Chapter 1 - Direct Amends

Castiel and Gail sat on his couch, and Cas scooped up her hands in his.

"No, Gail," he said, anguished. Here he had been, praying for a miracle, and she was telling him that Sam was so far gone that Dean had decided to take his brother off of the life support machines in the morning.

Tears were streaming down her face. "And he doesn't even get to be an Angel! Apparently, Sam's slated to go to the Netherworld, for some reason."

Cas was startled. "What?"

"Bobby told Dean Sam is on the list," Gail said, sniffling. "Who makes up that stupid list, anyway? Shouldn't that be for God to decide? How is that fair?"

Castiel had no idea. This was the first he'd heard of any list, and he told Gail this now. "Our Father never mentioned that to me," he said soberly. "I don't know anything about it." He also wondered who had made up this mysterious list, and why Sam would be on it. Cas thought back: Raphael was in the Netherworld, and Rowena had been too until just recently, when they had had to bring her back in order to obtain the last ingredient for the cure. Death had personally escorted Castiel there after his execution, but Crowley had resurrected Cas almost immediately afterwards, so he hadn't had the chance to find out who else might be there. And from what he had been able to glean, Metatron had been slated to go there, but Bobby had sent him to Lucifer's cage instead. Was the Netherworld a place for the elite, whether they were good, or bad? Archangels would certainly qualify for exalted status, as would Originals. Perhaps Rowena had qualified due to her status as Crowley's mother; Crowley was another Original, and he was the King of Hell, after all. But, Sam?

"I'm going to call Bobby," Cas said. He sent out the call on Angel Radio for Bobby to please come. How good it was to be able to do that again, even though the circumstances this time were so dire.

Bobby appeared before them, and his expression was grim. "I know what you're gonna ask me, Cas, and the answer is no."

Gail was puzzled. "No, what?"

Bobby sat in the chair by the couch, and he leaned forward. "No, I can't intervene."

"Why not?" Gail asked him. She was extremely frustrated with Bobby, and not for the first time. Bobby was God, and yet it seemed like he was unable to do any of the things that really mattered. He couldn't revive people, he hadn't been able to bring Sam out of the coma, and now he was saying he couldn't do anything to prevent Sam from going to the Netherworld when he died. "Cas said you sent Metatron to Lucifer's cage, when he was due to go to the Netherworld," she pointed out.

"Yeah, I did," Bobby said sharply. He really didn't mean to speak to her in that tone, but Gail had to understand that this was hard on Bobby, too. Sam was like a son to him, and this whole thing was breaking Bobby's heart. "That's because nobody really wanted Metatron. Even among outcasts, he was an outcast. The list specified that his disposition was optional."

Castiel was frowning. "Who is on this list? Where did it come from? Who wrote it?" He could see that Bobby was anguished over the situation with Sam, but he had to know. Anyone could be on that list. If Sam was on it, likely Dean was, too. And if the list included all of the Originals, Gail would doubtless be on it, as well. That was what scared him the most. Cas knew nothing about the Netherworld, but its apparently checkered guest list worried him. What went on there? Did Good co-exist with Evil, or was it more like Purgatory, with each side tormenting the other? If he and Gail were to die, and Sam and Dean and Cas and Gail all went there, would any of them ever see each other again?

Bobby shook his head slowly. "I can't tell you that, Cas."

Cas was starting to get angry now. "Why not? Fine, Bobby. If you no longer trust me, then tell Gail, or Dean. They need to know, Bobby."

"It's not like that, Cas," Bobby protested. "It's not a matter of trust. The list has God's own seal on it, and it binds whoever is God to secrecy. I shouldn't have even told Dean that Sam was on it. I paid for that little stunt." He opened his shirt to show them a dark black mark on his chest. "I got off lucky," he said, rebuttoning his shirt. "If God reveals the contents of the list to anyone, the secrecy seal states that he's to be reduced to ashes immediately."

"God? God is to be reduced to ashes?" Gail asked, astonished. "What the hell kind of a thing is that?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Bobby's beard twitched. He'd said that very same thing when he had found out. But mostly, he'd been beyond angry. He couldn't convince Dean not to pull the plug, and Lord knows, he had tried. But if Sam was going to be brain-dead, that was no kind of life for him, either. But there was no way Bobby could let Sam go to the Netherworld. How fair would that be? But, Bobby was bound by the list. The whole situation was ridiculous.

"What about if we just let Sam die?" Cas blurted out. Bobby and Gail looked at him, shocked, so he hurriedly continued with his thought: "Then Crowley could revive him, as he did me."

Bobby frowned again. "No way, Cas. Crowley can't be trusted. Look at what he did to you."

"But he revived Frank," Cas said. He winced, but it had to be said. Gail was looking at him coolly now. The last thing they needed was a reminder of the time that Cas had killed Gail's brother when he had been a Demon and his mind had been diseased. But the priority was Sam right now.

"Yeah, he did," Bobby admitted, "but we're not gonna do that. I have a different idea. It's not much better, but it's the best I could come up with."

Gail's heart skipped a beat. "What is it, Bobby?" she asked him eagerly.

But Bobby was looking at Castiel, and his expression became even more serious. "Remember when you sent Sam and Dean back in time?"

Castiel could have kicked himself. Of course he remembered. Why had he not thought of that himself? "What do you want me to do, Bobby?" he said excitedly. "How far back do you want me to go?"

"Wait a minute," Gail said, holding up her hand. "Are you guys telling me that Cas can actually do that?" Then she remembered; Cas had told her once that he could. But he had been the Demon then, and they had been arguing over his jealousy of Sam, so she'd taken it with a huge grain of salt.

"Yes, I can," Cas told her earnestly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Gail said impatiently. "And why didn't you do it sooner?"

"We were hoping things would resolve themselves naturally," Bobby told her. "Time travel is hard on all the parties involved, and it should only be used as a last resort." Unbeknownst to Gail, Bobby and Castiel had talked privately about the issue before today, and they had agreed to try to wait it out. But it seemed like they were out of options now.

Bobby looked at both of them. "We'll have to attempt it, I guess. But it'll require sacrifices from both of you."

So what else was new? Gail thought with a little bit of humour. But she was getting excited now. Time travel! How far back could they go? Could Cas send them back to before the tribunal? Oh, my God. If they could only have a do-over, he would never have been executed, and all the ugliness that had followed would never have happened. She and Cas would be back to being a loving couple, and she wouldn't still have those horrifying scenes in her head. Though she had been planning to tell him that she forgave him, Gail would much prefer that there be nothing to forgive.

But Bobby shook his head as soon as she asked him the question. "I can't authorize that, Gail. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" she said angrily. She was sick of Bobby telling her everything he couldn't do.

Bobby sighed. He was trying to be patient with her. She hadn't been in their lives when Cas had sent Sam and Dean back to the Old West. "Because sending people back takes an incredible toll on Cas, and he nearly died when he had to send them back that far," Bobby told Gail. Her heart sank. No, she wouldn't want that. "I'm going to propose that we send you and Sam back to just before the accident," Bobby continued. "Then you can stop Sam from getting in that car, Gail."

Though she was extremely disappointed that they wouldn't be able to erase what had happened to Cas, Gail knew she would just have to suck it up. This wasn't about her, or about Cas. It was about Sam.

"I can do that, Bobby," she said confidently. "I'll handcuff him to a chair, if I have to. It was my stupid request for that stupid paper that put us in that car in the first place." Now she started to get excited again. Gail had been feeling so much guilt over that fact. If they could get a do-over and Sam would be all right, she'd be more than OK with that.

"You realize this is going to change some things, though," Bobby cautioned her. "If you and Sam never have that accident, nothing that happened after that will have happened, either. If ya know what I mean."

Cas had already realized that, and he was nodding sadly. Sacrifice, indeed. He'd sensed that he and Gail were very close to reconciliation now, and all of that would be wiped away if they went back and did a reset. His mind flashed back to what the fortune teller had said to him at the fair: "If you alter what must be, the road will be a long one." Cas sighed heavily. Perhaps she hadn't been so fake after all.

Gail thought about that. She realized the same thing. She turned to Cas, who took her hand. "We have to do this, Cas. I know what Bobby's saying, but..."

