Book 40 - If I Die Young

by GailDunn2

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN ADULT CONTENT. Changes are in store for the Winchester brothers and their extended family. Birth, death, marriage, and ominous Prophecies. Old enemies return, some more dangerous than others.

1. Only Begotten Son

Chapter 1 - Only Begotten Son

Nicole stared down at Dean, open-mouthed. He had taken her completely by surprise.

As his girlfriend tried to get her brain to form a coherent sentence, Dean felt like he was on a highwire at the circus. He'd only proposed a couple of seconds ago, he was sure, but this was the longest few seconds of his life. Nobody ever told you how time just suddenly ground to a halt when you were waiting for the answer.

Nicole touched his face. "Oh, Dean," she said softly. "No."

He froze in place. Wait, what? "No?" he said, bewildered. "No?"

"You don't want to get married," she told him gently.

"I don't?" Dean was the one who was astounded now. What the hell? This never happened in the movies.

"No. No, you don't." Nicole was trying not to laugh, fearing he would misunderstand. She knew it took a lot of courage for a guy to propose. But he should see the look on his face. "Please, have a seat. Please," she said.

Dean rose slowly from his knee and sat back down in the chair. He looked at the ring box as if he'd never seen it before, then put it on the table.

Nicole poured them each another shot, gesturing. They threw it back, and then Nicole put her hand on Dean's, on top of the table.

"Come on, Dean," she said, still speaking softly. "You don't really want to get married. I know you. You just think that's something I need from you. You've been thinking that, since Sam's going to be a father, and Cas is married, you should move forward. You've been thinking that life is too short. And, you're regretting that you never became a dad when you might have had the chance. Am I in the ballpark?"

He stared at her, speechless. Finally, he nodded. That was exactly what he had been thinking. All of it. Every word.

"But you never really HAD the chance, Dean," Nicole continued. She gave his hand a squeeze. "What happened with Lisa and Ben wasn't your fault. I know you blame yourself for that whole thing. I know you blame yourself for a lot of things. But, you couldn't help the choices that your parents made, any more than you could help everything that happened after."

Tears prickled in Dean's eyes now. What the hell? When was the last time that anybody had ever said anything like that to him? No wonder he loved her. And he could tell that she loved him, too. She had loved him enough to say no.

"I'm releasing you," Nicole said to him now, and Dean blinked back the tears. He tried to smile. "What? You're dumping me?" he said in a hoarse voice.

Nicole smiled gently. "No. I'm RELEASING you. There's a difference. I'm releasing you from any obligation you might feel towards me. Look, Dean, I love you, and you love me. That much is obvious. But, neither one of us wants to get married right now. Isn't that true?"

Dean had a lump in his throat, so all he could do was nod. And that lump doubled in size when Nicole kept on going:

"You've felt responsible for Sam all your life, and even though I'm an only child, I get that. But you've done your job, Dean. You did it a long time ago. Sam is a grown man, with his own choices to make. You had to be both parents for him when the two of you were growing up. And, like many parents, you don't want to see him make mistakes that are going to screw up his life. But you don't get to make that call, Dean. If Sam decides that he wants to be a father, that's HIS call, not yours. You can get mad all you want, but you know it's true." She reached out and put her hand on his again. "Try not to feel too badly, Dean. You're a hero, in very many ways. Especially for Sam. Despite impossible conditions, you raised him to be the kind of man who takes responsibility for himself, and his actions. YOU did that. So, in a way, you've been a dad all along."

And here came the damn waterworks again. Dean sat there, weeping silently as Nicole held his hand. "Just let me have my say, and then I'll ask you for the world's most epic hug," Nicole said, trying to make him smile. "In fact, if you want, we can comfort each other's brains out." Dean burbled out a laugh, and Nicole nodded. Good enough.

"You know, I considered just moving in here, and leaving it all behind," Nicole told him. "A lot of us are realizing all too well these days that life is too damn short, aren't we? I've been thinking for a while now that I'm not really that happy with my life any more. I know, I know. I'm crazy. I live in a beautiful city, and I have an amazing job. But, like my Grandpa used to say, for every silver cloud, there's a dark lining. I'm not even kidding; that's what he used to say. I would ask him what he meant by that, and he would just say I'd find out when I was older. And now, I think I might have an inkling of what he was getting at. Vancouver is so expensive to live in, and the movie industry is so jaded. When we first started out as a little TV show that hardly anybody watched, we felt like we were doing something truly groundbreaking. And I guess we were, in a way. But now, nearly all the friends I had back then have moved on, and sometimes I get sick of shaking sand out of my underpants, and scratching exotic bug bites. I've been wanting to start a new chapter in my life for a while now. But I've been struggling to figure out what that should be. Now, I think I know."

"OK, I'll bite: what?" Dean said. He'd knuckled away the tears as she'd been talking. He realized now that she'd been giving him the opportunity to let his emotions out, without any comment or judgement. That was exactly what he had needed.

"I'm going to join a convent, and become a nun," Nicole replied. As Dean's eyes started to widen, she continued, "And I'll join the choir, and we can turn some of the hymns into some hip numbers, and then the Pope will come and see us in Reno, and...oh, wait. That's the plot of Sister Act." Dean was staring at her now, and Nicole laughed merrily. "Sorry; I couldn't resist. You should see your face right now. Are you kidding? Let Cas and Gail be the Angels. I love what we do between the sheets way too much to ever give it up. Even if it meant I'd get to perform in Vegas."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Bad example," he said, playing along. "Believe me, Cas and Gail don't give any of that stuff up. I oughta know. I have to look at it every damn day. Especially lately. I mean...you know what I mean." He and Nicole shared a smile. "So, seriously, what did you decide to do?" he asked her.

"I'm going to go back," Nicole said, "and I'm going to GIVE back. As soon as I've got things wrapped up here, I'm going to go back to my job. Despite everything I just said, I still love what I do. I'm just going to do more with my life. I'll talk to Richard and some of the guys about their charity work, and figure out where I might be the most use. So, I guess I'm KIND of going to be like a nun," she added teasingly.

"I sure hope NOT," Dean responded in the same tone, "'cause I could never make the kind of suggestion I'm gonna make in a minute to a nun. That is, if you still want to - "

Nicole nodded. "Oh, I still want to, believe me. That wasn't what I was saying. I just meant that neither of us is interested in a long-term, committed relationship right now. But I do love you, Dean, and I always will. I'm perfectly fine with the way things are now. I love it when we get together, both in bed, and out. When I said I was releasing you, I only meant that I don't want you to feel any obligation, here. If you want to see other women, go ahead. I won't hold you back. Really. I don't want you to look back with regret. If, somewhere down the road, you meet a woman you honestly want to commit to, I don't want to be the obstacle that stands in your way. And, who knows? Maybe we'll both feel differently about things in a few years. But I don't want you to wait for that, because it may never happen. I want you to live your best life, Dean. If that happens to be with someone else, well, I'll just have to hire somebody to kick me in the ass all day long, for the rest of my life, for being so stupid."

Dean looked at her. She wasn't a nun; she was a Saint.

"What are YOU going to do?" she asked him softly.

"Huh?"

Nicole smiled again. "While I'm out there trying to make the world a better place in my spare time, what will YOU be doing?"

"The same thing," Dean responded, but she was staring at him now, so he sighed and added, "Being a damn uncle, I guess. That's what I'll be doing."

"There you go," Nicole remarked. "Now, what do you say we go upstairs and do some of those non-nunlike activities we were both thinking about?"

The next morning was bittersweet. The two of them dressed and went downstairs, and Nicole made them coffee and breakfast. The house was peaceful now, thank goodness. As they ate, Nicole was looking through some more of the documents that Sam had brought downstairs from the attic.

"I don't believe it," she said.

"What?" Dean said.

"My grandfather's Will. Finally!" she exclaimed. She scanned it for a moment. "Looks like I just became the owner of a drafty but non-haunted house, thanks to you guys. And there's the name of a law office, downtown. Hallelujah. I can wrap this up, and get back home." She looked at Dean over the rim of her coffee cup. "Thanks again for everything."

Dean smiled. "Everything?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"OK, well, YOU should be thanking ME for that particular thing," she quipped. Then Nicole's smile faded. "Are we OK, Dean? I want us to be OK."

"We're OK," he assured her. "And, just so you know, I'm gonna take that ring box and lock it up in the safe at the bunker."

She nodded. Fair enough. "Well, my Grandpa also said, 'never say never, because never might come sooner than you think'."

"Who WAS your grandfather? Yogi Berra?" Dean joked, and they shared a laugh.

Once they finished breakfast, Dean gave Nicole a hug, and a lingering kiss. "I love you," he told her.

"Right back at you," she replied. "Let's just say 'so long', instead of goodbye. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Dean said. "Cas is gonna be here in a minute, but I told him to meet me outside, so we can take the rental car back."

Nicole nodded. Dean had told her at breakfast that he was going to do that, because Cas would be freaking out, fawning all over the two of them, and Dean didn't want Nicole to be put on the spot like that. When Dean had accompanied Sam out to the car to get their bags the night before, he had told his brother that he was going to propose. That was why the two of them had spent a couple of extra minutes out there, hugging it out, and why they had been grinning like fools when they had come back in. Dean was willing to bet a million bucks that Sam had told Cas and Gail, as soon as they'd left.

"So unless you want Cas showing up here, weeping, carrying a stack of bridal magazines, I'd better meet him outside," Dean said to Nicole now, but he was smirking when he said it. He and Nicole had talked a lot of things out the night before, and he'd meant it when he'd said that they were fine. He still loved her, and he respected her a helluva lot for setting him straight. He'd proposed to her for all the wrong reasons, and Nicole had been smart enough to realize that. But he'd also meant what he'd said about stashing the ring in the safe.

"I feel like I should apologize to Cas," Nicole quipped.

"Maybe you should. It'd be a big help," Dean responded in kind.

"Seriously, give him and Gail my love," Nicole said. "And keep me posted on the baby, and Jody, and everybody. OK?"

"I will," Dean said. He kissed her again. "And, YOU give ME a call if this place gets re-haunted. Or for any other reason."

They shared one more kiss, and then Dean picked up his bag and left the house. Nicole sighed, closing the door behind him. The only person who was going to be haunting any place she lived in from now on was Dean, she thought sadly. But the decision had been the right one. She knew it had.

She walked back to the kitchen to give the law office a call.

