Chapter 1 - I Know What You Did Last Summer

Gail fought to compose herself, as she took comfort from Sam's hug.

"What's the matter?" Sam asked her. "Where's Cas?"

"It's a long story," she answered. She pulled out of Sam's embrace. "I see you were just about to eat. Go ahead, while I tell you what's been going on. Though you may not have much of an appetite, in a minute."

Gail drew a chair up to the table and as the brothers started to eat, she saw that Dean was having a hard time picking up his burger. He had a thick bandage on his left hand, and she remembered that Jason had stabbed him there.

"Do you have any scissors here?" Gail asked Sam.

"Should be some in the utensils drawer," he said around a mouthful of food. He stood up, but she waved him back down. "I'll get them," Gail said. She knew which drawer he'd been talking about; she'd helped Sam make a number of meals here, in the past.

Dean dropped his burger back onto the plate and grabbed his bandaged hand. "Son of a bitch," he said. "Hurts like hell."

Gail came back to the table holding the scissors, and sat beside Dean. "Here; give me your hand," she said to him. He looked at her blankly for a moment, and then he remembered what she was. "Oh, yeah. Right," he said.

She snipped the adhesive tape with the scissors, and grabbed one end. "This is going to hurt," she warned him, "but only for a moment, and then I'll be able to fix you up."

Gail ripped off the bandage in one quick motion. "Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled, but Gail had already grabbed his hand in both of hers and a moment later, his hand was healed.

Dean looked at it, flexed a couple of times, and then smiled. "Thanks, Gail," he said, then picked up his burger and took a couple of wolfish bites.

Sam grinned. "We could have used you on the road, a couple of times," he said to Gail.

She couldn't smile back. Her healing of Dean's hand brought back the memory of Cas healing her stab wound in the Vancouver emergency room, and even though she had not enjoyed the experience of being attacked, it was a nice memory. There had been many of those kinds of moments she'd like to re-live, but now was not the time to lose herself in them. She had to help Cas now. But, how?

"What's going on, Gail?" Dean asked her.

She sighed and moved back to her own chair, looking at both brothers sadly. "The tribunal, that's what's going on. And it's not going very well." She paused. Where did she start?

"After Cas sent you guys out of the motel room, we gave ourselves up to Jason," she told them.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Dean said angrily.

"We had our reasons," Gail replied, and as Dean opened his mouth to speak again, she held her hand up. "And before you say anything, that's not an 'Angel answer', it's just...there were a few things involved. Mainly, we realized we couldn't just run away from the problem. Jason was never going to quit. But it's been pretty brutal, you guys. They put us both in jail, and the only reason I'm out now is that Cas has gone and done something incredibly noble, and incredibly stupid."

Then she told them about Castiel's bargain with Xavier: he would plead guilty to all charges, if she were to be released from the capital charge of murder. "I still have to show up for my Count 7 charge tomorrow morning, but they released me from jail, anyway."

"Count 7?" Sam asked.

"That's the morals thing, remember? 'Thou shalt not'...well, you know," Gail said. She would have smiled under other circumstances. "But that's not important. We have to figure out a way to help Cas."

Dean frowned, pushing his plate away. She'd been right; he no longer had an appetite. Just how in the hell were they supposed to do that?

Gail explained how the tribunal's Counts were based on the Ten Commandments, as they'd been originally recorded. "Xavier produced this mysterious Affidavit for Count 1. I have no idea what it says, or who it was from. He said the Signator wanted to remain confidential, for fear of retaliation from Cas."

"Who would do that?" Sam asked, puzzled. He remembered the First Commandment: "'Thou shalt have no other Gods before me'," Sam quoted. "What are they trying to allege?"

"They're trying to say that Cas put you guys, and I guess humans in general, before God's wishes when he rebelled against Heaven," Gail replied. She gave them a tight smile. "We even kind of joked about it, at the time. But they weren't even going to let him see what was in the Affidavit, until Chuck piped up and said that Cas was entitled to at least have a look at it."

"Chuck?" Dean said, startled.

Gail was nodding. "I know it's hard to believe, but Chuck's actually turned out to be one of our biggest allies. He and Kevin have been trying to drum up support for Cas with the other Angels, and I guess they've been reading up on Heaven's laws in the library. It's really quite different there," she said wryly, looking at Sam. "No defense, no due process, just Xavier, picking him apart."

"Isn't there anything in these laws that Cas can use?" Sam asked Gail.

She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him no, but then Gail stopped herself. They hadn't really even had a chance to try to find out. She had an idea.

"Good question," she said to Sam. "Hang on, I'll be right back." Then she disappeared.

Gail reappeared in Heaven's library, startling Chuck and Kevin, who'd been sitting there glumly, commiserating over the day's events.

"Is there anyone else in here?" Gail asked Chuck.

He stared at her in amazement. "How did you get out of jail?" he asked.

"Never mind about that," she said. "It's OK, I didn't escape. Xavier let me out. But I need to talk to you, and there isn't much time."

"There's nobody else here," Kevin told her.

"Good. Can you lock up?" Gail asked Chuck.

He moved quickly to lock the door, and when Chuck came back, she said, "I need all the books you guys have on the tribunal process."

Chuck made a face. "There's just the one. Apparently, there have been so few of them since ancient times, that we just have the records of the last few."

"And there's a really old book that's got a section on the ancient code to be used in the proceeding," Kevin added. "We didn't get all the way through it, though. It's written in old Enochian, and the translation is slow going."

"Can you give me the materials, and any notes you may have?" she asked them. "I want Sam to take a look. Maybe he can see something there that'll help us."

Chuck bent down and retrieved the books and Kevin's notes from a shelf underneath the front desk. "By all means," he said to Gail. "Sam's a smart guy. Maybe he'll see something we missed."

Gail took the materials from Chuck and smiled.

"What?" he said mildly.

"I just can't get over the change in you, Chuck," she replied. "You and Kevin have both been such good friends to us." She looked at Kevin, including him.

"I just wish we could do more," Chuck said fervently.

Gail laughed, but without much humour. "Yeah," she said, "honestly, we could use all the help we can get, right now."

"Today was kind of...intense," Kevin said.

"I know," she agreed. "But we have to help Cas any way that we can. I hope you guys know there's a lot more to him than Xavier's been presenting. He made some bad choices in the past, but he's changed, he really has. He's not the monster they're making him out to be."

"We know that, Gail," Kevin said, "and we've been trying to tell the other Angels that, too. But it's hard convincing them, when all they're hearing about is the bad stuff he's done in the past."

Gail sighed. "Don't I know it. I just wish they could all see him for the Angel he is now."

Chuck smiled. "We'll keep trying, Gail. I hope Sam can find something in there that'll help."

"Me too, Chuck." Gail put her hand on his arm. "Thanks again. Well, I'd better go. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"We'll be there," Kevin said, smiling at her. "Say hi to Sam and Dean for us."

Gail winked back into the bunker and handed the books and Kevin's notes to Sam. "Would you mind having a look at these?" she asked him. "See if there's anything you can find in there that'll help Cas defend himself."

Sam looked at her quizzically. "Where'd you get this stuff?" he asked, examining the books.

"Heaven's library," she replied. "And they'd better be back by morning. I'd hate to think of the late fee."

Sam smiled and sat down at the table, already studying the materials. Gail watched him for a moment, then turned away. She'd better leave him to it, let him concentrate.

Dean rose from his chair, perhaps thinking the same thing. "Let's talk," he said to Gail. He took her arm and steered her to the couch by the fireplace.

"How bad is it, Gail?" Dean said as they sat down.

"Really bad, Dean," she replied grimly. "They mean to put him to death."

Crap, Dean thought. Just when he thought they'd sunk as low as they could go, those damn Angels never ceased to amaze him. "You can't let him do it," Dean said to her.

"And just how do you suggest I stop him?" Gail retorted. "I swear I'll try, Dean. As soon as I see him tomorrow, I'm going to tell him I don't want him to do it. But do you really think that'll work?"

Dean sighed. No, he didn't. They both knew Cas too well to hope that he would change his mind.

"Can we break him out, somehow?" Dean asked. "Metatron got out, didn't he?"

Gail looked at him, startled. Could they? But she didn't see how. Maybe, just maybe, she could get into the jail to see Cas, but what would they do after that? The place was covered in sigils, and Sam and Dean were stuck here on Earth. She knew there had been a portal here somewhere when Metatron had escaped, but she didn't where, or even if it was still there. And would he even agree to go? And if he did, what would they do? Go back to Vancouver? Start that all over again? But then they'd be back to square one, with Jason and his men coming after Sam and Dean. As appealing as getting Castiel out of prison might sound, that probably wasn't the answer.

"Let's just leave that on the back burner for now," she said to Dean. "If things get desperate enough, we'll talk. But we need a better solution. Maybe Sam will find something that will help."

Sam had been perusing the books and Kevin's notes in the meantime. He'd become adept at reading certain ancient languages, but Sam's knowledge of Enochian was very limited. He had studied law in college, though, and Sam was reviewing the transcripts of past tribunals. He was astonished to see how the hearings were conducted. They were decidedly one-sided affairs, with Xavier pushing through all kinds of "evidence" and the board just accepting his recommendations. There wasn't one tribunal that was recorded here that hadn't resulted in a lengthy prison sentence, or worse. Two Angels had received death sentences, and their sentences had been carried out within the week. Apparently, Heaven wasn't too big on the appeals process. The Counts were always 10 in number, based on the Ten Commandments, and the board's standards were impossibly high. The most perfect Angel couldn't possibly hope to emerge from a tribunal unscathed, not the way that Xavier twisted the facts and skewed the evidence. And Cas was far from perfect; they all knew that. He'd be hung on Count 6 alone, mitigating factors or not.

But Sam did uncover something interesting: there was a clause in the ancient code that stated that any member of the Upper Echelon board was allowed to question any witness at any time.

"Gail!" Sam called.

She and Dean walked over to the table. "Did you find something?" she asked eagerly.

Sam looked up at her. "Isn't Cas a member of the Upper Echelon board?" he asked, recalling the meeting Cas had attended with Bobby, when they'd come back from Vegas.

"Yes, he is," she responded. "Why do you ask?"

Sam told her and Dean about the clause he had just read, and Gail was astonished. "If that's what it says, he was totally entitled to ask Raphael some questions!" she exclaimed.

"Raphael? What are you talking about?" Dean asked her.

Oh. Right. In her haste to get the material for Sam, Gail hadn't told them about that part. So she told them about Raphael's shocking appearance, his testimony, and the fact that Xavier had not permitted Castiel to question Raphael.

