Now I'm strong and I won't kneel/Except to thank who's watching over me

[fromfryingpantofire]

It had been a very long day so far. For Sam, that day mostly meant waiting, fidgeting with the present in his hands.

More than a few of the others had watched him as they waited, wondering what he was doing here and, more than once, Sam had found himself wondering the same. The Novaks were a family with a lot of wealth and a lot of connections, political and otherwise. He'd done his research. The family was full of Alphas and Betas, insinuated into massive companies and running more than a few of their own. They were old money and old power and most of those who had come to court were the same.

Not Sam. Certainly, the Winchesters were an old family, but they weren't wealthy by a long shot. They were involved in law enforcement, which wasn't exactly a rich occupation to begin with. Sam was going to law school, but his interest wasn't in making money but in helping people and putting away those who abused their positions and their power. But, long ago, John Winchester had made a promise to the Novak family because Mary Campbell had mated him rather than Michael Novak. That one of his children would be offered as a mate to the Novaks should there be a compatible one. It had been a sop, meant to quiet tensions between the families but nobody had thought much of it. Dean had been a Beta and Sam had been an Alpha and that seemed that.

Until the Novaks threw an Omega. Not unheard of, but rare. And, suddenly, Sam seemed to be the one Winchester with a chance, small enough though it might be.

He started when he heard his name called, pulling himself to his full height with the present clutched in his hands. He followed Zachariah Novak trying to ignore the feeling of unworthiness. He was an Alpha from a good line. There was no reason, other than money, to think he didn't have a chance here.

Comments

[fromfryingpantofire]

It's a fairly large pot, really. It only looks small because Sam's a big man himself.

He looks a little embarrassed, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "It's a mix of local wild flowers," he replies after a moment. "I'm not sure exactly what they are, really. But I know that it's a mix that's meant to be good for attracting bees."

A gift idea brought on by a panicked phone call to Gabriel the night before. The man was nice enough NOT to sound as smug as he probably was feeling when he told Sam about how much Castiel had loved bees. He'd been lucky that Ellen was already growing a couple of pots of the mixture. She and her mate, Bobby Singer, were both still partners in Winchester Investigations, even if they took a backseat these days to let Dean and Sam and Jo take the lead. But she'd always been like another mother to Sam, just as Bobby had been another father.

[freetobe]

"Bees."

The says the word flatly, but one look at his face betrays the nonchalant, unimpressed tone. Castiel's eyes now take in the flowers in an entirely different kind of light, as if they've gained a beauty most wouldn't even see.

As a child, Castiel had a bee plushie, and blue PJs with small bees buzzing around on it. He remembers the flowery fragrance hidden in the crook of his mother's neck, and how she'd call him her little bee, humming to him as if she was one herself. He'd followed the bees around the gardens, endlessly fascinated by the patterns of their flight, and never once scared of their sting.

"Thank you, Sam. You have a talent for choosing gifts..."

[fromfryingpantofire]

"I have my ways."

He owed Gabriel a good few beers after this. Something the other man would no doubt remind him of. But Sam also knew that the other Alpha worried about his cousin, which was why he was helping out Sam so much.

He glances around again before offering Castiel his arm. "This is one of your spaces, isn't it?" If he liked bees, gardens seemed to be the spot for it.

[freetobe]

"You could say that."

Castiel slips his hand through Sam's arm. It's old-fashioned, but it's what etiquette asks for. He's pleased that Sam is willing to do this, given that Zachariah and Uriel are never far. He's not sure if Sam would encourage Castiel to hang off his arm any other time, and that's... a rather dizzying thought.

He could grab Sam by the wrist and drag him. Or just start walking and expect Sam to follow.

And Sam... might even do that.

"I'm not allowed to do all the garden work myself. But the gardeners let me watch them and help with small things." He drops his voice. "Depending on whether someone is watching or not."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam folds his other hand over Castiel's, starting to walk through the garden. "Show me your favorite spots, then?" he asks, keeping his steps short so that Castiel can keep up. Most of Sam's height difference is in leg, after all. It gives him a longer stride than might be comfortable.

He looks over the gardens as they walk. "Ellen Singer is more into gardening than I am. Her mate, Bobby, was my father's partner when he and my mother started Winchester Investigations. Dad and Bobby would do the leg work while Mom and later Ellen and Kate did most of the organization and accounting in the office."

[freetobe]

Castiel hesitates a little - not because of Sam, but out of thought. He knows what to show him, but doesn't know if Sam might understand. If anyone might. Finally, he leads Sam down a path that looks positively unkempt compared to the rest, half-hidden behind low-hanging willow branches.