For everyone else but Vincent, the months had flown by. It was March now, and Becky was seven months' pregnant. She was as big as a house, and she was finding it difficult to get around. She'd given up trying to climb the stairs to her bedroom, because it took too much effort. So Sam had made the obvious offer: she should move into the bunker for the remainder of her term.

Vincent was helping Becky pack. Sam was going to be there in an hour to pick her up, and Vincent wanted to be sure that she had her instructions before that happened. Once his Little Mother was ensconced in the bunker, she would be unavailable to him, at least physically. But that shouldn't really matter, now.

Becky was very excited, but she was a little nervous, too. Dean had been a lot less mean about it lately, but she knew that he still wasn't very happy about the situation. Gail, too. But Sam and Cas had been very kind, and they had assured Becky that she and the baby were welcome.

She felt a little insecure about leaving Vincent behind, too. He'd told her he wouldn't be coming around anymore. Once she and Sam had the baby, Becky wouldn't need Vincent's help, anyway. He was going to go back to the Caribbean, where he had a family of his own, he said. In fact, he didn't want her to tell anybody about the special relationship that they had had. His name was never to be mentioned. Did she understand?

Becky didn't, not really, but she knew Vincent well enough to know that he didn't like it when she asked him too many questions. And, even though her moral compass pointed mainly to the south these days, Becky realized that it was in her best interests not to bring up the subject of Vincent, and how he had helped her seduce Sam, back in the fall.

But before he left, Vincent wanted to try something. Would she grant him one last indulgence? He put his hands on her abdomen, telling her he wanted to feel the baby move. Becky had said he could go ahead. After all, he was kind of like the baby's unofficial godfather, anyway.

Vincent giggled at that, and then he lifted her top and put his hands on her bare tummy. He said the spell in his head, and he was rewarded with a couple of kicks. His son had gotten the message.

"I'll be leaving now," Vincent said, replacing her top over her stomach. "Take care, Little Mother. And make sure Sam takes care of you."

He kissed her gently on the forehead, and then he was gone.

A week later, Gail walked into the kitchen of the bunker. She slammed the tray she was carrying down on the counter, and Dean looked at her inquiringly.

"Her Highness doesn't like the eggs," she said tartly. "Now, she wants French toast. I don't even know how to MAKE French toast."

Dean smirked. Better Gail than him. Ever since Becky had moved into the bunker, she had been a bitch on wheels. Sam and Cas usually dealt with her, but they were out shopping, and Gail had drawn the short straw. "Just put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, dip 'em in the sugar bowl, and throw them at her," he wisecracked.

"Don't tempt me," Gail said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I've heard about pregnancy mood swings, but this is ridiculous."

Becky WAS having mood swings, but she was also very, very tired. Ever since she had moved into the bunker, the baby had been kicking practically non-stop. And the dreams had returned, the ones where she mixed Vincent up with Sam, and Gail and Dean were hiding in dark corners, holding knives, plotting to kill her and the baby. Then somebody would knock at her bedroom door and ask her if she was OK, or if she was hungry, and she would bark at them. She didn't really mean to, Becky told herself. She really didn't. She was just tired, and a little scared.

But it ran a lot deeper than that. Before Vincent had left her house, when he had laid his hands on her, he had put a spell on her that would guarantee protection for his son. Just in case things got out of hand at the bunker, Becky would do anything she had to, to ensure that the little Voodoo Prince she had in her belly would be born, safe and sound. Anything.

The baby was likely so restless because it had almost completely taken over now. But, unlike Vincent, the infant could reside in the bunker because it had Becky as its mother. And, conversely, Becky was able to reside in the bunker because she had a theretofore innocent child inside her. But neither party was resting very comfortably at the moment.

Also, Becky was hungry all the time, but she wasn't happy with anything Sam or the others fed her, because it was all so...cooked. She missed the blood, and the fresh meat. But Vincent had told her that she had to cut that stuff out once she moved into the bunker, because they wouldn't understand. So she had tried to eat other things, but everything tasted so strange to her now.

Finally, she had broken down and asked Sam if he could go to a butcher shop to get some fresh organs for her. Hearts, livers, kidneys...anything along those lines. The bloodier, the better. Sam had made a disgusted face. Who the hell ate stuff like that? But then Cas had ridden metaphorically to Becky's rescue and told Sam that many people ate animal organs, even those who weren't undergoing pregnancy cravings. So he had offered to accompany Sam to a butcher shop and help the younger Winchester with his purchases.

As Becky lay catnapping in bed, Cas and Sam returned from their errand.

"Thank goodness you're back," Gail said, rising from her seat opposite Dean at the kitchen table. "Momzilla wants French toast, and I don't know how to make that."

Dean smirked again. Momzilla? That had been pretty good, actually. Worthy of him, even.

"But we just got back from Glotman's Butchers, on 5th," Sam said, putting the grocery bags on the counter.

Gail shrugged. "I don't know, Sam. I give up. Maybe you should go see what she wants."

Sam sighed. Then he headed on down the hall as Dean said, "Uh, Cas...the bags are bleeding."

"That just means the organs are fresh," Cas remarked. He put his arm around Gail, giving her a quick kiss. Then he looked at Dean. "How are you doing?" he asked his friend.

Dean let out a frustrated breath. Every damn time. Ever since Cas had picked him up at Nicole's grandfather's house in February and Dean had had to break the bad news that he and Nicole had decided not to be engaged after all, Cas had been devastated. Even Sam had taken the news with more equanimity. So now every time Cas saw Dean, he asked him how he was doing. Every. Single. Time. It was driving Dean nuts. But on the plus side, Cas and Gail had cut down on their PDAs around him, presumably in deference to his feelings. So, there was that.

"I'm fine, Cas. I told you I was fine before you and Sam left for the store, and I'm fine now," Dean said irritably.

"Wow," Sam said, returning to the kitchen. "What did you SAY to her, Gail?"

She looked at him sharply. "What? What do you mean?"

"She said she was tired, and I should just leave her alone," Sam said, bewildered. "She said we keep bugging her, when all she wants to do is rest."

For an instant, Gail entertained a sweet, sweet fantasy of picking up the breakfast tray, stalking down the hallway, and bashing Becky's brains out with it. But only for a second, or three. Gail was supposed to be an Angel, after all.

"OK, well, you know what?" Dean said. "Why don't you just put whatever you bought there in the fridge, before it comes all the way alive and attacks us all? I'm gonna go watch a movie. You want to come with, Cas? You can help me mend my broken heart while I watch something with lots and lots of explosions."

Gail's lips twitched. "You guys go ahead. I want to talk to Sam for a minute."

The men left the room, and Sam said, "I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?" Gail said coolly.

Sam grabbed the bags, preparing to put them in the fridge, as Dean had suggested. But then, he noticed that some blood had leaked from them onto the counter, and now there was more blood leaking onto the floor. "Dammit!" he exclaimed. He tried grabbing the bags on the bottom, but now, his hands were all bloody. And it was then, naturally, that his cell phone began to ring, and that was in his shirt pocket.

"Could you...?" he said to Gail. She walked over to him and he bent down so she could take the phone out of his pocket. She looked at the Display.

"Who is it?" Sam asked her, putting the bloody bags in the sink.

"I don't know. There's no name, and I don't recognize the number," she replied. "Do you want me to answer it?"

"Yeah, would you, please? I have to clean this up."

"Hello?" Gail said into the phone. Silence on the other end. "Hello?" she said, more loudly. Another pause, and then whoever had been on the other end hung up. "That's strange," she remarked. "They hung up. Maybe it was a wrong number, but they could have at least said something."

Sam was washing his hands with soap and water. She was likely right, but...he was curious, now. He dried his hands on the dish towel.

"Can I see that, for a second?" he said. Gail handed Sam his phone. "I have a reverse trace set up," he told her, pushing a button. "It'll say where the call came from." He waited for a moment. "Exeter, North Carolina," Sam said a moment later. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Exeter?!" Gail exclaimed. "That's where Abigail lives."

"Your mother? Why would she be calling me?" Sam puzzled.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out," Gail said. She headed down the hallway to get Cas.

It had taken this long for Abigail to get up the nerve, but she had finally picked up the phone. But her daughter didn't have a cell phone, and Abigail was reluctant to call Castiel directly. So she had called Sam, instead. And she'd been so surprised when Gail had answered that she'd hung up.

But that was stupid. She should have just spoken to Gail. That was why Abigail had reached out, after all: to give them the information. She'd been just about to dial again when there was a knock at her door. Abigail smiled wryly. Of course. They were Angels, weren't they? And Sam Winchester was a very smart man.

She sighed, opening the door. Gail had brought Castiel with her. Not that Abigail could blame her daughter, really. She hadn't been the most hospitable of people when they'd come to see her, before. But she was trying to work on that.

So Abigail invited them to come in. She even thanked them for coming. Castiel was looking at her warily, standing in-between Abigail and Gail.

"You don't have to do that," Gail's mother said to him, bemused.

"Why did you call? What do you want?" Cas asked her, and Abigail bristled. "Does my daughter have laryngitis?" she asked him tartly.

Cas was taken aback. In that moment, the mother had sounded so much like the daughter that he'd almost smiled. Almost. But he couldn't let himself relax around this woman. When he and Gail had come to see her here before, she had threatened Gail. Just as everyone else in his poor wife's family seemed wont to do.

"No, I don't, but I'm also wondering why you called Sam, and then hung up when I answered the phone," Gail said.

Abigail sighed. "Because I almost lost my nerve. I'm about to do something that would make Vincent very angry."

"Oh? And what's that?" Gail asked, curious.

"This," Abigail said. She took a flash drive out of her pocket and extended it towards her daughter. "Take it. Please. Before I change my mind."

"What is it?" Gail asked her mother, but she took it.

"Those are the files from Cathy Scanlon's office," Abigail responded.

Cas's forehead wrinkled. "We already have those," he stated.

"No, you don't," she remarked. "These are the COMPLETE files. All of his children. Names, ages, locations...everything."

"Why are you giving us this, and why now?" Gail said suspiciously.

Abigail sighed again. "I know you don't have any reason to trust me. But the simple truth is that Vincent needs to be stopped."

"OK, so...?" Gail said, gesturing with the flash drive.

Abigail stared at her daughter. Then, being who she was, she started to smile. "Oh? And has your loving husband not shared that with you yet? I know he knows."

"What are you talking about?" Gail said irritably.

"Far be it from me to interfere in your marriage," Abigail said sarcastically. Now that she had done her good deed, her true colours were showing again. "Why don't the two of you have a nice, long talk about it? Just make sure you're fully aware of the implications of what your husband is already planning to do with the information. Now, get out."

