Book 10 - Hunter Games

by GailDunn2

WARNING: ADULT SITUATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS. The cure is on the horizon, but what will the consequences be if it is successful? Cas, Gail, Dean, Sam and Frank are miserable, and so is God. Free Will is a bust. Still, Heaven needs heroes, screwed up or not, and history is about to change.

1. Sacrifice Fly

Chapter 1 - Sacrifice Fly

Gail had been missing for a week now, and Cas was a basket case. He had been popping in and out of the house, the apartment, and Hell, over and over again. He had looked for her all over the world. He had even asked Bobby to search Heaven, just on the off chance. Bobby had shaken his head, saying Cas was crazy, but he had done it. Bobby was extremely worried now, too.

None of them knew what was going on with her now. Had the extra shot of Crowley tipped her over to the other side? Had she and Crowley run off somewhere together? Or had Crowley kidnapped her? That was, if the two of them were even together. But they had to be; their simultaneous disappearance was just too suspicious to be mere coincidence.

Castiel would much prefer the latter, if he was forced to have to choose. But the blood bond scared him beyond measure. If Crowley had her hidden away somewhere, he could be dosing her every day, if he so chose. And if he was doing that, Gail would likely be completely lost to them by now. They could pump as much Winchester blood into her as they liked, but that would not negate the blood bond of two Originals. And why would Crowley not be doing that? Demon Cas would have.

But Demon Cas had been largely absent for the past week. Cas had been too frantic and too heartbroken to be angry at anyone. Anger was just a waste of time in this situation, and it was a luxury Cas couldn't afford. She had to be found.

After a few days, Dean had felt so sorry for Cas that he had extended a standing invitation to him to enter the bunker any time he wanted to. Sam had protested, but to no avail. To be fair, they had seen very little of his Demon persona in the past week, but Sam knew that it was not gone, and he thought Dean was crazy for having done that. Now Cas would be able to come and go whenever he pleased, and Sam was sure this was going to come back and bite them in the ass. And Bobby had agreed with Sam. But Dean had already done it. The elder Winchester wasn't a total idiot, though; he now kept the weapons room locked at all times, with a special lock that was Angel-and Demon-proof, and Dean gave Bobby the key, so Cas couldn't lift it from one of the brothers while they were sleeping.

And that was just fine with Cas. Until he found out where Crowley was, weapons were of no use to him. He had to use his deductive reasoning now. Where could Crowley have taken her that Bobby couldn't see, and Castiel couldn't sense?

They were in London now, or virtual London, at least. Gail had enjoyed being in the tropical setting for a few days, but she had complained of the heat, so Crowley thought she might like England, instead. She didn't mind the rain and the cooler weather at all, and they had toured many of the historical sights together. They had even done the tour of the studio where their favourite book and movie series had been filmed, and they had spent a very enjoyable day reliving the adventures of the boy wizard and his friends.

They were at dinner now, and Gail was laughing at a joke that Crowley had made. He had been at his most charming, treating her like a gentleman, and he had not dosed her again. He was wooing her now, and his efforts seemed to be paying off.

Crowley reached out and took Gail's hand across the table. "Did you have a good day?" he asked her.

"It was terrific," she said, taking a sip of her wine. But then she frowned.

"What's the matter?" Crowley said. She put her glass down and he refilled it automatically.

"Nothing," she replied. She pushed her plate away. They generally never ate that much, but Crowley knew that candlelit dinners were a big part of romance, and he'd wanted to sustain the illusion, so he had provided them with fine cuisine that they could pick at as they talked. It was mainly about the atmosphere and the companionship, anyway.

Now Crowley frowned. But he kept his voice light. "What is it, Gail? You can tell me."

"You're going to be mad," Gail said, picking up her glass of wine again.

"You know I never get mad," Crowley said, smiling. And it was true; he hadn't been mad once in the past week. That had to be some kind of record for him. But they had had such a good time together, and she didn't pull away now when he took her hand. Soon it would be time for him to push it further. And he was anxious to escalate, but he made himself be patient. When she was ready, it would be fantastic. It had been quite a while for him, and Crowley knew that she had been a very willing and enthusiastic partner for Castiel. He hadn't been able to see them in their house or in the bunker due to the protections each place had, but he had been able to peek into the apartment that one time. Castiel had not put any protections on that residence, assuming he would be living there alone. And he had been, save for that one time Gail had popped in unexpectedly. Crowley had watched in fascination, amazed at their appetite and more than a little jealous, both of his Brother's stamina and of his generous endowment, courtesy of their Father. Oh well, no matter. It was all in how you used what you had been given, and Crowley had been pleased to see that she didn't seem to mind variety. His eyebrows had raised a bit when he'd watched her enjoying the Demon's favourite position, but he suspected that was more than partly due to her own Demon influence. Of course, his Brother knew enough to keep her happy in the ways that she loved the most, and he was smart to do that. By the time they got around to doing it the Demon's way, he had made her so crazy that she was willing to do practically anything. Crowley had shrugged. He could do all that. Castiel wasn't the only one with skills in that department, and Crowley had had more experience with those kinds of activities. She'd be calling out his name in no time. Well, the name of his current persona, at any rate. She only knew him as Ian, and Ian he would remain, at least for a while.

"Tell me what's on your mind," Crowley encouraged her.

Gail sighed. "I was just wondering how Cas is, and if they were able to get the last two ingredients for the cure."

Now Crowley took his hand away from hers. He'd felt a flash of temper at what she'd said, and he didn't want to squeeze her hand too hard, as his Brother had.

Gail looked at him. "See? I told you you'd be mad," she said with a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm done with him, I swear. It's just...we worked so hard for all the other ingredients, and we were so close when I had to leave. I hope he does get cured."

Crowley was counting to ten now. He'd left her memories largely intact, so this was his fault, really. It was only natural for her to be curious.

"But I guess there's no way of finding out," Gail continued. "I'm a whole ocean away."

Crowley couldn't believe he was about to suggest this, but he wanted to keep her happy, and he didn't want the issue to fester in her mind. "I could find out for you, if you want," he said to her.

"You?" Gail was surprised. Ian was her friend, and he knew about Cas, of course, but only from what she had told him. "How could you possibly know anything about it?"

"You'd be surprised at what I know," he said evasively. "I'll see what I can dig up." He tossed his napkin on the table. "Ready to go?"

A minute later, they were in front of her hotel room door. The entire room they were now in had magical properties; it could take on the appearance of anything the King wished it to be. It was his real-life Room of Requirement, a perk exclusive to the ruler of Hell.

"Can I come in for a nightcap?" Crowley asked her, making sure his tone remained light. He'd been waiting for her to ask him, but so far all she'd done this past week was let him take her hand. He had been planning to wait for as long as it took, but her mention of Castiel's name tonight had bothered Crowley, and he was now eager to accelerate the process.

She thought for a moment. "Sure."

They sat on the couch, drinking and talking some more, and then Crowley took both of their glasses and set them down on the table. He took both of her hands in his.

"You know I care about you, Gail, and I've made it my mission in life to make you happy," Crowley told her.

Gail smiled. "You're so good to me, Ian. Thanks for everything you've done for me."

"I could do more," he said. Then he leaned forward, kissing her on the neck. "I know what you like," he said into her ear. Then he licked it.

Gail shivered. She had loved it when Cas did that. Too bad that so much pleasure had led to so much pain. That was why she had finally had to leave him. And Ian had been there for her, taking her away on a vacation so she wouldn't have to be around to look at Cas's sad eyes any more. He'd been so heartbroken when she had packed her bags. But he had brought it on himself, for treating her so roughly.

She thought about Ian, and what he was doing to her. He had his hands on her waist now, and he was kissing her cheek, nuzzling her with his whiskers. He was being so tentative, just like Cas had been that first night in Las Vegas. It had been sweet and romantic, and she had loved him for it, but once they'd really gotten going, she had loved that even more. And she had loved Cas, so much. She did miss those nights they had spent in bed together. She thought about his tongue in her mouth, and in other places on her body. She thought about him inside of her, saying her name, telling her how much he loved her. Yes, he had hurt her, and badly. But missing him hurt more. She hadn't wanted to say that to Ian, though. He was a good friend, and he was only looking out for her best interests. But this felt wrong.

She gently pushed him away. "Ian, I can't. I'm sorry."

He looked at her, frowning. "Why not?"

"Because I still love Cas," she told him.

Now he was angry. He had given her his blood, modified her memory, and spent all week with her here, making her happy. Giving her anything she'd asked for. "You still love Cas?" Crowley repeated sarcastically. "How is that possible? I made sure to - "

Her look was sharp. "You made sure to what? Who are you, Ian, really?"

Crowley couldn't help but smile then. She was an Original, all right. Only a being with Original powers could withstand everything he had done to her and yet still be resistant.

"I'm someone who only wants the best for you," he replied. He tried to take her hand again, but she pulled hers away. "I appreciate that, but I think you'd better go now," she said with a frown.

His eyes flashed red for a moment, but he stood up to leave. He would just have to redouble his efforts. He'd forgotten how much work she could be sometimes. But it would be worth it, if for no other reason than to see the look on his Brother's face when he came back with Gail and she was holding his hand, not Castiel's.

After Ian left, Gail poured herself another drink and thought about what had just happened. What had been up with his eyes there for a minute? She was sure she had seen eyes that flashed red somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. It couldn't have been Ian she had seen; he was always so mild-mannered. He had been angry tonight, though. She felt bad about that, but if he thought she'd been leading him on, he only had himself to blame. Sure, she'd let him take her hand from time to time, but she had certainly not encouraged any other kind of physical activity. That was never going to happen with Ian, and perhaps it was her fault that he didn't realize that. She needed to make it clear to him. If her body ached at all, and it sometimes did, it ached for Cas.

