Heaven's Child ≫ SPN

22. An Absent Father, A Lost Son

"One thing that prevents a man from being a good father is he hasn't completed being a boy."

 Alec || Colorado

It was rumored that his Father will be visiting hell that day.

Alec was restless ever since the news reached him. A tight coil weighed in his stomach, constantly reminding him of the thing he was trying to forget. He couldn't wait of course; he hadn't seen his Father for three months, and that was three months too long.

He felt jittery on his way to practice that day, and was so excited he could barely keep the goofy smile off his face. His anxiousness made it hard to focus on practice; every few minutes he'd look up to listen for whispers or strange movement of the guards—anything to indicate that the King had arrived. But the hours stretched and even after a full day of practice, Crowley was a no show.

Alec didn't lose faith, like the loyal Child he was. He paced the length of his room, head spinning with excuse after excuse in his Father's defense. Maybe something had come up. Maybe the rumors were never even true. Maybe Crowley was busy with something much more important than him. Still, even though the odds were against him, his heart leaped in his throat every time there was the slightest movement at his door.

The nine year old boy noticed his reflection in the mirror and fixed his tie. It's only been ninety days, but Alec had grown at least an inch more. He wondered if Crowley would take notice. The idea made his heart squeeze.

The last time Alec had accomplished something, Crowley certainly took notice. He'd produced enough scorching fire to light an entire section of hell on his own with a single thought. That day he received so much praise from his mentors that news of his success spread even to the lowliest torture chambers in hell.

But all that was never enough to compete with the joy Alec felt at the slight smile on Crowley's face and the twinkle of approval in his eyes.

****

Red.

Sticky, glistening, wet, red. Alec couldn't understand why spell work had such a fondness for bloodshed. Still, he tightened the jar of newly acquired blood as his eyes skittered across the lamb carcasses that littered the grassland ahead of him.

"Is that all, Sir?"

Alec barely tilted his chin but the demon Ezri worked with him long enough to understand that yes, that was all. "Should I put the jars with the rest?" Again, any other demon wouldn't understand the subtlety in Alec's response. "Very well. Have a good night, Sir."

When Ezri disappeared, Alec dragged his gaze to the spot where he used to be. Alec liked Ezri. He never asked any questions, he was quiet, and even proved more than once to be smarter than the rest. Have a good night, Sir. Alec quietly wondered if Ezri would survive the war. He hoped so.

The night was resolutely silent. Alec stood there alone in the middle of the vast meadow. The moonlight gave a dull glow to the leafless trees that stretched into the night sky and although it smelled faintly of farm animals and blood, Alec was enjoying himself. After being stuck for who knows how many years in the dark and humid underground, the cool moonlit sky was nothing short of bliss. Alec was content with the scenery, absorbing it all serenely until he was interrupted.

"Everything is ready." Her voice was beside him without any precedent. "We just need to collect a few more things."

"Like?"

"To open the Chamber without a key, we need blood from the four realms. Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Earth. We already have angel."

"The rest seems simple enough."