"Well, then, Xavier is breaking the ancient code," Sam said. "You need to tell Cas about this."

Gail was fuming. She was sure Xavier knew about this, but had deliberately ignored it, figuring that Cas would know nothing about it. And nobody on the board had said anything about it, either. What the hell was going on? Did they want to get rid of him so badly that they were willing to throw the rulebook out the window?

"Oh, believe me, I will," Gail said. "But I don't know if it'll make any difference! Raphael is gone now, and Xavier doesn't give a damn about what's fair, he just wants to be God!" She wished she had something to throw. It was just so frustrating.

Sam sat back in his chair. He let out a deep breath. What a mess. He wished he could attend this so-called tribunal. Maybe smack Xavier in the head with his old pre-law book, while he was at it.

Dean was thinking along the same lines, minus the part about the pre-law book. He needed to kick some ass on Cas's behalf, but there was nothing that he and Sam could do from here. And just where the hell had Bobby gone to, anyway? He and Sam had racked their brains, trying to think of any reasonable explanation for Bobby's disappearance, and they couldn't think of anything that made sense. He wasn't the type of man to just disappear, and he'd been God when he'd disappeared. They'd wondered if he had been killed, or abducted; but if he had God's powers, how could that be possible?

"Have you heard anything about Bobby up there?" Dean asked Gail now.

"No," she replied, a little startled by his question. She'd been so preoccupied with her and Castiel's problems that she hadn't thought about Bobby in a while. Where WAS he? "Nobody's mentioned him at all. It's almost like he never existed."

"Could Xavier have done something to Bobby, to get him out of the way?" Sam speculated aloud.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Gail replied. "Look what he's doing to Cas. But Bobby is God, or at least, he was. He'd be the most powerful Angel there is. I don't see how that would even be possible."

The three of them were silent for a moment. Gail sighed. Great. Now she felt worried about Bobby, too. But Castiel had to be her main focus now.

"I'm gonna look at this stuff a bit more," Sam told her. "Want your old room back for tonight?"

"Sure, Sam, thanks," Gail said absently. She didn't really think she was going to use it much, though. She didn't sleep now anyway, and she was so upset and nervous about Cas she'd probably just pace the floor all night.

Thinking of "her" room reminded Gail of her picture, and she realized it was still stashed down the front of her pants. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten. She took it out then, and looked at it.

Dean was watching her, and he quipped, "Really, Gail?"

"Shut up, Dean," she said automatically, and then looked at him. She appreciated his effort to cheer her up by resorting to their usual banter, but the exchange was half-hearted. She knew he was worried about Cas too, and frustrated because there wasn't anything he could do. Gail was going back there in the morning, and she didn't even know what SHE could do. Plus, tomorrow was her big day. Xavier was going to put her back on the stand, and Lord only knew what he was going to ask her.

Come to think of it, maybe she did have a use for the room, after all. "Do you guys mind if I have a bit of alone time?" Gail said. Without waiting for an answer, she walked down the hall to the room she'd stayed in when she'd first met the brothers. An awful lot had happened to all of them since

she'd spent her first night here as a human, and when Gail entered the room and closed the door behind her, the memories came flooding back.

She walked over to the nightstand and propped up her picture against the lamp. The ritual was familiar, but there was no comfort to it. Gail loved Sam and Dean dearly, but she and Cas should be here together, and the four of them should be talking and laughing, sharing road stories.

Gail remembered back to that time in Crowley's den, when her brother Frank had killed Castiel. She'd been able to bring him back to life then, but that had been a miracle, owing to her extra powers and what she now strongly suspected had been a big assist from God. But there were no Gods right now, only Xavier. Heaven was going to execute Castiel, and there wasn't a damn thing that she or the Winchesters could do about it. And she herself might be headed for a prison term after tomorrow. Would she even be allowed to see Castiel then, or would they just kill him, and tell her about it later? Would she ever see Sam and Dean again, or Bobby?

Gail slipped off the bed and went down on her knees. She bowed her head and started to pray. "Please, Father. I'm begging You. If You ever loved Your Son, if You love him now, please help him. I know about his past, but so do You. If someone needs to be punished here, please make it me. I don't care how long I go to prison for, if You'll just let him live." She looked up at the photo for a moment, tears blurring her eyes, then bowed her head again. "If You think our living together is wrong, or if we're doing anything to displease You, I promise I'll do whatever it takes. If You want me to move out, I will. Whatever You want. Please. Please."

That was all she could say, and that was all she could do. After a moment, Gail raised her head to look at her picture once more, and she was startled to see a white feather on the nightstand. That hadn't been there when she'd looked a moment ago. Was this a sign of some sort? Then she remembered the white dove that had flown in their apartment window in Vancouver, and perched on the TV. She and Cas had been arguing, and then suddenly the bird had appeared, and then, they were laughing. Could the white feather she saw now be connected with that? What did it mean?

God had indeed heard Gail's desperate prayer, and He'd sent her the feather as a sign, figuring she'd make the connection. He felt sympathy for His children, and the time had nearly arrived for Him to intervene. Gail had to go through the ordeal of testifying tomorrow, and once she had, He would finally step in, arranging a dramatic entrance. God was giving Xavier enough rope to hang himself, and by the end of Gail's testimony tomorrow, Xavier would have revealed himself to those who mattered. God knew that Gail was dreading tomorrow, but He for one couldn't wait.

Sam knocked on Gail's door a few hours later. "Are you OK, Gail?" he called through the closed door.

She'd been laying on the bed with her photo in one hand and the white feather clutched in the other. God had to have been behind it; she just wasn't sure exactly what He'd been trying to tell her. But she was encouraged by the notion that He'd heard her prayer. She'd just have to trust that He had a plan.

When Sam knocked, she jumped off the bed and opened the door. "I'm fine, Sam, just having some quiet time to think," she told him.

"I just had a flashback to the first night we met," he said, smiling.

"I know; I had one earlier," Gail said. "It's incredible, isn't it? So much has happened, good and bad. And here I am, in trouble again." She smiled ruefully. "I'm surprised you and Dean haven't kicked me out, by now."

"Never," he said, pulling her in for a hug. After a moment, he said, "Besides, we lock the door, but you keep popping in, anyway."

Gail laughed against his chest. God, please look after Sam and Dean, she thought. No matter what happens to us. They're two of Your best.

Sam pulled out of the embrace. "I just wanted to check on you, and to tell you I'm sorry, but I couldn't find anything else in those books or in Kevin's notes that might help." He frowned. "Sorry, Gail."

"That's OK, thanks for trying, Sam. And I'll be sure to pass along what you did find to Cas, tomorrow. And I assume I can give him your love, as well." She smiled. "That, I'll be glad to do. I'm going up on morals charges, anyway. Might as well make it worth my while."

Sam studied her face. She'd been so miserable a few hours ago, and now, she seemed almost cheerful. It was weird. Then he noticed the white feather in her hand. "What's that?" he asked her.

"This?" Gail said, twirling it in her hand. "Hope, Sam. I think it's hope."

Early in the morning, Gail found some paper and a pen and wrote a note for the brothers, telling them to think good thoughts, and she'd try to contact them soon. If she wasn't back in jail, she thought, but she didn't write that. There was no point in making them worry any more than they were already worrying. She was already doing enough of that for all of them.

Then she gathered up the books and Kevin's notes from the table,put her photo and the white feather under the front cover of the top book, and vanished from the bunker.

Gail's first stop was the library. She was happy to see that Chuck was already there. She'd wanted to get the books back to him and tell him what Sam had found.

Chuck was outraged. "So Cas has been entitled to ask questions this whole time?"

"Yeah," Gail responded. "Now, mind you, there's only been one witness so far besides Cas himself, but still, he wanted to ask Raphael some questions, and Xavier told him he wasn't allowed!"

Chuck was rubbing his hands together, agitated. "Can I tell Kevin this?" he asked her.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Gail replied. "I'm headed over to the prison now, to see if I can get in to see Cas before the hearing and tell him. The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned. We need to expose Xavier for the liar he is."

Chuck nodded. "I'll spread the word to anybody who'll listen, and I'll tell Kevin to do the same." He paused. "So they're picking up at Count 7 today?"

"Yeah." Gail sighed. "I expect to be back on the hot seat, making excuses for pretty much everything I've done since childhood."

Chuck patted her arm. "Just remember, you and Cas have friends. Keep your chin up. Compared to the crap I've pulled, you have nothing to be ashamed of," he told her.

She laughed shortly. "I kind of doubt Xavier will see it that way, but thanks anyway, Chuck." Gail opened the top book and took out her photo and the white feather. "OK, off I go. Wish me luck."

"I do," Chuck smiled. "Say hi to Cas for us, and wish him luck from us, too."

They smiled at each other and then Gail left the library, twirling the white feather in her hand. If she

and Chuck could be friends now after all the animosity between them in the past, couldn't other situations improve, too? The feather she held symbolized hope, and she wanted to show it to Cas, and share the hope with him. She had the feeling he could use some, right about now.

Gail was certainly right about that. Castiel had spent the previous night pacing his cell, worrying about the next day's proceeding. Xavier had left him after their apparent arrangement, but Castiel had no idea if he could trust Xavier to honour it. And, the first charge to be dealt with tomorrow would be Count 7, which was the one count against Gail that Xavier had refused to drop. Now that Castiel had advised Xavier that he would plead guilty to all of the Counts if she were to be excused from Count 6, he hoped that Xavier would honour what Castiel thought was part of the agreement, and not compel her to testify. He knew it was him that Xavier really wanted, and now that Castiel was giving himself up to save Gail, he didn't see why Gail should be put on the stand at all. Maybe he should talk to her before the day's session, advise her to plead guilty also, in case Xavier went back on his word.

He knew she would be extremely angry with him, to say the least, for making his bargain with Xavier. But Castiel's mind was made up. After all of the terrible things he had done in the past, he needed to perform this one last act of atonement. Gail was finally going to be freed of his baggage, at least symbolically. Then, after she'd served her term in prison, she would be literally free, to live out the rest of her existence. Though with Xavier in charge, Castiel couldn't envision what her life would be like. Would Xavier allow her to go back to Earth, to be with the Winchesters? That would be Cas's ideal scenario; he knew that Sam and Dean would be good to her, and they would do their utmost to protect her. He wished he had had more time to give her additional training; he would just have to hope that the brothers would take over in that regard. Cas doubted he'd ever see Sam and Dean again himself, and he bitterly regretted that he would never have the chance to say goodbye to them, and tell them how much they'd meant to him. He hoped they knew. Cas found he couldn't even remember what the last words he'd shared with the brothers had been. Considering the crisis situation they'd been in with Jason and his men, it was probably some Angel crap, he thought ruefully. Had he ever even told them that he loved them? He vowed that if he were ever to see Sam and Dean again, if that miracle were to occur, he would tell them that. He didn't care what they said or how they reacted, it needed to be said.

