Take Out The Gunman

6

It was close to noon the following day when Dean knocked on the front door of a brick home with a beautifully landscaped yard. He glanced over at Sam – he hadn't been certain about leaving the kid alone, so had invited him along – to see that he was staring out at the front yard. He chuckled, causing Sam to glance at him, and said, "Wait until you see his garden."

Dean's attention turned to the front door as it opened, and a full grin cross his features.
"Hello, Dean," Castiel Novak, his partner of two years, greeted with a smile.

"Cas!" Dean stepped forward and grabbed the man, albeit gently, pulling him into an embrace. Cas returned the hug with a smile of his own. "How's the recovery going?" he asked as they parted.

"Good," the other man responded, his deep, slightly gravelly voice traced with amusement, "The same as last week, when you asked. Come in." He stepped aside, allowing entrance into the house.

Dean followed the slightly shorter man into his home, reaching out to snag Sam's jacket sleeve and pull him along behind him. The kid had looked as if he was about to flee in panic when Cas had invited them inside. They followed Cas into the kitchen, where Cas crossed to a coffee pot.

"Coffee?" he asked, pulling three mugs out of a cabinet.

Dean smiled – Cas was curious about Sam, he knew, but he was patient enough to wait for Dean to introduce them. Sam, on the other hand, was practically hiding behind him, a look of uneasiness etching his features. He tugged at the kid's jacket sleeve, gently pulling him out into the open. When Sam was standing next to him, he introduced,
"Cas, this is Sam. Sam, this is Castiel, my best friend and partner on the force."

"Hello Sam," Cas greeted with a warm smile.
Sam shot him a glance before dropping his eyes to the floor and saying softly, "Hi."
"It's okay, Sam," he said gently, and Sam raised hazel eyes to him, "You can trust Cas. He's safe. I trust him with my life."

The younger man studied him for a moment before nodding in acknowledgement. His hazel gaze shifted to Castiel, and he graced the man with a small, hesitant smile. Dean didn't miss the curious glance which Cas shot him, and he raised a brow at the other man. Cas caught the unspoken message: he would explain more later.

They sat at the kitchen table to drink their coffee, and Sam seemed to warm to Cas a little. The man had a way of drawing people in, usually unintentionally, with his calm demeanor. Dean and Cas chatted for a while, talking of Cas's recovery and Dean's recent cases. He didn't speak of Sam's case, nor of John Winchester: he would talk to Cas about that later.

After finishing their coffee, Dean shot Sam a smile and asked, "Want to see his gardens? They're pretty awesome."

Cas led the way out of the house, through the back door. They stepped out onto a stone patio, which opened up into the gardens. The entire back yard, which was fairly large for the area, had been landscaped and converted into gardening space. A variety of colorful flowers covered the grounds, with stone paths guiding the way through them. Trees outlined the garden and were dotted in betwixt the overflowing flowers. There was an actual garden on one side of the yard, where vegetables were growing. The place was breath-taking, and Sam was in awe.

"Can I -?" he started, glancing to Cas.
The man smiled warmly and agreed, "Of course. Enjoy."

As Sam wandered into the garden, pausing to brush his fingertips against flowers or stare at the hummingbirds that hovered nearby, Dean and Cas moved to sit on a stone bench, next to a koi pond. They sat in silence for several minutes, enjoying the warmth and watching Sam. Finally, Cas turned blue eyes to him and queried,
"Well?"

Dean glanced at his best friend before shifting his gaze to Sam. "He was part of this last case I worked," he finally spoke.

Cas tilted his head in curiosity, eyes moving to Sam, and Dean continued, "Kidnapping victim. The guy had him for nine years, kept him locked in a tiny room for the last four."
They watched Sam explore the gardens as Dean continued, explaining the case, how he had found Sam locked up and how John Winchester had claimed the kid was a demon. He explained how Sam hadn't any next of kin and had been placed in a safe home temporarily, and how it had sent the kid into panic attacks.