Cas brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss it, and he gave her a gentle smile. Apparently, his Father wasn't finished with him yet. Now Cas was going to have to go through all the loneliness and heartbreak once again. Perhaps God wanted to see if Castiel had learned any lessons in his quest to be a better Angel, and a better person. Only Gail and Sam would be travelling back in time; Cas and Dean would not. Therefore, in one of those strange time travel anomalies, Sam and Gail would be living from the day of the accident as if nothing subsequent to it had happened, while Cas and Dean would have all of the memories of subsequent events. So Cas would know what he was supposed to do, how he was supposed to live, and how he was supposed to behave. It would be difficult, though. He was aware now that Sam and Gail's accident had changed everything, as far as his and Gail's relationship was concerned. It had been the catalyst for their reconnection. Cas had been mired in a deep depression, and he had been cut off from his loved ones, feeling sorry for himself. He had not truly started to work on himself until Gail had given him the wake-up call. But now he knew better, and even though he would have to suffer from not having her in his life once again, Cas could do even more to work on his recovery in the meantime. He made a mental note to follow up with Richard about that visit to the battered womens' shelter.

"It's all right, Gail," Cas said softly. "When two people are meant for each other, no time is too long, no distance is too far, and no one can ever tear them apart." Cas truly believed that now, too. Look at how many obstacles they had overcome, and yet he and Gail kept finding their way back to each other. But he'd added that last part as a reminder to himself, too. Cas was a work in progress, and if he ever started feeling jealous of Sam again, Cas would have to realize that if he and Gail were meant to be together, Sam's feelings for Gail shouldn't make any difference.

Gail squeezed Cas's hands. What a beautiful thing to say.

"OK, let's go," Bobby said, rising from his chair. He felt a little badly that these two would basically be back to square one if their reset worked. While Bobby normally didn't really go in for that mushy stuff, he felt for Cas and Gail. After the horror of that stretch when Cas had been a Demon and had abused Gail so badly, it had seemed to Bobby like Gail had been just about ready to forgive Cas. And now her memory of that fact would be wiped clean. Maybe once she and Sam got back, Bobby would tell her he was going to include Cas in the meetings. She might be mad at first, but Bobby was the boss. He'd take her anger if it meant that her seeing Cas every day might spark something and put them on the road to reconciliation again.

They winked into Sam's room, startling Dean. He was still in the same position as he'd been when Gail had left him. Dean had been holding Sam's hand and talking to him, reliving all of the crazy things that had happened to them in all the years they'd been on the road. He'd been crying a lot, but Dean had also laughed when he'd gone over some of their exploits. He'd looked fondly down at Sam's face. Dean gave him a hard time a lot of the time, but now that it was just the two of them, Dean told his younger brother how proud he was of him. Sam was so smart, and he had such a big heart. He'd grown up to be a much better man than Dean would ever be. Dean would try to carry on without his Sammy; he knew it would piss Sam off if he just gave up. But things would never be OK again. He promised Sam that he would take care of Gail, and if it turned out that she and Cas got back together, Dean would make sure that Cas treated her like a queen. And Dean would keep after Bobby, try to find out who else was on that damn list. Maybe one day they would all be together again. Were there any bars in the Netherworld? "If so, save me a stool, Sammy," Dean had said, and he'd started to cry again.

Dean stood and wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands when the Angels showed up. But then he decided it didn't really matter. They had all seen him cry before, and they would understand.

"We're here to help," Castiel told Dean. He walked over to Dean and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. They had been through many ups and downs together, and lately it had been all downs. But he felt a wave of love for Dean wash over him now. How hard this must be for him.

"There's nothing you can to do help," Dean said harshly, but he pulled Cas to him for a hug. His friend had been a giant dick a while back, but he was here now, when it counted, and Dean appreciated that. He would need all the support he could get.

"We think there is," Bobby said, stepping forward.

Dean pulled out of the embrace, wiping his eyes again. "What do you mean?" he said, almost angrily.

"Cas is gonna send Gail and Sam back to the day of the accident," Bobby told Dean.

Dean's eyes widened. "What?"

"I'll make sure he never gets in that car," Gail said to Dean, putting her hand on his arm. "Then the accident will never have happened."

Dean looked at them all suspiciously. "Just like that?" he said.

"Yeah, just like that," Bobby confirmed.

"Then why the freakin' hell didn't you do it sooner?" Dean said, raising his voice.

"Because we were hoping it wouldn't come to this," Cas said solemnly. "Time travel should only be used as a last resort."

"Why?" Dean asked him, puzzled. He remembered when Cas had sent him back in time before. Things had been a little hairy for a bit, but they'd turned out OK in the end.

"Time travel changes you," Cas replied. He glanced at Gail. "As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly; you leave marks behind, however small they may be. And, in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you." Cas winced inwardly at his choice of words, especially when he looked at Gail. Once again, he was reminding her of what she had suffered at his hands, and just before she was about to go back, too. Great. As if she didn't have enough reason to hate him. Their great strides in the months since the accident would be erased in her mind. But he hadn't been able to think of any other way to convey what he'd needed to say.

What Cas was saying gave Dean pause for a moment. Was he trying to say that Sam and Gail might come back changed? Different, somehow? And if so, how different would they be? He looked at Cas questioningly. "Save me the Angel-speak, Cas. You sent me and Sam back to the 1800s, and we didn't come back any different."

"Maybe so," Cas replied. "But there are no guarantees. That's why time travel is to be used very sparingly."

Dean looked at Gail. "Are you OK with this?" he asked her. Now he was a little worried. He wanted Sam back, but would there be a price tag attached? Wasn't there always? Look at what had happened with Cas.

"Yeah, Dean," Gail replied, giving his arm a brief squeeze. "We have to get our Sam back."

Dean sighed. There was no way he couldn't go along with this, misgivings aside. "OK, what do we do?"

"Leave it to me," Cas said. He gestured to Gail to come over to Sam's bedside. When she did, he looked down at her. "I'm going to put one hand on your head, and the other on Sam's," Cas told her. Then he smiled grimly. "It's a good thing I haven't had to perform anything in a while. I'll be at full strength now." As it was, he wasn't looking forward to the way he was going to feel afterwards. Effecting time travel always took a lot out of him.

"OK, Cas, I'm ready," Gail said. She glanced at Bobby, then at Dean. She gave Dean a thumbs-up. "I've got this, Dean. Sam and I will see you soon." Then she looked up at Cas. "Before you do it, I have one thing to say," she told him. "I love you, and that will never change." Perhaps she'd sensed what he had been thinking. When she and Sam came back, Sam would be warm and compassionate to her, and Cas would once again be the bad guy she was trying to stay away from.

Cas smiled, appreciating her comment. He hoped that was true. But their Father obviously required this sacrifice from him, and Cas had to trust that he could continue to mold himself into the kind of man that she deserved.

He leaned down to kiss her. It would probably be the last time in quite a while that he would get to do it, and he wanted to carry the memory with him, even if Gail would not remember. He started to open her mouth gently with his tongue, but then Cas hesitated. Should he be doing this? Probably not, not here and not now. But then she surprised him by opening her mouth and giving him her tongue in return. They kissed like that for a moment, and then she touched his face with both of her hands. They came out of the kiss, and Cas pressed both of her hands to his face, wanting to fix the sensation in his memory.

"I love you, Gail," he told her, trying to smile. "If you don't remember anything else, please remember that."

Gail nodded. "I will, Cas."

Then Cas put his hand on her forehead, and he leaned over to put his other hand on Sam's. He closed his eyes to concentrate, summoning up maximum power. His hands started to glow, and soon the glow was so bright that Dean and Bobby had to shield their eyes.

And when Cas opened his eyes, Gail and Sam were gone.

Gail smiled sadly as she watched Kevin and Becky, holding hands and watching TV. It was sweet, but it made her heart hurt. She and Cas used to cuddle and watch TV together, and she missed that. For the umpteenth time, she wondered what Cas was doing now, and how he was doing. Was he happy? Was he depressed? Which one did she want him to be? She hadn't been able to bring herself to pick up the phone and call him. She didn't feel nearly ready enough. She had been busy and productive in Heaven, but Gail still cried every night, and she was afraid she'd start up again if she heard his voice. But he hadn't called her, either. Maybe he was just giving her her space, or maybe he was too busy. Could he be moving on? Maybe he thought it was best this way. And, maybe it was. She sighed.

Sam leaned over her shoulder. "We're out of paper again," he said into her ear. His breath tickled, and Gail smiled up at him. But then she frowned. Damn. She'd really wanted to finish this section.