Gail was astonished. How did this keep happening to her? "What is the MATTER with you people?" she said, screwing up her face in disgust. "You know, just once, I'd like to be able to get through a visit with one of my family members without feeling like I have to take five hot showers, afterwards. Then again, on the bright side, at least you didn't threaten to kill me this time. In our family, that's like a Hallmark moment."

Incredibly, Abigail's eyes narrowed. "Who threatened to kill you?"

Gail was beyond astonished now. She looked at Cas, relieved to see the same expression on his face. "Oh, I don't know. Try, everybody?" Gail said to her mother, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "You, Vincent, Andy, JD..."

"JD?" Abigail interrupted.

"Yes. He was one of Vincent's children," Cas chimed in. "He came to us at our house, claiming he wanted to establish a familial bond with Gail, so we allowed him to move in with us for a few days. But he showed his true nature very quickly, so we had to dispatch him."

Abigail's eyebrows shot up. "You killed him?"

"It's all right, Cas," Gail said, holding up her hand. "I"M actually the one who killed him," she told her mother. "I had to do it. He was dangerous."

Abigail nodded slowly. "And what did you do with the body, afterwards?"

"Burned it," Cas said tersely.

Now, Abigail understood. So THAT was why Vincent had a big black scorch mark on his face. She had seen him in her visions, disfigured, but still smiling.

"Where IS Vincent, anyway?" Gail said suddenly, as if she were the psychic.

"How am I supposed to know?" Abigail said defensively.

"But you do know, don't you?" Cas pressed her.

"Take care of what's in those files, and you may never have to find out," she said nervously. "Just leave me out of it. When you burned JD's body, a black scorch mark appeared on Vincent's face, one that no spell of his has been able to erase. Now, that's all I'm going to tell you. I just hope he's too distracted with his latest project to figure out what I've done. Now, go!" She strode to the front door and flung it open, gesturing. The action was quite unnecessary for Angels, of course, but Abigail was just trying to emphasize her point. She was becoming more and more afraid, every second they were in her house. Just because she'd only led them to part of the solution, Vincent wouldn't care. If he found out she'd done even this much, she would die a slow, very painful death.

"Get out," Abigail repeated. The Angels left her home.

Predictably enough, Cas was furious. As Sam downloaded the information from the flash drive onto his computer, Cas was pacing the library room floor, stalking back and forth like one of his white tigers.

"What was Abigail talking about, Cas?" Gail asked her husband calmly, even though her stomach was fluttering.

"You're kidding, right?" Dean asked her. "You really don't know?"

"OK, maybe I just don't want to know," Gail said uneasily.

"It's all here," Sam said. "Just like she said. Names, ages, last known locations. Adoptive parents. There are even photos, in most cases."

Cas stopped pacing. "How many are there?"

"I'll have to print out a list and do a count," Sam said, scanning the computer screen. "If we get Rob and Eric to have a look at this too, and cull the ones who died in the compound - sorry, Gail - "

"How many?" Cas said again, his tone sharper this time.

"Probably thirty to fourty people, after we take those others out," Sam replied.

"Yeah? That's actually not that many," Dean remarked. "I was thinking that it might be in the hundreds, or something."

Gail looked at him. "So what? What does it matter?" She looked at Cas. "She said you knew something. What do you know?"

"I know the same thing you do," he said tonelessly. "The same thing we all know. We've all known it ever since the compound. Actually, we knew it even before that. The aftermath at the compound was just our proof. And, if Vincent now has a black scorch mark on his face from when Sam and I burned JD's body, that is further proof. In order for Vincent to die, all of his children must die, also."

Suddenly, the sound of a bell ringing from down the hallway. Sam sighed. They'd given Becky a bell to ring if she was hungry, or if she needed help getting out of bed. She was so big now that she spent most of her time in bed. Sam had put a TV in there for her, and bought her some magazines. But he stayed away from the fashion magazines. The first time he'd brought her a couple of those, they had come sailing back, towards his head. Apparently, Becky wasn't in the mood to look at beautiful, skinny women right now. Young women, whose modelling careers were advancing, while Becky's was likely over.

"I'll see what she wants," Sam said.

He headed off down the hall as Gail looked at Cas coolly. "So do you want to just take out your blade and knife me now, so we can knock another one off the list?" she said nastily. "I'm sure I won't cause even one little wrinkle on his forehead. He once told me that there was absolutely nothing special about me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Cas said, his lips pursing tightly together.

"No one's knifing anybody, here," Dean said, looking from Cas to Gail and then back again. Now he regretted his petty thoughts about them being affectionate with each other. This was worse.

"Cas just said that all of us have to die," Gail stated, looking at Dean. "There's not a lot of room there for interpretation."

"I didn't mean you, my love," Cas said, agitated. "I would never..." He rushed over to her, hovering over her uncertainly.

She looked up at him. "Did you, or did you not, say 'all' of his children?" she asked her husband.

"I suppose I did, but..."

"She just needed help getting out of bed to go to the bathroom," Sam said, coming back into the library. He stopped short, looking at all of their faces. "What's going on?"

"Ask Cas," Gail said, rolling her eyes. "I may or may not have to die. We'll get back to you on that."

As Cas sat down beside his wife, wondering if he should try to take her hand, Dean looked at her. "Why are you being so...?"

" - Bitchy?" Gail said bluntly. "Oh, I don't know. Let's see if we can figure that out. Maybe it's because we're sitting here discussing the world's stupidest...What? What would you even call it? A riddle? A dilemma? A Catch-22? We're not running around killing all those people! We're not. And even if we were going to entertain such a ridiculous notion, Eric and Rob are Vincent's kids, too, remember? There. Subject over. Case closed."

If Becky had gone to the library to ask for Sam's help in getting back to bed at that moment, things might have worked out differently. She would have overheard Gail using the name "Vincent" in the context of his children, and they could all have had a discussion about that, one that was vitally necessary for them all to have. But instead, she opted to go to the kitchen, where the bloody organs were sitting in the fridge on the bottom shelf, with paper towels underneath, to soak up the blood. She scooped a few out of the bag with both hands, stuffing them into her mouth. Then, as she closed the fridge door with her elbow, Becky noticed a mouse on the floor. It was just sitting there as if it was in some kind of a stupor, whiskers twitching. So she picked it up by the tail and bit it in half, relishing the taste of the fresh blood. She'd eaten quite a few mice back at her house, and when the traps had been empty, a few neighbourhood pets had mysteriously gone missing. But Vincent had been right: the baby always told her what it needed. And if a few animals had to be sacrificed here and there, so what? It was a small price to pay to get a happy and healthy baby.

Becky finished her mouse and then she went back to the washroom, washing her face and hands with warm, soapy water until all the blood was gone. Then she cut across the hall, to the weapons room.

"What do you mean? Of course we're not talking about killing Vincent's kids. Are we?" Sam said uneasily.

"Well, that's the subject, but it's not gonna happen. Right, Cas?" Dean said irritably. "Right?" he repeated, when Cas didn't answer right away. The Angel was Dean's best friend, but honestly, he could be so infuriating, sometimes. Why the hell would he even say such a dumbass thing? Now Gail was all wound up, and Dean couldn't blame her.

"No, of course not," Cas said unconvincingly.

"Good. Now, say it like you really mean it," Dean retorted.

"Of course we wouldn't do that," Cas said, and this time, he really did sound convincing. "I was merely saying - "

"I know what you were saying," Gail sighed. "And I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh. But, it's a touchy subject for me. I know I barely knew those people in the compound, but some of them were just kids, Cas. Either chronologically, or emotionally, like Ricky. He was a sweet and innocent person. None of them asked to be brought into the world with their particular talents, or afflictions, or whatever you want to call them. And they sure as hell didn't ask for the kind of father who was only too happy to disintegrate them, with just the push of a button."

"I know, my darling," Cas said sadly, taking her hand. "I know."

"What did Abigail say when you went there?" Sam asked the Angels, curious.

"We told you," Gail said earnestly. "She said Vincent had to be stopped. Well, duh. Then, blah blah, blah, passive-aggressive stuff, and then she told us to use the information in those files. That's about it. She wouldn't even tell us where he is right now. But I'm sure she knows."

"Use the information?" Sam said, looking thoughtful. "Maybe she meant something else, then. Maybe one of Vincent's other kids has the answer we're looking for. She mentioned JD, right?"

"Well, actually, I brought him up," Gail said, "but, it was weird: she said that when you and Cas burned JD's body, a black mark appeared on Vincent's face. I wonder if that means that some of his kids cause him more damage than others. Or am I just grasping at straws, here?"

No one could really answer that, but now, as Cas went through everything Abigail had said in his mind, his brow furrowed. "She also made mention of Vincent's 'latest project'," he mused. "I wonder what that could be?"

Once again, none of the group could even venture a guess. With a man like Vincent, it could be anything. Anything at all.

"I think we need to track down everybody in these files, once we eliminate those who died, of course," Sam stated. "Maybe there's another way."

Dean was nodding. "Sure. Sure there is. How many times have we been through this same kind of thing? Sam's right. We'll start looking for them, and see what we can find out."

Cas wasn't so sure. He did agree with Dean, to a certain extent. They had been through these kinds of dilemmas before, when it seemed as if the most brutal option would be the only option available to them. But then, either Sam or Dean would come up with their "other way". And, sometimes things would work out. But, more often than not, the so-called solution to the problem had, arguably, been worse than the original problem. And just exactly what was this "project" that Vincent had going on? What sort of havoc would he be allowed to wreak, while they sat around, brainstorming their "other way" of handling the problem?

But, in the end, there was no possible way that Cas could even think about implementing the obvious solution. If Gail, Rob and Eric had not been part of the equasion, he would have had to seriously consider it, whether the others were on board or not. Even his poor wife, who had suffered enough loss to last several lifetimes, let alone the eternity that Cas was going to ensure that she lived, no matter what he had to do to make that happen. Castiel was no longer the avenging Angel that his Father used to deploy, whenever it served His purposes to do so. Now, Castiel was Cas, and he was a loving husband, a brother, and an uncle. Even though his instincts told him that they would regret taking the more compassionate approach when it came to Vincent's children, the bottom line was that Cas could not be the one who would be responsible for their deaths. He simply couldn't do it. To even contemplate otherwise would be to turn his back on his family, and the man that he had become. He liked that man. And Gail loved that man.

