Book 12 - The Second Coming

by GailDunn2

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT AND SITUATIONS. Lucifer has escaped, and Bobby has to assemble a ragtag group of humans and Angels to try to find him. Will Gail, Sam, Frank or Jody find out the secret that Cas has tried so desperately to keep from them?

4. Cat of Nine Tales

Chapter 4 - Cat of Nine Tales

Rowena packed her bag and brought it to the front door of the cottage. Then she looked back. She had enjoyed staying here, for a short time. The cottage still stood, after all those centuries. Unbelievable. Dunkirk was a very old town, and the people in this village lived very simply. Rowena had wanted to be in a quiet place where she could relax and think about her next move, and what better place than the home she used to have centuries ago? She had raised Fergus here, until she'd felt the yoke of motherhood tighten around her neck. Rowena had always been the independent sort, and the rigours of life as a single mother had proved to be too much for her. She'd thought she could have her own life, and that her son could pretty much take care of himself. But things hadn't turned out like that. Fergus had been whiny and needy, and when she'd gone out at night, doing what she needed to do, he cried all night, and her neighbours had complained to her about it. She'd tried staying at home for a while then, working on perfecting her spells and recording every successful one in her book. But little Fergus still wouldn't leave her alone, constantly clamouring for her attention. And a woman had needs. So she'd begun going out at night again, drinking down at the local and occasionally going home with one of the townsmen. Rowena didn't consider herself loose, but she did like to have a good time, and a nice long session in bed invigorated her. Fergus himself had been conceived at an orgy. That was the only time that Rowena had let herself get caught like that, and if she had known who her son's father was, she would have just taken him to whoever was responsible and left him on that man's doorstep. Just because women had the parts that were required to conceive and bear children, that didn't mean that they should be stuck with the obligation for the rest of their lives, did it?

Still, she had soldiered on for as long as she could. When Fergus was a wee baby, she'd felt a little bit sorry for him. He didn't ask to be brought into the world and into this type of situation, after all. And at that point, she'd still had high hopes that her son might grow into a quality man, one she might be able to mentor and share her secrets with. But when Fergus had gotten a little older, Rowena could see that he was never going to amount to anything. He was too sensitive, too wishy-washy. He'd bungled even the simplest of spells she'd tried to show him, and he hadn't even seemed to care. The other children in the town would make fun of him and he would come home crying, expecting her to wipe his tears and coddle him. She'd tried to tell him that he should stand up to them, or better still, take his revenge, but it seemed as if he was incapable of doing either, or even of thinking that way. So she'd given up on him. Once she had even tried to sell him, but there had been no takers. And Rowena had been getting tired of sitting around in this rustic little cottage. She was young, beautiful and vibrant. She was wasting her life here, and she was wasting her time. There were ladies in town who had much bigger houses, and they wore the most gorgeous clothes and seemed to have the best of everything. That was the kind of life for her. A woman with her talents shouldn't be left hanging on the vine.

So she had packed her bag and left the cottage one night, leaving Fergus to fend for himself. Maybe he would benefit from her absence. He could learn how to do things on his own, and maybe he would learn how to stand on his own two feet. In the meantime, Rowena intended to live her life to the fullest.

She had gone down to the pub and made the acquaintance of the mayor, and she had become his mistress for a while. He had showered her with gifts just to keep her, and when Rowena had had enough of his demands in bed, she had left Dunkirk, her bag weighed down with the jewels he had given her. And she'd never looked back.

But once she'd left the bunker after Gail and Castiel were cured, Rowena had been feeling a little nostalgic, so she'd come back to Dunkirk. It was a lot bigger than she'd remembered, of course, but this part of town had remained virtually unchanged. She supposed it would be considered a slum by the modern days' standards, but the simple life appealed to her now. So she had cursed the cottage's occupants and moved them out, and she had been living there ever since.

But one day, she had been sitting outside looking at the stars and enjoying the late summer weather when all of a sudden, the sky had darkened. Then rain began to fall, then sleet, and there had been thunder and lightning. Frogs had fallen from the clouds, and when they'd reached the ground, they had hopped funnily for a while and then died. Rowena had observed all of this, curious. Then she had heard a man's booming laugh in the thunder. That had really gotten her attention. Something was going on here, something big. Was this what she had been waiting for?

Rowena had gone back into the cottage and built a fire. Then she had thrown one of her hex bags into the flames and listened for her son's voice. He must have been in Hell because she couldn't see him, only hear him. But what she'd heard was enough. Lucifer was freed from his cage, and Crowley was extremely concerned about this fact. Rowena could just bet that he was. If anyone would be a worthy adversary for her son, it would be Lucifer. Rowena had started to smile. So, her son was about to have a real contest on his hands. It was about time. There had been a time when Rowena had thought she might like to take Hell away from him, but now she realized she had not been aiming that high. If one were to rule anyplace, the Earth would be far more preferable. Maybe that should be her new goal. She had been living the simple life for long enough. Rowena really wasn't a country girl at heart. She deserved to be in a mansion, or in a five-star hotel. In the lap of luxury and being waited on hand and foot, preferably by fine-looking young men. Like Sam and Dean. Even Castiel, if he could keep his holier-than-thou opinions to himself. Demon Cas would have been ideal for her purposes, if he hadn't been so overbearing. Rowena intended to be on top in any relationship she might choose to embark on. Bobby hadn't minded her in that position, she thought with a smile. She had cared for Bobby the most of any man she'd ever been with, so much so that she had performed the marriage ritual that night when they had both been in their cups. But it could never really have lasted. Bobby had been too good at heart, and Rowena would never have been able to get away with most of the things she did if she had stayed with him. And now, her Bobby was God. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

After a time, Rowena had taken out the makeup mirror she carried wherever she went and waved her hand over it. She had surreptitiously enchanted the mirror over the bunker's fireplace when she had been left to her own devices as they'd waited out the cure. She now had a window into the place, just as she'd had when she had been in the den with her son after having infected the occupants with the Sins. So Rowena had seen the summit meeting between Bobby, Crowley, the Angels and the Winchesters. Interesting stuff. Lucifer was here on Earth somewhere, apparently about to unleash Armageddon.

This sounded like something that Rowena could be a part of, or at least, could benefit from. Moreover, it sounded like it could be exciting. She had been languishing again, when she should be out there, making things happen.

She picked up her bag and left the cottage, and this time she did not look back.

Gail stood at the crossroads and thought Crowley's name, as Cas had told her to do. And he came, just like that.

"So it does work," she said, astonished.

"What, you're thinking my name?" he said, amused. "Yes, any Original can summon another that way. Unless we're blocked from the others, that is," he added hastily, anticipating her question.

And Crowley was right; she had been about to ask why, if that was the case, one of them could not just call up Lucifer, or Metatron. It would certainly save a lot of time and trouble if they could just do that. Not that they would be compelled to come, of course. But, still.

"Where's Castiel?" Crowley asked, looking around warily.

"Bobby's sending us all out individually," Gail answered. "Cas did ask me to come here and talk to you first, though." She went to the sheath she had on her hip and took out her Angel blade. "He wanted me to show you this."

Crowley's eyebrows shot up. "Really?" he asked, surprised.

Gail misunderstood his expression. "I'm not here to start anything," she assured him. "He asked me to show you the markings on it. He said you could tell me what other additional powers I might have." She stepped forward. "But I don't have very long. Bobby expects us all to be where he's sending us, and I don't think he should know I came here first. He probably wouldn't like it."

Crowley smiled. No, he probably wouldn't. So, Castiel had sent her here, had he? His Brother must really be worried about her safety, then. But who could blame him? Lucifer could appear in front of Gail at any moment, and even if he had stayed in his original vessel, which Crowley highly doubted that he had, she wouldn't even recognize him. Was Bobby crazy? Additional powers or not, Gail would be no match for Lucifer all by herself. And the other Angels? Lambs to the slaughter. Castiel was the only one who would even stand a chance, but if Lucifer got into his Brother's head, it would be all over. Lucifer would play with Castiel as if he were a shiny new toy. But at least he'd had the good sense to send Gail to Crowley first. But why had Castiel not educated her himself? Too busy using and abusing her body to enrich her mind, Crowley supposed.

He reached out his hand. "Give it here, then. Let's have a look."

Gail studied Crowley's face for a moment. Was she really just going to hand her blade to the King of Hell? A blade he could use to kill her, but that would hardly inflict a scratch on him?

He saw the look on her face, and his smile widened. He couldn't blame her for what she was thinking. She'd be a fool not to consider that. They were here alone. He could kill her in the blink of an eye.

"Do you trust Castiel?" Crowley asked her softly.

"Yes, of course I do," she answered automatically.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to trust me, too," he said. "He sent you to me, didn't he?"

Gail considered this. It was true. Cas had practically begged her to do this. She handed the blade to Crowley.

He took it, then looked up at her. "You can take a couple of steps back, if you like," he told her, smirking. She didn't, but she continued to watch him intently.

Crowley looked down at the blade. "I don't know how much time you have, but I can tell you what I see," he said to her. "Some of these words are difficult, though, even for me. Obscure. A few of them may require further study."

"I don't have that kind of time," Gail said nervously. "Can you just give me the highlights for now? Is there anything there that'll help me fight Lucifer? Or defend myself from any of them, at least?"

"Well, there's your ability to compel animals to attack, of course," Crowley said casually. "That may come in handy sometime."

But Gail was puzzled. "What?"

Crowley eyed her. He knew he was expected to dance between the raindrops here, but he'd thought she would remember that.

"The hawk? Trying to peck Metatron's eyes out?" he prompted.

Gail nodded. Of course. Her hand had shot a gold beam of light into the sky towards a hawk, which had dive-bombed Metatron outside the bunker, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet. "I do remember that," she said to Crowley. "I suspected that might have been me, but I wasn't sure. I was going to ask Castiel about it, but then we were kidnapped and taken to the cabin."

"Well, it's right here," Crowley said, tapping the hilt of the blade with his finger.

Gail moved forward, her fear set aside. If he wanted to kill her, he probably would have done it by now. And she really wanted to see. "Where?" she asked.

Her head was next to his now, and Crowley was reminded of the times that she and Castiel had stood with him in the warehouse, comparing the markings on their blades. But this occasion was much more pleasant, as Castiel was nowhere to be seen.

Crowley showed her the markings which denoted that particular power. Then his finger shifted. "And here's your ability to heal, and this section is your ability to send beings to other places."

"Beings?" she echoed, thinking of the time that she sent Sam and Dean away from Jason. "Do you mean humans?"

Crowley frowned in concentration. When he'd looked at it before, he'd read the word that way. But upon closer examination, he was now changing his mind. "No, I'm almost certain it says 'beings'. Or it could be 'certain beings'. The term used is very arcane. That's one of those things that will warrant further study."

Gail tilted her head. Great. Well, it wasn't as if she didn't already know about that ability she had. But if it applied to any entities other than humans, she supposed she should know about it. Maybe she could send Lucifer or Metatron to Mars when they came for her.

Crowley continued to scan the markings, and his eyes widened. He couldn't be reading this one right.

Gail saw the look on his face. "What?" she asked.

"You apparently have the ability to perform magic spells," Crowley said, astonished. Why on earth would their Father have ever given her that ability? Angels doing magic spells? Had God been trying to be funny with that one? Their Father was a little too enamoured of His own sense of humour sometimes. He had given Crowley the ability to dry up or part waters, and the ability to speak any foreign language, but not to understand it. Yeah, God was a scream. And He had given Metatron the power to change water into wine. Well, since God's own Son had disappeared into the void, Crowley supposed that someone should be able to do it. What about if you were having a big dinner party, and you ran out? But, in that capricious way that He had, God had given this ability to one of the most objectionable individuals in Creation. If Metatron could scare up so many people who were willing to eat with him that he would need more wine, Crowley would be extremely surprised. But, such was his Father.

But now that Crowley thought more about this, he started to do the slow burn. Damn Castiel. If he had allowed Gail and Crowley to go over her blade prior to this, he might have seen that she had that ability. And if they had known that, she might never have had to revive his mother to perform the spell for the cure. Mind, Rowena had claimed that the last of the ingredients was a lock of her hair, and they would not have been able to get that if they had not brought her all the way back from the Netherworld. But they'd only had her word for it that her hair had been required for the spell in the first place. Could Gail have accomplished the spell for the cure on her own?

And another thing had just occurred to him: If Gail hadn't had the hawk attack Metatron, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet into Hell, Lucifer might not be free right now. Unbelievable. But Crowley supposed he couldn't be angry with her about that; she had bailed him out hugely at the time.

Gail didn't know what Crowley was thinking, only that he had a strange expression on his face. But she kind of understood, if he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Magic spells? What kind of spells? Her mind went to Rowena's spell book. Bobby had given it to Sam to keep in the bunker's library after their ordeal in the cabin. Was she supposed to use something from in there against Lucifer, maybe? But that was probably why Crowley had such a weird look on his face now. Any reminder of his dead mother would probably be enough to annoy him.

"Magic spells?" Gail said. "What do you think about that?"

Crowley shrugged. "Our Father thinks He's funny sometimes. I wonder what hilarious abilities he gave to Lucifer, and whether we'll be around to laugh about it years from now."

This reminded Gail of the urgency of the situation. "Is there anything else?" she asked him. "I really have to go."

Crowley bent to the blade again. "There are a couple I can make out quickly. You have the power to conjure up light in total darkness."

"Oh," she remarked. "Well, I guess that could come in handy sometime."

"And - " Crowley couldn't help but smirk " - you can clean up any mess instantly. Maybe you could start with my Brother."

Gail sighed. She'd been hoping they could get through one conversation without him trashing Castiel. But she supposed she'd been expecting too much. "Very funny," she said sarcastically. But she thought about that now. She guessed that was God's sense of humour at work, as Crowley had suggested. Or maybe it was just old-time sexism. But hadn't she just said to Cas a little while ago that she wished she had the ability to clean clothes instantly? She'd been trying to be funny at the time, but considering what they might be about to face, it might not be all that amusing.

"Great," she said. "Now when I get stabbed, at least I'll be able to make myself presentable."

Crowley frowned. "What is Bobby playing at, sending you out there all by yourselves?" he asked her.

Gail sighed. "Frankly, I have no idea. Apparently, he's got an advisor in Heaven who's been helping him strategize, and this guy thinks it's a good idea. But I trust Bobby. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think the plan had merit. Apparently, we're supposed to be beacons, to attract him."

"So, bait, in other words?" Crowley asked her. Once again, he was surprised. That didn't really sound like Bobby. "Who's this advisor?" he said sharply.

Gail shrugged. "I don't know." Laurel had told her about it when Gail and Kevin had gone to Bobby's office to receive their envelopes. But when Gail had started questioning Laurel about it, Bobby's receptionist had clammed up. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything, Laurel had said.

Crowley was thinking furiously. An "advisor" was consulting with Bobby in Heaven about the deployment of the Angels here on Earth? Did Crowley just have a suspicious mind, or was that suspicious?

Now Gail felt like Laurel. "Forget I said anything," she told him. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"It'll be our little secret, then," Crowley assured her with a small smile. But this would bear further investigation, of course.

"I'd better go," Gail said to him. "I'm pushing my luck now." She held out her hand for her blade and incredibly, he simply handed it back. This was so weird. She'd never been alone here with him like this, and he was being so nice to her. Given their history, Gail couldn't be blamed for feeling like she'd stepped into an alternate dimension.

Crowley knew her better than she realized, given the additional time they'd spent alone together during Cas's Demon phase and then afterwards, when she and Cas had been separated. But she wouldn't remember any of those times, of course. It was a shame, really. She still thought of Crowley as her enemy, but try as he might, he felt no enmity towards her now. Castiel was another matter, but Crowley had to admit he really did like Gail now. He might even love her. Perhaps he always had. But he'd tried to force the issue before, and that had never worked. Gail did not tolerate that kind of treatment for long. She had left his Brother after having been treated with force once too often when he'd been the Demon, and though Castiel had bullied and coerced her into returning to him at the time, Gail had kicked him to the curb when she had been cured of the disease Castiel had inflicted on her. Now they were together again, but only because Gail had no recollection of those dark events, in Crowley's opinion. What would she do if she did remember? If God had erased her memories, she shouldn't be able to do that. But Crowley wasn't convinced that their Father had truly wiped her mind. Something told him that Castiel hadn't gotten off as scot-free as he thought he had. Or maybe that was what Crowley had to tell himself in order to achieve any form of serenity about the situation. But in any event, he was still the King of Hell, and he wasn't above stirring the pot a little bit.

"Well, good luck out there," Crowley said cheerfully. "And, don't worry too much. I don't think Lucifer will be coming after you first. I think he actually liked you, a little bit. Well, as much as someone like him could actually like anyone, besides himself, of course. It's Castiel he can't stand. But then, to know Castiel is to hate him, after all. That's the only thing that Lucifer and I have ever seen eye to eye on."

Gail's mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about? I've never met Lucifer, and neither has Cas. He told me that."

"Did he?" Crowley said impassively. "Maybe you shouldn't believe everything your boyfriend tells you. See you soon, sweetheart." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Gail stood there, still holding her blade in her hand, frozen to the spot. What had THAT been all about? Had Crowley just been screwing with her?

But she wondered. There was something fishy going on; she'd known that for a while now. But, what was it? And how worried should she be about it? There was something wrong here, that was for sure. Was she nuts? They were telling her that she had PTSD. Did she? And if she did, would it wipe out something as big as having met Lucifer? There was no way she could forget something like that. But if she HAD met him, that would mean that everyone was lying to her about it. Had Lucifer made her crazy, as he had Sam, and Bobby? No, she couldn't accept that, either. She felt like herself, and except for her fear about the current situation, she felt OK. Gail had seen Bobby when he'd come back from Lucifer's cage; he'd been nervous and jumpy, seeing things that weren't there. She didn't feel that way at all. She just seemed to have a void in her brain, that was all. And some things had been coming back, slowly but surely. Maybe it was because she missed Cas already, but earlier when she'd been kissing him goodbye in the hallway, Gail had begun to picture them together in other situations. Him sitting on a chair somewhere, in a room she didn't recognize. She had been sitting on his lap, and they had been kissing. Nothing particularly unusual for them, but she had been naked, and he had been inside of her. Then she saw them in a bedroom in the bunker, and he was down on his knees in front of her, pleasuring her with his tongue. Then, the most surreal vision of all: she had been on her stomach on a plush couch and he had been behind her. She knew what they were doing in that vision, and that was impossible. They had certainly never done that before, and she wasn't sure if they ever would. It seemed like it would be painful, and Cas would never ask her to do anything that would hurt her. Besides, he would be far too shy to even suggest such a thing. So, where the hell would anything like that have come from? Were all of these scenes in her head things she had forgotten about, or were they just wishful thinking on her part? If so, she had a pretty dirty imagination for an Angel. Should she choose to find this funny, or should she be upset about it? Was Cas lying to her for some reason? She could recall many occasions when he'd been evasive with her or shut her out. But out-and-out lying was another matter. And he couldn't be the only one, either. Everyone else was acting as if there was nothing wrong with her, too.

But she was wasting time woolgathering now. She was supposed to be in Las Vegas. Too bad she'd be alone, though. False memories or not, she wouldn't mind doing one or two of those things she'd been picturing with Cas right now. She'd love for him to be there with her. But, business before pleasure. Bobby had given her his instructions, and she was sure the others had similar orders. Hopefully, Lucifer would tip his hand to one of them soon, and hopefully, they could apprehend him before he could do too much damage. Metatron and Aurielle would likely be with him, and maybe they could get all three of them at once. Wouldn't that be great?

And while she was dreaming, she might as well ask for a pony. Were things ever that easy for them?

Gail sighed, sheathing her blade, and winked herself to Las Vegas.

The Demon Squad pulled up to a motel in Nashville, and the men got out and stretched their bodies.

"I'm not used to riding shotgun," Frank said to Dean. "I'm used to being the driver."

"Well, you're family, Frank, but you're not driving my Baby," Dean said, grinning. "But don't take it personally. I don't even let Sammy drive. Cas, either."

"But that's why we're forced to stop so frequently," Chuck commented. "If you let someone else drive once in a while, you wouldn't have to stop to rest so often."

Dean gazed evenly at him. "Forget it, Chuck. Not gonna happen."

Chuck shrugged. He'd figured as much. But he'd wanted to speak up anyway.

"Who's with who?" Frank said, getting his bag out of the car.

Dean frowned. He'd prefer to room with Frank, but Bobby's instructions had been very specific. "You're with Ethan," Dean said to Frank. "Chuck's with me."

Chuck was surprised. He knew that Dean didn't care for him too much. "I'd assumed you and Frank would room together," he said to Dean.

Dean looked around. He saw no one, but he lowered his voice anyway. "Bobby was very specific," he told the men. "One human, one Angel. He wants us ready to roll at all times."

"So? We get rooms next to each other," Frank protested. It's not like he minded the idea of rooming with Ethan, really. Frank just thought that he and Dean might have more fun, and they actually had a lot more in common with each other. They would both sleep, for one thing. It was going to be a little weird being in the same room with a guy who just sat up all night. Oh, well. Frank had noise-cancelling headphones in his bag. Funny, he didn't even remember buying them. Why would he need something like that? He was alone almost all of the time. But now he was glad he had them. If Ethan wanted to watch TV to keep himself occupied, at least Frank could still sleep.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Your sister is out there alone, Frank. Do you really want to have to wait for an Angel to come and get you if she needs you? Or if Cas needs us?"

Frank nodded. "Sorry. You're right, Dean."

"Come on, Chuck," Dean said. "I'll get some sleep, and maybe you can write another book, or something."

Chuck rolled his eyes. Dean was never going to let that go, was he? Maybe Chuck should remind Dean that both he and Sam had gotten a lot of play from those books. All Chuck had ever gotten from them had been Becky, and she had been all wrong for him. Maybe Dean's idea had some merit, though. Maybe Chuck should sit down with a pen and a pad of paper and see if any prophecies would come. Ever since his journal had sealed itself, his mind had been as blank as the pages in it had been when Cas had opened it. He sent Kevin a quick message on Angel Radio advising him to do the same, and Kevin replied immediately, confirming that he already was. Chuck was glad to hear that, and he was glad to hear that Kevin was all right. So far, anyway. Chuck wished he was here with them. Kevin was Chuck's best friend in Heaven. They were closer to each other than they were to Ethan, probably because of the whole Prophet thing, and because Chuck had been there for Kevin with emotional support when Kevin's mom had been killed. It was weird to think of both Kevin and Linda being out there alone, dangled as bait for Lucifer, while the four men of the Demon Squad were all here together, with tons of weapons in the trunk of the car, and lots of fighting experience between them. Well, OK, Chuck didn't really have any. But he had already learned a lot, and he was sure he would get even better. Maybe he could talk to Dean about that, and they could bond over it a little. Chuck was getting tired of Dean always picking on him. After all, weren't they on the same team?

