Book 8 - Beggar's Banquet

by GailDunn2

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT AND SITUATIONS. Castiel and Gail are sinking, and Sam and Dean will have to help them. Can Gail get the cure in time? And what will she have to sacrifice to get it?

4. God, As We Understand Him

Chapter 4 - God, As We Understand Him

Crowley had been calling Castiel's cell phone for hours now, and it just rang and rang. No voice mail, even. Crowley rolled his eyes. They had both been around since Creation, but while Crowley had moved with the times, his Brother was still so old-fashioned in so many ways. How hard was it to set up a voice mail? And just where was Castiel, anyway?

They had to get moving on this seance thing so he could get his life back. He was growing tired of being a go-between; and while it had been satisfying in the short term, he was sick of Castiel's brutality, and his stupidity. He'd never thought he would miss Castiel the Angel, but he did now. He'd had respect for him then, even if he hadn't liked him very much. But now Crowley had grown to despise him, and he deeply regretted having messed with the status quo in the first place. And his feelings about Gail had become confusing again. Crowley felt sorry for her, but she was also an enabler, and she should have kicked Castiel out of the house and changed the locks by now. Metaphorically speaking, of course. The Gail he knew didn't suffer fools, and Crowley had always known her to think and act for herself. Even when she had been under Crowley's purview and influence, she had found the inner strength to run away before she got in too deep. So what was wrong with her now? What was he missing?

On the other hand, she had been relentlessly pursuing a cure without his Brother's knowledge, and she had bravely faced Death and gone to Lucifer's cage in her quest. Now she would have to go toe-to-toe with his mother, the woman who Gail had beheaded in his den. The witch who had made life so difficult for Gail when she had been alive, both overtly and behind the scenes. And his mother had had nothing but scorn for Angels. Gail was in for a real challenge there.

Impatient to get the ball rolling, Crowley picked up the phone again and called Sam.

"Where are the Angels?" Crowley demanded when Sam answered. Then he smirked. "Former Angels, I mean."

"They're here," Sam replied shortly.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. Interesting. "Why?" he asked.

"Cas knows about the cure," Sam replied. "Dean told him."

Crowley wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he was glad that the burden of keeping his Brother distracted had apparently been lifted from him now. If Castiel knew what they were up to, there was no longer any need to give him make-busy things to do while the others snuck around behind his back. But Crowley couldn't imagine he would be too cooperative about it.

"How did he react?" Crowley asked Sam curiously.

Sam frowned. "We're not sure." And it was true. Gail had gone into Cas's room once he'd entered the area with the Devil's Trap, and she hadn't come out. And their friends had made it quite obvious what they were doing in there. He and Dean had been staying as far away from the room as they could, but the sounds carried, and the couple didn't seem to care. Sam had alternated between trying to block out the sounds and listening for any indication that Gail was being hurt. But the cries he'd heard from her didn't sound like cries of pain, and Sam was embarrassed and a little creeped out by this. They were all adults here, but it almost seemed like they were doing it on purpose. Was Cas trying to stake his territory? Sam no longer trusted Cas, and he didn't like the fact that he and Dean were being forced to play host to him. But Gail had insisted, and they couldn't have let her go back to that house.

But Sam didn't want to say any of this to Crowley. Instead, he said, "I called Oliver; he and I set up the seance for tomorrow. I guess you're off the hook now."

Good, Crowley thought. He was well shot of the lot of them. His designer suits were black, not white.

"How is she?" Crowley asked. The words had left his mouth before his brain had prevented him from saying them.

"What do you care?" Sam spat out. "This is all your fault, anyway. You put the Demon in Cas in the first place. Well, your little joke backfired, big time, and none of us are laughing."

Though Sam was right, more or less, Crowley felt defensive. "If Metatron hadn't been screwing around with something he knows nothing about, everything would have been fine. When they came to see me, Castiel was okay. He only had a little left, and all that would have done was make him tolerable to be around."

"Yeah, but I guess by the time you removed it all, it was already too late," Sam said wearily.

Crowley started to smile. Sam didn't know, did he? "But I didn't remove it," he told Sam smoothly. "They wanted it left in, so I agreed." OK, maybe that wasn't exactly how it had happened, but Crowley was not the King of Hell for no reason.

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But they said - "

"Then they lied, didn't they?" Crowley said happily. "Demons lie, Moose. We all do. Especially when it comes to something we really want. Apparently, Castiel was tired of being good, and Gail was looking for something other than just hand-holding with him. And she's been getting it, all right. And if there are a few bumps and bruises along the way, well..." He shrugged, even though Sam couldn't see him. "We are talking Demon, here."

Sam felt sick to his stomach. So, their friends had been lying to them this whole time. So many things made sense now. Dean had been right. Gail had been staying in that house with the thing that Cas had become because at least a part of her enjoyed what he did to her. Sam tried to remind himself that Gail had some Demon in her now too, courtesy of both Cas and Crowley, but it was hard to think of that. Once they got the cure, he and Dean would have to make sure they made her take it, as well.

"But don't worry, Sam," Crowley continued, as if reading Sam's mind, "once you pour the cure down their throats, she may be available again. Once she realizes what a beast Castiel has been to her, she may be ready for some tender loving care."

"Shut up, Crowley," Sam snapped. Why did the King of Hell have to take everything and make it sound so disgusting? Then again, the answer was in the question, wasn't it? But despite himself, Sam was thinking about what Crowley had just said. He might be right. Once Gail was rid of the Demon influence, she wouldn't be able to look at Cas in the same way. Did Sam want her to split up with Cas? Did he really want Gail for himself? A part of him did, if he was being honest with himself. She was smart, cute, and funny, and she deserved a guy who would treat her with love and respect. Up until recently, Cas had been that guy, but he had abused Gail and taken her for granted. Sam admired her loyalty when it came to Cas, but maybe it was time for her to step away. Even if Cas reverted to the Angel he had once been after the cure was administered, what Cas had been doing to her the past couple of weeks would always be something that would come between them. Sam wasn't the type of guy to steal a friend's girl, but he wouldn't be above providing some comfort if Gail were to come looking for it, either.

Crowley could practically hear the wheels spinning in Sam's head, and he continued to smile. Poor Moose. He had no idea how strong the bond created by blood-sharing could be. Human blood was weak, diluted. Demon blood was pure and powerful. And when the blood of an Original mixed with the blood of another, that bond was irrevocable. Gail had two parts of Castiel in her now, but she also had some of Crowley in there, too. If she were to reject Castiel and seek comfort from anyone, it would be from Crowley, not Sam. This thought made him smile even more. Let them pursue their cure. This story wasn't over; not by a long chalk.

"Good luck, Moose," Crowley said, and hung up.

Dean had had enough. He and Sam had been subjected to hearing the sounds coming out of that bedroom for most of the night, and when the morning came and there didn't seem to be any let-up, he stalked out of the kitchen and pounded on the door.

"Let's go, you two," he yelled, annoyed. "We need to talk."

"Give us a few minutes, Dean." Gail's voice, and she sounded amused.

"You've had all night." Dean raised his voice. "Give it a rest, already!"

"You're hardly one to talk." Now Cas's voice, and he sounded out of breath. He also sounded annoyed. "I know you, remember?"

OK, he might have a point there, Dean acknowledged. He'd had similar sessions in the past. The ones where you just wanted to hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door and not come out all weekend. Regrettably, it had been way too long for Dean since that had happened. He'd have to fix that soon. But the fact that those two were doing God only knew what in there, steps away from him and Sam, kind of creeped him out. Gail had those marks on her for a reason. Like Sam, Dean had been half-listening for any shouts of pain from her, and he'd been prepared to intervene if he heard any. Even if what he saw would make him have to gouge his own eyes out. But she'd only sounded happy. Very, very happy. A small part of Dean was amused, but he mainly just wanted it to end. He was trying to suppress his anger at the couple now. Sam had told him what Crowley had said, and Dean was angry about their having lied right to everyone's faces. He had to remind himself that they weren't thinking clearly due to the Demon junk in their blood, and whatever Metatron's magic elixir had done, but still...It hurt, and Frank had been driven away by it. Dean liked Frank. They were both older brothers, taking on the role of protector and guardian to their younger siblings, and he and Frank had formed a bond on that basis. Frank had been bewildered by the change in Gail, and he and Cas had clashed on several occasions, to the point of violence. It was a rotten shame but thank God Frank hadn't been around to see what had been happening between Cas and Gail, or to hear them right now. He would bust down the door to kick Cas's ass, and then Demon Cas would kill him. Dean had been wanting to pick up the phone and call Frank, to reach out. But really, what could he say? Frank would ask about Gail, and what was Dean supposed to say about that? How could he tell Frank how she was doing, when Dean didn't even know, himself?

Dean rolled his eyes. "Ten minutes," he said to the door. "Then I'm coming in there and kicking some ass." He wheeled and went back to the kitchen.

Gail looked up at Cas. "I do believe he's a little perturbed," she said, smiling. She'd been pleasuring him with her mouth and with her tongue, and Cas had been close when Dean had pounded on the door. Timing had never been that man's long suit, Cas thought, both annoyed and amused.