He brought Gail's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "We will find another way, my love. I'm sorry I said what I said," Cas told her. "I didn't mean it."

Becky was frustrated. In Sam's zeal to prepare the bunker for the baby's arrival, he had locked all the weapons up in the cabinet. She stood in front of it now, letting out a breath. Dammit! She felt like a hungry person who was looking through the window of a restaurant at all the food. All these weapons, and no way of getting to them. Actually, she might not even need one, Becky realized. Maybe she was getting a little bit carried away. But the dreams she had been having were so vivid. Dean and Gail whispering, conspiring to kill the baby. Her son was depending on her to keep him safe. But: what was real, and what wasn't? Her head was so scrambled right now, she didn't even know any more.

"So, it's agreed," Cas said. "We'll make a list of the people who are still out there, and then we will devise a plan to locate them. Depending on what we find, at least those individuals can be forewarned about what sort of being Vincent is, and that he is still out there."

"What good would THAT do?" Dean asked.

Gail shrugged. She'd been wondering the same thing herself. But Sam was nodding. "Then at least, if he decides to pull something else, they'll be on notice," the younger Winchester said. "If it was me, I'd rather know, so at least I could be on alert. There are some little kids in this file, Dean."

"Wait a second," Gail said. "When Rob and Eric and I were looking at the paper files, Rob said something about Benoit and Dr. Roarke, taking some kids with them when they left. So there's that, too. Great. Just great."

"OK, I'm confused," Dean said, his forehead wrinkling. "Weren't we just saying that if something happens to his kids, that's BAD for him? So, why would he have wanted to..." He trailed off, looking uncomfortably at Gail.

" - Blow up dozens of them, at that damn compound?" Gail said angrily, finishing his thought for him. "Because he's a crazy bastard, that's why!"

Dean took a risk: "Settle down, Griselda," he said.

It took a moment, but Gail started to smile. Then she took a deep, shaky breath, then another. "I'm sorry, you guys," she said in a subdued tone. "This is just a really sore subject with me."

"We understand, my darling," Cas said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I apologize."

"That's OK, Cas," she said sadly. "Just another terrific day with my loving, nurturing parents, passive-aggressive, loony Abigail, and evil bastard Vincent. Oh, well. At least they're staying true to form. She stabbed him in the back, and he's got a black mark on his face now, to match the one on his soul."

Becky came into the library area at that moment. "A black mark on his face? Vincent?!" she exclaimed. And as soon as she said his name out loud, her water broke.

The four of them were sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Cas had teleported Becky and Sam there immediately, and Dean had driven Gail over in the Impala. They'd been waiting for the better part of three hours now, but so far, there had been no updates. Sam had checked with the duty nurse twice, and she had informed him that it was not uncommon for labour to last twelve hours or more, especially for first pregnancies. He had moaned, then trudged back to the waiting room.

Dean looked around for the remote for the TV on the wall, which was dark and silent. "Hey, how do you turn that thing on?" he asked a passing volunteer.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the TV's broken," she told him.

Great. Terrific. "Twelve hours," Dean muttered.

"Or more," Gail added helpfully. He glared at her, and she shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. Your brother's the one who started this whole thing," she added dryly.

Cas offered to go for coffee, and Dean looked at him gratefully. Finally. Something for him to do. "Sounds good," he said, grabbing Cas's arm and propelling him to the exit of the waiting area.

Gail shook her head. Traitor. She looked at Sam, and her heart went out to him. He was sitting there fidgeting, looking utterly lost. She walked over and sat beside him, putting her hand on his arm.

"How are you holding up?" Gail asked him, somewhat unnecessarily.

Sam gave a short laugh. "Scared. Nervous. Excited. Terrified."

"Wow. Those are a lot of emotions, all at once. Especially for a guy," she quipped.

Sam flashed her a quick smile, but his forehead was creased with worry. "It's too early, Gail. She wasn't due for two more months."

"I know, Sam," Gail said softly. But she had nothing else to add, because, what the hell did she know about these kinds of things?

"What's happening?" Bobby said. The two of them looked up, and Gail burst out laughing. Despite his concern, Sam's face broke into a grin. There stood God, holding the biggest teddy bear that either of them had ever seen. "What?" Bobby said, but now his lips were twitching, too.

Sam stood from his chair, launching himself into his friend's arms. Bobby was taken by surprise for a moment, but then, he returned Sam's hug. The two men embraced for a moment, and then Gail stood up. "Look out; I'm coming in," she said, and she joined the circle. Now all three of them were hugging. Four, if you counted the bear.

"Oh, so THAT'S where the expression 'bear hug' comes from," Cas quipped. He and Dean had come back into the waiting room area, carrying styrofoam cups of coffee that they had obtained at the vending machine further down the hallway.

They came out of the embrace, and Bobby plunked the stuffed animal into a chair, taking a hankie out of his pocket and blowing into it. Sam and Gail were wiping their eyes, too.

"Is she still in labour?" Bobby asked the group, once he had composed himself.

"Yep," Dean said, handing Sam a cup of coffee. "And, according to them, it might not happen for hours and hours, yet."

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, that's how it goes, sometimes."

"I'm going crazy," Sam agonized. "It's too soon, Bobby. She's only seven months along."

"Don't worry, Son," Bobby reassured Sam. "It happens all the time. Babies come when they come. Obviously, this kid's just anxious to meet his father."

"Oh, my God," Sam said nervously, perhaps unaware of the irony. "Holy crap. I'm gonna be a father." He ran his hand through his hair, then took a sip of his coffee, and the expression on his face when he tasted it was so comical that Gail laughed. He set the cup down on the table as if it was a snake that had just bitten him.

"Yeah, I know. It's crappy, right?" Dean said to his brother. "Sorry. It was all we could find." He set his coffee down, too. Then he gestured to Sam. "Come on, Sammy. Let's go for a walk down the hall. I wanna talk to you, for a minute."

"But what if they come, with an update?" Sam fretted.

"Then we'll come and get you, immediately," Cas told him.

Sam nodded. Oh. Well, he supposed that would be OK, then. He'd been going nuts just sitting here, anyway.

As the brothers walked away, Cas smiled at Bobby. "That's the biggest teddy bear I've ever seen," he remarked.

"I'm pretty sure that's the biggest teddy bear ANYONE'S ever seen," Gail chipped in. "That thing's bigger than me."

"Well, I'm kinda like the kid's Grandpa, ain't I?" Bobby said to them. "So it's my job to go overboard."

That was a sobering thought. Gail realized now that she'd been awfully petty about this whole thing. Regardless of how she felt about Becky, or the way that she and Sam had conceived the baby, the bottom line was that they were all going to have an addition to their family very soon. Maybe Gail should set aside her disapproval, and just focus on that.

Meanwhile, Sam and Dean were strolling down the corridor. Apparently, Dean had been thinking along those same lines, because he stopped and looked at his little brother now. Regardless of the fact that Sammy was about 16 feet tall, he would always be Dean's little brother. Always.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way that I've been acting," Dean said haltingly. Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean held up his hand. "Sammy, please. Just let me get this out. You know that talking about this kind of stuff isn't really my thing." He paused for a moment, to figure out exactly what he wanted to say.

"Look, Sam...you know I'm not too wild about Becky," Dean went on. "I just think you could have done way better. But, hey, it's your life. But I want to make you a promise, right here and now. No matter what you decide to do about her, I'll be here for you, and I'm here for your son. Assuming it turns out to be a boy, of course. If it's a girl, same thing. That kid is gonna have everything we never had, Sam. We'll make sure of that. A nice, normal life. School, friends, parties, first crush, the whole nine. No Hunting, no killing. If he or she has got even half the brains that you have, they'll be the smartest kid in their school. They'll be whatever they want to be. Anything you need, Sammy, just ask. I'm going to be the proudest uncle in the world. All the things I couldn't give you, when we were growing up - " Dean couldn't finish. He was too choked up now.

So was Sam, but he wanted to say something to his brother, too. "You're always saying I didn't have anything, growing up," he said, looking Dean in the eyes. "But that's not true, Dean. I had you. So, I had everything." He pulled his older brother to him for a hug. "Thanks for giving me everything, big brother. Now, it's my turn to do that, with my own kid."

While the Winchesters were sharing their epic hug, Becky was in the delivery room, sweating, panting, and screaming. They had given her something for the pain, but it was doing absolutely no good. She had never felt such excruciating pain before. It was as if the baby was trying to tear up as much of her insides as he could, on the way out.

Becky felt almost bipolar by now. One minute, she was exhilarated by the thought that she and Sam were going to be parents very soon. But the next, she was terrified. Vincent. The black mark on his face. Vincent was Gail's father. The man who Becky had let into her home and into her life, seeing her in her most intimate and vulnerable moments, was an evil, baby-killing monster? But how could that be? He had been nothing but kind to Becky. Supportive. Nurturing, even. He had helped her to get Sam, in the first place. Why would he have wanted to help her and Sam have a baby? That didn't make any sense to Becky.

Maybe Gail was exaggerating about her father, Becky rationalized. A flood of resentment washed over her now. Vincent had been dosing her with his voodoo medicine all these months and feeding her darkest impulses for a reason. Not only did he need his son to be protected until he was big enough to do it for himself, but he'd just wanted to see how dark Becky could go. He'd been thwarted in his attempts to corrupt Gail when she'd been a human child, so maybe this was a bit of a do-over.

Becky frowned as another wave of labour pains hit her.

Gail was a spoiled little Princess, Becky thought now. She was never satisfied, and nothing was ever good enough for her. All the men they knew fell all over themselves to do whatever Gail said, but she was always whining about something. Cas was so good to her, but did Gail appreciate that? No! She was always hanging around the bunker, trying to get Sam to notice her. Then she'd been married to Dean for six months, for reasons that were still unclear to Becky. And then, incredibly, Cas had married Gail again, after that, when he could have had any other woman he wanted. And, Gail had made Cas quit being God. Her husband had been God, and that STILL hadn't been good enough for Gail. And now, she was whining about her parents. Whatever. Vincent probably didn't want anything to do with Gail because she was just a little bitch, who thought that the world revolved around her.

But now, the fear crept in. A very small part of Becky knew that there was something really wrong, here. Why had she felt movement in her stomach mere hours after she'd slept with Sam? Why did she crave blood, and eat live animals? And why, every time she thought about Sam making love to her that night, could she only picture Vincent, grinning?

She screamed as another bolt of pain went through her. Then another, and another.

