Book 27 - The Eye of the Storm

by GailDunn2

WARNING: CONTAINS SOME ADULT CONTENT. Dean is back, but there is some fallout connected with his return. Gail's true parentage remains a mystery, but there are other concerns that take priority. The Supernatural movie makes its debut against an ominous backdrop. Ominous things are coming from Nevada, and the battle lines are being drawn in Heaven as the vote will soon be held.

1. Viva Las Vegas, Part II

Chapter 1 - Viva Las Vegas, Part II

Everybody had been too drunk to drive and there had been no Angels left at the bar, so Frank took a cab home.

He let himself into the house and closed the door quietly behind him. He sat down on the stairs to take off his shoes because he didn't want to make a lot of noise, and also because if he tried to lean down to do it, he would probably just fall down.

He grinned. That had been a good time, though. He hoped Jody wasn't too mad, but he'd just been so happy to see Dean, alive and well. People had been worried about Sam, Cas and Bobby, and rightly so, but Frank had been just as deep in the throes of grief as they had been. Just because he didn't have as long of a history with Dean didn't mean that Frank loved him any less.

He tossed his shoes on the floor, and they made a loud, thumping sound. Oops. He hadn't meant to do that. He was trying to be quiet. "Shhh," Frank said out loud. "You're supposed to be quiet. Jody's trying to sleep."

"I'm in the kitchen, you jackass," Jody called out. "And if you're trying to be quiet, you're doing a piss-poor job of it."

Frank grinned sheepishly. He walked through to the kitchen from the front hallway. His wife was sitting at the table with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies in front of her.

"Where's Rob?" Frank asked.

"In bed," she said shortly. "I guess it's hard to see the clock, when you're seeing double."

"Are you mad at me for staying out late with the guys?" Frank inquired.

Jody's expression softened. "No, Frank. I know you needed the outlet. I just didn't want Rob around you guys when the talk started getting R-rated. I think he's still a little too young and impressionable to be hearing about chicks and whorehouses. I'm trying to teach him to respect women."

Frank went to the stove to put the kettle on. "I'm sorry, Jodes. You're right," he said.

"Actually, we had a good talk when we got back here," Jody said, snagging another cookie. "I found out that, despite his Uncle Dean's best efforts, Rob actually does have a fairly healthy respect for women."

Frank rolled his eyes comically. "Thank God, 'cause I thought Gail was gonna kill Dean. Of course, if she did, she knows how to revive him. Although I don't think it'd be as easy, the second time."

Jody sighed. "Frank, I don't want Rob to go to Canada."

Her husband paused in the act of retrieving a mug from the cupboard. "Why not? I know their money looks weird, but they're nice people," he quipped.

Jody knew how Frank got sometimes, so she ignored that and said, "He's our boy, Frank. And now that we're going to have a baby, I just want our whole family to be together."

He kept his back to her while he got a teabag out of the canister. "I thought we agreed," Frank said, but his heart started to beat faster.

"I know we did, but..." Jody started to choke up. Frank could hear it in her voice, and he wheeled around, rushing over to her. He got down on his knees in front of her. "What's the matter?" Frank asked his wife.

"Everybody was worried about Sam, and Bobby, and Cas," Jody said in a thick voice, "and I was worried about you. But I never got the chance to work through my own grief about Dean. He and Sam and I go way back, too, you know. He's like the really annoying brother I never wanted." Jody smiled through her tears. "And then, we decided that Rob should spend some time away. I thought that I could handle that, because I thought that it was the right thing to do for our son. But that was a lot to lose, all at once. When I found out that I was pregnant, the happiness we felt overshadowed everything, and then, we were investigating that Scanlon woman. Then, miraculously, Dean was alive again. And I was so happy, Frank. We may tease your sister sometimes, but she's one hell of a woman. We all know how much Cas was against the idea, but she was stubborn enough to do it, anyway. Thank God. He must love her beyond everything else, if he put his entire belief system aside to help her do that spell. So, Dean is back, and when I saw you guys up at the bar, Rob just looked so tall, and so grown up - " She choked up again, and Frank put his arms around his wife. He knew exactly what she meant. Wasn't it just yesterday that the three of them had gone to Disneyland and he and Robbie had ridden all the rides until they'd been on the verge of throwing up? Now, Rob was almost as tall as Jody, his voice was changing, and he'd just had his first taste of beer. Where did the time go?

Jody came out of the embrace. "Anyway, he and I had a good, long talk tonight, and we both decided we want him to stay right here, with us. It's where he belongs, Frank. I hope Barry and Tommy aren't too disappointed. But I told him very sternly that he has to get a job, and then I'll enroll him in high school in the fall. We'll keep on giving him training sessions at the bunker once in a while, but I told him he'll also have to do other, normal things. Take up a sport. Go to the movies, or the mall. Normal stuff. I told him he had to promise to do that, or we'll ship him off again."

Frank wrapped his arms around his wife and squeezed her tight for a moment, and then he eased up, remembering her condition. "Thank you," he said, and now he was on the verge of tears, too. "Thank you," he repeated, and the kettle began to whistle.

Gail was looking at Cas with her eyebrows raised and her arms folded in front of her. "So," she said coolly. "The world's oldest Angel, making a visit to the world's oldest profession."

"You know that nothing happened there, Gail," he pleaded with her. "You know me."

"Yes, and I know Dean, too," she retorted. "He's lucky I didn't zap him into next week. It's just like Las Vegas, all over again."

"Nothing happened there, either," Cas insisted. He walked over to where she was standing. "You know that nothing could ever have happened. You are the only one for me. You're the only one I've ever wanted, and the only one I will ever need. Please don't be angry, Gail." He smiled ingratiatingly. "If it would help, I could punch Dean the next time we see him."

Her lips twitched. "Actually, that MIGHT help." Then, she let her husband off the hook. "Come here," she said, opening her arms. "Why do you have to be so adorable?"

"I'm glad you still think so," Cas said, wrapping his arms around her. "Am I forgiven?"

Gail shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive, Cas. I was just giving you a hard time. What you did, or didn't do, before we met, is your business."

"But we did the reverse ritual," Cas said anxiously. "That was your proof that I have been faithful to you, and you alone."

Gail looked at his face. He was really agitated. Now she felt badly about having a little fun with him. Of course nothing had happened. She knew her husband. She could just picture the stricken look on his face when Dean had tried to hire a prostitute for him. She smiled. She almost wished she'd been there to see that. But then again, maybe not. She would have also zapped the unfortunate girl into next week, to keep Dean company.

"I know that, Cas. It's OK, really," Gail said. "I love you. Now let's stop talking and start kissing."

"That sounds good to me," he said with relief. He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. "I love you so much, my darling. You are my entire reason for existing."