Then Dean had gone away, and Gail had resumed what she had been doing. Cas closed his eyes, and the good feeling came back immediately. He'd protested at first, feeling it was selfish, but she had pleaded soreness, so he had acquiesced. He didn't want her in any more pain. They had enjoyed each other in many different ways last night, but he had never hurt her, and he had never forced her into doing anything she hadn't been willing to do. This had been the best night ever, and Cas didn't want it to end. He just wanted to stay here with her forever, loving her as he was doing now. Gently and sensually, but without violence.

But he'd had to fight himself at times. She had willingly lain on her stomach at one point and allowed him to do it in the way the Demon seemed to prefer, but Cas had made sure that Gail was truly willing, and that she was ready for him this time. He'd had to fight not to grip her hips too hard in his excitement, but she had moved with him, helping him to keep calm. He had cuddled her in-between sessions, and they had talked, really talked to each other as true partners would, something they hadn't done in a long time. Then, when he had gotten excited again, he had positioned her on top of him so he could look at her face and caress her body as they moved together. Then another cuddle, then he had brought her up to his mouth and used his tongue again as she cried out with pure joy. And on and on it had gone, all night long.

Now she was doing the same for him, and he felt amazing. He looked down at her lovingly, and she seemed to sense it because she stopped what she was doing for a moment and looked back at him. "I love you, Cas," she said, and he felt warm all over. Then she started teasing him with her tongue, and though the Demon was impatient, wanting to grab her head and force it down, Cas made himself wait. She had done this before, and she knew what she was doing. And sure enough, when he was just about to lose his mind, she took him in her mouth again. He was moving with her now, and he closed his eyes once more, gasping. "Gail," he breathed, then he said her name again, louder. Gail smiled. They'd better wrap this up soon, or Dean would be back. After she'd been tentative that first time, wanting to be quiet, Cas had encouraged her to let it out, and now Gail wanted him to do the same. She sped up her motion and Cas cried out then, making her glad. She was happy to be making him so happy. He'd certainly made her feel very happy last night, and again this morning. She could tell that he was still fighting to restrain himself at times, but there had been no lessening of excitement on either of their parts that she could tell. In fact, from her point of view, it had been the best ever. When she had no reason to fear pain, she could just give herself over to the pleasure. When he had licked her all over last night, and again this morning, she actually had felt as though his tongue was healing all the marks on her body. And his treatment of her was healing her heart, as well. Gail hadn't realized how resentful she'd been becoming of his rough treatment of her until he'd reminded her of the difference by being so gentle now. His hands had touched her in all of the intimate places, then his mouth and his tongue had followed. He was firm but gentle, and she had cried out numerous times.

Cas was doing that now, telling her he loved her and that she was everything to him. And he meant it. Even after he was spent, and the moment of intensity was over, that was how he felt. He really believed he had the Demon contained now. Gail was the boss, not the Demon, and he owed her everything. When they were both cured, he was going to find the nicest cathedral in the world and have Bobby marry them in an official ceremony. His Father had already blessed their union, but Cas wanted it formalized anyway. He'd take Dean with him to pick out a ring, and he'd get down on his knees to ask her, in the traditional way. He'd be willing to spend the rest of his life on his knees before her if she'd only say yes.

They cuddled and kissed for a minute or two, then Gail said, "I'd better get us a change of clothes." She smiled. "In fact, maybe I'll just throw a few outfits into a suitcase. Even when we find out how to reverse the spell, it might take a day or so. And I don't know about you, but I could use a shower."

"Good idea," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "And maybe you want to get our blades, too.:

She looked at him sharply. His eyes were a very pale purple now, but hers narrowed. "Why would we want those?" she asked him.

Cas's heart sank. He didn't know why he'd suggested that, really. He'd just always had his blade with him, and he felt naked without it. As naked as he was right now, he thought, looking down at himself and smiling. He looked at Gail. And as naked as she was right now. But he'd better not go thinking of that, or Dean would likely be breaking the door down just in time to see Cas's head between her legs. Cas's smile grew wider. He'd prefer it was Sam. Then maybe Sam would give up on his pathetic fantasy. The Demon was trying to break through again, but Cas pushed it back. They'd both had their fun all night and again this morning, and there would be more to come. They could hardly ingratiate themselves with their hosts if they kept behaving this way. And Gail would make sure the Winchesters left him alone. This could still work out.

"We'll have Sam and Dean put the blades in the weapons room, and then they can lock the door," Cas said mildly. "We'll need them, afterwards."

Gail hesitated a moment longer, then she shrugged. She supposed there'd be no harm in that, since he put it that way. She kissed Cas once more, then got out of the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she told him.

A moment later, Dean knocked on the door again. "Time's up," he announced.

Cas was amused. "You can come in if you want," he said, smiling. "But I have to warn you, I have no clothes on."

Dean rolled his eyes. Give him strength. "What about Gail?" he asked.

"She's gone to the house to get us some more clothes," Cas said. "She'll be back in a minute or two."

Good, Dean thought. A chance to talk to Cas alone, see where his head was at. He turned the knob and entered the room. At least they hadn't locked the door. He really hadn't wanted to have to break it down.

Cas was sitting up in bed, bare-chested, but he had the covers pulled up around his waist. Not that Dean cared; he'd seen Cas in various states of undress before. But Dean looked down on the floor and saw the clothes Gail had been wearing the night before. Had she left here naked? Well, it was her house and nobody would be there, so he supposed she could do what she wanted. But maybe she was wearing her underwear; he hadn't seen any laying on the floor. Then he shook his head. Yuk. Who wanted to think about that? She was like his sister, and this whole thing was just too weird to begin with.

Like the sight of a half-naked Cas on a bed with a Devil's Trap underneath it, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Man, you knew you were having a dry spell when a guy like Castiel was getting more action than you were, Dean thought dryly. He had decided to try to find that amusing, so it wouldn't drive him nuts. Too bad Sammy couldn't do the same.

"How are you, Cas?" Dean asked him. It was a potentially loaded question, but that was kind of the point.

"I'm very happy, Dean," Cas said, still smiling.

Yeah. Dean could just bet that he was.

"When Gail gets back, tell her to come to the kitchen," Dean said to Cas. "We've got the appointment set up." He paused for a moment, then added, "You can come too, if you feel..." He trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence. Non-Demonlike?

"That'll be up to Gail to decide," Cas said evenly. It was all up to her now. He was leaving himself in her hands.

Dean looked at him a moment longer, opening his mouth, then closing it again. He turned and walked back to the door, then turned around. "I'm leaving this open," he said, gesturing to the door. "Hurry it up."

Cas smiled again. Likely a smart move on Dean's part. But if Gail popped back in here naked, Cas couldn't be held responsible.

Gail had realized she was naked as soon as she'd reappeared in the bedroom of the house. Then she shrugged. Oh, well. Nobody was here, and it wasn't as if she hadn't been naked here many, many times. In fact, it was convenient. She really wanted that shower, and if she moved quickly, there was no reason she couldn't have it here. She'd always hated showering in other people's places, anyway.

Her body still looked like a road map, but it was very nice showering without any fresh marks on her, and she was in less pain already now than she'd been in yesterday. A big part of that might be the lightness of her heart right now. She felt like she and Cas had turned a corner. She'd always known he was a warrior, and he was fighting well now. She sang a couple of her favourite songs at the top of her lungs in the shower, then did a couple of dance moves while she was drying herself. Hey, it was her house, wasn't it? And it had been kind of nice to have a few moments here to herself. She wasn't stupid; she knew that she and Cas had been rather expressive at times last night and again this morning, and she was sure that Sam and Dean would have heard at some point. She and Cas would be facing their disapproving stares this morning, she was certain. But she and Cas were happy right now. She'd hardly seen any Demon in him since they'd gotten to the bunker, so Sam and Dean would just have to lighten up.

Gail dressed, then she put the suitcase on the bed and packed some more of her clothes and some of Cas's. That would hold them for now. She looked around the room. Did she need anything else? Her eyes fell on the nightstand, and she realized she hadn't seen her photo there when she'd taken the blade and Cas's cell phone off of it. She hadn't had the chance to think about it further then, but now that she was thinking of it, she really wanted that photo. She wanted to take it with her to the bunker and put it on the nightstand beside the bed she and Cas were now sharing there. She had done that so often before, when they had both been Angels. Jason had cruelly destroyed the original photo just before Cas's execution, but then when Cas had been God that day, he had arranged for the two of them to pose for another, knowing how much it had meant to her. Well, he was about as far away from God as you could get right now, but the photo could serve as a talisman, a reminder of how things used to be, and would be again.