What was he doing now? Did he miss her? Was he all right?

Cas was not even close to all right. He was undergoing the tortures of the damned. This must be his punishment for all of the wrongs he had done over the past few months. His stomach hurt from worry, and it felt like someone had taken a big butcher knife and stabbed him right in the heart, again and again.

He was finally cleaning up the apartment from the Demon's rampage, hoping the physical labour would free up his mind to think, to work out the solution of where she could be.

He came upon her photo, which was laying on the floor. It had been covered by debris so he hadn't seen it at first, but luckily, it hadn't been damaged. He stared at it in anguish. Yes, he had been there too, combing the streets of Las Vegas and even checking The Rio, on the off chance that she had gone somewhere that had once meant something to her. But he was now utterly convinced that Crowley had to be holding her somewhere. She and Castiel shared the blood bond too, and theirs was mutual, thanks to his shameful vampiric episodes in the bedroom. That was why the two of them had not been able to bear being separated, though Cas hoped it was also because she still loved him. He knew that that had been the main motivating factor in his case. But Crowley had none of Gail's blood in him; or at least, Castiel prayed that was still true. So she couldn't be staying away from Cas voluntarily, not for this amount of time. The longing produced by the blood bond would not have allowed it.

Cas blew the dust from the debris off the photo and put it in his shirt pocket. Maybe finding it now had been a sign. In any event, this photo was not leaving his person now, no matter what. It was far too precious.

His cell phone rang, and it was Bobby. "Nothing to report," Bobby said immediately. He'd taken to saying this up front, because whenever he called, Cas jumped down his throat. Understandable, but Bobby was frustrated too. So were Sam and Dean; their guilt for having left Gail alone that day was eating them alive, and so was Cas's, and they had all been taking it out on Bobby.

"I'm going crazy, Bobby," Cas said, sitting down heavily on the bed.

Bobby sighed. "I know, Cas. But we've done everything we can. We've looked everywhere there is."

"That can't be true," Cas protested. "They have to be somewhere."

"Well, I'm damned if I know where," Bobby said irascibly. Every time he talked to Cas, it was the same damn thing. Of course they had to be somewhere. "I'm open to any ideas, Cas. I've got everyone here trying to come up with ideas."

"What about Chuck and Kevin?" Cas said. He asked Bobby this every time they spoke.

So Bobby tried to be patient. "Nothing," he told Cas. "Frequencies still jammed."

Cas knew Bobby cared about Gail too, but he felt like throwing the phone against the wall. What good was having Prophets if they couldn't tell you anything? Castiel knew it wasn't their fault; they loved Gail too, and he was sure they were trying their hardest. But it was maddening.

"Oh, Chuck did tell me one thing, but it was nonsensical," Bobby added.

"What?" Cas asked him.

"He said he was in the library this morning, doodling on a piece of paper. Kevin told him he does that sometimes to free up his mind, or something like that. They're trying really hard, Cas."

Now it was Cas's turn to try to be patient. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "And?"

"And, Chuck said he started writing down a phrase, over and over. Kevin called it 'automatic writing', or some nonsense like that. But what he wrote down doesn't make any sense."

Cas got up from the bed, his pulse starting to beat in his temples. He felt like destroying the place all over again. "I don't care if it makes sense, Bobby! Just tell me what it is!"

"OK, Cas, don't yell in my ear," Bobby said irritably. There had been way too much of that going on lately. Sam and Dean yelled at Bobby every time he called them, too. He was going to have to either start going down there in person or invest in a speaker phone, or he'd be deaf soon. "He said he kept writing down 'truth or truth'."

Cas's brow furrowed. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, Cas, that's it. I told you, it's nonsensical."

And it was. But why did Cas have the feeling that he'd heard that somewhere before? But, where? And from who?

"He didn't SEE anything, though?" Cas persisted.

Bobby sighed again. "No, Cas. That's it. That's everything."

"OK, Bobby. Thanks," Cas said, and hung up. He was distracted now. What was it about that phrase? It was like a tickle in his brain.

Then he remembered, and the association was so shocking that he sank back down on the bed. That was what Lucifer had said to Gail when they had had the meeting of the Originals. Lucifer had proposed a game he had called "Truth or Truth", designed to elicit their confessions.

Lucifer's cage! That was the one place he had not looked while he was in Hell. Only Crowley could open the door to that wing, so Castiel had not gone there. But Crowley was also currently missing, and they had looked everywhere else. It couldn't be, though. Even if Crowley had spirited Gail there to hide her away from Castiel, he would not have taken her there. Once inside the cage, there was no way to get out, unless God Himself opened the cage.

But it occurred to Castiel now that he had no idea what else might be in that restricted area of Hell. Crowley had referred to it as a "wing"; might it not hold other rooms, as well?

Cas nearly smacked himself. How had he not thought of that before? But, how was he going to get in there to find out?

He might as well go there and check it out. Maybe he could figure out a way to get in.

Castiel appeared in front of the security door which opened to the wing that held Lucifer's cage. He hadn't really looked at it that closely before; when he and Gail had been here with Crowley, they'd had the drama of Gail not being able to pass, and the additional injection of Crowley's blood she had agreed to undergo to do it. If he thought he had been upset about that at the time, he was devastated now. He should never have just sat there and let her take that injection. If she had not had it, she would likely not have succumbed to the blood bond brought on by Crowley's aborted attempt to inject her with yet a third dose when Castiel was in Purgatory. If Gail was irrevocably damaged now, it would be all Castiel's fault. But then again, wasn't everything to do with the damned cure his fault? Yes, he had been infected with Crowley's Demon essence and then turned into a monster by Metatron's special recipe. But he had given over control of himself to that monster, he had hurt his friends immeasurably, and he had damaged Gail to such an extent that Crowley seemed like a more attractive option. If he couldn't rescue Gail now, Castiel was going to call Bobby back and ask his friend to kill him.

He studied the panel by the security door. Crowley had put his palm on it, and the door had just opened for him. There had to be some kind of a scanner that had read Crowley's palm print, thereby allowing access. Castiel checked the door, and there didn't seem to be any other way to get in. It was heavily armoured, with no handle and no lock. The panel was the only way.

Just for the hell of it, Cas put his palm on the panel, and after a moment, the security door swung open partway, then stopped. He was shocked. The door had opened for him? Granted, it wasn't all the way open, but...He'd better hurry, before the door swung shut again. Cas eased himself through the opening. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it.

Castiel made his way quietly down the dark corridor. He saw the cage up ahead and felt a stab of apprehension. But as Cas approached, he could only see Metatron and Lucifer, sitting cross-legged across from each other in the cage, as they had been sitting when he had been here before. Did they sit there like that all the time? Thankfully, they were still the sole occupants of the cage. He let out the breath he'd been holding.

He tried to pass by the cage unnoticed, but Lucifer saw him and jumped to his feet, grinning widely. "Looking for your sweetie?" he asked Castiel gleefully. And of course, Metatron rose too, and the two of them came to the front of the cage, staring at him.

Castiel tried to ignore them, but Lucifer wasn't going to let him get away with that. "You should have treated her better, Castiel," he taunted. "She belongs to your Brother now."

A chill raced through Castiel, but he had better not show them weakness. He wanted to find out if they had any information. "What makes you say that?" he asked, as coolly as he could.

"He carried her down this very same hall a while back," Metatron piped up happily. "And we haven't seen them since. I can only imagine what he's been doing to her all this time."

Cas felt like he was going to throw up. He could only imagine too, and none of the pictures that were forming in his head were good. The only thing that heartened him a bit was that Metatron had said that Crowley had "carried" her. That didn't sound to him like she had gone willingly. And at least he now knew that she had been here.

He glared at Metatron and Lucifer and then continued to make his way down the hall, until he came to another door. He pushed on it, not really expecting anything to happen, but the door opened easily.

Cas saw her right away. She was sitting on the floor, staring off into space. Curiously, the room was spacious, but entirely empty. No furniture of any kind. He looked around the room warily, but Crowley was nowhere to be seen. She was alone.

He rushed to her, falling on his knees in front of her. "Gail!" Cas cried out, and he reached for her, but she did not respond. She didn't even look at him. She just kept staring off into the distance, as if looking at something that he couldn't see.

"Gail?" Cas said again. He took her hand, but she didn't react to that, either. It seemed as if she was in some kind of a trance. What was she looking at?

Gail was sitting at the table in the pub, waiting for Ian to return with their drinks. He was going to be mad at her again. When he returned with the drinks, she was going to tell him that she wanted to go home.

Gail had thought that she would enjoy a getaway, and she had, for a while. But she was homesick, and she wanted to find out what was going on with Cas. Maybe even see him, if Sam and Dean would let him come to the bunker for a supervised visit. She hoped Ian would still want to be her friend, but she needed to be home, not here. After the other night, she had made it clear to Ian that they could not have a physical relationship in the way that he wanted. He had seemed to accept that, but Gail had the feeling that he still held out hope. And the longer they were away, the more Gail was afraid that she might end up giving in. She'd been having urges, and she'd considered letting Ian touch her and imagining that he was Cas. But that wouldn't be fair to Ian.

"Gail!" She heard the voice call out to her, and she looked around. Gail didn't see anyone she recognized, just Ian, still lined up at the bar.

"Gail?" Again, the voice calling her name, but again, there was no one she knew around. Funny, it had sounded like Cas's voice. Probably because she'd been thinking of him. She just couldn't seem to quit thinking about him, even after he'd been so horrible to her.