"I'll go to the store and get some more," Sam offered. "Dean's still working on the Impala, but he never lets me drive it anyway." He grinned. "I'll take one of the other cars. Be back in a minute."

Gail watched him as he started to walk down the corridor. "Wait up, Sam," she blurted out.

He paused, looking back at her. She was rising slowly from her chair, staring at him. "What, Gail?" he asked her. "Do you want to come along?" Sam hoped she did. She had been working way too hard lately, and she could use the break. He enjoyed riding in the car with her. They would find some pop music on the radio, the kind that Dean hated the most. Gail would turn the volume up, saying, "In your face, Dean," and she would seat-dance. That never failed to make Sam smile. Sam was no idiot, and he wasn't oblivious. He knew that Gail was still depressed over Cas. But she had her good moments too, and Sam was determined to do everything he could to make sure she turned the corner.

But suddenly, Gail didn't want Sam to go at all. They had both been brought back here by Cas to re-live their day, blissfully unaware of anything that had happened after this moment, but Gail felt a sudden sense of foreboding now. She had these feelings from time to time still, and she had learned to trust them. She approached Sam, and the feeling got stronger. She couldn't let him get in that car.

"Don't go, Sam," she said. "Stay here."

Sam looked at her curiously. "I'll only be a minute. Why don't you take a break and watch some TV with 'the kids'?" He smiled. That was what she affectionately called Kevin and Becky sometimes. "I'll help you with the translations when I get back."

He turned to walk down the hall again, and Gail trailed behind him, trying to grab him. "Sam, don't go," she repeated. She was starting to panic now, trying to grab hold of him. She finally caught the back of his shirt and tugged on it just as he reached the garage door. He sighed, turning around again. "What's going on, Gail?"

"I'm getting one of my feelings," Gail told him. "You can't get in that car, Sam. Please."

Sam smiled down at her. He knew she got these feelings from time to time, but he really wanted the fresh air. And he knew she really needed the paper, or she wouldn't be able to finish. "It'll be OK, Gail," Sam said, putting his hands on her shoulders. But he did so gently. Most of her injuries were healing nicely, but Sam always made a point to be gentle with her.

"No, it won't," Gail argued. "I don't want you getting in that car, Sam. Please."

Sam rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. "OK, come with me, then," he said to her. "You can play your music, as loud as you want," he added as an enticement.

Gail paused. She didn't want him to get in the car at all, but she had no idea why. He seemed hell-bent on going, though. Was she supposed to go with him, maybe? She had no particular intuition about that, one way or the other. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was supposed to go along too, for some reason. Maybe he was going to get hurt if he ended up going by himself; if she went along, she could heal him. Perhaps that was why she didn't want him to get in that car.

"OK, Sam, you're on," she said, and they went into the garage. Dean and Frank had their heads under the hood of the Impala, and she and Sam exchanged smiles. Their brothers, the car nuts.

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Sam announced, and Dean waved his arm, mumbling something.

"What he said," Gail quipped, and Sam laughed.

Then they were on the road, and the music was blasting. Gail was seat-dancing, and Sam was laughing, and they were having fun together. This was the way things were supposed to be, Gail thought. No drama, no crying, and no pain.

But then the song ended, and Sam turned the radio down. "I love seeing you like this," he said to her. "We should do this more often."

Gail smiled at him. "Maybe we will, Sam," she said.

And because the music was turned down this time and Gail was looking at Sam instead of looking out the window and brooding, she saw the headlights of the approaching truck on Sam's side. Sam was looking at her, and so he didn't see them right away. They were stopped at the lights, and there was traffic going in both directions across the intersection. Oh, God, Gail thought. They were screwed.

"Step on the gas, Sam!" Gail yelled, and when he hesitated, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "DO IT! FLOOR IT, RIGHT NOW!"

Sam's eyes grew wide, but he did as she asked. Gail grabbed at the steering wheel with both hands and pulled as hard as she could, and the car spun around. The runaway truck still hit them head-on, but because Gail had turned them around, it hit on her side.

"They're back," Bobby announced to Dean and Cas. Dean leaped off the empty bed, where he had been perched, waiting, tense and ready for anything. Cas was still slumped in the chair. He'd been spent from the energy it had taken to send Sam and Gail back, and he had collapsed into the chair immediately afterwards, and had not moved since. Bobby had been nervously pacing the floor.

Bobby stopped pacing now. "They've been brought into the emergency room here."

"What the hell, Bobby?" Dean yelled. "I thought the accident was never supposed to happen!"

Cas groaned, but he still didn't rise from the chair. What had gone wrong? Then, he did stir. Gail would be hurt, and she would need him. But, who was he kidding? He couldn't heal a paper cut right now. Bobby would have to do it. Still, Cas could be there for her, at least to hold her hand. And, what about Sam?

But incredibly, Bobby was smiling.

"What's so freakin' funny?" Dean said angrily.

"Gail sent me a message. She couldn't keep Sam from getting in the car, so she hauled on the wheel at the last second and turned the car around. The truck hit on Gail's side, and Sam's only got a broken leg, and some cuts and bruises. The same as Gail had," Bobby told them. Not exactly the way they'd envisioned, but she'd gotten the job done, and he was proud of her. Angel or not, that must have taken a lot of courage.

Cas jumped up from the chair. "She took the impact?" he said, his face turning ashen.

Bobby felt for the guy, but he continued to smile. "She'll be OK, Cas. She's an Angel, remember?"

Cas knew that, of course, but...her poor body. Angel or not, she would be in considerable pain right now. "Let's go," he said, and rushed out of the room.

Dean and Bobby exchanged grins. So much for the rigours of time travel.

Gail was lying on the gurney when Cas burst in. He hadn't bothered to ask permission this time; no one was going to keep him out of here.

She was startled to see him. Bobby must have called him, or something. Cas rushed to her side and Gail struggled to sit up, but he eased her back down.

"Ohhh," she groaned. "Boy, did that hurt."

Cas lifted the sheet to look at her injuries, and he was horrified. She had bandages in pretty much every place imaginable, and the blood was starting to seep through in a few places. So was the bandage on her head. It appeared as though she had pretty much the same injuries as Sam had had, including the head injury. That was the one that had been the most severe, and the one that had caused Sam to go into the coma in the first place. But Angels didn't suffer comas. And the head wound didn't look quite as severe as Sam's had been. Perhaps because Sam was taller, the blow had been more direct.

Cas unwound the bandage from around her head. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it, but he really wanted to try to heal at least this one. He'd probably have to send Bobby in for the rest, but he wanted Gail's first new memory of him to be one of gentle healing. Fortunately, though it was bloody, it didn't look too severe, once he got the bandage off. He put both of his hands gently on her head and waited for the glow to come. Nothing. He closed his eyes and put everything he had left into it. Eventually, the glow did come, and then her injury was gone.

"Thanks," Gail said, but her voice sounded very far away. Cas opened his eyes and looked down at her face. Then he sank to his knees beside the gurney. That was it. He had nothing left.

"Cas?" she said, puzzled. "Cas!" What the hell was he doing? Was he praying? That was nice, but it was kind of a weird time to be doing it. "I'm sorry, Gail," he said weakly. "I can't do any more."

She struggled to sit up again. He wanted to help her, but Cas was too exhausted to move at the moment. "What's the matter with you?" Gail asked him.

Cas didn't know what to say. He could hardly tell her the real reason he was so drained, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her, either. So he said nothing, and after a moment, Gail lay back down. Her body was in pain, and her head was reeling from the trauma of the accident and from seeing Cas like this. The first time she'd seen him in ages, and he was acting so strange. What had he been doing all this time? And why did he look like death warmed over?

Dean and Bobby were standing over Sam, who had just finished telling them the story of what had happened in the car. "I can't believe she did that," Sam told them, shaking his head slowly. "If Gail hadn't spun the car around, I'd be toast right now." He grimaced. "She'll be all right, won't she, Bobby? I know she's an Angel, but that truck hit us hard."

"Cas is with her," Bobby replied, and Sam frowned. He guessed he should have figured as much. Well, at least Cas could heal her. But he hoped Cas wasn't going to stick around too long, and he hoped Gail wasn't going to sink back into her depression after she'd seen him. Just because Cas had come here to see her in her hour of need didn't make everything OK again.

"Get me a wheelchair," Sam ordered Dean sharply. "I want to go see her."

