BOOK II - ITALIAN WEDDING
Chapter 1 - Hand To God
Cas and Gail followed the waiter downstairs to the basement. "This is our wine cellar," the man told them proudly. "Feel free to pick out whatever vintage you like."
Cas had used the "two-finger system" on the man to persuade him to bring them downstairs so that they could look around. But now he frowned. "This is the basement, you say?" he asked the server.
"Yes, sir," the man said with a puzzled expression. "This was where you said you wanted to go."
"No, we were actually looking for the sub-basement," Cas responded.
The server was really confused now. "Sub-basement?" he repeated. "I know of no such place."
"You're very tired," Cas told him, and he touched his hand to the server's forehead. He caught the man as he slumped to the floor, unconscious, and lowered him gently the rest of the way.
"Let's look around," Cas said to Gail. "There has to be a false door, or a hidden panel, or something."
They split up and started searching the perimeter of the room. Gail was feeling her way along the walls, looking for anything unusual. She was so absorbed in her search that she didn't look down to see the small area rug in the corner of the room. She tripped on it when she got there, and she fell to the floor. "Oww!" she exclaimed. The floor was stone, and the fall hurt her knees.
Cas came rushing over. "What happened?" he asked her.
Gail made a face. "Nothing. Just me, being clumsy."
Cas helped her to her feet and they looked down at the floor where the rug she'd tripped on had been. There was a wooden trap door there. Cas looked at her and smiled.
"See, that was my brilliant plan all along," Gail said innocently.
Cas pulled on the handle of the door, and it creaked open. Gail grabbed her blade and spoke the phrase, shining the light into the hole.
"May I have your blade, Gail?" Cas asked her. "I'll use the light to go down there first, and make sure it's safe."
She gave it to him, and he lowered himself through the trap door. It was a short drop to the ground, and he shone the light around him immediately. There didn't seem to be any inherent danger. He was standing in a tunnel that looked old enough to have been there for centuries. The walls were dirt, but the ground was cobblestone, almost as if this place had existed well before the present time. It probably had, Cas thought. He knew of many locations and many civilizations where buildings had been built on top of ancient streets and passageways. Further down the tunnel, he could see that there were torches hung on the walls. That excited him. If someone had taken the trouble to provide illumination, there must be something here to see. Something like a Heaven Tablet, perhaps?
"It's all right for you to come down, Gail. Here, let me help you," Cas said. He put her blade down on the ground. She lowered herself into the trap door and he caught her around the waist, helping her the rest of the way down.
"Thanks, sweetie," she said, kissing him on the cheek. Then she bent down to pick up her blade and started to walk down the tunnel towards where the first torch was.
"Wait," Cas said. He touched her arm, then withdrew his own blade and walked ahead of her. "Just because we see no danger doesn't mean there isn't any," he said to her.
As soon as Cas stepped on the stone before the first torch, the torch automatically came alight. "Well, what do you know?" he said softly, bemused. "And I'd been about to search my pockets for matches." He took the torch from its wall sconce, and Gail spoke the Enochian word to turn the light off on her blade.
They started to walk down the hall and after a few moments, Cas could just make out something at the far end of the corridor. He held the torch higher. Could it be this easy?
"There's a niche in the wall at the end of the corridor," he told Gail with quiet excitement. "And it holds a Tablet."
Gail was excited, too. She hurried up to where he stood. His eyes were sharper than hers and they only had the torchlight, but she was sure she could see it, too.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!" she said, moving forward. He went to grab her arm and missed. "Wait, Gail! There may be - " he started to say.
Gail took one more step, and a steel gate came crashing down in front of the niche holding the Tablet. The noise startled them both, and Cas leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Their hearts were both beating fast, but after a moment, nothing further happened.
Gail took a deep breath. After Egypt, she'd been afraid that something had been about to come out and attack them. And while that could certainly still happen, it seemed that all that did happen was that the Tablet was behind steel bars now.
She gave Cas a squeeze to show her appreciation for his effort to protect her, and then she stepped back from him. "Now what?" she asked him.
Cas was frowning, and he squinted as he looked down the corridor. He held the torch out as he examined the cobblestones which led towards the niche where the Tablet was. "The stones leading up to the Tablet have different hues, on each side of the corridor," he said to Gail. "See?"
She actually could see it, now that he'd pointed it out. "Maybe we're supposed to play Dance Dance Fever," she quipped. Cas looked at her, puzzled. "It's an arcade game where they play music, and you have to step on the corresponding tiles to dance to the song," she tried to explain. "It's kind of hard to explain in words. You'd have to see it to really get it," she added weakly.
But Cas said, "No, I think I understand." He smiled faintly. "I don't think we'll have to dance our way down the corridor, but I do think that we may have to quote our way down there."
Now it was Gail's turn to be puzzled. "What are you talking about, Cas?"
He looked at her. "While you were in the shower, I did some research to find out who may have lived here before. I thought the information might prove significant. I couldn't find any definitive proof, of course, but rumour has it that this building used to be the site of the home of the Latin poet, Gaius Valerius Catullus. He was a pioneer in his field, often called one of the "new" or "modern" poets. His works focused mainly on love and personal matters, rather than the epic feats of heroes and gods, which were the style at the time."
"That's really interesting, Cas," Gail said sincerely. "So do you think if we're able to quote poetry, we may be able to get the gate in front of the Tablet to open?"