Ethan and Frank were in their room, and Frank had changed into sweats and a T-shirt. The weather was getting cool now, and the leaves were changing. So weird. Frank had no idea what was going on, weatherwise. Last he remembered, it had been winter. If this was Indian summer, it was extremely late. But maybe things were different in Nashville. When he and Gail had been on the road, Frank had generally avoided the Southern states. Too much country music, and Gail had always hated the heat. But Kansas had been like this, too. He sighed. Screw recycling; global warming was obviously already here. And if they weren't able to stop Lucifer, soon the weather would cease to matter, anyway.

Ethan was looking at him. "What?" Frank said. "Do you want to play cards, or something?"

"Sorry. I was just trying to see if I could see any family resemblance between you and Gail," Ethan said. "I'm a cop; I study faces."

"You mean, you used to be a cop," Frank pointed out.

"No, I still am. I'm the head of Law Enforcement," Ethan replied.

"Law Enforcement in Heaven?" Frank said, amused. "What exactly would that entail? Tickets for running in the hallways? Violations for scuffed halos?"

Ethan frowned. He kind of got where Frank was coming from, but he was also proud of himself for having achieved such a high position at such a young age. Well, relatively speaking, of course.

"There's a need for Law Enforcement in Heaven, Frank. Metatron was in prison there, and he still should be. And remember Jason? He was in our jail, too, until his transfer." Bobby hadn't given Ethan any details about that, he'd just come one day to tell Ethan that Jason was being transferred, and then Bobby had taken him out of there, never to be seen again. Ethan was still curious about that, but Bobby had shut him down when he'd inquired about it. Bobby was an easy man to talk to, but once he told you something was off limits, there was no further discussion to be had. And that was only right; God was the ultimate Police Commissioner, after all.

"Yeah, but so was Cas, wasn't he?" Frank shot back.

Ethan's expression darkened. "That was when guys like Xavier and Jason were in charge. There was a lot that was wrong with that administration. But things are better now, obviously. And with the new laws, and with your sister in charge of the new board, things have gotten even better."

Frank's brow furrowed. "Gail's in charge of the board? When did that happen?" he asked Ethan.

Ethan winced. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Frank and Gail's relationship seemed a little strange to Ethan. On the one hand, they seemed fairly close. He'd seen them being affectionate with one another during training and teasing each other as siblings did. And look at the way they had grown up together. Ethan knew their story by now, and he felt for them both. But there was something off about the two of them, as well. Maybe it was just the differing lifestyles they led, but they didn't seem to spend any time together, really. Ethan wondered if they had just grown apart once they had grown into adulthood. Maybe a part of Frank resented Cas having taken over as the Alpha male in her life. But Ethan had seen Gail and Cas together at the tribunal and at the jail, and he knew that their love was for real. Though he had been a little worried about Cas there for a while. When he'd come to see Jason in jail, Cas had seemed weird, and his eyes had been purple. But Jason had been so cruel to the couple, and Ethan had heard that Jason had tortured the crap out of Gail at that cabin. So it was understandable that Cas would hate his guts. And Cas had murdered Lanister because he wouldn't shut up about making Gail pay for his son's murder. So, bottom line: Cas was a good guy who just happened to turn into the Hulk when anyone hurt or even threatened Gail. If nothing else, Frank should appreciate that about him.

So Ethan sidestepped Frank's question in true Angel fashion, and instead he told him how proud he should be of his sister. She was the first female who had ever been in any position of authority in Heaven, and everyone respected her there, and they loved her, too.

Frank was more than a little surprised that Gail hadn't told him about any of this. Things must work really fast in Heaven. She and Cas had just come back safe from the cabin, and Gail was already the Chairwoman of the new board, and they had written a new set of laws? Earth politics could really take a lesson from these guys, not to mention the justice system. Did time move differently in Heaven? Maybe it did; they were eternal beings there, weren't they? Maybe one day equaled one year in Heaven, or something. Frank would have to ask her about that.

Mostly, though, he was impressed. His little sister, such an important figure in Heaven. Who would have ever thought? And Frank was impressed with Cas, too. He had run the training class very well, and he had taught the Angels a lot, in a very short period of time. Outside of Sam, or maybe Dean, Frank couldn't think of a better guy for his sister. Cas obviously doted on her, and though it was still a little weird for Frank to see them being affectionate with each other the way they were, he was glad that Gail had picked a quality guy to love. But just what form that love had actually taken was still a mystery to Frank. He had no recollection of that ugly time, so Frank had no clue about what, if anything, went on between Cas and Gail when they were alone together. According to what Ethan was saying, the new laws had been written to accommodate any kind of physical affection that Angels wanted to share with each other. Frank had smirked at that. Perhaps his sister wasn't being totally altruistic on that one, then. But if he was going to accept that she was a grown woman now, and Frank supposed that he did have to accept it, mainly because it was true, then he had to accept that she and Cas probably wanted to do more than hold hands and smooch. Hell, they probably were already. So Frank guessed that he was fine with that, as long as he didn't have to hear about it.

But Frank did see an opportunity here. Ethan had been there for the entire tribunal, and he was obviously part of the Angels' inner circle. Gail's brother felt out of the loop about a lot of things when it came to his sister's life now. So he asked Ethan to tell him about the tribunal. What exactly had happened there? What had the testimony been? Why had the board ruled to execute Cas, when he was obviously such a good guy? And how was Gail involved in all of that?

Ethan paused. He didn't know how comfortable he was with these questions. Frank wasn't an Angel, and he hadn't been there. He didn't know how Xavier and Jason had been. As Ethan thought about what to say in response, there was a noise at the door. Frank sprang off the bed and grabbed his knife from the nightstand.

Ethan went to the door. "Who is it?" he called out. Nothing. He looked at Frank. "Who's there?" Ethan said again.

The men heard some scratching sounds, and then, a cat's meow. Frank smiled. "You're kidding me," he said.

Both of the men were well aware that this could be a trick, but Ethan looked out the peephole and he didn't see anyone. More scratching sounds, and another meow.

Frank moved to the other side of the door and Ethan picked up his weapon from the bed, where it had been sitting beside him on the mattress. Frank motioned to Ethan, and Ethan unlocked the door and yanked it open.

No Demons, no evil Angels; just a small black cat with green eyes, pawing at the door. Ethan and Frank smiled at each other with relief.

Ethan leaned down and scooped the cat up in his arms. "Hey there, little guy," he said, scratching the cat behind its ears. He brought the cat over to his bed as Frank closed and locked the door again.

"Are you hungry?" Ethan asked the cat. It was purring and rubbing its face against his hand.

"That's too bad," Frank said. "No milk. Only beer. And, speaking of which..." He went to the room's mini-fridge and got himself a beer.

"I like cats," Ethan said. "Karen and I had been talking about getting one, but she wanted to wait until the baby got a bit older. She believed in that nonsense about a cat stealing a baby's breath." He nuzzled his face against the cat's head. "But you would never do anything like that, would you?"

Frank turned his head so Ethan wouldn't see him rolling his eyes. It was amazing how some grown men were reduced to baby talk when they were around animals.

Rowena smirked, making her whiskers twitch. She had been listening outside the door, but their conversation had been muffled and she'd missed a few words here and there. So she had used the old tried-and-true method. She looked at Frank. She hadn't liked him when he'd been working for her son, and she didn't like him now. Now, there was an Alpha male if ever she had seen one. It was no wonder that Gail had wanted to be so independent. Frank had probably been his sister's boss her whole life, right up until she'd met the Winchesters and Castiel. And that was probably why Gail didn't spend that much time with Frank now.

She didn't know Ethan, so Rowena didn't have any particular opinion about him. She did like the way he was being with her right now, though. She had been in the Netherworld for too long, and most of the men there had been dried-up old prunes. She purred as Ethan stroked her fur. He was a little too young for her, and a little too into the concept of law and order, but she could enjoy his gentle touch for a few minutes, anyway. But then she started to struggle in his arms and Ethan let her go, putting her down on the bed beside him. She stretched out, displaying her stomach, and Ethan scratched it. Me-ow, Rowena thought contentedly.

"So, about the tribunal..." Frank said, twisting the top off his beer and sitting back down on his bed.

Crap. Ethan was hoping the distraction would have made Frank forget about that. "Why are you asking me about that, Frank?" he said, frowning. "That's history now, and everything turned out OK in the end."

"I just want to learn more about Cas," Frank told him. "It looks like Gail's pretty serious about him, so I just want to make sure that he's an okay guy. Do you have any sisters?"

Ethan smiled. "No, but I do have a brother. And I get where you're coming from, Frank. I used to ask a lot of questions about any guy he brought home."

Frank did a double-take, and Ethan continued to look at him. He really hoped Frank wasn't one of "those guys". "Problem, Frank?" he asked coolly.

"What? No," Frank answered quickly. "No, no problem at all."

Ethan was relieved. His brother was gay, and Ethan didn't want to room with a homophobe. Now that he thought about it, that would have been curious, though. Gail was very progressive and open-minded, and the siblings had literally grown up together. And Gail had made it a point to be sure that Heaven's new laws spelled out that homosexuality was not a sin, just another form of love. She had further endeared herself to Ethan for that. Now his brother could ascend; under the old laws, he wouldn't have been able to.

"Anyway, I hear you about Cas," Ethan continued. "But you don't have to worry. They railroaded him. Yeah, he's not perfect, but there's a whole lot of good in him. Xavier tried to do a hatchet job on him. But Xavier was the real bad guy. We found out later that he conspired with Crowley to put Cas away. Xavier convinced the board to vote death for Cas, and he brought Gail along for the ride, just because they were a couple." Ethan wasn't about to go into the details of the morals charge with Frank. "But they were both so strong during the tribunal, and at the jail, too. That's when I really got to know Cas, and then I grew to admire him," Ethan continued. "He goes about his business the right way, but he's no pushover, either. And he would give his life for Gail's. In fact, he tried to. He told Xavier that he would plead guilty to everything if Xavier would set Gail free. And he knew that if he pled guilty, he would be executed."

Frank was impressed. He knew that Cas was protective of Gail, but: Wow.

"So, they killed him," Frank said to Ethan.

"That's right, Frank. The bastards killed him," Ethan confirmed sadly. He'd sidestepped a lot of things, but Ethan didn't think a discussion of the things that Cas had done wrong in the past would be of any benefit here and now. The past was the past, and even though some of that stuff had been pretty bad, Cas had expressed remorse for it, and he had clearly changed. He was obviously a different sort of Angel now. "And they made Gail watch the execution." Ethan added bitterly.

Frank winced. His poor sister. That must have devastated her. "And these were Angels, huh?" he asked Ethan incredulously. "Makes you wonder who the bad guys really are, sometimes." Frank and Dean had talked about this subject back in the bunker. Dean had told Frank that, contrary to what humans believed, most Angels were dicks. At least, most of them that Dean had run into were. Cas and Bobby were obvious exceptions. But now Frank had met a few others, and he thought that they were all right. But the ones who had done that to Cas and Gail clearly weren't, and neither were the ones that were on the loose now. Though he supposed those three were technically Demons now.

Ethan bristled a bit at what Frank had said, but he tried to put himself in Frank's place. It wasn't surprising that he would feel that way. Still: "Yeah, but there are a lot of good Angels too, Frank," he said. "Chuck and Kevin formed a group to oppose Xavier's administration. And when we thought we'd lost Cas, the outpouring of support for Gail was evident. She lost her mind when they killed Cas, and Chuck helped bring her back. Then, as you know, Cas was revived, and he dismantled the board. Then Bobby came back, and now things are run the way they should be. So, happy endings all around."

Frank sat back against the pillows, sipping on his beer. He supposed Ethan was right. It was still really weird to Frank that it had been Crowley who had revived Cas, though. He would never understand that. Why would the King of Hell restore the life of God's right-hand Angel? But everybody seemed OK with it, and Frank guessed that Crowley's motivation didn't really matter, as the right result had been achieved.

Rowena's whiskers twitched again. Neither of these guys had a single clue. They were talking about Castiel as if he were the Second Coming. But why her son would ever even have revived his mortal enemy was beyond Rowena. She supposed Crowley had had his own agenda. He'd probably thought that if he breathed enough of his own essence into Castiel, he could make him into an Alpha Demon, a Knight of Hell. Her son had been looking for a replacement for Frank ever since Gail had killed her Demon brother. But her son had been crazy if he'd ever thought that Castiel would serve him. Castiel served no one, not even Bobby. Perhaps Angel Cas did serve Gail, though. She seemed to have him wrapped around her little finger. But that would be only fair, in Rowena's opinion. Demon Cas had dominated Gail, and Gail had let him. But, to her credit, Gail had pulled out all the stops to cure Castiel from his affliction, which had turned out to be Gail's, as well.

Rowena was still on the fence about Gail. The witch still thought that she could be a mentor to Gail in some way. But the girl was mercurial, and her life was complicated. Rowena had seen both submission and dominance as character traits in Gail. As a Demon, she had been too good at heart to sink to the very depths, even though she had touched bottom from time to time. But as an Angel, Gail was none too pure, either. Rowena couldn't quite figure her out.

Ethan stopped scratching the cat's belly and sat up straighter. All this talk about Cas and Gail had made him restless. And Bobby had said that it was okay, after all. "I'm going to pop out for a bit, Frank," he said. "Bobby said that I could, but I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. I don't want anyone to be mad about it." Frank looked at him with raised eyebrows. Ethan continued, "Bobby said I could go see Karen and my son for a few minutes, and now is probably a good time. Dean and Chuck are right next door, and Chuck can call me on Angel Radio of you guys need me. But, it's driving me nuts. I just have to see them for a minute, make sure they're OK."

Frank was a little surprised, but he could understand. The poor guy had been taken so young. He obviously loved his girlfriend a lot, and he hadn't even been given the chance to be a father. "Sure, Ethan. I'll just watch some TV," Frank told him. "Or, I might be sleeping. If so, just be quiet when you come back. You remember what a drag it is to be woken up from a good sleep, right?"

Ethan nodded. He remembered. "Thanks, Frank," he said. "I'll see you in a bit." Then he winked out.

Frank went to get another beer, turning on the TV on his way back to his bed. What the hell. Might as well see what was on. Maybe he could watch a little porn, now that the Angel was gone. Then again, maybe not. Frank didn't want Ethan to pop back in suddenly and catch him doing that.

He looked at the cat. "Want some beer?" he said to it, waggling the bottle. "No? More for me, then." Great. Now he was talking to the thing, too. Thanks, Ethan.

Rowena regarded Frank calmly. Actually, she would love a drink. But there was no point staying here anymore. There was no more discussion to be overheard, and she was not about to lay here watching Frank drink and watch TV. Bo-ring. Maybe things would be more interesting next door. So she jumped off the bed and sashayed over to the sliding doors on the opposite side of the room. Perhaps a little fresh air. She got up on her hind legs and scratched at the window, meowing.

"So, your buddy's gone and now you're just gonna leave?" Frank said to the cat, bemused. "Okay, then." He got off the bed and unlocked the patio door, sliding it open. "Off you go."

The cat walked outside and Frank slid the door closed again, locking it, and then he drew the drapes. Good riddance. He'd never liked cats much, anyway.

Frank clicked from channel to channel, but he was preoccupied now. He was thinking about Jody. He really liked her. He'd been hoping that she would be assigned to the Demon Squad with him. Then he could have gotten to know her better. What he'd seen, he'd really liked, though. She was his kind of woman. Maybe he'd ask her out after all this was over. Their eyes had met a few times during training, and Jody had smiled at him whenever that had happened. Frank could kind of understand his sister going a little nuts in the romance department, if that was indeed what was happening between her and Cas, because Frank felt the same way. Since he'd had to take care of Gail for all those years, Frank hadn't really had many opportunities to seek out female companionship. He'd had hookups from time to time; he was a red-blooded man, after all. Some nights, once Gail was old enough to stay behind on her own, Frank had gone out hunting at night, and not for monsters. But nothing had lasted, of course. He and Gail had had to stay on the move. But now things were different. Frank didn't have to worry about taking care of Gail any more. He wasn't getting any younger, and he wanted what Ethan had. What Gail had, now. Jody was the first woman Frank had ever met who he thought might fit the bill. If she felt the same way, of course.

He smiled. Something to look forward to, once they were through this mess.

Rowena went to the next set of patio doors and peered inside. There they were, Chuck and Dean. Sounded like a cartoon duo, or something.

She thought of scratching at the door but decided not. Dean might very well remember her little trick at the bunker, and even if he didn't, she remembered that he didn't like cats. They had conveniently left the door open a crack, and the drapes were still open. She could watch and hear just fine from here. It was night now, and she was a black cat. She was pretty sure the men wouldn't even notice her.

Dean was sitting up in bed, and he was shirtless, thank the Lord. Like Frank, he was drinking a beer. Chuck was sitting on his own bed, looking at Dean. Rowena couldn't blame him. Dean was a sweet piece of eye candy, to be sure. But then Rowena tore her eyes away from Dean and watched as Chuck took off his own shirt. She saw his back muscles ripple as he did it, and she had to admit that he wasn't too hard to look at, either. Hopefully, this conversation would be long and interesting. Rowena hadn't had such a pleasant view in a long time.

Dean was missing his brother. It was weird to be out here on the road without him, and even weirder to be roomies with another guy. It was almost like he was cheating on Sammy, Dean thought with a smirk. Then he frowned. At least Sam got to be in the bunker with two women. Dean was stuck here with Chuck, a guy that he and Sam had hated in the past. And now Chuck was taking off his shirt. Great. If Dean were going to look at anyone with their shirt off, he'd much rather it be Nicole. He wondered how she was doing. He'd have to call her soon, if he wasn't up to his ass in Demons.

"Why don't you call her now?" Chuck said suddenly, and Dean did a double-take. "Sorry. Prophet," Chuck said, shrugging his shoulders. He had seen Dean with Nicole in recent visions, and Chuck had not only watched the two of them having sex, but they had talked and cuddled, much like Cas and Gail did. Chuck was under the impression that Dean might have feelings for the girl, even though it was very early in the game. He'd had a look on his face just now that Chuck thought he recognized.

Dean scowled at Chuck. Terrific. Not only was Dean not allowed to go out on the road with Sam, or even room with Frank, but Bobby was forcing him to hang out with a guy who probably knew pretty much everything that Dean was thinking. They'd better wrap this thing up, quick.

But he did really want to check in with Nicole now, and who knew when he would get the opportunity next? Dean reached for his cell phone, then he looked at Chuck again.

"I'll go down the hall and get some ice," Chuck said to Dean. "And I'll take my time." He put his shirt back on and left the room.

Dean called Nicole's number, which he had memorized, and she answered.

"Dean!" she exclaimed. "How is everything? Is the crisis over?"

"No, not even close," Dean told her. "It's the calm before the storm. How's everything there? How are you?"

She smiled. "It's quiet here, too. And guess what? Cas still has his job. The writers have just gone on strike, so the show's into forced hiatus until it's resolved."

"Forced what? Hellatus?" Dean said, puzzled.

Nicole laughed. "No. Hiatus. That's pretty funny, though. It just means we're on a break. So I've been using the time off to get some stuff done. And it also means I didn't have to tell Richard anything, yet."

"Well, I don't know when Cas will be able to come back," Dean told her. "We hope to have this thing taken care of ASAP, but there's no telling. In the meantime, you and Zoey be careful, okay?"

"Careful of what?" Nicole asked him curiously.

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Just...be careful." He felt uneasy. Nicole had no idea what could be out there. Maybe Armageddon was going to start in the States, as Bobby'd said he thought it would, but Dean was sure it wasn't just going to stay there.

"What's going on, Dean?" Nicole said. "You can tell me."

Dean hesitated. Then he decided: What the hell. He'd told her a lot of stuff he probably shouldn't have already. "You'll probably think I'm nuts, but here goes: The Devil is loose on Earth, and we think he's somewhere in the States. We're trying to flush him out. Well, at least, Cas and Gail are. I'm on sort of a Demon hit squad at the moment. The King of Hell has brought a bunch of Demons here to look for Lucifer, and we're just here to make sure they behave themselves."

Silence. "Oh, so just an ordinary Wednesday, then," Nicole quipped.

Dean grinned. That, right there, was what set Nicole apart from so many other girls. "Yeah, for us? Pretty much," he agreed.

"Where's Sam during all this?" Nicole asked.

"He gets the cushy job," Dean grumbled. "He gets to stay home, doing computer research, with two female assistants, while I have to share a room in a motel with a guy I don't even like."

Chuck stopped short. He'd left the door ajar, and he'd heard what Dean just said. He had walked down the hall to the ice machine, but they didn't need ice, and he'd started to feel weird about it. What if something went down, and he had to explain to Bobby why he'd left Dean alone? So he had come right back, intending to tell Dean he'd just have to suck it up. If he wanted to talk dirty to his girlfriend, he would just have to go into the bathroom, or something. But Chuck was not going to be caught shirking his duty. He was a good guy now, and good guys didn't do that.

Chuck frowned. He knew Dean didn't really care for him, but it had hurt to hear that all the same. He felt like marching in there and asking Dean what his problem was. The books were ancient history, and so was Chuck's scheming against Cas and Gail. If his Angel friends had forgiven him for it, and they had, then why couldn't Dean?

But Chuck eased open the door, closed and locked it behind him, and strode to his bed, picking up his pen and pad of paper. Maybe he would see if he could see what some of the others were doing, get his mind off his own hurt feelings.

Dean sighed. He should have known Chuck wouldn't stay away for long. His conversation with Nicole hadn't been nearly long enough.

"I'd better go," Dean said to her. "I'll call you when I can."

"You be careful too, Dean," she said softly. "And please tell Cas and Gail to do the same." She had been flippant about it, but Nicole was alarmed at what Dean had been telling her. The Devil, loose on Earth? Demons running around? And there were her friends, right in the middle of things. No wonder they had left in such a hurry. If she'd had a high opinion of them before, Nicole really admired them now.