Then Gail felt his embrace, and the brief sting of stubble on her cheek. OK, this was weird. As she looked around again, the people in the pub began to vanish and the furniture started to fade. What the hell was going on?

Cas was frantic now. She was obviously under some kind of a spell. All he could think of to do was put his arms around her. He nuzzled her cheek, scratching her skin with the stubble on his face. He hadn't bothered to shave since he'd seen her last. He should have; now he'd left a red mark on her cheek. He touched her face where the mark was.

Suddenly, Cas was sitting in the chair beside her, and his hand was touching her face.

Gail screamed, jumping out of her chair. "Ian! Ian! Help! It's Cas!"

Castiel looked at her, alarmed. He jumped to his feet, too. Why was she screaming for help? And who was Ian?

He reached for her, but she cringed. "Gail, what's the matter?" Castiel said. "I'm here to take you home."

"No!" she shouted at him. "I can't go home with you! You'll hurt me again!"

Cas was suspicious now. While it was true that he had hurt her, they had also been able to be together quite happily before she'd disappeared, and he hadn't hurt her for a while. But she seemed terrified of him. This had to be Crowley's doing.

Gail looked to the side. "Ian! Thank God! Cas is trying to take me home with him!"

Crowley appeared out of thin air, and he put his hand on Gail's arm. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I won't let him hurt you," he told her.

Cas was enraged. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his blade. He'd had to return all of the weapons that Sam and Dean had loaned him to take to Purgatory, including the Demon knife, unfortunately. But he'd kept his Angel blade, of course. He needed that with him.

Crowley gave him a scornful look. "Are you looking to kill me with that, Castiel?" he said, smirking.

The instant Gail saw the blade, she moved behind Crowley, shaking in fear. When he had modified her memories of Castiel, Crowley had left only the bad ones, and seeing Cas with the blade in his hand had terrified her. Cas saw this, and he put the blade away immediately. Crowley was right; Cas couldn't kill him with it, anyway. And Cas needed to be able to get close to Gail, so he could find out what Crowley had done to her mind.

"I'm sorry, Gail," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I've put the blade away. I'm only here to talk." Cas put his hands up in supplication.

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you," Crowley snapped. He couldn't believe that Castiel was here. How had he found them? And how on earth had he ever gotten in that door?

But Gail was slowly moving out from behind Crowley now. Now that he didn't have the blade in his hand, she felt safe enough to talk to him. "It's OK, Ian," she said to Crowley.

Castiel's brow furrowed. "Ian?"

"He's my friend, Cas," Gail said quietly.

Cas couldn't believe what he was hearing. She thought that Crowley was some guy named Ian, and that he was her friend? He had to touch her forehead somehow. But Crowley was staring daggers at him, and Gail was looking very skittish.

She was studying Cas's face. "How is the cure coming?" she asked him. "Were you and Sam and Dean able to get the remaining ingredients?"

So she did remember that, then. Cas decided to roll the dice. "I'm cured, Gail," he told her.

She gasped. "You are?"

But Crowley snarled, "He's lying."

Gail looked at Crowley. His eyes were flashing, and they were red. For a moment, she saw Crowley as he really was, and she suddenly remembered where she'd seen those eyes before. This man wasn't Ian at all; he was Crowley, the King of Hell. She'd only thought he was her friend. He had dosed her, and he had kidnapped her, and she'd been living in a fantasy.

"What did you do to me, Crowley?" she said in a small voice.

Crowley stood stock-still, shocked by her question. He had modified many a memory in the past, but he had never seen anyone break that spell of their own accord. Never.

As Crowley stood there, paralyzed with astonishment, Castiel knew he had to do something, and fast, before Crowley regained his equilibrium. Cas figured that his powers might not work here, though, and he only had a split second to decide what to do. So he did what he had seen Sam and Dean do many, many times, the go-to move he had learned from them; he wound up and punched Crowley full in the face, knocking him out cold.

Then he rushed towards Gail and before she had a chance to react, he put his hand on her forehead. After a moment, it was all too clear to Castiel what Crowley had done. The King of Hell had modified her memories of Castiel, leaving her with only the bad ones as any frame of reference. Every time he had ever hurt her, every mark he had ever put on her body when the Demon had held full sway. No love, no laughter, only pain. No wonder she had reacted the way she had when she'd seen him. To her, all he was was a monster.

Yet she had still asked how he was, and if he had been cured. He regretted lying to her like that, but Cas had hoped to provoke the reaction from Crowley that would have his Brother show her his true colours in order to shock her out of the spell. And it had worked like a charm. But he couldn't leave her feeling like this about him. Although Cas had done those things, and he would have to atone for them for the rest of his existence, there had been a lot of love there too, and that was the most important memory, in his opinion.

So he restored all of her memories, but he also left the bad ones. As tempting as it was to erase those, Castiel knew that wouldn't be right. She needed to remain wary of him as long as he still had the Demon inside. He needed her to be vigilant, in case he lost possession of himself.

Then it was done, and when Gail opened her eyes, she was looking at Castiel with a mixture of emotions on her face, but none of them was fear.

"What's going on, Cas? Where are we?" she asked him. Gail was thoroughly disoriented now. What was real? What was not?

"I'll explain everything in a bit," Cas said, gently taking her hand, "but right now, we've got to go." He glanced at Crowley, still unconscious on the ground. Who knew the King of Hell could be incapacitated like that? He'd have to file that for future reference, and tell the Winchesters and Bobby that, too. He allowed himself a brief grin.

After her own glance down at Crowley, Gail allowed Cas to lead her out of the room, but she said, "Is he all right?"

Castiel sighed. That damnable blood bond. "Yes, he'll be fine."

As they approached the cage, Castiel put a finger to his lips, but Gail recognized where they were now and she had no desire to engage with those two, so she remained silent.

But Metatron and Lucifer saw them, of course. "Reunited, and it feels so good," Lucifer crooned in a surprisingly musical lilt. Metatron laughed. That had been a good one.

Cas glared at them, but Gail tugged at his hand. "Just ignore them, Cas," she said softly.

She was right. There was no reason to rise to the bait, and he needed to get her out of here.

Thankfully, the door was still ajar, and Gail sidled through it easily. Then she grabbed Cas's hand and helped him to squeeze through.

"If you'll pardon my saying so, let's get the hell out of here," Castiel said to her.

"Really, Cas?" Gail said, imitating Dean.

They were still laughing when they got back to the apartment.

But Gail stopped laughing when she saw the state of the place. "What happened here?" she said in astonishment. Had he been attacked, and had there been some kind of apocalyptic fight?

Cas frowned. "That was the Demon."

She eyed him coolly. "I thought you said you were cured."

He looked shamefaced. "I'm very sorry, Gail. I only told you that to break you out of the spell."

Gail sighed, rolling her eyes. Well, it had worked. But she'd been so hoping that it was true. "How long was I gone?" she asked him, walking around the apartment, feeling dismayed at the mess.

"Nearly two weeks," Cas replied. "I was out of my mind."

They had reached the bedroom now, and Gail was shaking her head in amazement. Their TV was smashed to bits on the floor. "Obviously," she said dryly. Then she looked around, panicked. "Where's my picture?"

Cas smiled then, removing the picture from his shirt pocket and showing it to her. "He didn't destroy the most important item."

She let out a breath, relieved. "OK, then. Let's see about this mess. Looky what I can do." She concentrated, then waved her arms, and the furniture began to reassemble itself. Once that was done, she restored the TV and it moved itself back on top of the dresser. Then she removed all of the dust and debris from the floor.

Castiel was amazed. Since when could she do that?

She smiled at his expression. "I found out I could do that a little while ago. But I don't know if I should be pleased about it, or annoyed."

"Why would you be annoyed?" Cas asked her, puzzled.

"Think about it," she replied. "The only female Original gets to do all the cleaning up?"

Cas smiled slowly. Yes, he could understand that, from her point of view. But he still thought it was a handy power to have.

She walked through the rest of the rooms, restoring them too, then she said, "There." She gave Cas a sidelong glance. "Tell your friemd the Demon to cool it next time. It's not my job to be his maid." She was still a little angry at being lied to, though she supposed she understood why he'd done it.

Cas frowned. "He's no friend of mine, I assure you. I can't wait for him to be gone. Sam and Dean were going back to see Oliver today. In fact, they're probably there right now. They promised they would take up the mantle and continue while you were..." His throat caught. "...gone."

Gail approached him. "What happened to me, Cas?"

He took her hand and sat her down on the couch, telling her what he had managed to piece together. She told him what she remembered of the experience, and his blood began to boil. How dare Crowley just take her away like that, mess with her mind, and drive her friends crazy with worry? And even though Gail hadn't really spelled it out, Crowley had obviously tried to seduce her, as well. Thank God Castiel had gotten there in time.

But the Demon was pushing to get out now. She'd been gone for that long, alone with Crowley all that time. Was he supposed to believe that nothing had happened between them?

"Did he take you to bed?" Cas asked her angrily.

She looked at him sharply. "What? No!"

His grip on her hand tightened, and his eyes started to darken. "You have his blood," he said in an accusing tone.

Crap. The Demon was starting to take over now. Gail could see it and hear it in his voice. But she DID have Crowley's blood in her, so she retorted, "So what? A year ago, I had Sam and Dean's blood in me, and I didn't go to bed with either of them, even though I had my chances!" Her eyes darkened now too. She should find out if Rowena had a cure for jealousy, while she was at it. This was getting ridiculous.