"As long as we step on the correct colour of cobblestones while we're doing it. Sort of like your Dance Dance game. Catullus was known to have a whimsical side, too," Cas responded. "Here, let's try it. I'll quote some love poetry, and we'll see what happens."
Cas thought for a moment, cleared his throat, and he looked into Gail's eyes as he said, "I often wonder why/Someone as flawed as I/Deserves to be as happy as you make me./Now I know, no matter what the question/Love is the answer./It's written on Angel's wings."
Gail smiled. "That's beautiful, Cas."
They looked down at the floor, and two cobblestones on opposite sides of the corridor lit up. Cas stepped on one, and Gail advanced to the other.
"So far, so good," Cas said to her, and suddenly, the steel bars in front of the Tablet rose an inch or so. The Angels smiled at each other.
"You were right," Gail said softly. "Why does that not surprise me?"
Cas shrugged modestly. "I've had years and years of experience with this sort of thing," he told her. "Every mission has its tests, be they physical, or intellectual. Once you determine what they are, you just have to meet the challenge."
"I don't think I tell you often enough how impressed I am by your intellect," Gail said, and she took a couple of steps towards him, intending to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
But as soon as she stepped off her cobblestone, the torches on the wall just in front of them ignited, and flames shot across the corridor right in front of them. Gail hurried back to the stone she'd been standing on.
"Wow, they take their arcade games seriously here," she quipped nervously. "I'm sorry, Cas. I won't do that again."
He nodded, then took a breath and quoted, "I will kiss you like an Angel/Cradled in my wings/I will take you up to Heaven/Show you precious things./I could never live one day without your love."
The cobblestones lit up and they advanced, and then the steel bars rose some more.
"I know I can't move towards you right now, but you have to promise me something," Gail said. "You have to promise me you'll quote some of this stuff to me at our wedding. That's some of the most beautiful poetry I've ever heard."
He smiled in her direction. "I promise." Then he said, "I think it's your turn. I would love to hear you quote something to me."
She smiled ruefully. "And I would love to be able to quote something to you. But love poems aren't exactly my forte, Cas. I know a smattering of Shakespeare and Bible quotes, but the only stuff I know that would even come close to what you've been doing here is lyrics from love songs."
"Well, that would be love poetry, wouldn't it?" he said.
She thought about that. "Not only are you smart, but you're very logical," Gail complimented him, and he smiled. She continued, "And it's kind of funny. I first heard this song a couple of years before we met, and the lyrics just spoke to me, and they've stuck in my head all this time. And now I know why." She really wished that she could reach out far enough to hold his hand. But she could feel his gaze on her from across the corridor, and that would have to be enough for now.
Gail quoted, "In my soul I will never be lonely/For there will be an Angel by my side./Never dreamed I'd find someone like you/Who'd be there, when days were at their darkest/Watching over everything I do."
In a moment, they were able to advance, and the steel bars rose again. Gail breathed a sigh of relief.
"There is something to be said for song lyrics," Cas said quietly. "Some of them can be just as lovely as a sonnet."
Gail smiled. Yes, they could. On the other hand, some of the lyrics to some modern urban songs would probably cause this place to explode. She shook her head, smiling to herself. She'd better focus.
"I have another one," she told Cas. "I just remembered it."
His smile widened. He loved it when he was able to quote words of love to her, and he really loved it when she quoted them to him.
"I really like this one," Gail said softly. She cleared her throat. "How was I to know an Angel would come calling for me/How was I to know that Heaven was so close/I can feel your love all around me./Heaven sent an Angel into my life./It's not enough to say I think of you/It's not enough to say we love./How I prayed that you would come/And melt me with your touch."
The cobblestones lit up, but Cas remained standing where he was for a moment. He was absolutely floored. "That may be the most beautiful poem I have heard in my whole life," he told her. "How I wish I could walk over to where you are right now."
"I wish you could, too, but maybe right now we should just worry about advancing to the right stones," Gail said nervously. She stepped up to hers, and Cas quickly stepped up to his. The steel bars that were in front of the niche that held the Tablet had lifted most of the way now, and it looked like they had two more stones to traverse before they could get to the Tablet.
"We're so close, but I can't think of any more," Gail said to Cas.
"I can," he said quickly. "I don't know where this feeling comes from/Surely it was meant to be/For I have known you only in my dreams./I was born to give my love to you."
One more cobblestone each, and they were extremely close to the niche now. Gail smiled sideways at Cas. "I know it's a lot to ask, but do you have one more in you?" she asked him.
"I also heard a song a short while before I met you which resonated with me," Cas told her. "I'm glad I thought of it now, because it seems very appropriate at this moment." He swallowed the lump in his throat and quoted, "Wherever it may take me/I know that life won't break me/When I come to call she won't forsake me/When I'm feeling weak/I look above/And I know I'll always be blessed with love/And as the feeling grows/She breathes flesh to my bones/And when love is dead/I'm loving Angels instead."
The instant Cas finished his quote, the metal bars rose all the way to the ceiling and all of the tiles behind them lit up, illuminating the corridor. He turned to Gail. She took a tentative step towards him, then another, and when nothing happened, she rushed the rest of the way.
She squeezed his arm, smiling up at him. "You and I have a date later to make out for about six hours, but I guess we'd better get this pesky Tablet first."
Cas laughed, and he hugged her to him for a moment. Then he reached into his inside jacket pocket and took out the collapsible case that Dean had given him. He placed it on the floor, lifted the stone Tablet from its niche, and slid it carefully into the case. Then he picked the case up by its handle and took Gail's hand with his free hand.