"I will," Dean responded. "'Bye, Nicole." He pushed End Call, looked at the phone for a moment, then set it back on the nightstand. Then he looked at Chuck. "Where's the ice?" he joked.

Chuck tried to ignore him, continuing to stare at the blank sheet of paper. Then he sighed. Who was he kidding? Nothing was coming to him. And he was being childish, pouting like a little kid. So Dean had hurt his feelings. Chuck had said a lot worse in the past, and done a lot worse, when he'd been evil. He put down the paper and pen and faced Dean.

"I heard what you said, Dean," Chuck said calmly.

"What I - ?" Dean started to say. Then he realized what Chuck was talking about. "Oh. Sorry," he said, unconvincingly.

Chuck sighed. "Look, Dean. I know you and Sam have had issues with me in the past, but we're on the same team here, you know." Dean said nothing, so Chuck continued, "If you have such a problem with me, why don't we just switch up tomorrow? I'll room with Frank, and you can room with Ethan."

Dean frowned. "Can't," he said shortly.

"Why not?" Chuck asked him.

Now Dean sighed. Chuck was going to make him say it. "Bobby said, that's why not. He didn't want you to room with Frank, in case you - and these were his words - 'go blabbing something to Frank that you shouldn't'," There. Chuck had made him say it, by not leaving it alone.

Chuck was taken aback. What? Did Bobby really think that little of him? He knew what Dean was talking about, of course. Frank's memories had been wiped clean, but Chuck's and Dean's had not.

Dean saw the dismayed look on Chuck's face, and he did feel a little bad for the guy, so he said, "It is kind of a relief not to have to watch what I say around you. It's hard sometimes to remember what he doesn't remember. You know what I mean?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, of course I do, Dean. But I would never say anything to Frank. Cas and Gail are my friends now."

Dean shrugged. "All I know is that's what Bobby said. And he's the boss. So we'll just have to make the best of it." He grabbed the remote. "I'm gonna see if there's anything on. You can watch, or write, or do whatever it is you guys do. I'm getting another beer."

Dean turned on the TV and got off the bed, walking over to the mini-fridge. Chuck scowled, looking at Dean's back. Dean Winchester, God's gift to women. Chuck was supposed to be a better guy now, but Dean was making it hard for him. Chuck hadn't expected them to be best buddies or anything, but he'd thought after all this time of rehabilitating himself, he would at least be treated like an equal. He guessed that was too much to ask, though. Bobby went way back with the Winchesters, and with Cas, and Chuck had always just been a douchebag to them, a thorn in their side. Why had he expected that things would ever be any different?

Rowena's whiskers twitched, and if she'd had eyebrows, they would have raised. She saw Chuck scowl at Dean when his back was turned. Interesting. Perhaps Chuck wasn't so good, after all. Or at least, not as good as he was valiantly trying to be. But it wasn't healthy to deny your true nature; Rowena knew all about that. She had tried to suppress who she really was and do right by Fergus, but she had just ended up resenting her son and feeling stifled. And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Castiel had tried to become someone else by embracing the dark in him. That side that everyone had, but that most were in denial about. But he had been denying his true nature too, and the results of that decision had been disastrous. Rowena didn't know Chuck, but she knew of him, and she thought that his true nature might lie somewhere in the middle. She had known men like him, though. Always on the fringes. On the outside, looking in. Try as he might, Chuck would never be accepted into the golden circle of God's favourites. Maybe it was all of the rotten stuff that he had done in the past, or maybe it was just his own feeling that, deep down, he was indeed the douchebag the Winchesters thought him to be. In any event, Rowena thought there might be some gold to be mined from Chuck. She would have to keep an eye on him.

In the meantime, Chuck's eyes were on the blank page in front of him. He'd picked up the pad of paper again as Dean flipped channels on the TV, looking for something to interest him. Apparently, there was no further discussion to be had. So, Chuck decided that he would try again. If he could come up with something useful, they might feel differently about him.

But all he could see in his head were visions of couples. Sam and Zoey. Dean and Nicole. And Cas and Gail, of course. It seemed like he was obsessed with sex these days. Maybe it was the passing of the new laws that made Chuck realize how much he was missing out on. He'd thought that part of his life was over but judging by the variety and astonishing frequency with which Cas and Gail had indulged, even though they were all Angel now, Chuck had been wrong. That was, if the Golden Couple were any real barometer. The jury was still out on that. All Chuck knew was that Cas had to be the luckiest son of a you-know-what in the entire universe. He had gotten away with murder as a Demon, and now that he was among the Exalted again, Cas was still reaping the benefits in the bedroom. The rich did indeed get richer.

Though he and Gail were in different cities at the moment, both were currently picturing themselves together in bed, and their thoughts were definitely non-Angelic. Cas's eyes were half-closed, and he was smiling, picturing himself licking Gail all over, making his way down to the place she liked the best. She would be making her little sounds, softly at first, growing louder and more intense as he made love to her there. She would tell him how much she loved him and how good he was making her feel, and then she would lose her words altogether. He loved it when that happened. Then, when she grew still, he would kiss her with his tongue, the same one he'd used to make her so happy, and he would also use it to tell her how much he loved her. And then he would slip into her and she would wrap her legs around him, pulling him down on top of her. He would kiss and caress her soft skin and look at her face, so happy to be loving her, and to have her love him.

Gail was thinking about Cas, too. She was sitting on her bed in Las Vegas, propped up against the pillows, remembering their vacation here together. They had been so shy with each other that first night, but once they'd gotten into bed together, all their inhibitions had just melted away. She and Cas had been a perfect fit, and they still were now. And his technique had vastly improved, she thought mischievously. All he'd needed was a little experience, and a little confidence. But when you were in love, you grew and blossomed together, learning the things that the other person liked the best. Cas had certainly been a quick study in that regard, she thought, smiling affectionately. And she had been highly motivated to learn what he liked too, because he was so good to her. He pretty much seemed to like anything, though. Gail guessed that wasn't much of a surprise; he was a man, after all. Angel or not, it was her understanding that that was the way it worked. Cas just seemed so happy and so grateful to be with her at all, let alone to be making love with her. This attitude of his made her love him even more, and it made her want to make him as happy as he made her. So she was currently picturing herself touching him, making him smile. Sliding her body down to take him in her mouth and hearing him gasp. She knew he liked it when she did that, even though he would never ask her to do it. He seemed to feel that it was selfish, or something. But he was so selfless with her, and so loving, that Gail wanted to take the initiative to do this for him. He would moan softly, and his hand would gently touch her head. She would continue for a moment, then stop to nuzzle him, then start again. Gail knew he liked that too, because he would moan loudly when she resumed, and he would say her name, and then he would cry out. Then he would reach out for her and cuddle her, telling her again and again how much he loved her, once he caught his breath. And then he would be kissing her and looking to reciprocate, any way he could.

Chuck sat there, transfixed, seeing all of this in his head as if it were actually happening, instead of just being fantasized about by the couple. Were these images ever different from the way things had been when Cas had been a Demon, Chuck thought, shaking his head. No less sexy, though. Chuck pictured himself as Cas, being on the receiving end of Gail's ministrations, and he smiled. Funny, when Cas had been a Demon, Chuck had actually pictured himself in Gail's place a couple of times. It was curious, because Chuck wasn't gay, or even bisexual. But the idea of being dominated had always appealed to him for some reason. So he had been Gail then, laying splayed out on the bed, having things done to him. Cas had been rough with Gail at times, but a part of Chuck of which he was deeply ashamed had been oddly excited by that. But now that his friends were thankfully OK again, Chuck was Cas now in his fantasies. But it wasn't as if he wanted Gail for himself, or anything. He just wanted a relationship like the two of them had. Heroes by day, sexual beings at night. If Cas could have all that, after having been so evil, why couldn't Chuck? Didn't Chuck deserve a reward for having reformed himself? Cas hadn't even done that; he'd had the evil washed out of his system with a magic potion. Chuck could be a hero, too, if this exalted group would ever let him in their clique.

Chuck closed his eyes and settled back against the pillows, continuing to fantasize. He was Cas, taking out his blade and decapitating Lucifer with it. Saving the world. All of the Angels were applauding him. Then he and Gail would go home, and he would undress her slowly, kissing her with his tongue. But she was impatient; he was taking too long. So she pushed him away and quickly took off her own clothes. Then she tore his shirt open and licked his chest, and then she undid his pants, getting down on her knees in front of him. And then she was actually doing it, the same thing she had been doing to Cas a few minutes ago in Chuck's vision.

A sound escaped Chuck then, and he suddenly remembered where he was, and who was in the room with him. He shouldn't be thinking about that kind of stuff right now. Chuck opened his eyes to see Dean looking at him strangely. Crap. Chuck looked down at himself, thankful the pad of paper was still in his lap. He'd better settle down, or Dean wasn't going to just request a new roommate, Dean was going to kill him.

Rowena's whiskers were twitching furiously. She had seen Chuck's excited state, despite the pad of paper he thought was covering it. So it was true, then. She had heard the talk about Heaven's new laws through her mirror in the bunker, and here was the evidence. Rowena was excited by the thought. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities to her. If male Angels were able to do those kinds of things now, Rowena could think of a few potential benefits in that for herself. There was the obvious one, of course. She had had to do without ever since she'd been forced to kill John. Rowena had hung around with her son after that, scheming and plotting to take his place. Not exactly a situation that would put a woman in the mood, although the concept of being in power did excite her. But then Gail had killed Rowena, and then she had been stuck in the Netherworld without a corporeal body. She could flirt as much as she wanted, and she had, but there had been nothing further to be done. Though some of the men had tried anyway, Rowena thought with amusement. Luke had repeatedly tried to kiss Rowena as she'd whispered sweet nothings in his ear and he'd whispered secrets in hers. All he'd gotten was air, but still, he had persisted. One would think that one of the writers of the original Gospels would have been a little smarter than that. But Luke was one of Lucifer's lieutenants, and he knew many things, so Rowena had offered him flattery, and a delicate little ear into which to impart his knowledge.

But now that Rowena had her body back, not only could she once again satisfy her own appetites, but she could use it to tempt men into giving her whatever information she needed. Apparently, Angels were now fair game, too. Did the situation apply to her dear Bobby? But, maybe she'd better not go there. She was contemplating aligning herself with Lucifer, after all. Rowena was good, but she didn't think she was quite THAT good. Bobby was an intelligent man, and he was keenly perceptive. And that had been before he'd been anointed God. Now he had powers that would trump hers, and she could hardly get out of bed with him in the morning and tell Bobby she was going shopping when she was really going to see Lucifer. Just imagine.

Rowena thought about Castiel. He was back to being Bobby's lieutenant now, and if anyone would have the most information on their plans, it would be him. She'd always been extremely attracted to his vessel, and his intensity, but the Angel inside it? Hardly. He was far too sanctimonious for Rowena. She was with her son in that regard. Castiel had always seemed to think and act like his way was the only way, even though he himself had made an astonishing number of horribly bad decisions throughout his existence. His latest one had been arguably one of the worst ones. Castiel had to know that there was no way he was going to get away with having been such a monster. Their God, the original God, wasn't that sort of individual. So, Castiel thought that there were to be no further consequences from that little escapade, did he? God had magnanimously erased Gail's memory for Castiel, and Castiel had let Him, of course. It may have been Gail's decision, ultimately, but the request had been Castiel's to begin with. And God had just done it. Easy peasy. But there were way too many people who still knew about it, and many of them had axes to grind.

Rowena herself would have preferred that Castiel and Gail hadn't drunk up all of the potion. She thought that both could benefit from having a little bit of Demon inside of them. They had their individual emotional demons, it was true, but that wasn't the same thing. Castiel was a killer, but he was far too compassionate as an Angel, a fact which had already come back to bite him. And Gail could be a Rowena-in-training, if she would just let a little bit more sin into her life. She certainly had, when she and Castiel had been under the Demon influence. Luke had shown Rowena images of the couple during that time, and Rowena had been both impressed and disgusted at the same time. Impressed by the frequency and variety, and by the couple's seemingly insatiable appetite. But Gail should have been the dominant one in the bedroom, in Rowena's opinion. For every mark Gail had received on her body, she should have inflicted two on Castiel. She could have suggested they try a little light bondage, and then taken out her own blade and toyed with Castiel a bit as he lay there, bound and helpless. Not gagged, though. Gail wouldn't have wanted to cover his mouth. Once she had exacted her revenge, Gail could have made use of that magnificent tongue of his. She could have positioned herself above his mouth and had him pleasure her. Then, if he was a really good boy, Gail could choose to turn herself around and return the favour. Then Castiel would belong to her. No man alive could resist a woman who did that to him. Or, if Gail chose, she could release him and lay on her stomach for him. A man was a slave to any woman who would willingly offer herself up to him that way. That particular activity of theirs had interested Rowena the most. Had that been all Demon, or were the Angels just reluctant to indulge in it now, thinking that it might tarnish their shiny halos? Rowena wouldn't have worried about that. Her motto was: if it feels good, do it. That was how she had become pregnant, after all. Well, maybe not from that particular position, but...

Damn it. Now her mind had wandered. It was a good thing Rowena was a cat at the moment, because she was getting excited herself now. What had she been thinking about before she had distracted herself? Oh, yes. The possibility of prying secrets out of Castiel.

Even though she was currently a cat, Rowena was likely barking up the wrong tree there. She had the feeling that the current version of Castiel would be impossible for her to seduce. He was disgustingly monogamous. He might even kill her just for trying it. Look at what he had done to poor Aurielle in the cabin, when all she had done was kiss him. No, Rowena would have to try something else.

It was too bad that Chuck didn't appear to be in the inner circle. Rowena could use a Prophet at her beck and call. But she considered it anyway. He wasn't bad-looking, and he had obviously been doing without, too. Maybe he could be a toy for her to play with for a while. She'd have to think on that later. But for now, it was time to move on. Dean was dozing, and Chuck was daydreaming.

Rowena waved a paw in the air, activating her mirror in the bunker. She didn't have her makeup mirror with her, of course, but no matter. She moved away from the sliding doors and padded into the woods behind the motel, winding her way through the trees. Then, when she was deep enough into the forest, Rowena waved her paw again, and the image of the library area was reflected in a small stream there. When she was under the enchantment of the cat that had already been invited into the bunker once, Rowena could do it this way; it was when she was in her human form that she had to use the mirror. Such were the properties and vagaries of Magic.

Sam, Becky and Jody were sitting around the table talking. Rowena's cat ears twitched as she turned up the volume. Lucky she'd thought of the mirror trick, really. She wouldn't have dared trying to enter the bunker in feline form with Sam there. He would definitely remember when she'd done that before, as he had been the one who had invited her inside in the first place. Rowena watched and listened.

Sam kept getting up and going over to the bookshelves, bringing more books to the table. He was frustrated. For all the lore they had at their disposal, Lucifer's name was rarely mentioned. But he kept thinking that he could just reach out and put his hands on a book that would give them a clue. Just one thing to go on. Sam had been roommates with Lucifer for a while, after all. Though he usually tried his best not to think of that time, Sam had been doing nothing but, these days. He tried to put himself in Lucifer's place. Where would he go? What would he do?

Becky had been keeping up a constant stream of chatter since everyone had left, and it was starting to get on Sam's nerves a bit. He needed to think, and she was distracting him. Sam had been a little concerned before he'd learned that Jody would also be here with him and Becky. If he and Becky had been alone here together, Sam would probably have had to send out an SOS if she got too bold with him. He almost smiled at the thought. Becky was a sweet enough girl, but he had zero interest in her. He could feel her eyes on him wherever he went, and Sam knew she was still hung up on him. Poor Kevin. He had no idea. But Sam didn't think Becky would be too bold with Jody here as a chaperone.

"I'm going to my room for a bit," Sam told them. He wanted some quiet time alone to think.

Becky's eyes followed him out of the room, and Jody sat back in her chair, regarding the girl. "What's going on, Becky?" Jody asked her.

Becky looked at Jody. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Jody sighed. "Come on, Becky. You're as open as this book in front of me. You have a thing for Sam."

Becky was surprised. Was it that obvious? But then again, Jody was a Sheriff. She was paid to be observant.

"Okay, maybe I do," Becky admitted cautiously. "Why Do YOU like him?"

Jody laughed. "Of course I like him, but not in that way. And you shouldn't, either. You're an Angel, Becky. And I thought Kevin was your boyfriend."

Becky frowned. "So, I'm an Angel. So what? Cas and Gail are Angels and look at them."

Jody had to admit that Becky kind of had a point there. Cas and Gail were demonstrative in their affection, and Jody was pretty sure that they did a lot more than just hold hands when they were in private. "But Sam's a human," Jody pointed out. "There's a difference."

"What are you, a racist or something?" Becky retorted.

Jody bit her lip to keep from laughing. The girl seemed sweet enough, but she would have to grow at least another 50 IQ points just to sit down and have a conversation with Sam. She tried again. "But you're in Heaven, and he's here," Jody said. "How could that work?"

Becky frowned again. "If Bobby assigned me to Earth permanently, I could spend more time with Sam. I know he would like me once he got to know me better. I could help him and Dean, and Cas and Gail, too."

Jody highly doubted that. "What about Kevin?" she asked Becky.

Becky was uncomfortable now. "I like him, Jody. But I love Sam. I've loved him for years." There. It felt good to finally say it out loud.

As Jody looked calmly at Becky, Sam swore silently. He'd come back from his room, thinking he could choose a couple of books to study there, and he had overheard Becky's confession from the hallway. He'd been afraid that was it. But what could he do about it? The last time he had rejected her, Becky had killed herself. So he decided to just pretend he hadn't heard anything, and he strode into the library area, clearing his throat loudly to announce his presence.

"I thought you went to your room," Jody said to him.

"I did, but I thought I'd be productive while I was there," Sam answered her. He started to sift through the books on the shelf behind Jody. "Read up on Armageddon a bit more." His hand fell on Rowena's spell book, and he paused. It had nothing to do with the current situation, but he found himself taking it down and leafing through it anyway. Too bad there wouldn't be a spell in here for killing the Devil.

Rowena's cat eyes widened. Her spell book! Incredible. The Winchesters held it now. Well, it was hers, and she intended to have it back. She had meant for it to be a gift for Bobby, but if he didn't want it, she'd take it back, then. But, how? She couldn't get into the bunker as herself, and there was no way that Sam would fall for the old cat trick again. It angered her to see the look of distaste on Sam's face as he leafed through it. Didn't he realize what he was holding? It was a veritable treasure trove. Whoever held that book, and used it correctly, could have anything they had ever wanted.

"What's that you're looking at, Sam?" Jody asked.

He brought the book over to her and dropped it on the table. Rowena's fur stood on end and she hissed angrily. How dare he treat it like that? He was lucky she wasn't there right now. She'd claw his eyes right out of his head and then use them for cocktail onions.

Sam told Jody what it was, and Jody frowned. Witchcraft, huh? She knew from her association with the Winchesters that dark magic was a real thing but give her a gun or a knife any day. She paged through it half-heartedly as Sam talked, but then Jody closed the book. If it had nothing to do with the current situation, they shouldn't be wasting time with it, in her opinion.

"Can I look at it?" Becky piped up. Jody shot her a look, then shrugged and slid the book over to her. Becky might as well entertain herself. It's not like she was contributing anything, anyway.

Becky paged through the book, amazed at what she was seeing. There was a spell in here for everything. Here was the recipe for the love potion that Aurielle had tried on Castiel at the cabin. Wow. Becky had thought that Aurielle was her friend, but she had turned out to be their enemy. And now, she was out there with Lucifer. Becky had really dodged a bullet there. She wished she could try this love potion out on Sam, though. Then again, it obviously didn't work. Not only had Cas not fallen in love with Aurielle, he had killed her! No, thanks. Still, maybe she should study this book a bit more. It was obviously a really old book, and whoever wrote it seemed very knowledgeable to Becky. The fact that it was a book on witchcraft didn't concern Becky much. It wasn't like she was evil, or anything, just curious.

Rowena was looking closely at Becky's face as she leafed through the spell book. At least this girl seemed to have the proper respect for what she was looking at. Hmm. Rowena knew next to nothing about this young Angel, but thanks to her eavesdropping, she now knew that Becky loved Sam Winchester, but she was trifling with Kevin Tran, the young Angel that Rowena's son had had such an interest in when Kevin had been alive. Becky seemed enthralled with the spell book, looking at it with an expression of awe, rather than disgust.

Could Rowena mentor an ordinary Angel? The thought was interesting. Previously, such a thing would have been out of the question. But now that her Bobby was God, Heaven was changing, and so were some Angels, apparently. Maybe things were not as black and white as they used to be. Gail's brother had been a Knight of Hell, and now he was fighting on the side of Heaven. Chuck had been an evil Angel, cast down to Hell by God Himself, and he was now amongst the good guys, too. Though Rowena was not yet sold on Chuck's total reformation, Bobby seemed to trust him enough to include him in this little group of do-gooders. On the other hand, both Cas and Gail had been Demons recently, and just look at the former members of the Upper Echelon now, and how far those men had fallen. They had been among Heaven's most sanctimonious, and now they had gone down, hard. The lines were becoming blurred, and many of the group held erasers at the moment.

Gail, or Becky? Becky, or Gail? Another topic for Rowena to mull over. But this group was beginning to bore her now. There was no information to be gleaned here. They were just spinning their wheels at the moment. Still, she continued to watch a bit longer.

Jody yawned, closing the book she'd been studying. She had just read the same paragraph for the third time, and it still didn't make any sense to her. It was time to call it a night.

"Goodnight," she said to Sam and Becky.

"'Night, Jodes," Sam said. "You're taking Gail's old room. "I made up the bed this morning."

"Thanks, Sam," Jody said gratefully. She walked down the hall, grabbing her bag along the way.

Sam continued to try to read the book he'd been looking at, but he started to feel uncomfortable now that Jody was gone and he was alone with Becky. She was staring at him. He closed the book and manufactured a yawn, stretching. "I think I'll get some rest, too," he told Becky. "It's been a long day." He looked down at her for a moment as he stood up from his chair. Sam was a gentleman at heart, and he it felt kind of weird leaving Becky to sit out here all be herself. She was an Angel, so she didn't sleep. Was she just going to sit here like this all night?