Cas studied her face. He supposed that was true. But she had been gone from him for nearly two weeks, and her urges were just as strong as his were. "So you just expect me to believe that nothing happened?" he asked her.

"I do expect you to believe it, because it's the truth," she shot back. "I did miss you, though," she added, and her voice softened.

He brightened. "You did?" The Demon grabbed her. "How much?"

She looked at him speculatively. The Demon was there, she could tell, but the others were in there, too. Should she take the chance? But she HAD missed him, and she'd missed what they did together in private.

"This much," she said, leaning forward. She kissed him, giving him her tongue. He opened his mouth eagerly, and his tongue found hers. Then they were taking each other's clothes off, and then they walked to the bedroom.

She laid down on the bed and he was on top of her instantly, pushing eagerly into her. It hurt a bit, but she had missed this, so Gail didn't really mind. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him deeper, and he cried out immediately. After a moment, he moved his body down hers, and opened her legs, using his tongue on her with enthusiasm. She watched him for a minute, then it got too good and she closed her eyes, riding the wave. Her head moved from side to side, and she started to make her sounds. He pulled her closer and she cried out, holding his head.

Then the Demon grabbed her and flipped her over, licking her body. He raised her hips and used his tongue, then he entered her, pushing hard. He leaned down and bit her shoulder. A few drops of blood beaded there, and he licked them lovingly.

Ow! That had hurt. Well, she had asked for it, hadn't she? She'd better get him to finish, before he really went to town, Gail thought. So she raised herself up to meet him, telling him to go harder, even though she knew she was going to pay the price.

He still had her by the hips and he pulled her towards him, raising his body up so that he could watch her and what he was doing to her. No wonder the others loved her so much. Just look at her. She was loving this, urging him on. He thrust forward and then he swore, and then it was over. He withdrew from her and licked her again, then he bit the small of her back, licking the blood that rose from the bite.

"Cas, that's enough," she said sharply, hissing in pain. She had gambled and won, but now she was losing, and she needed to get him off her before this really got out of hand. She struggled to rise, but he was still straddling her. "Let me up, Cas," Gail said, raising her voice.

The Demon was licking his lips, savouring the taste of her blood. She wasn't going anywhere. Cas was panicked now, trying to regain control, but the Demon was enjoying himself too much. It had been too long since he'd been in the driver's seat, and he had been held back for long enough.

"Okay," he said agreeably. He moved just enough to let her get off her stomach, but then he grabbed her head and brought it to himself. He was so excited to have the playground to himself at the moment that he was ready again, and she was so good at this.

She went with it. At least, in that position, he wasn't biting her any more. Why was she doing this? She hadn't fed the Demon for a while, and she could see how hungry he was because of it. She should just disappear out from underneath him. See how he liked that. But he could follow her pretty much anywhere, and he would be extremely angry when he caught up with her. It was probably better to appease him for now. But she had been stupid. She'd been gone for a while, and she had missed Cas so much that she had forgotten what else he still had in him.

The Demon was pushing himself into her mouth. She was making him moan with pleasure now. He was going hard, and she was gamely taking everything he had. He swore again, and with one final thrust, he felt the hot rush.

"You're so good," he said, lowering his body on top of hers. He pushed his tongue into her mouth. "But it's good to be bad, too," he murmured, smiling. He nipped her on the neck, not too hard, just enough to get a couple more drops of her blood. He sucked her neck contentedly, then lay on top of her, spent.

After a moment, he rolled off her, but he still had a hold of her, and he pulled her towards him. He put his hand between her legs and stroked her with one finger. She was in considerable pain now but incredibly, her body was responding. Well, she still had Demon blood inside of her too, and it had been a long time for her, also. So she opened her legs to allow him better access, going with the feeling. His mouth came down on hers and his fingers sped up. She could taste the blood on his tongue, but she was trying not to think about that. She closed her eyes and moved with his hand, whimpering.

The Demon was smiling. She had made him very happy, and he was smart enough to keep her happy. When he got the blade out next, she would submit, he was sure. If not voluntarily, then otherwise. He felt all-powerful now.

She buried her face in his neck, crying out as he pleasured her.

"Bite my neck," he said to her. He wanted her to share the experience. She might like it, as he did. And then their blood bond would be even stronger, and she would let him do everything to her that he needed to do. And there was so much more that he wanted to do to her. After he was fully satisfied, he could let one of the others out to heal her, if they wanted. There would be nothing they could do about his marks, but that would be too bad. He liked seeing them on her, and she loved receiving them. Just look at her now. She was smiling, writhing against his hand.

Gail actually did consider biting him for a moment. He might not want her to, once he found out how much it hurt. But she didn't want to get any more of his blood in her. Look at what she was going along with now; Lord only knew what she would end up agreeing to with even more of his diseased blood in her. But he was making her crazy right now; she would deal with all her injuries later. It's not as if she didn't have loads of practice.

She cried out, and his fingers slowed down, then sped up again, and she cried out again. The Demon was grinning now. Oh yes, she was his now, all right. Too bad she hadn't bitten him, but he was sure he would be able to get her to do it in time. Just one more session between her legs and she would agree to anything.

He moved quickly down her body and lapped at her with his tongue, and Gail began to writhe again, grabbing his head with both hands and pulling his hair, holding him there. He sped up his motion, and she cried out loudly. God, he was unbelievable. He stayed there, savouring the taste of her, as Gail gave herself up to his mouth and what he was doing with it. "I love you, Cas," she said. Even though she knew this was probably the Demon now, she needed to tell Cas that, anyway. This was still his body, after all, and his mouth.

Thankfully, hearing that enabled Cas to finally push forward and take over, and he continued making love to her for a moment. But he was worried about how badly the Demon had hurt her, and when he rose himself up to kiss her, he could see the bite marks on her, and the abrasions. And he was sure the back of her would be even worse.

Tears sprang to his eyes, and he rolled over to lay beside her. He was afraid to touch her now, in case he would hurt her any further. "I'm sorry, Gail," he said. "I couldn't stop him."

She was catching her breath, and she rolled onto her side, looking at his face. This was Cas now, she knew. The Demon was a liar, but he wasn't that good of an actor.

"I know, Cas," she said softly. "And I shouldn't have let him manhandle me like that. But I missed you so much that I dropped my guard, and by then it was too late."

He looked at her. "How can you even stand me at this point?" he said, anguished.

"Because you and the Demon are totally different," she replied. "Because you're you. And because when you're cured, it'll be just you again."

Like hell, the Demon thought resentfully. I'm not going anywhere. Well, except to the living room, to get my blade in a minute. Let him keep her here with his tears. I'll hold her here with what I know she really wants.

But Cas was frowning. "You have to get out of here now, Gail. He's thinking about the blade."

Oh, God. Yeah, she'd better, then. But where could she go?

"Go to Oliver's," Castiel said. Then he grimaced. The Demon was pushing hard now, angry at Cas's betrayal. "They'll protect you from him. From me," he amended sadly.

Gail shook her head. "I don't want Sam and Dean in danger."

Castiel grimaced again. He was starting to lose the fight. "Bobby is there. Go!"

Gail's eyes widened. Bobby was at Oliver's? He would be able to protect her, though; Cas was right about that. The Demon was still too afraid to tangle with God.

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Cas," she said, scrambling off the bed. She ran to the living room and hurried into her clothes. Then she winked out of the apartment.

Cas continued to lay there, but he was smiling. Let the Demon come now, if he wanted. She was safe.

Dean and Sam had driven Bobby to Oliver's. He could have just popped them over there, but they'd figured they'd better not take the chance, in case the medium saw. Oliver was extremely leery of all of them now, and they only had two ingredients left to get. He could just up and refuse to admit them, and then where would they be? Sam had sensed that the scare that Crowley had put into Oliver was starting to wear off, and if he refused to help them anymore, they were screwed. They'd better not risk him seeing them arrive in any other than an ordinary, human way.

Sam knocked on the door and Oliver let them in, scowling. He looked at Bobby, startled. "Who's this, now?" He peered closely at Bobby's face.

"A friend," Bobby said shortly. He stared back at Oliver, who was standing way too close. He disliked this guy already.

"A very good friend," Sam amended, trying not to smile. He could see the expression on Bobby's face, and he figured he'd better not.

"Well, you're not a Demon, at least," Oliver said to Bobby. He shuddered inwardly. He'd seen enough of those to last him a lifetime.

"Hardly," Sam said, giving in to the grin that was now spreading across his face.

Bobby backed up a step to create a bit more personal space. But he couldn't resist now. "I'm God," he told Oliver.

Oliver scoffed. Now they were bringing nut jobs with them. "God is dead," he said bluntly.

"That's what you get for putting off that doctor's appointment," Dean quipped. Sam looked at his brother, impressed. That had been a good one.

But Bobby wasn't smiling. "They told me you were an atheist," he said to Oliver. "But you believe in Hell, and Demons. Well, you can't have one side without the other."

"God has to be dead," Oliver protested stubbornly. "Look at all the evil in the world."

"Well, you're just a glass-half-empty kind of guy, now, aren't you?" Bobby said sarcastically. "We're here to get rid of some of that evil. Let's go."

Oliver did a double-take, then sighed. He led the way, made the usual preparations, then joined hands with the men. When Bobby took his hand, Oliver jumped. The feeling he got from their connection was totally opposite to the feeling he'd gotten when he had been forced to take Crowley's hand. This man was extraordinarily good, and while Oliver still didn't believe in God, he'd sit in a circle with this man any time.

Oliver began calling Rowena forth, and he didn't even get to finish the sentence before she appeared.