And as for Gail...Cas sighed. How could he ever say goodbye to her? It was going to break his heart to have to leave her, especially this way. He'd spent most of the night making his peace with his impending death, but he knew that Gail would never be the same after he was gone. He'd prayed to his Father about it. Just in case You're listening, my Father, please look after her for me, and Sam and Dean, too. I'm sorry I let You down, in the end. My best obviously wasn't good enough.

Xavier's hand wavered over the black phone. He supposed he had to live up to the second part of the bargain he had made, but he was having a hard time making himself do it. How was he going to justify bringing Metatron back up to Heaven to the rest of the board? Yes, Xavier would be God shortly, but he couldn't afford to alienate the Upper Echelon either, not if he hoped to lead effectively. But he'd had an idea. Maybe he could tell them that Metatron was here to provide them with intel on the inner workings of Hell, sell them on his value as a close former associate of Crowley's.

Xavier picked up the phone, and Crowley answered.

"So, today's the big day, I take it?" Crowley asked. He'd heard about yesterday's proceeding last night from Xavier, and it sounded like things were going swimmingly. Crowley had been somewhat impressed with the speed of the proceeding. Considering the extent of Castiel's wrongdoings, Crowley had expected the hearing to take at least a week. But Xavier had advised that he expected the proceeding to be concluded today. Xavier had not mentioned to Crowley Castiel's offer to plead guilty, though. Frankly, it was none of his business, anyway. And soon Xavier would be God, and he would be directly opposite the King of Hell. He wanted Crowley to think of him as a force to be reckoned with.

"Yes, we will have him convicted today," Xavier told Crowley. "Then his death sentence will be carried out by the end of this week."

Sweet music to Crowley's ears. He had a grudging respect for Xavier, now. Even Crowley himself had never been able to kill Castiel, although he had really, really tried.

Xavier took a deep breath, then released it. "You can bring Metatron to the arranged meeting place now," he told Crowley. Might as well get this over with.

Now, Crowley was very happy. He would be only too glad to deliver Metatron to Xavier. He was sick and tired of the smarmy little bastard. Let him become Xavier's headache, now.

So it was done, and then Metatron was standing in God's office with Xavier. He was back to full Grace now, and he was an Original, so Metatron had been able to ascend with no problem. But he had to be hidden away, for the moment.

There was only one place that Xavier could stash Metatron in Heaven without detection: in the alcove that held the vial with God's powers in it. The room was small, but it had every protection known to Heaven and Hell, even more protection than the Winchesters' bunker. Any Angel within its walls would be undetectable from any type of being, even an Original. Even God, Himself. Inexplicably, God had designed it to be so. Only God or an Original could open the door to the alcove, and release of the vial could only be achieved by scanning the hands of two Originals on the panel of the cabinet that held the vial. Now that he had Metatron back in the stable, Xavier need only to drag Castiel to the alcove and force him to join together with Metatron to open the cabinet. It was on Xavier's To Do list, once the tribunal was concluded. Then he would be free to put Castiel to death, and Xavier would have the vial with God's powers.

As Metatron's presence in the alcove could not be detected by anyone, Xavier took him there now, assuring him that it would only be temporary. Metatron wasn't bothered; he was back now, and he had all the time in the world.

Ethan was sitting at the front desk when Gail entered the prison wing.

"Good morning," she said to him. Ethan looked up, momentarily startled. But he really shouldn't have been surprised. Xavier had released her last night, and she was probably here now to visit Castiel, ahead of the hearing. He'd seen the two of them sitting together in the hearing room; Ethan figured she wouldn't be able to stay away. But it was early in the morning, and Ethan was here alone. Should he let her see him? Was it within his authority to say yes or no?

"Good morning," Ethan said cautiously.

"I know it's early, but could I please go in and see Castiel for a few minutes?" Gail said sweetly. She could see him eyeing her, having a debate with himself. "I'm sorry; what's your name?"

"Ethan," he replied.

Gail smiled at him. She'd noticed Ethan in the gallery at the hearing, talking to Chuck and Kevin. He was obviously part of Heaven's law enforcement team, but Ethan was young, probably a recent addition to Heaven. Maybe he would have a bit more of an open mind, if he had been a human not so long ago.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Ethan?" Gail said.

"Sure, I guess," he replied.

She paused. "Have you ever been in love?"

Ethan frowned, but he knew what she was getting at. She'd obviously seen his uncertainty about letting her in, and was trying to appeal to him on an emotional level. Smart of her.

Ethan sighed. "Yeah. When I got shot in the line of duty and ended up here, I was planning on proposing to my girlfriend. She'd just had our first baby. I never got a chance to be a husband, or a father," he said sadly.

"I'm so sorry," Gail said sincerely. "Were you a police officer?"

Ethan nodded. "I was a rookie, but I loved the job. Helping people, you know? Getting rid of the bad guys." He smiled ruefully. "But I wasn't quick enough that day. I was shot trying to protect a pregnant woman from her abusive boyfriend. I should have waited for my partner, but I guess I was thinking of my girlfriend when I rushed the guy. He was holding a gun on her, and when I attacked him, he shot me. I never even got the chance to find out if she made it OK."

Wow. This was a good guy, Gail thought. He'd been dealt a bad hand on Earth, and so had his girlfriend and their child. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said again. "I prefer to think that you saved her, and she went on to have a happy, healthy baby. Who knows, maybe that kid will grow up to discover a cure for cancer, or something. And as for your baby, I'm sure his or her mother will make sure they know what a hero Daddy was." She smiled.

"His," Ethan replied, smiling. "It was a boy."

"Hopefully he'll grow up to be just like his Dad," Gail said.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that any more," Ethan said, frowning. He looked around, then looked back at her, lowering his voice. "I guess they picked me to do this job because I was a cop, but I'm not so sure this is the place for me."

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

Ethan lowered his voice even further. "Because I'm not sure that everyone who's in here, belongs here."

Gail's heart leaped. Here was another glimmer of hope.

"I think you're right, Ethan," she said, but she left it at that for now. She didn't want to push it.

He regarded her for another moment, then stood. "I'll take you to see him."

"Thank you, Ethan," she breathed.

"What are those things you're holding?" he asked Gail as they walked down the hall. He could see what they were, of course; he was just curious, making conversation.

She held up the photo and the feather for him to look at. "This is a picture of me and Castiel in Las Vegas," Gail told Ethan. She made a face. "You'll be hearing about that today, I'm sure. In fact, I'm afraid you'll be seeing me back here on the other side of the bars, once Xavier gets through with me."

Ethan stopped walking and looked at her. "Why?"

Gail hesitated. Ethan seemed like a nice young guy, but he was a stranger to her. Did she really want to go there with him? Then she decided it didn't matter. Everyone was going to hear the sordid details in a couple of hours, anyway.

"Because Count 7 is the morals charge. Castiel and I stayed in the same room in Las Vegas, and we didn't just hold hands."

Ethan was taken aback by that. Weren't all Angels celibate?

"There were special circumstances," Gail continued. "You'll hear all about it. But the charge is based on an interpretation of the Seventh Commandment that allegedly forbids sex outside the bonds of marriage."

Ethan looked at her, puzzled. "But if that's what they're basing it on, I should be in jail, too. Karen and I weren't married when we had our son."

Gail nodded. "I guess you're grandfathered. So to speak. But if Xavier has his way, that'll soon change."

Now Ethan was mad. Where the hell did Xavier get off, imposing his own outdated morality on people? He and Karen had planned to get married once he was a bit more established in his job, and they'd been using birth control. Their son had just been a happy accident.

"So you think he won't let anybody who...anybody like me into Heaven, once he becomes God?" Ethan said to her.

"That's exactly what we think. Castiel has known Xavier for many years, and that's what he told me. And after meeting Xavier, I can completely believe it. And not only that, but Castiel says he'll refuse to admit gay people, too."

OK; that was it, as far as Ethan was concerned. His brother was gay, and he'd been hoping to be reunited with him here, in the future. "That's not right," he fumed.

"That's what we believe, too," Gail assured him. "And I know that Bobby would have been OK with it, like Castiel is. But Bobby's gone, and Xavier is aiming to kill Castiel, so HE he can be God." She said nothing further, letting that thought linger in Ethan's mind.

They continued walking, and Ethan was thinking about what she'd said. What the hell was going on, here? This was supposed to be Heaven, and they were supposed to be Angels. Yet Xavier was running the tribunal like it was the Spanish Inquisition, and he seemed way too eager to nail Castiel and Gail to the cross. And Ethan had been wondering about a few of the other inmates here, as he had alluded to Gail earlier. There were several Angels here who were serving long terms as a result of other tribunal hearings that Xavier had conducted in the years before Ethan had gotten here. Ethan had just taken their guilt for granted, though they seemed like good individuals. But as he'd been witnessing the goings-on at Castiel's tribunal, specifically the manner in which it was being conducted, Ethan was becoming less and less convinced that he was on the right side of things. Maybe Chuck and Kevin were right. They had been trying to convince him that Castiel was a good Angel now, who had just made mistakes in the past, and that Xavier was the bad guy, here. Were they right?

They arrived at Castiel's cell, and Cas looked up when he heard Ethan unlocking the door. He leaped off the bunk when he saw that it was Gail, and she rushed into the cell. They met in the middle, embracing each other fiercely.

"I'll leave you two alone," Ethan said, smiling. He turned to leave, then turned back. "Gail, I'll have to come and get you in about an hour. Jason will be here to escort Castiel to the hearing, and I'm not sure he should find you here."

Gail pulled out of the embrace long enough to look back and smile at him. "I understand," she said. "Thank you, Ethan. This means the world to me."

He nodded to her and Castiel, then headed off down the hall.

Gail turned back to Cas and looked at him, arching her eyebrow. "So, I understand I have you to thank for my freedom," she said.

Cas sighed. Here it came.

Sure enough, she pulled away from his arms. "What the hell did you do, Cas?"

"I did what I had to do, Gail," he said uncomfortably. "Aurielle advised me that the board was going to impose the death penalty on you under Count 6. I couldn't take that chance. So I gave Xavier what he wanted, in exchange for dropping that charge against you."

"Aurielle?" Gail was confused.