"Congratulations, Becky," the obstetrician said. "You have a beautiful baby boy."

She struggled to sit up. "Where is he? I want to see him!"

"We're just cleaning him up a bit," the doctor said. Becky couldn't see his face, because he was wearing a surgical mask. But she could tell that he was smiling, because his eyes were all crinkly. "I think you miscalculated your due date, though," the doctor continued. "When the baby's father was filling out the paperwork, he said the baby was two months early. But your son is fully formed, and then some. He weighs thirteen pounds. No wonder you were in so much pain. Oh, here he is, now."

Becky was stunned, as the nurse brought the baby to her. He was pink and healthy-looking, with a shock of dark hair. He wasn't crying, or fidgeting, or anything; just looking at her calmly.

Becky burst into tears. She didn't know what she'd been expecting to see, but she was relieved to see that the infant was so big, and healthy-looking. Just like Sam. Their baby looked like Sam.

"We're going to give you a sedative now, so that you can get some rest," a nurse said, preparing an injection. "When you wake up, we'll bring your baby to you to hold, so you can start the bonding process."

Start? They'd already started, seven months ago, Becky thought. The baby looked like Sam. He was Sam's son. She would do anything for their son. Kill for him. Die for him.

The nurse administered the shot, and Becky fell into a deep, blessedly dreamless sleep.

Had the group been able to turn on the TV in the waiting room, they might have seen the breaking news bulletin from overseas. France had elected a new President, and his name was Benoit Levesque. His poll numbers had been through the roof, and the voters had turned out in droves to demonstrate how much they supported his ideologies.

They would have seen Benoit making his acceptance speech, stating that his first order of business was a huge party back at campaign headquarters, for all of his hard-working staff. Then he was going to call a very special lady in his life, and ask her for a very important date. He would share more about that in the future, if the news was favourable. The gossip columnists were intrigued by his statement. Did that mean that their new President was finally ready to commit to one woman?

That was Benoit's intent. He and Michelle had been carrying on a long-distance relationship since last autumn, but he wasn't satisfied with the status quo. Now that his goal of attaining the Presidency had been achieved, he could move ahead with his plans. But things would have to be done gradually, and he knew that the changes he was about to implement would be much more accepted by the public if they were made by a loving family man. If he had to, he could offer Michelle other enticements, such as the funding, and the weight of the Office of the Presidency, to open up a few Rape Crisis Centres here in Europe. He knew that she really wanted to do that. She could help women here too, not just in America. And if her presence was required in the United States from time to time, she could just fly back and forth. People did it all the time.

So when Benoit called Michelle from his campaign office and told her the good news, she was thrilled for him. And when he proposed to her, she cried, and said yes.

"You have a healthy baby boy, Mr. Winchester," the doctor said to Sam. "Congratulations."

"He's all right?" Sam said anxiously. "Even though he was so early?"

The obstetrician smiled. "Well, I don't know what kind of calendar you and Becky were using, but that's a full-term baby I just delivered. He weighs thirteen pounds. Although now that I've seen you, I'm starting to understand why he's so big."

Sam was astonished. Thirteen pounds? Wasn't that a lot, for a premature baby? But the doctor said that the baby was healthy, so that was the most important thing. "Can I see him?" he said hesitantly.

"Sure. In fact, you can all come, if you want," the doctor replied. "Follow me to the viewing area."

"How's Becky?" Bobby asked.

"She's fine. She's resting now. She probably won't wake up until tomorrow."

They all stood in front of the big picture window of the nursery.

"Which one is he?" Dean asked the doctor, but Bobby said, "Second row, second from the left. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are," the doctor said, impressed. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then. Congratulations, again."

Sam was speechless. His son? His son. "How did you know that was him?" he asked Bobby softly.

"He looks just like you used to, when you were a baby," Bobby said in a thick voice. "Like you were ready to take on the world."

"He's not even crying," Gail observed. "He's so calm."

"That's good. Let's hope things stay that way. Otherwise, you're gonna be running to me for advice," Frank said from behind them.

"To US, you mean," Jody corrected him.

Everyone turned around to look at the couple, surprised.

"Chuck called us, after Bobby called him," Jody said, walking forward. She was looking pale and tired, and she'd lost weight. "Eric and Rob are babysitting Angela, or they would be here too."

"Are you OK?" Sam asked her in a hushed voice.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. There was no way I was missing this." She put her arms around Sam and he embraced her gently.

"Let's see him," Frank said. He elbowed Dean. "Hopefully, he didn't get your looks."

"Never mind that; I just hope he got Sam's brains," Jody said. She and Frank moved to the window, and Sam pointed to the crib. "There he is. That's him. My son," he said. "My son. Wow. I never thought - " His voice cracked, and Jody slipped her arm around his waist.

"I know, right?" Frank said with a half-smile. "You may have had a lot of wild times when you were younger, but I guarantee you, this'll be the most exciting, fun, exasperating, frustrating experience you'll ever have. Totally insane, but totally worth it. Your life just changed in ways you can't possibly imagine. The second they put that little guy in your arms, you're gonna fall in love so hard that you'll never recover."

They were all crying now. Clearly, a change of gears was needed. Frank gaped at the giant teddy bear that Bobby was holding. "Geez, Bobby, couldn't you get anything bigger?" he quipped. As Frank's jokes went, it was decidedly weak, but it had the desired effect. They all smiled, sniffling back the tears.

"I only paid for half an hour in the parking lot," Frank said now. "Boy, do they ever hose you, here. Thousands of bucks to bring your kid into the world, and you still have to pay through the nose just to park your car downstairs. Come on, Winchesters. Jody and I are taking you back to my place, to hoist a few. You Angels can be your own ride."

"Just give me a minute," Sam said. "I want to look in on Becky, before we go."

"Don't worry, Frank, I'll dial the meter back before ya go," Bobby said. He thrust the bear into Sam's arms. "Here, Son. Tell her I'll see her soon, and tell her to tell the baby his Grandpa loves him."

Great. Now they were all crying again. With one last, long look at his son, Sam left the nursery area and found Becky's room. She was sleeping peacefully, so Sam put the teddy bear in the visitors' chair. Then he bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "Thank you," he said. Then he left the room quietly.

VIGNETTE - ALL OF ME

It was April now, and the extended family was gearing up for two weddings. Chuck and Laurel's would be the first, and then Paul and Linda's would follow, two weeks afterwards.

Because the nuptials were scheduled so close together, the couples had decided to combine the mens' bachelor party. Also, the women's stag-ette was going to be combined, at a separate venue.

Cas and Gail were at their house on Earth, getting dressed for their respective parties.

"I remember my bachelor party," Cas was telling his wife. "I enjoyed it, very much."

"I'm surprised you can recall," Gail said, smiling. "You had a lot to drink that night."

Cas knew she was only teasing, of course. "Maybe so, but I'll never forget how excited I was. Chuck and Laurel and Paul and Linda are about to embark on the most wonderful journey."

Gail smiled up at her husband, brushing a piece of lint from the lapel of his blazer. "That's a great way to look at it," she remarked. "But you have to admit, when you're married to me, sometimes that journey is more like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride."

Cas smiled gently, putting his arms around her. "Well, I'm not sure what an amphibian would have to do with it, but I can assure you, it's a ride I wouldn't have missed for the world."

He bent down to kiss her, but when his tongue began to trace her lips, Gail reluctantly pulled away. "Don't start that again, or we'll be late," she chided him softly.

Cas took a deep breath, then let it out shakily. She was right, of course. But even after all this time, his attraction to her hadn't waned one bit. If anything, it got stronger with every passing season. It was spring now, and with spring always came the return of the sunshine on Earth. Romance was in the air with the pending nuptials, Sam and Becky had a new baby boy, and the spring flowers were in bloom.

The only thing that cast a long shadow over them all was the realization that Jody was getting worse. She was extremely thin now, and her complexion was sallow. Barring some sort of remission, or eleventh-hour miracle, Cas had the sinking feeling that Jody may no longer be with them by the summer.

But tonight's festivities were meant to celebrate the upcoming unions of their Angel friends, so the Elephant was being banished, at least for the moment.

"We'll be at the Hunters' bar, in case you need me for anything," Cas said to Gail now, stepping away from her to check his appearance in the mirror. "Dean and I reserved the place for Chuck and Paul's bachelor party. There will be food and drinks, and we'll be playing poker, just like we did at my bachelor party. And also, just like at my party, there won't be any strippers, in case you were wondering."

A small part of Gail had been wondering, actually, but even if there were going to be strippers there, she supposed she had no say in the matter, did she? Still, she appreciated Cas telling her that. "How much did Dean whine about that little news bulletin?" she asked her husband, smiling.

"Not as much as you might think," Cas remarked. He was checking his wallet now, to see if he had enough cash. Deciding that he might not, he crossed over to the dresser, opening the top drawer. He and Gail had long been in the habit of keeping money there for ready use.

Gail was thinking about that now. She wondered if Dean had been a little more upset by Nicole's rejection of his proposal than he was letting on. Either that, or he knew that one or both of the other halves of the men who were about to get married would probably object to the presence of strippers.

"However, I must warn you that some of the men have expressed an interest in smoking cigars, so I may come home smelling like smoke," Cas continued, putting more money into his wallet.

"Well then, we're just going to have to get those clothes right off you, the instant we come home," Gail said mischievously.

Cas turned around to look at her, and his face broke into a smile. "I suppose we will," he agreed, matching her tone. "And, if we weren't already five minutes late, I'd suggest we think about another change of clothing, right now."

"That's your fault," she said good-naturedly. "If you hadn't done that one particular thing, just before it was time for us to get ready - "

"I was under the impression that you enjoyed that," Cas responded in kind. "In fact, as I recall, you were quite expressive about it."

Gail smiled again. Cas continually surprised her with new innovations, and different ways of making love. He'd certainly surprised her with the move that she was referring to now. "I loved it, and you know that I did," she said to her husband. "You're lucky we're only five minutes late. But you'd better help me get these presents over to Hester's, or we'll be even later than that."

"Do you know what Hester has planned for you ladies?" Cas asked her, as they moved to the living room to get the gifts they had wrapped earlier.

"No. She didn't really say," Gail replied. "But since it's at Hester's, I assume it's going to be pretty tame. Tea, sandwiches, maybe some party games..." She glanced at him. "Truthfully, I think your party is going to be a lot more fun. Do you think I could put a fake moustache on, and pass as a man?"

"Not a chance, my love," Cas said affably. "Although, I would like to see the looks on our friends' faces, if I were to kiss a cute little man with a moustache."