"Bobby!" she said delightedly. Bobby's eyes widened. It was really her! Not that he hadn't believed the boys, of course, but it was still freaky to see her like this. She looked solid, yet ethereal at the same time.

But she sure felt solid when she caressed his face with both of her hands, tickling his beard. He removed his hands from Oliver's and Dean's, batting her hands away. She used to do that all the time, and it used to drive him nuts.

"The connection is broken now," Oliver chided Bobby, but to his astonishment, Rowena was still there. Nothing was going to stop her from spending time with her Bobby. Oliver could just take his so-called rules and shove them. She was in charge here, not him.

"Sorry, sweetie, I know how you hate it when I do that," Rowena said to Bobby, smiling. But he secretly loved it, and she knew it. He'd loved it when she'd been on top of him in bed doing that, among other things. But she removed her hands from his face just the same.

"How are you, my dear?" Rowena cooed.

Bobby frowned. "I've been better. Your little spell book has caused quite a bit of trouble."

She affected a pout. "That's unfortunate. I left it to you as a gift."

"Some gift!" Dean snorted in derision.

Rowena glared at him. He was pretty, but she wasn't going to let him get away with that. She'd put her heart and soul into that book, and her giving it to Bobby had been an act of love. She knew he would appreciate it one day. It wasn't her fault that it had fallen into the wrong hands.

She rushed over to where Dean sat and raked her nails down Dean's face.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, grabbing his cheek. His fingers came away bloody. He hadn't seen her coming. Apparently, only Bobby could see Rowena, just like only Gail had. Maybe she was invisible to humans because of that Netherworld business.

"Have some respect," Rowena hissed at Dean. "Don't speak about something you know nothing about."

"Stop it, Rowena," Bobby said sternly. She smiled at him. She would try to behave, for his sake. She supposed she should be grateful to the Winchester boys for bringing him. The memories came flooding back. If only he wasn't God, and she had a body. But at least one of those things would be changing, very soon.

Suddenly, there was the insistent sound of a doorbell, ringing over and over. Oliver frowned. Someone was at the front door and they were clearly ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign he'd put on it. He decided to ignore it.

But the ringing persisted, and Rowena rolled her eyes. "I can't hear myself think," she complained. "Oliver, would you do something about that, before I have to leave?" She had no intention of going anywhere, of course, but the incessant ringing was very annoying, and she wanted it to stop.

Oliver got to his feet and rushed out of the room. He yanked open the front door.

"Oh, it's you," he said with distaste.

"I'm sorry," Gail said. "But I knocked and knocked, and there was no answer. Can I come in? Please?"

He was about to refuse her, but then he paused. So, "God" was here, was he? Let's see how she reacts when she's confronted by him, then. Even though the guy wasn't really God, maybe she would think he was, and he could throw a scare into her. Tit for tat. Oliver hadn't forgiven her for bringing the King of Hell to his house. He'd had to leave all the lights on when he went to bed for a week after that, and he'd had to have all the parlour furniture disinfected.

So he opened the door wider, and she rushed in. Now that he could see her up close, Oliver saw the bloody bite mark on her neck, and the other visible marks on her body. His eyes widened. Had a vampire been at her, now? Had Oliver just made a fatal mistake?

Gail saw where he was looking, and she enjoyed the googly-eyed look on his face. There was just something about this guy that really rubbed her the wrong way. She was going to have to face her friends in a moment, and after the hugs and happy greetings she was really hoping she would still receive, they were going to see what Oliver was currently looking at, and they were going to flip out. So she might as well have a little fun.

"That's right, my boyfriend's a vampire, as well as a Demon," she told Oliver, patting him on the cheek. "So you'll want to keep cooperating, or I might bring him next time. And your little Do Not Disturb sign won't keep him out." She smiled slyly, enjoying the expression on Oliver's face.

Then she strode ahead of him to the seance room, but when she reached the black curtain, Gail took a deep breath. Oliver, she could handle; these guys were a different matter.

Thankfully, the room was dark, so even though the men recognized her of course, they couldn't make out the marks on her. Sam jumped up from his chair and approached her for a hug. She went happily into his arms.

"Thank God you're OK, Gail," Sam said fervently. He held her tightly, and he inadvertently squeezed the bite mark on her lower back. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"The hell with the supposed connection. Let me in on that," Dean said, elbowing his brother aside. He hugged Gail then, just as hard as Sam had, and tears sprang to her eyes, for a couple of reasons. Hopefully, Bobby wouldn't want to hug her too, or she would have to go to the emergency room.

But Bobby merely sat there. Oliver started to smile. Now she would get her comeuppance.

"Good to see you, dear," Bobby said, smiling. He had been about to get up and give her a hug too, but he'd heard her mind screaming in pain and had thought he'd better not. Crowley must have hurt her in some way. Once they were done here with Rowena, he would have to find out what had happened to Gail.

To Oliver's horror, Gail leaned down and kissed Bobby on the forehead. "Thanks for doing this in my absence," she said to him.

Bobby grabbed her hand. "Cas begged us to continue, and he was so crazy while you were gone that we couldn't bear to refuse."

Gail gave his hand a brief squeeze, then she released it. Yeah, Cas was crazy, all right. They'd all have to have a good long talk after they were done here.

Bobby read the thought, and he peered more closely at Gail now. The only light in the room was the pink glow that Rowena always brought, but Bobby could swear upon closer examination that that was a bite mark on Gail's neck. He frowned. Oh yeah, they'd be talking, all right.

Rowena was getting impatient. She was still there, and she had been waiting as patiently as she could through their little reunion. She knew that her son had taken Gail, and she also knew that Castiel had retrieved her, only to subject Gail to the ordeal of pain himself, after the pleasure. She smiled. "Back from my son's clutches, are you, dearie?" Rowena said sweetly. "Pity your rescuer was worse."

Gail drew up a chair and squeezed herself between Sam and Bobby. The men were all looking at her now, wondering what Rowena was talking about. Gail sighed. She had known the reaction to her sudden appearance here was going to be mixed, but she just wanted to get on with it now. They could talk in private later, away from Oliver and Rowena. If she had to be humiliated, she wanted to keep it within the family.

"Can we please just proceed?" she appealed to Rowena.

Rowena smiled. She did like to have her fun, but she was eager to get on with it, too. The closer they got to the end, the closer she was to getting what she wanted. And there was only one more ingredient to divulge before the final, climactic one. The one that would give Rowena back her life.

So she said, "It's appropriate you're here, my love." Bobby frowned, but said nothing, so Rowena continued, "Because the next ingredient is the Grace of a righteous Angel, representing Patience over Anger."

Bobby looked at Gail. "That's it. We're done here." He got up from the table and walked out of the room.

Gail was stunned. What did he mean, they were done? Where was he going? She jumped up from the table and ran after him.

She caught him by the arm, turning him around. "What do you mean, we're done?" she asked him shakily.

"What do you think I mean?" Bobby said angrily. "You heard what she just said, and you know what that means. Taking an Angel's Grace is tantamount to killing them. I can't authorize that."

"Look at me, Bobby," Gail said. She turned to show him the bite mark on her neck, then turned around and lifted her top to show him the one on her back. "And that's not all," she told Bobby. "I guess you were too busy here to see us in the apartment, but Rowena's right. I went from the frying pan into the fire. Cas rescued me from Crowley, and then Cas's evil twin did this to me. Do you really want this to continue?"

Bobby was frowning. "No. Of course not. But I'm God. I have a responsibility to all of the Angels, not just you two."

"I know that, Bobby," she said, agitated. "But there's got to be something we can do. Some way we can all win. We're so close now."

"I don't see how, Gail." She reached for his arm again, but Bobby shook her off. "Tell the boys I'll be waiting outside." He exited the front door, slamming it behind him.

Gail was panicking now. She had to do something. There was no way she could quit now, not after everything she'd accomplished, and everything she'd endured. Not when they were this close. Wasn't there one Angel they could afford to lose? But what the hell was she doing, thinking like that? How much of a Demon was she now? Yeah, let's just go to Heaven and hold a lottery to decide who gets to give up their life for hers and Cas's. How about her good friend Chuck? Sure, he hadn't done anything for her in the past five minutes. How about Kevin, or Becky, or Linda, or Ethan? Patricia? Laurel? Who else did she know that they could sacrifice? How ironic would it be to get cured, but have to have Bobby send you to Hell anyway, because you'd designated one of your friends for assassination? And while taking the Grace from an Angel didn't necessarily kill them right away, they would be rendered completely mortal, and then they would weaken and die. When she had first met Castiel, his stolen Grace had been dwindling, and he would have died had she not fully restored his Grace. But she didn't have the ability to do anything like that anymore. She had used up the last of those powers bringing Castiel back to life when Frank had stabbed him to death in Crowley's den. Everything had always been about Castiel, and it was now, too. But she could actually understand Bobby's viewpoint. How much was too much?

But there had to be a way to get it. She rushed back into the seance room.

"Where's my dear Bobby?" Rowena asked Gail.

Gail glared at her. "He said he'll be waiting outside. What the hell are you trying to pull, Rowena? Are you deliberately trying to piss him off?"

Rowena shrugged. "That is what is required for the antidote. You've been very resourceful up to this point, my girl. You'll have to find a way to make it happen." But she was getting a little concerned now. Rowena had known that this was going to be the most difficult ingredient, but then, she had not expected Bobby to be here, either. If he could not be swayed, the cure might have to be abandoned, and then where would Rowena be? Perhaps she shouldn't have saved the vital ingredient for the last, after all. If Bobby wouldn't allow them to obtain the Grace, or if Gail refused to just take it upon herself to get it, Rowena was screwed. She didn't give a fig whether Castiel and Gail were cured or not, but she needed them to obtain the last ingredient.