"Yes, she came here last night, bringing the copy of the Affidavit," Castiel told Gail, indicating the document on the end of the bunk.

"Really?" Gail should have known. "And what else did she say?"

Castiel sighed. "She claimed that there was some sort of evidence against you that would be produced today," he said, then he smiled wryly. "She said something about my being under your spell."

"Oh, and she's a reliable source," Gail scoffed. "Same stuff, different place. Wasn't I supposed to have been involved in some grand conspiracy against you, before? How is it you're still here, then? I've had plenty of chances to do you in, by now." She smiled in spite of herself.

But Castiel did not smile. "She touched my face, Gail. And then, I finally understood. I told her to get out."

Gail nodded. "Good. This face is mine," she teased. Then Gail touched his face, and then, Cas did smile. He'd never realized what a sweet and intimate gesture of hers that was before, not until the revulsion he'd felt when Aurielle had done it.

"Yes, it is," Cas agreed, "and the rest of me too, for whatever that's worth. For however long that may be."

Which brought them back to the original point of contention. But their time here would be all too brief, and Gail didn't want to spend it being angry with him. So she extended her photo and the feather to him.

"I want you to put these in your pocket today," she said. "For luck."

He looked at her curiously, then took the objects from her hands. Cas smiled warmly at the photo. He'd gladly hold it for her. He put it in the pocket of his shirt, the one that was next to his heart, of course. Then he looked at the feather, and back at her inquiringly.

"I think that belongs in there, as well," she said, smiling. She told him about the sudden appearance of the feather, and the circumstances under which it had shown up.

Castiel remembered the white dove too, and he allowed himself to feel a surge of hope. This had to be a sign from their Father. He didn't know what it meant either, but he was used to these cryptic signals from God by now, and he was sure that they would find out before too long.

But they had to get through today, first. So he took Gail's hand and led her over to the bunk, sitting her down. After a moment's consideration, he slid the feather into the same pocket as the photo and patted the pocket, then sat down next to her, reclaiming her hand.

"I was thinking," Castiel said slowly, not wanting to anger her again, "maybe you should consider pleading guilty to Count 7, this morning. That way, Xavier can't put you on the stand, should he so choose."

Gail was silent. Maybe he had a point, there. But she wasn't the issue at the moment, Cas was. She sighed. "What does it matter?" she said to him.

Castiel looked surprised. "I should think that would be obvious. You've experienced that chair now, and you've seen what Xavier is like. I don't want you to have to go through that."

She was angry again, now; she couldn't help it. "And yet you're OK with me having to live on, after they put you to death," she fired back. But she didn't remove her hand from his; they had so little time left.

"Better me than you," he stated grimly.

They stared at each other for a moment. Gail could see that she wasn't going to be able to talk him out of it, and her anger dissolved into sadness. She'd thought the white feather had symbolized hope. Then, why was it that all she felt now was despair?

"I think I'll testify," she said bitterly. "If I'm going down, maybe I'll be able to get a few shots in on Xavier, before I go."

Castiel sighed again. He should have figured as much. In a lot of ways, she was as stubborn as he was. So, he did the only thing he could do: he reached out and took her in his arms.

They stayed there like that until Ethan came to get Gail before the hearing. Not wanting to get the young guard in trouble, Gail rose immediately. Castiel rose, too, and said, "Thank you, Ethan." Gail touched Castiel's face, and he kissed the palm of her hand. "I'll see you in a bit," Cas said to her, trying to smile. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and left with Ethan.

It was only when she got out of the prison wing that Gail realized she'd forgotten to tell Castiel what Sam had uncovered. Damn! She wasn't really sure that it mattered any more, considering what he was about to do, but she figured she'd better tell him anyway. So she headed directly to the corridor outside the hearing room, to wait for him there. Hopefully, they could have a moment, before the proceeding.

Jason arrived at the prison shortly after Gail left, and Ethan looked at him speculatively as they walked down the hall to Castiel's cell. Truthfully, Ethan had thought that Jason was a bit of a dick when he'd first been introduced to him. Ethan had had a few supervisors like Jason on Earth, guys who got so puffed up with their power and perceived authority over others that they had become bullies. And Jason was Xavier's friend, and right-hand man. After his talk with Gail, Ethan was starting to look at things in a new way, and he was watching Jason closely.

Castiel was standing at the front of his cell, waiting. After a glance at the Affidavit on his bunk, he'd decided to pick it up and bring it with him. He'd flipped through the pages and given them a cursory glance last night, but his heart hadn't really been in it. Though he still wondered who the mysterious Signator to the Affidavit had been, Cas realized it didn't really matter any more. But he'd bring it into the hearing room anyway. Maybe Gail would want to look at it.

Ethan opened the cell door and Castiel started to step out, but Jason put a hand on his chest. "Hold it," he barked. "You know the drill."

Castiel sighed. He gripped the Affidavit document in one hand and raised his arms, letting Jason frisk him. Jason was a little rougher than he needed to be, in Ethan's opinion. And once Jason was done,

he smirked. "I can't wait to hear your girlfriend's testimony, today," he taunted Castiel. "Xavier's got some very interesting questions lined up for her. We may have to ask some of the younger Angels to leave the gallery."

Cas's heart sank, but he did not rise to the bait. He and Xavier had an agreement; Jason was just trying to rile him up. But Ethan was fuming. He knew what Jason was alluding to, due to his chat with Gail earlier, and Ethan thought that Jason's comments were crude and unnecessary. When Gail had left the jail this morning, Ethan had had a few minutes alone to think, and he'd thought that she was actually pretty nice. He could see how much in love she and Castiel were, and Ethan wondered why Xavier felt it necessary to prosecute them on a morals beef, at all. Ethan still wasn't sure how he felt about the other charges against Castiel, and the testimony he'd heard had sounded pretty damning, but he was starting to think that there might be more grey to this situation than black and white.

Jason grabbed Castiel by the arm then, and began hustling him down the hallway. "Let's go," he said. "I don't want to miss a minute." Ethan hurried alongside them and opened his mouth to speak to Jason, maybe to tell him to cool it, but Castiel saw, and gave Ethan a brief shake of his head. He didn't want the young guard to incur Jason's wrath on his behalf, not after he'd been so good as to bring Gail to see Cas this morning. So Ethan said nothing, but he continued to fume as he followed them to the hearing room. His shift was done for the morning, and Ethan himself was eager to get a seat in the gallery. Maybe he'd sit with Chuck and Kevin and have a chat with the Prophets, hear their side of things. Ethan felt he might be ready to listen, now.

Castiel and Jason were coming down the hallway, and Gail rushed up to meet them.

"Well, if it isn't the fallen Angel, herself," Jason said sarcastically. Having seen no one on the way to the hearing room, he had held his grip on Castiel's arm the whole time, and had kept up a running commentary on the day's proceeding. Cas had summoned up all the will power he had not to react, knowing that Jason was just trying to get to him. But by the time they'd reached the spot where Gail was waiting, Cas had had it. "Shut up," he barked at Jason, as Gail was rolling her eyes at Jason's comment.

Jason grinned. He had finally gotten a rise out of Castiel. Truth be told, even though Jason had been enjoying the sight of his former associate being humbled by Xavier, Jason missed the warrior Castiel, and he had been needling him, hoping to provoke another confrontation.

But Gail put her hand on Castiel's other arm and said, "Never mind. You know what he's trying to do, Cas."

Cas nodded. He knew. And she was right; there would be nothing to be gained by engaging with Jason now, at least not strategically. He continued to glare at Jason, though. What he wouldn't give to have his blade, right now.

"I need to talk to you," Gail said to Castiel. "There's something I forgot to tell you...before," she finished, mindful of Jason's presence.

"What's that?" he asked her.

Gail looked at Jason. "Can you give us a moment in private?" she asked him.

Jason threw back his head and laughed. "Good one," he said. "I don't think so."

"Oh, what do you care?" she snapped at him. "You guys are getting what you want, aren't you?"

Jason approached Gail and stared down at her. "Not until Xavier takes care of you both," he said coolly.

He had intended to intimidate her, but the move backfired, and now Gail began to lose her own temper. She'd been so afraid of today, but now she realized that compared to what they wanted to do to Castiel, her concerns were petty. So she'd be embarrassed if she went on the stand, so what? She had basically spelled out what had happened between her and Castiel in Las Vegas earlier to young Ethan, who was a stranger to her, and he hadn't seemed to care that much. So, some other Angels she didn't even know might be shocked. Was that really the end of the world? After everything she had been through since she'd first met Castiel and the Winchesters, and everything Heaven was putting them through now? Yeah, she didn't think so.

So she looked up at Jason and rolled her eyes again. "Whatever, Jason," Gail said to him, shaking her head at her own foolishness. "I'm not afraid of Xavier, and I'm not afraid of you."

Castiel tensed as Jason moved closer to Gail, but Jason merely leaned down and said, "You should be." He smiled and then moved away from her, standing beside Castiel again, ignoring Castiel's glare. "Let's go, you two," Jason said. "We don't want to keep the fans waiting."

Cas took Gail's hand and squeezed it briefly in encouragement, but now she was feeling apprehensive again. Was Jason just trying to keep her on edge, or did he know something she didn't?

But it was too late to worry about that now. She and Cas walked to their table and sat down. She leaned in to him and said, "I almost forgot to tell you: I had Sam look at the tribunal rules last night, and he told me that any Upper Echelon Angel can question any witness at any time. So, Xavier lied when he said you weren't allowed to ask Raphael any questions."

Castiel looked at her, startled. "Sam said that?"

Gail nodded, but then the board was filing into the room and Ignatius was banging the gavel, calling for silence. Then Xavier stood and said, "As to the matter of Count 7, I call the Angel Gail to the stand."

Gail settled into the witness chair as Xavier picked up a file folder and approached her slowly. She glanced up at the gallery, and saw Chuck give her a thumbs-up. He was sitting with Kevin, Ethan and Becky, and they were all smiling at her. Gail gave them a tight smile in return.

Then she looked towards Xavier's table. But Gail could feel Aurielle's and Jason's eyes on her, and she definitely didn't want to look at either of their faces right now, so she looked at Castiel, instead. His expression was blank, unreadable; maybe he was still thinking about the fact that he should have been allowed to question Raphael. She'd picked one hell of a time to tell him that, hadn't she?

Xavier had taken his sweet time, but he finally stood in front of her. He checked the front page of the file he held in his hand and gave her a wide, fake smile.

Gail did not smile, but she looked him in the eyes, trying to appear calm. Let's go, already, she thought.