"Just a minute," she said, and his brow furrowed. "Did you pay for our wine?" she quipped, and Cas smiled again. Then he winked them out of there.
"It was that easy?" Sam asked them. He took the case from Cas and slid the Tablet carefully into the safe next to the Earth Tablet. "You only had to quote a few love poems, and then you were able to just take the Tablet?"
"I know, I couldn't believe it, either," Gail said, smiling at Cas.
"Damn Angels," Dean groused. "We get snakes, scorpions, and guys with machine guns, and they get love poetry. That must have been really hard on you, Cas," he said sarcastically.
"Oh, it was," Cas said, his lips twitching furiously. "It was very difficult for us to have to quote love poems to each other and not be able to kiss or to hold hands while we were doing it."
Gail burst out laughing, and Dean gave them both a withering look. "Damn Angels," he said again, and stalked out of the room.
Barry and Tommy had been having coffee at the library table, and Gail plunked down next to Barry now. "How are you guys doing?" she asked him.
"Actually, pretty good, Gail," Barry told her. "Your friends have made us feel very welcome. And Frank and Jody have been so generous, letting us spend time with Robbie. Originally, we were prepared to move out and get a place of our own as soon as you all got back from Egypt, but Sam and Dean insisted that we stay here for a while longer."
"We've been using your room, but now that you're back, do you want us to move out of it?" Tommy asked them.
"That depends; were you able to find any houses for us?" Cas asked them.
Barry smiled. "It just so happens I found a gorgeous place, not too far from here, and it fills your description. It's got four bedrooms, but it's everything you said you wanted. I called the retailer yesterday, and he said you can stop by any time to see it."
Gail took Cas's hand. "That's fantastic! Let's go right now!" she enthused.
The Angels winked Barry and Tommy over there, and Barry said, "The retailer said the key is in the mailbox, and we can just let ourselves in."
Sure enough, they key was there, and the four of them entered the house to have a look around.
Gail was excited. Except for the extra bedroom, it was exactly what she'd had in mind. It was a modest enough house, but it was clean and cozy-looking. There was a fireplace in the living room, a back yard, and it looked like there would be plenty of room for a dining room table, a few chairs and a couch in the living room, and a Christmas tree in the corner.
"This is perfect, Cas," she said. "What do you think?"
He just stood there, saying nothing. She was just about to nudge him and make a teasing remark when she realized: he was pale, and his hands were trembling.
"Guys, can you excuse us for a minute?" Gail said to Barry and Tommy. She grabbed Cas by the hand and pulled him outside.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" she said.
Cas was frowning. He took both of her hands in his. "I'm afraid, Gail," he said to her. "How can I know that this is the right thing to do? What makes this different from the last time I got a house for us? Maybe it's selfish for us to spend that kind of money on our own comfort."
"What was your first thought when you saw this house, Cas?" Gail asked him quietly. "Your very first thought. Don't think about it first; just answer."
"My very first thought was that you looked so happy when you saw it," he replied. "And that I would be so happy to see you finally have a real home, a place that you and I can call our own."
"I don't think that's selfish, Cas," she said, touching his face. "Everyone is entitled to have a place that they can call home. And there's so much in our lives that's different now. You're different, and so am I. WE'RE different, Cas. Do you want to know what my first thought was when I saw this place?"
He nodded. "Yes, of course I do."
"My first thought was that we could finally have that happy family Christmas here," she replied. "You'll help me put up a tree in the corner, we'll buy presents for everyone, and I'll research how to cook a turkey on the Internet. Better still, I'll see if Barry can help me. I'll bet you if anyone knows how to do it, it's him. Cas, we could actually, finally do it. We could have the best, happiest Christmas ever."
Suddenly, she burst into tears, and Cas looked stricken. "They're happy tears, Cas," she told him. He put his arms around her, crying a few silent tears himself.
After the Angels composed themselves, they walked back into the house. "We'll take it," Gail said, smiling. "Can you guys do us another huge favour?"
"Name it," Barry said.
Gail looked at Cas, who nodded in encouragement. Whatever she wanted was fine by him.
"We have a wedding to plan," she said. "If I give you the money, do you think that you could buy this house and furnish it for us? I'm talking the whole nine yards: beds, couches, TVs, dishes, et cetera, et cetera."
"Are you sure you guys trust me to do all of that for you?" Barry said incredulously.
"Of course we do," Cas said to him. "You and Tommy are two of our closest friends."
"Yeah, and if we asked Sam and Dean to do it, all there would be here was booze and weapons," Gail quipped. Maybe a book or two, if Sam was allowed any input. "Oh, and we're going to need at least one bookshelf, too."
"Just a second," Tommy said. He took a pad of paper and a pen out of his jacket pocket and gave them to Barry, who smiled at his boyfriend. "Hey, once a reporter, always a reporter," Tommy said, shrugging.
Barry started making notes. "Anything else?" he asked Gail.
She thought for a moment. "I can't think of anything specific." She looked at Cas. "Can you?"
He smiled and leaned towards Barry, whispering something in his ear. Barry laughed. "No problem, Cas. I'll make sure to include those."
Gail looked suspiciously at the two of them, and then she shrugged. She wasn't the only one who was going to live here, and if Cas wanted something that was going to be a surprise to her, she was fine with that. She moved forward and gave both Barry and Tommy a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, thanking them. Then she and Cas winked their friends back to the bunker.
