Chapter 1 - No Other Gods
Xavier had been waiting nearly a week, but he could wait no longer.
Ever since he and Ignatius had met with Castiel and given him the summons to appear at the upcoming tribunal, Xavier had been expecting...well, something. He was amazed that none of his fellow board members had even blinked when he had set the date for the tribunal hearing for two days from now.
Xavier wanted Castiel out of the way as soon as possible so that he himself could take over as God. There was only one thing wrong with this picture: Bobby was still the reigning God, and as far as any other Angel knew, Bobby was still around. But none of the board members had asked Xavier why he was rushing to get to a tribunal for God's successor while Bobby still held the Office.
The reason was simple: Xavier now knew that the current God, Bobby, was gone. And he would never be coming back.
It had all worked out so well. Xavier had gone to Bobby's office intending to ask for, or more accurately, to demand Bobby's presence at an emergency board meeting. Xavier had intended to confront Bobby with Rowena's spell book in front of the other board members and hold a vote for impeachment, right then and there. He'd even have Castiel at the meeting, so all the board members were present and the vote was done properly. All they needed was a majority vote, so Xavier wasn't concerned about Castiel's inevitable dissenting vote. Bobby would have been impeached by the end of the day, and then the tribunal would be held. Depending on how long the testimony took, Xavier assumed he would have been able to assume the Office within the week. Of course, with Castiel's illustrious record, the tribunal itself might last a week or more, Xavier thought. But it had to be done properly, according to the laws of Heaven, so that Castiel's conviction would stick. This was the chance Xavier had waited so long for, to both assume the High Office himself and get rid of Castiel, in one fell swoop.
But when Xavier got to Bobby's office, the receptionist had told him that Bobby wasn't in, and she hadn't seen him for about a week now. A week? Xavier was surprised, and more than a little frustrated. Where the hell was he?
Bobby's receptionist, Laurel, had been wondering the same thing. Ever since Bobby had taken over the Office, Laurel had seen him pretty much every day, at some point. She knew he had spent some time on Earth; unlike his predecessor, Bobby was an active, "hands-on" administrator. He'd told Laurel that he would be in and out of the office a lot, but he would always check for messages and he'd never be gone for too long.
But Laurel hadn't seen her boss for nearly a week now, and she was worried. Even though Bobby was still relatively new to the job, he'd always communicated with her very well and though Laurel didn't always know exactly where her boss was, she knew she'd be hearing from him shortly. But now he was just... gone, and the silence had become deafening. She had waited as long as she could, but that very morning, Laurel had tried to contact Bobby on Angel Radio, just for her own peace of mind. But there had been no response, absolutely none. Not even an "I'm busy, I'll call you back." Nothing. God had gone missing.
So Laurel had no choice but to tell Xavier. She didn't care for Xavier personally; he had always struck her as being uptight and priggish. But Laurel was a professional, and she had to respect Xavier's senior position.
He had pursed his lips. "Did he at least tell you where he was going?" Xavier asked her.
"I'm sorry, Sir, I have no idea," Laurel had said.
Xavier had stood there at her desk for a moment, and then he had stalked away without another word.
Soon afterwards, it was time for her to pack up and leave for the day. Laurel was starting to get very worried by now. If the senior Heaven-based Angel for the Upper Echelon was looking for Bobby and didn't know where he was either, there was something fishy going on. Was there something else she should be doing at this point? But, Laurel was just a receptionist; was it really her place? Maybe Bobby would show up and contact her in the morning, and her concerns would prove to be unfounded. If not, she'd decide what her next step should be then.
Xavier had reached the end of his patience. What kind of administrator just left the office for a week and didn't tell anyone where he was going, not even his own receptionist? Was Bobby on Earth, visiting his precious humans? Or were he and Castiel off somewhere, plotting their next move?
In any event, the first domino had to fall first. That meant that Bobby had to be out of the way in order for Castiel's tribunal to be held; only then, when Castiel was also gone, could Xavier take over the High Office under the emergency succession rule. But how was he supposed to impeach Bobby if no one could find him?
That night after Laurel left her post for the day, Xavier used his key to let himself into Bobby's office once more. He was hoping to find some sort of a clue as to Bobby's whereabouts. Xavier told himself that he hated to resort to these clandestine methods, but they'd left him with no choice. After speaking to Laurel earlier, he had tried to contact both Bobby and Castiel on their private Angel Radio frequencies, but neither had replied. Big surprise, he thought sarcastically. So he'd tried to play by the rules, Xavier rationalized, but his two targets were renegades who clearly did not.
Xavier searched Bobby's office but found nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to suggest why God had gone missing. He was standing there contemplating his next move when the black phone rang.
He wheeled towards the credenza, where he knew the Hotline to Hell was. Should he pick it up? On the one hand, Xavier's presence in the office was unauthorized. On the other hand, Xavier had spoken to Crowley on the Hotline before. Perhaps Crowley knew where Bobby was; it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. And if Crowley were to report Xavier's after-hours presence in the office to Bobby, Xavier felt reasonably sure he would be able to plead concern over Bobby's sudden absence as a reason for his being here. That was if Bobby even believed Crowley, of course. Demons were all liars, weren't they?
So Xavier picked up the phone, and he was very glad he had. Crowley had some good news for him.
"It's about time you picked up," Crowley said. "I've been trying to call you for days, Xavier."
Xavier was startled. How could Crowley know it was he who would be answering the phone?
"I've got some good news for you," Crowley continued. "You owe me a big favour. I've got Bobby here with me, and he's enjoying his stay so much that he's decided to extend it indefinitely."
Xavier could scarcely believe it. Bobby was in Hell with Crowley? Was this a trick, or just a bad joke?
"Very funny, Crowley," Xavier snapped. He was in no mood. "God is a guest in Hell." Sarcastically.
Crowley sat back in his chair, smirking at Metatron, who was in his usual seat across from the King. He wished the Hotline had a Speaker feature.
"Who said he was a guest?" Crowley said.
Xavier was puzzled. Did Crowley mean to suggest that he was holding Bobby prisoner? And, while the idea excited Xavier, Crowley had to be lying. Bobby was God, which meant he had God's powers. Even Hell could not hold God.
"So you claim you're holding God prisoner," Xavier said scornfully. "God." More sarcasm.