Gail laughed. It would almost be worth it, just to see that.

Cas popped over to Hester's house with Gail to drop the presents off, and Linda and Laurel both thanked the couple for the gifts.

"OK, now, get lost," Linda said to Cas, making shooing motions with her hands. "Women only."

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Have fun, ladies." Then he vanished.

"Welcome to my little home," Hester said to Gail. "You're the last one to arrive."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gail apologized sheepishly.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now," Laurel said. "Thank you for the gifts. You and Cas are always so good to us."

"What can I say? We love weddings," Gail said, shrugging. "We're so happy for all four of you." She looked around at all the women who were gathered in the living room. Most of them were ladies from their immediate circle: Laurel, Linda, Emma, Hester, Liz, Karen, Nanette, and Carolyn. Gail was disappointed, but not particularly surprised, to see that Jody wasn't here. She knew that her sister-in-law would have been invited; she probably just wasn't feeling well enough to attend. Conversely, Gail was pleased to see that Nicole and Wilma were both here. Presumably, Laurel was better acquainted with both of those ladies now, because Chuck wrote the scripts for the Supernatural films.

"OK, now that we're all here, us Angels will be transporting our human friends to the REAL party," Linda said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Gail asked, puzzled.

Linda laughed. "You didn't think we were just going to sit around drinking tea and eating cucumber sandwiches, did you?"

Gail shrugged. "Actually, I kind of did," she admitted.

"No way," Linda said, still grinning. "We're going to The Toby."

"What's that?" Gail asked her Angel friend. "Is it a club?"

"If by 'club', you mean a strip joint, then the answer is yes," Hester said, wrinkling her nose. "Honestly, Linda, I don't know why we let you talk us into this."

"Yes, you do," Linda said insistently. "You want to see naked men dance. You're just too much of a prude to admit it."

Prude? Gail raised an eyebrow. Not once you got a couple of drinks into her, she thought. Dean hadn't dubbed Chuck's sister "Hester The Molester" for no reason. But, she kept her mouth shut about that. It wasn't really for Gail to say. She didn't know Hester that well. Maybe she had just been nervous, meeting everybody for the first time on that occasion, and had had too much to drink, as a result.

"Why do you want to see male strippers so much?" Liz asked Linda curiously.

"Because I had a very conservative, uptight upbringing," Linda told her. "My girlfriends and I were going to sneak out and see some male strippers before I married Kevin's father, but then my father found out about it, and he forbade me to go. I should have just gone anyway, but I was just too intimidated."

"Well, I don't know if I approve, but if the brides-to-be are set on going, I suppose I will go, too," Hester remarked.

Gail was trying not to smile. She thought that Hester was protesting just a little bit too much. Liz nudged Gail now. "Is Cas going to be mad?" she asked her friend. Gail opened her mouth to answer, and then she closed it again. "That's a good question," she mused aloud. "I don't think so, but it is kind of a double standard, isn't it? What did Gabriel think?"

"Are you kidding?" Liz said, laughing. "He thought it was great. This morning, he gave me a big wad of singles, and told me to stuff as many G-strings as I could!"

Gail rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. I guess I'm barking up the wrong tree, there." Then she sighed. "Well, you know the old saying, right? It's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission."

"Permission? Screw that; we're going!" Linda exclaimed. She grabbed Hester by the hand, looking around at the other ladies. "The Toby," she said to the Angels. "It's downtown. 834 Wood Street."

"Get out of here," Nicole said, bursting out laughing. "You're making that up!"

"Oh my God, I just got that," Linda said, smirking. "Come on! Let's go, already!"

As the ladies were popping out of Hester's house, the men were congregating at the bar.

"So, Chuck, are you getting nervous?" Barry teased their Angel friend.

"Nope," Chuck replied. "I thought I would be, but I'm really not. Laurel and Hester have everything planned, down to the last detail. All I have to do is show up."

"And then, it'll be your turn," Henri said to Paul, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I can't wait to call you 'Pops'," Kevin said to Paul, grinning.

Chuck spotted Frank and Cas standing at one end of the bar, and he excused himself to go over there and talk to them.

"Hey, Chuck, how're you doing?" Frank asked him.

"I'm good, Frank. I wanted to ask you how Jody was doing," Chuck said quietly. "Laurel told me she wasn't feeling up to going to the stag-ette."

Frank's lips tightened. "Yeah. Sorry, Chuck. She tires easily. She said she'd rather save her energy for the wedding."

"Well, I'm hoping she might have the energy for one other event," Chuck said, giving Frank and Cas a tight smile. "I've received permission to have an advance screening of the new movie, three days after our wedding. Laurel and I are going to delay departure for our honeymoon so we can be there. Just the family are invited. I really hope she can make it, Frank. You guys are gonna love it."

Frank was floored. A special movie premiere, just for them? He looked at Cas. "Did you know about this?" he asked his brother-in-law.

"No, I didn't," Cas said sincerely, "but I think it's a wonderful idea."

"I rented the Rialto Theatre, and when I told Richard what I had in mind, he said they'll send a limo to your place. We'll all dress up, just like a real movie premiere," Chuck continued.

Frank raised his glass. "Thanks, Chuck. Thanks a lot. That's terrific of you guys. She'll love that. Excuse me a second." He put his glass down on the bar, and then he walked quickly away.

Chuck was puzzled. "What was THAT all about? What's up with the sudden exit?"

"He probably just had to go to the washroom," Cas said, but he knew better. Cas knew Gail's brother very well, so he was pretty sure that Frank had walked away to compose himself. That was the reason that Cas had sought Frank out, and the reason that the two men had been talking quietly at one end of the bar, away from everyone else. They'd been talking about Jody, and how sick she was. She had insisted that he, Rob and Eric go to the bachelor party, so that they could get out and have some fun, but they'd had to put their game faces on, first. This was a party to celebrate two guys who were getting married shortly, Frank had told the young men. There would be no talk of illness, and definitely no crying. But it was hard for Frank, because everywhere he went these days, people asked him how Jody was. And the answer was that she wasn't doing too good.

"How's Sam, Jr.?" Eric asked Sam.

"He's great, but we're not calling him that," the younger Winchester replied. "Samuel's going to be his middle name. Becky wants to name him Brian."

"Hey! That's almost like calling him 'Brain'!" Gabriel wisecracked. "Are we sure Becky's not just dyslexic?"

"Really?" Milo said, rolling his eyes.

Cas and Chuck joined the group as Rob said, "When can we come over and see him?"

"Soon," Sam said, a little vaguely. The truth was that Becky got very agitated every time Sam mentioned bringing visitors over to the bunker to see their son. He was just a little newborn baby, she'd argued. Lots of people had spring colds, and she didn't want Brian picking up any germs. When Barry and Tommy had called Sam via Skype to congratulate him on being a father, Sam had asked them if they had been concerned about that kind of thing with Ilene, and they had kind of danced around the subject. Truthfully, the men thought that Becky was going a little overboard. But it wasn't really up to them, was it?

Bobby had ignored all that, of course. He'd been popping in and out of the bunker as often as he pleased, to see the baby, and Becky, too. She didn't really object to that, because Becky had always looked to Bobby as a father figure, and because he was so obviously in her corner now. She figured she could use an ally there, in the bunker. Brian slept in Becky's room, in a bassinet at the foot of her bed. She was never apart from the child. She even took him with her when she went to the kitchen, or to the bathroom. Sam had wondered if that was normal behaviour. He'd been asking their friends about that. Ethan had laughed and remarked that, while that might be a bit extreme, many new mothers experienced separation anxiety after giving birth. Ethan had unfortunately never gotten the chance to see that phenomenon in his own family, because he had already been an Angel at that time. But he had done some research on the topic shortly before his death, and he told Sam about it. That had been of some comfort to Sam.

Dean thought it was weird, of course, and he wasn't too crazy about the name "Brian", either. Still, he guessed there were worse names Becky could have picked, and at least his nephew's middle name was Sam. Dean had been amazed at how seldom the baby cried, or even fussed. He'd been expecting to lose some sleep, once Sam told him that he wanted Becky and the baby to stay in the bunker for now. But, amazingly, Dean never heard the baby crying. He was glad, but the silence had also been a little eerie, too. Babies cried. It was a fact of life. Yet the only time that he had ever seen Brian fuss was the day that they had brought him into the bunker for the first time. But since then, nothing. But Becky made sure the kid was fed and changed regularly, so Dean supposed he had nothing to cry about. Well, not yet, anyway. And if Dean had anything to say about it, hopefully, never.

Cas told the men quickly, with Chuck's help, about the movie screening Chuck had planned. He wanted to make sure the rest of the family knew about it, but Cas had also wanted the subject dealt with by the time Frank came back to join them. He had obviously gone to shed a few tears in private, and Cas wanted to give him that space.

So, by the time Frank got back, the men had started to talk about dividing up into tables to play poker, and Bobby was handing out cigars.

The women had pushed two tables together right in front of the stage, and they were having a couple of cocktails now, before the show started. Linda had wanted to get there early, so that they wouldn't miss a thing. Gail was glad that they'd gotten there before the show too, so that they would have the opportunity to talk to each other for a bit. She'd heard that these types of shows often got loud, and the women got rowdy, sometimes.

The human women appeared to be getting tipsy already, and the Angels were drinking, too. Most of them were doing it just to be sociable, like Gail. But, the more inexperienced drinkers like Liz and Laurel seemed to be more affected than Gail might have thought, considering. Either that, or they were nervous about what they were about to see. Truthfully, Gail was, too. What could she expect? A man coming out on stage, shaking his rear end and then taking off his clothes, she guessed. What was sexy about that? She liked that ballroom dancing show, and she appreciated a nice male physique as much as the next woman, but unless it was Cas taking his clothes off, she really didn't see the appeal. She tried to picture it now: some guy, grabbing his sock by the toe and hopping around, trying to get it off his foot. Or, would he have to sit down on the stage to do it? Now she was laughing. He would probably have stinky feet, too, from dancing around all the time. Yeah. Real sexy.

"What's so funny?" Laurel asked Gail.

"I recognize that smile," Linda said, taking a swig from her drink. "She's thinking about Cas. Am I right?"

"Kind of," Gail said with a half-shrug, still smiling.

"Well, forget about him, for a few minutes," Linda said impatiently. "We're here to see strange men get naked." She looked around for the server. "Another round!"