Once they dropped Barry and Tommy off at the bunker, the Angels winked themselves back to Italy. Cas had told Gail that he wanted to see if they could get an audience with Pope Francis prior to the wedding.
"I'm hoping he will remember me," Cas said to her. "We will need to make our confession prior to the wedding, and I am hoping he will agree to take it from us."
Gail looked at him. "When you say 'take our confession', what exactly do you mean?" she asked him warily.
He took her hand. "Just that. Anything that we feel we need to confess before we start our new lives together as one. I just thought that Pope Francis would be ideal. He seemed like a very compassionate, down-to-earth individual. And he already knows that I was a Demon." He smiled thinly. "That should save some time."
She frowned. "We're supposed to talk to the Pope about being Demons? Is this another one of those ancient rules, or something?"
"Not per se," he told her. "But yes, it is required that we clean our souls and our consciences before we enter into the bond."
Gail sighed. Well, it wasn't as if she hadn't had the notion that there would be a little more to this than just a simple ceremony. "Okay, Cas," she said, using a phrase she thought she would never hear herself say, "let's go see the Pope."
They approached the gate at the Vatican and Cas said to the guard, "We seek an audience with the Pope, please."
The man smiled indulgently at the couple. "You, and everyone else. But it doesn't work like that. I have a schedule of his public appearances here." He grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to Cas.
Cas folded the schedule and put it in his inside pocket, but he remained standing where he was. "Can you at least give him a call and tell him I'm here? My name is Castiel. If he tells you he can't or won't see me, I'll go away. But at least call him for me, please." He squeezed Gail's hand. Castiel was sure that Pope Francis would grant them an audience.
The security guard sighed. Everyone needed to see the Pope, and they needed to see him right away. They were sure he would see them immediately if they just told him their stories. But this particular Pope had actually left standing instructions to call through to the residence if anyone from the list were to stop by, and the guard was pretty sure that the name "Castiel" had been on that list.
"Just a minute," he said. He went into the kiosk and checked the clipboard. "Castiel" was the second name on the list. The guard picked up the phone.
After a couple of minutes, the man came back outside. "His Holiness will see you," he told them, and buzzed them inside the gate.
They walked to the residence building and when Cas knocked, the door opened and a man said, "I'll take you to him." He led them to a room down the hall, tapped lightly on the door, then let them in. "Go ahead," he said to the Angels.
Cas and Gail walked into the room. Pope Francis stood and approached them. "Please close the door, Castiel," the Pontiff said. As Cas did so, the Pope smiled at Gail. "You must be the Angel Gail," he said, and he extended his hand to her.
Gail was paralyzed with indecision. What should she do here? She gave him her hand, but impulsively, she bowed her head and got down to one knee.
"Please rise, Gail," Pope Francis said, bemused.
She did, and he smiled at her. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Gail," he told her. Then he extended his hand to Cas. "It's good to see you," the Pope said to him. "You look happy and serene, even though you have been given the Herculean task of apprehending Lucifer."
"You know about that?" Gail blurted out. Then she felt extremely stupid. This was the Pope, one of God's representatives on Earth. Of course he would know that Lucifer was out there.
Pope Francis looked at them both and sighed. "Yes, I know that he walks the Earth. But I also know that you and your friends are doing everything you can to stop him. There will be hard times and great sacrifice ahead, but I have faith that you will ultimately prevail. So what can I do for the two of you today?"
"We plan to marry October 15th," Castiel told him. "And we were hoping that you would hear our confession."
"Yes, of course I will," Pope Francis replied. "Where are you to be married?"
Cas's look was sheepish. "We haven't really made those arrangements yet. I was hoping perhaps you could advise us as to a venue, as well."
The Pope smiled, looking at Gail. "If it's all right with you, I could arrange to have the two of you married right here, and I could perform the ceremony myself."
"You would do that for us?" Gail asked him, touched.
"I would be glad to do it," he replied. "I can think of no other union I would be happier to bless." Then he smiled and leaned forward. "And I promise to keep it short and sweet. We need both of you back out there, fighting the good fight."
"We will be saying our own vows," Cas told the Pope.
"A break from tradition?" Francis said, raising an eyebrow. "Good for you, Castiel."
Cas smiled. "I've never been that much of a traditionalist," he said. "Just ask our Father."
"Oh, believe me, He knows," the Pope said, smiling. He reached out and took Gail's hand in one of his, and one of Cas's hands in the other. "We will go to the cathedral, and I will hear your confessions," Francis told them, then he smiled again, and there was a little bit of mischief in his smile. "Do you think that you could teleport me there? I've always wanted to have that experience."
Cas and Gail laughed, and winked him over to the cathedral.
Pope Francis put his vestments on and came back out to the altar. Castiel and Gail were sitting in the front pew waiting, and he came down to sit beside them.
"How exactly does this work?" Gail said nervously. "I guess that's my first confession; I confess I've never done anything quite like this before."
Cas had a hold of her hand and he gave it a gentle squeeze. He knew that this would be a little foreign to her, but he also knew how much she would appreciate the cathartic experience a proper confession could potentially provide. And while it was true that he wasn't that much of a traditionalist, there was something to be said for some of the ancient rituals. He wasn't looking forward to some of the things he might have to say and do, but he was looking forward to having his soul cleansed.