Dean looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow. He was overjoyed to have Sammy back, but that had been a little bit of a weird tone for him to use. Still, even though Sam only had a broken leg and some bumps and bruises this time, he HAD just been through a bad car accident. Again. And he was probably feeling guilty about Gail having taken the brunt of it. Dean had to remind himself that Sam didn't know what he and Bobby knew; that this was the second time Sam and Gail had had this same accident, and Gail had obviously just improvised, since she apparently hadn't been able to stop Sam from getting into the damn car. Dean would have to give her a big hug and a kiss when he saw her. If her injuries could withstand it, of course. He winced. Poor Gail. She'd been hurt plenty in the last few months, one way or another. He would have to try to make it up to her somehow. Maybe he could help Cas in his efforts to win her back, too. Dean owed both of them, big time, for returning Sam to him.

Gail was lying on the gurney with her eyes closed and Cas was slumped on the floor with his head against the leg of the gurney. He smiled weakly as the men came in.

"Hi, Sam," Cas said.

Sam looked at Cas strangely. What the hell was he doing? Gail was laying there seriously wounded, and Cas was laying on the floor? What was he doing, napping? Sam thought sarcastically.

But Dean and Bobby rushed forward and picked Cas up off the floor, easing him into the chair beside the gurney Gail was laying on. "You just rest, Cas," Bobby said in a surprisingly tender tone. "I'll take it from here." Bobby had seen the bloody bandage in the garbage bin, and he could put two and two together. Cas had started to heal Gail, and he'd run out of juice. But Bobby felt warm and affectionate towards Cas right now. Not too long ago, Bobby had seriously considered killing Cas, but now he was very glad he hadn't.

Bobby turned to Gail. "Hi, Bobby," she said softly. "Cas started to heal me, but he stopped for some reason." Then she saw Sam, and her eyes lit up. "Sam! How are you?" she asked him.

"Busted leg, a few bumps and bruises," he said with a shrug. "How are YOU?"

"Sore as hell, but I'll be OK," Gail replied.

"Yes, you will," Bobby told her. "I'll just be a minute, boys." He drew the drapes around himself and Gail for privacy. "I'm sorry, Gail, but I'll have to..." He gestured towards the bandages.

"It's OK, Bobby," she said, smiling. "You're God. If I can't trust you, who can I trust? It's on our money, and everything."

Bobby's beard twitched furiously. No wonder the boys loved her so much. And so did Bobby, especially now. She had brought Sam back to them, and she had sacrificed her poor body to do it, too. Well, he was going to fix that for her, right now.

He gently removed the bandages and waved his hands over her. The white glow emanated from his hands and her wounds started to heal. Outside the drapes, Dean was keeping watch on the door. This would be impossible to explain if someone came in right now. He saw a number of people pass by, but so far, no one was attempting to come in. Still: "Wanna hurry it up, Bobby?" Dean said nervously.

Bobby pulled the drapes open. "Fast enough for ya?" he said dryly.

Gail sat up on the gurney, smiling. Bobby had healed all of her open wounds, and all she had left now were a few bruises and abrasions. She'd received worse from Cas, she thought wryly. She looked at Cas now. He was still slumped in the chair, but he was smiling at seeing her whole again. Bobby had even conjured her up jeans and a top. "Good to go, gentlemen," she said cheerfully.

She hopped off the table and made a beeline for Sam. "Are you going to be OK?" she asked him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," he told her. He grabbed her hand and held it in both of his. "I can't believe you did that," Sam said to her. "You saved my life."

Gail smiled. "Then those temporary owies were well worth it." She bent down and kissed him on the cheek, and Sam put his arm around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze.

This was killing Cas. He tried to remind himself that the two of them had just been through a traumatic accident together, and that Gail had no memory of what had actually taken place in the last few months. But to see her like that with Sam was really hard for him to take.

Bobby was looking at Cas, and he understood how he must be feeling. They had the reset they'd wanted, but now poor Cas was going to be left out in the cold again. He gave Cas a wink for encouragement. Gail may think that there were a lot of things Bobby couldn't do, but there were still some things that he could.

Meanwhile, Dean had grabbed Gail, and he was enveloping her in a huge bear hug. Gail hugged him back for a moment, but then she started to protest, "Dean, you're squishing me." He let her go, but then he touched her face, continuing to stare at her.

"What?" Gail asked him.

"Nothing, just..." Dean was smiling. He wished he could tell her how grateful he was for what she had just done for him, and for Sam. But he couldn't, of course. As far as Gail and Sam were concerned, this was the first time they'd had the accident. Bobby had cautioned Dean that only Cas, Dean, and Bobby himself would know what had transpired after the original accident. As far as anyone else knew, the last few months had never happened. It was a total reset. Heaven's new laws still had yet to be hammered out, and Cas's workmates on the TV show had never taken him to the fair. Square One.

So Dean just continued to smile at Gail until she rolled her eyes. "Did you share your painkillers with Dean?" she asked Sam. "He's acting weird."

"I'm just glad you're all right," Dean said to her. He looked down at Sam. "I'm just glad you're both all right."

"Maybe we should bring the wheelchair home with us," Gail said to Sam. "This will be the only time in my life I'll be taller than you. And even then, just barely."

Sam grinned. "I'm gonna get some crutches before we leave. I'll need your help for a while, though, Gail."

She made a small bow. "Of course. I am at your service, sir."

Sam continued to smile. This could have some benefits. They'd been spending a fair amount of time together poring over the translations anyway, but now he'd have a ready-made excuse for her to touch him.

Suddenly, Frank came bursting into the room. "Finally, I found you guys!" he said breathlessly. "Kevin told me you were here. I went from room to room, looking for you. Is everybody OK? What happened?"

Sam told Frank about the truck hitting them, and he made sure to emphasize that it was Gail's heroic action that had saved his life.

"My sister," Frank said proudly. He gave Gail a hug. "Are you OK?" he asked her. "You look OK."

"I wasn't a few minutes ago, but Bobby healed me," Gail told him. "Thanks, by the way," she added, looking at Bobby, who was standing next to Cas.

Bobby waved his hand in dismissal. "Glad to do it."

Gail looked at Cas, who was still seated and still looking worn out. "What's going on, Cas?" she asked him. "Why do you look like that?"

"Guilt will do that to you," Frank said, frowning at Cas.

Gail looked at her brother coolly, but she said nothing. They'd had a lot of heart-to-heart talks in the bunker since Cas had gone. Sometimes it was just her and Frank, and sometimes Sam and Dean had been there. Sam and Frank were still standing together in their anger at Cas, while Dean seemed a little more open-minded. Gail herself vacillated in her feelings toward Cas. She still had bad days, when the horrible pictures in her head wouldn't go away. Cas injecting her with the first needle, and then forcing himself on her. Messing with her memory so she'd think she had given him her arm willingly. That one had been the hardest one, and the one that had finally made her snap her suitcase shut and move into the bunker. Even though he had eventually come clean about it, how could she be with him in the future if she couldn't trust him? The physical scars would heal, and quite honestly, she had enjoyed a lot of the things that Cas had done to her while they'd had their clothes off, but he had messed with her mind and he had messed with her heart, and that was unacceptable to her.

But now Cas had come rushing in here, and he had started to heal her like he really cared about her, but then he had stopped. Why? Did he not care that she was in pain? Lord only knew he hadn't cared when he had been a Demon. She had shown him her badly injured body a couple of times then, trying to get him to see and acknowledge her pain, but the only thing he'd seemed to be concerned about at the time was their friends' discovery of her condition. Castiel had even "authorized" Crowley to heal her, in preparation for their visit to the bunker, so they could hide it from the men. But then he had turned around and done it to her again, and then again.

Gail knew that Cas was back to being an Angel now, and that the Demon was totally gone. She ought to; she had poured the cure down his throat herself. But she didn't feel it yet. She still had so many bad feelings about that period in their lives that she had to sort out. He had been brutal. But it wasn't his fault; he'd had a disease. But that didn't excuse everything, did it? And even if it did, or if she was able to pretend that it did, what was she supposed to do with all the memories she had of the blood, and the pain?

Cas was looking at Gail and Frank, who were standing with Sam and Dean. The happy little family unit. He used to be in that circle too, but now Sam, Frank, and even Gail were regarding him with total antipathy. Only Dean and Bobby looked sympathetic.