Crowley had more or less been expecting that reaction, but he was a little annoyed at Xavier's attitude. The guy wasn't even God yet, but he sure thought he was superior, didn't he? Crowley looked surreptitiously at Metatron. There was a lot of that going around, lately. Time for a lesson.
"How long have you been in service, Xavier?" Crowley asked casually.
Xavier was also getting annoyed. Crowley had a reputation for being a gamesman, but Xavier had no desire to play games. "Just what does that have to do with anything?" he said testily.
Crowley said nothing. He could wait all night; it was he who was doing Xavier the favour.
Xavier sighed. "Many, many years, Crowley," he replied. "I know you know that."
Crowley did, of course. He was just enjoying himself at this self-righteous prig's expense. Pity he needed Xavier to get rid of Castiel; the guy was a humourless old curmudgeon.
"So then you would be familiar with a certain cage your former boss constructed to hold a certain disgruntled former employee," Crowley said coyly. There. If Xavier couldn't do the math, he didn't deserve the High Office.
Xavier nearly dropped the phone. Surely Crowley wasn't talking about Lucifer's cage?
"Are you trying to tell me that you are holding Bobby Singer captive in Lucifer's cage?" Xavier said breathlessly.
"Bingo," Crowley said cheerfully.
Xavier was astonished. Crowley was the King of Hell and he was repugnant and slimy, but if he was telling the truth, Xavier also felt a grudging admiration for him. How could he have pulled that off?
"I can hear the hampster wheels spinning," Crowley continued. "Ask the Winchesters. They'll tell you. I'm telling the truth. I only regret that I wasn't able to lock up your best friend Castiel, at the same time. But a close associate of mine tells me you'll be only too glad to take care of that one, yourself."
Then Crowley handed the phone to Metatron.
"Hello, Xavier," Metatron said into the receiver. "Long time, no speak."
Xavier froze. Metatron, the most notorious figure in Heaven since Lucifer himself, was a "close associate" of Crowley's? But then again, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Birds of a feather, and all that. Achieving the High Office had been an obsession of Xavier's for years, but he was starting to feel decidedly unclean now.
But, in for a penny, in for a pound. The wheels had been set in motion, and Xavier wasn't going to let a temporary pang of conscience stop him now. Like it or not, Crowley and Metatron were his unholy bedfellows at the moment.
"I'll be in touch," Xavier said, hanging up the phone abruptly.
Metatron handed the receiver back to Crowley. "He hung up."
Crowley replaced the receiver and put the white phone back in his desk drawer. He wasn't particularly bothered that Xavier had hung up the phone after hearing Metatron's voice; Crowley might have done the same thing, had he been in Xavier's shoes. Crowley was sure it must be a really strange feeling for a high-ranking Angel like Xavier to be suddenly allied with the King of Hell as it was, and when you threw someone like Metatron into the mix, it must be almost unbearable. But Xavier WOULD bear it, Crowley knew. Xavier was a hardline Angel; he never gave up, and he never gave an inch.
Metatron had filled Crowley in on Xavier and his politics back when Xavier had first broken into Bobby's office and answered the Hotline. Crowley had known of him, of course. Crowley made it his business to know the enemy, and he had a list of the names of all seven Upper Echelon Angels. But Metatron went way back with these guys, and before he'd become Public Enemy Number One in Heaven, Metatron had acquired quite a bit of intel.
The King of Hell and the former Scribe of God had continued their daily bull sessions in Crowley's office over a drink, but Crowley was growing tired of their association. Truthfully, he was tired of Metatron. He was a little hard to take, in large doses. Metatron thought of himself as witty and erudite, but to Crowley, he was smarmy and a bit of a weasel, really. While Metatron's evil was on the level of Crowley's own in terms of intent, Metatron's was a lot less sophisticated. He was like a petulant child who saw something he wanted, and just reached out to grab it. No patience, no finesse.
And Crowley knew what Metatron wanted: he wanted back into Heaven, wanted to be sitting in a seat of power, like Crowley was now. After all, the bloke had once fancied himself to be God. That was what was supposed to have happened after The Fall; according to Metatron, all the little lost lamb Angels would have just meekly followed Metatron, and accepted him as their God. But it hadn't happened that way, Metatron had told Crowley bitterly. That damned Castiel had come along with his blue-eyed good looks and hero's facade, and many Angels had started to follow him, instead.
Clearly Metatron was jealous of Castiel, and Xavier obviously suffered from the same malady. Crowley could almost feel sorry for the guy. It seemed like Castiel was more hated by his own kind than by Crowley and his. Well, almost. Once Castiel was convicted by Xavier's kangaroo court and put to death, Crowley might have to host a party and put some Angels on the guest list.
And Metatron had guaranteed Crowley that this would happen. He had been present in Heaven when Xavier had held the previous tribunals, and the leaders of the Spanish Inquisition had nothing on Xavier. The poor saps who had thought they were good enough to achieve the High Office had been quite surprised to find themselves under a microscope, having every aspect of their lives and those of their loved ones examined in excruciating detail. By the time Xavier had been finished with them, the wretched souls had found themselves being thrown into Heaven's prison, or worse. Metatron knew of two Angels who had been found so morally wanting by Xavier and his board that they'd been put to death. The ancient laws were certainly a bitch, weren't they?
Metatron was practically salivating at the prospect of Castiel being subjected to this process. With all of the things he'd done in the past? All the murders, the tortures, the multitude of sins...not to mention the fact that he was metaphorically in bed with Sam and Dean Winchester, two humans, and Xavier was vociferously anti-human, even though he claimed not to be. And, speaking of being in bed...what of his relationship with the little Angel Gail? Metatron couldn't wait to see what Xavier would do with that. While Metatron and everyone else knew that Angels were celibate, he could just bet that Xavier wasn't going to let that minor fact get in his way. Metatron could actually help Xavier in that regard, if he were so inclined. He now knew that Castiel and Gail had been human when they were in Las Vegas, and there was no one on the board who would believe that they had spent an entire weekend in Sin City just holding hands. Metatron sincerely doubted that even Xavier could sell the death penalty for a conviction on one morals charge alone, but if he couldn't see Gail put to death, he would settle for a prison term for her, for the time being. And when he was back in Heaven sitting at Xavier's right hand, Metatron could arrange for a little...accident for her. By that time, Castiel would be dead anyway, and no one would mourn the passing of an ordinary Angel like Gail.