They kissed again, and Gail smiled. "Hey, I just thought of something. For the first time in forever, we don't have anything that we have to do tomorrow. No missions, no deadlines, nothing."

"Didn't you say you wanted to go over to the bunker early in the morning?" Cas asked her.

Gail shrugged. "Nahhh, I just said that to mess with those guys. I'd much rather stay here, with you. We can stay in bed for as long as we want. Haven't we always said we wanted to do that?"

"Then it'll be quite some time before our friends see us again," Cas said charmingly. He scooped her up in his arms and brought her over to the bed. Seconds later, their clothes were off, and they were making love.

The men started to wake up in the bunker around mid-morning. Barry shuffled down to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. It was funny, really. He and Tommy had just gotten home to Vancouver, and now they were back here again. It wasn't to stay, or anything, but he and Tommy had gotten way too drunk last night to even think about leaving town. Besides, Jody had taken Rob to stay at her and Frank's place before things had gotten too out of hand at the bar. And it was just as well. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had that much to drink.

His head had been reminding him that he wasn't a teenager any more, and now, his stomach was weighing in. Yikes. But they'd had a lot of fun. He also didn't remember the last time he'd laughed that much. Lucifer was gone, Dean wasn't dead, and Barry and Tommy had a wedding to plan.

Everyone else started to stir shortly afterwards, and once the four of them were sitting at the table nursing mugs of coffee, Dean said, "Where's Frank?"

"Don't you remember?" Sam asked his brother. "He stumbled out of there about an hour before we did. Said he had to get home and find out how mad Jody was."

"Yeah, we all joked that we would see him again here in the bunker, after she kicked him out," Tommy added.

Dean thought about that for a moment. "Ohhh, yeah," he said slowly. Then: "What about Cas, and Gail?"

"What about them?" Barry said.

"When did they leave?" Dean inquired.

"A few minutes after you told Gail about the time you took Cas to a whorehouse," Sam replied, grinning. It hurt him to grin, but he couldn't help it. Dean was damn lucky to be alive today, on a couple of fronts.

"Oh, no," Dean groaned. "I didn't."

"You sure did," Sam answered cheerfully. "And based on the look on both of their faces, I might stay away from them for a while, if I were you. Cas is likely doing some major penance right now. She probably has him down on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floors."

Cas was on his knees in front of his wife, but they were engaged in a much more pleasurable activity at the moment. They had spent the entire night alternating between making love and talking about their family and friends. This was what it felt like to be happy and worry-free. Gail was holding his head gently and he was teasing her with his tongue, barely touching her with it. They both liked to do that sometimes, because the feeling was more intense once contact was finally made. But she couldn't wait any longer. She plunged her hands into his hair and brought his head to her, and he smiled. This was his best feeling, when he knew he was making her so happy. She cried out his name, telling him how good it was, and how much she loved him.

"Yeah, poor Cas," Dean said, looking shamefaced. "I'd better make it up to the two of them somehow."

"Well, you'd better hurry," Barry pointed out. "They're going to have their election to deal with, soon. So you might not be seeing them that much, while all of that's going on."

Dean was startled. He hadn't really thought of that. It was entirely possible that Cas and Gail might not be around very much for a while. He would miss them, but it would be kind of nice not to be involved in Heaven's b.s. too, for a change, Dean thought. Barry and Tommy would go back up to Canada, Frank and Jody had their baby thing, and the Angels would be back in Heaven. Bobby was with them now, too. Which meant that Dean and Sammy could get back out on the road, doing what they did best.

Still, Dean owed his Angel friends, big-time, and he wanted to have one more party before everyone went their separate ways. So he took out his cell phone.

Gail was laying on her side now, and Cas was spooning her. He was kissing her shoulder and the back of her neck and caressing her gently. She had her eyes closed, and she was smiling. He pressed himself against her, and she wiggled her hips. Cas made a low noise in his throat.

Cas's cell phone began to ring on the nightstand. But Gail had shifted her position enough to grant him access now. "Do you want me to answer that?" Cas said softly into her ear. But he moved his hips forward anyway and slipped into her, making another low noise.

"I don't know," Gail said idly. She opened her legs further. "Do you want to answer it?"

"No," Cas said. He grabbed her hip and thrust himself forward, hard. He'd learned how to do that without hurting her.

Gail gave a cry. She took his hand from her hip and pulled his arm around her. "Good. That's what Voice Mail is for," she told him. She wiggled again, then started kissing his hand and licking his fingers.

Cas was gone when she did that. He moaned loudly, burying his face in her hair. He pushed into her a couple more times, and then he was still, for the moment.

He cuddled her in that position for a bit, and then she said, "Maybe you should check to see if there's a message. I guess we'd better stay on top of these things." Gail reached up and grabbed Cas's phone from the nightstand. She rolled over to face Cas, handing it to him. He swiped the screen. "Dean," he told her. He lay on his back against the pillows, pulling his wife close to him with his free arm. "We'll see what he wants," Cas said. He hit Redial.

Gail put her arm around her husband and laid her head on his chest, smiling happily. A phone call from Dean. What a blessing. Considering the fact that he'd been dead barely a week ago, a call from him would be very welcome any time, from now on.

"Hello, Dean," Cas said into the phone. "How are you feeling today?"

"Didn't you get my message?" Dean asked him.

"What message?" Cas replied.

Dean rolled his eyes. Unbelievable. Guy finally gets Voice Mail after years of their nagging him to do it, and then he doesn't even listen to it. He sighed. "I'm calling to invite you guys to Vegas. These guys pointed out to me that we're probably all gonna be spending a lot more time apart from each other, at least for a while, anyway. So, I want to have one last big blowout before you and Gail have to put your halos back on. You're gonna be campaigning for the Big Job soon; we can't have any pictures of you in Vegas, showing up in the tabloids."

Cas smiled. "I highly doubt anything like that would ever happen. But it does sound like a lot of fun. Here." He put the phone on Speaker and laid it on the blanket. "Tell Gail about your idea."

Dean repeated what he'd just said to Cas, rolling his eyes again. Most people would just...never mind. Deep breaths.

Gail was delighted. "That's a fantastic idea, Dean! I'd love it! Who's all going?"

Dean looked at Barry and Tommy. "Why don't you guys come with? Then you can go back to the land of polar bears and hockey pucks in a couple of days."

"Polar bears?" Barry echoed. "Where on earth would you even get that from?"

"You've got a point about the hockey pucks, though. The playoffs have already started," Tommy chipped in.

"See, this is what I'm talking about," Dean said. "Canada is Backwards Land. Hockey playoffs in the spring and summer. It's baseball season, you guys."

"Ummm...do you need Cas and me for this scintillating conversation?" Gail said dryly.