"Have him come back in here. I'll talk to him," Rowena said, trying to keep her voice calm. Maybe she could still use some of her wiles on Bobby. He'd never been able to resist them in life.

"Why should he want to talk to you?" Sam said resentfully. "You've been nothing but trouble for him."

Rowena glared at him. "You know nothing of our relationship. You, who mopes around, pining for a woman you can't have. What do you know about real love?"

"I know that real love doesn't involve spells, or manipulation," Sam retorted. Then he looked at Gail. "Or pain."

Gail looked down at the table. Sam was right, of course. But that was why she was here, wasn't it? To try to take the pain out of the equation. She was here because the love she and Cas had for each other was real; it was the pain and the brutality that was not.

"So you're trying to tell us you actually love Bobby?" Dean asked Rowena, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, he doesn't love you. You just put some kind of hoodoo hex on him."

Rowena turned on Dean angrily. "So that's what you think, is it? You, who's slept with so many women, but never been in love? Well, you're the expert then, aren't you? And you don't even do that anymore. Too afraid you might actually feel something for one of them? Or too busy being a hero for a woman you can't even admit that you might want for yourself?" She smiled slyly. "Or, is it her lover that you want? I've always wondered about that 'profound bond' thing, myself."

Dean rolled his eyes. This bitch had no clue. He wouldn't mind having a relationship with a quality woman at all; he'd just been so busy trying to avoid them all getting killed that he hadn't had the chance to even try to meet anyone. And as far as that b.s. about wanting Gail himself, Rowena was barking up the wrong tree there. He loved Gail, and he loved Cas; at least, the Original Recipe Cas. Of course he did. But not in the way Rowena was suggesting. She was just being an evil witch; it was in the job description. What else would you expect from the mother of the King of Hell? But what had happened between Gail and Crowley while she was gone? And what had Rowena meant by that crack about Gail's rescuer being no better? What had Cas done now? Whose ass did Dean have to kick here?

"OK, we're done," Gail said, standing up from the table. This was accomplishing nothing. They had their ingredient; now they were just sitting around, being victims for Rowena's vitriol. But Gail reminded herself to save that little tidbit about Dean wanting Cas for himself to tell Cas about, if she could ever be safely alone with him again. She would have to tease Cas about it in the future, maybe make some comment about making Barry or Tommy jealous. How she wished that things were that lighthearted right now. But right at this moment, she had to have a little chat with God.

Rowena was dismayed. The men rose, preparing to follow Gail out of the room. They were really leaving. Rowena would have to watch them very carefully now. The signal had grown stronger each and every time they'd brought her here from the Netherworld, and what she could not see, she could find out by cozying up to one of the Archangels or the writer of one of the sets of Gospels. It was vital that they get the stupid Grace now. Too bad she could do nothing to help them.

"You have to find a way, Gail," Rowena called after her. "You're too close to give up now."

But they were leaving the room, and she couldn't hold the connection any longer. The pink light went out, and Rowena disappeared.

"There's got to be a way," Gail was pleading with Bobby. They were sitting around the table in the bunker. Bobby wanted to leave, but she had begged him to stay. She had to find a way to get him to at least consider the idea. But even if he did, where would they go from there?

But there would be no help from Sam or Dean on that score. They were sitting at the table too, but Sam was having a beer and Dean was pouring his second shot of whiskey, and they were both angry. She had told them her story when they'd first gotten here, and the brothers didn't know who to be madder at now. Crowley, for kidnapping her and messing with her mind, holding her prisoner in Hell in some kind of a weird virtual reality room? Cas, for rescuing to her with lies of a cure, only to get her alone himself and let the Demon take over, brutalizing her in the process? Or Gail herself, for letting herself get in that position in the first place, when she ought to know better by now?

So the brothers weren't speaking to her, and Bobby was growing restless and impatient. It didn't matter how much she pleaded with him, he wasn't going to go back up to Heaven and sacrifice somebody for their damn cure.

Gail could see that Bobby had dug in his heels, and she was feeling desperate now. She sent out a loud call to Cas in her head. If she and Crowley could do it, she should be able to do it with Castiel, too. Please come to the bunker, she called. I need you. She knew that he now had a standing invitation to visit the bunker courtesy of Dean, so he would be able to come of his own accord.

And he did, of course. He appeared a moment later, rushing to her side. "What's going on, Gail? What's the matter?" he asked her. He sat in his usual chair beside her and took her hand.

Castiel looked around the table and saw the Winchesters glaring daggers at him, and Bobby, looking grim. So she had told them, then. Of course. The evidence was right there, on her neck and face, and arms. And he didn't blame her for telling them; they all had to remain vigilant against the Demon. But he was deeply ashamed.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I lost control of him."

"You think?" Sam said sarcastically. "You know what? We're sick of hearing that from you!"

"It's my own fault, really - " Gail started to say, but Dean suddenly stood and hurled his glass across the room. It shattered on one of the bookcases.

"It's not your fault!" he yelled at her. "It's never your fault! If I hear you say that one more time, I'm gonna-"

Bobby interrupted Dean. "What?" he snapped. "You're gonna what?"

Dean's hands curled into fists, and he let out a breath. He didn't know what. He was just so angry, and so frustrated. This never-ending merry-go-round they were on had to stop. Everybody was making him crazy. He sat back down, pounding his fist on the table.

"This has gotta end, one way or the other," Dean fumed. "Cas, we're gonna have to cure you, or we're gonna have to kill you. I can't take it anymore."

"I know which one I'd pick," Sam said quietly.

Cas's feelings were hurt at what they were both saying, but he understood it. He was frankly surprised that he was still alive now. If it had been anyone else who'd been doing this to Gail, he would have killed them already, had he been Sam or Dean. Right after she had received that first painful mark. He looked at her now, and the ugly red bite mark on her neck screamed at him in accusation.

He looked at Bobby. "What do you say, Bobby? Maybe you'd better just do it, then."

"No!" Gail exclaimed.

Cas looked at her sadly. "How long can we let this continue, Gail? You can't stay away from me, and I can't stay away from you. And I can follow you anywhere. And I will."

"But we're so close now," she protested. "We know what the second-last ingredient is."

Cas frowned. No one at this table looked the slightest bit happy about that, not even her. He sighed. "What is it?"

Gail told him, and Castiel sat back in his chair. "Well, that's it, then. Bobby won't allow that, of course. Nor could I."

Gail was frustrated. She'd called on him to help her persuade Bobby, and now he was siding with Bobby. He would have to be Castiel right now, wouldn't he? Where was the silver tongue of the Demon when she really needed it?

"Can't we at least just ask around?" she said desperately. "Maybe someone will come forward and volunteer. Surely there must be one in a billion Angels that's sick of being an Angel." But even as she was saying it, she realized how dumb that sounded. Even if someone was sick of being an Angel, they would be signing their own death warrant if they agreed to it. It might take a little while, but they would eventually deteriorate, and then they would die. Who the hell would sign up for something like that?

Castiel was shaking his head. "You know what happens to an Angel whose Grace is taken," he told her grimly. "I know that you know. We happen to have some personal experience in that regard. You saved me by replacing my Grace, and then you saved me again when Frank killed me." He smiled sadly. "Haven't you saved me enough? I'm not worth it, Gail."

Tears filled her eyes. "You are to me!" she exclaimed.

"Well, then, you would be the only one who feels that way," Cas told her. "No one else in this room feels that way anymore, I can tell. And what do you think your brother would say if he were here?"

"I don't care," she insisted stubbornly. She looked at Bobby angrily. "And you call yourself our friend."

Bobby sighed. He was getting nowhere with her, and there was no point in starting an argument. He wished Cas wasn't being so decent at the moment, so much like himself. If he was the Demon, it would be far easier just to kill him right here and now. Bobby should just do it anyway. He'd been putting it off, clinging to the hope that they could pull off the cure. But this was an impossible thing that Gail was asking. Even Cas had the good sense to see that.

But Gail was sobbing now, and Cas was trying to comfort her, and Bobby's heart wasn't made of stone. So he sighed.

"OK, Gail," Bobby said, sighing again. "I'll put out an open call in Heaven. But I won't minimize the seriousness of what we're asking, and I won't let anyone volunteer who doesn't realize we're asking them to commit suicide." He rose, and added dryly, "Once I've weeded out the thousands of candidates, I'll be in touch." Then he vanished.

Gail was sniffling against Cas's chest. At least Bobby was willing to do that much. But he was right; nobody was going to volunteer for a suicide mission like that. Why would they? She wouldn't.

The guilt was burning inside Castiel now. He should have told Bobby not to even bother. There was no way he could ask any Angel to give up their life for him; it didn't matter who it was. They may generally think he was still a good guy in Heaven, but he wasn't, and he wasn't worth saving any more, if he ever had been. He wanted to tell Gail that, but she was so upset right now.

"What about Jason?" Dean piped up suddenly. "He's an Angel, isn't he? How about we just take HIS Grace? Who the hell would care?"

Gail lifted her head from Cas's chest and looked at Dean. Hope rose in her, but then it died when Sam said sardonically, "Rowena said it had to come from a righteous Angel. I really doubt Jason would fit that description."

Dean frowned. He guessed Sam was right about that. Damn. It had been such a good idea, for about two seconds.

"Good try, Dean," Cas said, smiling gently. He reached out and wiped the tears away from Gail's cheek with his thumb. "I'm glad I was able to see you again as myself," he told her.