But he would keep this little tidbit to himself, for now. Metatron knew that Crowley was still considering acquiring Gail for himself, and there was no reason for Metatron to tip his hand yet. Once Castiel was convicted and Xavier had reinstated Metatron to Heaven, Crowley would just have to get over it. Metatron would have his revenge.
Castiel and Gail were at that moment getting accustomed to their new circumstances.
After getting warded, they had rented a car, and Cas had started driving north after asking Gail where she wanted to go. She had always wanted to see Canada, so off they went.
The road trip had been an adventure, and a mostly positive one. Gail had found that there were some things she had missed about being out on the road, with no specific destination in mind. When she and her brother Frank had travelled together, unless he had a case to work, they had driven around aimlessly. Just talking, listening to music on the radio, and enjoying the scenery. And her journey with Cas was turning out to be very much the same. There was something very freeing about being on the open road, just driving around. She supposed they were fugitives from Heaven now; at least technically, Castiel was. But Gail didn't care about that. She knew that, as an Angel, she probably should care, but when Cas had explained about Xavier and his vendetta, Gail knew that there was no way that Xavier could ever be allowed to get his clutches on Castiel.
That first night, they had by mutual agreement stopped at a motel in Nebraska. Though Castiel didn't sleep, Gail still thought he should at least rest from driving, from time to time. She'd never learned how to drive, much to her regret. But Cas didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed driving; it was one of the increasing list of human activities he'd learned over the years that he liked to do, and was proud of himself for having mastered.
Still, Gail insisted that they stop to rest once in a while, and that was all right with Cas. He'd wanted to wait until they got out of the state, though. Although they were both warded now, there was just something psychologically comforting about getting a little further away from their apartment. The Castiel part of him realized this made no sense whatsoever; the threat they were facing originated from Heaven, not Earth, and therefore their geographic location shouldn't really factor in. Even the fact that they'd decided to literally flee the country should have made no difference. But the Cas in him was inexplicably excited about the prospect of going to Canada with Gail. Xavier had been right about one thing, and one thing only: it seemed the longer he spent with humans, the more Castiel was starting to think and feel like them. And Gail still acted more human than Angel. She liked to put on the car radio and search for her favourite songs, and when she found one she particularly liked, she would move to the beat. He found himself glancing at her and smiling. With the exception of their weekend in Las Vegas, he had never seen her looking happier and more relaxed, and Cas found himself feeling more relaxed as a result.
They'd been staying in motel rooms, very much like Gail used to do with her brother. There was one significant difference, though. Now they requested a room with just one bed, and they cuddled every night. It comforted Cas to have her next to him throughout the night, and to be able to hold her. He'd been so afraid for her safety since they'd gotten back from their holiday, but now that they had decided to leave their old life behind, Cas felt that he could finally let go of his fear and anger at the continued existence of their enemies and just enjoy being with Gail.
For her part, Gail was feeling mostly the same way, but she was also feeling other things. Their nights spent in motel rooms not only reminded her of being on the road with her brother, who was lost to her now, but of Sam and Dean. After praying to their friends for a while, the Winchesters had stopped, and Gail missed hearing their voices, even via this new and strange form of communication.
She and Cas were debating the subject as the miles between them and the brothers grew.
"I don't understand why we can't at least call them, and let them know we're okay," Gail said to Cas.
That was not the first time she had brought this up, and Cas's grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
"We've already talked about this, Gail," he said to her. Cas was trying to be patient; he understood how much she missed Sam and Dean. He missed them too, but: "I just think it's best for the time being if we remain out of contact for a while."
"But why?" she persisted.
Cas sighed. "I miss them too, Gail, but it's for their safety. If Bobby is impeached, and I'm sure he will be, Xavier will then schedule my tribunal, if he hasn't already. When I don't show up for it, he'll be very angry. There will be a bounty on me, and possibly on you, as well. It's best if Sam and Dean don't know where we are. The Angels that Xavier will send looking for me won't ask nicely."
Gail was startled. Cas had never mentioned this last part in their previous discussions. But they were fugitives now, or soon would be, once Xavier realized that Cas had no intention of showing up for the tribunal. What had she expected, that Xavier would just shrug and forget all about it? But the idea of Angel bounty hunters who played rough was disconcerting to Gail. She once again realized that she had a lot to learn about the way things worked in Heaven, and she felt badly now for having badgered Cas about it.
He was still gripping the wheel and his facial expression was grim, so Gail put her hand on his leg and said, "I'm sorry, Cas. I had no idea."
He thawed immediately. "I'm sorry too, Gail. I should have explained the consequences to you more fully when we were leaving. I guess I was just so anxious to get going, and you seemed so happy..." he trailed off.
Gail was touched. After all this time, he was still putting her feelings before his own. It had to be daunting to think about bounty hunters potentially going after your friends to get information on your whereabouts. Cas was no doubt feeling guilty about this prospect.
But she had just thought of something, and guilty feelings aside, she had to let him know: "Couldn't they just THINK Sam and Dean know where we are, and go after them anyway?" Gail said.
Castiel nearly drove the car off the road. How had he not thought of that? She was right, of course. Not contacting their friends had not been the right call. The Winchesters needed to be warned.
"We need to get to a phone right away," he said. "I was wrong, Gail. I should have listened to you in the first place."
Dean's cell phone rang and the Call Display came up as an unknown number. As soon as Dean picked up, Cas said, "Dean, I have to warn you about something."
"Freaking finally!" Dean said. "Hold on, Cas, I'm putting you on Speaker." He placed the phone on the table between himself and Sam.
"Where the hell have you guys been?" Dean demanded.
"Is it just you and Sam, there?" Cas asked.
Dean looked at Sam and rolled his eyes. Why could Cas never answer a direct question with a direct answer?
"Yeah, it's just us, Cas," Sam said. "What's going on? Where are you?"
"I can't tell you that," Cas said. "We just called to warn you. There may be Angels looking for you soon."
What was he talking about? "Has this got to do with that whole thing with Crowley, and Bobby?" Sam asked.
Crowley? Bobby? Now Castiel was confused. "What ABOUT them?" he said, and then: "Wait. Wait, just a minute. Gail should hear this, as well."