But then Xavier turned his back on her and looked at Castiel, making a gesture with his hands. "Well, Brother?" Xavier said.

Cas looked back at him, startled out of his reverie. "Well, what?"

"Don't you have something you wanted to say?" Xavier asked him. Xavier thought that Castiel would have jumped up by now to make his guilty plea, to save his little girlfriend from what Xavier was about to subject her to.

"I had thought you would have spoken, first," Castiel said to him. Then he nodded towards Gail on the stand, dropping his voice. "We had an agreement, Xavier."

"Only on Count 6, and only in principle," Xavier retorted, dropping his voice also. "I told you Count 7 will stand. We'll see what she has to say first, before I decide."

"You were going to drop Count 6, and you were not going to compel her to testify," Castiel said through his teeth.

"About that? I changed my mind," Xavier replied, with a thin-lipped smile. Truthfully, he'd never intended to agree to keep Gail off the witness stand, which had been the second request Castiel had made. If Castiel thought he was getting her off scot-free, he was sadly mistaken. Xavier wanted to expose Gail for the type of "Angel" she really was.

Castiel's eyes flashed. Xavier was reneging on the deal!

"Don't worry, Brother, her life will probably be spared. Probably," Xavier said sardonically. "After we hear her life story, that will be up to the board to decide." He turned his back on Castiel and walked towards Gail, who was still sitting there waiting, a puzzled look on her face.

After Castiel and Xavier had lowered their voices, she had not heard that part of the exchange. Had Castiel changed his mind about pleading guilty? Her heart surged. She'd sit here all day long answering questions, if that was the case.

Castiel's glare bored holes in Xavier's back. He hadn't changed his mind about pleading guilty, but he'd needed Xavier to announce out loud that he was dropping the Count 6 charge against Gail, first. And not only had Xavier not done that, now he was saying they'd wait and see, after she testified. Castiel had been under the impression that their agreement of last night had included both components, including absolving Gail from testifying. Hadn't it? His mind raced, reviewing their conversation, but he now realized that Xavier had never expressly stated that he would not call her to the stand. It seemed that Xavier was bound and determined to humiliate Gail in public. Or was there more to it than that? He'd spoken about hearing her "life story". What did he mean by that?

Earlier in the morning, Aurielle had been getting together the paperwork at her desk for today's proceeding. She'd been so excited about seeing Gail put on the stand to confess her misdeeds that she could barely contain herself.

Aurielle had remained in deep denial after her brief visit with Castiel in his cell. He was obviously still in the throes of whatever spell Gail had cast on him. That was why he had behaved so rudely to Aurielle, and sent her away. But she would forgive him. Castiel was a victim, and he hadn't known what he was saying.

She took the spell book out of the bottom drawer of her desk and laid it on top of the documents. Xavier would probably want to produce it as evidence, show it to the board as proof of Gail's sorcery.

Just then, Xavier walked in and saw the spell book sitting on Aurielle's desk. "What are you doing with that?" he asked her sharply.

Aurielle was puzzled. "I thought you would want to bring it into the hearing as evidence," she said.

Now Xavier was puzzled. "Evidence?" he asked her. "What does that Unholy book have to do with the proceeding?"

She was dismayed. Only everything, she thought. "Aren't you going to use it against the Angel Gail? It's her book, isn't it?" she said.

Now Xavier saw the misunderstanding. She obviously hadn't examined the book very closely. "No, it's not," he replied. "That's an unrelated matter. Put it away, for now."

Aurielle's heart sank, but she did as he requested. She'd really thought the book belonged to Gail. How else to explain the hold she had over Castiel?

Gail was looking at Castiel now, watching him glare at Xavier. She was happy to see that; maybe he had decided to fight for himself, after all. And she resolved she would try to fight for him, too. Whatever Xavier asked her, she was going to try to turn it around, tell everyone in the room how good Castiel was now, and how good he had been to her.

"You were a human when you met Castiel, were you not?" Xavier asked her.

"Yes," Gail answered.

"And you had some unusual abilities for a human, didn't you?"

"Yes," Gail answered again. She did not elaborate. Let him do the work. What exactly was he getting at? she wondered.

Xavier continued to stare at her. "And, what were they?"

Gail sighed. "I could read people's intent by touching them, and I could heal."

"Where did these powers originate from?" Xavier asked.

Gail's brow furrowed. "From God, I would imagine."

"From God," Xavier repeated. He turned around to look at the gallery. "From God," he said again, the sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"They must have," Gail retorted, "as I was able to heal Castiel with them, on the first night we met."

She looked at Castiel, and he smiled at her. Their first good memory together.

But Xavier was not smiling. He wheeled back around to face her. "Really? And how was that possible? How exactly did you accomplish this cure?"

"Which question would you like me to answer?" Gail countered tartly.

Xavier glared at her. "All of them."

"OK," Gail said. "Yes, really. I don't know how it was possible; I can only put it down to a miracle. Castiel was almost out of Grace, and I gave him a drink of water that I had prepared for him. Once he drank it, he had his full Grace back."

"You 'prepared' a drink of water that was able to restore an Angel's Grace?" Xavier said incredulously. "And what was the method?"

Gail winced inwardly. She'd been hoping never to have to say it out loud. "I opened up an abrasion I had on my face and let some of my blood drip into the water, and then I gave the water to Castiel to drink."

She peeked at the gallery, from where there had been a couple of audible gasps. This sounded like witchcraft, to some of the older Angels. Gail heard Aurielle snort in derision, throwing her hands up in the air as if to say: See? I told you. Aurielle looked at Castiel, but Castiel's gaze was focused on Gail. Then Gail risked a look at him, but he was still smiling. Phew. Gail had been a little worried that the actual mechanics of the cure might disgust him. That was why she had never told him about it. But the main thing was that it had worked.

Xavier paused a moment, then said, "But these mysterious powers, wherever they came from, were attractive to others, weren't they? Is it true that the King of Hell recruited you for his own purposes?"

"He didn't 'recruit' me, he kidnapped me," Gail snapped, her temper rising. She wasn't going to let him get away with that. "And, he killed my brother."

"My condolences on your loss," Xavier said hollowly. He smiled thinly. "But we'll get back to that, in a minute."

Crap. Did Xavier know about Frank, and where he was now? He must, Gail thought, although she had no idea how he would know. There must be a grapevine here in Heaven, and Xavier had tapped into it. If he were to bring that up, Gail would explain that Frank's downfall had been all Crowley's doing. Heaven couldn't hold what had happened to her brother or the fact that he was now a Demon against her, could they? It wasn't her fault. And what did all this have to do with Count 7, anyway?

As if reading her mind, Xavier said abruptly, "Is it true that you and Castiel almost succumbed to the sin of Lust in the Winchester home?"

Gail looked at him sharply. How could he possibly know about that? She looked at Castiel, whose mouth had dropped open in shock.

She was compelled to answer, but at least Gail had an explanation to go along with her response. "Yes, but we were under the spell of the Seven Sins, cast by the witch Rowena. And, nothing happened," she said firmly.

Xavier nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "But I wouldn't say that nothing happened, would you? Did you not then leave the Winchester home, and go into service for Crowley?"

"Once again, I was abducted by Crowley," she said testily. "I did not go voluntarily." But a sense of dread was washing over Gail now. How did he know about that moment between her and Castiel in her room? They had never mentioned that to Sam and Dean, and no one else had been there. Now he was talking about her and Crowley. Was he trying to imply that she was evil, somehow?

"Be that as it may, you killed for Crowley, didn't you?" Xavier thundered. "A child, wasn't it?"

Gail's eyes grew wide. OK, there was no way Xavier should know about that. The only ones who knew about that, the most horrible moment of her life, were herself, Sam, Dean, Castiel, and the Demons who had been in the den that day. Oh, and Rowena, and Crowley himself. But the chair compelled her to answer the question. She looked helplessly at Castiel, but he was in shock, slowly shaking his head from side to side. He was obviously thinking the same things as she was.

"Yes, I killed for Crowley." The words were forced out of her mouth. "Yes, I killed a child." A louder gasp from the gallery, and the murmur of Angels talking.

Ignatius rapped his gavel. "Silence!" he shouted. Then he looked down at Gail. "Why would you have done that for him?" Ignatius asked her, disgust in his voice.

Gail looked up at him. "He injected me with Demon blood," she answered, tears starting to form in her eyes. She knew how this sounded. "It changed me, made me do things I would never..." She trailed off, her voice choked with emotion. How could she possibly explain? Even though the child she had killed had turned out to be a Demon, the memory would haunt her for the rest of her days. But, how...it suddenly dawned on her.

Gail turned back to Xavier. "You've been talking to Crowley," she said to him.

Another uproar from the gallery, and another gavel rap from Ignatius.

"How dare you!?" Alexander shouted from the dais. He and the rest of the board were outraged by Gail's statement. How dare she suggest that Xavier would talk to the King of Hell?

"What did you say to me?" Xavier asked her, also feigning outrage.

"You heard me," Gail retorted. "Besides Sam and Dean Winchester and Castiel and myself, he is the only one alive who was present for that..." she floundered "...occasion," she finished lamely.

Then she saw Castiel suddenly rise to his feet. "You HAVE been talking to Crowley," he said to Xavier. "He and Rowena were watching Gail and myself in the witch's enchanted mirror, while we were under the influence of the spell. There is no other way you could have known about that."

Xavier's mouth opened, then closed again. He wanted to tell them both to shut up, but he realized he'd just made a serious error. In his zeal to paint Gail as a former mistress of Crowley's, he hadn't realized that they would pick up on the fact that he could only have gotten this inside information from the King of Hell himself. Time to appeal to his fellow board members.

"Brother Ignatius, I would ask you to remind these Angels who is being examined, here," Xavier said, conveying what he hoped was the proper tone of righteous indignation. "I am deeply offended by what they are trying to suggest."

Ignatius rapped his gavel again. "Sit down, Castiel. Your outrageous allegation is offensive, and will not be tolerated."

Castiel pounded his fist on the table in frustration. "Xavier is lying!" he shouted.

"Sit down, or we will have you removed," Ignatius said sternly.

Castiel's eyes were blazing, but he realized he'd better force himself to calm down, somehow. Even as angry as he was, he couldn't let them take him out of the room. Not while Gail needed him for support. She was sitting there, wide-eyed and vulnerable, as Xavier was attempting to portray her as a willing disciple of Crowley's. He slowly sank back into his chair, wishing she had just pled guilty, as he had suggested.

Xavier looked back at Gail. "So, you had Demon blood in you, and you were killing for Crowley?" he reiterated. He wanted to bring things back on track, keep the focus where it should be.