But now she felt like crying some more. Couldn't they all see how good he was when he was himself? He was much better than she was, protesting that no Angel should die on his behalf. She wouldn't have said that; she'd have been asking Sam for a legal pad, compiling a list of likely candidates. She glared at Sam and Dean. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves for what you said," she admonished them. "Cas is your friend. Yes, the Demon's done some rotten stuff, but if I'm willing to forgive him for it, so should you."

Sam rolled his eyes. "That's because he's got you wrapped around his little finger. That's that stupid blood bond thing, that's all. If you were in your right mind, you would have left him a long time ago."

"He's right, Gail," Cas said sadly. "Well, about the blood bond, anyway." But the Demon started rising up in him now. Sam had said they should kill him; he was obviously still trying to get Gail for himself. "But you know why he's saying that, don't you?" the Demon said to Gail. "He wants to take my place. He wants to be the one to-" he leaned forward and described what they did when she lay on her stomach for him, and his language was very crude.

Dean had had it. It was disgusting to hear Cas talking like that, and he didn't need to hear that about Gail. No wonder she was in so much pain all the time, if the Demon did that to her. Dean couldn't imagine that the Demon had been gentle about it, either. Not that there was necessarily anything wrong with that between two consenting adults, but Dean got the feeling that the Demon wouldn't exactly care if she had consented or not.

"That's it. You need to leave," Dean said to Cas.

"Do I?" Cas said coolly. "Okay, I'll leave. But she's coming with me."

"No, I'm not," Gail said. She stood up and walked over to Dean, who also stood and moved in front of her.

The Demon rose too, and he was angry now. "Do you think you can stop me from taking her?"

Sam got up now, and he was debating whether he should just come across the table at Cas. But Cas looked at him with those purple eyes of his. "I wouldn't try it if I were you," he told Sam, and his tone was almost amused. "I'm an Original. I could obliterate you. The only reason I haven't done it by now is because I knew it would upset Gail." Now he smiled. "But she would get over it."

"No, I wouldn't," Gail said, peeking out from behind Dean. She was consoled somewhat by the fact that he was still holding himself back from seriously harming the brothers, for her sake. But what was she supposed to do now? She certainly couldn't leave with him when he was like this. She could only imagine what he would be capable of doing to her, and while she had to admit that some of it would be very good, most of it would be very painful. "I'm not coming back with you, Cas, so you might as well leave," she told him.

"I don't think so," the Demon said, and he was still smiling. He started to move forward. If he could just grab hold of her without having to hurt the Winchesters too badly, the two of them could have a very enjoyable time together. Once she gave in, she would be glad that she had. He would see to it.

"Well, I do," Sam said. He reached down and took the Demon knife out of his boot, showing it to Cas. Dean looked at Sam, surprised. They had always gone to Oliver's unarmed before. But Sam had been keeping the knife in his boot every day since they'd gone to the crossroads, intending to kill Crowley. Now that Dean had stupidly and naively extended the standing invitation to Cas to enter the bunker any time he wished, Sam had wanted to stay prepared.

The Demon laughed harshly. "You're really testing me now," he said to Sam. He had been slowly walking towards Gail this whole time, and he had almost reached her now. If Dean would only move, he would have her. He extended his hand to her. "If you want your friends to stay in one piece, you'll come with me now."

The four of them stood there looking at each other, paralyzed. It was a weird kind of standoff. No one moved. It was as if they were frozen in time, each one waiting to see which of the other would make the first move.

And then, just as Gail moved out from behind Dean and began to extend her hand, Bobby suddenly reappeared.

"I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I, Cas?" he said dryly. He waved his hand and Cas was moved backwards, away from Gail and Dean.

Bobby looked at Gail, shaking his head. "Well, we've had five volunteers," he told her.

She perked up. "So soon? But you've only been gone a few minutes," she said to him.

Bobby smiled thinly. "Actually, I've been gone a bit longer than that," he told her. "Fortunately, I was able to have a peek down here between conversations. Once I saw what was going on, I froze you all for a bit until I was able to conclude the business at hand." He looked around at all four of them, frowning. "Everybody just sit down and cool your jets." They all did, but Gail sat down between Sam and Dean on the opposite side of the table from Cas.

Castiel looked at her and nodded. Good. She was being very smart now. The Demon had been scared off by the sudden appearance by God, and Castiel had taken that opportunity to push to the forefront. He wanted to her what Bobby had to say. There had been five volunteers? He couldn't believe it.

Once they were all settled in their chairs, Gail asked Bobby, "Who were the volunteers?" She felt hope once again. That was more than she had counted on. With that many volunteers, Bobby could pretty much have his pick.

"Daniel and Gregory were the first," Bobby said, and Castiel and Gail exchanged astonished glances. Yes, Cas had spared the former board members, but they had also originally voted to execute him.

"They both said they wanted to atone for their part in your execution," Bobby said to Castiel. He could tell that the Demon was gone for the moment, and he was talking to the real deal now. "And I almost said yes."

"What do you mean, 'almost'?" Gail said, annoyed. "One of those guys would be perfect. They both owe him, big time." If only they really knew how much, she thought bitterly.

"I mean, we can't use either of them," Bobby explained, trying to be patient with her. "I had Kevin go over the definition of 'righteous', translated from the ancient language, and neither one of them qualifies under the definition."

"That's because 'righteous' means to be morally upright, without guilt or sin, right?" Gail said, making a face. "Then that would be right, unfortunately. We all know that doesn't really apply to them. They may have cleaned up their act now, but they're certainly not without guilt or sin, are they?" She looked at Castiel, and he looked back at her sadly. He had lost control again, and it had almost been disastrous. Thank God Bobby had arrived when he had. But she was right about Daniel and Gregory. He didn't have to be a Demon to hold some residual anger towards them for their part in his execution. Just look at him now.

"But then, who would ever fit that definition?" Dean asked, curious. "Even most Angels must have something in their past. A little shoplifting, cheating on a test, something." Dean didn't personally know anybody who fit Gail's definition. Not even the current God.

Bobby looked at him. "You're right. But interestingly, the ancient language defines it slightly differently. Kevin struggled with the wording of the translation, but he said it's more like someone who is honourable, and is willing to do the right thing on their own behalf."

Castiel was puzzled. "'On their own behalf'? That's what it says?" Kevin was the best young Angel Cas knew who was even capable of deciphering the ancient language, but that didn't sound right to him. How could you be righteous and selfish at the same time?

Bobby nodded. "I know, that sounded weird to me, too. But we've only got one shot at this, and we have to make sure we get it right, or there's no point. So, based on that definition, they don't qualify. They both said they wanted to atone, but they're happy in Heaven now, and I know that neither of them honestly wanted to give himself up. They just felt like they should make the offer. So, no. It wouldn't be something they were doing on their own behalf, then, would it?"

They were all silent for a moment. "What about the other three volunteers?" Sam asked. He had put the knife back in his boot, and he was now interested in what Bobby was saying, purely for the intellectual exercise. But his eyes kept straying back to Cas. If Cas thought this was over, he was dreaming.

"After Daniel and Gregory left, Kevin stuck around, and he volunteered. But I told him he could forget it. He's young, he's got his mother there now, and Becky, and he's a Prophet. He's too valuable to Heaven."

Castiel nodded. That only made sense. He was touched that young Kevin had volunteered on his behalf, but he knew that Bobby couldn't have even considered it.

"Then it was Chuck's turn," Bobby continued.

Gail's heart warmed at that thought. She should have figured as much. He had been such a good friend to them, and especially to her in more recent times. And as far as she knew, he was the only one in Heaven besides Bobby who knew what was really going on with Cas. How sweet and selfless of him to have stepped up to the plate like that. But she was hoping that Bobby had turned him down, too. He was her closest Angel friend, and he was a really good guy now. She didn't want him to have to die.

"He made a very compelling argument, and he nearly had me convinced," Bobby told them. "So I thought about it, and then I said yes."

Gail's heart sank. She looked helplessly at Cas. What a horrible situation. He saw the look on her face, and he shook his head. "No. Not Chuck. He's been so good to Gail." He smiled thinly. "Better than I've been."

"You didn't let me finish," Bobby said. "I did tell him yes, but then Laurel buzzed me and said I had somebody waiting outside, and he said it was urgent. So I told Chuck to wait, and she sent the visitor in. He said he'd just heard about what we needed, and that he wanted to volunteer. And he had the best reason on earth for doing it." Bobby looked at Gail, then at Castiel. "And you'll never guess who it was."

They looked at him, then looked at each other. No, they probably wouldn't. Neither one of them could think of anyone who would say anything like that on Castiel's behalf.

"Well, who was it?" Gail asked Bobby.

He leaned back in his chair, smiling. "Ignatius."

Castiel was floored. Ignatius? He looked at Gail. She was having the same reaction. They'd both pretty much forgotten about him. The last they'd heard, he was here on Earth somewhere, hoping to find and reconnect with his daughter Felicia. She was an Angel who had fallen in love with a human, but her father had strongly disapproved, and they hadn't spoken in years. When Cas had decided the fates of the board members, he had shown Ignatius mercy. Even though Ignatius had overseen the tribunal proceeding and had voted death for Castiel, in the end he had shown remorse. After he'd told them he deeply regretted having turned his back on his daughter, Castiel had sent Ignatius to Kevin, to see if the young Prophet could use the computer to help Ignatius locate Felicia. Then Ignatius had gone down to Earth to try to find her. And he was still an Angel when he went.

