Chapter Text
Cas stumbled over a tree root and landed on the floor with a thump. The orange blaze of flames still rose in the distance, and Cas let out a loud sob when he saw the flickering light. They were all gone. All of his family, gone. Maybe if the doors were unblocked they'd have had a chance, but he realised the impossibility of this as he had heard the door being blocked behind him. Wait, Dean and Sam were still in the room when he'd been kicked out. Cas started to panic. What if they were still in the building? Surely the other Knights would have let them out first? The door would have to have been opened to light the fire, Cas reasoned with himself, Sam and Dean wouldn't have been in the building. But his dragons... Balthazar, Anna, Michael, Samandriel, Lucifer. All of them gone. Another sob ripped itself from Cas' throat as he slowly stood back up, turning his back on the flames. Slowly, he started forwards again, sliding his feet out, carefully feeling for any tree roots in his way.
"Cas!" Someone called out behind him. Dean. Castiel grimaced and moved behind the nearest tree. "Cas, where are you?" Cas shut his eyes, trying to merge with the tree, hoping Dean wouldn't find him. It was all his fault, after all. He wouldn't let him save his dragons. "Cas, look I'm sorry! But you're more important than those dragons!"
Cas let out another quite sob.
"Dean. I don't think that's the right approach to this!" Sam hissed, "I don't think he'll see things the same way, will he?"
Cas heard a few more muttered whispers before Dean called out to him once again.
"Ok, I'm sorry Cas! I didn't mean to sound like I didn't care about the dragons, of course I did! Please just come out and speak to us, we just want to make sure you're alright."
"Please Cas." Sam begged. Slowly, Cas stepped out from behind the tree, glaring at the two brothers.
"What do you want?" He growled, shuffling backwards quickly when they stepped forwards. Dean looked hurt, and lifted his hand a bit, almost like he was reaching out to Cas.
"Cas?" He muttered, "Please don't be mad. It was Crowley's orders. You know we couldn't stop it."
"But you could have helped me save them Dean! You could have let them fly away!"
"And risk Crowley finding you with them and slaughtering you as well?" Dean snarled, charging towards Cas and pushing him back against one of the trees, "I wasn't going to risk losing you as well Cas. You're my best friend."
Cas shoved Dean away from him and stumbled away from the tree.
"And I thought you were my best friend!" He sobbed, "But you just left them to die! Just leave me alone Dean!"
He turned to storm away, but Sam's hand held onto his shoulder.
"Alright Cas," Sam sighed, "We'll leave you be. We just needed to tell you...Crowley's ordered you to be exiled. If Crowley's knights see you anywhere near hell, you'll be killed."
"Don't you think I might be aware of that", Cas retorted, his current resent for the brothers, especially Dean, evident in his tone.
"Look, there's a cave just a few miles North of here, completely abandoned- you should go there.", responded Sam, as he observed the tormented scowl upon Cas' face showed no signs of alleviation. "I know it's not ideal, and even less pleasant, but you're...". After pausing for just a moment, Sam continued. "We're not exactly surrounded by many options. We can send food, supplies, whatever it is you need. We just want you to be safe, Cas."
"Everything I needed just burned up in that building, and frankly I'm beginning to wish that I burnt with it." Cas scowled, trying to push Sam's hand off his shoulder. Sam, after loosening his grip, detached his hand from Cas' shoulder. He patted it lightly, while displaying on his face the result of his weak and unconvincing attempt at a smile.
"I suppose, at least for now, it's goodbye then." Cas watched longingly as the two brothers hesitantly turned away, beginning their reluctant retreat without their once close friend, crying silently in his new-found absence of purpose. His eyes focused on Dean, who after making a mysterious hurried gesture to Sam, allowed his eyes to fall one final time upon Castiel's traumatised form. At least, that was the assumption made by Cas, who gloomily receeded into the tangle of vegetation surrounding Hell.