"Come on, let's go home," Dean said, grabbing the handles on Sam's wheelchair. He started to turn it around, then he stopped and looked at Cas for a moment. They made eye contact. Dean would love to have Cas come over to the bunker for Sam's homecoming, too. Cas had all but drained his batteries sending Gail and Sam back, and Dean still owed him. But Cas gave Dean a slight shake of the head. Cas knew he wouldn't be welcome at the bunker, not yet.

Dean frowned momentarily, but then he turned back to the group.

"Are you coming, Bobby?" Sam asked him.

"In a minute," Bobby told them. "You guys go ahead. You'll have to get Sam checked out, anyway. Just don't let anybody see Gail. We don't want anyone asking too many questions."

Gail smiled. "OK, I'll just pop Frank home, then. By the time anybody comes in here, presumably they'll just think I've been sent home." She put her hand on Frank's arm, then glanced at Cas. "Thanks for coming," she said to him, "and thanks for - " She gestured to her head. Gail supposed she should at least thank him for that, anyway. Although why he had looked at her other injuries without healing them, and why he still looked so worn out, was a mystery to her. Maybe she'd ask Bobby about that when he showed up at the bunker.

Cas smiled at her. "You're welcome," he said softly. There was so much more he would like to say to her, but he knew that now was not the time. Just the fact that she had looked directly at him and thanked him would have to be enough for now.

After Gail and the men left, Cas looked at Bobby. "I think I'm going to need a little help, Bobby," he said, sighing.

"That's what I figured," Bobby said, nodding. "That's one reason I hung back." He knew that Cas probably didn't have enough juice left to wink himself back home. If he'd had anything left at all, he would have healed all of Gail's wounds and then probably checked to see if she had a broken fingernail, while he was at it. Bobby smiled to himself at that thought.

He grabbed Cas's arm and brought them both to Cas's apartment. "Sit down, have a rest," Bobby told him. Cas sank down on the couch and Bobby took the chair he'd occupied earlier.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute," Bobby said to him.

"I know what you're going to say, Bobby," Cas said wearily, holding his hand to his forehead. He was getting a slight headache now. "You and I and Dean are the only ones for whom time advanced. Now that the reset has been accomplished, we're back to several months ago." Cas looked at the table, where he had been studying the rulebook for the final clause they were going to review tomorrow. Sure enough, his notes were gone. None of that had happened yet; he had not even been to his first board meeting, because Gail had never invited him. Unfortunately, that also meant that Cas had no envelope stuffed with money to give to Richard for the battered womens' charity. He made a mental note to visit the poker room as soon as possible to start a new envelope. Too bad he wouldn't be able to add the pot that Gail had won, Cas thought, and that made him sad. That had been one of his favourite recent memories. But on the bright side, Sam would not require long-term care now, so Cas didn't need to keep a separate envelope for Dean. As he would not have to divide up the money, he should be able to give Richard more. And the reset also meant that Cas had not yet made his request to Richard to visit the shelter; he made another mental note to make that request when he gave Richard the donation again.

But, wait: If time was reset now, there could be a wonderful bonus, one he had not thought of. Cas's pulse quickened, and he found the strength to rise from the couch.

"Just a minute, Bobby, I'll be right back," he said excitedly. Cas rushed to the bedroom, turned on the light, and there it was, propped up against the lamp on the nightstand: Gail's photo!

He picked it up and stared at it for a moment, then his face broke into a grin. Castiel supposed there was something to the saying that every cloud has a silver lining, and this was certainly his. He had been feeling sad, but now he felt happy. His Father had given him his own do-over.

Then, when Cas came back into the living room, Bobby gave him another boost. "I don't usually get involved in this kind of stuff, but in this case I'll make an exception," Bobby said, as Cas looked at him, curious. Bobby's beard twitched. "I want to invite you to your first board meeting tomorrow. At least, as far as anyone there will know."

They smiled at each other. It would hardly be Cas's first, but now that they had gone back, as far as any of the Angels on the board would know, it would be.

"It's a damn shame, though," Bobby continued. "I'll have to throw everything we've already accomplished into the shredder when I get back."

Cas thought about that, and then he thought of something else. "How do you think Gail will react?" he asked Bobby.

Bobby shrugged. "I'm the boss. I'll just tell her that I want you there."

Cas's lips twitched. "That will probably make her mad," he said.

"Yeah, it probably will." Bobby sighed. "Look, Cas, you're gonna have to take it slow with her. Remember, she's starting back near the beginning again. I'll help however I can, but things are different now."

Cas nodded. He remembered.

"But I've gotta tell you something, Cas." Bobby's expression was serious now, and he leaned forward in his chair to make his point. "I was royally pissed off at you for the longest time, and you know how close I came a few times."

They sat there, silent and somber. Cas knew very well what Bobby was referring to; he'd seen the holy fire obliterate his and Gail's house. Fortunately, Cas had been standing outside the house at the time. He could very well have been inside of it.

"But you and Gail have returned Sam to Dean, and to me, and I'm damn grateful to you for that." Bobby's voice turned gruff, and Cas knew that his friend was fighting to keep his emotions in check. "And I know that you had a disease, and that you're cured now. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I forgive you, Cas, and I'll do my best to help you reconcile with Gail. But she's her own woman, Cas. We have to respect that."

Cas nodded again. He was touched by what Bobby had said, and it meant a lot to him to have Bobby's forgiveness. An awful lot. Cas felt choked up too, but he knew that if he showed his emotion, Bobby would become uncomfortable. So Cas swallowed the lump in his throat, and he smiled instead. "She certainly is, Bobby. She certainly is," he said warmly.

Bobby stood then. He'd better get out of here before things got really maudlin. He put his hand out and Cas shook it. "Come to the boardroom tomorrow morning for 9 a.m.," Bobby told Cas.

"I'll be there," Cas told him.

Then Bobby was gone.

Gail was indeed angry, and she was a little scared as well, though she would never admit to the latter. She wasn't scared of Cas, though; she was scared of herself, and of the feelings she still had for him.

"Why would you invite Cas to the board meetings?" she asked Bobby. "I know you kept him on the slate, but he really doesn't need to be there. We don't need him to be there. I don't need him to be there," she added, emphasizing that last point. Here she was, trying to get over him, and now Bobby was going to make her sit down at the table with him.

Dean winced. Now he was glad that Cas hadn't come back with them. It would have killed him to hear her say that.

Gail saw his look. "What?" she asked Dean angrily.

"Maybe you should give the guy a bit of a break," Dean said uncomfortably.

Gail looked at Sam incredulously, gesturing to Dean. "Can you believe him?" she asked Sam.

"A break?" Sam said sarcastically. "We should give him a break? Why? What kind of a break did he give Gail?"

"He had a disease," Dean argued. "And he's cured now."

"But I'm not cured!" Gail said, raising her voice. "What about the pictures in my head, Dean? What about those?" She knew he knew what she was talking about. They had sat around this same table for weeks now, talking about the fact that she couldn't seem to stop picturing Cas, holding her down and sticking the needle in her arm. And now Bobby was going to make her look at the real thing every day? How could he be so cruel?

"Look, Gail," Bobby said. "Nobody's minimizing what you went through. I just think that Cas has a right to have a say in the drafting of the new laws. He was one of the original Angels, after all. Maybe he can help you with some of the translations."

"Oh. Well, if you're inviting original Angels, why don't you invite Crowley too, while you're at it? Or why not Metatron, or Lucifer? We can get the whole merry band back together!" Gail said bitterly. "And then Lucifer can tell me what a baby I'm being. Maybe he and Metatron can hold me down while Cas - " Her voice broke. None of these guys understood, so what was the point? Her feelings were complex on the subject. They didn't know what it was like to be betrayed by the one who was supposed to love you the most. They didn't know how it felt to be held down and entered roughly, and then to be told you had liked it. And they didn't know the fear that you felt when you realized you actually had kind of liked it. And they certainly didn't know that she lay in bed every night missing Cas so badly that she felt like marching over to the weapons room and picking up an Angel blade, putting an end to it, once and for all. But she didn't miss the brutal, violent Cas, only the loving and sensual one. And he could be that to her, now that he was cured, if she would only say so. But she made herself stay away from him. There was no longer anything wrong with Cas, at least not as far as the disease was concerned. But Gail knew there was still something very wrong inside of him, and inside herself, too. What kind of individuals were they? Did they really think so little of themselves that they'd been happy to take their personal pain out on each other? Cas had dished it out and Gail had taken it, and then she had come back and asked for seconds. If she went back to him now, it would be like admitting that her feelings were insignificant. And that she herself was insignificant.