"He found Felicia," Bobby told them all, "and he told me they have a good relationship now. She married Mark, the human she left Heaven for, and they adopted an 8-year-old boy. Ignatius told me he loves being a grandpa." Bobby smiled at that. He and Ignatius had had a good conversation, and it had been obvious that Ignatius was a changed man. He had moved in with Felicia's family at their request, and he had been living there very happily. Felicia had forgiven him, and after some time, he had forgiven himself. And her husband Mark was a good man, who doted on Felicia and their son. At least he had a biblical name, Ignatius had joked, and he and Bobby had shared a laugh at that. Ignatius was now sorry that he had missed all those years with them due to his prejudice and small-mindedness, he'd told Bobby. But he was making up for it now by being the best father and grandfather that he could possibly be.

But then Daniel and Gregory had contacted him via Angel Radio. Bobby hadn't said what it was for, but he needed an Angel's Grace, and he needed it urgently. Bobby had said it was to help Castiel. They had both offered theirs to Bobby, but he had turned them down, saying that he appreciated their offer, but they didn't "qualify". Bobby didn't explain what that had meant, but he was God, and he really didn't have to explain himself to anyone. Both Daniel and Gregory were happily serving under Bobby now, and they respected him a great deal. But they had discussed it afterwards, and they'd thought that Ignatius should be informed. Old habits died hard, and he was the senior ranking board member, since Castiel had a criminal record, and Xavier was gone.

Ignatius had sent back his own message, thanking them for keeping him informed. Then he had excused himself to his family and walked upstairs to his room to do some thinking. He had been away from Heaven for a while now, and he was out of the loop. His former colleagues had no idea what was going on with Castiel these days, but they had told Ignatius that Bobby had looked very concerned. Ignatius thought about this. When he had seen Bobby last, Ignatius had pledged his loyalty to him. And Castiel had been very merciful to Ignatius. He had allowed him to remain an Angel, and he had sent him to Kevin, who had narrowed down the search for Felicia, enabling Ignatius to find his daughter and her family. Ignatius had also told Castiel and Gail that if they should need any help from him in the future, he would be glad to be of assistance to them. Well, it sounded like they might need his help now, and Ignatius needed to live up to his promise.

So he had come back downstairs and asked to speak with Felicia for a moment. They didn't talk about Angels and Heaven in front of her son, Felicia had advised him when he had first gotten there. She and Mark had discussed it, and even though they had raised him with faith from an infant, they still thought that Robbie was a bit too young to understand the concepts. And as their situation was quite unique, they'd wanted to wait until he was older and more mature before broaching the subject.

Ignatius took Felicia into the kitchen and explained that he needed to go back to Heaven and speak with God to find out what was going on with Castiel, and if he could help. He would be back when he could. As Felicia had forsaken Heaven for Earth, she no longer had the ability to tune in to Angel Radio, so her father assured her that he would come back to the house personally to let her know what was going on. He gave her a kiss and a hug, then he left the house through the front door, tousling his grandson's hair on the way by and giving Mark a quick smile. Once he was outside and out of view, Ignatius had ascended.

Laurel announced him to Bobby, and as Ignatius stood there waiting, Bobby's office door opened, and Chuck came out. He did a double-take as he saw Ignatius, then Chuck looked at Laurel in amazement as Ignatius entered Bobby's office and closed the door softly behind him.

"My Lord," Ignatius said formally, and Bobby almost grinned, but he restrained himself. This guy was one of the Old Guard, and he couldn't help the way he talked. But Bobby stood from his chair and said, "Call me Bobby, Ignatius, please. Have a seat."

Both men sat, and Ignatius explained about the message he had received from Daniel and Gregory. He had thought that he should come, to find out if he could be of any assistance in the matter.

Bobby looked at him, brow furrowed. "Did they give you any details?"

"Only that you require an Angel's Grace, that it was for Castiel, and that it was urgent," Ignatius replied calmly.

Bobby looked at him curiously. "So what are you here for, then?"

Ignatius gave him a sad smile. "I'm here to volunteer mine."

Bobby stared at him, open-mouthed. Ignatius shows up here out of the blue, after he's been on Earth this whole time, and volunteers to give up his own Grace, for Castiel? Did Ignatius realize the implications of what he was saying? He had to; he had served nearly as long as Cas had. But Bobby felt the need to be clear.

"You realize what you're volunteering for, Ignatius? You're proposing to give up your own Grace? You know what that'll do, right?"

Ignatius inclined his head. "I do," he replied.

"Well then, pardon my French, but why the hell would you do it?" Bobby asked him.

"You're speaking English," Ignatius said, confused.

Then Bobby did smile. He couldn't help it. But his smile faded quickly as he realized that Ignatius was completely serious. "I'm sorry, Ignatius," Bobby said soberly. "Let me rephrase that. You would become mortal, then you would weaken, and then you would die. You do understand that, right?"

"Yes, my Lord, I understand that," Ignatius responded patiently. Then he gave Bobby a thin smile of his own. "I'm sorry. I know you told me not to call you that, but you are God, after all, and I'm an old - what did my daughter call it? Oh, yes. I'm an old fuddy-duddy, is the expression, I believe." His smile turned genuine. "I have Castiel to thank for the time I have been able to spend with my daughter, her husband, and my grandson. I can only surmise that he has somehow lost his Grace, and I am willing to give up my own so that he may live. Once you take it from me, I will ask you to send me back down to Earth to live out the remainder of my life as a human, however long that may be. I will stay with my daughter and her husband, and I will teach my grandson about peace, compassion, and tolerance. And then when it is my time to die, I will die knowing that I have done the right thing. At last. As I believe Gail said that day, 'better late than never'. Please. I need to do this, for my own peace of mind."

Bobby was astonished. He had never heard of something so selfless, and so noble. His mind raced. What Ignatius was proposing fit the definition to a tee: it was extremely honourable, and in Ignatius's mind, it was the right thing to do for himself, as well as for Castiel.

"OK, Ignatius," Bobby said. "If this is really what you want to do. Your sacrifice will save Castiel." Bobby hoped that was true, anyway.

Ignatius let out a breath, relieved. So it was true, then. But he was at peace with his decision. He would have to explain it to Felicia, but when he told her the reasons behind it, she would have no choice but to accept what he had done. People died all the time on Earth, and he had lived for thousands of years. He would make the most of his remaining existence, loving his family and receiving their love in return. That was God's most precious gift, and it was all thanks to Castiel that Ignatius had been able to receive that gift.

"You must give Castiel and Gail my best," Ignatius said to Bobby. "Tell Castiel I understand, now." He smiled gently.

Bobby had a lump in his throat. He'd better conclude this meeting before Ignatius suffered the shock of seeing God shed a few tears. He got up, moved around his desk, and stood over Ignatius. He put his hand on Ignatius's head, ready to send him back to Earth to talk to his family, but Ignatius said, "Please, take it now, Bobby. Before I lose my nerve." Ignatius reached into his pocket and handed Bobby the vial he'd brought in preparation for their meeting. He hadn't wanted to give himself the opportunity to back out, and if he went back to Earth to talk with Felicia first, Ignatius was afraid he might weaken. She would be heartbroken, he knew, and if Ignatius were to look at his little grandson, he might give in to selfishness and decide to just stay there.

Bobby took the vial from Ignatius. He was impressed. This guy had come prepared. Still, he wavered. "Are you sure, Ignatius?" He felt compelled to ask the former board member one more time.

Ignatius smiled up at him. "Yes, I'm sure. I am at peace."

With that, Bobby put his hand back on Ignatius's head. The white glow emanated from Bobby's hand, and Ignatius opened his mouth. After a moment, his Grace began to flow out, and Bobby captured it in the vial. When the vial was full, Bobby stopped it up and put it in his pocket.

"How do you feel?" he asked Ignatius.

"Like a human," Ignatius responded. Then he smiled again. "Like a father, and a grandfather."

Bobby felt the lump again. This guy was killing him. This better have been worth it. "I'm going to send you back to Earth now, but first, I want to give you something," Bobby told him. He moved back around the desk and scribbled Dean's cell number on a piece of paper, then gave it to Ignatius. "If you need anything, call this number," Bobby said. "Mention that you know me. They're humans, and they're good men."

Ignatius accepted the paper and put it in his pocket. "Thank you, Bobby," he said. Now that he was a human, he found it easier to use the name that Bobby insisted upon. But Ignatius would tell Robbie someday that this man was God, and he was good.

Then Bobby sent Ignatius back down to Earth, wishing him well. He swallowed, hard, then went back out to the reception area.

"Go back to the library, Chuck," Bobby told him. "You're off the hook."

Castiel was speechless. As Bobby handed the vial containing Ignatius's Grace to Dean to put in the safe, Castiel hung his head and began to cry. Gail rose immediately and walked around the table. She sat beside him and took his hand in both of hers. He looked at her gratefully. She let go of his hand and reached out, touching his face with both of her hands. As he'd done with her so many times in the past, when things had still been good, she wiped the tears from his face with her thumbs.

"See? Others know you're worth saving, too," she told him softly. "Now you just have to work on believing that, yourself."

Bobby felt the lump begin to form in his throat again. This was getting ridiculous. These two. This had better work; if he had to kill them, it would kill HIM.

Dean walked by Cas as he was returning to his seat from the safe, and he put his hand on Cas's shoulder. Cas reached up and put his hand on Dean's. Now Gail was going to start crying. She looked up at Dean, grateful for his gesture of support. Dean gave her a tight smile, then returned to his chair.

Bobby was going to lose it now. He had to get out of here. He would keep an eye on everyone, though, to make sure the current weather didn't change. Well, one eye, anyway; the eye that wasn't filled with tears.

"Call me when you find out what the last ingredient is," he said to them, then winked himself back to Heaven.