Pride and Prince Charming

3

I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.

JANE AUSTEN, Sense and Sensibility

"Where the hell were you?" was Ruby's first greeting when Castiel returned to the lobby. She gave him a strange scrutinizing look. "And why do you look so flustered?"

The bell on the receptionist desk dinged, as someone kept hitting it repeatedly and angrily. Then when a heavy gust of wind swept in through the whoosh of the front doors being pulled open, Castiel caught the familiar profile of the Prince just leaving a room where the paintings had been set up. And then Dean stopped.

It was instant and it was so dramatic. Because whilst everything around the lobby was hectic, the stillness settled between the two of them. As Dean slowly turned around, and without searching, he latched his gaze on Castiel, who was by then, seriously astonished as every second passed by; a full minute maybe. He couldn't ascertain the exactness.

But Castiel, in that moment, thought to himself that no one had ever looked at him the way Dean managed to deliver. And it was nothing short of astounding to witness the magnitude of interest piqued from the connection.

Then just after acknowledging him with a small lopsided smile, Dean winked and retreated down the hallway.

"Are you even listening to me?" Ruby's voice drifted towards his ears. "Hello!" she clicked her fingers in front of his face. "What's happening to you?"

"Nothing of import," he swallowed hard and avoided her eyes. The lobby was deserted, almost graveyard silent. "What did I miss?"

Ocean Eyes

Shaking her head, Ruby sighed and bent down to collect the bag resting on the ground. "Nothing really. Well, apart from me flirting with the receptionist and him rudely telling me that he's engaged to his partner Frank. And get this. It's hardly necessary for him to have shown me his ring when..."

Castiel could feel the square of tissue pulsating in his jeans pocket. Like a little, fierce living thing filled with so much life and spurring up many questions. Written by the golden pen of a man...a Prince as a matter of fact...who had sought out an introduction. Someone who held a completely high regard in the world; the Royal Family. And that particular individual had chosen him as an object of scrutiny.

"Good God! Reporters!"

He had no idea on earth what transpired in the next two minutes, except that himself and Ruby were snatched by the back of their jackets. Then deposited outside into the alleyway like two nasty scoundrels. And in the process, the right strap of Ruby's tank tore away leaving her to appear rather like a savage demon.

"I don't like to be harassed," Castiel complained in his low gravelly voice. "I avoid harassment at the expense of appearing like the professional I am."

"Which is why you get to write all the boring stories whilst the rest of us daring devils chase down the good ones," Ruby scowled at her tank and swore.

They then rejoined the diminished group of reporters outside once more. And Castiel was left alone to dwell on conflicting thoughts whilst his loyal companion sought out the interests of a rather intriguing looking man. The kind who was dressed like Sherlock Holmes, with the matching low voice and a wary eye.

Still sparing himself from the likes of becoming entangled in a crowd of gossiping people, he retreated to leaning against a lamppost. One of those very antique ones. The kind with a shade and a rather intricate looking box attached to the stem. That was set to ignite within the hour of 6 and that it did in just under two minutes.