Gail was bemused. "Are the men strange BECAUSE they're naked?" she asked Emma jokingly.

"Depends on what they look like, I guess," Emma replied. Then, because she was who she was, the young Angel added, "Did you know that there was a mysterious ancient Chinese language called Nushu, that was created and used exclusively by women?"

"No, but if you pronounce that 'new shoes', that sounds like a lot of women I know," Carolyn quipped.

"We want naked men!" Hester called out, thumping her empty glass on the table.

Uh-oh, Gail thought. Here we go. Now, she thought she had it figured out: Hester was one of those women, the ones who were all prim and proper, and "well, I never", until they got a few drinks into their system. Then, all bets were off.

The lights flickered, and then they began to dim. The women in the club cheered and hollered, and a few even whistled. Then there was a voice-over, announcing the first performer. "Here, to light your fire, is our very own: Crash!"

Gail's forehead wrinkled. Had he just said the guy's name was "Crash"? What the hell kind of a name was that? Hopefully, he was a better dancer than his name would suggest.

Crash came out wearing a fireman's outfit, and carrying an axe. OK, now Gail REALLY hoped he wasn't clumsy, because as close to the stage as her group was, they were definitely in what might be termed the "splash zone". Now she wished the music wasn't so loud, because these were some comedy gems she was coming up with. But over the thumping of the dance music and the women screaming, there was no way she would be heard.

The man started to dance, and Gail had to admit that he wasn't as clumsy as she'd feared. He wasn't exactly a ballroom dancer, either, but he kept the beat, and when he took his shirt off, she could see that his torso was muscular. Still, she didn't really get the commotion that all of these women were making over him. Had a bus from a women's prison broken down just outside the club, or something? Damn! She should really be writing these down.

"Take it off! Take it ALL off!" Hester shouted. Crash moved out to the runway right beside their table and shook his pelvis at Chuck's sister, and she whooped. Gail's eyes widened. Wow. She'd never heard Hester make a sound like that before. Crash bent over, and Gail heard a ripping sound, over the music. Had he just torn his pants? If so, Gail might just fall off her chair laughing.

But, wait. No. His pants had been fastened at the seams by velcro. THAT had been the sound she'd heard. Gail didn't know whether to be relieved, or disappointed. But she supposed it was logical. If you took off your pants for a living, it made sense to be able to do it as expeditiously as possible, didn't it?

Crash flung his pants into the audience, and a few women were fighting for possession of them. Now he was wearing skimpy underwear, gyrating, while holding the axe over his head with both hands. Now Gail was starting to get concerned again. How naked was he going to get? Did she really want to know? Did she really want to LOOK?

But to her relief, the song ended, and Crash stopped dancing. He soaked up his ovation. Then Linda elbowed Liz. "Show him the money," she ordered their friend. Liz waved the singles that Gabriel had given her, and Crash hopped down from the stage to stand next to their table.

"Which one of you ladies wants a lap dance?" the dancer said with a smile.

Everyone looked at Linda, but she had a frozen look on her face now. It was easy to catcall when you were an anonymous member of a crowd. But now that the lights were on and Crash and his underpants were staring her in the face, she felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

"SHE does!" Hester exclaimed. For a heart-stopping moment, Gail thought Chuck's sister was pointing to her. But Hester was actually pointing at Liz, because Liz was holding the cash. So the stripper came over to Liz, and he smiled down at her. Then he started to undulate, shaking his rear end in her face.

Liz was mortified. What was she supposed to do, here? Where was she supposed to look? She looked at Gail, wide-eyed, but her friend was of no help whatsoever in this situation, because Gail didn't know what to do, either.

"Liz!" Nicole said in a loud whisper. "You're supposed to..." She gestured to the waistband of her pants.

Liz looked at the singles she was holding, and then she glanced at Crash's underwear. He had picked that moment to turn around, and now, he was wiggling his crotch in her face. Oh, no. Oh, HELL, no.

"What's the matter?" Crash asked Liz. "Are you shy?"

She looked up at his face. There. Now, she was on safer ground. He looked like a nice enough guy. "What's your name?" she blurted out. "I mean, your real name."

"Drew," he said, continuing to gyrate. But his smile was genuine. "I can tell you've never done this before, so let me tell you something about myself, to put you at ease," the dancer went on. "I dress like a fireman because I'm a volunteer firefighter in my spare time, and I'm proud of that. I only do this because I've got two ex-wives to support, and I'm getting married again, real soon. They say the third time's the charm, right?"

"Wow, you must really love being married," Gail blurted out, unable to help herself. Crash, aka Drew, looked at her and laughed. "Yeah. A little too much, I think," he said ruefully. Then he stopped dancing, and Liz let out a relieved breath.

"Thank you," she said politely, holding out a handful of the singles for him to take. He laughed again, took them, and then left.

Gail burst out laughing. "You should see your face right now."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God. Thanks a lot, Hester." But then, her lips twitched. "When Gabriel asks, and he will, you guys better tell him those singles went in those guy's underpants!"

All of the women laughed, and Linda said, "Let's get some more drinks!"

The men were taking a break from playing poker, and Frank and Dean were having a toast. "So, your life's been a little...interesting, lately," Frank remarked.

"Aww, geez. Who was the snitch?" Dean said, rolling his eyes. "The really tall one, the really short one, or the one with black wings and the big mouth?"

"Doesn't matter," Frank replied. "Look, you know I don't usually do the touchy-feely, 'I-love-you, man' thing, but, are you OK?"

"Yeah," Dean responded. "It was just like ripping off a bandaid. For a second, it hurt like hell. But, you know what? Nicole was right. About everything. Mainly, I proposed to her because I thought she wanted me to."

"Boy, oh boy. A bullet was dodged, there," Frank said, miming wiping sweat from his brow.

"Oh, I don't know about THAT," Dean said. "We're still gonna see each other. She's a terrific woman, Frank."

"I wasn't talking about YOU, I was talking about HER," Frank joked.

Dean shook his head slowly. He knew how tough things were for Gail's brother right now, but he never changed. Thank God. "You're a real son of a bitch, you know that?" he said to Frank.

Gail's brother grinned. "Yeah, I know," he said affably. "Come on, Winchester. Buy me another drink."

The men slung their arms around each other's shoulders, and headed to the bar.

It had been really funny for a while, but Gail was starting to get a little bored, now. Several male dancers had come out in various costumes, done pretty much the same things as Crash had, and then left. Sure, some of them were nice-looking and had decent bodies, but honestly, they weren't the greatest dancers she had ever seen, and it was all getting a bit repetitive. Most of the women were still yelling and rowdy, but she was losing interest. The bottom line for her was that none of these guys was Cas. Now, maybe if one of them was at least the actor who played Cas, she might give him a second look.

But, wait...what? What? The dancer who was currently on stage took off his pants to reveal...a velvet bag that was tied around his - No. No way. Now, he was lighting it on fire! The velvet bag was ablaze now, and he was dancing around the stage, with it burning merrily away. Well, of course he was. She would be dancing around, too. But at least this was something different to look at. Actually, it was becoming a little bit stressful. Didn't that hurt? Was he crazy?

Finally, he grabbed a water bottle from the corner of the stage and poured it on himself, dousing the flames. Incredibly, though, he was still covered. How could that be? The bag had been on fire! Did he have another, fireproof bag on underneath the velvet one, maybe? She was staring at him now, fascinated, trying to figure it out. She had to hand it to the guy. His act had certainly gotten her attention. He must have it down to a science by now, but, still...maybe that was why they had a volunteer firefighter on the payroll.

Next came another guy, carrying a black case. Gail clapped a hand over her mouth. If he was a ventriloquist, Angel or not, she was going to pee herself. He set the case down on the stage, then started dancing and taking off his clothes, just like the others. She waited patiently, and then finally, he went over to the case, opened it up, and took out a big boa constrictor.

Holy moly! Imagine if Dean were here to see this. Gail looked at Liz, and then at Nicole, and all three women cracked up laughing. The guy kept dancing with the snake wound around his body for a while. Then his dance ended, and the house lights went up. There was an announcement that this was the intermission.

When the server came over to bring them another round, Gail asked him if the men they had just seen were going to do another show after the break. When he assured her that they were, Gail started to smile.

"Hi, sweetie! How's it going? Are you guys having fun?" Gail asked her husband. She had asked Nicole if she could borrow her cell phone, telling their friend what she had in mind. Nicole had liked it so much that she had pressed the phone into Gail's hand, telling her to do whatever it took to make that happen.

But Cas didn't answer her question. "Cas? Are you still there?" she said into the phone.

She heard him sigh on the other end, and then, he said something very peculiar: "How did you find out?"

Gail's forehead wrinkled, but before she could ask Cas what he was talking about, he said in a rush, "Please don't be angry. I asked Dean, but he swore he didn't hire them. But I haven't been watching, I promise. I went to the other room, with Barry and Tommy and Bobby. They told me the strippers will be gone in about ten minutes. Please don't be angry, Gail. I had nothing to do with it."

She looked at the phone incredulously. Here Cas was, freaking out because there were strippers in another room at the bachelor party, and here she was, with male strippers wagging their private parts practically in her face.

"I'm not angry, Cas," she replied hesitantly. "I'd be a great big hypocrite, if I were. Guess where I am, right now." She told him, and there was another silence on his end. "But it doesn't interest me, Cas. Believe me, I would much rather be there with you. I don't find any of these guys appealing."

"You don't?" he asked her.

"No, I don't, Cas. They're not you," she said earnestly. "I was actually getting pretty bored, but then the last two guys did some crazy things." She briefly described what she'd seen, and Cas was astonished. "Surely, you must be exaggerating," he said, and Gail's lips were twitching furiously now. Maybe he would be mad later, but right now, she had piqued his curiosity. Which, of course, had been the plan, all along. "I'm not, Cas. You should come and see. In fact, why don't you bring all the guys? Won't that be funny? Please, Cas. I need to see Dean's face when that guy comes out with the snake. Then if you want to yell at me later, when we get home, at least I'll have seen that. Please."

Cas was starting to smile now. He also wanted to see Dean's face when that happened. He was pretty sure that his friend had lied to him about hiring the strippers. And Cas was very intrigued by the man who danced while on fire. It was difficult to be angry about something that intrigued him so much. He supposed this was a double-standard type of situation, and they might have to talk about that, later. But Cas believed his wife when she'd told him that going to see the strippers hadn't been her idea, and that she wasn't attracted to any of them.