"Yes," Gail said bitterly. "But Castiel and the Winchesters cured me, and I reverted back to my normal self."

"Did you?" Xavier said. "Then why did you return voluntarily to Crowley, after the alleged cure?"

"Because my guilt for what I'd done overwhelmed me," Gail replied in a more subdued tone. "I felt I didn't deserve to be with anyone as good as Castiel."

Xavier laughed shortly, but did not comment.

"Then what happened?" he asked her.

"Then Sam and Dean and Castiel came to Crowley's den to rescue me, and then the Winchesters and I died there," Gail replied. Funny that she could say it so matter-of-factly now. "God gave us all the choice, and I chose to become an Angel." She sat back. There. It was a very abbreviated version, but it was true. Surely if the board and all the Angels present knew that God had thought she was good enough to be an Angel, they wouldn't think too badly of her, she hoped.

Xavier shook his head slowly. He knew he couldn't say anything against God for fear of blasphemy, but he wanted to get one last shot in. "A bold choice," he said sardonically.

A couple of the Angels in the gallery laughed at that, and Gail's head drooped. Apparently, the witness chair also had the power to make whoever sat in it reexamine themselves. Whatever had made her think that she was fit to be an Angel? After the stuff she had pulled in Crowley's den, involuntary as it might have been? Even now, she felt more human than Angel; she always had. And

why had she chosen to be an Angel in the first place? She'd told herself at the time that her reasons were altruistic; that she wanted to help people, atone for her misdeeds. But honestly, hadn't it been much simpler, and much more selfish, than that?

"I wanted to be with Castiel," she blurted out.

"What?" Xavier said. "Could you say that again? I'm not sure we all heard you."

Gail raised her head. "I wanted to be with Castiel," she repeated. "That's why I chose to become an Angel."

Silence in the room. Gail wanted to look at Castiel, but she wasn't sure she should. He would be disappointed in her. He thought she was so good, but she knew she wasn't. She was selfish, she always had been, and she'd taken advantage of God's largesse to be with the guy she'd fallen in love with. Wow. How pathetic.

Xavier was smiling. "Brother Ignatius, I would respectfully suggest that we take the morning recess, now. There is much more ground to cover." He wanted to break on that note. Xavier felt that Gail was really revealing herself to be the type of Angel he'd thought she was: scheming, selfish, and only too willing to become intimate with men, in order to use them. Crowley had told Xavier about the physical contact he and Gail had shared while Gail had been in his service, and he had added that the two of them would likely have been married, had she not died and moved on to Castiel. And while Xavier couldn't introduce these confidences into evidence without truly exposing his collaboration with Crowley, they had disgusted Xavier. How dare Gail walk around Heaven as if she belonged there, when she had basically been one accident away from being the Queen of Hell?

Crowley had embellished his account, of course, as was his wont. He'd relished the shocked look on Xavier's face, and he had wanted to cast Gail in the worst possible light. It still stung a small part of him that she had chosen to leave him after he'd treated her so well. Would have given her anything she had ever wanted. But, she had wanted Castiel. Well, she could have him, for the brief amount of time they had remaining. Crowley told himself he no longer cared.

Ignatius rapped the gavel. "Recess called."

The board members filed into the chambers room behind the dais, and Xavier quickly followed. He thought the session was going very well so far, but he wanted to make sure there had been no residual effects stemming from Castiel and Gail's outbursts. Ignatius and Alexander had defended him in public, but Xavier was ready to do some damage control if necessary.

"So, you see what kind of woman she is," Xavier told them.

"I understand you're trying to establish character," Daniel said, "but why bring up her association with Crowley?" Xavier gave her an incredulous look, but he continued, "As repugnant as it is, she was a human at the time, and was forced to serve him against her will. And, she demonstrated remorse."

Xavier couldn't believe what he was hearing. Daniel was defending her?

"Well, I think it's disgusting," Alexander said. "I cannot understand how she was allowed to become an Angel after that."

That was more like it, Xavier thought. He was itching to tell them how close to being Crowley's bride Gail had actually come, but he had to restrain himself. There was no way he could ever explain having such inside knowledge. Besides, there was something he had to disclose to his fellow board members, and he'd better get to it, before Castiel decided to open his mouth again.

"Last night, Castiel asked to meet with me," Xavier told them.

"What? Why?" Gregory said, startled.

"He advised that he was willing to plead guilty to all of the charges against him if I dropped the Count 6 charge against the Angel Gail, and I agreed," Xavier said, bracing himself.

Sure enough, Lanister said, "She killed my son!"

"I know, Brother Lanister," Xavier said, "and that is why I'm examining her so closely now. I think you can agree that what we've heard so far is shocking, and there is more to come. She is still under charge for Count 7, and you - " he looked around the table, encompassing all 5 board members with his gaze " - still have the authority to impose whatever sentence you deem fit."

Ignatius thought he understood what Xavier was getting at. "Are you suggesting that we impose the death penalty on her for a simple morals charge?" he asked incredulously. Truthfully, he thought that was a lot for Xavier to ask. He would never say this out loud, but frankly, he had been moved by Gail's story, and by Gail and Castiel's obvious love for one another. Gail reminded him a bit of his daughter Felicia, or what Felicia could have been, if she had not disgraced him by falling in love with a human. But he would not let those feelings sway him from doing what was right. He would wait for further testimony before making up his mind about Gail.

Lanister was somewhat mollified by what Xavier had said. Nothing was going to bring his son back, but he was ready to vote the death penalty for Gail right now. Not just in revenge for his son, which would be the wrong motivation, but because she was a questionable Angel, at best. He had seen the insolent manner with which she had treated his Brother Xavier. Imagine, she was accusing Xavier of dealing with Crowley, when Gail herself had done who knew what kind of Unholy things for, and with, the King of Hell?! And she must have infected Brother Castiel with her poison via that sickening "cure" she had given him. Sounded like witchcraft to him.

Daniel was more inclined to keep an open mind. He would wait to see what other evidence Xavier had to offer. He would most likely go along with the majority when it came time to vote, though. Daniel was not very decisive when it came to these matters, preferring to leave the decisions to others, who had stronger convictions.

Alexander was hardline, perhaps even more so than Xavier himself. He was ready to convict right now, and the death penalty for both Castiel and Gail seemed like a good idea to him. They clearly had no respect for Heaven's rules, and institutions. Look at how they had behaved towards the esteemed Brother, Archangel Raphael. The sooner they were gone, the better.

Finally, there was Gregory. He was well and truly on the fence. He too was of the opinion that he needed more information before making a decision.

Xavier had planted the seed, and none of the board members had questioned him about the allegations regarding Crowley. His job was done, here. As he exited the chambers room and walked back to his table in the hearing room, Xavier looked at Castiel and smiled. He hadn't reneged on his agreement, he thought, but he hadn't said anything about waiving the death penalty for Count 7, had he?

Castiel saw Xavier's smile, and it worried him. Was he just pleased with himself over what he had elicited from Gail so far, or was there more to it than that? What had gone on in the chambers room?

But he couldn't worry about that, right now. Gail was back in her seat beside him for the break, and she was crying, her head bowed. She hadn't looked him in the eye since she'd come back here. He knew what the witness chair did, having been through the same process himself, the day before. It made you question everything you'd done, and everything you were. It removed all hope.

Cas took the picture of them and the white feather from his pocket and grabbed her hands, pressing the items into them. "These," he said to her, "these are what's real. Anything else doesn't matter."

Gail raised her eyes to look at him. "I thought so, too," she said. "But now, I'm wondering if they're the illusion."

It hurt his heart to hear her talk like that. "Am I an illusion?" he asked her.

She laughed shortly. "You know what? Maybe. Maybe you are."

He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. It didn't matter to him that the witness chair had given Gail the notion that she had decided to become an Angel just to be with him. He knew better. She was a good person who bad things had happened to, yet she persevered. She had helped that homeless man in the alleyway. She had sided with Bobby and had extended her forgiveness to Chuck, and she had been right. And she had come back here with him to be by his side, knowing what they'd be facing, to take a stand against Xavier and his Draconian rule of Heaven. There was much more altruism in Gail than she was giving herself credit for.

"Listen to me," he said to Gail, touching her face. He wanted to extend the same gesture to her that she had extended to him numerous times, a sweet gesture that had always comforted and calmed him. "I'm not an illusion," he continued. "We're not an illusion. This is not an illusion," he said, touching the photo.

Her eyes searched his, but she said nothing.

Cas leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. "I loved you from the beginning, and I love you now. Must be one hell of a long-lasting spell you cast on me." Then he smiled.

She looked at him disbelievingly. Had he just used her own go-to tactic on her? No wonder she used it; it worked. She felt herself begin to smile.

Gail kissed the palm of his hand. If they were going to reverse roles, they might as well go all the way. And, speaking of which..."You know what's coming up after the break, right?" she asked him.

Cas nodded. He knew.

"Do you think, if I get really graphic, Xavier could have that stroke we were hoping for?" Gail quipped.

Cas threw his head back and laughed. He was glad he had shared that thought with her back in their apartment. He'd known she would appreciate it. She was back to herself now, and he was happy to see it. He took the picture and feather gently from her hands and put them back in his pocket. "For safekeeping," he told her.

But then everyone was coming back into the room, and Ignatius was rapping his gavel.

"If you start to feel bad, just look at me and remember what I said," Castiel said to Gail. She smiled at him gratefully. Then Xavier was calling her back to the stand. Before she stood, Gail kissed Cas on the mouth, and held the kiss for a moment. Hey, if she was going to be exposed as a wanton woman, she might as well act the part, Gail thought. She loved him, so much.

"Is it true that one of the first things Castiel taught you how to do once you became an Angel was how to fight?" Xavier asked her. "How to kill?"

Gail sighed. Here they went, again. Everything Xavier asked was framed with the intent of making her look as bad as possible. But she had to tell the truth.

"Yes," she said, "although it was mostly Sam and Dean who trained me."

"Oh, that's right," Xavier said. "Castiel was busy here in Heaven at the time, helping Metatron to escape."

"Are you asking me questions, here, or making your closing statement?" Gail snapped. She was losing her temper again, and she'd only been up here for a few seconds. She was aware how bad it made her look to the board every time she fired back at him that way, but she couldn't seem to help herself. How could they let him get away with this crap? She looked at Castiel and incredibly, he was smiling.