Gail had been standing outside the phone booth, waiting. Cas grabbed her by the hand and pulled her in close to him, tilting the phone so they could both hear.
"Hi, guys," she said. There was so much more she wanted to say to them, but now was not the time. She and Cas had to make sure the brothers were aware of what could be coming their way.
But now, Cas said to her, "They're talking about Crowley and Bobby."
Her forehead wrinkled. What?
"What about Crowley and Bobby?" Cas said again into the phone.
"What do you mean, Angels might be looking for us?" Dean countered. There. Let him see how it felt to have your question answered with a question.
"What about Crowley and Bobby, Dean?" Cas asked once more.
"The last time we saw Bobby, he was going into Hell with Crowley," Sam said. "When you said Angels would be looking for us, we assumed it had something to do with that."
Cas had known about Bobby's apparent meeting with Crowley from having heard the brothers' prayers, and he had filled Gail in on what he'd heard back then, but now he started to wonder. If Bobby had gone back to Heaven and was being impeached, wouldn't he have called Cas on his private Angel Radio frequency for help, or at the very least, to let him know? But there had been nothing. Cas didn't want to contact Bobby himself and involve Bobby in his situation any more than he'd wanted to involve Sam and Dean, but Cas now felt that he had no choice. Besides, if by some miracle Bobby had not been impeached, Cas needed to know. Maybe he and Gail did not need to keep on going, if that was the case.
So, even as he and Gail were talking to the Winchesters, Cas sent out an urgent call to Bobby on his private frequency. Please call Cas right away, but tell no one you heard from me.
Cas sent out the message twice in quick succession, but he received no response. Now he was getting concerned. He couldn't imagine Bobby ignoring an urgent message like that. Then a thought occurred to him that made his blood run cold. What if something more sinister than impeachment had happened to Bobby?
"Cas? Cas!" Dean said impatiently. "You wanna tell us what the hell is going on?"
"I need you to do me a favour, Dean," Cas said. "I need you to call Crowley for me."
Dean looked at Sam incredulously, then looked back at the phone on the table as if Cas could see him.
"You want me to call Crowley for you?" Dean repeated. "Why?"
"I need to find out if he's talked to Bobby since their meeting," Cas said.
"Why don't you call Bobby yourself?" Sam asked.
"I just did," Cas replied. "Two urgent calls. No answer."
Sam and Dean exchanged glances again. Should they be concerned about this? It sounded like Cas was. And just where the hell were he and Gail, anyway?
"Cas, what in the holy hell is going on?" Dean asked, exasperated with his friend. "Just tell us where you are, and what this is all about!"
"Are you OK, Gail?" Sam asked. He knew she was listening, but she hadn't said anything since her initial greeting. Why would she be OK with Cas asking Dean to call Crowley? At the very least, maybe she could give them the straight answers that Cas seemed unwilling to give.
"Yeah, I'm OK, Sam," Gail replied. She looked up at Cas, wondering what he was thinking about Bobby. She inquired with her eyes, but he said nothing.
"Where are you?" Sam asked. "What's going on with you two? Why is your stuff gone from the apartment?"
So they HAD been there, Gail thought. She felt badly for the guys, but she knew she couldn't tell them anything right now. "I'm sorry, Sam; Dean, can you please just do what Cas is asking you?"
"Well, I guess you're an official Angel now, Gail," Dean said sarcastically. "No straight answer from you, either."
Gail was used to hearing him complain about this, but this was the first time he'd directed the comment at her, and it stung badly. She realized he was right. Sam and Dean were their friends and had always had their backs; no matter how potentially deadly the situation had been, the brothers had always been there for her, and for Cas. What were they doing, keeping their friends in the dark like this? Gail had been frustrated when Castiel had treated her the same way, and she was on Dean's side on this one.
"We have to talk. Now," she said to Castiel. Then Gail grabbed the receiver from his hand and said into it, "We'll talk to you guys in a minute." Then she hung up the phone.
Castiel looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What was that all about?" he asked her.
"Dean's right," Gail told him. "We need to talk to them."
"Weren't we just doing that?" he said, puzzled.
"No, what we were doing was pulling that evasive Angel crap that Dean loves so much," Gail said sarcastically. "We were shutting them out. The same thing you used to do to me. I can't do that to them. It's not fair."
Castiel was angry. He'd been stung by her having referred to his shutting her out in the past. While that was true, this situation was different. Couldn't she see that? "Not everything in life is fair," he said coolly. "You of all people should know that by now. Frank is in Hell, is he not?"
They stared at each other for a moment. Then Gail said quietly, "I can't believe you would say that to me." She yanked open the phone booth door and stalked over to where the car was parked.
Cas just stood there for a moment. The second he'd said it, he realized he'd gone too far. Angry or not, it had been cruel of him to make reference to the one thing that bothered Gail the most, and use it to illustrate his point. What the hell was wrong with him?
Cas rushed after her. She was standing beside the car with her back to him, just standing there, as if unsure what to do next.
"I'm sorry, Gail," he said. "I should not have said that." He tentatively reached out for her hand, but she pulled away as soon as he touched her.
Gail was angry now, and she was trying not to cry. Damn right, he shouldn't have said that. While he was not wrong, it had hurt her to be reminded of the fact that her brother was burning in Hell while she'd been running around on a road trip with her boyfriend. The very man who'd just used the most sensitive subject in Gail's life to make a point.
She wheeled on Cas. "I'm going to talk to Sam and Dean. I need to talk to Sam and Dean."
He reached for her again, but she'd already gone.
Gail appeared in the bunker, startling the brothers.
Sam got up from the table and walked over to her, and Gail threw her arms around him. He hugged her back, and she was grateful for the comfort.
"No that we're not happy to see you," Dean said sardonically, "but what the hell, Gail?"
"I'm sorry, I know how much you hate that." Gail smiled through her tears. "Actually, I'm kind of proud of myself, though. I've never done that at such a long distance, before. Well, not by myself, anyway." She disengaged herself from Sam's embrace and walked over to Dean, kissing him on the cheek. "Hi, guy," she said to him, then sat down heavily on the chair next to him.
"Well, I guess Cas and I have just had our first official fight," Gail told the brothers. She still felt very upset, but seeing Sam and Dean and being here with them was starting to make her feel better, already.
"Where is he?" Sam asked, sitting down next to her.