"Sorry," Dean told her. "Anyway, what do you say we go tomorrow morning? Sammy's feeling a little rough today, so I think we'll just relax and recharge the old batteries." Sam rolled his eyes. Oh, and Dean wasn't? But he let it go. An annoying Dean was still way better than no Dean at all.

"That sounds good. We'll do that, too. Relax, and recharge," Cas said.

"But you're Angels. You don't sleep," Dean pointed out.

"Oh, we'll think of something to do," Cas said, smiling at his wife. "See you tomorrow." He hit End Call, then tossed the phone lightly onto the nightstand on his side of the bed. "Here you go, Ralph," Cas said to the stuffed penguin. "If anyone else calls, take a message."

Gail laughed. "If only he could."

"That's all right; that's why I have Voice Mail," Cas said to her. "I just don't listen to it when Dean calls, because I know it drives him crazy."

She laughed again. "You're funny when you don't have to worry about imminent danger."

Cas cuddled her to him. "The only danger I can foresee today is tiring you out."

Her lips twitched. "While I can see that might be a real possibility, it sounds like a challenge to me," she said pertly. "And you know how I like a good challenge." She climbed on top of him and started to kiss him on the mouth. His arms wrapped around her, and his hands started to caress her back. She poked her tongue out and he responded eagerly, using his tongue. In a minute or so, she could feel him move underneath her, so she eased her body down and took him in her mouth. He whimpered, and his hands flew to her head. He stroked her hair, telling her how much he loved her. Then he lost his words, making inarticulate sounds of pleasure. As much as Cas was happiest when his wife expressed her pleasure as freely as she did with him, Gail was twice as happy to see and hear her husband like this, because she knew it had been a lot harder for him to just let go in this way.

After a little while, when they were resting again, Gail looked up at her husband. "I wonder how Frank's feeling today," she said. "Hopefully, Jody didn't get too mad at him for last night."

"I don't think she would have," Cas responded. "She's a very sensible woman, but she does seem pretty understanding, as well."

"I still can't believe they're having a baby," Gail said. "I'm so happy for Frank. I just hope everything works out with Rob."

Cas frowned. "He's angry about a lot of things, some of which are probably going to be mitigated by time, and maturity. But there are some things that can't be fixed, my love. They can only be coped with."

Gail nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. There were a lot of things they had all been through in the past which couldn't be un-done. But it wasn't the things that happened to you that determined your character, it was how you dealt with them and grew as an individual that did. "I'm looking forward to going to Vegas with the guys," she said after a moment. "We haven't been to the Secret Garden in a while. And you should play some poker. We'll give some of your winnings to charity and buy Frank and Jody baby gifts with what's left."

Cas pulled her closer to him. It was funny, really; two Angels, having the time of their lives in Las Vegas. His heart sank as he thought about the upcoming election in Heaven. Xavier and the board had thought that it was wrong for them to go to Las Vegas, and now, it seemed like Patricia would probably feel the same way. Now, Cas was really glad that Dean had suggested this trip. Depending on how the election turned out, it could be a while before they were able to do anything like that again. One way, or the other.

Frank and Jody and Rob were sitting in the kitchen at their house that morning. Frank was feeling a little rough, but mainly, he was just so damn happy that he didn't care.

When Rob had come downstairs in the morning, Frank and Jody had already been in the kitchen with the coffee on, waiting for him. Rob had looked at his dad with amusement. "Did you guys get really drunk last night?" he asked Frank.

"Yeah, pretty much," Frank answered, nodding his head. Then he stopped, because that hurt a little too much. He put a hand to his forehead. "I wouldn't recommend it," he added, wincing.

"I told your Dad what you and I talked about last night, and he really wants you to stay, too," Jody told Rob. She opened the fridge, rooting around for anything she could put together for breakfast. There were some eggs, and some orange juice that passed the sniff test. Now that she knew they were going to be here for a while, she would have to do a shopping. It was going to be so great to just get in the car and get out there. It had been so long since any of them had been able to do that. Funny how you took such little things for granted.

"So you're OK with me staying here, Dad?" Rob asked Frank.

"Of course I am," Frank said. "We were just trying to do what we thought was best for you. But we were wrong, Rob. Our family needs to be together." Then he grinned. "You're gonna have to learn how to change a diaper, though."

Rob shrugged. "Sure. I don't care," he said. "It'll be great to have a little brother or sister. Somebody I can torment, and boss around. Like you did with Aunt Gail."

Frank smiled. "Up top." He stuck his hand out and high-fived Rob.

Jody rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She brought Rob his orange juice, then moved back over to the counter to make the eggs. "Well, I'll have to make sure to have a girl, then, and even the odds in this house a bit."

"You're going to," Rob blurted out. His parents stared at him, and he flushed. "Sorry. I can't help it."

"It's OK; don't apologize," Frank said quietly. "Gail used to do that to me all the time. I know you guys can't help it when that happens. We've been trying to find out what's going on with that so-called fertility clinic, but so far, we haven't gotten anywhere."

Rob shrugged again. "I know, Dad. It'll be a while before Sam's guy finds the journal. It's OK. I can wait."

Frank and Jody exchanged glances. This was going to take a little getting used to, even for Frank. Gail had had to touch someone to do her psychic thing, and Frank had simply avoided her if he didn't want her to know what was on his mind. Half the time she did anyway, because they knew each other so well. But Rob's gift, if they could safely call it that, was a lot more powerful, and a lot more random, too.

The husband and wife smiled at each other. "A baby girl," Jody said. "That's terrific."

"I hope I didn't spoil it for you," Rob said.

"Not at all," she said. She started cracking open a few eggs, then scrambled them in a bowl. After she poured the mixture into the skillet, she turned around and looked at the two of them. "Oh, and just so you know, today you're both getting a 'bye. But, starting tomorrow, Rob's going to start looking for a part-time job, and you're going to help out more around the house."

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am," Frank said, snapping off a salute. "I'm gonna call Tommy's cell. Hopefully, the guys'll be awake by now. We'll have to break the news to them that Rob is staying."

Tommy hung up the phone. He and Barry and the Winchester brothers were still sitting around the kitchen table. They'd been nursing their cups of coffee and talking about Vegas. The Canadian men had been saying that they would love to go, but they would have to refuse. They were responsible for Rob now. They had promised Frank and Jody that they would make sure that young Rob got a part-time gig somewhere and started having some normal teenage experiences. And that certainly wouldn't include a trip to Sin City.

But now, Frank had called them, apologizing and saying that Rob wanted to stay here in Kansas with his mom and dad. Both Barry and Tommy were disappointed, but they understood.

"Well, I guess we're good to go, guys," Tommy told Sam and Dean. He told them about the new arrangement with Rob. He looked at Barry. "What do you say, hon? Want to go to Vegas?"