She walked to the nightstand and looked around it. Then she started to panic. Where was it? She and Cas had been the only ones here. Demon Cas had better not have done anything with it, or she would have to kick its ass before she sent it packing. A little payback. Too bad the Demon currently happened to be residing in the body of the man she loved. That was how she had started to think of them now: Demon Cas, and her Cas. It was a matter of self-preservation, really. If Cas faltered, she would try to compartmentalize, so that she could try to continue to love him even if he ended up hurting her again. Otherwise, their relationship could be irrevocably damaged when all this was over. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

Gail looked on the floor behind the nightstand and she saw the photo laying there. Excitedly, she grabbed the nightstand and pulled it away from the wall. It was heavier than it looked, and the effort hurt her. She sighed. Just because she hadn't suffered anything new recently didn't mean she was healed. It would take time. And she had forgotten to unplug the lamp that had been sitting on top of the nightstand, and it now came crashing down to the floor. Great. She'd lost a lot of her dignity lately, and it appeared as though some of her brain cells had gone along with it. But she'd just wanted her photo so bad. It didn't belong there on the floor.

She picked it up and blew the dust off it, then wiped it on her pants for good measure. She looked at it for a moment, smiling warmly, then brought it over to the suitcase and put it under a layer of clothes. But there was one more thing...Oh, yeah. The blades. She remembered where she'd put Cas's, but where was hers? She checked the shelves in the closet and found it under some towels. When had she put it there, and why did it look like it had been hidden?

Gail shrugged, then threw it in the suitcase. She went down to the kitchen to retrieve Cas's, threw it in the suitcase too, then snapped the suitcase shut. She was about to pop back to the bunker when she noticed that the light bulb from the lamp had smashed when the lamp had fallen to the floor. There were jagged pieces of broken glass there, and she just couldn't leave it like that. What if she forgot about it and she and Cas came back here? One of them could step on the glass and be hurt. So she walked over and started gathering it up with her bare hands. Bad idea. She cut herself on one of the shards, and she started to bleed immediately. Crap. She knew they didn't have anything here to deal with it; they had both been Angels when they had moved in here. Who needed first aid kits when you had each other? Cas could heal her when she got back to the bunker.

So she grabbed the suitcase and disappeared, reappearing in the bedroom at the bunker.

She set the suitcase down on the floor and walked over to at Cas, extending her hand. "I have an owie. Can you fix me up?" she asked him lightly.

But she'd forgotten. He stared at her hand, then he looked up at her. He grabbed her hand, but instead of healing it, he brought it to his lips and licked the blood. The covers fell from his waist and she could see that he was excited. Cas stood, putting his arm around her. He pulled her to him, and now he was sucking the blood from her hand, making a contented noise.

"Don't, Cas," she said, but of course, he was already doing it. His grip on her tightened, and then he did stop. He licked the blood from his lips and murmured, "You taste so good. All of you does." He grabbed the back of her hair and brought her head to his mouth, forcing his tongue into her mouth. He was pushing himself against her body and he tried to shove his other hand down her pants. But she didn't want to taste her own blood, and he was getting a bit rough, so she pushed him away and quickly backed up from him. He grabbed the wrist of the hand that was bleeding, trying to do it again, and she wrenched it away. Terrific. Now her wrist hurt, too.

"Stop it, Cas!" she shouted. Maybe if she was more forceful, he would listen.

But then she heard the footsteps running down the hall, and she looked in that direction. Dammit! The door was wide open, and Sam and Dean had obviously heard her.

They came charging into the room. "What's going on?" Dean demanded. "What are you doing to her?" Sam yelled.

"It's nothing," Gail said quickly. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She really didn't want to tell them about this. She'd forgotten that the whole reason Cas had wanted to bring his blade into the bedroom in the first place was that he'd wanted to taste her blood. That was what had happened on Christmas Eve, when he had been so wild after he and Dean had gotten back from the Demon den. She'd repressed it due to her embarrassment and horror, but the fact was, he had taken his blade to her that night and inflicted a few cuts on her body with it so he could lick the blood from her as they were having sex. He'd been so crazy that night, and she had submitted because everything else he'd been doing to her had felt so good. She was as much to blame for the shape she'd been in the next day as Cas was, no matter what Dean might say. The instant she'd felt that first cut and seen the blood, she should have wrestled the blade from him and cut HIM with it. See how HE liked it. But she hadn't, and that was her secret shame. She'd come to her senses after he'd fallen asleep and she'd left him after realizing how badly he'd actually hurt her, but the fact remained that his Demon had fed on her, and she'd let him do it.

"What do you mean, 'it's nothing'?" Sam said angrily. "You're bleeding!" He strode forward and grabbed Gail's arm. Now Sam was manhandling her, too. Great. She looked at Dean. "You want to get in on this?" she snapped at him. "I don't have enough bruises on me, apparently!"

They all froze, looking at each other, and Sam took his hand off Gail's arm as if it were red-hot. What had he been thinking? He was as bad as Cas. He'd just been so angry that she was defending Cas, when he'd obviously hurt her in some way.

Cas reached out and took Gail's hand in both of his, but gently, and he healed her wound. He felt sick to his stomach. What was the matter with him? She'd been hurt, and she had needed his help, and instead he had...Dear God.

Dean strode over to the suitcase and grabbed it. He steered Gail outside the Devil's Trap with the other hand. "Go into the kitchen with Sam," he told her. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again when she realized she didn't know what that could be. "Go," Dean said in a softer tone. "Please."

Gail left the room and headed for the kitchen, and Sam trailed silently behind.

Dean bent down to the suitcase and snapped it open, rummaging around until he found a shirt and a pair of pants for Cas. "Get dressed," he said, throwing the clothes at Cas. He looked at the wall, watching Cas out of the corner of his eye to make sure he was complying. Dean didn't want to look at Cas's face right now, and he sure as hell didn't want to look at anything else. He'd seen Cas's excited state when they'd first come in, and he'd also noticed the red stains on Cas's mouth. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Dean felt like he was going to throw up. Metatron had obviously thrown some vampire into the mix, and Cas was not just a Demon. So that was why he'd been bringing the blade into their bedroom, and why Gail was in such severe pain. Holy God.

"Where'd you get the weapon?" Dean asked Cas sharply. "She give it to you?"

Cas paused in the act of buttoning up his shirt. "Weapon? What weapon?"

Dean did look at Cas then, and his glare was penetrating. "Don't act innocent with me," he growled. "The blade you used to cut her with." God. The bile was forming in his mouth from saying it out loud.

"I didn't cut her, Dean," Cas protested. He knew how it must look, but he was innocent for a change. Well, of that particular charge, anyway. "She was cut when she came back."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean retorted. "And how was that supposed to have happened?" He was thinking of those Lifetime movies, too. I fell down the stairs. I walked into a door. Not that he'd ever be caught dead ever watching one of those movies, of course. But you heard stuff.

"I don't know," Cas said in a subdued voice. That disturbed him. She'd come back bleeding, and he had never even bothered to find out why.

Cas's lips were still red, and now that he had covered himself up, that was all Dean could seem to focus on. He rummaged around in the suitcase again, hoping to find something that Cas could wipe his mouth on so Dean wouldn't have to keep looking at it. Dean's hand touched the blades, and he took them out of the suitcase, showing them to Cas. "You don't know," he said sarcastically.

"Look at them, Dean," Cas pointed out. "You'll see they're clean."

Dean scrutinized both blades. OK, they were.

"I honestly don't know how she got cut, Dean, but it didn't happen here, and I didn't do it. I swear to you."

Dean continued to stare at him. "You need to clean yourself up," he said with disgust.

Cas was puzzled for a moment, then he realized what Dean must be talking about, and he was embarrassed.

"Can you let me out so I can use the washroom, then?" Cas asked Dean, avoiding eye contact. "I could use a shower, anyway."

Dean sighed, then he pointed one of the blades downward and squatted, scraping the paint on the outer edge of the Devil's Trap.

"Oh, and just so you know, I asked Gail to bring the blades to give to you and Sam so you could lock them up in the weapons room," Cas said. "You can ask her, if you don't believe me."

"Don't worry, I will," Dean said irritably, continuing to scrape. He'd be asking her about more than a few things.

When he was done, Dean stepped back from the circle, jerking his head at Cas. "Go. Use the towels that are in there." Cas started to leave the room, but Dean grabbed his arm. Dean kept his eyes away from Cas's mouth. "I'll be standing right outside the bathroom until you're done. And I am packing, in case you're wondering. I'm just not telling you where."

Cas nodded. Fair enough. That was actually pretty smart of Dean. If you told your enemy where on your body the weapon was secreted, that would be the first place he would go for.

Just before Cas closed the bathroom door, Dean stopped it with his hand. "And I'd better not see anything on those towels. And I do mean, anything."

Cas nodded again, but after Dean allowed him to close the door, he smirked. You could tell that Dean had been a Demon, all right. He certainly thought like one. Cas may be a beast now, but he was no animal. He'd been excited before, but the wind had been taken out of his sails, metaphorically speaking, when the brothers had intruded. He was OK now; he'd just had a brief moment of weakness. But he had lived up to his promise. He hadn't cut Gail; she truly had just shown up bleeding, for some apparent reason. It wasn't his fault, and he couldn't help it that the sight of it had excited him so much that he'd just had to do it. She let him taste her everywhere else; what was the big deal? It's not like he had caused it. He wished he and Gail had been at the house. He'd had his little taste, and he'd been prepared to make her so happy afterwards. She would have let him, too, if the brothers hadn't interrupted them. She had willingly lain on her stomach for him last night, and she had loved it. So they were going to lock the blades up because that simp Castiel said they could? No matter. There were other ways. He looked at his fingernails. Damn. Too short. Then he had an idea. He opened the medicine cabinet and there it was. A package of razor blades. He removed one and put it in his pants pocket, then ran the shower and undressed, humming.