"I don't know if I should say, exactly," Gail replied. Though she was very angry with him at the moment, Gail was mindful of what Castiel had said about not divulging any information that potential bounty hunters could use. "Suffice it to say that he's on the side of the road beside the phone booth that we used to call you guys."
Gail took a deep breath. She supposed it had been childish of her to just bail on Castiel like that. Yes, what he'd said had been very hurtful, but they were in a serious situation themselves, and she'd better not forget that. So they'd had a fight; or more accurately, he had lost his temper and then she had lost hers, but the bigger picture was what was important at the moment.
So she opened up to the brothers, telling them about the politics going on in Heaven and the tribunal Castiel was supposed to attend if Bobby was impeached.
Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. "This guy Xavier sounds like a real douche," he said.
"You're not kidding," Gail agreed.
"So this - 'tribunal'..." Sam mused. "From what you're saying, it sounds like they'd be putting him on trial, or something."
"Exactly," Gail replied.
"Well, does he at least get to have a defense counsel?" Sam was still trying to wrap his head around it.
"Yeah, and what exactly are they putting him on trial FOR?" Dean asked.
Gail sighed. "Crimes against Heaven, I guess." The brothers exchanged glances. She continued, "You guys know that he's done some not-so-great things, in the past. From what I understand, they can use all of that against him, and recent sins count, too."
"What do you mean, 'recent sins'?" Dean said. He was getting angry. "Cas isn't 'that guy' any more; we all know that."
Gail looked at him. "Las Vegas," she said shortly.
Dean stared back at her unbelievingly. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," Gail replied. "Apparently, there might be charges for me on that, too."
"For YOU?" Dean asked. He still didn't get it. "For what?"
She tilted her head at him. "Morals clause, Dean. Think about it."
"Morals clause?" Sam repeated. As usual, he had gotten there first. "But, you and Cas were humans."
She laughed shortly. "You think that matters to a guy like Xavier? From what I could tell, the 'tribunal'," she used air quotes, "is based on the Ten Commandments."
"Well, then, you should be fine," Sam argued.
"What Commandment are we even talking about, here?" Dean asked, confused. Just when he thought Heaven couldn't get any more screwed up, now they were actually talking about Bobby getting impeached as God, and Cas going on trial based on something he wasn't even sure really existed. "Assuming I even buy this crap, I don't see how anything in the Ten Commandments applies to you and Cas in Vegas."
"Number Seven," Gail said wryly.
"Seven?" Sam said. "'Thou shalt not commit adultery'? But, neither of you are married."
She looked at him, smiling bitterly. "You're right. But Cas showed me the summons. I didn't understand most of what it said. Most of it's written in what he calls 'the ancient language'. But that part was very clear. The Seventh Commandment has been interpreted to mean, and I quote: 'God forbids sex outside the bonds of marriage'."
Gail sat back in her chair, remembering how her heart had sunk when she'd read that. If that was the interpretation they were using, she and Cas were toast.
Sam and Dean exchanged glances. Seriously? So it was OK for Angels to torture and kill, but it wasn't OK for them to...?
"But that's b.s.," Dean protested. "Sam's right; you were humans that weekend, not Angels. And even if you were..."
"I know, and I agree," Gail said. "But it doesn't matter what we think. Cas said the proceeding is held according to some very old rules, ones that have been around since Creation. Bottom line, if that's the interpretation they're using, we're both guilty as hell." Then, she just couldn't resist: "On multiple counts." Gail's lips twitched. She was who she was, and sometimes humour crept up on her in the darkest of situations.
Dean smirked at that. "Really, Gail?" he said. "You really had to go there?"
She laughed then, and it felt good. It had been like a giant weight lifted off her shoulders to have been able to confide in her friends this way. Castiel had been wrong not to include the brothers in the discussion, in her opinion. Maybe he felt like it was his problem, not theirs; just more Angel crap. But she didn't regret her trip here. She felt much better now, just having told Sam and Dean what was going on. If Castiel was angry with her, they'd just have to work it out somehow.
"Why did Cas want me to call Crowley?" Dean said suddenly, breaking Gail out of her reverie.
"I believe I can answer that." Castiel's voice, from behind them.
They all turned in their chairs to look at him. He was standing in the library area, holding the bags they'd taken in the car with them, and Gail's purse. He put them down on the floor and walked over to Gail. "I am truly sorry," he said to her. "Will you please forgive me?"
Gail relented. As she'd been telling their friends about the tribunal, her sympathy for Castiel had returned. It couldn't be easy to be him right now, and she knew that he had been trying to do the right thing, not only for himself, but for her, too. What he'd said was very uncharacteristic of the Cas she knew now, and he'd been under a lot of strain.
She stood and faced him. "I forgive you, Cas," Gail said, and she opened her arms.
"Thank you," he murmured into her ear as they embraced. "Thank you."
Then Cas drew up a chair beside her, and he looked at Dean and Sam. "I expect Gail has told you everything that's going on," he said.
"Yeah, finally," Dean retorted. "Why didn't YOU tell us, Cas?" Truthfully, Dean's feelings were hurt. They'd been close friends all these years, and he thought that Cas should have been straight with them about the trouble he was in.
"He had his reasons," Gail said to Dean, automatically sticking up for Cas.
Dean kept himself from rolling his eyes, but just barely. Now she was defending Cas? Women. He'd never understand them.
"I did have my reasons, Dean, Sam," Cas told them. "But Gail showed me that I was wrong." He took her hand and smiled gently. Cas already felt better being here too, talking to his friends face to face. She was right; they should have done this in the first place.
"How can we help you, Cas?" Sam asked quietly. He'd been hurt that Cas hadn't confided in them initially too, but he was willing to put these feelings aside in favour of what was really important.
"You can't, Sam," Cas said. He was grateful to Sam for asking, especially after he'd shut them out the way he had, but realistically, there was nothing the Winchesters could do about his and Gail's predicament. Well, just the one thing.
Cas turned to Dean. "The reason I wanted you to call Crowley was to see if he can tell us anything about Bobby," Cas explained. "I can't reach Bobby on Angel Radio, and I obviously can't go to Heaven to see what's going on with him. You both said in your prayers that Bobby went down to Hell to have what I can only assume was a Summit meeting with Crowley. I wonder if Bobby was telling him that he'd been impeached, or was about to be."