"Sure, I'd like that," Barry said. Then he clutched at his stomach. "But right now, I think I'd like to go back to bed for a while. I'm not feeling so great."

Tommy grinned. "That's right, you were never a reporter. We used to drink until the bars closed, then get up and file our stories first thing in the morning. Try reporting from a war zone with a pounding hangover sometime." Then he grimaced. "Having said that, I feel like crap, too. I think I'll join you."

"Hey, you don't have to justify yourselves to us," Sam quipped. "You guys are adults, and you're engaged. You can do whatever you want."

"Actually, it's funny you should say that," Barry said, smiling. "We were joking around last night that we were going to wait until Dean passed out, and then one of us was going to climb into bed with him, just to see his reaction when he woke up."

"Oh, har, har. Very funny," Dean said sarcastically. Then he looked at Sam. "But we should totally do that to Cas, sometime."

Sam laughed, but then he put his hands on his head. "Ow," he remarked. "I think I'll go back to bed for a couple of hours, too." He rose, then looked down at Barry and Tommy. "And, no offense, but I think I'll lock my door," he wisecracked.

"Don't worry," Barry said, rising quickly from his seat. He went rushing down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my husband-to-be," Tommy said to the brothers. He got up from his chair. "I'll go make sure he's all right. And just for the record, Dean, I think it would be hilarious if we did that to Cas. The only problem is, Barry and I would be fighting over who got to be the one to get into bed with him. Just like we did with you." He winked, then left the room.

Dean was taken aback for a moment, and then he started to smile. "Those guys are all right," he said to his brother.

"I'm not sure if I should be relieved, or offended," Sam said affably. "See ya." He left the kitchen and headed to his bedroom.

Dean sat at the table for a minute or two, smiling to himself. Life was good. Well, except for the nausea and the pounding headache. But still, considering the recent alternative, he would definitely take it. He would take that all day long.

Frank was starting to feel rough again too, so Jody took pity on him and told him to go back upstairs and lie down for a while, while she and Rob went to the grocery store. For a wonder, the boy didn't moan and complain about being pressed into service for such a dull errand. Probably just the idea of being able to go out into the world was still so new that he didn't care so much about the destination, as about the journey.

As they drove to the supermarket, Rob looked sidelong at his mom. "Can I ask you something, if you'll promise not to get mad?"

Jody's forehead wrinkled. "Sure, Rob. What is it?"

"What was Crowley talking about last night, when he talked about Dad working for him in the past?" Rob inquired.

Damn, Jody thought. She'd been somewhat unrealistically hoping that he had forgotten about that. "It's a long and complicated story," she said slowly.

Rob sighed. "So that means you're not gonna tell me."

"I didn't say that, I just..." Jody took a deep breath, then let it out. This was parenting, right here. Kids had questions, and it was your job to answer them as best you could. Of course, most kids Rob's age had questions about school, or sex. Not about their parents being mixed up with the King of Hell. Poor Rob. Wait till he found out that his father had worked for Crowley as a Knight of Hell, and his mother had actually dated Crowley. It had only been one date, but still...And just wait until Rob found out that his Uncle Cas was actually Crowley's brother. Oh, boy. They'd better start saving now, for the therapy bills they would have to pay in the future.

"I promise you, we'll talk about all of that over dinner tonight," Jody told Rob. "I'll make whatever you want. What do you feel like having?"

"I really kind of liked that beef bourguignon thing that Barry used to make," her adoptive son remarked casually.

Jody glanced at him. Was he kidding with that? He didn't seem to be. Great. She would have to remember to thank Barry for introducing Rob to gourmet cooking. She wondered, if she opened a couple of cans of beef stew and poured the stuff over some rice, if he'd be able to tell the difference.

"I'm just kidding, Mom," Rob said, smirking. "I know that Barry was trying his best, but I'm still a kid. I'd much rather have pizza, or sloppy joes."

Jody smiled with relief. "Now those, I can do," she told him. "Those I can do."

Dean and Sam, Tommy and Barry, and Cas and Gail checked into their respective rooms and then met downstairs in the lobby.

"What do you guys want to do first?" Dean asked them.

"I'd like to check out the Poker Room," Barry said. "See how it compares to my old place in Vancouver."

"Why don't you guys all play some poker for a while?" Gail said.

"What will you do, then?" Cas asked her.

"I'll just wander around for a bit," she replied. "Maybe play a slot machine or two." She poked Dean. "Give me some money," she said to him.

"Ask your husband for some," Dean said, making a face.

"Excuse me? Who brought you back to life, just recently?" she retorted, holding out her hand.

"She's got you there," Sam said to his brother.

Dean sighed, reaching for his wallet. "Psych," Gail said, smirking. "I just wanted to see if you'd actually do it. Don't worry, I'm saving up for a really huge favour in the future." She turned to Cas, who already had his wallet out. He gave her some money, and she kissed him on the cheek. Then she flashed Dean a grin and flounced away.

"You're a lucky son of a bitch, you know that, Cas?" Dean said quietly.

"I know that, Dean," Cas replied affectionately. He watched his wife until she melted into the crowd, and then he turned to his friends. "Let's go play some poker, gentlemen."

Gail wandered around idly for a while. Cas had given her quite a bit of money, but she wanted to make it last, because she wanted the men to have their time together.

She and Cas had gotten tired of always having to go over to the bunker when they wanted some ready cash, so they'd taken to keeping it in the bureau drawer, just like they used to do when they'd been living in Vancouver, on the run from the tribunal.

Sam and Dean had teased them about that. "Can you imagine the poor guy who tries to break into Cas and Gail's house if Cas is home?" Sam had said.

"Never mind that, imagine the poor guy who tries to break in when GAIL'S home," Dean had shot back. "He would have no idea what he was dealing with."

"In either case, it would be inadvisable, to say the least," Cas had agreed, his lips twitching.

"Or if Cas and Gail are walking somewhere at night, and some mugger tries to get Gail to hand over her purse," Sam said, continuing the thread.

"Yeah," Dean had laughed. "Cas would take out his Angel blade and say, 'That's not a knife. THIS is a knife.'"

"Wait a minute; I know that. It's from that movie, Crocodile Dundee. Right?" Cas had asked the brothers.

Dean had grinned. "Well, well. Look who's getting better at his movie references."

Gail had been thoughtful during that exchange. "I remember getting mugged by that guy in Vancouver," she mused aloud.

Cas had frowned at the memory. "Yes, I remember that, too. Barry really helped us out on that occasion. He's been a good friend to us for quite a while now."