Dean heard Cas humming in the shower and he frowned. What was that bastard so happy about? He rushed to the bedroom and turned everything upside down. He even looked under the mattress and under the bed, but there was no sign of anything that could be used as a weapon. He'd collapsed the blades and put them in his pockets, but Dean had checked them carefully, and they were as clean as a whistle.

He waited for Cas to come back out. He'd take him to the kitchen afterwards, so Sam could tell him and Gail about the seance. Maybe they'd better take Cas with them. Even with the Devil's Trap, Dean didn't trust Cas. Demons were sneaky bastards, and Cas had always been very resourceful. And now he was part vampire, apparently. Could he turn into a bat, or something? No, that was ridiculous. Dean had seen too many movies. He'd also seen many real-life vampires. Dean had even been friends with one when he and Cas had been trapped in Purgatory. They'd been on the same side then, fighting evil together, but now Cas had become the evil that Dean had to fight. They'd better get the cure soon, or this was going to tear their relationship apart. If Dean ever witnessed Cas cutting Gail, Dean would kill him, and then he would kick his vessel's ass, just for good measure.

Sam had taken a dishcloth and he wet it at the sink, then he brought it to Gail. "You have a little - " he gestured to her mouth, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Gail looked at him blankly, and then she realized what Sam was getting at. Cas had kissed her after he had sucked the blood from her hand, and she had gotten some transfer. It wouldn't be the first time. She wiped her mouth with the washcloth. How embarrassing.

But she didn't want any on there, or Sam was going to continue looking at her that way, so she said, "Did I get it?"

"Not all of it," he replied. "You have some - " he gestured. Then he gave up. "Just let me do it. Please."

So she gave him the washcloth and he put his hand gently on her face to steady it as he wiped her mouth. "There," he said, as if talking to a child. "All gone."

Then he looked in her eyes, but Gail looked down at the floor. "Thanks," she said.

"How long has this been going on?" Sam asked her quietly. Did he even want to know?

Gail was uncomfortable. "Does it really matter?" she said, laughing shortly.

Sam considered. He supposed it didn't, not from her point of view, anyway. It was disgusting, and it was wrong, but so were many other things Cas had been doing to Gail. She didn't have only blade cuts on her body, he knew. Jody had been pretty explicit when she'd told Sam about all the marks that Gail had on her body, and Jody had a cop's eye for detail.

"OK, never mind," Sam said. "The important question is, how did he hurt you this time? Does he have a weapon?"

"No," Gail assured him. "I cut myself at the house right before I came back. It was a stupid accident, Sam, that's all."

"Well, when we heard you yell, and we saw you bleeding, we just assumed..." Sam started to say.

"I know," she said sadly. "You just assumed Cas had done it to me. Pretty pathetic, isn't it? Who would have thought my life would become a Lifetime movie?"

Sam took her hands in his, and he said, "I'm sorry I grabbed you like that, Gail."

"That sounds exactly like a line you would hear in one of those movies," Gail tried to quip, but the joke fell flat. No matter what kind of spin she attempted to put on it, there was nothing remotely funny about it. She thanked God that Frank wasn't here to see this. It had better be over soon. Frank was going to call or show up here sooner or later, and she was going to have one hell of a lot of explaining to do. That was, if Cas didn't kill her first.

"Why did you and Cas lie to us?" Sam asked, but he continued to use his quiet voice. Though he was angry about that, he'd already yelled at her and manhandled her today. He didn't want to add bullying to the list.

"What do you mean? About what?" she asked innocently, but her mind was racing. He could be talking about any one of a number of things, unfortunately.

"About Crowley," Sam replied, frowning. "You told us that Crowley had taken all the Demon out of Cas. But Crowley told me last night you guys asked him to leave it in."

She was tempted to make some kind of retort about Crowley, but what was the use? They were both guilty as, well, hell. How could she explain their thought process at the time, when she didn't really understand it even now?

She sighed. "I don't know, Sam. We didn't know about Metatron's little surprise then, and we just thought...it's complicated," she finished lamely.

"So you did ask him to leave it in?" Sam persisted.

"Yeah," she admitted, avoiding his eyes again.

Sam let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh. "Remember your English Lit from college?" he asked her. "'Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it'," he quoted.

But she was looking at him strangely now. "What do you mean, remember my English Lit? I never went to college, Sam. I never even went to high school. I was on the road with Frank. You know that."

Sam was surprised at himself. Yes, of course he knew that. He was the one who had gone to college, at least briefly, until Dean had come and gotten him and set them on the road. He must be confusing her with himself. But, even stranger, he had never taken English Lit. He must have just read that quote somewhere. But it certainly applied to this situation. For some reason, the two of them had thought it would be OK to have a little Demon in Cas, and now look at the mess they were in.

Gail was thinking along the same lines. That thing about English Lit had been strange, but she appreciated an apropos quote when she heard one. She and Cas had been crazy to think that what they'd allowed to stand was acceptable, Metatron or no Metatron.

"Why did you do it?" Sam asked. He didn't mean to badger her, but he couldn't help himself. He was mystified.

"It just seemed like there would be benefits," Gail answered vaguely.

"Well, I can tell you're still an Angel from that answer," Sam teased lightly, and she rewarded him with a thin smile.

"What do you want me to say, Sam?" she said, shrugging. "Crowley sold us a bad bill of goods. We were duped. End of story." It was certainly not even close to the end of the story, but she didn't feel like telling Sam everything. Like she'd said, it was complicated.

"Was it the sex?" Sam said suddenly.

She looked at him sharply. "What do you mean? Spit it out, Sam. What are you trying to say?"

"I know he's an Angel, and Angels can't - " Sam faltered, then tried again. "Angels aren't supposed to - " She looked at him sharply again. Boy, for such a smart guy, he was sure screwing this up. But he'd better forge ahead before he lost his nerve. "You know, if you have needs, there are other guys who can satisfy them, Gail," Sam finished quietly.

She didn't know whether to laugh, or not. There it was. Finally. It had taken him long enough. "Would one of those guys be in this room, Sam?" Gail said dryly.

He almost looked behind himself; then Sam realized she was using her go-to tactic. He knew her very well now, too.

"Maybe," he admitted sheepishly. "Look, I know you think you love him, and I know he says he loves you, but it doesn't look like love from where I'm sitting. That's all I'm trying to say."

Gail understood. It wouldn't, not from Sam's point of view, and especially not lately. She leaned forward and kissed Sam softly on the cheek. "I appreciate you for everything you are, Sam," she told him. "We've got to find somebody for you. It's a crime to let all that wonderfulness go to waste." She smiled at him. She hoped he wasn't too upset with her, but she'd made her choice that first night and she was sticking by it, for better and for worse. Castiel was her mate, and as tempting as Sam was making it right now, she loved Cas too much to ever contemplate being with anyone else. Maybe, in an alternate universe, things would have worked out differently.

Then Dean and Cas entered the kitchen, and Sam saw Gail look at Cas. Cas came to her and sunk to his knees, bowing his head. She turned his face up to look at her, and his eyes were sad. "It's OK, Cas, I forgive you," she said, and she touched his face.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. Wow. Cleopatra, Queen of Denial. Time to talk about the meeting with Oliver before they lost their minds, too.

So they all sat down like civilized people, but the brothers were watching Cas the whole time. Was he the lion now, or the lamb?

"Oliver said we can come whenever we're ready," Sam said. "I gave him an indication of what we need to accomplish, but nothing else. He said he's never pierced the veil before, but he seemed to know what I was talking about, so I took that as a good sign."

"I've got Rowena's spell book on the table in the library, and the list of ingredients Metatron told Crowley he added to the love spell marking its place in the book," Dean confirmed. He was all business now, too. It was time to get this done, before somebody in this house ended up killing somebody else. He looked at Gail. "A decision's been made. Cas is going with us."

"Only if you say it's all right," Cas hastily said to her. Sam looked at him. Playing the lamb right now. Smart choice, after what had just happened.

Gail shrugged. Why not? Maybe he could use his considerable powers of persuasion on Rowena. She was a female, wasn't she? God knew he'd been able to wheedle Gail into doing some things against her better judgement. Maybe that Demon tongue could come in handy. Gail had certainly been the beneficiary of its talents many times. She smiled. If she was going to deal with evil, she supposed it couldn't hurt to think evil thoughts.

"Let's go, then," Dean said. He just wanted to get this done.

They all rose and started down the hall, stopping at the door which led to the garage.

"Wait here," Dean told them. "I have to go get the book."

"I want to do something, too," Gail said. "I'll be quick," she told Dean, who was frowning.