She saw the look on his face, and Becky's heart melted. He did care about her; she just knew that he did. "It's OK, Sam," she told him. "You need your rest. I'm used to not sleeping by now. I might watch some TV, or something. At least Kevin won't be hogging the remote this time."

Sam's brow furrowed. What was she talking about? There were no TVs in Heaven.

Oh, crap. Becky knew from the puzzled look on Sam's face that she'd said something wrong. But she distinctly remembered Sam and Gail sitting here at this very table, watching her and Kevin watch TV. Bobby had said that Gail had been having some kind of trouble with her memory because of all the stress that she and Cas had been through, and so Becky had been very careful not to upset her friend by mentioning anything from the past when they had all been in training together. But Bobby hadn't said anything about Sam, and Becky was only talking about watching TV. What could be upsetting about that?

But of course, Sam's mind had also been wiped clean by God, so he had no recollection of Gail and Cas ever having been separated, or of anything that would have happened during that time. So he would not remember the young Angel couple having watched MTV in the bunker.

Sam shook his head as if to clear it. Whatever. Becky was obviously confused. Now he was starting to feel tired for real. "Sure, Becky. Watch all the TV you want," he said, shrugging. "See you in the morning."

Becky flopped down on the couch, intending to watch TV. But she'd taken the spell book to the couch with her, and as she continued to leaf through the pages, the TV was forgotten. There were spells for just about everything in here. On the last page, there was even a reanimation spell. Was that what Becky thought it was? She read the notes, and her eyes widened. It was a spell to bring someone back from the dead! Did it actually work? Did anyone here know about this? Would it work on people who had been dead for a while, like Angels? No; it said you needed a bone from the dead person for the spell. Crap. Still, Becky was intrigued by the idea. If it really worked, that was. Who knew?

Rowena continued to watch Becky for a few minutes. Now that the girl had moved closer to the mirror, Rowena could see which page of the book that Becky was looking at. Rowena was particularly proud of that spell; she had truly saved the best one for the last. As far as she knew, she was the only witch in existence to have mastered that one. Her own son had been the beneficiary of its successful execution, back when Castiel had killed Fergus in the botched attempt to rescue Gail from the den. Rowena had cast the spell to bring her son back from the dead, using his original bones from his original grave in Scotland. It was a complex spell, to be sure, but it did indeed work. Of course, she deeply regretted having brought Crowley back now. Rowena didn't like her son, and she was sure that they would have to butt heads again before too long. Especially if she were to decide to join Lucifer, which Rowena was seriously contemplating doing. But she was still on the fence about that. The idea of joining forces with the Devil to oppose Crowley was appealing to her, but Lucifer was likely to be the most Alpha Demon of them all. Did she really want to throw in with such a dominant being? Rowena liked to be the dominant one in any alliance. That was why she had been able to stay with her son for as long as she had. He may be the King of Hell, but he was also a bit of a pushover, if you knew how to handle him.

Becky had closed the book now, and she was just staring off into space. Now there was truly nothing left to see. Rowena waved her paw, and the image disappeared. Then she left the forest.

After a good night's sleep, Rowena thought that she would check up on the Angels who were out there, attempting to draw Lucifer to them. She herself had no idea where Lucifer would be; she had tried to use her magic to find him, but to no avail. She could only conclude that he was heavily shielded. But if one of the Angels were to flush him out, she could be there when they did.

Where to go first? Rowena had used the bunker's mirror to eavesdrop on Bobby as he'd given the Angels their assignments, so she knew who had gone where. One would think that Lucifer would go straight for Castiel first, as he represented the biggest threat. Or Gail, to devastate and immobilize Castiel. But Rowena didn't necessarily think so. Lucifer had been imprisoned for just about forever; he would want to savour his revenge. So he would probably go for the weaker Angels first, pick them off one by one. Linda, or Kevin?

Linda. Lucifer was an old being, and so he would think like one, automatically assuming that the female would be the weaker of the two, and therefore easier to take.

Rowena took the ingredients for the transportation spell out of her satchel, then put the remainder back inside once she was all set. She had a few cities to visit today.

Linda stood on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, looking up at the building. It was an impressive structure.

Bobby's instructions had been fairly general in nature. He'd simply told her to keep a high public profile, visiting tourist attractions as if she were on a holiday. Speak to as many people as possible and try to stand out in a crowd. When she'd first gotten here, that last part had greatly amused her. Had Bobby seen the vast numbers of people in New York City?

She'd brought a newspaper to take with her into the diner around the corner from her hotel. She bought a coffee just for show as she tried to decide where to go first. This was New York City; there was so much to choose from. But the Art Museum had spoken to her right away. Linda had tried her hand at painting when she'd been young, before the responsibilities of marriage and a child had intervened. She loved to look at paintings, studying the techniques and the colour usages of the artists. So, the Art Museum would be ideal for a start. Business and pleasure, combined.

She climbed the stairs and was approaching the front doors when a movement caught her eye. A black cat, sitting beside the entrance as if waiting to be let in.

"Are you here to see the art, too?" Linda said to the cat, reaching down to pat it on the head. "Maybe something by Meow-nay?" She could swear the cat's whiskers had twitched at that. Linda had to admit that had been a pretty good one on her part. She wished that someone had been around to hear it. Kevin, preferably. She knew her son only thought of her as his Mom, but Linda was a person in her own right too, with her own personality. Sometimes she wished that she and Kevin had been able to get along better as people when they had both been alive. But she had assumed the role of Tiger Mom when Kevin had been just a young boy, and she hadn't been able to let go of it, or of him. When Linda had found out how gifted Kevin was intellectually, she had begun to push him, wanting him to have the best of everything and all of the opportunities that would be available to him if he put his nose to the grindstone and applied himself. But of course, things hadn't worked out that way. The supernatural realm had seized her son, and that had been it. Now that she and Kevin were both Angels, it should be easier for them to communicate, since they didn't have Earthly problems any more. But now Linda was worried about Becky, and her suspicions that Becky was just using Kevin. And, of course, Kevin was out there in the world on his own right now, sent out by God to lure Lucifer out of hiding. And so was she. Linda had prayed all night last night, and again this morning that Lucifer would come for her, and not her son. She was looking forward to giving the Devil a swift kick in the same place she'd kicked Jason, and she would kick very hard.

Linda pulled open the door of the museum. It swung wide, and the cat entered the building at the same time as Linda did. The Angel didn't notice. She was too busy staring around the lobby in awe. What a beautiful, opulent place. She was going to enjoy this very much. But she'd better keep her guard up. She was here for a purpose, and it wasn't sightseeing.

As Linda walked slowly around the museum, looking at the paintings, Rowena followed discreetly behind. It was early in the morning and the place had just opened, so there weren't too many people around yet. Nobody noticed the black cat moving quietly from room to room, watching Linda.

Linda was in her element now. She spent time in front of each painting, enthralled. Every one she looked at was beautiful, in its own way. Suddenly, she had an urge to pick up a brush and try it for herself. Maybe once this was all over, she could ask Bobby for some art supplies. Heaven could use some colour, in Linda's opinion. All that white got really monotonous after a while.

Just then, a woman entered the room and rushed up to stand beside Linda, who looked at her warily. No black eyes, but you couldn't be too careful. That's why Linda had her ever-present holy water in her purse, along with her Demon knife. Bobby had given all of their blades special protection, so that they would not show up on any X-ray detectors. That was how Linda had been able to enter the museum with it in her purse. Like a lot of places in the city, the museum had a security gate you had to walk through first, before you could enter the museum proper. Linda had sighed when she saw that. Metal detectors at an art museum. She supposed it was a sign of the times, but it was a pretty pathetic one, in her opinion.

But the woman didn't look threatening to Linda, she just looked worried. "Have you seen my son?" she asked Linda. "He's only five. I turned my back for one second, and he was gone."

Linda smiled. She remembered when Kevin had been the same age, he had wandered off at the mall, and she had been frantic, searching everywhere for him. She had eventually found him, safe and sound, but his little butt had been spanked so hard that night that he had always stuck close to her side after that.

"What does he look like?" Linda asked the woman. "I can help you look for him."

"MOMEE!" A child, crying out at the top of his lungs. The women turned around to see a little boy running towards them at top speed.

"Yours, I assume?" Linda quipped.

The woman laughed with relief and bent down, opening her arms to her son. But just before he got to his mother, the boy tripped, and the juice cup he was holding flew out of his hand and hit in the centre of the painting's canvas. The lid came off of it at the same time, and the juice splashed all over the painting. Linda looked at the artwork, open-mouthed. What had been a gorgeous oil painting a moment ago was now reduced to a sopping wet, impressionist mess. They had metal detectors at the entrance, but they couldn't have sprung for some glass cases to protect the priceless art?

The boy's mother was so happy to have her son back that she was oblivious. She hugged him, then picked him up in her arms and hurried out of the room with him.

Linda stood there alone, looking at the painting in dismay. She guessed she should find a security guard, or something. Hopefully, they wouldn't think she had done it. Though that could be one way to draw attention to herself, she thought wryly. She didn't suppose the bars in a New York jail cell would be enough to keep Lucifer out.

Too bad she couldn't just clean it up herself, she thought. But as soon as she'd had that thought, something amazing happened. Her left arm started to glow, and the glow was golden in colour. She stared at it for a moment, astonished. Then she remembered: this must be the gift from Gail, what they had called her "essence".

Just for the hell of it, Linda lifted her arm and waved it at the painting. A beam of golden light shot out of her fingers and an instant later, the painting was restored to its original condition.

Wow. Linda couldn't believe it. Did Gail have that kind of power all the time? Her place must be spotless.

The glow left Linda's arm immediately, and she looked around the room. Still no one. She sighed. Even though she was glad that no humans had actually seen her do that, she thought that coming here might not have been such a hot idea after all.

Linda hurried out of the exhibit room. Rowena sat hidden behind a sculpture on a pedestal, and she was stunned by what she'd seen. What kind of magic was that? She'd never seen an ordinary Angel do anything like that before. But, where had Rowena seen a golden glow like that before? Her green cat's eyes widened. Gail! She had witnessed Gail touch each Angel designate back at the bunker, and a golden glow had emerged from her hand each time. Was Gail indeed a full-fledged Original now? If so, her stock had just gone up dramatically, in Rowena's opinion. It seemed that Rowena had been tracking the wrong Angel. She wound her way out of the room, then exited the museum.

Linda needed a few minutes to sit quietly and think. What had been the significance of what had just happened? In their world, everything meant something, it seemed. Had the accident with the painting been preordained somehow? And if so, why? To prove to Linda that there had been a point to Gail's having conferred her essence on them? Maybe they all had special powers now, or something. But she couldn't really see much use for this particular power in a life-or-death struggle. It was just...weird.

There was one other place that Linda had really wanted to visit, and it had nothing to do with the mission. Well, it sort of did, she rationalized. The place was a famous tourist attraction, after all. Though for all the wrong reasons.

She had walked a number of blocks to get here, and as Linda sat on the bench in front of the reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial, she bowed her head and said a prayer. Her uncle had been in one of those buildings. His death, and the way it had happened, had devastated her family. Linda had never been able to understand how people could do such horrifying things and try to justify them in the name of religion. And what was religion, exactly? It called itself by different names, and it wore different clothes when it left the house, but it all came down to one concept, in Linda's mind: living your life the right way. The Dalai Lama had said it best when he'd said: "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." If more people would just practice that particular religion, there would be no need for places like this anymore.

Linda continued to sit there quietly for a few more minutes with her head bowed. Then, when she looked up, she saw a man standing at the railing of the pool. He was dressed in full firefighter gear, and he was staring at the spot where the buildings used to be with an anguished expression on his face. He must be here to remember his fallen comrades.

Linda walked up to the man and looked at his face. "I'm sorry for your loss," she told him quietly. "I lost someone here, too."

He looked at her sadly. "Who did you lose?" he asked Linda.

"My uncle," she said. "You?"

The man said nothing. He merely continued to regard her somberly.

"I'm sorry," Linda said hastily. "I shouldn't have asked you that." The man was obviously still deeply in mourning; tears were running down his cheeks now.

"I come here every day," he told her, his voice choking with emotion. "And every day, I meet someone who lost someone here. I guess that's why I'm still here, Linda. I can't let go. I just can't. If I'd only been a little faster, I could have saved her."

Linda was dismayed. He must have been one of the firefighters who had been there that day, trying to save all the people in those buildings before they'd collapsed. And he'd obviously lost someone special to him that day. A wife? A sister, maybe?

She reached out impulsively to hug him, but even though she was standing right next to him, she felt no contact. Her arms passed right through his body. What the hell? And he had called her by name!

"Thanks for trying," he said, a trace of a smile on his face. "I guess I should have told you. My name is Jake Sadler, Ladder 52. I died when Tower 2 came down, and my wife was working upstairs. I come here every day, looking for her. But she's never here. Why am I here, when she isn't?"

Linda had no idea what to say. Her heart broke for him. Jake's spirit was obviously tied to this spot, looking for closure. But there was no closure to be had for him here. His wife had obviously moved on, but he hadn't. "She'd probably in Heaven, Jake," Linda told him. "You need to let go, so that you can be there with her."

"I want to, but I can't!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why, but I just can't." Jake turned to look at the Memorial again. "I'm afraid people will forget, Linda. And they can never forget. Lucifer will build his army on the foundations of places like this, and they've already built another building here." He turned back to her. "You and the rest of the Angels, and your human friends, and God. Twelve, against an army of 144,000. Heaven's going to be overcrowded soon. Hell, too."

Chills ran up Linda's spine. He was right. What kind of a chance did they really have? But then she started to get angry. "What do you expect us to do, just give up?" she said to him sharply. "Did you give up when you ran up the stairs of that tower that day?"

"No, but I failed," he said miserably.

"At least you tried," she insisted. "That's all any of us can do. Don't be so hard on yourself, Jake. You need to let go."

Jake sighed. "Maybe. In the meantime, we'll be rooting for you, Linda."

"We?" she asked.

"All of us who wander the Earth in search of peace and serenity," he answered enigmatically.

Linda did a double-take. Was this guy a ghost, or an Earthbound Angel, or something else altogether? He sure spoke like an Angel. "Think about what I said," Linda said to him. "I won't ever forget my uncle, and I won't ever forget you. Or your...wife?"

Jake smiled. "Thank you, Linda. Yes, she was my wife. I hope I'll see you again, sometime." He began to walk away, his image growing dimmer, and then he disappeared.

Linda gaped after him. Wow. That had been surreal. She knew that ghosts existed, of course. Kevin himself had been one for a while, because he'd been reluctant to let go of his young life on Earth. And that seemed to be Jake's problem, too. Jake was trying to make sense of something that made absolutely no sense, and if he needed to do that in order to move on, he'd be here for eternity.

What a strange day she'd been having. Linda sat back down on the bench and after a moment's consideration, she took the cell phone out of her purse. Bobby had provided the phones to each of them as they'd headed out, with each other's numbers entered in under Contacts. She pushed Kevin's number.

Kevin was sitting under a tree on the grounds of the Indianapolis University. It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves of the trees were ablaze with colour. Kevin had been just sitting here, chilling, when his mother called. Once he'd established that she wasn't calling due to an emergency, Kevin was annoyed, though he was glad she was fine, of course. He wasn't a young kid any more, and she needed to stop treating him as if he were. Bobby had said to only call each other if they needed help or had anything of significance to report. And while her stories had been both odd and interesting, Kevin couldn't see how they related to the current situation. So they had exchanged words of love and encouragement, and then he had hung up.

Kevin put his phone back in his pocket, shaking his head. He loved his mom, but she needed to let him off the leash. He was a grown man now.

Still, he had come to this school first, so maybe Kevin wasn't quite as ready to embrace adulthood as he thought. He missed school sometimes. He had been one of the smartest students in the entire place, if not the smartest. That wasn't Pride, it was simply the truth. It had been that way for Kevin ever since he'd been a young child. He would never admit this to her, of course, but he'd been glad she'd pushed him to achieve academically. He might have wasted his gift otherwise, attending beer bashes and trying to hook up with girls. But it hadn't mattered in the end, and now Kevin wished he had done some of those things, because now, he never would. All around him there were young men and women sitting on the grass together and talking about the awesome parties they had been to, and some of them were making out. Kevin had been cheated out of those opportunities, and he was a little bitter about it. Once he had been outed as a Prophet, it had been all over for human Kevin. He could hardly remember a time when his life hadn't sucked. What he wouldn't give to be one of those carefree young students.

But there were others who didn't look so happy. Some of the students were moving a bit strangely, and their eyes were wide and unfocused. Almost like zombies, or something. Weird.

As Kevin continued to watch these students, he saw a group of them gather in a circle, almost as if they were in a football huddle. Kevin was curious, so he got to his feet and walked casually to the area where they were, so he could try to overhear their conversation.

"I've got ten grand," one of them said. "But I know that's not nearly enough."

"I've got twice that," another said. "But I know he's not going to be satisfied with that, either. We have to find a way to get more, somehow."

Kevin almost let out a low whistle. They had that much money, and they needed more? That kind of money was unheard of for students, unless they had rich parents, of course. Must be nice.

"Let's go make the delivery, then," the first student said. "Hopefully, he won't freak out this time."

They started to walk away, and Kevin stared after them. Drugs, maybe? This "he" must be the boss of a student theft ring, or something. Should he be doing something? Calling the cops, maybe?

Kevin shrugged inwardly. Bobby hadn't left him any particular instructions on what to do here, or what to look out for. So he started to follow them, just to see where they would go.

He followed them to a fancy hotel a few blocks away from the University. Kevin hung back discreetly as they went to the elevator and got in. Funny, nobody had looked at the young people twice. He would have thought that such a snooty hotel would have tighter security. But no one seemed to notice the students, and no one seemed to take note of Kevin, either. So he walked to the elevator and got in with the rest of them, arranging his facial features into the same trance-like expression they had. None of them looked at him, either. He didn't know if they thought he was just another guy in the elevator, but Kevin was surreptitiously studying their faces, trying to figure out what was going on here.

They all exited the elevator and walked to the end of the hallway. There were two large double doors there, and one of the students knocked on it. Kevin hung back at the rear of the group. He'd wait to see who answered the door, and what was said.

A very attractive woman answered the door.

"How much have you got?" she said without preliminary.

"About fourty thousand, between us," the spokesman said. He motioned to the others to hand Aurielle their money.

Crap. Kevin didn't have any. "Sorry, wrong room," he mumbled. "I thought this was where the party was." He turned abruptly and walked quickly down the hall and around the corner.

Aurielle was busy counting the money she was being handed, so she had never looked at Kevin's face. And by the time she looked up again, he was gone. Kevin hadn't recognized her in her new vessel, of course. Aurielle was a Demon now, so she no longer had the Angel radar. And Lucifer was back in the bedroom, changing into one of the new suits he'd bought for his first TV appearance. He wanted to project just the right image to his public. When Aurielle opened the suite doors, Lucifer's head had snapped up, like a bloodhound catching a scent. He hadn't opened his mind to try to find any of them yet. His priority now was to get his Ministry set up. He now had enough money to buy his way onto TV, and he was getting ready to write his first sermon. Thus preoccupied, he didn't act on the signal right away, and so he shook it off as a false alarm. There was no way any of them would know where he was, or who he was now.

When he was dressed, Lucifer came out to the living room area.

"More deliveries," Aurielle said, tossing the money into the basket, which was now sitting on the coffee table.

"Good. I'll need it," Lucifer told her. "I'm going down to the TV station now, to buy our airtime." He reached into the basket and took out a couple of stacks of larger-denomination bills, putting them in his jacket pocket. Then he looked at her. "You may as well come with me. Your presence could be helpful if further persuasion is needed." He flashed her a wolfish smile. She really did look quite fetching. Aurielle had bought a couple of new outfits that accentuated her curves, and she was teaching herself how to apply makeup to highlight her best facial features.

Aurielle smiled. She was gorgeous now, and she knew it. Castiel would be very attracted to her, she was certain. Lucifer had promised her that once he had made the arrangements for his TV Ministry, he would facilitate a way for her to see Castiel. The Angels were currently separated, on Bobby's orders, Lucifer had told her. If she would just be patient a little bit longer, he would help her to get to Castiel.

They left the suite for the TV station.

Cas WAS separated from Gail, of course, but they were currently on the phone with one another. He hadn't been able to stand not talking to her, so Cas had called her that morning.

"What's wrong, Cas?" she asked him, alarmed.

"Nothing," he assured her. "I just wanted to hear your voice, and to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine, Cas. How are you?" she asked him.

"Terrible," he answered. "Missing you."

"I miss you, too," she replied. "It's tough being here without you. All I can think of is how good things were when you and I were here together. Up until that last part, of course," she quipped.

"I thought about you all night, last night," he said softly.

Gail smiled. "Same here. I thought about holding your hand and kissing your cheek. Us watching TV together. You know, stuff like that."

Now he smiled. "Is that all we were doing?" he teased her.

"Well...there might have been a couple of other things," she teased back.

"I can't wait for the opportunity to do a lot of things with you again," he said lightly.

Gail rolled her eyes. He was killing her. "Once again, same here," she said in a soft voice. "And I look forward to the opportunity to have you do those things to me."

Cas groaned. "Don't talk like that, or I may just have to desert my post for an hour or three," he said.

Gail laughed. "You're already breaking the rules by calling me. Bobby said no contact, unless it was an emergency." The instructions in her envelope had been very explicit on the matter. They were to stay in their separate cities, and only call each other if it was really urgent. She had been dismayed to see that. Why was Bobby so adamant that they should stay apart?

"Since when have you known me to adhere to the rules?" Cas said, matching her soft tone.

Gail laughed again. That was certainly true. "OK, you've got me there," she said to him. "So, what are you going to do today?"

"I don't know," Cas said in reply. His instructions had been as non-specific as Linda and Kevin's had been: go out to public places, keep a high profile. And that was pretty much it. But Bobby had given Cas his own warning, verbally: no Las Vegas, and no Gail. He supposed Bobby was trying to help, figuring that the two of them in Las Vegas together might prompt some more of her memories to come back. But it felt wrong, him being here without her. And Gail in Las Vegas without him, all alone and vulnerable. Metatron had already murdered her there once, and he was also out there on the loose, along with Aurielle and Lucifer, of course. Cas was very afraid for her safety. It was taking everything he had not to pop over there right now. But Bobby had told him that they were all soldiers, and they were on a mission. So he would try to do what God was asking of him.