"Well, that certainly wouldn't happen now," Gail had remarked. "I'm very capable of defending myself." And she was glad that was the case. Now Cas wouldn't have to worry about her all the time, if they happened to be apart for some reason. But if the two of them were together, unless he was incapacitated for some reason, she would always give Cas the opportunity to defend her, first. She knew it made Cas happy to do so, and the part of her that was somewhat inexplicably old-fashioned loved it when he did. Not exactly Feminism 101, maybe, but it was sweet, and it was also sexy as hell.

Gail was thinking about that now as she wandered around the casino, and she was also reminiscing about their past times here. They'd had a lot of good times in Las Vegas, despite the fact that the first time they had come here, Metatron had brutally murdered her. Now he was dead, because he had protected her from Lucifer. Who would ever have imagined? He'd been forgotten in all of the grief over Dean's death, but now that Dean was back with them, Gail took a moment to feel regret over Metatron's death. He had truly reformed himself in the end, and he had been happy doing what he was doing for the movie franchise. It was a shame he wasn't going to be around to write scripts any more.

She stopped short. No way. She couldn't be seeing this. Right in front of her was a bank of slot machines called "Lucifer's Loot". She looked up at the rolling sign for the Progressive Jackpot. Over three million dollars. This was starting to remind her of the other time, the time that she had been here alone and Bobby had sent her to the casino to win that other jackpot, thereby calling attention to herself. She had succeeded in doing that, of course, but the only attention she'd drawn was that of two human men with robbery on their minds. Cas had come to her rescue on that occasion, too. She would probably be able to handle those two guys a lot better on her own now, but she'd been so happy when Cas had shown up and dispatched the men. Then he had defied Bobby's orders and refused to leave her side. She smiled at the memory. Things were always better when Cas was with her. Always.

But she'd never wanted to be one of those clingy women, and right now, he was having fun with the guys. So she sat down at the end machine and put some money into it. Lucifer's Loot, eh? Well, as much trouble as he'd caused them in the past few years, didn't he kind of owe them? she thought, bemused.

As she started to play, Gail's mind wandered, thinking about the future. After their little fling here, she supposed that she and Cas would have to sit down and have a serious talk about what they wanted to accomplish, going forward. Gail had no illusions about being elected to the High Office; she knew it was never going to happen. But she truly didn't care. It was fun to joke around with the guys about it, but Gail didn't think a lot of people were going to vote for her. Nor did she necessarily think that they should. With Cas and now Bobby as candidates, it was pretty evident to Gail that it should be one of them. And the feminist in her didn't have a single problem with that, because both men were eminently qualified, and either one of them would do an excellent job, in her opinion. Pretty much the only reason that Gail was going to stay in as a candidate at this point was to try to siphon the feminist vote away from Patricia.

So she supposed that she and Cas would need to campaign a little bit. That would be kind of weird, because technically, they would be opponents. But that alone wouldn't occupy them full time. She'd had an idea about something Cas could be doing in Heaven going forward as far back as Romania, but there had been no sense talking about it then, not until Lucifer had been dealt with.

Gail's mind had been so preoccupied that she didn't even know it at first when she'd hit the jackpot. The reels spun and suddenly, five little Devil's heads came up. Her machine froze, and then the alarm bells started going off.

Her heart started to beat faster. No way. Then she began to smile. Oh, my God. Talk about poetic justice. Wait till she told the guys.

A short while and a couple of applications of the two-finger system later, Gail entered the Poker Room. She sauntered up to the High Limit table. Cas and Dean were playing there.

"Hi, sweetie," Gail said to Cas. She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, and he put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze.

"Broke already?" Dean asked her. "Well, you're in luck. Mister Moneybags here is cleaning up, as usual. I'm sure he could probably give you some more."

Gail smiled. "Is that your not-so-subtle way of telling me to get lost?"

"Nooo," Dean said quickly. "I would never say that to you."

"Smart man," she said, nodding her head. "But it just so happens that I'm not broke, not at all. In fact, I'm here to tell you the good news. Better still, I'll show you." She reached into her pocket and showed Cas the picture the casino had taken of her standing by the slot machine, holding the huge cheque.

"No," Cas breathed. He looked up at her. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Gail said, breaking into a grin.

"What are you guys talking about? Lemme see," Dean said impatiently. Gail walked around the table and showed him the photo, and he swore loudly. "You guys have to be the luckiest - " Dean started to say, and Gail leaned down, putting her arms around him. "Yeah, we are lucky, because we have people like you in our lives," Gail said sweetly. "Wonderful, understanding people."

Dean was suspicious. "Why are you sucking up?"

"Because I want Cas to myself tonight," she told him. "You guys can have him for another hour or so, and then I'm taking him. You and the other men can go out on the town tonight, and then you can have him back tomorrow. We'll stay out all night tomorrow, if you want. We can go to a show, or something. Anything. My treat."

"Damn right it's gonna be your treat," Dean grumbled.

Gail came back around the table to stand by her husband again. He had put the Reserve down on his spot, and he was looking up at her inquiringly. "What did you have in mind?" Cas asked her.

"I'd like to re-create our first date," she told him.

Cas started to smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea," he said. But then, his face fell. "I didn't pack my suit," he advised her. He moved as if to rise from the table, but Gail put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," she said to him. "You stay here and have fun with Dean, and I'll be back in an hour or so."

"All right, my love," Cas said.

Gail blew Dean a kiss, and he stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh. Then she told them she'd be back in about an hour, and she left.

Just over an hour afterwards, she was back. The instant she arrived at the table, Cas jumped up from his chair. "Cashing out," he said to the dealer.

"Me, too," Dean said.

Cas had several racks of chips to cash out, and Dean had a couple, as well. "It looks like you guys did OK," Gail remarked.

"OK? Okay? Did you tell the other guys how YOU did, earlier?" Dean asked her incredulously.

"No, but I think I'll go find them now," Gail said, looking around the main room. She saw Sam right away. Even sitting down, he was taller than most of the men. Then she saw Barry and Tommy, playing together, at a table behind him. "I'll see you in a minute," Gail told Cas and Dean.

A few minutes later, they were all gathered around Sam's table, watching the hand he was involved in. He lost that hand, but he still finished ahead of where he'd started. They all trooped over to the cash cage with him. Cas took Gail's hand. "Well, this is where we leave you, gentlemen," he said to their friends. "We'll all get together again tomorrow morning."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Sam piped up, grinning. "If you two really want to re-create the day of your first date, Cas should punch somebody out, before we leave the Poker Room."

"There's still time, Mister Smarty-Pants," Gail retorted. Then she put her hand on Barry's arm. "I hope you don't mind, you guys," she said to him and Tommy. "We'll all spend the day together tomorrow, and everything will be on us."

"Works for me," Barry said, smiling down at her.

