A Soldier I Will Be | Destiel and Sabrifer |

The Second Trial and Suffering

Castiel narrowed his eyes as he stared at the building across the street, his face stoic as he watched the man move past the window to the living room, sitting in front of the TV with a drink and a plate of food. Castiel took a deep breath, slipping across the street and towards the back of the house, gazing at the pale white door.

The voice had called only hours before, requesting that his second task be done by midnight. It was much easier than the first, as no one's life would have to end if he did it well. He even knew the person that he was to search out, as the man worked at the carpentry business alongside him.

Taking a deep breath, Castiel slowly opened the door, thanking the heavens above when it let off no noise. He slid inside the house, creeping through the hallway towards the living room. He stopped when he reached the stairs, leading to the second room and counting out six breaths, using that time to prepare before stalking up the stairs silently.

It didn't take long, and he found himself growing more confident with each step as he gazed at the doors that dotted the hallway. One would be the man's room, along with the item he had been ordered to retrieve for The Angels. The others, well, they could be his children's rooms.

The first door was bright pink, so he counted that one out right away. The next two were brown, just plain wood. Castiel moved over to both of them, surveying the each door carefully, as well as the area around it.

Castiel decided that the last door was the other kid's room, a small sticker on the middle of the doorknob of a princess. He prayed that he would be right and slowly opened the door, his palms sweating in his black gloves.

He came to an almost empty room, just a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand with the picture of a beautiful young woman on it, along with her birth and death dates. Castiel felt a pang in his heart, remembering when his coworker had gotten the call that his wife had died in a robbery. It was after that that the man seemed to become a recluse, grew out a beard, and worked like there was no other thing he had going for him.

Castiel felt bad for him as he gazed at the picture, knowing that if Dean died the same way this woman had, he wouldn't have made it through. He would most likely be locked in an asylum, begging the gods above to bring his husband back. It sent shivers down his spine to imagine it, so he pushed the thought out of his head and checked under the bed.

Castiel was certainly in luck that night, for he found the black velvet box underneath the bed, hidden under the headboard. Slowly, as to not make a mistake and cause a disturbance, he slid the box from the bed, carefully unlatching the holds and opening it.

Inside the box laid a deep emerald and black bow, lines of glowing blue light stretching along the length of the wood in strange symbols. As Castiel picked it up, he felt a power tingle his hand, letting out a soft sigh as traced the glowing marks with his hand.

He froze when he heard the cock of a gun behind him.

"So, you've finally come for it, have you?" The man growled, making Castiel shiver with a newfound fear in his chest. "I should have known you bastards would show up to get the bow. You guys aren't one to leave any evidence are you?"

Castiel took a deep breath, not turning to face the man. Any sudden movement would end in his death. "I just want the bow. No harm will come to you or your family if you just let me go." Castiel said slowly, forcing his voice higher. The man thankfully didn't seem to recognize him by the way he grunted.

"I want to know why you think you can just waltz in here after killing my wife and getting the only thing that I have against you. I should shoot you right now." The man growled, but there was a way that he hesitated that gave Castiel hope that he was going to make it through this.

"I am sorry for the death of your wife, but it was not me who killed her. It was some other person. I am just here to retrieve the bow. I would hate for your kids to lose their father when they've already lost their mother." Castiel said, barely above a whisper. The man was silent for several moments, as if letting the words sink in before Castiel finally heard him take a step.

"I want you gone in the next thirty seconds." The man growled, backing out of the room slowly. Castiel nodded, grabbing the bow and keeping his head ducked so the man couldn't recognize him before taking off down the stairs and out the back door from where he came.

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Dean sighed as he looked over the files, cursing softly under his breath as he tried to make connections between each of the murders. Sam was reading over the newest file they had received of a couple that had been murdered only a week ago. It left Dean angrier than ever, and he threw the files to the side, digging his palms into his eyes to stem the pain that was beginning to grow in his head.

"How's Lucifer doing?" Dean asked, looking at his brother as he stretched, his muscles straining with the effect of sitting so long. Sam put down his own file as well, sighing and running his fingers through his slightly greasy hair.

"Better. Much better in fact." Sam said, smiling softly. Dean couldn't help but feel glad for his younger brother, knowing that Sam's relationship was always a delicate matter. It was good that things were beginning to go well.

"Looks like your family is going to be alright then." Dean commented, a longing in his chest for Castiel that he never felt before. He knew he was being unfair to the Novak, putting everything into his work and not giving him much attention at the moment. He vowed to himself that the moment this thing was done, Castiel was going to be all his focus.

"Yes." Sam said, looking down at his lap and frowning a bit. Dean cocked his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm just worried. If Lucifer, a loyal employee who worked at that business since he was twenty got fired over his relationship, what would happen to Gabriel, who has only been working for two years, if his work was to find out? It's common knowledge that a lot of people don't believe in letting gay men be teachers."

Dean sighed, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. It was a very true statement, and he couldn't help but worry for the whiskey-eyed Novak. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's strong-willed and proud, not to mention one of the best history teachers I've ever seen. They won't fire him for that."

Sam was silent for a moment, and when Dean looked back at him, he saw the confliction in his brother's eyes. "For your sake, I hope you're right."