Pope Francis could see how nervous Gail was. It was obvious that she was still a novice Angel. He could only imagine how she felt. He himself was a bit of an unorthodox Pontiff, a "Pope for the people", and as such, Francis understood what it felt like to be respectful of the old traditions while approaching them in a new and modern way. To make her feel at ease, he said, "How about if we start off by talking about marriage itself? What does it mean to each of you, and what are your expectations?"
"It means standing up before God and our family and friends and making the ultimate commitment to the love of my life," Gail said without hesitation.
Cas squeezed her hand again. "I couldn't have said that better myself," he told her.
The Pope smiled gently. "And, what are your expectations?" he asked them.
Gail frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you mean," she said softly.
"I'm pretty sure Castiel does," the Pope said with a smile. He looked at Cas. "You need to tell your fiancee, honestly, whether you will expect her to honour the ancient rules once you are married. You owe it to her to give her the opportunity to decide if she is willing to adhere to those rules. Or, if you will not be asking her to follow them, you need to tell her that, too."
Gail looked curiously at Cas. "I knew there was more to it than you were letting on. Even Cro-" She cut herself off, horrified. She'd been about to say the name of the King of Hell out loud in a cathedral in Vatican City, in front of the Pope.
But Pope Francis was smiling again. "It's all right, Gail. I'm aware of who Castiel's brother is. Though, you are right, it's not a name we would normally mention in a venue such as this. But, Crowley was right. A marriage between two Angels, especially involving such an exalted one," he said, giving a nod to Castiel, "is a very serious and solemn occasion. That doesn't mean it's not a joyous one, as well, but it is definitely not to be entered into lightly."
Cas's blue eyes were gazing at Gail, and his expression was hard to read. She sighed. "What are those ancient rules that the Pope is talking about, Cas?" she asked him.
"You'll be angry," he said in a subdued tone.
Great, she thought. But she said nothing, just sat back and waited for him to continue.
Now it was Cas's turn to sigh. "I'm sure you have wondered why there haven't been any females in upper-tier positions in Heaven," he said to her.
Gail frowned. "Yes and no. I just figured it was because of the ancient laws, and because old-time male Angels aren't exactly models of enlightenment."
"Well, that's certainly part of it, but there's more to it than that," Cas told her. He swallowed, then continued, "Traditionally, when Angels marry, the female will promise the male her love, fidelity, obedience, and subservience."
Gail knew Cas well enough by now to know that he was not joking, but she couldn't help but sit there and gape at him for a moment, as if waiting for him to break into a smile or follow through with a punchline.
"Well, it's been very nice meeting you," she quipped, looking at the Pope, "but I'm out of here."
"I knew you'd be angry," Cas said to her.
"Angry?" Gail said. She was almost speechless. Almost. "Now, why on earth would you think that the idea of vowing to be obedient and subservient would make me angry?"
"I didn't say I was going to ask you to do it," Cas protested. "I was merely telling you what the ancient rules state."
She raised an eyebrow to him. "But why would you even tell me about it if you weren't considering it?"
"All right, Gail!" Castiel exclaimed. "I will confess to you now, in front of the Pope, that I did consider asking you to make those vows."
Gail laughed shortly. He had to be kidding with this. "Excuse me, have we met?" she said dryly.
"I'm serious, Gail," Castiel said earnestly. She rolled her eyes and took her hand away from his as Pope Francis sat back in the pew, observing the couple. This should be interesting, he thought with some amusement.
"You're serious?" Gail asked incredulously. "You really want me to obey you, and be subservient to you?"
"A part of me does, yes," he responded. He'd known that this was going to make her very angry, but a confession had to be brutally honest, or it wasn't a confession. "You're so stubborn sometimes, and you've put yourself in danger many times because of it. You insist on being independent, and I cannot protect you if you just go out there and do whatever you want, whenever you want."
"Really?" Gail exclaimed. "Would you like me to keep my face covered whenever we go out, too? Maybe be dependent on you to take me wherever I want to go? Are we back in Egypt, all of a sudden? Are you even hearing yourself right now?"
Cas was agitated. "I am merely making my confession that sometimes, that is the way I feel. But I would never expect you to take those vows, Gail, and I would never want you to be anyone other than who you are. Who you are is who I want to marry. I reject the ancient rules."
She eyed him suspiciously. "You're not just saying that to appease me?"
"No," Cas assured her, "I'm saying it because I believe the ancient rules are wrong, and I do not want us to live our lives according to them. That's why I was so anxious for us to say our own vows." Then he smiled. "Well, that was one reason. The other reason is that I loved hearing you say words of endearment to me, and I'll use any opportunity to hear you do so again." He glanced at the Pope. "I'm sorry, your Grace."
Gail leaned forward and kissed Cas on the lips. "So am I," she said softly. "I just had to do that."
"Never apologize for a genuine expression of love," Pope Francis told them. "That's one of our Father's favourite things."
The Angels smiled at him. Now Gail was glad they'd come here. The Pope was a kind, benevolent man, and if she had to confess to anyone she didn't know, she was okay that it was him.
"So how does the confession part work, now?" Gail asked the Pope.
"You may speak to me individually, or as a couple. The choice is yours," he replied.
Cas had reclaimed Gail's hand once her anger had dissipated, and he gave it a squeeze now. "I would like for us to do it together, if you will agree," he told her. "It may be painful, but then we will have absolutely no secrets from each other, and we will both be cleansed at the end."