"They did very important work, then." Strange, that. And... intriguing. "That's a very central part of any clan. We employ Betas there, exclusively."

The path opens up to a small, wild pond, surrounding by a seemingly randomly mass of flowers and plants and grasses. It's not planned, like the rest of the gardens are. It looks positively... grown, not planted. There's a crooked bench nearby, and assortments of flowers that don't seem to match one another even remotely.

[fromfryingpantofire]

"I think Dean would make some interesting noises if you told him he needed to stay in the office and do the accounts." Since Dean was the only Beta in the office. "Jo, on the there hand, might pay you to do it, as long as she has time to sell tickets and get some popcorn ahead of time. Well...mostly the popcorn."

Sam's laughing as he ducks under a low hanging branch just as they round the corner to the pond. He pauses at the sight, looking around it for a long moment before looking down at Castiel. "It's beautiful," he says quietly before leading Castiel over to the bench. There's still plenty of open space for Uriel and Zachariah to watch them and Sam is careful to let Castiel sit before sitting as far away as the bench allows. "This looks like a perfect place to come out for some peace and quiet."

[freetobe]

"Yes."

Castiel is glad that Sam understands, though hardly even surprised. Sam is wonderful like that. Something aches in his chest, and he's not sure what to make of that, suspects that it might be the distance between them that he knows he can never bridge. He's been brought up differently, and for the first time truly feels like less for it.

"I like to read here."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam smiles, turning to face Castiel. Yes, they were brought up differently, but that doesn't mean he thinks less of Castiel for it.

His family, maybe, but not Castiel himself.

"What sort of things do you read?" he asks, head tilted out of curiosity. "I've always tended toward speculative fiction, myself. Or the occasional horror novel. And some Tolkien." Elves and dwarves didn't seem to deal in Alphas and Omegas. Or, at least, it was never mentioned in the books. But, then, there was no need for that before the clans came out.

[freetobe]

"History, more often than not. Text books on matters that concern my role in the household. Fiction... but only sometimes."

It wouldn't do to let an omega dream of other places, yearn for more, think themselves capable of adventure. Most heroes are alphas or betas, but still, it's best not to let Castiel start... thinking.

Or at least that seems to be the general idea.

He folds his hands in his lap.

"Did you know that centuries ago, it was common for alphas to earn the right to an omega by chasing them through the woods, and only claiming them if they could catch them? Some omegas eluded their prospective mates indefinitely."

[fromfryingpantofire]

"It's certainly a more fair system in a lot of ways. Pitting brains against brains, speed against trickery. In those days, if you couldn't catch your mate, you didn't deserve to have one." Oh yes, Sam's read his history. "In Japan, Omegas were taught to fight with pole arms so that they would be able to defend the clan if necessary. They were also expected to keep the household accounts and keep things running while the Alpha was off at war or court."

Okay, so at some point Sam and Cas have to play catch in the woods :p

[freetobe]

"I'm a fast runner."

It's spoken softly, almost too faint to be heard at all. Castiel isn't looking at Sam when he says it, but gazing out over the pond.

There may or may not be a pleased little smile playing along his lips. Or is that just the warm sunlight softening his features? Who knows.

"There used to be cultures in which everything was passed down through the omega line. Greater importance was placed on the person to give birth to a child than to the person who allegedly sired it."

He'll get in trouble for sharing this. His library will shrink down further. But Castiel has never talked to anyone about the history of his own kind before. It's... too tempting. Too refreshing.

They really, really do.

[fromfryingpantofire]

"Well, it makes sense. You know for certain that the child is the Omega's. An Omega might have several partners during heats in those sorts of cultures. From what I read, the heats weren't considered a fault." Not like it is in their current culture, as evidenced just the other night by those who called Omegas sluts.

But it was probably dangerous territory to take the conversation into. Sam turned, watching the lake. "Bobby used to take Dean and me out fishing when we were kids. Our dad went through a really rough patch for a while and that was Bobby's way of getting us out of his hair."

[freetobe]

Castiel lets his eyes rest on the lake as well, allowing Sam's words to sink in. "He sounds like a good man. Bobby."

He doesn't know enough to judge their father one way or another. Just knows he's glad Sam and Dean had this Bobby in their life, because it's obvious that this meant a lot.

"I can't swim," he confesses, because he doesn't know what else to say. Hates making things about him, frowns, and shakes his head. "Is it nice? Fishing, I mean."