Gail and Dean walked down the hallway, and she stopped at her and Cas's room. She wanted to get her photo out of the suitcase and put it on the nightstand. After that little scene here earlier, she needed a reminder of why they were putting themselves through all this. But when she slowly knelt on the floor in front of the suitcase, she couldn't find it. She started to panic again.

"What are you looking for, Gail?" Dean said quietly from behind her.

She turned to look at him. "I had a picture in here," she told him.

"You mean that one?" he asked Gail, pointing behind her.

She turned back around and saw where he was pointing. There was her photo, already propped up on the nightstand.

"When Cas came out of the shower, he took that out of the suitcase and put it up there," Dean said.

Gail felt a wave of love for Cas then. She hadn't been too happy with him when he'd done what he did here earlier. She knew it was part of what he had become, but it was disgusting, and he'd embarrassed her in front of Sam and Dean. But for him to have done that, knowing how much that photo meant to her? It signified to her that the photo, and what it represented, meant something to him still, too. She was nervous about what they were about to do, but they were surely on the right track now. They could work together to get the cure, and then they would take it, together.

She rose and went back out into the hall, following Dean to the library. He scooped the spell book from the table, checking to make sure the list of ingredients was still inside. He snapped the book shut, nodding, and then his eyes raised to look at Gail.

"I was hoping you weren't looking for the blades," Dean said bluntly.

"Why would I be looking for those?" Gail asked him, puzzled.

"How did you get cut, Gail?" he asked her pointedly.

What was he trying to say? "I cut myself on some broken glass at the house, Dean," she told him. "It was an accident."

He continued to gaze at her, and she was getting annoyed now. "What?" she asked him.

"I just don't want you giving him any weapons," Dean said steadily.

Now Gail was getting it. "You mean to use on you? Or to use on ME?" she said angrily.

Dean was uncomfortable, and he felt sick. But it was time somebody said it. "You can't let him feed on you, Gail. It'll only make things worse." He hated saying this to her, but now that he had started, he meant to get his point across. "Look, I know, consenting adults and all that crap, but there are plenty of things you can - " he swallowed, powering through it, " - plenty of things you can do with him that aren't, you know, sick and disgusting. Well, maybe a little disgusting, if you do them right," he concluded, with a bit of a smile. He knew he was being heavy-handed with her, and Dean was certainly no one to lecture anyone on morality, so he'd wanted to finish on a bit of a light note. But she had to understand how serious this could potentially be. You didn't willingly feed a monster; if you did, it would only be encouraged to prey on you more.

Gail was appalled at what Dean was saying, and she was angry, too. "I don't let - " she started to say. But then she stopped. What about Christmas Eve? She sighed, and tears prickled her eyes. "OK, I did, once. But it hurt, and it was wrong, and I've been telling him that ever since. He can't help it, Dean. But we've fought about it, and I stood my ground. Never again. I promise."

Dean walked up to her and took her in his arms for a hug. "I just want you to be OK, Gail," he said softly. "And I want him to be OK, too."

She hugged him back, holding on tight for a moment, squeezing the tears out of her eyes. Then she stepped out of the embrace and looked at him.

"Disgusting, huh?" she said with a small smile.

"If you do them right," he repeated, raising an eyebrow to her.

They smiled at each other, then she touched his face for a moment, almost as she would have done with Cas. "I really love you, Dean. You know that, right?"

He sighed, but he was still smiling. "Yeah, I know."

"And we'll all love Cas again, once he's cured," Gail added. She took Dean's other hand, the one not holding the book, and tugged him towards the hallway. "Let's go."

Dean let her lead him by the hand, but he was preoccupied now. That had been a curious way to put it, but he knew what she meant. It was hard to remember that Cas was in there sometimes, when the Demon was looking at you.

That was the feeling that Sam was experiencing now. Cas was staring at him with those weird purple eyes.

"What were you doing with Gail in the kitchen, Sam?" Cas asked him quietly.

"What do you mean? We were just talking," Sam said carefully.

"Did you touch her?" Cas said, and his voice was so quiet now Sam almost had to strain to hear him.

Sam hadn't wanted to start anything, but after the stunt Cas had just pulled, he should hardly be the one going on the offensive.

"I consoled her," Sam said vaguely.

Cas stepped closer to Sam. "How?" he asked through his teeth, and his eyes darkened.

But Sam wasn't going to let Cas intimidate him. "The usual way," he said casually. He knew he was riling the Demon up, but he didn't care. Cas had no weapon and no powers here, and Sam had been looking for an excuse for a long time.

Castiel was trying to fight the Demon, but the Demon was convincing him that Sam was trying to romance Gail right out from under him. He should be focusing on how much he loved her and trusted her, but the Demon was reminding him that she had been sneaking around with the Winchesters and Crowley behind his back. He tried to focus on the wonderful night and morning of love that he and Gail had just shared, but all he could think of was grabbing her poor injured hand and licking the blood from it, and God help him, the Demon wanted to do it again. She'd let him do it to her that one night, multiple times, and it had been the most intense experience of his life. But then she had left him and had come here to the bunker, and even when she had willingly come back to him, she'd told him he wasn't allowed to do it to her any more. He put two and two together. Sam had obviously told her it was disgusting. That was why she'd said what she said to Sam when they'd first arrived here yesterday. And she had only resisted this morning because the door to their room was open, and Sam might see.

"You need to stay out of our business," Cas said to Sam. "Gail loves what I do to her. I'm sure you heard evidence of that last night, and again this morning."

Sam laughed derisively. "So you're telling me she likes walking around in pain all the time? She doesn't love you. She's afraid of you."

Cas punched Sam in the face, and Sam staggered back against the wall. He kept his feet, but he touched his face gingerly. He'd bitten his lip and it was bleeding, and his hand came away with blood on it.

"Here, you want blood so bad?" Sam said sarcastically. "Then take mine. Leave hers alone."

Cas was angry, but he was also confused. He didn't want Sam's blood, he only wanted Gail's. "What would I want with your blood?" he asked Sam scornfully.

"What would you want with any blood?" Sam retorted. "What's the matter with you, Cas?"

That made Cas pause. He didn't really know. Why did he crave Gail's blood so much? It was unnatural, and it was wrong. Everything else they did together was so amazing. Why did he have to keep pushing her? He was going to push her right out of his life if he kept this up.

Dean and Gail approached them then, and they saw Sam's face. Both of them looked at Cas, who was avoiding their gaze.

"What happened here, Cas?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Just a little debate," Sam said calmly. He looked at Cas. "Next time, I'll be offering my rebuttal." Sam was making his point. Cas had gotten one free shot, but that would be it. Let him try that again.

Dean sighed. "Let's go."

Oliver opened the front door to Sam. "Hi, Sam," he greeted him. Oliver wasn't smiling, but he seemed affable enough. Well, for him, anyway. He was a bit of a curmudgeon, generally speaking. But Sam had used him a couple of times, and Oliver seemed to know what he was doing.

"All right, come in, then," Oliver said to Sam. He guarded his privacy jealously, and he hated people coming into his house. Which posed a bit of a dilemma, considering he worked from home. Conducting seances didn't exactly pay too many bills, though, so Oliver had to supplement his income, seeing people to give psychic readings, and selling occult paraphernalia on the side. But he did know Sam, at least. And Sam had intrigued him with his latest phone call. Oliver had never had the occasion to pierce the veil before, and he wanted to see if he could do it.

Sam stepped into the foyer, and Dean followed him, looking around.

"Who's this?" Oliver asked Sam.

"He's my brother," Sam replied. "It's OK, Oliver. He's all right."

Oliver gave Dean a quick glare, but then he turned away from him and looked at Gail, who was stepping hesitantly across the threshold.

Oliver put up his hand, and she stopped. He regarded her curiously. "And just what are you?" he asked her.

She noticed he hadn't said "who", he'd said "what". And she realized she didn't really have an answer to that question right now.

"She's an Angel," Sam said.

"An Angel," Oliver repeated skeptically. "Really? You think so?" He peered closer at her face. "I'm not buying it."

Gail was uncomfortable under his close scrutiny. "OK, not one hundred percent," she admitted. "But, mostly." She hoped that was still true.

Oliver continued to stare at her, then he threw up his hands. "All right. If Sam will vouch for you, you can enter," he said without enthusiasm.

"I will," Sam said firmly.

Gail sidled past Oliver and scurried over to Dean, almost as if she were afraid of the medium. And she was, a bit. He had just looked at her and known right away there was something wrong with her. Was it that apparent, or did this guy just have a special gift?

Then Cas was on the threshold, and Oliver said, "No. No way."

Gail's heart sank. Yeah, Oliver knew, all right.

Oliver reached into his pocket and took out a vial of clear liquid, and Cas eyed him warily.

"You cannot enter," Oliver said, staring Cas in the face.

Cas was equal parts annoyed and amused. Should he be offended here? "Why not?" he said, trying to smile. "I'm here for the same reason they are."

"I know what you are," Oliver replied evenly, holding up the vial for Cas to see. "Get thee behind me and get your ass away from my house."