Great. More true confessions, Gail thought. Where was Lucifer now, with his "Truth or Truth"? The truth was, she was a little tired of confessions. Every time she turned around, she was being asked to rip a strip off her soul and show it to people. They had never discussed the confessions that she and Cas and the Winchesters had made in front of each other in the Egyptian tomb. She'd thought hers was the deepest and most soul-bearing confession. But then, she supposed the guys might all feel that way, too. But all four of them had been through so much together that it was almost as though they had an unspoken agreement that whatever was shared between them should stay just between the four of them, and not warrant further discussion.
And now here Cas was, asking her to bare her soul yet again. But he was also saying that they would feel cleansed and relieved afterwards, and that the confession would provide them with a brand new start going forward with their lives, together. And that idea appealed to her very much.
"I'll start," Castiel said. "There have been times that I've thought that our Father sent you to me just to test me."
Gail was a little puzzled by his statement, but she was also amused. "Really? Well, how do you think you did on the test?"
"Apparently, this particular exam is meant to last for the rest of my existence," Cas said, smiling.
"Well, our Father might have sent me to the bunker in the first place, but I was the one who decided to stick around," Gail retorted.
That comment made God chuckle. He was listening avidly to their confession, of course. He had been over the moon when Castiel had finally proposed, and God's heart had been full to bursting with pride when He'd watched the acquisition of the Heaven and Earth Tablets. He's been especially proud of His Son's decisiveness and swift action in Egypt. Sometimes the hard choices had to be made, and He had been impressed with Castiel's mature handling of the situation. God had never shied away from the spilling of blood when there had been no other way to get the job done, and as far as He was concerned, the blood of the Egyptian people was on the Governor's hands, not Castiel's. The man had been given every opportunity to capitulate, and it had been his stubbornness that had gotten his people killed. Some things never changed, did they?
"And you're not the only one who's been tested," Gail continued. Now there was a bit of an edge to her voice. "Sometimes you can be a handful, too. What about your temper?"
"I suppose that's why our Father sent me a meek woman, then, because He was afraid of my temper," Castiel shot back.
"You think you're pretty funny, don't you?" Gail said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, my sense of humour has improved immensely since you came into my life," Cas told her sincerely.
"Good. Hang onto it, because you're going to need it," she said. Then she couldn't help but smile.
Pope Francis was watching the two of them, his head moving back and forth from one Angel to the other, like he was watching a tennis match. This was the most unusual confession he had ever heard, but he was just going with the flow. He knew that couples with an infinite capacity to love were sometimes passionate in other areas as well, and this couple obviously had some feelings to express.
Castiel was staring at Gail. Now that she was smiling, he was fighting not to smile, too. But there was something serious that he wanted to say to her now, in front of the Pope, in the very cathedral in which he hoped she would marry him very soon. "I'm sorry about everything bad that I ever did to you," he said somberly. "I tried to subjugate you and bend you to my will. I hurt you and I humiliated you, while I was claiming to love and respect you. To this day, I don't know why I did those things. That's not me, Gail. And I don't know how you can be with me, loving me, after I subjected you to them."
As the Pope looked at Cas, puzzled by his comments, Gail replied quietly, "Sometimes I wonder that same thing. But then I think about the real you, the one I love. You're so far removed from that guy it's like night and day. I can forgive all of those things because it wasn't you that was doing them. And my confession is that I allowed it. There are a million things I could have done differently. I had to go through my own test, Cas, and in my case it was weakness of character. It was lack of love for myself that made me stay with you then. But it's complete love of myself that's prompting me to want to marry you now, because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Cas. I never want to be apart from you again."
Pope Francis was looking at them both, astonished. He never thought he would be hearing such a confession from two of God's elite Angels. He was still in the dark about exactly what they were talking about, but this was clearly a private matter, just between the two of them, and he was merely here to be their witness. So he remained silent.
Cas was crying now. "I will spend the rest of my existence making sure that you never have cause to regret that decision. And I will never, ever hurt you again. I promise you that, Gail."
"Sounds good to me," she said. "But don't ever stop disagreeing with me, either. It's kind of hot when we argue." Then she clapped both hands over her mouth. Gail had momentarily forgotten where they were, and who they were sitting here with.
The Pope smiled. "That's all right, Gail. I didn't hear a thing. And our Father tells me that you've said things of a similar nature before, though usually you do not say them out loud."
"I guess that's my last confession, then; sometimes I don't have much of a filter. I totally blame Frank," she said sheepishly. She took Cas's hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "You know what? I do feel better. I don't know about you, but I'm good to go," she added pertly.
Cas smiled at her. She was so cute. He had expected their confession together to be much more dramatic and heart-wrenching, but then he realized that they had basically been confessing their feelings to each other ever since they had become a couple. They hadn't held much back in their day-to-day interactions with each other, as far as honest feelings went. And that was a good thing. Now they would be going into their marriage with a clean slate.
"Thank you, Your Holiness," Cas said to the Pope. "This has meant the world to us."
The Pontiff shrugged. "The two of you did all the talking. I was merely here to listen. I'll see you here at 1:00 p.m. sharp, October 15th."
The Angels thanked him again and popped him back to his residence, and then they were on their way.
"Well, it's certainly been an interesting birthday so far," Gail remarked casually as they left the Pope's home. "We've laughed, we've cried, we got a Tablet, we got a wedding venue...I wonder what we should do now?"