[fromfryingpantofire]

"He's a very good man. Though I admit, I might be a bit biased." Sam smiles over at him before looking back to the lake.

The confession makes something ache deep in Sam's chest. "Well, Bobby called it fishing. We didn't tend to catch much, though. I think it was mostly a good excuse to get us out of the house for a while, out in the open are and give us something to do for a while. But it was also his way to bond with us. And with Jo, too. He always brought her along with us." He pauses a moment, then offers, "Swimming isn't that difficult to learn. At least enough to get you where you want to go."

[freetobe]

"Well... not very far to go around here," Castiel admits, a somewhat wry sort of amusement settling around the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Time runs by fast as he has Sam tell him more about lake, about swimming and fishing and summers spent with friends. Soon they have to leave to prepare for the nightly feast.

Castiel has to attend it despite feeling somewhat queasy. Still, he knows his duty, and after raising the issue once, he accepts his uncle's word and goes along without a fuss despite the sting of cramps. He wonders if he ate something that didn't sit well with him, and consequently merely picks at his food, sips little from his glass of wine, and struggles a bit to follow the conversation at the table.

He's glad when the meal is finished and they're all left to mingle, though being handed from conversation to conversation is almost worse.

When he's led back to Sam, he's rude, and feels ashamed for it, especially with his uncle glaring murder at the back of his head. Before Sam even has the chance to speak, Castiel raises his hand to silence him. "Please, let's go to the balcony. It's too pleasant a night to stay indoors."

Truly, he's just feeling too warm to stay inside a second longer. Maybe he should have had as little wine as he had food, to keep his cheeks from flushing, too.

[fromfryingpantofire]

The nightly feast, this time, was larger than the last had been. The suitors had each been invited to bring a guest with them. Some of them had brought more than one. Nearly every one was a Beta, though he thought that Samadriel had brought a sister or close cousin who was an Omega.

Sam, of course, brought Dean. So when the supper breaks up into mingling, they split up and talk to the others, though both keep an eye on Crowley. Neither of them trust the Alpha and they've come across his name far too many times to just leave it lie.

When Castiel approaches for the mandated conversation (Sam notices he is last, which isn't surprising), he raises an eyebrow but nods, offering his arm as he had earlier that day. "It is a bit warm in here. Some fresh air might do you some good." Because Castiel's looking flushed and uncomfortable. Sam looks up at Zachariah. "Doors open and we'll stay in view of everybody."

Because Sam's still a suitor and he's not about to make things more difficult for Castiel if possible.

With that, he leads Castiel out to the balcony, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. "Here. I hope this helps."

[freetobe]

"It does. Thank you, Sam. Please give my apologies to your brother later, I know this was very rude of me."

He had been looking forward to meeting Dean Winchester, truth be told. So far everything about their family, their pack, has proven that much more interesting. He knows he can't possibly justify choosing Sam, his uncle would give him Hell for it. Still, it would have made his night end on a high note.

"Have you two been able to enjoy the feast, at least?"

Castiel steps to the banister to look out over the Novak grounds, let his gaze wander as the breeze fails to cool him down. He rubs at the back of his neck absent mindedly.

[fromfryingpantofire]

"I really doubt Dean's worried, but I'll pass on your apologies." Sam took a step to the side, leaving a little more room between them. "Yeah, we've enjoyed ourselves. The food's been good. We got sat next to Samadriel and his Omega sister. It was nice. He's a good kid. So's she." Not really Sam's type, but Dean had been charmed. Though Sam wasn't certain he would have brought another Omega into this group.

"I'd ask if you enjoyed it, but you didn't really look like you were enjoying much."

[freetobe]

Samandriel is kind and sweet. Caught up in a system he can neither fully believe, nor live up to. Oh, he tries. Tries to posture, to be the alpha his knot makes him. But both he and Castiel, when talking privately in the garden, found that he's just... not. Which Castiel has assured him is a good thing. Samandriel is sweet and kind, and will one day make someone very happy. In the mean time, Castiel regards him as a little brother, and hopes that one day Samandriel will find someone who needs his sweetness more than they need the typical macho posturing. Sam is an exception, but in a different way. He's an alpha - and he doesn't need to posture. He's gentle and warm, but strong. Castiel knows Zachariah seated them together to show how much he disapproves of both as potential options - though Samandriel, at least, comes from a rich family. Instead, Castiel is glad it happened, because he knew they'd get along. He'd have liked to sit with them, too.

"I'm not in good spirits tonight, though the feast was certainly lovely."