"There was a newspaper in front of my door this morning," Cas told her. "I suppose I could look to see what some of the events around town are. I'm supposed to go where there are a lot of people. Maybe you can help me to decide. Hold on." He put the phone down on the bed and grabbed the newspaper, then picked the phone back up. "Are you still there, Gail?"

She heard the pages of the newspaper rustling. "I'm still here," she said, smiling. "Why don't you put me on speaker? It'll be easier to look through the paper that way."

But he didn't want to do that. He liked hearing her voice directly in his ear. It would be easier to pretend she was here with him, then. Cas could imagine her beside him, talking softly to him. He could imagine her warm breath in his ear. Maybe her lips would graze him, if he leaned close. He would listen to whatever she had to say, and then he would turn to her and kiss her. He could read the paper with one hand and cuddle her with the other. But now he was making himself nuts again. He'd better stop, or he'd be imagining himself all the way to Las Vegas.

"There's the Space Needle, of course. And a place by the waterfront called Pike's Fish Market. Oh, and there's a baseball game," Cas told her. "It's too bad you weren't here. I know you would enjoy that."

Gail smiled, delighted that he remembered. It was true; she was a baseball fan. She had been hoping to see a game with him sometime; if not live, then at least on TV. He wouldn't know much about it, of course, but she could explain the rules to him as they watched. She thought he would enjoy the cerebral aspects of the game, the strategies involved. But they hadn't had the time. Now she felt sad. They should be doing stuff like that together. But there were much bigger things going on right now, and this wasn't about the two of them.

"Do that last one," Gail told him. "There will be tons of people at the game. It's the stretch drive for the playoffs. Who is Seattle playing?"

Another rustle of the paper. "You're not going to believe this," he told her, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "The Los Angeles Angels."

Gail laughed. "There, you see? It's a sign. Now you have to go. Maybe you could pick up a glove and play in the outfield." She had amused herself with that one, but Cas wouldn't know about that movie either, of course.

"OK, I'll do that," Cas said. Now he really wished she was going with him. He didn't know much about the game, but she could have explained it to him. They had been so wrapped up in his world, and his problems. He would love to be able to expand his scope of knowledge by learning about some of her interests. And, she would look cute in a baseball cap.

"Make sure you root for the right team," she teased.

Her comment had been in innocent fun, of course, but Cas frowned. It wasn't too long ago that he had been on the wrong team. And now he had been weakening again, thinking of her all alone in a hotel room, likely sitting on her bed, as he was sitting on his. Who would it hurt if he were to pop over there for about an hour? She would be happy to see him. He knew she would. He would take her in his arms and kiss her, again and again. Then they could slowly take each other's clothes off and get into bed together. He would kiss and lick every inch of her, and then, when they both couldn't stand it anymore, he would slip inside of her. They would move together as one, and he would look at her face as he made love to her. She would be smiling, telling him how much she loved him. Then, when he was done, he would lay her gently back on the pillows and move down her body, making love to her with his tongue. She would hold his head and cry out his name. Then they would cuddle and talk, and then they could try it another way, if she wanted. Maybe he would be behind her this time, so that he could touch her all over. Maybe she would be on top of him. But, whichever way they chose, there would be lots of kissing, and many words of endearment. No roughness, and no bruises. How he had ever allowed himself to treat her that way was still a mystery to Cas, Demon or not. He loved her beyond measure. That she was even with him at all, and speaking to him lovingly, was a miracle. His Father had given him the most wonderful of blessings when He had sent Gail into Castiel's life, and he needed to always treat her like the precious gift she was. He would go to the baseball game, because he knew it would make her happy that he was going to share in something she liked. The next time they saw each other, he could tell her all about the experience, and ask her all kinds of questions. Then, when their mission was complete, they could watch a game together. He couldn't wait for that to happen.

"I love you, Gail," Cas said into the phone.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Think of me at the ballgame. Too bad you can't have a beer, and a hotdog. That's one of the best parts."

Cas smiled. Now, he was picturing her with a foamy beer moustache, and a touch of mustard from the hotdog at the corner of her mouth. He would take a napkin and gently wipe it away, and they would laugh. "Of course I'll think of you at the baseball game," he said to her. "I think about you all the time."

What a sweet thing to say, Gail thought. Now she was picturing him at the game, watching the action on the field. Trying to figure out why the runner at first base was trying to steal the next base. Wasn't that dishonest? Gail grinned. "Make sure you give me a full report on the game. I'm eager to hear what you thought about it," she said to him. "That is, when we see each other next. We're not really supposed to be talking like this."

Cas smirked at that. "You know I'll be calling you right after the game, don't you?"

Gail continued to smile. "Yeah, Cas, I figured you would." Then her smile faded. "Stay safe, OK?" Now she was conflicted. In a way, the sooner Lucifer came after one of them, the better. That was why they were all out there, wasn't it? But the thought of Lucifer going after Cas scared her to death. She knew Cas's powers were considerable, but so were Lucifer's, she was sure. And Castiel would probably be the first one of them Lucifer would go for, as he would be the biggest threat.

"I will," Cas replied. Truthfully, he wasn't that worried about a physical confrontation with Lucifer, or either of the other two former Angels. Castiel knew his fighting skills were the best that Heaven had to offer. As long as he didn't give Lucifer a chance to get into his head, he should be fine. But what about Gail? Yes, she knew how to fight too, and she had additional powers, but he doubted that would be enough to protect her.

"Did Crowley tell you anything that would be of help?" he asked her suddenly.

Gail shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. "Not really," she answered. "There's the animals attacking thing, but that's about it when it comes to self-defense. Maybe I should go back to the Secret Garden and let all the big cats out of their cages," she joked.

The Secret Garden. Cas remembered that place. He had loved it. It hurt his heart that she might be going there without him. He was disappointed she hadn't found out anything more useful, though. She was much too vulnerable.

"Are you going to the Secret Garden, then?" he asked her.

"I thought I might, just for a short while," Gail replied. It was funny; Bobby's instructions to her had been very specific. He had instructed her to go there, among other things. That had been a little curious to her. It had seemed oddly specific, and when she and Cas had been there, there hadn't been that many people around. But Bobby had said for her to go, and she really didn't mind. She'd really liked the place. It was a shame she couldn't go with Cas, though. She knew he had really liked it there, too. They could sit on a bench and hold hands, and talk.

"Well, think of me when you go there," Cas said.

"Of course I will. I think about you all the time," Gail responded, echoing his sentiment of earlier.

Cas sighed. "I hate this," he said.

"I do, too," Gail agreed. "But we'll just have to make the best of it for now. Root for the Angels for me, and I'll tell the tigers you miss them. There's a baseball team called the Tigers, too, by the way," she added, smiling. "But we'll talk about that another time."

"Please stay safe, Gail," Cas said, his voice very serious now. "And if you need anything, anything at all, just call. I'll have my phone with me, of course, but you won't even need to call me that way. Just think my name loudly in your head and I'll be there immediately, wherever you are."

"I will," Gail told him. She was sorely tempted to do that, right now. This was nuts. They should be together. She had been picturing many of the same things he had been. Strolling down the Strip together, looking at the fountains. People-watching. Seeing happy couples on vacation and being among their number. Then, when it got too hot outside, they could come back here for a while, to cool off. Things probably wouldn't stay cool for long, though. Not once Cas started to kiss her. She would give him her tongue, and his hands would lift her top, touching her bare skin. Then they would take their clothes off and spend a glorious hour or so making love. Now that they were able to do that as Angels, it seemed like she spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it. She was picturing him caressing her body, his tongue in her mouth. His hand would slip in-between her legs, and he would begin to lazily stroke her there. She would reach for him, but he would shake his head. Not yet. He wanted to meet her needs first. So she would touch his face instead, and as his fingers sped up, she would move with them, and he would smile, happy to be making her feel so good. She would close her eyes, lost in the feeling, and he would be kissing her face, telling her how much he loved her. Then she would open her eyes so she could look at him, and then she would cry out, because he was making her feel so wonderful. And then, when he was sure that she was satisfied, he would move on top of her, or he might then let her move down his body to make love to him, if she insisted. She might not even give him the choice. Ever since they had gotten back from the cabin and discovered they could be together in that way, he had put her first every time in that regard. It was sweet, and it was extremely unselfish, but it drove her nuts, too. What they did together was a mutual expression of love, and she wanted to make sure that he was as satisfied as she was. She thought she wouldn't even mind sometimes if he just pulled her to him and entered her or positioned himself by her mouth for her to take him. But that wasn't his way. She supposed that she should be glad that he put her first. There were probably a lot of other men who weren't nearly as unselfish. It was funny, though. She had fantasized about herself and Cas a lot last night, just as she was doing now, but every once in a while, a very different picture had popped into her head, out of the blue. Cas was behind her, and he was pushing himself into her. It still felt good, but there was some pain, too. His hand was clamped down on her hip, and he was licking her back. That part felt good, but she had experienced a sudden pain there, right before he had started to lick her. But that would never happen. He would never hurt her intentionally, and if she ever told him that anything he was doing hurt, he would stop immediately. Was her mind just making up scenarios in which she could envision them being intimate? Just how perverted was she, anyway, if she could imagine something like that? She was an Angel; she'd better start acting like one. Just because they could probably do anything they chose to in the privacy of their bedroom, that didn't mean she should be thinking about it all the time. It was probably just because they were forced to be apart now, and they had never been apart like this, not since she had become an Angel. Apparently, absence did make the heart grow fonder. And it seemed that it might do the same for a few other body parts, as well. But she and Cas would just have to suck it up for now. Think of how happy and loving their eventual reunion would be.

She told him this last thought now, and he agreed. Then they did the "you hang up first" thing for a few minutes. Gail grinned. It was a good thing Dean wasn't there; they'd be driving him crazy with that. She'd always thought that couples who did that were a little sickening, herself. But now, she could completely understand it. Especially in their circumstances. Most couples didn't have the fear of imminent attack from evil former Angels hanging over their heads.

They hung up at the same time, and Cas looked at his phone fondly for a moment, then put it in his pocket. Then he rose from the bed and grabbed his blazer, checking the inside pocket for his blade, as he always did. It was a good thing that Bobby had shielded their weapons from detection by any mechanical devices. He was fairly certain that there would be some sort of apparatus for that at the baseball park. But there was no way he could ever go out in public without it, especially now.

Cas inquired at the front desk, and the clerk gave him instructions on how to walk to the ballpark. It was a glorious fall day, and he enjoyed the fresh air on the way there. Luckily, they were playing a game in the daytime; it would be very pleasant to sit in the stands and feel the sun on his face.

He bought a ticket and walked around the outside of the stadium, waiting for the gates to open. When they did, Cas entered the ballpark and looked around, enjoying the sights and the sounds. He could smell the hotdogs and peanuts, and for a moment, he wished he did eat, just so he could enjoy the full experience. But, no matter. He found his seat and looked at the field, watching the players warm up. Seattle wore green, and the Angels wore red. At least he could keep them straight that way. He wished the Angels wore blue, though. He knew that was Gail's favourite colour.

Then the game started, and Cas tried to follow along. Certain aspects were easy to figure out. If the man with the bat hit the ball and it dropped onto the grass, he would run around the bases until he could safely stop. The defender would throw the ball back in, and the next batter would step in to face the pitcher. If the next batter hit the ball too, but it was caught by the other team, the batter would be out. Then another batter would take his turn, and so on, until three men were out. Then the teams would switch sides. Simple, so far. But, certain things puzzled him. One man hit the ball far out into the field, and the man with the glove caught it, but the man standing on second base ran over to the third base, and he just stood there. But the ball had been caught. How, then, was the man allowed to advance to the next base? Then the next man came up to bat, and he hit the ball to the field, and that ball was also caught. But the man on third base ran to the home base, and everyone cheered. Then the number on the scoreboard for Seattle changed to 1, signifying that Seattle, who were apparently called the Mariners, had successfully scored. But how could that be? The Angels had caught the baseball, twice. Were the Mariners cheating in some way? Maybe they should be called the Demons, he thought with some amusement. He'd have to remember to tell Gail that one. And he would definitely be asking her about the rules as they applied to this situation. The game was obviously more complex than he'd originally thought. This appealed to him. It was a physical game that had cerebral aspects to it. And the day was so pleasant. The sun warmed him, but the temperature was cool enough, and Cas was enjoying watching the spectacle. He was beginning to understand why Gail liked it so much. Cas had missed out on some of the simple Earthly pleasures due to various circumstances at various times in his existence, especially recently. But he vowed that once the current crisis was resolved, he and Gail would spend more time doing things like this together. He wanted to enjoy her companionship and engage her mind, in addition to indulging in the physical pleasures they enjoyed with each other. He was sure she would want that, too. In fact, he knew where he was going to go next, after the game was over. There was another love of hers that he remembered he'd wanted to revisit.

The Angels tied the game up, and Cas applauded. A few people looked at him and frowned, but he guessed he could understand that. He was in Seattle, after all. But he had to root for the Angels, didn't he?

The contest continued for a while with no further result, and then a player for the Angels, who had the name of a fish, oddly enough, hit the ball over the fence with an Angel already on base. Cas stood up and cheered, and everyone around him frowned again. He sat down, offering them a sheepish grin, and a few of them grumbled, telling him the game wasn't over yet. But they seemed resigned. The Mariners had only one more chance to score, and a few people told Cas that their team had been having a lot of trouble scoring this year. Their Mariners wouldn't be going to the playoffs once again this fall, they told him. Yet they kept on coming out to the games, cheering their team on to victory. Cas thought that was sweet, and it signified hope in the face of all odds, a sentiment he could identify with and appreciate. Now he almost felt like rooting for the Mariners. But the Angels prevailed, and once the game was over, the people sitting near him congratulated Cas, almost as if he had played in the game himself. He thought that was very kind. It was people like this that they were opposing Lucifer to save. He hoped the fact that the Angels had won this contest was a good omen for the future.

Gail didn't have far to go. Bobby had made arrangements for her to stay in the middle of the Strip, presumably for maximum visibility. And the hotel she was staying in housed the Secret Garden, so all she had to do was go downstairs.

She paid her admission and walked down to look at the big cats. Most of them were alert and walking around in their cages. The day was new, and the temperature was still moderate. Later on, they would be napping in the shade. She went to each individual cage to observe the animals for a while. When she got to the cage that held the white tigers, Gail waggled her fingers at them. "Cas says hi," she said softly. They regarded her curiously, almost as if they knew what she was saying, and Gail smiled.

Then she walked over to a bench and sat down, enjoying the mildness of the morning. In addition to her obvious problem being back in Las Vegas all alone, it was strangely ironic that Bobby would send her to a city that had the potential to get very hot, temperature-wise. She hated the heat. Lucky that she was an Angel, then; imagine spending eternity in Hell, with the heat there. No wonder Crowley was so prickly all the time.

So far she was the only one here, and the atmosphere was very serene. Gail was sure things wouldn't stay this way for long, though. It seemed that they never did, for them. She really wished Cas was here with her, enjoying the peace and quiet. She remembered that when the sensory input of Las Vegas had become too much for Castiel to bear, she had brought him here. He had loved it, and they'd spent an idyllic hour or two here before the crowds of people had started to come. Then, later on that day, Metatron had killed her at the Supernatural convention. Then had come the tribunal. That was a perfect example of the way their lives had gone: calm, storm, then mega-storm. And the biggest storm of them all was about to come. She could feel it.

Cas was happy after the baseball game, and as he'd said he would, he called Gail immediately afterwards.

He told her about the experience. "It was fantastic," he enthused. "But parts of it were quite confusing." He gave her a couple of examples of things he'd seen that he didn't understand, and she laughed merrily.

"I can understand your confusion," Gail told him. "Just wait; I'll make you into an expert, eventually. And there are a couple of rules that I still don't understand myself. So don't feel too bad."

"Like the one that says that we can't be together right now?" Cas blurted out.

Gail sighed. "Yeah. Like that one."

Why had he gone and said that? Now he had made her sad. Just because he was sad didn't mean he had to make her feel that way, too.

"Where are you right now?" Cas asked her, trying to change the subject.

"The Secret Garden," she replied. "Although I'm probably going to leave shortly. More people are coming in now, and it's getting noisier. It was so serene first thing this morning, though. You would have loved it."

Silence. Now they were both depressed. He missed her so much it was a physical ache, and Gail felt like someone had cut off one of her arms.

"I don't know why Bobby sent me here to the Garden," Gail said suddenly. "It seems kind of pointless."

"Bobby sent you there?" Cas asked her, curious.

"Yes, there were written instructions in the envelope. Didn't you get any?" she said.

"No, not really," Cas replied. "Nothing specific, anyway. Just to go out to public places and be visible." And to stay away from you, he thought. But he didn't say that, of course.

"Huh," Gail said absently. Odd. "What are you going to do now that the ballgame is over?"

"I think I'll let this one be a surprise," Cas said evasively. "But the next time we see each other, we're going to have a lot to talk about. We can't just spend all of our time in bed, you know," he added in a light tone. But then he cursed himself. He should not have said that. She wouldn't remember, of course, but when they had both had diseased blood, that was precisely what they had done.

But she smiled and said, "Says who?" She was teasing, of course, and she knew that he had been, too. But she wished he hadn't said that, because now she was thinking about it again. She pictured them upstairs in her room, and he was kissing her. They had been in that bed for the entire day, and their phones were shut off. His lips were gently grazing her skin, and he was caressing her body. Then he began to use his tongue, and she was telling him how much she loved him. Why couldn't they just stay here forever, while whatever battles there might be raged on outside? Why were they always the ones who had to make the sacrifices? Hadn't they both paid their debt in blood already?

More and more people were entering the Garden now, and Gail told Cas she was moving on to the next task. His brow furrowed at that comment. Why had Bobby given her specific tasks, when he had none? It was starting to make Cas feel uneasy. Did Bobby know something the rest of them didn't? Was he using Gail to attract one, or all, of their enemies? Bobby had actually suggested that they were all bait, but something about this didn't sit right with Cas. He should just go to her now, right now. Screw the instructions. But then he thought about the people at the ballgame, and Sam and Dean, and their other human friends. They all had their parts to play, and they had to do their duty, or Lucifer could very well prevail. The current situation made no sense to him, but really, what else was new? Castiel had spent centuries in the service of God, and it had always been the same: Don't question, just obey. And he was trying. Boy, was he trying. But it was so difficult. Every minute he spent apart from her was torture. She was wandering around out there all alone, and he could sense that the vultures were circling. And, selfishly, he just wanted to be with her, feeling her hand in his and seeing her smiling up at him. They could complete her tasks together, and then they could go upstairs together and just lock the world away for a while. He could visualize them touching each other, and he could feel himself inside of her. That was the way things were supposed to be.

"I'd better go," Cas said to her. "I'm about one second away from just popping over there."

Gail smiled sadly. "And I'm about one second away from asking you to," she told him. She sighed. "Oh well, on to the next task."

"I may not call you for a bit," Cas said. "It's too difficult. But please, call me if you need anything. Promise me, Gail. If you sense any danger, or if anything seems strange to you, just think my name. Please. I won't be OK unless I know you're safe. And God help anyone who tries to come for you," he growled.

Gail's smile turned genuine. That was the Cas she knew and loved. Docile and loving with her and their friends, formidable and deadly with their enemies. She'd certainly seen evidence of that in the cabin. Maybe a little too much ferocity, even. But she must have PTSD, as Bobby had suggested, because Gail couldn't remember a lot of details of exactly what Cas had done there. She knew he'd killed Aurielle, then had set Gail herself free, and then he had killed Metatron. Jason was still alive, but he was in Heaven's prison. At least, he was as far as Gail was aware. He wasn't, of course; Jason was currently in Purgatory, and he was in his element, happily torturing and killing. But she couldn't remember exactly how Cas had subdued Jason. Just then, a woman walked by Gail with a purple T-shirt on, and Gail stared at it, mesmerized. Suddenly, her mind was associating that colour with Cas. But why?

She shook it off. She'd better go. "I promise, Cas. I'll talk to you later." They hung up, and she left the Garden.

Cas wandered around downtown Seattle for a while until he found a bookstore. He bought the rest of the series of books about the boy wizard, the ones he hadn't gotten around to reading in London. Then he found a bench by a fountain, and he sat down to read. He kept an eye on his surroundings, of course, but soon he was lost in the narrative again. In a way, he felt that this story was an allegory of the situation they were facing right now. There was an evil entity out there, and the forces of good had to defeat him and his followers. Even though they were very different personalities, Cas could see himself as the hero of the story. The evil wizard had put his mark on the boy and had targeted him as his main foe. Castiel had only met Lucifer that one time at the cage, but he had felt his Brother's rage and envy towards him then. Cas was sure that Lucifer would set his sights on him very soon. And Gail was the girl who was the boys' friend in the story. They were both highly intelligent, and they both had a lot of spirit. That was certainly a very apt comparison. Then an amusing thought occurred to Cas. There was one character in the stories whose motivations seemed a little ambiguous. He seemed to be on the side of good, but this character also hated the main character, and his status and which side he was truly on remained in question. Could that be Crowley? The descriptions matched, all the way down to the dark clothing and the dour expression. Then Cas shook his head. He must be lovesick, if he was thinking amusing thoughts about Crowley now. But so far, today had been a day of hope. First, the Angels had won the ballgame, and now a ragtag team of different people was going up against the most evil wizard there had ever been. As he read on, Cas became increasingly sure that both of their groups would prevail.

Gail entered the casino, slipping the piece of paper with Bobby's instructions out of her pants pocket to consult it again. Yep, that's what it said, all right: She was to find a slot machine with a huge jackpot available and play it for a while. Was Bobby short on funds in Heaven? she thought with amusement. She supposed if by some miracle she were to win, she would garner a lot of attention. But what were the odds of that happening, really? Still, those were her instructions, so...

She found a bank of slot machines which advised a jackpot of just over two million dollars. That would certainly do it, she thought. So she sat down and began to play. But after about ten minutes, she was almost out of the money she had put in the machine. This was turning out to be pointless, too. She was looking around, but the casino was still fairly quiet, and no one was paying any attention to her. She hit the button once more, and five-dollar sign symbols appeared across the screen. Wait a minute. Wasn't that...?