"Cas and I are going to get washed up, and then change for dinner," Gail told Sam and Dean. "I'll get ready in our room. I brought his suit to your room. He can get ready there. Then you can come and pick me up, once you're ready," she said to Cas.

"You guys are married now," Dean pointed out. "It's not like you haven't seen each other - "

Gail gave him a baleful look. "We're re-creating our first date, Dean. He's dressing at your place."

"You can dress at our place, if you want," Tommy said, and Gail raised an eyebrow to him. "You said that just a little too eagerly, Mister," Gail joked, and they all laughed.

Gail went up to her and Cas's room. She showered, then blow-dried her hair and dressed. She had bought a new dress for the occasion. She couldn't remember the last time she had worn a dress. Cas's eyes always lit up when he saw her in one. She had even put heels on.

Meanwhile, Cas had showered, shaved, and put on some cologne. Barry and Tommy were there too, waiting to see Cas off almost like parents watching their teenager leave for the prom. Then they were going to go out with the brothers for the evening. Barry was looking at Cas closely now. "Well, you look good, and you smell nice, but there's something missing," Barry said. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it. Hold on for just a sec." He left the room, then came back in a minute or so. "There," Barry said. He had a blue pocket square in his hand. He put it in the breast pocket of Cas's suit. "It just gives you a bit more colour, and it also brings out your eyes," Barry said to Cas. "See?" He pointed to the mirror. Cas checked his reflection, and he smiled. "Yes, I do," he told Barry. "Thank you."

"Hey Barry, you know how you're always saying you don't want to sound like a stereotype?" Dean wisecracked.

Barry's hand shot up from behind Cas's back and he gave Dean the finger, making the men laugh.

"Don't wait up," Cas quipped, and he left the room. He walked around the corner of the hallway and knocked on his and Gail's door. Gail answered a moment later, and sure enough, his eyes lit up as he saw her.

"You look beautiful," Cas told her in a soft voice.

"So do you," she replied. She stepped forward, standing close to him. "And you smell great, too. Is that...?"

"Aramis," Cas said, smiling.

"Oh, now you're not playing fair," Gail said, smiling. "This is supposed to be our very first date, you know. There are no guarantees as to how it's going to end."

"Well, we're in Las Vegas, so I just thought I would play the odds," Cas said charmingly.

"Let's go, Captain Adorable," Gail quipped, and Cas laughed. "I like that," he remarked. They closed the door of their room behind them and walked downstairs to the restaurant. On the way down, they stood close together in the elevator. "This was a wonderful idea," Cas told her. "Very romantic."

"I thought so, too," she replied. "It was kind of getting to me, Dean calling me one of the guys. So I thought I might try to be a little more feminine, for a change. But that's bad news for you, in a way, because it means you'll have to pay for dinner," she quipped.

"I'll be glad to," Cas said, smiling. "Anything you want, my love." They were almost on the ground floor now. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips, and then he touched her forehead, as if sweeping away an errant lock of hair. Then she did the same to him, and Cas laughed softly. "I was giving you your appetite," he said into her ear.

"Oh," she said sheepishly. "I just thought you were being romantic."

"Just wait," Cas said. "The night is young, yet." Then he touched his own forehead, pretending as though he was scratching himself there. Gail looked at him curiously, and then she remembered: there were security cameras pretty much everywhere in casinos, even in the elevators. Her husband was one smart cookie.

They were shown to their table, and Cas made sure he was the one to pull out her chair for her. He didn't always do that anymore, so he wanted to make a point of it. The host had been a little taken aback by that, but he had made a smooth recovery.

As they ate, Gail told him the full story of having won the jackpot. She had used the two-finger system to get paid in cash. Cas gaped at her. "You're kidding," he said, astonished. "They paid you over three million dollars in cash?"

Gail grinned. "Yep. I didn't know if it was going to work, either, but I put some extra 'oomph' into it, and before I knew it, the slots manager was coming out of the cash cage with a briefcase full of money! Just like the movies. So I winked myself over to the bunker, and put it in the safe there. I think that's a little too much to put in the bureau drawer."

Cas smiled. "So, what are you thinking?"

"Probably the same kinds of things you are," she replied. "Money for the women's shelter, college funds for Rob and new niece or nephew, baby things, a top-up for Sam and Dean. And, I'd like to pay for Barry and Tommy's wedding."

"That's a great idea," Cas enthused. "We'll do all of that, plus anything else you can think of."

"I know I don't always behave like the most Angelic of Angels, but I've gotta say, it feels really good to help people, Cas," she said sincerely.

He smiled. "It certainly does. And, for the record, I think you're a far better Angel than you give yourself credit for, Gail. Many times, you've been a better one than I have."

She lowered her voice. "Thank you, sweetie. But, again for the record, I think you're going to make a wonderful God."

Cas looked thoughtful. "You know, it's funny. I always resisted the notion, because I thought I might be too heavy-handed, or that I might screw it up. But now that I have you by my side, I really think I might be able to do a good job."

She reached out across the table and took his hand. "I know you can, Cas."

They smiled at each other for a bit. Then Cas paid the cheque and they went for a walk down the Strip, hand in hand.

"Do you want to get another picture taken?" Cas asked her when they got there.

"You know what?" she said. "I think we should. We both look way too good not to." They both laughed. They got their picture, and then they meandered back to the hotel.

Once they entered their room, they sat down on the little couch, just like they had on that first night. "Do you remember how nervous I was that night?" Cas asked her softly.

"Yes I do, and it was really cute," Gail replied, smiling. "For the record, if we're not over-using that phrase tonight, I was just as nervous as you were."

"It was hard to tell," he said to her. "You seemed so calm."

"That's because I knew how much I loved you," Gail told him. "And it's such a cliche, but I knew you were the one I was meant to be with."

Cas looked at her warmly. "And I knew you were the one I had waited all those millennia for."

They smiled at each other for a moment, and then Cas put his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth. She kissed him back. Then he opened her lips with his tongue, and she pulled away. "Excuse me, but aren't you taking liberties?" she said to him. "This is only our first date."

Cas looked at her uncertainly, and then he smiled. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Gail replied. "What kind of fool would I be if I turned you down? Wait, don't answer that; it's a rhetorical question," she added quickly, and he laughed. He leaned forward to kiss her again, and this time, she didn't pull away.

"No matter how many times I'm lucky enough to find myself like this with you, please know that I will never take one moment of it for granted," Cas murmured in her ear.

"I know that, Cas, but I love you even more for saying it," she said into his.

"Good, because I'm hoping you won't think I'm too bold if I do this, then," he said, smiling. He lifted her dress and his hand touched her lightly. Then he kissed her again, using his tongue, and then his fingers were inside her underwear, stroking her. She cried out immediately, because it was so swift, and so unexpectedly sexy. Was this ever different than that first night, she thought. He had been so tentative, so uncertain. It had been sweet and endearing, but she loved the take-charge way he was now even more.