And what about Cas? Now that he was an Angel again, what did that even mean? Was he working on becoming a better one? Or was he just trying to pretend that what had happened between them had never even happened? Why was he coming to the board meetings, anyway? He'd always hated those. Was it to see her? Or did he suddenly care about revising the ancient laws? And why was she wasting so much time and energy speculating about where his head was at? Why didn't she just screw up the courage and ask him herself? Stop all this passive-aggressive nonsense? But Gail knew the answer to that one, too. The instant she looked Cas in the eyes, she would be a basket case for weeks. Bobby had finally gotten her out of the bedroom and into the boardroom, and she felt like a better version of herself when she was chairing the meetings. Everyone seemed to respect her opinions, and Gail felt smart and competent when she was there. And the Angels on the board laughed at her jokes. Well, most of them did, anyway. Sometimes she would use a pop culture reference or a slang phrase, and Patricia and a couple of the other older Angels would look at her, puzzled. Gail would shrug then; you couldn't win them all. But then she would feel sad, thinking of how Castiel used to be like that when she'd first met him, and then the depression would set in again.

Everything kept coming back to Cas, and here they were, sitting around arguing about him, for the thousandth time. He was the elephant in the room, even when he wasn't in the room. Frank and Sam were vociferous in their contempt for Cas, while Dean had seemed more inclined to excuse everything that Cas had done as a by-product of the disease. And Bobby had always stayed out of it, not expressing an opinion one way or the other.

But ever since they'd gotten back from the hospital earlier, Gail had noticed that Dean's and Bobby's attitudes towards Cas seemed to have radically changed. They were both now openly and avidly defending him, and it seemed to Gail like they were trying to get her to feel sorry for Cas. What had changed so drastically since this morning? Yes, Cas had rushed to the hospital to see her, but so what? She would have rushed to the hospital to see him too, if the situation had been reversed. They had a history together. And she would have healed all of his injuries too, she fumed, not just the one. Why had he stopped? Did he like seeing her with injuries all over her body? Feel nostalgic for the old Demon days, maybe?

"Why didn't he heal me when he came to see me at the hospital?" Gail asked Bobby suddenly.

"Yeah, why didn't he?" Frank chimed in. He'd been wondering that, too. Here Dean and Bobby were, extolling the guy's virtues, but he seemed like the same old Cas to Frank. Was he one of those weird kind of guys who got off on seeing women in pain? Frank already disliked Cas, maybe even hated him, and that thought wasn't helping. But Frank figured he'd better not share it. Even though Bobby had encouraged open and honest communication, ever since they had all sat down here that day and talked about their feelings, Cas included. Frank didn't know if Gail was ready to hear what he really thought about Cas. And Frank also didn't know if he would be ready to hear what she might have to say in response. She had alluded to it when it had been just him and her, brother and sister, having a very adult conversation over a bottle of whiskey. But Cas had been a Demon then, and so had Gail. Of course Cas had dealt it rough; so had Frank, when he had lain with Odette. And Frank could have understood that, even though he could never have forgiven Cas for it. But Frank didn't want to broach the subject because he was afraid that Gail would look him in the eye and tell him that she wanted to go back to Cas for more of the same.

Sam knew Cas a lot better than Frank did, and so he could have told Frank that he was barking up the wrong tree there. The real Cas would never hurt a hair on Gail's head, and Sam knew that Gail wasn't into being hurt, either. What prompted Sam's contempt for Cas now was that Sam felt that Cas had never actually paid for his sins. Gail seemed to be the only one doing the suffering. Sam had been trying to help her with that, but all he'd done so far was be open and available to her. But as they all sat around now, Sam was looking at Gail, thinking that he might step it up a bit. Life was too short; the accident they had been through tonight had illustrated that hard fact to Sam. If he just waited and did nothing, Gail would start to see Cas at the board meetings Bobby insisted that he had a right to attend, and then Cas would start to go to work on her. Having Cas as an Angel again was somehow worse. Gail would be able to stay away from Demon Cas; he had been brutal and cruel to her. But Angel Cas was a whole different ballgame. He would be kind, respectful, and solicitous to her, and then she would be putty in his hands. If Sam wanted to do something about Gail, he'd better move fast.

Cas was studying his blade, not with thoughts of suicide now, but just to pass the time. He was watching the clock, eager for the morning to come so he could get ready for the board meeting. He was excited at the prospect of seeing Gail again, but he reminded himself that she would probably not be very excited to see him. He wondered what her reaction had been when Bobby told her that Cas would be attending. He hoped she wasn't too angry about it.

Castiel started trying to read the markings on the hilt of his blade. Their lessons with Crowley had been abruptly put to a halt when Castiel had realized how wrong what they had been doing was, and then Castiel had given himself up to the Winchesters when he'd realized how dangerous the Demon in him was. But he had to admit that those sessions had been very instructive.

His headache had finally receded, but now it was threatening to come back as he studied the symbols. But Cas almost had this one, so he continued to stare. Then he had it. This group of markings stated that Castiel could create flowers and plants instantly, if he just concentrated. Cas smiled. If only he'd known that before; he could have given Gail a dozen fresh roses every day.

Still, now that he knew he could do it, Castiel saw no reason he shouldn't. He had now recovered from his exhaustion of before, and he was almost back to full power. Because the time jump had involved a matter of a few months only, rather than a couple of centuries, Castiel had been able to bounce back after a relatively short rest period. And the idea was too good to resist.

So Cas popped into the boardroom in Heaven, waved his hand, and conjured a bright, nice-smelling floral centrepiece for the table. Then he walked over to the chairs at one end, noticing that there was a gavel on the table in front of one of them. Gail's chair. He had sat here watching her chair the meeting for months now, and Bobby often sat in the chair beside her. Had Castiel ever actually told her how proud he was of her? He couldn't remember. But he supposed she wouldn't want to hear that from him right now. He'd be lucky if she didn't throw the gavel right at his head when he sat down.

He waved his hand over her spot and a dozen red roses appeared there, tied together with a blue ribbon. The blue was his personal touch. Hopefully it would remind her that his eyes were the right colour now, and so was his attitude.

Then he winked himself back to his apartment and resumed his clock-watching.

"He didn't heal you because he couldn't," Bobby told Gail.

"Why not?" she asked him. But now Gail remembered how weak Castiel had looked at the hospital, and how he had collapsed after healing her head wound. She put her hand on Bobby's arm. "Is there something wrong with him? Is he sick?" Gail asked nervously.

Bobby and Dean exchanged a brief glance. They'd known this was going to come up at some point, but Bobby had no idea what to say.

"He's not sick, Gail," Bobby assured her.

"Well, what, then?" she persisted.

Bobby sighed. "He's been doing a special project for me," he fibbed. But when you thought about it, it wasn't really a lie. "I guess I've been working him too hard."

Gail waited for Bobby to continue, but he stood up instead. "Well, I'm gonna go. I'm sure Laurel has a mound of paperwork for me to sign. Good times." He looked at Dean again, and they exchanged a smile. Good times, indeed. They had Sam back. Bobby clapped Sam on the shoulder. "Take it easy, Sam."

"That's it?" Gail said, bewildered. Was that all that Bobby was going to say?

He halted, looking at her coolly. "Yes, that's it, Gail." Then he disappeared.

Gail frowned at Sam. "What do you make of that?" she asked him.

Sam shrugged. He didn't really care. He grabbed his crutches and used them to help himself rise from his chair.

"I think I'll go get some rest," Sam announced.

"Good idea," Dean said, yawning. He was looking forward to the first good night's sleep he would have since before Sam had gone into that coma.

Sam deliberately tottered a bit. He actually had no problem walking with crutches; he had a lot of upper body strength from lifting weights in their gym room. But he wasn't above milking it for Gail's benefit. Well, actually, for his own. Sam didn't feel like waiting any more. It was only once Cas had gotten a little bolder that he'd gotten Gail's attention.

"Here, let me help you," Gail said, jumping up from her chair. She put her arm around Sam's waist and helped him move down the corridor to his room. Then she helped him inside, and he said, "Could you close the door for a minute, Gail? I want to talk to you in private," Sam said to her.

