you either and I maybe treated you unkindly. Now that I'm human, II can be different."

"The only difference is that now, I am more powerful than you."

"I'm still your father. You're still my son. And now, as a human, I feel things. I could feel a father's love for his last loyal son. I know all you angels yearned for my attention, my love. Now, you can have it. We can get to know each other properly. I'm asking for your help. I would reward you with love."

"I have enough of that." said Cas.

"From those two? Cas, they'd sacrifice you without a second thought and have done so."

"No. That's not what happened. Gather your laundry. I'll take it with me."

"What for? You're an angel. You can clean it with a touch." Again that calculating look. "Or is your power still patchy?"

"I prefer to clean it using human methods."

"Bullshit. Nobody would do it that way if they didn't have to."

Cas was not about to explain to Chuck how much the physical process mattered to him, how much cleaner he and the clothes would feel afterward. "Then I need to." he said.

"Jack hasn't restored you to full power?"

"I am not as I once was." said Cas carefully.

"Why not?"

"I don't question."

"You questioned my commands."

"Jack has never deceived me."

"That you know of. You once would have said I hadn't."

"Get your clothes together. Do you have fresh sheets?"

"No."

"Why not? I gave you plenty."

"They got dirty." said Chuck.

Cas found a plastic sack and threw it at him. "Everything in there. I'll bring it back tomorrow. Then you can make your bed and I'll wash those sheets too. You are disgusting."

"I created the universe ... all the universes." said Chuck, "Besides, Dean is just as bad."

"Not even close and he does his own laundry."

Chuck grinned unkindly. "What, you never do it for him?"

He did, but he wasn't going to admit it. The point was that Dean never asked him to. Eager to change the subject, he said, "If you get thrown out of here, I'm not looking for another apartment for you. You're on your own."

"I'm doing my best. This human life is frickin' hard, Castiel."

"The Creator of the universe can't clean a floor or wash a sheet?"

"I shouldn't have to."

"You brought this on yourself."

"Agree to disagree." said Chuck.

"The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be to make something of your life.

"You don't think my life was something before?"

"I don't think you had a life before. You lived vicariously through others."

Chuck began grumpily gathering laundry. He said nothing for a long time, then, with the bag almost full, he said, "How are Sam and Dean?"

"They're good." said Cas.

"They ever ask about me?"

"No." They might, if they knew of his trips to Missouri, but as they didn't, they had no reason to ask.

"I'd like to see them, speak to them. I still think we can get over our differences."

"You tried to destroy their lives."

"You're being dramatic. I tried to make their lives epic."

"You will never see them again."

"Your call or theirs? We have a long history together."

"Of you screwing them over."

"They never even ask how I'm doing?"

"Why would they care?"

"They care about everything. If you told them J wanted to see them ... "

"I won't."

"What is your problem? Afraid Dean will like me more than you?"

"He couldn't like you less than J do."

Chuck looked at him sharply and Cas knew he wasn't sure whether Cas had deliberately misunderstood him. Uncomfortable though he found all interactions with Chuck, he enjoyed his uncertainty. It must be quite a come down, From omniscience to doubt and confusion.

"Are they still at the bunker?" said Chuck.

"You don't need that information."

"What do you imagine I can do to them now?"

"Even if all you could do is turn up begging for money, I don't want you near them."

"So it'd be your call?"

"If it were up to me, we'd have killed you."

Chuck laughed infuriatingly. "You're lying, Cas. Billions of years of obedience? You could never raise your hand to smite me. Still your dad."

"You were never that." said Cas, "You never cared about me."

"But you cared about me. That can't just disappear."

"You hurt everybody I love. You killed them. I don't care what happens to you."

"Then why are you here?" said Chuck and Castiel had no ready answer. "Bring them next time." said Chuck.

"No. They are free of you and they're staying free."

"I just want to talk to them."

"Talk to the walls, find out how the angels felt for all those billions of years." said Cas bitterly.