Cas undid his pants and leaned her back onto the couch cushions. Then he took off her underwear and pushed forward into her. "I couldn't wait any longer," he breathed. "I hope you don't mind."

Mind? Just when she thought he couldn't possibly get any sexier, he managed to do it somehow. There was just something about the fact that they were still mostly dressed, that was so...She wrapped her legs around him and he moaned, covering her face with kisses.

Eventually, they made it over to the bed, leaving a trail of clothes on the floor on their way there. They took their time when they felt able, enjoying the feel and the taste of each other. Then, when they needed to hurry up, they did that, too. It was strange; many couples found that their ardour cooled down the longer they were married, but if anything, theirs seemed to be heating up. They made love until dawn, and then they rested for a while. Then they called Dean, arranging to meet at the restaurant in an hour's time.

"It's not going to take an hour for us to shower and get downstairs," Gail said to her husband.

"I know," Cas said, smiling slowly. He lifted her body up, until she was positioned over his mouth. She smiled then, too. "Oh no, you don't," she told him. "Turn me around."

Cas shook his head in amazement. She was so giving. So, who was he to argue? "If you insist," he said softly. He flipped her around and they loved each other, making their sounds of pleasure. Then they rested for a few more minutes, and then Cas kissed her on the mouth. "I can't wait for our second date," he quipped, and then he headed off to the shower as she laughed merrily.

After they all had brunch together, Gail said, "Let's go to the Secret Garden."

Dean cocked an eyebrow, but somewhat surprisingly, he said, "OK. You guys always talk about that place. I'm curious to see it."

"Well, it's not very Vegas-y," she said to him, "but that's kind of the point. We don't necessarily have to stay that long, but Cas and I have a tradition: We have to go there every time we come here. Besides, I think you'll like it. Wait until you see the white tigers."

"They're magnificent," Cas added.

"And of course, they love Cas," Gail remarked. "But then again, who doesn't?" She kissed her husband on the cheek.

Dean rolled his eyes. "When are you guys gonna have the decency to start taking each other for granted, like every other married couple in the universe?"

"Never," Cas responded firmly. "We're in love, Dean."

Dean continued to stare at them for a moment. Then he threw some money down on the table. "Let's go," he said, sighing.

"Hey! Pick that up! Today's supposed to be on us, remember?" Gail chided him.

"Oh, I know, believe me," Dean responded. "That's only the tip. Get that wallet out, Captain Obvious," he said to Cas.

"We've decided it's Captain Adorable, now," Cas said, his lips twitching.

"Oh, the hell it is," Dean retorted. "Come on, you two. We'll get Barry and Tommy to stand in-between you." Then the two men started to kiss too, and Dean threw his hands up in frustration. "Come on!"

Sam was smiling. "Look at me, stuck here with you," he said to Dean. "Maybe, if I'm lucky, one of those tigers will maul me."

Cas paid their way into the Secret Garden, and they all walked around from cage to cage, admiring the big cats.

"I can see why you like this place," Sam said to Cas and Gail. "It's very serene. Very Zen."

"These cats are pretty amazing," Tommy remarked. "They're beautiful animals."

They came to the cage that held the white tigers, and Cas and Gail smiled. "Did you miss us?" Cas said to the tigers. The big cats' ears perked up immediately, and they came to the front of the cage, rubbing their faces against the wire mesh.

"Told'ja," Gail said to their friends.

Cas was tempted to step over the barrier and poke his fingers through the mesh to pet them, but then he thought better of it. There were more people here today than he was used to seeing, and he noticed that the enclosures were different now. He supposed that was understandable. The public needed to be protected from the animals, of course, but the animals also needed to be protected from the public. They had learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago.

"Aren't they gorgeous?" a voice said from behind the group.

When Cas and Gail turned around, Hermann gasped. "I can't believe it! I never thought that I would see the two of you again!" he exclaimed.

"We were quite busy there for a while," Cas told him. "But whenever we are in Las Vegas, we will always come here." He introduced Hermann to their friends, and Hermann looked at Barry and Tommy curiously. The two men were holding hands, and Hermann noticed the engagement ring on Barry's finger.

"Are the two of you...?" Hermann asked, and the men smiled. "Yes, we're engaged," Tommy replied. "We'll be getting married soon."

"But, how is that possible?" Hermann said, astonished.

"We're Canadian," Barry told him. "It's legal where we live."

"Not just a 'civil union', as they call it, but a real marriage?" Hermann asked them in a hushed voice.

"That's right," Barry confirmed.

Hermann's eyes started to mist over. "My partner and I came here from Europe many years ago," he said. "We've lived together this whole time. Just the two of us, for all of these years. Back in the day, as you say, we had to hide our true relationship, even though it became common knowledge. We would not have been able to do any of the things you see here if we had been overt about our relationship. As if taking care of these beautiful animals was in any way relevant to whether Burt and I shared a bedroom or not," he continued, a tone of bitterness creeping into his voice. "But still, we persevered, and we are still together, and despite it all, we have remained very happy." He frowned. "Burt had a stroke last year, and he can no longer come here. But I still do, and I have the employees take videos of me playing with our cats, to show to him at home. He can no longer speak, but I can see in his eyes when I show him the videos that he is happy."

Tommy squeezed Barry's hand. That was one of the saddest, yet sweetest, things he had ever heard. "Barry and I would like to thank you," he said to Hermann. "If it weren't for couples like you and Burt, Barry and I wouldn't be able to walk around in public now, holding hands. I won't say it's perfect, but we've come a long way."

Hermann dipped his head in acknowledgement of what Tommy had said. "I thank you for that. I hope the world will one day realize that we can use all the love we can get, no matter what form that love may take."

"I agree," Cas said softly. "All of us do."

Dean nudged Gail. "Hey. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," she said to him. "It was good to see you again, Hermann." She and Dean moved away from the group.

"I want to take you for a drink," Dean said to her.

"OK, I'll tell Cas you want us to go," she said. "We did promise you that he was all yours today."

"No, I wanna take YOU for a drink," Dean corrected her. "I want to talk to you, Gail. I have a few questions I want to ask you."

"Sorry, but if you're thinking of proposing, you're way too late," she wisecracked.

"You think you're pretty funny, don't you?" Dean said, but he was starting to smile. He couldn't help it. How did she always do that to him?

"Yep. And rich," she added. "Don't forget rich."

"You're buying, then," he told her.

"I told you, today is on us," Gail reminded him. "But you'd better take advantage. You know us; we'll be giving a lot of it away after this trip."

"Yeah, I know," he said, sighing. "Damn Angels."