Gail frowned momentarily. What did he have to say to her that he couldn't say in front of the others? But then she shrugged. She and Sam had grown very close since Cas had been gone. Maybe Sam just wanted to talk about the accident they had just been through together.

She closed the door and turned back around, helping Sam over to the bed. He went to lean the crutches against the nightstand, but he overbalanced, and they both fell onto the bed.

"Sorry," Sam grinned. But this had been an unexpected bonus. He had merely been planning to talk to her, and he had been hoping to find an opportunity to initiate some physical contact at some point, but now here she was, underneath him on the bed.

Sam kissed her on the mouth, and Gail's eyes widened in surprise. He pried her mouth open with his tongue, and his hands moved underneath her top, caressing her.

Gail thought about Cas, and all the nights and mornings they had spent together in bed. "Sam," she murmured when he broke the kiss. "Please."

"I love you, Gail," Sam said. "You know that." One of his hands was touching over through her pants now, and she could feel how excited he was becoming. "I could make you feel good again. And there wouldn't be any pain, only pleasure." His hand started stroking her gently. She had loved it when Cas did that. She closed her eyes, picturing Cas's head between her legs, and her, watching Cas lick her. She started to move against Sam's hand. She had missed this feeling so much. The ancient laws stated that Angels couldn't do these things with each other, but they didn't seem to cover doing them with humans, apparently.

Sam kissed Gail again, and she gave him her tongue this time. But she was still picturing Cas, and as Sam continued to stroke her, she realized how wrong this was. It wasn't fair to Sam. She did love Sam, but she could never do this with him. She only wanted to be doing it with Cas.

"Sam," Gail said, breaking the kiss. His finger was still stroking her, and she was still moving against him, seemingly unable to stop herself. "You've got to stop, Sam."

But he didn't stop, and neither did she. Her breath was becoming ragged now, and a whimper escaped her. But she tried again. "Sam, please."

"Does it feel good?" he asked her softly.

"Yes, but - " her voice caught, and she made a sound that Sam recognized very well. He'd heard it coming out of her and Cas's room enough times.

"Well then, go with it," Sam said, smiling.

"It's not fair to you," she protested. "I'm thinking about Cas."

Sam's hand paused. Damn. It didn't really surprise him; he knew she was still hung up on Cas. But he had liked being here like this with her, and Sam knew that he had been making her feel good. Did it really matter? He resumed, and Gail was sorely tempted for a moment to just let herself go. But it wouldn't be right. How would she feel if she saw Cas doing this to another woman? Now she felt awful, and she felt guilty. But Gail hadn't seen this coming. Sam was being so aggressive. She'd never seen him like this before. Of course she knew how he felt about her, but there was no way Gail could do anything like this with him.

She grabbed Sam's wrist and pulled his hand away from her, and then she sat up so she wouldn't be tempted to just let him put it right back there. Whew. That had been close.

"I can't do this with you, Sam," she told him.

"I know," he said, nodding. "You need more time."

"No." Gail shook her head. "It's never going to happen, Sam. I may or may not get back together with Cas, but I still love him, and I feel like this is cheating on him."

Sam snorted in derision. "After all the crap he pulled on you? You're not together any more, Gail. You're not doing anything wrong here." He tried to pull her back down, but Gail shook him off and scrambled off the bed.

"What's the matter with you, Sam? You're acting like he used to!" Gail exclaimed.

Sam's heart sank. He was, too. What was the matter with him? This was not what he was like. But ever since that truck had hit them, Sam had been feeling a little different, somehow. He didn't want to be overbearing with Gail, but he didn't want to just sit passively and let her run back to Cas, either. But Sam's thoughts and emotions were confusing to him. Did he really love Gail, or did he just not want Cas to have her? She was a person, not a possession. So why had he felt an overwhelming urge to possess her a moment ago?

"I'm sorry, Gail. I don't know what came over me," Sam told her.

"Get some rest, Sam," she said shakily. "We'll talk more in the morning." Then she opened the door to his bedroom and walked out, closing it softly behind her.

No. No, no, no. What had they done? God shook His head. He had given up on trying to fix the situation. After He had meted out Castiel's punishments, God had been pleased. His Son had taken them like a trouper, and even though they could have been much worse, God had tempered His hand, making allowances for the fact that Castiel himself had also been a victim in all of this. It was actually his Father's fault that Castiel had been infected in the first place. But Cas had gotten down on his knees and thanked his Father, and then he had asked for God to please awaken Sam. And God had been about to do it, too. He was going to wait for the next day, and the ratification of Heaven's new laws. Once Bobby put His seal on the document and Castiel and Gail kissed, God had been planning to awaken Sam, to put the capper on the most glorious of days for His children.

But then they had pulled that time-travel stunt, and now everything was messed up again. This was what happened when Free Will was allowed to go unchecked. But, wasn't the current mess also God's fault? After all, He had put the two of them in that car and sent the truck to hit them in the first place. On and on it went. Once God had pulled one thread out of the sweater, the whole thing had begun to come unraveled.

He was pleased, however, that the time travel reset had returned Gail's photo. Even God hadn't seen that one coming. He'd set everything up perfectly, including Oliver's unscheduled, day-off visit, but the idiot had actually dropped the photo into the flame, when he was just supposed to scare Castiel with the possibility that he might.

But the photo was back now, and God was also pleased that his Son seemed to be taking this latest setback with equanimity and moving ahead with his plans to exhibit the Virtues. And God guessed He couldn't really blame them for pulling that crazy stunt. There was no Dean without Sam, and vice versa. Damn Death, anyway. He was the one who had made up the list of beings who were designated for the Netherworld. God had told Death to go ahead at the time, and then He had promptly forgotten about it. Who cared, anyway? That was Death's business; God concerned Himself with the living, mainly. But now God wondered if He should have given Death such autonomy. Even God did not know who was on that list, and Bobby only thought he knew, but Bobby only had a partial draft of that list. Death had the only copy of the list, and he could add to it or subtract from it at any time, as was his whim. If he went to Italy and had a wonderful pasta dinner and a glass of good wine, Death would sometimes feel mellow enough to cross a few names off the list. But then, if he went to Germany and had some sauerkraut and bratwurst, he might add some others on. For some reason, German food always gave Death indigestion, yet he insisted on eating it from time to time. Maybe it made him feel sentimental; things had seldom been more productive than they had been during those eras. But it also reminded Death of all the beings that he'd felt had wronged him over the centuries, and if he had felt an unfortunate comfort food-fuelled wave of sympathy for those same individuals in Italy, once he'd gotten to Germany, back on the list they went.

But God had given Death the free hand, and there was nothing the Supreme Father could do about it now.

But the scene that God had just witnessed between Sam and Gail had distressed Him greatly, even though it had only taken place in Sam's fantasies. Gail had indeed helped him to his room, but she had merely said goodnight to Sam and then left. The rest had only been in Sam's imagination. For a moment, he had seriously considered pulling Gail down on the bed and kissing her, at the very least. See how she responded. But Sam knew that she wouldn't, at least not in the way that he wanted her to. When she'd told him in his fantasy that she was thinking of Cas when Sam was touching her so intimately, Sam could believe that was exactly what would happen if he were to attempt that. So he had restrained himself. She wasn't nearly ready for anything like that yet. But how could he get her mind off Cas and onto him? Sam would have to sleep on that.

God frowned. Castiel had spoken the absolute truth when he'd told Dean that time travel had the potential to leave marks on an individual's soul, and that was what had happened here. Sam and Gail had transcended time, and because they had altered what was meant to be, there had been a boomerang effect. A small chunk had been taken out of Sam's soul, and now Sam felt like the lines between right and wrong could be blurred sometimes. Much like you could take your foot and drag it along the chalk lines at the ballfield. Fair/foul, right/wrong. It was all relative sometimes. Cas had treated Gail like crap, and that was wrong. Then she had left Cas, which had been the right thing to do. But Sam wanted her for himself, and he had tried to apply any means necessary to make that happen. Was that right, or was it wrong? That was definitely one of those blurred-chalk areas. Sam would treat Gail right, both in the bedroom and out of it, so that was all right. But if she still loved Cas, which she apparently did, and if Cas still loved her, which he clearly did, was it right for Sam to try to come between them? Probably not. But, did he care? No, not really. Didn't Sam deserve to be happy, too?