Bells started going off on her machine, and a message flashed across the screen that she had won the jackpot. Two million dollars? They had to be kidding.

People were starting to gather around her now, and she looked at them, scanning their faces. Nobody looked particularly sinister or suspicious, just happy for her, and envious, too. The slot attendant approached her, offering her congratulations. "That's been due to go for a while now," the girl told Gail. "Have you been playing long?"

"No, I just sat down about ten minutes ago," Gail said dazedly. She still couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? The human side of her brain started thinking about all of the things she and Cas could do with the money. They could buy a house, take a trip, or he could get a new car, if he wanted one. Anything, really. But they wouldn't be doing any of those things, of course. Still, it was neat to think about doing them for a couple of minutes.

The slot attendant gave her a form to sign, then said, "We'll be back in a minute, to give you the cheque and take your picture. We publish the names and photos of our big jackpot winners in the daily paper, and also online. So I hope you're not anywhere you shouldn't be right now," she teased.

Gail smiled. She guessed she was exactly where she was supposed to be. How had Bobby known? Yes, he was God, but how could he have known where she was going to go, or which machine she was going to pick? Still, they'd better not tell Dean about this; he'd be pestering Bobby for gambling tips every day.

So pictures were taken of Gail with an oversize cheque, and with all the hoopla the casino could muster. Big jackpots were good advertising for them. People would see that lots of money had been won there, and then they would want to try it, too; after all, it could be them, next. She could certainly understand that, from a marketing standpoint. And also, it made sense for what they were trying to accomplish, to a certain extent. She was certainly very visible right now, wasn't she? And her name and picture would be online shortly, for anyone in the world to see. As she smiled for the picture, Gail's blood ran cold. Anyone.

The manager of the casino arrived and congratulated her. He wanted to know how she would like to receive the money. Did she want a cheque, or did she just want the funds electronically wired into her bank account?

Good question, Gail thought. She tried to remember if she and Cas even had a bank account, and she found that she couldn't. "I guess I'll take a cheque," she told the casino manager.

"OK but are you here alone?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" she countered warily.

"Security reasons," he replied. "That's a lot of money."

Gail realized he was right, but she couldn't help but be amused. It wasn't money that any of her enemies would be coming after her for, and all the guns in the world wouldn't provide enough protection from them. "No, that's OK," she told him. "I have my own security."

He looked at her curiously, but then he shrugged. He had done his due diligence. He congratulated her again and gave her his card, telling her she could pick up the cheque at the cashier's cage in an hour.

Gail stood there for a moment after the casino personnel went back to work, and the crowd started to disperse. That had been kind of fun. She would have to take the cheque directly up to her room and lock it in the safe. Later, she could talk to Cas about which charities he thought they should donate to. They couldn't keep the money for themselves, she thought. That wasn't the way things were supposed to work for Angels. Oh, well. They didn't need a lot, anyway. As long as they had each other, they would be just fine. There were a lot more serious things to think about at the moment, anyway.

Still, as she walked through the casino and saw all the people drinking, eating, and laughing, Gail started to feel sad again. She and Cas didn't even have each other at the moment, not really. The first impulse she had had after winning that jackpot was to call and tell him about it, of course. They could spend a few minutes laughing, fantasizing about what they would do with all of that money. Think of all the baseball games they could attend. But she didn't even feel like calling him right now. Every time they spoke on the phone, they just seemed to remind themselves of how much they missed each other. Everything she saw here reminded her of him. She had seen the poker room, and she remembered the time Cas had won several thousand dollars in one of those. Well, she sure had him beat now, as far as big jackpots were concerned. He had also punched out that guy, the one who had called her a very derogatory name, and she had been oddly pleased about that. That was the day of the first night that she and Cas had been intimate for the first time. They had been humans then, of course, but the love was the same.

Now she felt lonely, not just for Cas, but for their friends. She wondered how Sam and Dean were. They were separated from each other, too. She wondered if it was as weird for them as it was for her and Cas. Probably; they were together just as much. Hmm. Bobby hadn't said anything about calling either brother.

She sat down in one of the lounges and pulled out her cell phone, punching in Dean's number.

"Hi," Gail said when he answered. "How are you? How are Frank, and my fellow Angels?"

"Everybody's OK, Gail," he replied. "How are you?"

"I'm OK, Dean. But I miss all of you guys like crazy. What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Just driving around from town to town right now," Dean told her.

"Have you seen any Demons?" Gail inquired.

"Plenty," Dean answered, and she could hear the disgust in his voice. "Crowley's pretty much emptied the place, it looks like. But so far, they've been behaving themselves. I'm not sure why Bobby's got us out here, to be honest. The Demons have been giving us the stink-eye, but they've left us alone so far, and we're leaving them alone, even though it's really hard. I think your brother's gonna have a stroke soon."

Gail laughed. She could just imagine. It was almost cruel to send Hunters out there, and then tell them not to kill Demons. She started to wonder. Was this some sort of exercise in self-denial for them all?

"Have YOU seen any Demons?" Dean asked her. Truthfully, he was a little concerned about Gail, too. What was Bobby thinking, sending her out there all alone like that? Why wasn't Cas with her? And what about Linda, and Kevin? They were even less experienced, as far as fighting went. And here Dean was, with three other able-bodied men. OK, two of them were Angels, but, still. Ethan had been a cop in life, and Dean was pretty sure that Chuck could hold his own now. He liked to give Chuck a hard time, but Dean had actually been fairly impressed with Chuck's progress when he had seen him in training.

"No," Gail replied. "Funny, you would think that Vegas would be a great place for them. There's all the sin you could ever want here."

Dean laughed. He remembered. Up until that last night, the four of them had had a good time there. It had been hilarious to see Cas drunk, and it had been even funnier when he'd had a killer hangover the next morning.

"Hey, guess what happened to me a little while ago?" Gail said. She told Dean about winning the jackpot, and he was astonished. "Get out of here!" he exclaimed. She assured him she was serious, and Dean whistled. He started to talk excitedly about things they could do with the money, but Gail interrupted him, advising Dean that it would probably all go to charity.

Dean groaned loudly. "Come on, Gail. You might be an Angel, but you don't have to be a Saint too, do you? At least skim a little off the top, first. Get Cas a decent ride, I beg you."

She grinned. "Get thee behind me, car nut," she quipped. "It's the bad guys who are supposed to provide the temptation, not the good guys."

"Speaking of which, let's talk about what we're not talking about," Dean said, his voice turning serious. "Any sign of him yet? Or the others?"

"Nothing, at least not from my point of view," Gail replied. She sighed. "I almost wish he would just pop out from behind a pillar and attack me. It's too quiet. You know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean," Dean agreed. He'd been feeling the same way. Dean had grown up in Kansas, and he knew the way that the sky looked and felt before a huge storm came. It felt like that now; the quiet was eerie. "Where's Cas?" he asked her suddenly.

"He's where Bobby sent him, in Seattle," she responded. "He went to a baseball game this morning, believe it or not." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops. Forget I said that. Bobby said we weren't supposed to call each other unless it was an emergency. I'm probably not supposed to be calling you right now, either."

Dean shook his head. Unbelievable. Not only was she there all alone, in a city where she'd already been murdered once, but now she was telling him she wasn't even allowed to have phone contact with any of them? What was up with that? Who was really pulling the strings here? Dean was tempted to call Bobby and ask him, but when they had questioned Bobby at the bunker, he had gotten prickly with them. The Angels seemed to just be accepting of their assignments, but based on Dean's experience with them, almost all Angels were sheeplike, used to doing what they were told. Cas must be foaming at the mouth, though. Maybe Bobby had let Cas in on the reasons behind their assignments. Otherwise, Dean was sure Cas would be sitting next to Gail right now, looking left to right for any real or even perceived threat to her.

"Is Frank there with you?" Gail asked Dean. "Can I talk to him?"

"He went out, and I told him to take the Angels with him," Dean said. She could hear a touch of irritation in his voice now. Gail smiled. Dean had never particularly liked Angels. He had made obvious exceptions in Cas's case, and then later, in her own. But she knew that generally, Dean had a negative attitude when it came to Angels, and she could kind of understand why.

"Aren't you getting along with Chuck and Ethan?" she asked him. "Try to give them a chance, Dean. They were very good to us during the tribunal, along with Kevin. The Three Musketeers." She smiled fondly, thinking about their friends, but then her brain got that tickle again. Suddenly, she saw herself sitting at the head of the boardroom table in Heaven, and her three Angel friends were sitting at the table. Cas, too. Was she remembering being the Chairwoman of the board, something Cas and Bobby advised that she apparently was now? Gail felt excited; maybe her memory was coming back. She'd have to tell Cas about that when she spoke to him next. She was sure he'd be happy about that, too. It must be tough living with somebody who had such huge gaps in their memory.

"You still there, Gail?" Dean said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Dean. I was just remembering a board meeting. At least, I think I was. I've been seeing a lot of strange things in my head lately, almost like scenes from a movie, or something. But I don't know what's real and what's not, any more."

Dean frowned. "What kind of stuff are you seeing?"

"Just bits and pieces," Gail said vaguely. She smiled. She certainly wasn't going to tell him about her visions of her and Cas being highly sexual, and not always in the most Angelic of ways. Besides, she had already concluded that those were just fantasies, figments of her fevered imagination. She knew what the cure for that fever would be, too, but Dean certainly couldn't help her with that. The only man who could was in Seattle at the moment. She hoped Cas was thinking along the same lines as she was. They would have a lot to catch up on, and only some of it would have to involve conversation. Then she smiled. "I knew that some of them must be false memories, though," she told Dean. "I saw you, and you were punching Cas out. I know you dislike Angels, but I could think of way more likely candidates that you would want to do that to than him."

But Dean was not amused. If she was remembering stuff like that, how long would it be before she remembered the really bad stuff? Maybe he should call Cas and warn him. He manufactured a laugh. "Yeah, that's pretty crazy," he said to Gail. Great. Now he had something else to worry about.

Gail was still smiling, but her smile faded when she looked up and saw two men staring at her. Why were they looking at her like that? Had she said something weird, something they could have overheard, maybe? She had mentioned Demons a while back, but she had made sure that she sat well away from people, and she had been talking in a low voice.

"I'd better go, Gail," Dean was saying. "They're gonna be back soon, and then we'll have to hit it." He paused. "Listen, take care of yourself, and call if you need anything, OK?"

Her attention turned back to Dean. "I will, Dean, thanks. You guys be careful out there too, OK?"

"You know it," he replied.

Then they hung up, and Gail put her phone back in her pocket. The men that had been staring at her were now gone. Maybe that had been just her imagination, working overtime. Talking with Dean about Demons and Lucifer had reminded her of the many dangers that were out there for them all, and she had probably just been being paranoid.

Still, she checked her other pocket for her Angel blade. Phew. It was still there, of course. Although, if any of their enemies attacked her, she wasn't sure if it would do any good to stab them with it. Weren't they all Demons now? But at least she could try to fight them off, and then send the call out to Bobby on Angel Radio for reinforcements. She was sure that Bobby could handle any one of the three of them quite easily. So could Cas, she was sure, but she would call Bobby first. Those had been her instructions, and they only made sense. If God couldn't handle Lucifer, then who could? Bless Dean's heart for caring, but Bobby was their best chance for survival.

She wondered if the hour was up yet. Gail didn't wear a watch, and there were no clocks in the casino, of course. Maybe she would slowly work her way over to the cash cage. Gail wanted that cheque; she was entitled to it, after all, and there were a lot of charities the money could benefit. She didn't know what she thought about the whole karma thing, but it certainly couldn't hurt right now.

But when she got to the cash cage, the cashier wanted photo I.D., and she didn't have any, of course. Crap. Gail had never tried the two-finger system, but even if she were able to do it, the cashier was on the other side of the barrier. What was she going to do?

She needed advice, and really, it was just the excuse she had been looking for. So Gail went back up to her room and placed the call.

"Hey, Gail," Sam said, smiling. He was pleased to hear from her, and happy that she was all right.

Gail sat cross-legged on the bed in her room, and she smiled when she heard his voice, too. This was turning out to be a pretty good day, despite the fact that she wasn't with Cas. Even though she had missed out on talking to Frank, she had been able to talk to her three other favourite guys today. And surely Bobby couldn't be too upset about this particular call. She had to figure out how to get that cheque, didn't she?

So she explained the situation to Sam, and he thought about it for a moment. Gail had won two million dollars? Unbelievable. But, she was right; she did need to get that cheque. Sam did believe in karma, and he thought that her donating that money to charity would be an excellent start. But how was she going to get it? Then he had an idea.

"Could you maybe use that 'two-finger system' on the manager?" Sam asked her. "Persuade him to release the cheque to you?"

Gail thought about that. "Maybe," she said hesitantly. "But I'm not even sure I can do it, Sam. I've never tried it before. But I guess that might be my only shot. So, what's going on with you?"

Sam sighed. "Absolutely nothing. I can't come up with one damn thing that could help us. I've been searching for any signs of unusual activity, or any indications that Armageddon has begun, like the stuff we read about in Revelation. And I've read so much lore I'm starting to think I might need glasses soon. I even got out Rowena's spell book, just for the hell of it. But, nothing."

Rowena's spell book? Funny, that had popped into Gail's head when Crowley had told her she could apparently do magic spells. But if Sam couldn't see anything in it that might pertain to their current situation, she was sure she couldn't, either.

"OK, well, I'll try out your suggestion on the manager," she told Sam. "If it doesn't work, I can just tell him I saw a bug on his forehead, or something. Oh, and by the way, I talked to Dean earlier. They're all OK, too. He said things are really quiet. I wonder what you-know-who's doing."

"Who? Voldemort?" Sam quipped, and Gail laughed. She remembered he had made that joke before, and it never failed to crack her up.

"Thanks, Sam. I needed that," she told him.

"Be safe out there," Sam said, his tone turning serious now. "It may be quiet at the moment, but you know it's not going to stay that way."

Gail sighed. She knew. She thanked him again and hung up the phone. Then she dug into her pocket and dug out the manager's card, calling him on the hotel phone. She asked him to meet her at the cash cage, and he told her he'd be right there.

She rose from the bed and crossed the room to the door. After checking her pocket for the keycard to the room, as she always did, Gail exited the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

And that was when the men attacked her from behind.

Gail yelled involuntarily as one man grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back, and the other advanced on her, holding a knife. Crap! How had she allowed herself to get subdued so easily? The answer was simple; she had dropped her guard for a moment, too lost in thought to be vigilant about her surroundings. Hadn't she drummed into the Angels' heads in training to always be prepared in case of sudden attack? As a cautionary tale, she had told them all about being mugged in Vancouver. She hadn't been paying attention that night, either. It was time to put into practice what she'd been so blithely preaching.

Gail kicked out and connected with the armed assailant's crotch, sending him to his knees. Then he fell over. She smiled grimly. She'd put everything she had into that kick, and she hoped it had hurt, a lot. He'd dropped the knife and he was rolling on the floor, groaning. Now if she could only break free from the other guy, she could take care of him, too. Were these guys Lucifer and Metatron? Should she call Bobby now?

But before she could decide, the man that had been restraining her threw her to the ground, and then his body was on top of her. He was heavy, and she couldn't throw him off. Then his hands were around her neck and he was choking her. Gail grabbed his arms, but he was too strong, and she couldn't budge them. This was bad. If she didn't do something in a minute, Gail would be toast. She panicked.

"CAS! HELP!" she yelled silently. She couldn't have spoken anyway; the attacker's fingers were digging into her throat.

But, suddenly, she saw a hand clamp down on the man's shoulder and pull him off of her. Thank God. Gail gasped for air, coughing, as Cas punched the attacker, then threw him against the wall. He sat there looking dazed as Cas fell to his knees in front of Gail. She was sitting up now, but her breathing was still laboured.

"Are you all right?" Cas asked. He reached out his hand, but he was a little afraid to touch her. Her face was pale, and she was still coughing.

But Gail nodded. She'd be OK, she just had to catch her breath. She gestured towards the men, and Cas looked back at them. But they seemed down for the count. The one man was still groaning and holding his crotch, and the other one was rubbing his jaw, but he remained on the floor.

Cas got up and picked the knife up off the carpet, inspecting it. Just an ordinary knife. This couldn't be Metatron and Lucifer. Not only had they not popped out after he'd shown up, but they would never try to use an ordinary knife to kill an Angel. Cas raised the knife, considering killing both men, just on general principles. But then he lowered his arm. That wasn't who he was any more.

The casino manager came hurrying around the corner accompanied by two armed security guards, who had their guns drawn. They saw Cas holding the knife, and one of them told him, "Put the knife down, and put your hands behind your back!"

"No!" Gail croaked, panicked. They were going to shoot him, assuming that he was one of her assailants. "Don't shoot him!"

But the manager stepped forward. "It's OK," he told her. "We know he didn't attack you."

Gail let out a breath, relieved. The guards moved to grab her two attackers. They put handcuffs on them and hauled them to their feet, marching them down the hall.

"Can I have that?" the manager asked Cas, holding his hand out for the knife. "It's evidence. Though you've put your hands on it, now."

"Sorry," Cas said absently. But he didn't really care. Gail's well-being was all he cared about. She was slowly getting to her feet now, and he rushed over to assist her. He put his arms around her waist to steady her, and she leaned against him gratefully.

"I need to speak to you," the manager said to Gail. "Can we go into your room for a moment?" He wanted to get them out of the hallway as soon as possible. Word of mouth about jackpot winnings was good publicity, but a winner getting attacked in the very same hotel would be deadly publicity, for about a week or so.

Gail looked up at Cas and gave a half-shrug, then she pulled her keycard out of her pocket. Cas took it, asking her which room was hers. Gail pointed to it, coughing a couple more times. She felt like saving her voice for the moment.

They entered the room, and Cas took Gail by the hand and sat her down on the small couch on the other side of the bed, sitting down beside her. The manager took the chair opposite.

"I'm very sorry that happened to you," he said to Gail.

"Who were those men?" Cas asked the manager. "Why did they attack her?"

"The jackpot, of course," the manager replied, and Gail leaned over and whispered in Cas's ear, telling him about the money she'd won. He looked startled, but Cas had the sense not to show it in front of the casino manager. As it was, he had to think up an explanation for his sudden appearance in the hallway. The manager frowned. "I should have insisted on that security for you," he said to Gail. "Those two men are known to the police. They've been hanging around casinos, stalking the people who win big. We actually owe you both a debt of gratitude, and so do the cops. They've been trying to apprehend these guys for months. They've been visible on security cameras, but the cops were never able to catch them. And, speaking of security cameras - " the manager continued. "Where did you come from, and who are you?" he asked Cas.

Gail cleared her throat. "He's my husband," she said, squeezing Cas's hand. "He was here in the room, and he heard the commotion, so he came out there to see what was going on." She looked closely at the manager's face. Was he buying it? How much had they seen?

The manager looked at both of them. He'd received a radio report that the attack was in progress, and he had rushed up here with the two guards to help her. But then they had radioed him on the way up in the elevator that some guy had just suddenly come out of nowhere and was helping her, and the assailants were both incapacitated. A funny thing had happened, though. Just before the third man had appeared, the camera footage had gone all snowy, and by the time it had cleared, the man was picking up the knife that the first assailant had dropped. So, her explanation seemed reasonable enough to the manager.

"Well, thank God you're all right," he told her. "I'll escort you both down to the cash cage myself, and you can collect the cheque. He looked at Gail. "And I suggest you don't go anywhere alone for the rest of your stay here."

"Don't worry, she won't," Cas said, squeezing Gail's hand back and smiling at her. He was going to make sure of it. Hearing her voice suddenly in his head like that, sounding so frightened, had scared him immeasurably. Thank God he had gotten here right away and thank God her attackers had only been humans. But the next time, they would not be as lucky, he was sure of it. Cas was not going back to Seattle, and if Bobby didn't like it, that was too bad. He was never going to leave her side again. Cas should know better by now. He had left her alone for just a moment at the Supernatural convention, and Metatron had stabbed her to death. Now he had let her come here alone once more, and she had very nearly been killed again.

Gail smiled back. Normally, she would be a little annoyed at the implication that she needed his protection at all times, but she was still shaking from her close call. And it was becoming increasingly apparent to her that she talked a big game, but her track record in these types of situations wasn't stellar. She had even blown it when she had requested help. Hadn't she been thinking that she should call Bobby first? But her first thought when she'd been in such grave danger was of Cas. Of course.

They accompanied the manager downstairs, and as they were riding in the elevator, Gail motioned to Cas and whispered Sam's suggestion in his ear. Cas nodded, and he put his fingers on the manager's forehead. When they got to the cash cage, the manager entered the cage, and brought the cheque out to them himself. He handed it to Gail, but she gave it to Cas, who put it in the inside pocket of his blazer. Then the manager shook hands with both of them and left.

"We'd better get this cheque someplace safe," Cas said to her, patting his pocket.

"We'll lock it in the safe in my room," Gail said, but he shook his head.

"I was thinking safer than that," he told her. "Come on." He took her hand and led her to a deserted area just outside the casino. He looked at the exterior of the building. No cameras here. Cas was relieved that the manager had seemed to accept Gail's explanation of his sudden appearance at face value, though it puzzled him as to why the manager would have. Cas had appeared literally out of nowhere. His mind had been working furiously, trying to come up with something that would seem plausible to humans. But there had been no further questions after Gail's comment. Maybe Bobby had intervened somehow. Cas would deal with any potential consequences later, but right now he felt warm all over. She had called him her husband, and a thrill of excitement had gone through him when she had done that. And she was all right, and they were together now.

He winked them both to the bunker. Sam, Jody and Becky were all sitting at the library table. Jody started when they just suddenly appeared, but Becky didn't react, and Sam had been looking at his computer screen.

"Sorry, Jody," Cas said, smiling. "We didn't mean to startle you."

"That's OK, Cas," she responded. "I guess I'll get used to it, working with all of you Angels." She smiled back.

Sam rose from the table and approached them. He shook Cas's hand and then drew Gail to him for a hug.

"What's up, Cas?" Sam asked. "Is everything OK?"

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. Neither of them could see the point in telling him about the attack. There was enough to worry about these days as it was, and everything had turned out all right.

"It's fine," Cas told him. "We just came here to give you this, for safekeeping." He reached into his pocket and handed Sam the cheque. Sam looked at it and whistled. He'd never seen a figure that big on a cheque in all his life. Well, not a real cheque, anyway.