Gail laughed delightedly. She grabbed Dean by the hand and brought him back to where Cas and the others stood. "Dean and I are running away together," she told her husband pertly.

Cas's lips twitched. "Oh," he said. "Well, have a good time, then."

Dean rolled his eyes. "What is it about you? You can't even get jealous right."

"That's right, I can't," Cas said agreeably, "because I know there's nothing to be jealous about."

"He's got us, there," Gail said, smiling. She gave Cas a peck on the cheek. "Dean and I are going to go have a drink and talk for a bit. Will you guys still be here?"

Cas looked at the other men. "It's OK by me," Sam said. "I really like it here. A little serenity is always a welcome thing."

"Ahhh, serenity is for losers," Dean said. "Let's drink, already." He pulled Gail away from the group and they went into the hotel bar.

Once they had their drinks, Dean proposed a toast: "To the woman who gave me my second life," he said, and then he smirked. "Or my twenty-second life, maybe. After as many deaths as I've had, you kind of stop counting after a while. Does that make you my mother, by the way?"

"Try calling me that, just once, and see what happens," Gail retorted.

They clinked glasses and drank. Gail regarded him curiously. "What's up, Dean?"

He made a face. "I wanted to talk to you about how I've been feeling."

"Dean Winchester, wanting to talk about his feelings? Did that spell bring about the end of the world, too?" she joked.

"Come on, Gail, I'm trying to be serious, here. If I wanted jokes, I'd talk to your brother. This is hard enough for me as it is," Dean said sharply.

She was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry, Dean. I won't be a smartass any more, I promise."

Dean took another drink, and then, he sighed. "Ever since I came back, I've been feeling a little weird," he told her. "Like, Jekyll and Hyde weird. Half of me wants to just go out there right now and drink my face off, gamble all night, and hire three hookers at once."

Gail opened her mouth, then closed it again. She'd promised she was going to let him have his say. Dean sighed, then went on: "And the other half of me wants to take better care of myself, do some community service, and get really serious about Nicole." He paused. "It was strange, Gail. When Sammy and I talked about him killing me in that field, he cried, and then I cried, and then we hugged for about an hour. But then, I thought about the fact that when I died, nothing happened. I didn't go anywhere, did I? Then, we found out that Crowley had actually shielded me from Death. But if he hadn't done that, where would I have gone? What would have happened to my soul?"

"That's just it; we had no idea," Gail said earnestly. "Now that you're back, I can say that to you. That's why I thought we couldn't afford to take the chance. But now, I'm starting to wonder: how weird ARE you feeling?"

"Kinda weird," Dean replied. "Do you know if anyone else besides Crowley was revived using that spell?"

Gail's forehead wrinkled. "No. But then again, I don't know much about that kind of stuff. It's not like Rowena and I are besties, or anything. You're not going to come over to our house and find her broom parked in our driveway. You heard her at Bobby's wake. She blames me for his death."

"If anything, she should be blaming me," Dean said, frowning. "I was a bonehead. But I never thought he'd keel over like that, Gail. You saw him, right? That whole time we were over there in Europe together, he was tougher than me and Sam ever dreamed of being. I feel really guilty about that."

"You know what, Dean? I understand how you feel, but I really do think he's happier in Heaven," Gail assured her friend. "Plus, if my hubby doesn't get elected, Bobby could very well end up being God again. And I think that would be a win-win."

"That's another thing that's gonna be weird," Dean remarked. "You guys are competing for the same job."

She shrugged. "I don't think that's going to be much of a problem. It's Patricia who we don't want in the Office. Either one of the guys would be great. I doubt that there would be any hard feelings, either way. We're all friends."

Dean nodded. He supposed that was true. He took another sip of his drink, and then he said, "So, what do you think about what I said?"

Gail smiled. "Truthfully? I don't think it's the spell at all. I think it's the little kid in you fighting the mature adult in you. Sort of like that commercial about the breakfast cereal. One side is the fun-loving, sugary side, and the other half is the sensible, wheaty side."

"What's marriage like?" he asked her suddenly.

Gail had taken a sip of her own drink, and she nearly spit it out. She put her glass down carefully on the table and looked him in the eye. "It's wonderful, Dean. I know you guys always give us a hard time, and I know we're probably not the most realistic example of a married couple. But, I'll tell you something: Marriage doesn't have to be a death knell to freedom, Dean. Not if you're with the right person. If you're with the right person, you're with somebody who's always got your back, no matter what. And you'll always have theirs, because you love them more than anything. Between you and me, I wasn't too worried about Cas being mad at me about the spell, because when you're in it for the long haul, there's always a way to work things out, if you really want to be together."

Dean snorted. "You're such a liar. He was dead-set against it. We all know that. It's only because he's such a sucker for you that he gave in."

She smirked. "OK, well, there's that, too. But, that's love, Dean."

"'I call it love'," he said absently, and Gail's eyes widened. "So, you DO remember!" she exclaimed.

He smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, Gail. I used to think they were dreams. I was married with kids then, but that was the wrong era for me, just like it was for you guys. But now that I'm more mature, like you said, I'm thinking that I might be ready to give it another shot."

Her heart leapt with excitement, but she maintained a calm tone. "All right: number one, I never said you were mature," she said, smiling. "And number two, we're going to have to figure out what to tell Nicole about this whole thing. As far as I know, she's going to think you're an Angel when she sees you next. When she finds out you're human again, are we going to tell her how that came to be?"

Dean shrugged. "I guess we'll have to tell her the whole story. If you and Cas are OK with it, that is. Sammy and I have learned the hard way that keeping secrets from each other is really, really bad."

Gail nodded. She knew that now, too. She'd been nervous when Cas had found out what she and Sam had been doing behind his back, but the primary emotion she'd felt had been one of relief that it was finally out in the open. "I'll tell you what, Dean," she said, finishing her drink. "We'll have our night out on the town tonight, and then when we get home, we'll arrange to go and see Nicole, together. You and me and Cas. We'll explain everything to her, and then we'll leave you guys to your own devices. How does that sound?"

Dean drained his drink, too. "Sounds good to me. Let's go, Mrs. Adorable." He stood up from his chair as Gail laughed. She stood too, and then she dug into her pocket. "Oh, crap," she said. "I don't have any money. I gave the remainder of what I had back to Cas, to put back in his wallet."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! I've never seen anybody who's as rich as you are, broke as often as you are!"

"Hey, I brought you back to life," she said pertly.

"How long are you gonna milk that for?" he complained, but he was reaching for his wallet.

"The rest of your life, my friend," she said gleefully. "The rest of your long, long life." Gail moved forward and kissed him on the cheek. Dean grinned and gave her a one-armed hug. Then she said, "Come on, you big weenie. Let's go out on the town."