Cas stopped short, shocked. "It's your birthday today?" he said, open-mouthed. Of course. She'd told him before that it was October 3rd. They'd spoken about it subsequently, and she had mentioned being unsure as to whether that was her true birthdate. Now that they knew she was adopted, they didn't know whether or not that was actually the date she was born, or whether that was the date that Frank's parents had chosen to celebrate. But Castiel somehow had the feeling that it was her true birthdate.
He felt terrible now. His first opportunity to give her a really special day, and he had failed. And while she was correct that it had been an eventful day so far, that was hardly the same thing. He sent an immediate message to Bobby on Angel Radio, asking him for a huge favour.
"Would you like to go to a cafe and have a glass of wine and talk about the wedding?" Cas said to Gail. "I have a couple of ideas I would like to tell you about."
She looked at him curiously, but then she shrugged. "OK, Cas, that would be nice. I guess we'd better get going on some more plans. It's only 12 days away, now."
So they went to a bistro and sat side by side at an outdoor table. Cas couldn't seem to break himself of the habit of sitting beside her instead of across from her in these types of situations, and Gail found that endearing.
Cas took her hand, stalling for time. "We'll recruit our Angel friends to teleport our human friends to the cathedral," he said. "Then all we'll need is a dress for you. I can do the flowers, as I did for Frank and Jody's wedding. And then we'll have to find a venue for the reception afterwards. You can let them know what you want to serve, once we find the place. Now that I know I can give us an appetite by myself, I can do that, if you like. I must say, I have always thought I would like to partake in my own wedding feast, should such a day ever come. And we can enjoy some champagne, as well." He had ordered a glass of wine for them both, but his glass sat on the table now, untouched. Cas wasn't that big on eating and drinking as a general rule, but he understood that there were times when the ritual that was involved in doing so could be very special in and of itself, because of what it represented. He had intended to make a toast with Gail for her birthday, but right now, he was just buying a little time.
"Maybe we'll just have an Italian buffet, then," Gail said. "And if we can get a DJ, we could have music and dancing, just like at Frank and Jody's wedding. That's pretty much all we need, I think."
"Will you be requiring me to dance?" Cas said nervously.
Gail laughed. "'Requiring' you? No, I don't 'require' you to do anything, Cas. It's your wedding, too. I want you to be comfortable. If you're not comfortable dancing, that's OK."
"We will have our first dance together, of course," he told her. "I should be able to do that competently enough."
Gail smiled and shook her head. "It's been my experience that when you think you're doing something 'competently', you're still doing it better than anyone else in the room," she said to him warmly.
Cas wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth. "What a lovely thing to say," he said softly. Then he smiled. "And now you see why I choose to sit beside you at a table, rather than across from you."
"Do you hear me complaining?" she said, kissing him gently on the cheek.
Cas was about to kiss her again when he got the call from Bobby on Angel Radio. They had everything all ready at the bunker. Cas was happy, and he was also impressed. They'd had no notice, but it sounded like both their human and their Angel friends had risen to the challenge.
"I'd like to make a toast," Cas said. He handed Gail her glass of wine and picked his up, tipping it towards her. "Happy birthday, my love. Next to our anniversary, this will always be my favourite date, because it is the date that our Father created the love of my life."
Gail smiled. They touched glasses and had a sip of wine, then Cas took both glasses in his hands and put them back on the table. "And now, we have to go back to the bunker. Bobby sent me a message on Angel Radio. Apparently, your presence is required there."
She was surprised. They were having a birthday party for her? She'd been sure that no one had remembered it was her birthday. She felt sure that Cas hadn't remembered, and she'd guessed that Frank hadn't, either. Or maybe Frank had been uncertain if they should celebrate, now that she knew she was adopted. "They've got something planned for my birthday?" she said.
Cas shrugged. "I guess so. Frank must be behind it. I suppose we'll find out when we get there."
They popped over to the bunker, and Cas was very happy to see everyone gathered there. They had done a wonderful job for such short notice. There were balloons and streamers, and Barry had a cake with a few candles on it. There were a few wrapped presents too, and hugs and kisses all around.
"I'm glad you called Bobby," Frank said quietly to Cas while Gail was cutting pieces of cake for their human friends. She'd gotten a bit of icing on her finger and she automatically licked it, and the expression on her face was so comical that Cas had to turn away to keep from laughing out loud. Apparently, the icing was so sweet that it had overloaded her sense of taste for a moment. He was reminded that there was a reason that Angels didn't eat.
"I would have done something for her birthday, but I didn't know where you guys were gonna be," Frank told Cas. "But as soon as you called, everyone sprang into action. I've got to tell you, this is a lot better than my birthday was." Both men fell silent, remembering how their attempts to celebrate Frank's birthday had fallen flat. That was when Gail had been Sarah, and her absence from the bunker had created such a void that nothing had been right until she'd come back.
And just look at her now. She was handing out pieces of cake, talking and laughing with their friends. "I love her so much, Frank," Cas blurted out. "She's my whole life."
Frank smiled. "I know. Twelve days from now, there are going to be a lot of happy people in that cathedral, Cas. And I'll be one of them." He put out his hand for Cas to shake. "I couldn't think of a better guy for my sister to marry, Cas."
Cas looked at Frank's hand, and Frank sighed, rolling his eyes. "All right, Cas. Bring it in," he said. Cas embraced Gail's brother, and Frank patted him on the back, smiling. God help everyone the day of the wedding, Frank thought, amused. He was going to have to help Cas keep it together.
"What's going on here?" Sam asked, approaching the men.