God heard all of Sam's thoughts, and more. He was also aware that Becky knew now of Sam's feelings for Gail. Becky had seen the way that Sam was with Gail now, and Becky didn't like it one bit. This was so unfair. Becky had no idea what had been going on with Cas, of course, and why he and Gail weren't together at the moment. It was all very mysterious to her, and no one would tell her anything, not even Kevin. Becky had therefore concluded that Cas was on a super-secret mission for Heaven, and that was why no one could talk about it. They either didn't know themselves, or Bobby had sworn them to secrecy. Becky felt sure that Gail must know, though, but Gail was busy with her own stuff in Heaven, and when she wasn't, she always looked so sad. Well, it was no wonder. Becky knew how in love Cas and Gail were; Gail must be missing him terribly. Becky thought it was mean of Bobby to keep them apart like that, and one day she had screwed up the courage to say so to Bobby, but the look he had given her had been so sternly angry that Becky had shut her mouth abruptly.

But recently, Becky had noticed that Sam always seemed to be hovering around Gail. She couldn't help but notice it, because Becky was always looking at Sam; or, at least, she looked at him as often as she felt like she could get away with. Becky knew the bunker was Sam's home, and that he had volunteered to help Gail with the Enochian translations, but Becky had begun to sense that there was a lot more to it than that. Sam was always seeming to find excuses to touch Gail. And sometimes he wouldn't even use an excuse; he would just lean over and kiss her on the cheek or give her a hug out of the blue. And while Gail didn't seem to be reciprocating, she wasn't exactly pulling away, either. What the hell was going on with those two?

Maybe if Sam thought that Becky was available, she could pull him away from Gail long enough for him to give her a second look. He had found her vessel attractive enough in Vegas, and he had kissed her outside her hotel room there. But then he had found out who she really was, and then he had started acting all weird around her. But maybe that was because she was always here with Kevin, and Kevin was always holding her hand. He sometimes tried to put his arm around her when they were watching TV, and sometimes she would let him, if Sam wasn't around. Becky did like Kevin, and sometimes she felt kind of bad about leading him on, but she couldn't break up with him; he was her ticket to the bunker. It was Kevin that Bobby wanted in the bunker, to help Gail and Sam with the translations of the ancient laws. But Kevin had convinced Bobby to let Becky come along sometimes, which meant that she got to see Sam. But then Becky saw Sam all over Gail, and it was starting to make Becky mad. Then again, who was she supposed to be mad at? Bobby, for sending Cas away on his secret mission? Cas, for agreeing to go away without Gail? Kevin, for keeping Becky out of the loop of information so she had no clue as to what was going on? Or Sam, who was looking at Gail now like he wanted to be her boyfriend, instead of Cas?

Becky decided it was Gail who she was mad at. Gail got everything. All the guys were crazy about her, and she had that important job in Heaven. She walked around in Heaven now like she was the Vice-President or something, and she walked around the bunker like she owned the place. And she pretty much did, too; every time Gail snapped her fingers, all the men jumped. Must be nice to be the Queen of everything, Becky thought resentfully. She'd thought that Gail was her friend, but Gail barely even spoke to her these days. Maybe she thought that she was better than Becky now.

Gail wasn't oblivious to Becky's glares, but she figured she had better things to do than worry about Becky's problem, whatever that was. Could Becky have a crush on Sam, maybe? The way she kept looking at the two of them would seem to suggest that. Unless Becky had just been looking at her and Sam and wondering if Gail was cheating on Castiel with Sam. That wouldn't really surprise Gail. She liked Becky, but Becky thought like a romance novelist who wrote for a tabloid on the side. She had no clue what reality really was, so she just made up her own. If poor, naive Becky had any idea of what had really been going on with Gail, she would run off screaming. She had recently told Gail that she was jealous of her, and Gail had laughed so hard that she would have peed herself, had she been a human. Then she had gone through two boxes of tissues in her room that night. So, Becky wanted her life, did she? Well, she could have it. How wonderful it must be to just drift through life without a clue. Gail wouldn't mind trying that, sometime.

Gail had developed a bit of a hard edge to her since the car accident. Outwardly, she was the same Angel that everyone had grown to love, but she felt bitter and resentful inside at times. She didn't like herself that way, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it. The first meeting that Castiel had attended had been a prime example. She had come into the room and seen the floral centrepiece, wondering what it was doing there. Maybe Laurel had placed it there when she'd put the agendas by everyone's chairs, thinking that it would brighten their day. But then Gail had looked down at her spot and seen the roses, and her first thought was that his offering was apropos of their relationship lately. For every lovely, fragrant bloom, there were a number of thorns, just waiting to prick you and make you bleed if you should happen to pick them up the wrong way.

Still, Gail supposed he had done that to be nice, so as she put the flowers to one side and opened her agenda, she had made eye contact with Cas and nodded her head briefly.

Cas hadn't been expecting much, if anything, but he was disappointed that she hadn't smiled, at least. But he supposed that she had to appear businesslike here. The board was still mainly comprised of men, and Cas knew that Gail had the need to be taken seriously by them. He had been impressed with the way she ran the meeting, though. She was efficient and organized, and she also ran the show with a remarkable mix of gentle good humour and firmness. And she was fair. Everyone was entitled to have their say, even him. She exhibited no reaction when he spoke, but she did jot a few notes down, which had made him feel good.

After the meeting broke up, Cas lingered in the boardroom until everyone else was gone. He noticed with faint amusement that Bobby seemed to be rushing all the other board members out, and he tipped Cas a wink before he left.

Gail didn't see; she was making a show of gathering her papers together. She could see Cas, of course, and she supposed she'd better face him head on, since he obviously wasn't going to leave until they spoke. She could have just popped out of the room, but that would be the chicken's way out. Finally, she had run out of excuses. She looked up at him.

"Thank you for the flowers," Gail said to him. But she still didn't smile.

But Cas did. "I just wanted to tell you that you make an excellent Chairwoman. Or is it Chairperson? And much better-looking than the last one," he teased gently. But that might have been the wrong thing to say. Ignatius had given up his Grace so that Castiel could be cured, and he was now living life on Earth as a human.

Gail knew what Cas was thinking. Even though they were apart now, they still had the connection. "I wonder how he's doing," she said softly. "I hope he's happy."

"I could ask Bobby to find him," Cas offered. "We could go visit him, if you would like. We could just say that we're old friends of his. That would certainly be true, in my case."

Oh, God. He was charming her. Gail gathered up her notes and the flowers in her arms and held them in front of her, as if for protection. "I'm too busy now, Cas. You go, if you want," she said.

Cas nodded slowly. He had figured she would say that. He probably should go, but he didn't want to go without her. "No, you're right. What we're doing here should take priority," he said.

They stood there in silence for a moment. Cas wanted to keep talking to her, but he really didn't know what to say. She was being extremely cool to him, but that was to be expected. In her mind, this was the first actual conversation they'd had since she had moved into the bunker and he had gone to Vancouver.

"Was there anything else, Cas?" Gail asked him. "I need to get home and start working on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting."

"I'm going to the poker room this afternoon," he blurted out.

"Good luck," she said to him. Then she did give him a thin smile. "Not that you've ever needed it."

Oh, but he did need some good luck now. He needed lots of it. Castiel prayed to his Father. He prayed for the patience not to push her, and he also prayed for Gail to be happy, no matter what happened between them.

"I'll say hi to Barry for you, if you like," he said.

Gail's smile turned genuine then. "Please do." She wished she could go with Cas and see Barry, but she figured she'd better not. The more time she spent with Cas, the more dangerous it was for her. Not because he was cruel any more, but because he was the exact opposite. Even now, she just wanted to drop what she was holding and launch herself into his arms. She watched his mouth as he spoke. She could reach out and touch his face, and he would take her hand and kiss it. Then he would lean down and kiss her softly on the mouth and she would open her mouth, hoping his tongue would come looking for hers. And even if that was all they could do, she would gladly do that all day long.

She came very close, but common sense won out in the end. It was way too soon for her to even be thinking about anything like that. Maybe one day, but not now.

"I'll see you at the next meeting you can get to," Gail said casually. Then she winked herself back to the bunker, before she could change her mind.

Cas sighed. Well, at least they had been able to have a civil conversation together. She had even smiled. And she hadn't thrown his flowers in the garbage or in his face; she had taken them with her. So he needed to look on today as a success. Now it was time to go play poker, for charity.