Gail rushed forward. "We're here to get the cure for him," she appealed to Oliver. "And for me, too," she added in a more subdued tone.

Oliver looked at Cas's strange purple eyes, which were focused on Gail. "Oh, I get it," he said to them. He faced Cas again. "You need to stop," he said to Cas.

"Stop what?" Cas asked him. The Demon was trying to rise up now. Who the hell did this human think he was?

"Stop everything," Oliver said sternly. Then it all came pouring out, as if he were momentarily in a trance. "The torture, the bloodletting, the violence, the vampirism. The rough sex. The lessons with the King of Hell." Incredibly, Oliver crossed himself then, even though he was an atheist. "You will burn for eternity, and though she is not yet hell-bound, she will be, before long." Then Oliver seemed to come out of his trance, or whatever the hell he had been in. He turned around to Sam. "He leaves, or the deal is off."

Sam was dismayed, and Gail was panicked. What did he mean, the deal was off? It couldn't be off; she needed the deal to be on, so they could talk to Rowena. "Then he'll leave," she said quickly. She looked at Cas apologetically. She hoped he'd understand. She'd just have to wink him back to the bunker, then come back here. She put her hand on Oliver's arm, but he looked at her distastefully, so she quickly removed it.

"I know about his thirst for you," Oliver told her, and his gaze was penetrating. "And I know you let him do it."

Oh, God. That's what she got for touching a psychic, she thought. Shouldn't she of all people know better? That was what she used to do to people. And she had so many shameful secrets now.

Cas stepped forward. "Don't speak to her that way," he said to Oliver, raising his voice. "That's not her fault."

Oh, isn't it? the little voice in Gail's head piped up.

"I told you, get back!" Oliver shouted. Cas reached out for Oliver and he cringed. He didn't want to read what was going on inside this Thing's head. The girl thought she loved It, but It was more malevolent than she knew.

He unscrewed the cap of the vial and splashed the holy water on Cas. Cas hissed in pain and stepped back.

Dean and Sam watched soberly. It's not as if they hadn't known, but this visual aid was something they could have done without. Cas had managed to block his face in time, but his hands were smoking, the skin there corroded, and starting to bleed.

Gail grabbed Sam and Dean by one hand each and pulled them towards the doorway where Cas stood, and now it was him who was cringing before Oliver. "We'll be outside," she said to Oliver tartly, and then she said, "Let's go, Cas."

He turned and left the house, and Gail pulled the Winchesters behind him. They all congregated on the front lawn as Gail took Cas's hands in hers, healing them.

"I'll take Cas back to the bunker," Gail told them, "then I'll come back here. In the meantime, you guys do some damage control," she added, nodding towards the house.

"Hold it," Dean said. "You two aren't going anywhere without at least one of us."

Gail regarded him coolly. "Don't you trust me, Dean?"

"It's not that, it's just - "

"It's just that he doesn't trust me not to persuade you into doing something that he thinks I shouldn't be doing," Cas broke in. The way he had phrased the sentence was very telling, yet oddly vague at the same time.

Dean nodded. Whatever Cas had meant by that, Cas was right.

Cas smiled. "She seldom needs persuasion," he said slyly. "In fact, she's usually quite enthusiastic."

"That's enough, Cas," Gail said firmly, and he shut up immediately. His point, if he indeed had one, was made.

Gail sighed. "All right, Dean. What do you suggest?"

"Bobby," Sam said suddenly. Everyone turned their heads to look at him. "Bobby can keep watch over Cas in the bunker until we get back."

Dean considered this. It was actually a pretty good idea, if Bobby would agree to it. Cas was not exactly on the list of Bobby's favourite people right now. And they hadn't exactly had a very joyful reunion the last time they'd seen each other.

Gail wasn't convinced it was such a great idea. The last time Bobby had seen Cas was at the cabin where Cas had tortured and killed Xavier. Bobby had been livid, and he had tossed Cas around like a rag doll. And while she'd kind of appreciated Bobby's fatherly concern, and perhaps a tiny part of her had felt satisfaction in seeing Cas experiencing some pain for once, Gail was worried about the thought of the two of them in the bunker, alone together. She'd known the two men to butt heads even when Cas had been an Angel, and Cas had always had a bit of a temper. And considering who they were trying to talk to through Oliver, and the fact that it was her spell book that was a big cause of this whole mess, maybe Bobby was the last person who should be with Cas right now. Gail was fairly pissed off about it herself; imagine how Cas must feel. If Bobby had just disclosed his relationship with Rowena and handed the spell book over to Sam and Dean when he should have, none of this would even be happening.

"No," Gail blurted out. "I think it should be Crowley."

Despite his anger at the situation, Sam had to smile momentarily at the ridiculousness of it. Imagine Bobby and Crowley, co-parenting. They could butt heads over what their son was or was not allowed to do. His smile vanished just as quickly. He guessed that wasn't particularly funny, under the present circumstances.

"Nope," Dean snapped. "Not gonna happen." Cas was plenty bad enough right now; they didn't need the King of Hell around him, giving him any more bad ideas.

Gail glared at him. "Well, then, what's the solution, Dean? We can't leave him alone there with Bobby. I won't!"

"Will everyone stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Cas snapped. Gail looked at him, feeling instantly sorry. She could relate. Cas smiled without humour. "I feel bad enough about myself as it is, without everyone talking about me as if I'm the relative nobody wants to spend any time with."

Gail felt sorry for him then. She'd been spending so much time trying to figure out how to protect him that she hadn't stopped to take his feelings into account.

"I'm sorry, Cas," she said, moving to him and kissing him softly on the cheek. Cas put his arm around her waist as Oliver, who was watching out the window, hastily made the sign of the cross again. Lord help that woman, he thought. In a manner of speaking.

"What do you think is the best solution?" Gail asked Cas. Sam and Dean rolled their eyes at each other. Here we go.

But Cas surprised them. "I think it would be best if it were Bobby," he told them. Then he frowned. "But I don't think it should be just the two of us, either. We haven't always gotten along, especially lately." He was thinking of the cabin too. "Maybe there could be a third party there, to act as a buffer."

"Like who?" Dean said.

Cas thought for a moment. "How about Chuck?"

Gail looked at him, startled. Yes, Chuck was an Angel, and he was a good guy now, and one of their best friends in Heaven. But: "Do you really want to involve someone else in this?" she asked Cas. Up until now, Gail had been under the impression that Bobby was the only one in Heaven who knew that something was wrong with Cas. Well, probably Jason too, but who would believe him? She was unaware that Chuck, Ethan and Kevin had sat down with Bobby as a group and broached the subject just recently themselves.

Sam and Dean knew, because Bobby had told them about it, but they didn't see the upside in mentioning that to Gail. They remembered her pleading to them to keep it a secret. But they exchanged glances, nodding at each other.

"OK," Dean said. "Call Bobby and ask him to bring Chuck down with him." He looked at Cas expectantly.

"Dean," Sam said quietly. Nothing. "Dean!" he repeated, raising his voice. When Dean looked at him, Sam said, "Call Bobby on the phone."

Oh. Right. Dean was embarrassed now. He was just so used to Cas making those kinds of calls for him on Angel Radio.

"Sorry, Cas," he said. He alternated between being mad at the guy and feeling sorry for him, but right now, sympathy was winning. When Cas had talked about being the relative that nobody wanted around, that had really struck a chord with Dean. He'd secretly felt like that from time to time himself. Maybe he and Cas should sit down and have a heart-to-heart once Cas was better, just the two of them. Dean didn't go in for that whole group therapy crap, but he did know how damaging it was to have low self-esteem. First-hand.

So Bobby said he would bring Chuck to the bunker; just give him a few minutes. Then Gail walked up to Sam. She put her hand on his arm absently. A lot of times, she wasn't even aware she was doing that with people; it was just something she did when she talked to them about something serious, sometimes. But Cas noticed it, and his jaw clenched, though he said nothing. He was still mad about that conversation he and Sam had had earlier. Should he be worried about the two of them?

"Can you please do some damage control with this guy?" she asked Sam softly. "We haven't gotten off to the best start, but we need him, if we're going to try to contact Rowena."

Sam nodded. He knew that, of course. But Oliver was moody, and a bit unstable. Sam hoped he could get him back on board.

"I'll probably be a few minutes, trying to explain the situation to Chuck," Gail continued. Though what she was going to say, she was sure she didn't know. Just like she had no idea what she was going to say to Rowena. But, one giant problem at a time. She smiled at Sam. "Hopefully, you can use your powers of persuasion to let him know that we're OK."

"Well, obviously they're not as good as Cas's seem to be, but I'll give it my best shot," Sam said acidly. Gail gave him a baleful look and then she walked back to where Cas stood. She wasn't taking that bait. No way, nohow. She loved Sam way too much to hurt his feelings like that. She hoped he'd come around somehow once they obtained the cure. She looked at the house. This had better work. They were the world's most dysfunctional family right now, and the longer this went on, the worse it was going to get.

She took Cas's hand, and they disappeared.