It's a very diplomatic kind of answer. Truth be told, Castiel was bored. The food is fancy, and that often means small portions and a lack of heart. Perfection, Castiel finds, is overrated. He'd never say it - it would be exceptionally rude, after all.

Once more he dabs at his forehead, feeling too hot, feeling sweaty. Did he catch something, is he running a fever? Something smells nice, and unlike the food it doesn't make his stomach twist. At least... not unpleasantly so.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Samandriel would never be the stereotypical Alpha and Sam thinks that's a good thing, too. There need to be more Alphas like Samadriel, who look forward to a loving mating match. Which meant that, yes, he was definitely out of the running here.

Not that Sam's in the running, himself, but he's doing his best to keep things better for Castiel, at least.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed. You look tired." There was definitely something else, an undertone that was lost in the massive amount of Alpha pheromones in the air. It was drowning out everything else. "I know you can't, but it would probably be a better idea if you went to bed rather than being out here."

[freetobe]

Bed...

"A bed sounds nice."

And his head is filled with images, quite suddenly and without prompting. They're not clear, because he's never been there, but he knows the technicalities of sex, and things just click into place as Castiel feels something wet leak from his bottom and into his underwear. His cheeks flush visibly now, and before he even realizes what's going on, he stands closer to Sam, close enough that the world smells like alpha, and all Castiel can think about is that Sam is tall, so he must be big, so his knot must be huge.

And right now that's all he wants. He's not even thinking clearly, just acting on what his body, his hormones demand, wanting a knot and barely able to care for where it comes from. The feast smelled like too much alpha, triggering what's been slowly brewing in him ever since he presented, and just then all Castiel's body tricks him into wanting and needing is a big, strong alpha with a big knot and every intention of making him their bitch.

Castiel grabs a hold of Sam's shirt, getting the sweet, dark scent of a rapidly mounting heat all over Sam.

"You should take me to bed, Sam."

[fromfryingpantofire]

Yeah, he isn't expecting that. But the moment that Castiel is that close, he can smell the start of heat. And there's a part of him, a very big part, that would love nothing better than to take Castiel to bed, to get his scent all over the Omega and knot him, get his seed deep into him and do his best to breed him.

It's almost dizzying, but Sam manages to pull away. "No, Castiel. I shouldn't. I know you want that now, but...but you'd probably regret it later." He takes hold of Castiel's hand, pulling his shirt before looking up and raising his voice. "Dean!"

His brother's nearby, of course. Probably exchanging glares with Zachariah. But he's close enough to hear the shout and he can hear when his brother gets to the doorway. "Sam? What's...oh, shit."

Sam nods. "It just started, but I think it's been building most of the evening." He looks down at Castiel. "Cas. Cas, this is Dean. You wanted to meet him, right? Well, right now, I need you to tell him where your room is. You need to not be out here."

[freetobe]

Castiel manages to look away from Sam for a while, just long enough to regard Dean.

Dean is a beta. Dean isn't interesting right now.

He will feel ashamed for his behavior later, but right now rational thought has been disabled, and Castiel only cares about one thing. His eyes are dark when he looks back at Sam, tries to press closer. tilts his head to expose his throat, offer Sam his scent and his neck for a mating bite.

"I'll tell you where my room is. Breed me, alpha."

And then he whines, an alluring sound in the back of his throat meant to speak to an alpha's protective nature.

Dean wraps his arms around Castiel from behind, pulls him away from Sam despite his protesting whimper. "Sorry, buddy, but you'll be better off not getting to do what you want right now. First heat's rough, eh? Should've seen Sam in his first rut. I was too busy getting him to not hump a tree to be proud..." Which is of course not quite what happened, but hey. "Sam, you get out of where, I got him. If I can handle you kicking and screaming, I think I can hold him for a little. Now shoo, it'll be easier on him. I'll get him to his room."

Where he hopes someone in this goddamn family will hand him a toy and let him knock himself out. Dean is a beta, but he's been around enough omegas and has educated himself on those topics enough to know that heats without a mate are always rough on an omega, but the first heat especially is just painful and cruel. He already feels sorry for the kid.

[fromfryingpantofire]

Sam takes another breath, through his mouth this time so that fewer of the pheromones get to him. "Right, okay. Just...yeah, get him somewhere safe."

He'd give Dean shit about the lies in that story if it weren't for the fact that he's telling it to help out Castiel. He rubs at his nose before he turns and heads into the house.

And goes straight to find Zachariah, while trying very hard to ignore his hard on. "Party's over. My brother's taking Castiel back up to his room, since he just went into heat."