"But why would Crowley need to trade us for Bobby, if that was the case?" Sam asked, puzzled. That just didn't make sense to him.
It really didn't make sense to Cas, either. "Maybe Crowley didn't think Bobby would come unless he HAD to come," he said. "Maybe taking the two of you was insurance." But even as he was saying it, he realized it sounded lame.
Gail thought that sounded lame, too. Something fishy was going on here, even by Crowley's standards.
Now that Cas was back, Dean thought they should tell him the rest of the story. To be fair, he guessed they'd been holding out on Cas, too. Not that they'd had the chance to talk to him directly, of course. Dean was not really surprised that Cas had heard the content of his and Sam's prayers. It wouldn't be the first time they'd prayed to him and received no answer. But he'd better go easy; there was one important fact he and Sam had omitted to spare Cas's feelings at the time, and the irony was not lost on him. Gail was right; when they shut each other out, bad things tended to happen.
"Then why did he ask for YOU?" Dean said to Cas.
Cas looked at Dean sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Crowley asked for both you and Bobby, originally," Sam answered. "He called it a two-for-two trade. When Bobby couldn't reach you, I guess he decided to go it alone."
Castiel didn't know what to make of that, but something was very off, here. If Crowley had been trying to force a Summit, why would Castiel's presence be required? Yes, he was next in line to the High Office, but Castiel couldn't imagine why Crowley would have wanted to follow Heaven's politics in this manner. Crowley hated Castiel, and the feeling was entirely mutual. If Castiel had had to assume the Office, dealing with Crowley would have been a real challenge for him. Castiel would have just been inclined to run his blade through Crowley and worry about Heaven's laws later. But then, that was just one of the reasons Castiel didn't want to be God. Too many rules getting in the way of what was right.
"Dean, please call Crowley. We need to find out what's going on. I'm afraid I don't see any way Bobby won't be impeached, but if he's not, there may not have to be a tribunal, and then maybe Gail and I can stay."
Something occurred to Sam just then, something they hadn't talked about yet: "Why would Bobby be impeached, anyway?" he asked Cas.
That's right, Cas thought. They didn't know about Rowena and the spell book. But even though he was now on board with full disclosure to the Winchesters, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of telling them about that. It was Bobby's story to tell, whatever it may be, and Castiel didn't even know what had exactly been going on there. At some point, they'd definitely have to receive an explanation from Bobby, himself. But right now, the concern was Xavier and the board, and any explanation Bobby might have to offer wouldn't matter to the likes of them. Heaven's rules were pretty explicit when it came to the High Office. God had to be above reproach. Bobby would be impeached immediately. That was why the prospect of a tribunal being held, ostensibly to see if Castiel himself was qualified to take over the High Office, was almost laughable. With everything he'd done? Bobby could have given Rowena the keys to Heaven, and he'd still come off looking better than Castiel.
"That's not for me to say," Cas said in answer to Sam's question. "And don't look at me like that," he continued when Sam frowned. "I'm not being deliberately evasive. It's Bobby's story to tell, and I can assure you we'll have that conversation with him. But for now, I have to find out Bobby's status in order to figure out my next move." Cas took Gail's hand, looking at her with a smile. "I'm sorry; OUR next move. That is, if you're still willing to come with me." He was joking, but after his terrible mistake earlier, Castiel had to make sure.
Gail squeezed his hand. "Of course I am. You're not getting rid of me that easily," she teased, smiling.
Cas was relieved. Even if he and Gail had to continue on their road trip, fleeing from the worst case scenario, he was glad they had come here. She'd been right all along; they needed the support of their friends. HE needed it. From now on, he'd act on whatever she said.
Dean grabbed his cell phone to call Crowley. "Don't tell him we're here, or mention anything about us," Cas cautioned him.
This time Dean did roll his eyes. Captain Obvious strikes again. But he merely dialed the number and put it on Speaker, setting the phone on the table in front of him so they could all listen.
"Dean," Crowley answered. "What a not-so-pleasant surprise. Good to see you got your phone back. I would've helped you look for it, but I was slightly occupied at the time."
Crowley sounded entirely too happy, and Castiel was seething. He was also apprehensive. If things were going well for Crowley, that could only mean that things were going badly for Bobby, and for Heaven. Unless he was just screwing around with them, of course. With Crowley, you were never quite sure.
Crowley was indeed happy, but he also was screwing with them. He could hear that he was on Speaker, and that could only mean that there were Angel ears tuning in to their conversation. So he proceeded with the lies, as arranged with Xavier.
"Where's Bobby?" Dean asked bluntly.
"How should I know?" Crowley asked coyly. If he answered too quickly, without their usual song and dance, the Winchesters would know something was up.
"When we last saw him, he was with you," Sam said. "What happened to him?"
"What do you mean, 'what happened to him'?" Crowley retorted. "You're hurting my feelings, Moose." He hadn't used his nicknames for the brothers in quite a while. Crowley had wondered if his strange, quasi-affection for the brothers was impeding his judgment from time to time, and so he'd stopped himself from using the nicknames he had bestowed on them. But he didn't see the harm now. Everything was going his way.
"Cut the crap, Crowley," Dean snapped. God, he was tired of this guy.
"All right, I will," Crowley replied cheerfully. "Nothing 'happened' to Bobby. We had a drink, we had a chat, we might have slow-danced a little, and then Bobby went back up to Heaven. Then I found out that he had been impeached. Too bad. I don't know what they're looking for in that position, but it seems that Heaven's standards are impossibly high. I fear your good friend Castiel won't measure up. Well, I guess we'll find out soon. His tribunal starts tomorrow morning. Though with his illustrious career, I imagine the proceeding will last at least a few days. I wouldn't plan the party celebrating his promotion if I were you, though. I think a cake with a file in it might be more appropriate in this situation. Or, hopefully, a tombstone."
Gail shivered at that, and Cas slipped his arm around her. She managed to stay quiet, but just barely. That smug, self-satisfied bastard, she thought. How dare he sit there and joke about a possible death sentence for Castiel, while he himself had the nerve to still be living? Crowley was lucky he wasn't sitting here right now. She'd happily take her Angel blade and chop off his head, just like she'd done to his mother. See if he laughed then.