They popped back into the bunker. Cas could get in now because he'd been an invited guest, but he could still only get in if accompanied by someone who was authorized, like Gail. That was OK with him; he didn't plan on going anywhere without her, anyway.

She looked around in surprise. They were in the bedroom, but she'd been shooting for the library area. "I nudged us over a bit," Cas said, smiling. "I wanted a private moment before you leave me."

In a way, what he said was sweet, but once again, Cas had phrased it strangely. She wasn't leaving him; she was just going back to have the seance.

"I'll be back soon," she assured him. She guessed he was just feeling bad about the conversation they had all had on the lawn in front of Oliver's house. Thank God he wasn't going to be here by himself. Bobby might be mad at Cas at the moment, but he would never let Cas do anything to hurt himself.

Cas put his arm around her and kissed her. His tongue probed her mouth, and she responded with hers. Cas's hand slid into the front of her pants and he began to stroke her.

"We don't have time," Gail protested softly in his ear. But it felt good, so good. She moved against his fingers.

"I don't care," Cas murmured into her ear, smiling. He licked her ear, softly telling her all the things he wanted to do with her when she got back. He'd seen that idiot looking through the window at them, making his little plus-sign like he thought it was going to make a difference. Bobby was here in the bunker right now; Demon Cas could sense him. It was really pretty exciting to be doing this, steps away from God.

He unzipped his pants and put her hand on him and then they were stroking each other, moving together. Perhaps Gail was aware that Bobby was in the building too, because she was burying her face in his shoulder, trying to use him to muffle her sounds. He didn't mind. But then she licked his shoulder, and he let out a groan because that had been so unexpected. Damn, she was good.

But they'd better finish, in case Bobby came to investigate. They sped up the motion of their hands at the same time, and he kissed her at the crucial moment. The kiss and the combination of their tongues together served to muffle their sounds, while making the feeling more intense.

"I love you, Cas," Gail whispered. He reluctantly removed his hand from her pants and did them back up for her, then did his own back up when she took her hand away. Gail looked down at herself. When had Cas undone her pants? He'd made her so crazy she hadn't even noticed. Boy, he was smooth.

And it was a good thing he was, too, because when they got to the library, Bobby was fuming. "I said a few minutes, not twenty," he rasped. "Where were you two?"

"Unpacking," Cas said evenly, walking up to Chuck. "As we're staying here indefinitely, we wanted to bring a few things."

Was he ever good. Bobby merely shrugged then, and he looked at Gail. "How are you, dear?" he said to her.

"I'm fine, Bobby," she said. Her stock answer. But she actually was feeling pretty darn good at the moment, if a bit wobbly on her feet. She and Cas smiled at each other.

Bobby looked at the two of them, looking at each other. He was older than anyone here, but he recognized that look. It was the kind of look a couple gave each other when they had just been fooling around and they thought nobody else knew. Well, weren't they clever. They must think he had been born yesterday.

Dean had hinted around during last night's report that these two had some kind of strange symbiotic relationship going now. It wasn't really as cut-and-dried as Bobby had believed. His father had dominated his mother in every way, while it seemed to Bobby that Cas and Gail had more of a tug-of-war situation going on. Cas had abused her and she'd left him, then he'd forced her to come back to him by kidnapping Sam and Dean, then the two of them had come here out of the blue, then Gail had insisted they stay here together, and now Cas was in a room with a Devil's Trap and was only allowed to emerge if Gail said it was OK. Now Bobby had had to bring Chuck to the bunker with him because Gail wouldn't allow Bobby to be there alone with Cas. If Bobby didn't know better, he'd swear that Gail was the dominant one in the relationship. But Bobby knew she had suffered greatly at Cas's hands, so he'd grudgingly had to admit that it was probably a good thing that Chuck was here.

Chuck stood as the couple approached him. Bobby hadn't had to tell him much, and he didn't know if that was fortunate, or unfortunate. He hadn't been nearly as shocked as he should have been. He was a Prophet, after all, and he'd been having some very disturbing visions. And what he hadn't seen, he could pretty much figure out for himself. He was a grown man, and he'd been a lonely, single one, and often not a very nice one. When he'd been a human on Earth, he'd checked out websites that would have made most Angels faint, and he'd availed himself of the services of professional ladies once or three times. One of them had even been wearing black leather, and he'd paid extra to involve the whip, just once, just to see what it felt like. So Chuck was probably the best guy they could have picked for an assignment of this particular nature.

He felt sad when he looked at Cas, and Chuck also felt angry. How the hell had this been allowed to happen? After everything Cas had been through at the tribunal and at that cabin, now this. And Chuck had been gorging at the trough of guilt as well. He bore a lot of the responsibility for Metatron, and he pretty much bore all of the responsibility for Aurielle, didn't he? Bobby had confided a few things to him in preparation for this assignment, so now Chuck knew pretty much everything that Bobby and the Winchesters did. He even understood Cas better than any of them. Chuck had done a lot of self-examination during his quiet hours at the library, and he had realized that he and Cas weren't so different. If you looked at it only on the surface, they had switched places now. Cas was a bad guy now, and Chuck was a good guy. But Chuck knew it went a lot deeper than that. Now that Chuck had been both bad and good, he had first-hand knowledge of how each felt inside of you. There was something very liberating about making the transition from one to the other, and to realize that it was your own choice. There were no longer any expectations on you to be a certain way, because the way you were now was the opposite. Chuck had always been a jerk and a creep, so nobody had expected him to be good. No expectations equaled no pressure. And Chuck knew that must be what Cas was feeling like right now. It was a mirror image, really. At some point after the execution, Crowley's Demon essence inside Cas had obviously whispered to him that being bad could be fun, and that he should try it sometime. Cas must have been angry and bitter at Heaven and even God after the unfairness of the tribunal procedure and the ultimate censure of the board members. And who could blame him? Then there was Gail, too. Everyone in the gallery had seen the couple holding hands and hugging on occasion, and the Angels thought it was sweet. And it was. But Chuck had been in Las Vegas, and he had read between the lines. The couple had practically shouted it out loud to Xavier. They were Angels, but they wanted a physical relationship. This Demon stuff had been a loophole for them, but they hadn't known about Metatron's secret recipe and they had naively thought that it would be OK.

Chuck extended his hand to Cas for a shake, and Cas was taken aback by this simple gesture. So much so that his eyes were in danger of tearing up now. Now he understood what humans whose hormones were surging must feel like. Cas wasn't just lazily seesawing back and forth between emotions, he was now whip cracking. It was a good thing that Gail wasn't still a human woman, or he would have had to buy her flowers and a card every month for the rest of her life. He didn't know how people could stand it.

He accepted Chuck's hand and shook with him. This gesture had meant so much to Cas because Dean and Sam now treated him with mistrust and contempt, and Cas had missed the little signs of affection they used to show him. A smile, a clap on the shoulder, gentle teasing when something he said or did amused them. And when Gail had come along, he had viewed their easy affection for her as an extension of their affection for him. But now he was an outsider, and even though he knew it was nothing he didn't deserve, it was cold outside.

Then Chuck looked at Gail, and he held out his arms for a hug. Gail walked into them and laid her head on Chuck's shoulder as he held her gently. Bobby had advised that she seemed to be in considerable pain, and Chuck could tell that too, just from the way she had walked into the room, so he didn't want to squeeze her too hard.

Cas looked at the two of them hugging, and it didn't bother him, or make him mad. Chuck's gesture had allowed him to beat the Demon back for the moment, and all he saw now was a friend who was offering Gail the comfort she needed.

"How are you, Gail? I've missed you at the library," Chuck said softly. "How's that book-writing coming? Do you need any help?"

Gail stepped back from Chuck's hug and looked at him, startled. What the hell was he talking about?

"I don't know why I said that," Chuck said lamely. But he did know why, of course. He'd had visions of Gail sitting down at a computer, writing stories, and then e-mailing Chuck drafts for him to read. He'd also had visions of Cas sitting on a patio alone, drinking. The couple weren't together, and they were both miserable, and it made Chuck miserable just looking at their faces. He'd also seen a lot of other humans, Angels, and even Demons doing strange things and acting strangely. And every now and then he would see God, looking puzzled and fiddling with the dials of what looked like the world's largest old-school TV. God would either get snow, or a picture with a lot of interference. Then he would hit the TV in frustration. Then, miraculously, a clear picture for a moment. But it would usually depict a scene that was puzzling. Metatron, a priest. Crowley, a mild-mannered bookstore clerk. Aurielle, a pop singer. And Chuck himself, a world-renowned author. Then God would fiddle with the controls and everything would become garbled again.

Chuck had taken to writing all of his visions down in a journal, and though many of them were actually positive, some had been horrifying, and he was too afraid to share them with Kevin or anyone else. He'd wanted a distraction, so he'd asked Bobby if they could start setting up the new board. But Bobby had told him they'd better wait, and now Chuck guessed he understood why. Cas and Gail were the top priority right now, and Bobby couldn't be playing politics while he was this concerned about them. Chuck didn't have a problem with that. There wouldn't even be a new order or a new attitude in Heaven if it weren't for Cas and Gail.