In the end, curiosity won the day. About fifteen minutes later, the men walked into the club, and the women started to laugh. Even Dean was there. He'd been incredulous when Cas and some of the others had told him where they wanted to go. But, Cas had persuaded Dean to come by telling him that some of the women had been upset about the fact that there had been female strippers at their party. If the men joined the women at the male strip club, that would go a long way towards smoothing things over, Cas had stated. Then the men who had partners who were at The Toby had stated that they were willing to go, if it would help keep them out of the proverbial doghouse. Then Cas had casually mentioned that Nicole was there at The Toby, and that had sealed the deal. Even though they hadn't become engaged, Dean knew that if he wanted to continue seeing her from time to time, he would do well not to give her the impression that he had already moved on.

So he sat down next to Nicole, and she gave Gail the thumbs-up. All of the men had come except for Bobby, Frank, Rob and Eric. Frank and the boys had wanted to get home to Jody, and Bobby had taken them. But the jokes were flying around now, as Gail teased Barry and Tommy about being the most interested participants there, next to the women.

"Oh, please," Tommy said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure there won't be anything here we haven't seen before."

"I'm sure there won't be anything here we haven't DONE before," Barry quipped, and everyone laughed.

Dean was still grousing a bit, but Gabriel propped his feet up on an empty chair, and put his arm around Liz. "Look, Dean-o, let me tell you something," the Archangel said. "If you're secure in your manliness, there's no reason this can't be entertaining. Besides," he added, waggling an eyebrow, "if you go home with a woman after one of these kinds of shows, chances are she's probably gonna be a little more...motivated, if you know what I mean."

The lights went down, and the show started. Crash came out to do his second routine, and when he'd finished, he came down to where the group sat. "Now, here's something we don't see every day. Is this your husband?" he asked Liz, smiling at her flirtatiously.

"Who's asking?" Gabriel said, his eyes narrowing. Cas was also eyeing the man suspiciously. "Never mind. Enjoy the show," Crash said quickly, leaving the floor.

"How's your manliness doing now?" Dean said to Gabriel, smirking.

"It's OK, Gabriel," Hester said. "That guy's engaged. He and Liz had a nice conversation, earlier."

"You're not helping, Hester," Liz muttered.

"I wonder why any guy would do this," Kevin speculated aloud. "It seems like it's a little bit degrading."

"He said he's got two ex-wives to support," Emma piped up, prompting another suspicious look from the men. Just how well-acquainted had the ladies become with these guys, anyway?

"Those velcro pants seem like they could come in handy, though," Chuck quipped, and everyone looked at him. "What? I'm just saying," he said innocently.

A couple of dancers later, the guy with the velvet bag came on to do his routine, and the men gasped audibly when he lit it on fire. As Gail had expected, they watched, enthralled, as he danced around like that.

When the act was over, Tommy let out the breath he'd been holding. "OK, now, THAT, I've never seen before."

"I wonder how he even got that idea in the first place," Gabriel said, open-mouthed. "I mean, I've been near a lot of open flames in my time, but..." He shuddered. "One little accident, and it's alllll over."

"That was both fascinating and horrifying, at the same time," Sam remarked.

Then, when all the men were still trying to recover from that spectacle, on came the dancer with the suitcase. When he brought out the snake, Dean spat out the mouthful of whiskey he had, and went on an expletive-filled rant that the dance music rendered inaudible. But Gail could read his lips, and she was nearly falling off her chair laughing.

When the dance ended and the snake man left the stage, the MC announced that the performances were done for the night. The house lights went up, and Dean was as white as fresh snow. "He had...you all saw...he let a snake touch his..." Dean was stuttering. He turned on Gail. "I can never un-see that."

"Actually, I thought it was kind of interesting," Paul commented. "Kind of reminded me of some of the old-time snake handlers, in the South. Minus the religious aspect, of course."

"I could go for the cheap laugh by insinuating that you guys all suffer by comparison, but I won't," Gabriel said with obnoxious good humour.

"What do you mean, 'you guys'?" Ethan piped up. "What about YOU?"

Gabriel tilted his head, looking indulgently at his fellow Angel. "Archangel," he said, by way of explanation.

Dean was still a little pale, but he'd recovered enough to roll his eyes at that. "OK, well, as fun as this has been, I wanna go back to the bar, now. Or, as I like to call it, the snake-free zone. You ladies can come too, if you want."

"Oh, we can? That's magan...maganimous...generous of you," Hester slurred.

"I think I'd better get you home," Chuck said to his sister. He threw Dean an apologetic glance.

"I'll come, too," Laurel said quickly. Hanging around bars wasn't really her thing, and she had to admit that the comment her fiance had made about the velcro pants had made her want to spend a bit of time with him, rather than with a group of women. The couple rose from their seats, supporting Hester between them. They said goodnight to everyone, walking away from the table.

Milo and Nanette and Ethan and Karen begged off too, as did Henri. The others settled the bill and then went to the restrooms, where the human men and women took care of business, if they needed to. Then the Angels popped their friends over to the Hunter bar for a few more drinks.

Gabriel wasn't drunk, of course, but he was Gabriel. He had decided to find it hilarious that Cas had been so nervous that Gail would be mad that the bachelor party had had female strippers, considering where she had been. "Turns out you could have watched the show with the rest of us, Brother," he teased Cas, once they got back to the venue of the bachelor party.

"I have no interest in that sort of thing," Cas told him.

"You're just saying that because you think you'll get in trouble with your wife," Gabriel scoffed.

"No, he really means it," Dean interjected. "Sammy and I took him to a strip joint in Vegas, when he was still single, and he got so mad I thought he was gonna punch my lights out."

"It was not right for me to go to a place like that, Dean," Cas insisted. He took Gail's hand. "We were there for our first date," he said, smiling at his wife.

"Ohhhh, I get it. I see what the common denominator is, here," Gabriel said, smirking.

"Yes; it's love for my wife," Cas said irritably. "She is the only one I want to look at."

Gail stuck her tongue out at Gabriel. "Yeah. So there. Now, put a sock in it," she said sassily. Then her lips twitched. "We could light it on fire, if you want the practice."

"Poor Liz," Linda said, elbowing Gabriel. "I can hear the little hamster wheels turning in your head right now. She's in for one hell of a performance, later."

"Why are you always hitting me?" Gabe protested. "And, you should be behaving yourself. You're gonna be a married woman, in a couple of weeks." He waggled an eyebrow. "No one gave the bride away at the wedding, but several of the men could have."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Paul said indignantly.

"Oh, lighten up. It's a joke," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, Emma started to laugh. "Oh, I get it!" she exclaimed. "It's a play on words! That's very funny!"

Gabriel puffed out his chest proudly. "See?" he said to Paul. "Now, THAT'S how you react, when you hear something that's funny."

"And that's how I WILL react, if I ever do," Paul said tartly. Gabriel did a double-take, and then he started to smile.

A short while later, the party started to wind down. Barry and Tommy and Carolyn were the first ones to say that they were going to leave, and Nicole remarked that since she was literally in their neighbourhood, she would go with them. The movie was in post-production now, but some re-shooting might still have to be done. There was a bit of an awkward moment between her and Dean then, but she ended up kissing him and telling him that she would see him again, very soon. Cas had told Nicole and Gail about the special movie premiere that Chuck had arranged, and Nicole had said that she would like to come to that, if everybody was okay with it. Without hesitation, Cas had said that of course she should come. Then Gail had taken Cas aside and brought up the point that maybe he should have asked Dean how he felt about that, first. Then the two of them had talked to Dean, and he'd given them a lecture about how stupid they were being. Of course Nicole was welcome to come to the screening. Just because she didn't have a diamond ring on her finger, that didn't mean that anything had really changed between them, Dean had insisted. So he said he would see her then.

Kevin and Emma had volunteered to take Barry, Tommy and Carolyn home, and Linda and Paul said they would go with Nicole. That just left Gabriel and Liz, Cas and Gail, and Sam and Dean.

"Well, I think I should call it a night, too," Sam said, stifling a yawn. "I want to look in on Brian and Becky."

Dean frowned. Of course. Of course he did. "So is this what it's gonna be like, now?" he asked his brother bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, his forehead wrinkling.

"You know exactly what I mean," Dean countered.

"Well, I think we're gonna hit the old dusty trail," Gabriel said, taking Liz's hand. "Thanks for the good time." He popped them out, before Liz had the chance to say anything she might be thinking about saying.

"Come on, let's not do this, Dean," Sam said earnestly. "We had a good night tonight."

Gail wanted to nip this in the bud right away, before it got out of hand, and a mostly fun night was ruined. So she said, "You realize you guys are talking like an old married couple, right? I might have to make friends with some of those Wincest fan fiction girls, if this keeps up."

Sam shook his head slowly. "Nice try, Gail. I get what you're trying to do. Look, Dean, I don't want to argue about this all the time. It's a big adjustment for us, I know. But, we don't have a choice."

Dean's lips pursed tightly together, but he said nothing further on the subject.

"Come on. Gail and I will take you both home," Cas said to the Winchesters. Then, all four of them were gone.

Cas took his blazer off and hung it up in the bedroom closet. He smiled thinly, looking at his wife. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want me to put on some music, while I do this?"

She laughed. "If you want."

"I'm trying to decide if I should be angry with you," he said calmly.

Gail's heart sank a little. She'd figured she might have to do a bit of dancing herself, before this night was over. "I told you, Cas, I didn't know about it. I would never lie to you about that."

"But you went, anyway," he pointed out. He was just standing there, looking at her. She couldn't read his face, or hear any inflection in his voice. She hated it when he did that.

"I was curious," she told him honestly. "And, to be fair, I never said anything about you guys not getting strippers for the bachelor party."

"Would you have been upset if I had looked at them?" he persisted.

Dammit. "Yes," she admitted. Then, she sighed. "Okay, you got me. I'm guilty of the crime of extreme double standard-ism. What's my punishment?"

He approached her now, still wearing that inscrutable look on his face. "I sentence you to life, times infinity, of looking at one unclothed man, and one man, only," Cas told her.

She knew she shouldn't. She really shouldn't. He was about to let her off the hook. But she just couldn't resist. "Do I get to pick the man?" she quipped.

"You think you're very funny, don't you?" Cas said, still staring her in the face.

"Yes?" she said, tentatively.

"Do you have any other clever comments to make?" he inquired.

"No," she replied quickly. "No. Nothing. I swear."

"Then, I suppose I have no choice but to declare that your sentence has officially begun," Cas said, starting to unbutton his shirt.