As if knowing she was there and what she was thinking, Crowley continued, "Actually, you may want to make that two cakes, or two headstones. Word is that my ex-girlfriend is in Heaven's doghouse, as well. Xavier will be charging her with morals violations. Regrettably, I don't think those carry the death penalty, but you can probably write to her in Heaven's prison. She'll be lonely, after Castiel receives his death sentence. And I don't think Xavier is big on the appeals process. Pity; if I'd known Gail was such a loose woman, I might have kept her around a while longer."
Castiel couldn't take it any more. He lunged for Dean's phone and hurled it against the wall, breaking it to bits.
He stood there, breathing heavily, his pulse pounding in his ears. Then Gail's voice, behind him: "Sorry, Dean, I guess we'll owe you an upgrade."
Dean laughed, breaking the tension in the room. Gail came up behind Cas, and put her arms around him. His body was shaking from the adrenaline his rage had produced, and he was grateful for her attempt to calm him. But it would be quite a while before he was able to turn around and take her in his arms. The way he felt, Castiel was afraid he'd squeeze her too hard.
"Promise me something, Dean," Castiel said quietly. "You too, Sam."
Both brothers sat still, saying nothing. Crowley's audacity had left them speechless. That little bastard. Then Dean said, "What?"
"Promise me you'll torture him a good long time before you kill him," Castiel said, still using his quiet voice.
Dean smiled, but there was no humour in that smile, none at all. "We promise."
Crowley looked down at his cell phone, and his smile grew wider. He hadn't enjoyed himself this much in a long time. He'd heard the smashing sound before the disconnect and knew what had happened. A certain Angel had lost his marbles. But of course, that had been by design.
Crowley and Xavier had gone over the gist of what Crowley was going to report, beforehand. It was only a matter of time before he heard from the Winchesters, Crowley had reasoned to Xavier. Bobby had been gone from Heaven for a week now, and his disappearance and the Angel Radio silence would have become suspicious. Since Crowley would have been the last one they knew of to have seen Bobby, he figured Castiel would tell Dean to call Crowley. That lot had certainly waited until the eleventh hour, but the call had come. Xavier had needed Castiel to believe that Bobby had already been impeached so that he would show up for his tribunal tomorrow, and the process could begin. Bobby was well and truly gone now, so the fact that he had not technically been impeached was irrelevant, as far as Xavier was concerned. The important part was that Castiel now knew he had to be at the tribunal tomorrow morning, and Xavier knew he would bring along his little girlfriend, too. So Xavier would have them both. He had no particular quarrel with the Angel Gail; he had never even met her. But Xavier knew how much she meant to Castiel, and that was reason enough.
Crowley had no problem relaying this information to Dean, knowing that the Angels would be listening in. Maybe after the tribunal was over, he would tell the Winchesters where Bobby really was, just to see the looks on their faces. There would be nothing they could do about it anyway, and Castiel would be gone. Gail, as well. Why should Crowley even bother to kill Sam and Dean? Their two Angel friends would be lost to them, and Bobby might as well be. By the time Lucifer got done with him, Bobby would be well and truly insane.
But after divulging the necessary information, Crowley had to admit that he had gone off book a little. OK, maybe a lot. Part of this had been by design. He'd wanted to unhinge the four of them. The object was to get Castiel to tomorrow's tribunal and let the fireworks begin, and that was all that was necessary. But Crowley knew the four of them very well by now, and it wouldn't do to give any one of them a chance to reason this out. If Bobby had gone back to Heaven and was subsequently impeached, where was he now, and why was he unreachable? If any of the four pulled at this thread, the whole thing might unravel. So Crowley had wanted to upset them so badly that their human emotions would take over and cloud their minds, at least long enough for the tribunal to start, and then it would be too late. He had poured it on thick, picturing the looks on all their faces. And Crowley had saved that zinger about Gail for the last, knowing how much it would enrage Castiel. Hopefully he'd have the chance to buy Dean a new phone before Heaven put him to death, Crowley thought, smirking.
Once Castiel had calmed down enough to think clearly again, he said to Sam and Dean, "So, there it is. Just as we'd feared." He took Gail's hand, and drew her to him. "We'll have to get back on the road. Luckily, we had a head start. If the car's still there, we'll just resume from where we were."
"Where are you going?" Dean asked him, but Cas was shaking his head.
"We can't tell you that, Dean," Cas said. "And before you get angry again, it's because it's best if you not know anything about our whereabouts. The Angels that will be looking for you are bounty hunters, and they're trained to get answers, however necessary."
"Bounty hunters?" Sam said. "Heaven has bounty hunters?"
"Yes." Cas sighed. "But they haven't been used in years. God did not approve of those methods. But I'm sure Xavier will. The Team Leader is an Angel named Jason, who is a longer-serving Angel who just happens to be a very good friend of Xavier's. Jason is relentless. I should know. I used his services a couple of times in the past, when God was gone. I regret that, now. God was right; such strong-arm tactics should not be used in Heaven."
"What do you mean, strong-arm tactics?" Dean asked.
Castiel looked at him. "Torture, Dean. I mean torture."
Gail couldn't believe it. "Angels who torture people to get information? What the hell? Are we the good guys. or the bad guys?" she said to Cas.
He smiled grimly. "Hard to tell sometimes, isn't it?" Castiel now felt terrible that he had availed himself of Jason's services in the past. Castiel had known full well the methods Jason and his team used to get information, but he had looked the other way during the Angel Wars. One of his many past transgressions, which were now coming back to haunt him in the form of the tribunal. Or would be, if he had any intention of showing up for it.
"So what are Sam and Dean supposed to do?" Gail pleaded with Cas. She was terrified to think of them being tortured for information on her and Cas's whereabouts.
"If we don't know where you are, we can't tell them anything," Sam stated.
Castiel laughed humourlessly. "Do you think that will stop him from trying, Sam?"
Sam frowned, then looked at Dean. They understood what Cas was saying. They were pretty much screwed.
Cas was agitated. He'd once told Gail that being associated with him could be dangerous, and here was the proof. "I'm sorry," he told the Winchesters. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Dean felt for him. "It's not your fault, Cas."
"Damn Angels," Gail quipped, and the three men laughed. But a pall still hung over the room. What a mess, she thought. But then, what else was new? This time, though, they'd have to get through it separately. She'd been trying to bring a little levity into the situation, but now Gail was starting to feel very sad. They may not be able to see Sam and Dean again for quite a while.