"You won this, huh?" he asked Gail, grinning. "How'd that feel?"

"Pretty good," Gail said, smiling at him. Then her smile faded and she touched her neck. "Then, not so much."

Sam looked at them both. Something was fishy here. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but why are you two together?"

The Angels looked at each other again, and this time they had no ready answer. So they ended up telling their friends about the attack, after all.

"But it wasn't Lucifer and Metatron," Gail told them, "just two humans, looking to rob me. But I wish it would have been Lucifer and Metatron. Then we could have had two out of three."

Sam was frowning. Like Dean, he was wondering why Bobby had sent her out there all alone. Thank God Cas had gotten there so quickly. Sam hoped Cas would just stay with her now. Who was he kidding, though? Of course Cas would stay with her now. And Sam was glad. The instructions could go to hell. Gail was more important.

They all chatted for a few more minutes, then Cas said, "We'd better go. Bobby probably already knows, but I need to call him on Angel Radio and tell him I'm staying in Las Vegas. I hope he doesn't yell too loudly. I don't want to get a headache." He smiled and squeezed Gail's hand again. For her, he'd take God's wrath.

"What do you want me to do with this cheque?" Sam asked them.

"Just hang onto it for now," Gail replied. "We'll figure it out later." She smiled. "Just don't let Dean get a hold of it. I don't want him considering forgery. Unless he's willing to dress like a woman to try it. That would be a show worth paying for."

They all laughed, and Cas and Gail winked out of the bunker.

The two Angels made a brief stop in Seattle to get Cas's bag with his clothes, and he told her that there was one more stop he wanted to make. He doubted they would still be there, but he wanted to try.

He winked them over to the bench by the fountain and incredibly, the bag with the books in it was still there, and so was the book he had been in the midst of reading. He walked over and picked it up, putting it into the bag with the others. Then he walked back to where Gail stood.

"What are those?" she asked him curiously. He opened the bag to show her, and she smiled widely. "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "You're reading those?" She looked at the bag more closely. "But, wait a minute. You don't have all of them. There are six in total. It looks like you're missing the first three."

Cas cursed himself. She wouldn't remember that, of course. He had already read the first three books when he had exiled himself to Europe for fear of hurting her further, when he had been the Demon. What could he say here? Only the truth, he supposed. Well, mostly, anyway.

"I read the first three already," he said casually, keeping his voice steady.

"When? And when were you going to tell me about it?" she asked him, surprised.

He winced inwardly. He disliked having to be like this with her. "Here and there," he said evasively. "I didn't want to tell you about it until I'd read them all. I look forward to long conversations with you on the subject. But I'm glad they were still here. I thought I would bring them with me, in case there's an opportunity to read some more. If not, I'll bring them home, and finish them after...well, after."

Gail touched his face. "Well, I think it's great. I think you'll really like them."

"I'm sure I will," he replied. He handed her the bag with the books. He had already picked up the bag with his clothes in it, and he wanted to have a free hand so that he could hold hers. "Let's go."

They were back in her room in Las Vegas, and Cas put his bag on the floor while Gail put the bag containing the books on the table. She turned around to find him standing right behind her, and he was smiling.

"What?" she asked him.

"You called me your husband," Cas said.

Oh. Right. She had, hadn't she? "I don't know why I said that," she told him. "I just thought it would sound...oh, I don't know." Sound what? More respectable? But what did that possibly matter? Had it been a reaction to the events that had occurred around the tribunal, maybe? Xavier had made such a big deal out of the fact that they had shared a hotel room here, having sex, and they were unmarried. What was the expression? "Living in sin"? But, that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

"Well, it sounded wonderful to me," Cas said. He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. "And it's something we'll definitely have to talk about once this is over."

Then he kissed her again, and then his tongue was in her mouth, looking for hers. She gave it to him, and they both sighed contentedly.

"We should get out there and be visible, like we're supposed to," Gail breathed. Then she kissed him again.

"I should call Bobby and face his anger," he said softly. He kissed her again, and then he lifted her top off over her head. He took his shirt off and embraced her again. He touched her neck gently. "Are you feeling all right?" Cas asked her.

"I feel just fine," she assured him.

"I'm glad," Cas said sincerely. Then he smiled. "But I think we can do better than that."

He picked her up and brought her to the bed, laying her down on it. Then he took off her pants and her underwear, kissing her as he did it. He took off his pants and moved on top of her, kissing her on the mouth again.

"I've missed you," Cas told her. "We won't be apart any more, I promise." Then he moved down her body and caressed the insides of her thighs. She opened her legs for him and he began to lick her. Her body jumped, and he put his hand on her abdomen, as if to calm her. She grabbed his hand, and he squeezed back.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him. "I don't ever want to be without you again."

"You won't be," he said firmly. "You won't be." Then he resumed what he had been doing, and Gail began to whimper immediately. He let go of her hand and grabbed her hips, bringing her closer to him. She cried out, and he smiled, speeding up his tongue's motion. She moved her head back and forth, continuing to cry out in pure joy.

Once she was still, Cas moved up to kiss her again, and he slipped inside of her. He moved slowly at first, but he couldn't help but go faster, and then faster. She put her arms around him and turned his head, licking his ear. "I love you so much," she said softly, and her lips grazed his earlobe, just like in his fantasy of this morning. Cas couldn't hold back any longer. He moaned loudly, feeling the warm rush.

He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, and then he kissed her again.

"Let's just stay here, like this, forever," Gail said, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

Cas smiled. In a way, there was nothing that he would like more. But as per his earlier vow to himself, he wanted to enjoy being with her in many other ways too, not just in the bedroom. Although none came to mind at this particular moment.

"Sounds good to me," Cas said lightly. He started to caress her body again, and he surprised her by rolling off of her and bringing his hand down to the place on her that he had just vacated. His fingers were stroking her, and Gail felt her excitement starting to build again. "Cas," she gasped, and he started to kiss her face. Now it was just like her fantasy, and she closed her eyes, moving with his hand.

"Let yourself go, Gail," he murmured. "Please." He was licking her neck now, and she clutched his head. His fingers sped up, and she cried out loudly. "Cas! It's so good!"

Even after she was done, he continued to caress her, and once she had her breath back, he opened her mouth with his tongue. They kissed like that for a minute or two, and then they embraced each other, holding on tight.

After a few more minutes, Gail lifted her head from his chest. "I'm going to go take a shower," she told him.

He sighed. "I'll call Bobby while you're doing that. With any luck, the running water will at least muffle his shouting, so that you won't have to hear it."

She laughed softly. "I hope he's not too mad," she said. "If he didn't already see it, feel free to embellish what happened earlier."

Cas frowned. "I won't have to embellish it much. I'm so glad you're all right, Gail."

"Thanks to you, I am," she said, kissing his face. She smiled. "I can always count on you to take care of me."

That made him smile, but after she climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom, grabbing her bag of clothes on the way, Cas's smile faded. There was a time when he had been the one that she had needed protection from, and he would never forget that. Thinking of it felt like a knife through his heart, but he couldn't seem to stop. The guilt ate away at him, and the fact that she didn't remember any of it was almost worse. She was so innocent, and so loving towards him. But he didn't deserve it. He was still being selfish. God had come to his rescue, erasing her memories of that dark time, and Cas had let Him. Because it was easier for HIM. But was that fair to her? She thought she had PTSD now, and he had seen her struggling to make sense of things whenever someone inadvertently mentioned something that had occurred during the time of her lost memories. How long could he let this continue?

Cas called Bobby on Angel Radio, confessing to where he was and what he had done. "I'm sorry if you're angry, Bobby, but I intend to stay here with her now. If they come to Las Vegas, I'm not letting her face them alone."

Silence. Then Bobby surprised him by merely sighing, and saying, "OK, Cas. I get it. I don't want anything to happen to Gail, either. You've gotta believe that. I just thought that Lucifer would be more likely to go for one of you if you were out there on your own." And that was what Bobby had sincerely thought, too. He had received status reports from both Linda and Kevin, and they told him that things were extremely quiet in their respective cities. There had been no overt attacks, and no threats of any kind. If Lucifer didn't go for Kevin or Linda, Bobby had felt sure he'd go for Gail over Castiel. But she had been attacked by humans, not Lucifer, and it was Bobby's fault. He had thought that her winning a big jackpot like that would force the issue, throw the spotlight on her. And it had worked to a certain extent, but Bobby had not counted on the fact that some humans were on the same level of evil as the Devil. He had indeed seen Gail being attacked, but before Bobby could intervene, Cas had already gotten there, and he had taken care of things. So Bobby couldn't get too mad at Cas. He had known that Gail would send out the SOS; it was just too bad that it was only two human criminals who had been caught in her net, and not the big fish himself.

"Stay there for another couple of days," Bobby instructed him. "Then I may pull you all in. If he doesn't show himself soon, we'll have to come up with a Plan B."

"So you're not angry with me?" Cas asked him.

Bobby sighed again. "How could I be, Cas? What happened to Gail was essentially my fault. Tell her I'm sorry, willya?"

Cas had to smile at that. Gail would be pleased. She had always enjoyed being apologized to by God. But then his smile vanished. "She's beginning to remember, Bobby. And I'm beginning to think I should just come clean. I don't want her going through that kind of trauma."

"Oh, and you don't think it's gonna be traumatic for her if you sit her down and tell her that you were a Demon that was so abusive to her that she ended up leaving you? That, for a while there, Crowley looked like the better option? " Bobby snapped. He was still angry about that whole thing. Bobby wasn't sure it was fair to Gail, either, but he'd had to go for the lesser of the two evils at the time. Cas and Gail were the anchor of his little Angel army, and Bobby couldn't have her going off the deep end when they had such an important task to accomplish. Once Lucifer, Metatron and Aurielle were either killed or apprehended, they would have to have a serious talk about what was right; but right now, Bobby had to do what was necessary, for the greater good.

"Don't you go unburdening yourself to her just because you feel like crap," he cautioned Cas. "This isn't about you. You feel like crap because you should feel like crap. But if you make yourself feel better, just to get it off your chest, what would that do to her, Cas? Think about that, before you go shooting your mouth off."

Cas hung his head. Bobby was right. How could he do that to her? She may be confused now, but she was happy. Well, as happy as she could be, considering what was going on out there. But they were together now, and he could keep her safe. If she were to find out what had really happened during that time, she would surely leave him again, and then she would be completely alone, and vulnerable. Everything that Bobby had said was true. Telling her right now would be even more selfish than continuing to keep her in the dark.

Then she came out of the bathroom, and Cas's mouth dropped open. She was wearing the blue dress she had worn in Heaven the day the new laws had been ratified. She'd looked beautiful in it then, and she looked even more radiant now.

"Wow," he said softly.

She smiled and did a cute little spin. "That was the reaction I was hoping to get. You like?"

He got off the bed and approached her. "You look beautiful," he told her.

Gail was pleased. When she had packed her bag to come here, she had impulsively thrown this dress in with her other clothes. She wasn't really sure why; it had just seemed like a good idea at the time. Funny, though; she'd had a few outfits in the closet she couldn't even remember buying. Like this dress, and a black outfit that looked like it was more suitable to wear to a funeral than anywhere else. But obviously, she had bought them at some point. And now she was glad that she had brought this one. Blue was her favourite colour, and her dress matched Cas's eyes, which were shining right now as he looked at her.

"I feel extremely underdressed now," Cas deadpanned, and Gail laughed. Of course he was; they had just been making love, and all he had on were his shorts, which he had put back on when she'd left the room. "Luckily - " he continued, walking over to his clothing bag " - I bought this." He reached into the bag and pulled out a suit and tie. "It may be a bit wrinkled, though," he told her. "I guess I should have hung it up when I first got to Seattle, but something told me that I wouldn't be there for too long."

She was smiling. "Really? Well, what about when you first got here, then?" she teased.

He lifted an eyebrow to her. "Let's just say, I had other priorities."

Gail walked over to him, still smiling. Her lips grazed his chest. "Good call," she said softly.

"You'd better not do that, or your dress will also be wrinkled in a minute," he said, slipping an arm around her waist.

"It WAS wrinkled, but I found out about another one of my special talents," she told him. "Look what I can do." She waved her hand over his suit and when the golden glow faded, the clothes were wrinkle-free and ready to wear.

Gail smiled up at him. "Not much good in a fight, but it will come in handy on date night."

"Is that what this is?" he asked her, answering her smile.

"Hey, if we're going to go out in public, it might as well be," she said lightly. "Isn't that kind of our Vegas tradition?"

Cas nodded. Yes, it was. He hung up his suit, then turned back to her. "I'll have my shower now, and then we'll go. It's too bad we don't eat. I'd love to take you out for dinner."

Bobby's voice sounded suddenly in Cas's head. "Uh, Cas," he said hesitantly. "I'm still here."

What? Hadn't he disconnected? Cas was a little embarrassed. It was lucky that he hadn't done what he had been contemplating doing when Gail had kissed his chest. "Sorry, Bobby," he thought. "I'll hang up now."

"Before you do, I just wanted to tell you something," Bobby said. "You can actually confer the power to be able to eat and drink, if you want."

"What do you mean?" Cas asked him, puzzled. "I've never had the power to do that."

"Yes, you did, once," Bobby reminded him. "You had it when you were God, remember? That means you should be able to do it again now, any time you want. I was gonna tell you that, but you never really expressed an interest in being able to eat or drink before. And you can give it to Gail, too. Call it an apology, from me to her."

Cas was nonplussed. "Okay, Bobby. 'Bye," he said out loud, then he disconnected.

"What was that all about?" Gail asked him.

"I told you I was going to call Bobby," Cas said. "That was the end of our conversation."

"You mean you were connected that whole time?" Gail inquired, surprised. Phew. Lucky she hadn't let Cas do what she knew he was thinking about doing when she'd kissed his chest.

Cas smiled sheepishly. "Apparently. Anyway, guess what he told me?"

Gail was thrilled when Cas shared what Bobby had just said. "We won't do it all the time, but I think it'd be great for special occasions," she said. "And I think tonight might be one."

The Castiel in him wasn't so sure; any one of their enemies might ambush them at any time, and they really shouldn't be distracting themselves with something so frivolous. But Cas wanted to do it, anyway. They had gone about it kind of backwards today, but he really wanted to recreate their first date.

So he put his hand on Gail's head, and his own blue essence flowed out, then faded. "How do you feel?" Cas asked her.

Gail thought a moment, then she smiled. "Hungry," she told him. "Really, really hungry."

Cas smiled. He put his hand on his own head, repeating the process, then told her, "I'm hungry now, too. I'll shower quickly, and then we can go out for a nice meal."

Gail looked out the window as Cas was taking his shower. It was funny how cold and unwelcoming Las Vegas had felt to her when she'd first gotten here; but now, it was the most beautiful city in the world.

Cas came out of the shower and put his suit on. Gail was still at the window, staring out as the sun went down and the neon lights grew brighter. He came to the window and put his arms around her waist from behind.

"I'll never tire of looking at all those lights," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Me neither," Gail agreed. "Who would have ever thought that Las Vegas would be such a magical place for two Angels?"

"You'd think it would be Los Angeles, if anything," Cas quipped, and Gail laughed. She turned around. "You look very handsome," she told him, and he smiled, offering her his arm to take.

"Let's go," Cas said. "I'm ravenous."

They had a long, leisurely dinner. Cas had ordered them a glass of wine each, just to sip at during dinner, because he knew that she liked it. And they talked and talked; about baseball, and about the books that she liked, and that he had begun to read. There was a lot of give and take, and a fair amount of laughter, as well. At one point, Gail nearly spit out a mouthful of her wine when Cas told her about the mental comparison he had drawn between Crowley and the black-clad, dour character in those books.

"That is fantastic!" she said, after having swallowed her wine with great difficulty. She laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. "Very astute!"

Cas was pleased that he had amused her so. He had always felt close to her, but he felt even closer to her now. They had talked about her likes and her interests for a change, and he was enjoying their conversation immensely. Even when their opinions didn't entirely agree, they listened to each other as they expressed themselves, and the debates had been lively and interesting. Cas had always known that Gail was intelligent, but he had never stopped to realize how agile her mind was, as well. Castiel had always been a master at debate, but even though she acknowledged his points when they were made, she'd had a few of her own to make, as well. At the end of the meal, Cas realized that he genuinely did respect her. He hadn't really done so before, and that had been part of the problem.

Gail sat back in her chair. "I'm really full now. But this has been great. I'm glad we were able to do this. Did you enjoy your dinner?" she asked him.

"Very much," Cas told her, putting his napkin on the table. "But I don't think it was the food, so much as the company."

Gail smiled, shaking her head slowly. God, he was charming. A fact of which he seemed to be completely oblivious. If they could harness that as a weapon and use it against Lucifer, they could wrap this up in no time.

But this had turned out to be a wonderful day, and she didn't want to think about the Devil right now. They were vigilant of their surroundings, but Gail thought if they could just have the rest of this day for themselves, they could turn back into soldiers tomorrow. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

"Let's go walk some of this off," Gail said, patting her stomach. Cas threw some money down on the table and he took her hand as she rose from her chair.

They walked up and down the Strip, enjoying the night air. It was cool for Las Vegas, just the way that Gail liked it. Fall had definitely arrived. She was still somewhat distressed that she couldn't even remember last winter, though; let alone the spring, or most of the summer. But Gail was hoping to get more of her memories back as time went on. If she didn't put too much pressure on herself, she was sure that would happen.

Cas stopped walking. "Let's get another photo taken," he suggested. "Your old one's getting a little tattered around the edges," he teased lightly.

"That's because I love it so much," she responded. "Almost as much as I love the guy who's in it. But yeah, let's get another one taken. I can start a collection."

They had the photo taken, and once it had developed, Cas slipped it into his pocket. "Now we'll have one for each nightstand," he told her. "And, like us, they have to stay together." But now, he was starting to feel afraid. What was Lucifer going to do? Would he kill one of them? How about Metatron, or Aurielle? Or maybe Gail would just regain all of her memories and leave him for good this time. Something was coming soon; he could feel it now.

"Let's go back," Cas said to Gail. If they were only to be allowed one more idyllic night together, he wanted to start it right away.

They undressed each other slowly, and Cas started to nuzzle her neck. He could see the bruises that were already starting to come in from her attack, and he felt the familiar stab of guilt again. He kissed and licked her neck gently, as if doing so could take the bruises away. But at least it wasn't him who had caused them, this time.

He started to move down her body, but Gail stopped him. "I'd like to do it differently," she told Cas. He looked at her inquiringly.

"I want it to be mutual," she said, and he understood what she meant. So he laid down on his back, and he helped her to position herself in the opposite direction. They made love to each other at the same time, and it was intense.

Even though they had the capacity to do so, neither of them had any urge to sleep, so they made love all night, cuddling and talking in-between. When he reached for her for the umpteenth time, and she reached for him just as eagerly, Cas was reminded of their Demon nights. But even though the frequency and variety of what they were doing was similar to what they had experienced then, the attitude was completely different. No matter how their bodies were configured, this was love at its finest. So, when she shyly suggested the position she had seen in her other fantasy, he did not object.

Gail rolled onto her stomach, and Cas looked down at her. Could he really do this? Should he? But as soon as he started to caress her skin, he became excited. This wouldn't be violent, and it wouldn't hurt her.

He bent down and kissed her softly, then he licked her, and then he put his tongue inside of her. Gail squirmed underneath him. and he stopped immediately. "Are you all right?" Cas asked her.

"I'm fine, Cas," she replied. "Don't stop."

So he resumed, and then, when he thought that she was ready, he lifted her hips and entered her slowly. Gail made a noise, and he stopped moving.

"Go ahead, Cas," she said softly. "It's OK. I want you to."

So he resumed again, and he reached around to stroke her as he'd always done. She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, then guided it to herself.

Then she began to move against his hand, and as he started to move his body faster, she raised her lower body up to meet his, and he moaned.

"I love you, Cas," Gail told him. "And I love everything we do to express our love. Let it go, Cas," she added, echoing what he had said to her earlier.

That could be taken two ways, though. Maybe he should finally let go of that time in their lives. It was over now, and he would never hurt her again. Look at what they were doing right now. He was still making love to her, just in a bit of a different way. And she was telling him that it was all right.

His fingers sped up, and Gail began to make her sounds. Her hips raised again, and Cas closed his eyes as he pushed forward to meet her. They both cried out at the same time. Once he was done, Cas lowered his head to her and licked her again, making her body jump. Then he laid down underneath her and brought her down to his mouth, and then she was crying out again. It was unbelievable. He was unbelievable. "Cas," she breathed, "I can't..."

"Yes, you can," he said, smiling, and then he resumed. Another wave of pleasure washed over her, and now her legs were trembling. He held her steady, and he moved her away from him for a moment. She could feel just the tip of his tongue now, like a glorious tickle, and she started to whimper. He brought her back to his mouth immediately when he heard her do that. It meant that she was close again. Then he sped up his tongue, and she yelled, "Cas! You're so good!" He continued to hold her as steadily as he could, considering how much she was writhing now, until she was finally still.

"Cas," Gail breathed. It was all she could seem to say. She was so weak she couldn't even move now.

Cas slid out from under her, still holding her steady, and he gently laid her down in her back, her head on the pillows. He lay down beside her and covered both of them with the sheet. Gail was still trying to regain her breath, and she still felt like she couldn't move. She managed to turn her head so she could look at him.

"Cas," she breathed again, and then she couldn't help but smile at herself. He was going to think she had lost her mind, and maybe she had. All she could say was his name.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked her, his lips twitching.

Gail moaned softly. "Cas...Do you have any idea..." Great. Now she couldn't even form a coherent sentence. She was going to ask him to go looking for her lost brain cells in a minute.

"I love you," Cas told her, "and I will never, ever hurt you." He gently took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Cas," she responded, but now she was puzzled. That had been a really strange thing for him to say. Of course he would never hurt her. Why would he even say that? But she was too worn out with pleasure to ask him about it now, and she certainly wasn't about to start an argument, not after such a wonderful night. So all she said was, "I kind of wish we could sleep. That would be a perfect ending to a perfect day," she sighed happily.

"Would you really like to sleep?" Cas asked her softly.

"Yes, I wish I could," Gail answered him. She pulled his arms tighter around her. "Just like this."

"Let's see if you can, then," Cas said.

Gail opened her eyes. What was he talking about? She felt his hand on her head and saw the blue glow, and then she was unconscious.