Cas appreciated Gail's spirit; he always had. And it was sweet of her to try to defend him like she was doing. Of course, he also realized that every time she spoke to Xavier with such disrespect, she was just digging herself into a deeper hole with the board. They were hardliners, and as such, they had specific views on a female's place, and that place didn't include speaking out so strongly. There were no female Upper Echelon members for a reason. If Castiel had been willing to have taken the High Office when God had offered it to him, that status would have changed. It was about time.

"Fine," Xavier replied testily. She was trying his patience. He had to step back and look at the big picture, though. Soon he would be God, and this girl would be gone.

He decided to change tactics, throw her off-balance. "Is it true that you and Castiel have co-habited, ever since you became an Angel?" he asked her.

"Yes, we live in the same apartment," she responded. "Two bedrooms." It was true.

"And you stayed in the same motel room, when you went around with the humans?" Xavier persisted.

"Yes," Gail said, then added, "Two beds." She wasn't going to make it that easy for him. Besides, they were Angels, and nothing had been going on at that point, nor since they got back from Las Vegas. She was sure that delicate subject would be coming up shortly; but until then, he could go on his fishing expedition, but she was damned if she was going to give him a net.

"What happened to your brother, after Crowley killed him?" Xavier asked casually.

Gail was off-balance now, as Xavier had intended. That question had come out of the blue, especially on the heels of his previous line of questioning.

"Sam and Dean buried him behind the bunker," she replied, feeling the usual pang she felt when discussing Frank.

"And then?" Xavier prompted.

"And then we found out later that Crowley dug up his bones, and made him into a Demon," Gail said sadly.

"And not just any Demon, am I right?" Xavier said.

Gail glared at Xavier. Once again, she knew he must have been getting all this information from Crowley himself. But although she had accused him of this, and so had Castiel, the board had stuck up for Xavier, and they didn't seem to care.

But Chuck did, and he had had enough. "How could he possibly know that?" Chuck called out.

"Yeah," Kevin chipped in. "How does he know so much about what goes on in Hell?"

Xavier didn't turn around to face the gallery, this time. He looked at the board and said, "I have my sources. I am the acting God, after all."

Ignatius rapped his gavel once. "No more outbursts from the gallery. You've already been warned."

Chuck and Kevin looked at each other in frustration. They had taken their cue from Gail and Castiel earlier, and this was getting fishier by the moment. Couldn't the board see that their aspiring leader was in bed with Crowley? That had to be the explanation. Yes, Cas had done some bad things in the

past, and apparently, so had Gail. But this was the present, and Xavier was the bad guy now. They had to find a way to convince their fellow Angels that HE was the threat, not Cas and Gail.

Gail was compelled to answer the question on the table. "Crowley made Frank a Knight of Hell," she said bitterly.

"And where is your brother now?"

"Still in Hell," she replied shortly. She hated Xavier at this moment. Gail didn't care if they were both Angels, she could happily have killed Xavier right now, if someone handed her a blade. He was using Frank's unfortunate status to make her look bad, and it wasn't fair. What had happened to Frank was the most painful thing in her existence, and Xavier was pushing the button hard, just as he'd done to Castiel in that meeting, when he'd made insinuations about her.

"So, you're 'closely involved' with Castiel, an Angel who aspires to the High Office, and your brother is a Demon, in the service of the King of Hell. Does that about sum it up?" Xavier asked sarcastically.

"Oh, so you're still clinging to the premise that this is a hearing to determine my fitness for the High Office?" Castiel said suddenly. He was livid. He knew what a sore spot Frank's situation was for Gail, and he did not see the point in Xavier's bringing it up now. The subject had nothing to do with Count 7, and Xavier knew it. Gail could be descended from a family of Demons; it was her morality, and by extension his own, that was supposed to be addressed under the charge. She bore no responsibility for the ills that had befallen her brother. Gail had even killed her brother when push had come to shove, at great sacrifice to her emotionally.

"Do I have to warn you again, Castiel?" Ignatius admonished him. But truthfully, he was wondering the same thing: what did this line of questioning have to do with Count 7?

"Move it along, Brother Xavier," Ignatius said, sparing Gail from having to answer the question. She was relieved. She'd had no idea how to answer that question truthfully, anyway. There was just so much that was wrong with it.

Xavier frowned, but did as Ignatius had asked. However, he thought he'd try to sneak in some bonus material.

"Has Castiel told you about his past?" Xavier asked Gail. "And, have you forgiven him?"

"Yes, and yes," she said firmly, looking at Castiel. He gave her another smile. "And what does this have to do with anything, now?" Gail added. Ooh, she wished she could get Xavier to sit here. Let Cas ask HIM a few questions, for a change. Like, just how close were the acting God and Crowley, anyway?

"I agree," Daniel piped up unexpectedly. "What DOES that have to do with the charge, Xavier?"

"Speaks to character," Xavier replied quickly.

"If it speaks to anyone's character, it is Castiel's, not hers," Daniel persisted.

"What sort of Angel would just accept everything he's done without protest?" Xavier said insistently. He really wanted to get this in. "Why DID you just accept it?" he asked Gail.

Before one of the board could object again, Gail was compelled by the chair to answer: "I didn't just accept it," she replied, cursing herself as she said it. "I left him."

"Really?" Xavier said, smiling. This was an unexpected bonus. "And why did you do that?"

Gail rose from the chair. "OK, I'm not doing this. You can't make me." She started to step down, but Xavier motioned to Jason, who walked around the table and grabbed Gail by the arm.

Castiel was torn. If he ran over to assist her, which he sorely wanted to do, Ignatius might eject him from the hearing room; he'd already been warned twice. But he saw what Xavier was trying to do. He was trying to use the truth-eliciting properties of the witness chair to force Gail to turn on him, testify against him. And she knew that too, and was refusing to do it. But, Xavier had not excused her from the stand. Castiel looked up at Ignatius, appealing to his Brother silently. He'd always thought that Ignatius was fair. Was he really going to allow Xavier to do this?

Ignatius was thinking furiously. WAS he? Xavier was straying far afield, and the fact that he had called upon Jason to restrain Gail from leaving the witness stand smacked of bullying. But the truth was, Ignatius really wanted to hear her answer to the question. He'd been wrestling with himself over the question of his Brother Castiel. Ignatius himself believed the charges against Castiel weren't as black and white as Xavier had been making them out to be. He had known Castiel for centuries, and even though his Brother was a deeply flawed individual, Ignatius knew there had been extenuating circumstances surrounding most of Castiel's actions. And even though Ignatius had never understood Castiel's desire to work with humans, perhaps due to Ignatius's own bias, he was under the impression that Castiel's intentions were mostly good.

He rapped his gavel. "The witness will return to the stand," Ignatius said, looking down at Gail.

She looked at him, then looked at Jason. Gail flashed back to the drunk man in that bar in Seattle. But there would be no Cas at her side with his Angel blade, this time. He'd already been warned twice, and as Gail looked at him and saw the frustration on his face, she realized that Castiel was just barely holding himself in check, so he could stay in the room to support her. She almost wished he would get himself thrown out, though. Once they forced her back on that stand, he might not like what it was going to make her say.

Still, there was the court of public opinion, at least. She glanced up at the gallery and made a show of struggling. "Ow! You're hurting me!" she yelled at Jason.

He rolled his eyes. He'd slashed her several times with his blade before, and she'd hardly reacted; now he was merely holding her arm and she was screaming bloody murder? Who was she trying to fool?

She had some of the Angels in the gallery convinced, though. "Let go of her!" one of them said, and another said, "There's no need to hurt her."

Gail almost smiled. She looked into Jason's eyes, maintaining her act, and he had little choice but to release her. But her victory was small. Ignatius had directed her to sit back down, so down she went, and Jason walked back to his seat.

Castiel hadn't been fooled by Gail's act. If he'd thought that Jason really had been hurting her, he would have had no choice but to attack him, and damn the consequences. But Cas had seen Gail's quick glance to the gallery and he'd known what she was up to, so he stood down.

But Gail was back in the witness chair now, and the white glow was enveloping her again.

"There was a question on the table," Xavier said quickly, wanting to regain the momentum. "Why did you leave Castiel when he told you about his past?"

"Because, at the time - " Gail gritted her teeth, not wanting to say the words, " - I thought he was a liar, and a monster."

The words hung in the room like a cloud of black smoke. Gail looked at Jason, who was sitting there smirking. She should have just let him kill her with his blade, a moment ago. Put her out of her misery. She was never going to look at Castiel again. How could she, after what she'd just said?

"A liar," Xavier said. "A monster."

"Oh, would you just shut the hell up?" Gail said to him, anguished. It was bad enough that she had just said it, without him having to repeat it. How many bad courtroom dramas had he seen, anyway?

Xavier felt a flash of annoyance, but he was also well pleased. So he decided to stretch it a bit further. "But you went back to him, didn't you? And why was that?"

For a change, Gail was glad that he'd asked that question. "Because Dean convinced me that I was being a hypocrite. I'd made mistakes in the past, too, the biggest of which was what I did for Crowley. Even though it was against my will, it was horrible, and I realized I was in no position to judge."

Castiel was surprised. He remembered Gail coming back to him that night after she'd gone off to talk with Dean, but he only remembered her coming back and asking him for his forgiveness, which he'd thought was absurd. She had not really discussed what had occurred between her and Dean that night and he had never asked, choosing to remain content that she had forgiven him, following his confession to her of the litany of his sins. He hadn't realized that Dean had been so instrumental in reuniting them. If he ever saw Dean again, Cas would have to give him a big hug; maybe even a kiss.

He wasn't hurt by what Gail had said about him on the stand. He HAD lied to her, at least by omission, and he actually had done a lot of monstrous things, which he'd confessed to her that night, and which had been laid out here in this room. But he could see how upset she was, and though he continued to gaze at her, she would not meet his eyes.

Xavier was done. He'd made his point. He'd gotten Gail to admit that Castiel was a monster, and that she was no better than he was. It had been a very productive morning, and he wanted to go into the midday break on a victorious note.

"Request the midday recess," he said to Ignatius.

"Granted," Ignatius said. "Reconvene in one hour."

Everyone in the room started to disperse, but Gail sat rooted to the spot. She didn't want to go back to the table and face Castiel. She had turned on him, betrayed him. She'd just sit here, and wait out the hour.

But as everyone was leaving the room, Castiel got up and approached Gail. She could see him coming out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her head down.

"Did you truly forgive me?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she said. It was the truth.

"Do you love me?" Cas asked.

"Yes," Gail said again.

"Then, that's all that matters," Castiel said.

She hadn't wanted to look at him, but she couldn't help it. Was he nuts? Or was he really just that much of an Angel?