"Nothing, just Cas and me, talking about the wedding. You know, like guys do," Frank said, prying Cas off of him.
"All right, we're gonna have to man you up a bit," Dean said to Cas. Then he did a double-take when he saw his friend's face. "OK, maybe a lot. Tommy and I have been planning your bachelor party. Since you won't let us provide the usual form of entertainment, we're going to have a poker tournament instead. Guy food, lots of booze, and cigars. One week from today. That way, we'll all have a few days' recovery time before the wedding."
Cas smiled. He knew it was very important to Dean to do this for him, and he was glad to receive his best friend's congratulations. "Sounds good," he said, clapping Dean on the shoulder. "I'll let Gail know."
"Let me know what?" she said, approaching them. She thrust a plate with a piece of cake into Frank's hand.
"That Dean has planned my bachelor party for a week from today." Cas took Gail's hand. "Just let us know where, and we'll be there," he told Dean, kissing Gail's hand.
"What do you mean, 'we'?" Dean said suspiciously.
Gail was smiling. Cas obviously didn't get it. This should be fun.
"I mean, we, as in Gail and I," Cas said, puzzled. Exactly what was Dean confused about, here? "Just let us know the time and the place."
"Cas, it's a bachelor party," Dean said, shaking his head. Cas had to be kidding with this.
"I know that, Dean," Cas said pleasantly. "It's a party that is held prior to the wedding, while the groom is still technically a bachelor."
"Yeah, and it's for men only," Dean said pointedly.
"But you were prepared to have women there, until I told you I wouldn't be having any strippers," Cas said logically. Then he smiled. "Unless you meant for the strippers to be male."
"This bachelor party just got a lot more interesting," Tommy quipped, and Barry elbowed him in the ribs. Jody smiled approvingly. Just like her and Frank. She was a little concerned about Robbie hearing all of this, though. The poor kid had had to hear a lot of very adult things, hanging around here. But then, what did she expect, really? Sam and Dean Winchester's world had always been like this. Very testosterone-fueled, and not exactly child-friendly. That had never bothered Jody before, and it didn't really bother her now. She only regretted that Robbie was going to be forced to grow up very quickly, being raised in this type of atmosphere. But there was nothing they could do about it, not really. Until Lucifer was dealt with, their life was going to be very much like it was right now.
"That's not the same thing," Dean was saying to Cas now. "You know that's not the same thing, Cas. You're just screwing with me now, aren't you?"
Cas smiled. "Yes, I am. I'd still love Gail to be there, though."
"Well, I'm not going to be," she said. "I don't smoke, eat, drink, or play poker. What the hell am I going to do there?" She kissed Cas on the cheek. "Have fun, sweetie. Let your hair down a bit. Have a couple of drinks. Refer to me as 'the old ball and chain'. Whatever you want." She smiled at Dean. "The floor is yours. I'm staying well away."
Dean tipped her a salute. "There's a smart woman. Now, if Cas would only relax his rule on female entertainment..."
"Well, I'm not going to, so you can just forget it," Cas said to him. "It'll be fun, though. We'll have - " he counted on his fingers " - at least ten men there, so we can form two tables of five each, to begin the tournament."
"Are you including us, Cas?" Chuck asked him.
"Of course, Chuck," Cas said. "Bobby, you, Kevin, and Ethan. You're males, and you're my friends."
"I don't know much about playing poker," Ethan said.
"I do," Kevin told him. "Or at least, I know the strategy behind it. I can show you." He was pleased to be included in the group. Even though the party seemed like it was going to be fairly tame, Kevin was glad that Cas didn't consider him too young to be included in this group of men.
"Speaking of parties, thanks for this one," Gail said to her brother, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. "It was a really nice surprise."
Frank hugged her, but he looked at Cas, puzzled. Cas gave his head a slight shake. He was just fine with Frank receiving the credit. As long as Gail was happy, that was the main thing.
"I want to open my presents now," Gail announced, and she walked over to the table where the small pile of gifts were.
Sam and Dean had given her a gift card for a bookstore, and Bobby and the Angels had given her a lovely red sweater that she thought would be ideal to wear on Christmas. Barry had given her a little box that was taped on all sides, and when she opened it, she was surprised to see that it was a lacy white garter. "For your wedding," he told her. "I wasn't sure if Cas would know about that tradition, or not."
"Of course I know about it," Cas said good-naturedly. "But you just gave that to Gail in hopes that you would catch it yourself, didn't you?" he teased Barry.
"The man is smart, I'll give him that," Barry said to Gail, and they laughed.
"I didn't know what to get you," Frank said to his sister apologetically. "What do you get an Angel?"
Gail shrugged. Truthfully, she didn't care. While it was nice to get gifts, of course, there honestly wasn't much she needed that she didn't already have. All except for one thing, she thought, or one person, actually. She looked at Cas. "What DO you get an Angel?" she repeated. "How about another Angel, in twelve days?" she quipped.
He walked around the table and took her hand, pulling her gently to her feet. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her. Gail put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Cas opened her mouth with his. He was so tempted to look for her tongue, but he figured he'd better not. In twelve days, they could be as intimate as they wanted. He would just have to hold on a little bit longer.
Cas broke the kiss and stepped away from her, albeit reluctantly.
"Thanks to everyone for coming today," Gail said to their friends and family. "And we can't wait to see you at the next really big party."
Then they all sang Happy Birthday to Gail, and she smiled. It was the best birthday she had ever had.