"Not exactly the same thing," Cas murmured. "But it'll do. Rest well." He kissed her on the forehead again, keeping his arms wrapped around her.

But he stayed up all night, thinking about a number of different things. And when the sun came up, Castiel kissed Gail on the forehead once more. He would have to bring her back to consciousness soon. Maybe she could have breakfast, if she wanted it. He didn't, though he might have a strong cup of coffee. He had to be alert. Today was the day that Lucifer would finally show himself, and Castiel knew that he would be coming for them.

Rowena sat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring her the drink that she had ordered. Bailey's Irish Creme, on the rocks. She'd changed back to her human form, of course, but she had been the cat for so long now that she felt like having a cream-based drink.

She stretched her body, yawning, and when her drink came, she sipped it with a contented sigh. She'd only have the one, though she would love to have more. The Angels might come downstairs at any moment, and they couldn't see her here.

Rowena had followed Gail in her cat form throughout her day yesterday, and it had certainly been interesting. She had seen Gail visit the big cats and overheard her speaking with Castiel on the phone. Then the big jackpot win, and then she had been on the phone again. At that point, Rowena had been too far away to hear who Gail had been talking to. Castiel again, probably. Those two were obviously besotted with each other, and Rowena was sure that Lucifer would use that against them in some way. As the day went on, Rowena was growing increasingly puzzled as to why Lucifer hadn't shown up and taken Gail already. She was all alone, and she was vulnerable. That's what Rowena would have done. But not to kill her. Oh no, that would be too quick, too easy. She was sure that Lucifer must have a grand plan for the two of them, one that involved a lot of prolonged suffering.

But then Gail had gone upstairs, to her room presumably, and Rowena couldn't follow her there. She had to remain in the shadows, so she wouldn't be seen and captured by casino staff. So she'd waited patiently, and sure enough, Gail had come back down. But Castiel had been with her, and he had remained by her side. Rowena had stayed for a while, but now that Gail was no longer alone, the witch wondered if there was any point in remaining. Unless Lucifer was looking for a battle this early in the game, he wouldn't show up to try to take her now that she had Castiel as her protector. Still, just for her own pleasure, Rowena had waited until they'd gotten back that night, and then she had crept up the stairs and listened at every door on the floor she had seen their elevator go to. Finally, she was rewarded when she heard their cries of ecstasy. Rowena curled up on the carpet outside the door for a little while to listen. She wished she could see inside, but she did not have that ability when she was in cat form. Still, she could well imagine. From the sounds she was hearing, Rowena could imagine that Castiel was an excellent swordsman, and she wasn't thinking about his Angel blade. Good for Gail. It sounded like she was getting her fill, and more besides, and that she was very happy about it. A far cry from the shenanigans that used to go on when Castiel had been a Demon. Gail had still gotten some pleasure, but there had also been pain. Now there was just the pleasure, and Castiel had the advantage of experience, and of having already learned what Gail enjoyed the most. If the girl hadn't been totally his before, she certainly was now. But Castiel was playing a dangerous game. The Angels didn't live in a bubble, and too many others knew about that dark period in their lives for it to remain a secret for very much longer. Rowena's whiskers had twitched in amusement. She would enjoy seeing the fireworks when Gail found out what Castiel was so desperately trying to hide from her.

Rowena had gone back downstairs and napped for a while, and when morning came, she'd changed back into her human form and come to the bar for a pick-me-up. There was something really lovely and decadent about drinking alcohol in the morning. Rowena wished she could have several, then choose a good-looking man to bring her upstairs to his room for a while. The sounds she had heard last night reminded her of just how good that particular activity could be. Gail must be feeling like a million dollars this morning. But Rowena couldn't risk being seen by the couple, so she couldn't stick around.

So she finished her drink and exited the hotel, walking back to her own hotel, and her own room. She gathered up her belongings and mixed up the travelling potion. It was time to seek out the Devil.

Gail was stretching luxuriously, and once she was done, she looked at Castiel. "What did you do?" she asked him. "Did you put me to sleep?"

"More or less," he answered evasively. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful," she said, smiling. She touched his face. "Thank you for such a glorious night last night. How are you this morning?"

"I'm wonderful, too." He leaned down to kiss her softly, and then his arms went around her again and he pulled her close to him. He was lying, of course. His stomach was churning. Their time of peace was over, and Lucifer was coming.

"Would you like to eat breakfast?" Cas asked her.

She pulled out of the embrace to look at his face. "That would be nice," Gail said. "Just one more meal. Then I'd better stop, or I'm going to get fat," she joked, patting her stomach.

He smiled. She was so cute. He leaned down to kiss her stomach. "I highly doubt that," he said to her. Then he kissed her stomach again and gave it a little lick.

"You'd better not start that, or we're never getting out of here," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

Cas lifted his head. She was right; he'd better not. They had been given their night, last night. But it was over now, and he'd better be ready.

"I'm going to shower and get dressed," Gail told him. She moved down the bed to kiss him on the lips, and then jumped off the bed before they could change their minds.

Cas watched her as she walked to the bathroom, humming a little tune. Why did it always have to be them? What more did God want from them, anyway?

Metatron had been pounding away at the keyboard for hours now, and he had finally gotten to the really interesting part. Castiel becomes a Demon. The shining hero becomes the bad guy. People were either going to love it, or they were going to hate it. But Metatron didn't mind if his readers hated it. The truth wasn't always pretty, was it?

He sat back and re-read what he had just written, trying to look at it as a reader might. In some ways, even though he was so violent and brutal, you had to feel sorry for the Castiel character. He was so pathetic, and he had such low self-esteem. You could almost understand why the poison had turned him into such a loathsome being. He was such a screw-up that he couldn't even embrace the power and the freedom of being an Alpha Demon, not fully. He did terrible, awful things, but then suffered guilt about them. He treated Gail abominably, but somewhat inexplicably, she had remained with him, enabling him. Then she had gone off on her noble quest for the cure, and Castiel finally did the right thing by leaving her alone, presumably for her to heal, both physically and emotionally. But they just couldn't stay away from each other. Was it love? Obsession? Sexual attraction? The mysterious blood bond? That would be for the reader to decide. Metatron didn't even know, himself. He didn't really understand the Gail character at times. It was hard for him to think like a female, never actually having been one. Didn't she have any self-respect? She sure seemed like she did, the times that he had had dealings with her. So, what was going on inside her head? Metatron could only assume that she had just as many self-esteem issues as Castiel did, so he wrote her that way. Maybe the two of them were just lost souls who had found each other. Maybe neither of them had ever felt completely accepted by others, so they had formed a co-dependent, symbiotic bond. Maybe God had brought them together simply for His own entertainment, just to see what would happen. Metatron knew how their Father liked to use people for His own little puppet show, sometimes. Or maybe the two of them were genuinely in love. How the hell would Metatron know? He had never been in love, and he never would be, unless he happened to glance into a mirror. The concept of love was foreign to him. He understood it intellectually, of course, but love was seldom intellectual. All that passion, all those crazy, mixed-up emotions? It seemed like a lot more anguish than it was actually worth. It made you vulnerable, and weak. Look at Castiel as a prime example.

He rubbed his hands together, savouring the anticipation. There was still so much more story to tell. What was going to happen when Gail found out that God Himself had modified her memories to get Castiel off the hook? How would she find out? And when? And what was Lucifer going to do?

He bent to the keyboard again. Metatron was posting the books as he finished them, and he'd already gotten quite a few reviews, all of them positive. But he wasn't sure they would stay that way, once he published this one. People loved the Castiel character, and they were going to be angry about this turn of events. But, c'est la vie. Metatron had created an e-mail account, which he had attached to his profile. If anybody had a problem with what he was writing, they could feel free to tell him so. He could take the criticism. But people needed to accept the truth. Heroes weren't always perfect; in fact, they were often deeply flawed. And bad guys weren't all bad, sometimes. Just look at the Crowley character. He was deliciously bad sometimes, but at other times, he would step up and help one of the good guys, for no discernible reason. Did he secretly like the feeling of being a hero? Was a part of him trying to make up for all of the bad stuff he had done over the centuries? Or was he just scheming, playing all the angles as usual? You wouldn't think that Lucifer being on the loose would bother Crowley all that much. What was a little more murder and mayhem, after all? Good times, as Dean Winchester would say. But Crowley had sent thousands of Demons topside, instructing them to find Lucifer at all costs. Maybe Crowley felt threatened by Lucifer, or maybe he just wanted to avoid Armageddon, even though Crowley had been threatening to unleash that very thing himself for many years now.

Metatron continued to type, smiling widely. The roller coaster was climbing towards its apex, and eventually it would come careening down, out of control. But he was getting way ahead of himself. He should be thinking of the present, as far as where his book-writing was at, but that was at least several books in the future. Gail was still gathering the ingredients and pursuing the cure in the one he was writing right now. Castiel would be cured, of course, but there would be all sorts of other problems. That was just the way it was with God's favourites.

Gail was wired. She'd had three cups of coffee, and she was contemplating having another.

"I think I've missed you most of all," she said to her coffee cup. Then she lifted it to her lips and gave it a kiss.

Cas laughed, shaking his head. She was nuts, but in the best way he had ever seen. Her humour had helped take the edge off his tension, but he remained on high alert.

He took a sip from his own cup, then put it down. He had made himself stop at two. He was strung too tight right now as it was.

Gail reached across the table and took his hand. "Thanks," she said, lifting her coffee cup in salute. "I can't remember when I've enjoyed my coffee more." She smiled mischievously. "But it's not the coffee, so much as the company."

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. She was repeating back to him what he'd said to her in the restaurant last night. But he hadn't been very good company this morning, and now he was about to spoil her day. She had to know, though. He was keeping enough from her already.

Cas's smile disappeared, and he leaned forward, gesturing for her to do the same. Gail put down her cup and did as he asked. "What's wrong, Cas?" she asked him quietly.

"Lucifer is coming for us," he told her grimly. "He'll be here this morning."

Her heart stopped. "What makes you say that?" she asked, alarmed. "How do you know? Where is he now?"

"I wish I knew," Cas said fervently. If he could sense Lucifer's location, or even see what he looked like now, Castiel could attempt a pre-emptive strike. "And I don't even know how I know. I just do."

Gail understood. She'd had many feelings and intuitions like the one that Cas said he was having now, and she had become accustomed to heeding them.

"What should we do?" she asked him.

Cas gave a half-shrug. "Let him, I guess," he said uncomfortably. "That's what we're supposed to be out here for, isn't it?"

Oh, God, Gail thought. She wasn't ready for this. She hadn't even been able to handle two humans. But she'd been on her own then, and Castiel was with her now. Maybe if they teamed up, they could incapacitate Lucifer long enough for Bobby to come and get him. Maybe Bobby could bring Crowley, too. Then it would be God plus three Originals against one. Surely that would be enough.

She looked around. The problem was, he could be anyone. Anyone at all. Suddenly, she realized how many people there were, just walking around Las Vegas. And he didn't even have to be a man. He could be a woman, or even a child.

"Well, I suppose we'd better get out there, then," she said, trying to put on a brave face.

Cas rose from his chair and offered his hand to her. "I'll be with you every moment," he assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Gail rose and took his hand. She believed him, and she believed in him.

"Where do you want to go first?" Gail asked as they exited the restaurant.

"The Secret Garden," he said, without hesitation.

They walked through the casino and went outside to the gates outside the Garden. The cashier was getting ready to open the booth. They would be the first ones there. That was just fine with Gail; the place was always so serene first thing in the morning. A little calm before the storm would be very welcome. And this time, they would be there together. She gave Cas's hand a squeeze as they waited to get in.

Lucifer and Aurielle checked in at the front desk, then went up to their suite. He threw his bag on one of the beds and started to strip off his clothes.

"What are you doing?" Aurielle said warily.

Lucifer turned around and smiled at her. "Changing into tourist-y clothes," he told her. "I want to blend in." The look on her face amused him. Had she thought he was finally going to break down and rape her, or something? If he had been going to do that, he would have done it by now. They had been sharing the same bedroom ever since they had come to Earth, after all. But, even though he'd been tempted to try something a couple of times, Lucifer had held himself back. He was saving it all up for Gail, and the longer he waited, the sweeter it would be. He couldn't wait to see the devastated look on Castiel's face once he interfered with Gail.

But there were things Lucifer wanted to accomplish here on Earth, big things, and that could wait. He had been itching to make a bit of a splash. Maybe some kind of gesture would be in order, a sign to let Heaven know that he was just as much the threat as they perceived him to be.

Lucifer had watched as Matthew and Bobby had discussed the deployment of the Angels. Matthew had a one-way mirror on his living room wall that Lucifer could access when he so chose, and now he knew where each of the four Angels were. He'd go after one of the lesser ones first, just to make a statement.

The Prophet. That was the one. Kevin was young and inexperienced, and Prophets had always made Lucifer uneasy. Even he could not always shield himself from their visions, and the Prophets may currently be dry, but they wouldn't stay that way forever. Chuck was too high-profile where he was right now, but young Kevin would be easy pickings. And Lucifer had always wanted to visit Las Vegas. His TV show was ready to roll, but that could wait for a couple of days. He had already bought the air time.

So he and Aurielle were in Vegas now, staying in the same hotel as Cas and Gail were. But Lucifer was unaware that Bobby had taken it upon himself to switch Kevin and Gail's placements, and he was definitely unaware that Castiel was in Las Vegas with her now. Lucifer thought he was going after young Kevin, and Kevin only. He could kill the Prophet with a wave of his hand, indulge in some Vegas debauchery, and be back to Indianapolis in a day or two. Maybe he would encourage Aurielle to get laid while they were here. He doubted she would actually do it, though. She was saving herself for her precious Castiel. But that wasn't because of any sort of revenge; she really thought she loved the guy. And maybe she could have him yet. Once Lucifer was done with Gail's body, and with her mind, she would be so damaged that Castiel wouldn't want her any more. His Brother was selfish at heart, Lucifer knew, and Aurielle was beautiful now, and willing to do anything and everything that Castiel asked of her. What man would be able to turn down an offer like that?

"Put on your sluttiest outfit," Lucifer said to Aurielle with a grin. "We have a young Angel to distract." He resumed changing clothes, and Aurielle turned her back, digging around in her suitcase. She didn't mind wearing something that showed some skin. She was getting used to her good looks now, and Aurielle was enjoying the lustful stares of all the men as she walked by. She had never experienced anything like that before, and it felt powerful. It was empowering to feel like she could ask any one of them to do just about anything for her, and they likely would, just because of how she looked. She couldn't wait to feel Castiel's eyes on her. He would just have to be attracted to her now. But, she needed to be patient. Lucifer had been good to her, but he was no one to trifle with. He had more patience with her than he had with anyone else, but she had pushed him a bit too far a couple of times, and he had waved his hand in irritation, slashing her arms and legs. The pain had been excruciating, and she had apologized immediately. Then he had relented, and he had healed her wounds, restoring her to her original condition. "I like you, Aurielle," he had said. "But if I wanted to be nagged, I'd get a wife. I keep my promises, but I do so on my time, and in my own way. If you can handle that, great. If not, get the hell out. You may need me, but I don't need you."

Aurielle had fallen on her knees in front of him, apologizing, begging his permission to stay. She may be beautiful now, but she lacked the confidence to go out there and seek out Castiel on her own. Every time she had tried to entice him in the past, she had failed, and Lucifer had promised to give her his full support.

Lucifer had looked down at her dispassionately, but he'd been starting to become amused again. If she assumed this same position with Castiel, it would be a damn good start. Lucifer himself was about two seconds away from undoing his pants and having his own first experience with it. How badly did Aurielle want to stay, anyway? But he had turned away, telling her to rise. "Okay, you can stay," he said magnanimously. "But, don't bug me about it again."

So Aurielle had taken the lesson, and she would do whatever Lucifer asked of her, until he was ready to help her. She started to take her clothes off.

"Looking good, Aurielle," Lucifer said, smiling cheerfully. It was funny how free and open she was with him now. Too bad he had no feelings for her; she was incredibly sexy now, and she would do anything Lucifer told her to, now that he had shown her who was the boss. Any way you looked at it, Castiel was a lucky bastard. That was, if Lucifer even wanted to help Aurielle get him. He hadn't really decided yet. The last thing he wanted to do was reward Castiel with another willing female. He wanted his Brother to suffer. Just like a lot of them were going to suffer. Starting with young Kevin, today.

After they had both changed their clothing, Lucifer opened his mind to look for the young Angel. He kept the tracking channel shut off most of the time, as it was too distracting to have it on all the time. Lucifer could sense any sort of otherworldly being here on Earth, and since Crowley had just about emptied Hell, there were way too many Demons running around, jamming the frequency. Lucifer could isolate an Angel signal if he zeroed in, but all that constant traffic gave him a headache. He opened wide now, though. Strangely, there were very few Demons in Las Vegas at the moment. Like Gail, he had thought that there would be more. Many of them hadn't been on Earth since they had died, and he would have thought that Vegas would be the perfect place for Demons to wallow in sin. But Crowley had them on a fool's errand. There was no way any ordinary Demon was going to find Lucifer, when even the King of Hell himself couldn't do it. What was Crowley trying to prove? Was he just trying to exercise his muscles? Remind Bobby of the number of subjects that he had at his disposal? So far, the Demons had been obeying orders and leaving the humans and Angels alone. But Lucifer knew that wouldn't hold indefinitely. Demons were Demons, and Crowley couldn't watch them all. Even now, there was increased grumbling amongst some of them as to their particular role in this endeavour. They were supposed to be looking for Lucifer, and if any of them found him, they were to call Crowley immediately. Then, presumably, Crowley would arrive to apprehend him. But, shouldn't they be on the Devil's side here? A number of them had run into Dean Winchester's merry little band in different towns in the past few days, but they had been instructed to leave the men be. Really? How many of their number had the Winchesters tortured or taken out over the years? Usually, if any one of them succeeded in killing Sam or Dean Winchester, there would be untold rewards waiting for them when they got back to Hell. But they were forbidden from harming a hair on either of the brothers' heads, or any of the others. One Demon had observed Castiel sitting on a bench in Seattle, head down, reading a book. Why should he not be allowed to sneak up behind God's lieutenant and stab him in the back, then chop his head off and bring it triumphantly to Crowley? This was sheer madness.

But at the moment, the Demons were mostly toeing Crowley's line, and Dean and the others were obeying Bobby's orders to leave the Demons alone. Something was going to give soon, though; it was inevitable. Maybe Lucifer wouldn't have to start Armageddon himself, after all. Maybe he should just wait for the first blow to be struck. It wouldn't matter which side had started it; the escalation would be swift, and fun to watch.

He was almost tempted to make Kevin's murder look like a Demon killing, just to set it off, a la Helter Skelter. Then, watch the fur and feathers fly. But a potential Angel-Demon war would be just a yummy sideshow. Lucifer was the main attraction here, and he wanted everyone to know it.

So before they left the hotel to move towards the signal, Lucifer waved his hand in front of his face, restoring it to its original appearance.

"Say it loud," he said to Aurielle. "I'm Lucifer, and I'm proud." Aurielle did not smile, and Lucifer was a little disappointed by that. Metatron would have thought it was funny. He wondered where the little troll was now, and what he was doing. Well, as long as he stayed out of the way, Lucifer didn't care. He could hang around all the schoolyards that he wanted to.

They took the elevator down to the lobby, and the signal was so strong now that it was almost splitting Lucifer's head open. What the hell? How could one measly junior Angel be sending out such an overwhelming signal? Was it because he was a Prophet?

Lucifer looked at Aurielle. "I know you can't feel that, but it's some pretty heavy-duty stuff. Pity we have to kill him, actually."

Aurielle's heart sank. She had officially sunk all the way to the bottom, now. She was in Las Vegas with the Devil, and they were on their way to kill an innocent young Angel. Could she really go along with this? What had she become? Castiel had been her goal for so long, her only reason for existence. But was the possibility of obtaining that goal really worth it, if she had to do something like this to accomplish it? She closed her eyes for a moment, picturing herself kissing Castiel, and him kissing her back. Really kissing her, the way he had kissed Gail in the vision that Crowley showed her. His hands moving under her clothing. And his fingers going to the place she felt tingling every time she thought of him this way. Imagine how his tongue would feel there.

Aurielle opened her eyes. Her body had jerked for a moment, much like Gail's did when she was particularly close to achieving pleasure. Wow. If just the thought of being intimate with Castiel could do that to Aurielle, she just had to experience the real thing. And if she had to get her hands a little dirty along the way, she would have to find a way to be OK with it. Maybe Castiel could cleanse her. She knew he had prodigious powers. She could have the best of both worlds. Aurielle was inherently good, but this obsession had made her so crazy that she couldn't see straight. No; love. It was love, she corrected herself. And didn't they say that love conquered all? If she and Castiel were together, she would do anything that was required of her to atone for what she was doing now. If Castiel had to punish her himself, she would gladly take it from him, as long as she could feel his lips and his tongue on her body afterwards. They could be Angels by day, on the side of good, but then they could be as bad as they wanted to be at night, in the privacy of their own room. That was what he and Gail were doing right now, she knew. She had seen the evidence herself. Castiel was like a Knight in shining armour to the rest of the Angels in Heaven, but Aurielle knew that he had been a Demon at one point, although Lucifer had told her that no one in Heaven was aware of that fact. She was well aware of it, though, and Aurielle thought that fact could be the tipping point. Surely he had some urges that the Angel Gail was unwilling to fulfill, or that he had been reluctant to suggest to his lily-white girlfriend. As part of her Internet research, Aurielle had learned that many human spouses, mostly males, were willing to cheat on their partners with someone who would willingly provide an outlet for those appetites. Once Lucifer defiled Gail, Castiel would not want her any more. But even if by some unlikely miracle he did, Aurielle could offer him so much more. She could offer him everything.

She sighed. She had already sunk this low; she might as well climb down another couple of rungs.

"Where are we going?" she asked Lucifer.

He was smiling at her. He had seen her eyes close, and he had watched her body react to her fevered fantasies of herself and Castiel in the sack. She was so easy. He really did feel a strange sort of affection for her, just as one would towards a pet, or a mentally challenged child, maybe.

So he took her hand as they exited the elevator. "A very strange and mysterious place," he told her. "They call it...the Secret Garden."

- END OF BOOK 12 -