"You can't mean that," she said disbelievingly. "After what I just said about you?"

"Oh, but I do," Cas said, smiling. "I always thought you let me off the hook a little too easily, that night."

Really? she thought. He was doing this again? But she wasn't so sure it was going to work, this time. She still felt like crap, and he was almost making it worse by being so willing to forgive her for what she'd said.

Cas's smile faded when he saw that she wasn't smiling back. "Do you love me?" he asked again.

"Yes," she replied, "but I don't see how you can love me back. Assuming you still do," she added wryly.

"Let me count the ways," he said, smiling again. "I hate Metatron, but I've got to admit he did me a favour when he gave me all those literary and pop culture references."

Now she did smile. He wasn't playing fair.

"Come sit with me," Cas said, taking her hand. She stepped out of the witness chair and followed him to their table. She would follow him anywhere, she thought, shaking her head. If it came to be, she would follow him to his execution, and then ask the executioner to do her the supreme favour. There was no way she could carry on without him.

God had been watching the morning's proceedings with rapt attention. He'd thought that his Son and Daughter had Xavier on the ropes when they'd questioned him about his association with Crowley, but inexplicably, the board had defended Xavier, and let him continue.

His respect for Gail had grown. She had withstood Xavier's barrage of questions bravely, and had told the truth throughout. God was the only one who knew that the witness chair was just an ordinary chair. When He'd created it, God's intention had been to use it in extreme circumstances only, and He had let it be known that the chair had magical properties, compelling anyone who sat in it to tell the complete truth. But the white glow was all just smoke and mirrors. The chair was only a chair; it was up to the conscience of whomever sat in it to determine what would be said. He'd thought that the chair would bring out the best and the worst of whoever sat in it, and He'd been right. Raphael had shown himself to be the arrogant bully that God had always known him to be, while Castiel and Gail had both confessed to their own shortcomings at great detriment to themselves, and had shown remorse and penitence for their actions. What more could you ask from an ordinary wooden chair?

But there was just a bit more testimony to go this afternoon, and He'd better get a move on.

Chuck, Kevin, Becky and Ethan were talking in the gallery. They had elected not to leave for the break, and were strategizing now.

Kevin had finally decided to include Becky in their number, confessing their true intentions. "But don't say anything to Aurielle," he had cautioned. "I know she's your friend, but she's sitting with Xavier and right now, she's on the wrong team."

Becky may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she got it. She'd been angry at the way her favourite couple had been treated at the tribunal. Every time she looked at Castiel and Gail, she thought about other tragic couples. Romeo and Juliet. Jack and Rose. Their love was real, but people and circumstances kept trying to keep them apart. She hated Xavier now, and that stuffy old board was just as bad. She'd gladly testify on her friends' behalf if anyone would ask her. She'd been a little shocked at the testimony that had come before, but when Becky had heard about all the bad things that had happened to Gail, she was back on board. Yes, Castiel had been bad before, but then he had fallen in love with Gail and she had saved him, and then Castiel had saved Gail. It was a classic love story; Becky had read many versions of this same story when she'd been human, and even though these circumstances were highly unusual, she could see the parallels. So she had promised Kevin she wouldn't say a word to Aurielle. Truthfully, she was a little upset with Aurielle now, anyway. What was she doing, sitting beside Xavier? So she had a crush on Castiel; so what? Couldn't Aurielle see that she was on the team that was hurting him? They hadn't spoken since the hearing had begun, and Becky had been avoiding Aurielle. After everything was over, Becky supposed they would make up, but for right now, Becky was in Gail's corner.

Ethan had been talking to Chuck and Kevin, trying to get their impressions of Castiel and Gail. Since this morning, he had done a lot of soul-searching and had decided that he was now rooting for the couple. Even though Castiel was still a prisoner and Gail would likely be joining him back in jail, the way things were going, Ethan felt sympathy for them. Castiel didn't seem like a cold-blooded killer or a monster to him, even though both Castiel and now Gail had stated on the witness stand that he was. Though young, Ethan had been a cop and a pretty good judge of character, and something just didn't jive, here.

Chuck and Kevin were dismayed. Their campaign for the couple had stalled, and they weren't quite sure where to go from here. Chuck in particular knew that this afternoon's testimony would likely focus on the couple's trip to Las Vegas and the supposed sinning they had done there, and he thought they might be able to recruit some of the younger Angels like Ethan to their cause if Xavier bullied Gail enough about that. These were modern times, and sex between two consenting adults should be no big deal, married or not. Ethan had told them he felt the same way, and Chuck was sure many of the younger Angels would, too. But they'd just have to wait and see.

When they reconvened after the break, Gail stood before Xavier had even called her to the stand. She just wanted to get this over with. She and Cas had spent the entire hour talking and reminiscing about the good times they'd had in Las Vegas and in Vancouver, and her spirits had been lifted since the depression of this morning's testimony.

He caught her arm before she walked to the stand. "Remember, you have nothing to be ashamed of," he said, then amended, "WE have nothing to be ashamed of."

Gail smiled. He was right. She'd enjoyed reliving their holiday with him, and if the intimacy they'd shared was about to become public knowledge, she was OK with that.

So she walked to the stand and sat down, facing Xavier. Bring it on, she thought. You want to make me into a fallen woman? Go ahead, then. I enjoyed the trip.

Xavier frowned slightly. She'd been broken before the midday break, and now she looked almost happy.

"Did you and Castiel go to Las Vegas with the Winchester humans?" he asked her.

"Yes, and I wish you'd stop calling them 'the Winchester humans'," she answered, smiling. "Their names are Sam and Dean, and they're very nice people."

Chuck, Kevin and Becky smiled at each other. Good one, Gail.

"Did you drink alcohol when you were there?" Xavier asked her.

"Yes," Gail answered.

"Did you gamble?"

"Yes," she said again.

"Did you curse?" he asked.

Gail considered. "Yeah, probably," she answered.

"Did you have sex?" Xavier asked bluntly. He'd been meaning to ease into it, but her casual attitude towards sinning was annoying him.

"Yes," Gail answered simply.

The gallery erupted in chatter. How was that possible? Angels were celibate.

Ignatius rapped his gavel. He was curious as to the matter himself, but as he looked down at Gail, he saw his daughter in her, and couldn't bear to ask.

But Xavier could. "How is that possible?" he asked Gail.

"We were humans, at the time," Gail replied.

Now there was no stopping the chatter. Ignatius rapped the gavel repeatedly, until it died down.

"Humans?" he asked Gail. He couldn't help himself. "Both of you?"

"Yes," Gail said. "We were using our gift from God."

"A gift? From God?" Xavier repeated. He was shocked. He'd expected her to confess to sin, but he had not expected this. "How is being human a gift?"

"Look, Xavier, I know how anti-human you are," Gail said, happy to be turning the tables on him, "but don't knock it till you've tried it."

He gaped at her, puzzled by the colloquialism.

"It just means it's not necessarily a bad thing," Gail smiled, recognizing the look. "There are a lot of wonderful things about being human. Like enjoying a great meal. Getting a good night's sleep. And, yes, sex. Sex is wonderful when it's with someone you love." She looked at Cas, who was smiling. He nodded in agreement. "It certainly is," he said aloud.

Many of the younger Angels in the gallery, and even some of the older ones, were nodding and smiling now, also. They remembered these things, and they had been good.

But Gail was Gail, and so she added, "But, peeing? I don't miss that," she quipped.

Many of the Angels laughed, and so did Cas.

But Xavier was not laughing. He was angry now, both at her attitude and by the fact that the spectators seemed to be encouraging her. "You realize what you are saying, don't you?" he asked her.

"Not really, Xavier. Why don't you enlighten me?" Gail said, still smiling.

"You have just pled guilty to Count 7," he snapped back.

"How's that?" she said, feigning innocence.

"The Seventh Commandment," Xavier spat out. "'Thou shalt not have sex outside the bonds of marriage'."

The room went silent. A few of the younger Angels looked at each other. They'd always been under the impression that the Seventh Commandment referred to committing adultery.

"Whose interpretation is that, Xavier?" Gail shot back. "Yours?"

"It is immoral, and it is wrong," Xavier insisted.

"Well, we were humans at the time. I guess we didn't know any better," Gail replied cheerfully. "But don't worry, Xavier, now that we're back to being Angels, we don't do it any more. Unfortunately." She smiled at Cas, who grinned back. He tipped her a wink. She had said exactly what he would have said if he'd been up there, and he'd never been prouder of her.

Xavier was looking like he was finally going to have that stroke that she and Cas had been hoping for, Gail thought with amusement. He was beyond angry, now. "You're a whore," he raged at her.

Castiel leaped from his chair and spun Xavier around, grabbing him by the throat. "Mind your language," he growled. He released Xavier, but continued to glare at him, waiting to see what Xavier would say next. Jason stood, but Xavier waved him to sit back down, coughing.

"Violence, Castiel," Xavier sputtered, "why is that always the answer for you?"

"Sometimes the response is proportional to the offense," Castiel retorted.

Ignatius rapped his gavel. "Order," he said. "Please return to your seat, Brother Castiel."

Castiel looked at him and smiled. He appreciated Ignatius's verbiage. He returned to his seat, having made his point.

Ignatius looked at Xavier. He'd crossed the line, in Ignatius's opinion. While Ignatius did not entirely approve of what Gail had said, she'd revealed that she and Castiel had been humans when the offense had occurred, and that they had behaved properly, once they had become Angels again. And while he was still mystified as to why God would have bestowed that so-called "gift" on them, that was good enough for him.

"Are you done, Xavier?" Ignatius asked.

Xavier wasn't, but he sensed that Ignatius was losing his patience, so he said, "The witness may step down."

Gail rose from the chair, breathing a sigh of relief. She walked quickly over to their table, where Castiel rose, and pulled out her chair for her. Before she sat down, he murmured, "You did great. I'm so proud of you."

"Way to defend me, out there," she said softly. She smiled. "You're sexy when you do that."

"Well, then, I guess I'll be sexy for the rest of my days," he smiled back. But even as he said that, the joke fell flat and they both stopped smiling. How many days would that be, exactly? They might have garnered some sympathy in the room, but they had no idea how the board was going to rule, and there were still three more Counts to go.

Xavier needed to regroup. "Move to adjourn for the day," he said to Ignatius.

"It's still early," Ignatius said in protest. He'd been hoping to conclude today. "Are there no more witnesses you can call today?"

"I have no more scheduled," Xavier responded.

The doors to the hearing room burst open.

"Well then, how about an unscheduled one?" Bobby said, striding into the room.