"Maybe we should hit the road, Sammy, work some cases," Dean said.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "If we move from town to town, we'll be harder to find."
"What about you guys, though?" Dean asked Cas and Gail. "Don't Angels have that hoodoo thing, where you can sense each other?"
"We already took care of that," Gail told him. She lifted up her top enough to show him the tattoo on her stomach. She winced inwardly, remembering the pain she'd felt at the time. Gail was glad they'd gotten them now, though. Especially with Angels like Jason out there looking for them.
"Is that what I think it is?" Sam asked curiously.
"Yes, Sam. It's a warding symbol," Cas answered. "We both have them. They shield us from other Angels."
"When did you get those?" Sam asked him.
"As soon as we left the apartment," Cas replied.
The brothers were impressed. Cas didn't screw around. Gail was in good hands.
Castiel looked at Gail. "We'd better get going," he said. "I'd like to get a bit more north before we officially become fugitives tomorrow morning."
Sam looked up sharply, but Cas was looking at Gail, and Sam realized he'd probably just slipped. So, they were going north. Not much to go on, though.
Gail approached Dean and he gave her a big hug. "Take care of yourselves," Dean said to her, and he raised his eyes to Cas, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"You too, Dean," Gail said, squeezing him tightly. Her eyes were starting to become teary. She and Cas had been separated from the brothers before, but this felt different. Until and unless they figured out a way to get Castiel off the hook, they might not be able to see the Winchesters for a long time.
Dean pulled out of the hug and looked down at Gail's face. He could see that she was about to cry, and he tried to come up with a quip or a smartass comment to make her feel better, but nothing came. A lump was starting to form in his throat as he looked at her and Cas. Dean felt like this was different, too. What a screwed-up situation.
Gail didn't want to let go of Dean, but she made herself do it. Then she walked over to Sam and the process was repeated. "You call me, if you need us," Sam said softly. "At least I still have a cell phone." He'd gotten a new one since the night he and Dean had been taken to Hell. Gail laughed against his chest, sniffling back the tears. "Thanks for that, Sam."
Sam looked at Cas. "You make sure you take care of her," he said to their Angel friend. Sam had a lump in his throat too, and his eyes stung. He and Gail had bonded from the very beginning, and Sam felt very protective of her.
"I will, Sam," Cas assured him. "You know I will."
Sam nodded. Of course he knew that; he'd just had to say it anyway. He was dangerously close to shedding a couple of tears, himself.
Dean shook Cas's hand, then pulled him in for a hug. Gail could see that they were getting emotional too, and she didn't think she could bear to see that, or she would fall apart.
So Gail pulled out of Sam's hug and rushed over to Cas. "Let's go, before I change my mind and just decide to take my prison term," she said with a tremulous smile.
Castiel knew how hard this was for Gail; she'd lost her brother Frank to Hell, as he'd so indelicately reminded her earlier, and now she felt as if she was losing two other brothers in Sam and Dean. And he had to admit he felt the same way. The Winchesters had felt like his own brothers for years now. And once again, they had proven to be more like family to him than his supposed Brethren in Heaven, who were even now gathering the wood to burn him at the stake. But he feared it would be a long time before he saw Dean and Sam again.
Not wanting to prolong their painful goodbyes any further, Cas picked up the bags in one hand, took Gail's hand with the other, and winked them both out of the bunker.
They reappeared by the rental car, which was still parked on the side of the road where they'd left it. Castiel put their bags in the trunk, and they got in. Once they were back on the highway, Cas noticed that Gail was looking out the window with tears rolling down her cheeks, so he turned on the radio, hoping the music would cheer her. But Gail turned to the radio and pushed the button again, switching it off.
"I'm sorry, Cas, I just need to feel sad for a bit," she said to him.
He stared at her for a moment. What a strange thing to say, Castiel thought. Stranger still that he completely understood.
Sam and Dean sat down heavily in their chairs at the table, once their Angel friends had left. Each was lost in his own thoughts for a few minutes. What a mess. They didn't know when they'd see Cas and Gail again, and they knew there was nothing they could do to help them. This was Heaven's business, and as humans they had no say in what went on there.
Dean was frustrated. Where was Bobby, and why wasn't he doing anything about this? So he'd been impeached as God; he was still an Angel, wasn't he? The Bobby that Dean knew should be raising a stink, kicking Xavier's ass. Why the sudden silence? Cas had sent up flares, and Bobby was just ignoring them. It was uncharacteristic of him, and that bothered Dean.
Sam was thinking the same things about Bobby, and he was still wondering how the hell this guy Xavier could just railroad Cas like that. Here on Earth there was such a thing as due process. But apparently, they didn't believe in such things in Heaven, or at least Xavier didn't; and if he was the temporary God, Sam guessed he could do pretty much whatever he wanted.
Dean looked at his brother and said, "Well, I guess we'd better bug out, then."
Sam didn't mind going back out on the road; it was what they did, after all. What he did mind were the circumstances. Why the hell should they have to clear out of their home and go on the run? In a sense, it was like they would be fugitives, too. But they couldn't just stay holed up here, either. Sooner or later, they would have to leave the protections of the bunker, and once it was evident that Cas wasn't going to show up for the tribunal tomorrow, he was sure Xavier wouldn't waste any time sending Jason after him and Dean, looking for information on Cas. They would just have to stay one step ahead until he could figure out a solution. There must be one; Sam would just have to think of it.
Xavier was in his office, arranging his paperwork and his thoughts in anticipation of the tribunal in the morning.
Crowley had advised Xavier that the message had been delivered, and he had told Xavier about Castiel's violent reaction, though Crowley did not specify what exactly had set him off. That mattered little to Xavier. It could have been any number of things. Castiel was a dangerous psychopath, and Heaven should be grateful to Xavier for his dedication in ridding them all of Castiel.
He looked forward to watching Castiel squirm as his crimes and sins were brought out into the spotlight, for all the Angels to see. Xavier knew that quite a few Angels still regarded Castiel as a hero. What a joke. But they would find out the truth, very soon.
Xavier was as prepared as he was ever going to be. It was just as well that Angels didn't sleep; he would have been too excited to do so, anyway. He was on the verge of achieving his dream, and nothing and no one was going to stop him now.