Bobby had told Chuck he wasn't allowed to say anything about what he saw here today to anyone in Heaven, and Chuck had promised, but he was going to break that promise. He and Kevin and Ethan had formed such a strong bond now that Chuck would share some stuff with them, though how much, he would have to wait and see. It depended on how bad Cas really was. But Chuck and his two other Angel friends were like the Three Musketeers now, and Chuck thought it would be unfair to keep his friends in the dark. They had gone through the ordeal of the tribunal and Cas's execution together, and they were the men who had helped Gail when she'd needed it most. Ethan and Kevin were both extremely worried about Cas and Gail too, and they had been for a while.

Gail was still looking at Chuck strangely over the comment he'd made about her writing a book. That was the second time today that something like that had happened. Sam had said something to her earlier about her having gone to college, and taking English Lit, and she had done neither. And now Chuck was asking her about a book she was not writing, as if she were writing one. What the hell was going on here? And who the hell had time to even read a book these days, let alone write one? Although she certainly could, she thought. Oh boy, could she write a book. The trouble was, nobody would ever believe it.

And speaking of which...she had a seance to go to, and a medium who had cast her Demon boyfriend out of his house to persuade to pierce the veil of the Netherworld so she could talk to the dead witch mother of the King of Hell about reversing a spell on a now-evil Angel. Yeah, it would be a bestseller, all right. Did bookstores have an ultra-super duper Fantasy section?

"I really wish I could hang around and talk," Gail said to Chuck, "but I have a...thing." She really wasn't sure how much or how little Bobby had told Chuck about what was going on, but now was not the time to try to find out. She'd better get back there, see if Sam had been able to persuade Oliver to hold the seance. So she gave Chuck and Bobby quick kisses on the cheek, then she walked over to where Castiel stood. He was looking down at the chairs around the table, as if he couldn't decide which one of them to sit in. She put her arms around him, and he put his around her. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she told him. "I know you will," Cas answered her, smiling gently. For the moment, he was okay with her leaving him. But he hoped she wouldn't be gone too long, or that might possibly change. Spending time here with Bobby might prove to be more and more difficult by the minute if Bobby spent the whole time angry with him. And now Cas was wondering what he could possibly think of to talk to Chuck about. Suddenly, he was feeling insecure again. "Please hurry back," Cas said, taking both of her hands in his. Gail thought the gesture was sweet. "I will," she said in response, "but don't worry, I'm not coming back without it." And she meant it, too. Whatever she had to do, she would do. She felt like they were so close to getting the cure now.

Gail looked at Bobby. "Look after him for me, will you, please?"

Bobby gave her a nod. He was still royally pissed at Cas, but he would try to keep his cool. It seemed like Cas was making an effort here, and it sounded like Gail and the boys were on the verge of getting the recipe for the cure. So Bobby would try his best to just talk to Cas, and he had encouraged Chuck to do the same. Maybe try to avoid hot-button issues, Chuck had suggested. But Bobby had smiled humourlessly at that. If Chuck could think of any, he'd be happy to go with them.

And then, with one last kiss on the cheek for Cas, Gail was gone.

The men sat around the table in silence for a few minutes. What on earth could they talk about that wasn't going to end up being a contentious subject? Bobby didn't even know if he should ask how Cas was; even that could be a loaded question. And Cas didn't know how much Chuck knew about the current situation. He knew it had been his idea to have Chuck here, but Cas was now feeling that this may have been a mistake. Chuck must know something, Cas figured; what he now started to fear was that Chuck may know far too much. What had he been thinking, asking for a Prophet to come here? And Chuck was looking at Bobby for guidance, but Bobby had none to give. If they were humans, he would suggest having a few beers, or some shots, or both. But they didn't drink, and they didn't eat. What the hell were they supposed to do?

The silence was starting to get to Bobby, and he had just opened his mouth to say something, anything, talk about the weather maybe, when the men heard a sound. They heard a door opening down the hall, and footsteps making their way down the corridor. Bobby and Cas both sprang to their feet, and Cas automatically went for his blade before realizing he didn't have one.

"Dean? Sam? Anybody home?" the voice called out.

Frank appeared in the entryway of the library. He saw the Angels and smiled. "Hey, Cas, Bobby. And it's Chuck, right?" He looked around. "Where's Gail? Where are Sam and Dean?"

The men all looked at each other. Damn, Bobby thought. Of all the times to pick. What were they going to tell Gail's brother?

Gail knocked on the front door of Oliver's house. He opened the door immediately, as if he'd been standing there waiting for her. And maybe he had.

"All right, come in, before I change my mind," he said to her, frowning. Oliver had been extremely upset with Sam. Bringing a guy who was virtually a full Demon over to Oliver's house, expecting Oliver to sit down and hold his hand around the table? Yeah, Oliver didn't think so. He may be an atheist, but he knew evil when he saw it. He could sense that the Demon still had a sliver of Angel inside him and that the Angel was fighting to take possession, but Oliver was convinced the Angel was going to lose. And this female? Oliver knew she was mainly still good, but she had a peculiar cocktail of her own swimming inside her veins, and he knew the nature of her relationship with the Demon. She could be easily swayed.

But Sam had been very persuasive himself, begging Oliver for the chance to talk to Rowena so that they could get the cure. Far be it from Oliver to stand in the middle of the road to redemption. So he had acquiesced. As long as Sam and Dean made sure the female behaved herself, he would allow her to enter and sit in the circle with them.

He ushered Gail into the back room, where Sam and Dean were already seated at the table. Gail gave them a nervous smile as she sat between them, opposite the empty chair in which Oliver would sit. He had arranged them that way on purpose. Oliver didn't like the pictures that had formed in his head when Gail had briefly touched him earlier, and he refused to sit there holding her hand.

Oliver drew the blackout curtains around the room and then lit a single candle in the middle of the table. "Join hands," he told them. He took his seat, grabbing one of Sam's hands and one of Dean's.

Dean nodded to the spell book, which was sitting on the table in front of him. "What about that?" he asked Oliver. Before Gail had gotten here, Oliver had advised that the connection of their hands must be maintained at all times throughout the process, or the connection to the spirit world might be broken. But they would need to refer to the book and the list of ingredients Metatron had provided, wouldn't they?

"Give it to her." Oliver nodded to Gail. She could hear the contempt in his voice. "If she has to look at the book or write anything down, we'll close our circle and maintain the connection. The witch may stay in communication if she senses that her killer has left the circle." Gail looked at him sharply. How much did this guy know? Oliver went on, "But we need the female in the circle initially, to provide the power needed to pierce the veil."

Gail knew they needed this guy, but she was getting annoyed. "I have a name, you know," she said tartly. She was thinking of Xavier and the board.

Oliver regarded her evenly. "I know you do," he said. Gail tried to stare him down, but she felt like he could see right through her. She knew the name he had in mind, and she felt ashamed. At least he had had the good grace not to say the word in front of Sam and Dean.

The brothers had been looking back and forth between Oliver and Gail during that exchange. The tension in the room was starting to build, and things were nerve-wracking enough already.

"How about we just start?" Sam said softly, and Gail looked at him gratefully. She didn't know how much longer she could have withstood Oliver's scrutiny. She knew what she was now; she didn't need this guy to point it out to her.

So Dean slid the book over to Gail, giving her a half-shrug, and then he took her hand back. Oliver closed his eyes and began to chant. Gail could make out part of what he was saying, but mostly, it sounded like a foreign language. This went on for a few minutes, then Gail could see the candle in the middle of the table flicker, and the room began to turn cold. Just like the movies, she thought. Then the candle snuffed out, and the room was plunged into total darkness.

Gail let out a small gasp, and both Sam and Dean squeezed her hands briefly for reassurance.

"Are you there, Rowena?" Gail heard Oliver's voice call out, though she couldn't see him due to the total darkness of the room.

"Yes, I am." Rowena's voice. Gail recognized the lilt of her voice, and the Scottish burr. She shivered a little. The room was very cold now, and Rowena's voice was clear and distinctive. Then Gail felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and she let go of Sam and Dean's hands, turning around in her chair. But that was ridiculous. It was pitch dark, and she couldn't see a damn thing. But she had felt that hand.

"Gail?" Sam said. He wanted to feel his way around the table to her, make sure she was OK, but Oliver clamped down on both his and Dean's hands. "Keep holding hands!" he ordered the men. "Don't break the connection!"

"So, you killed me, and now you're here seeking my help," Rowena said. It sounded like she was standing right behind Gail, and Gail was starting to freak out a bit. "Is there any way we could get a little light in the room?" Gail said nervously.

"Funny, you weren't so afraid of the dark when you were with my son," Rowena said. Gail could hear both amusement and resentment in her voice. "And now, you've gone even darker with the Angel. Tell me, is he more well-endowed than my son? It's a shame I never got to find out."

Oh, God, Gail thought. Please don't let her say anything else. But she had pretty much expected this, hadn't she?

"Oliver, please," Gail appealed to him. If she had to sit here in the darkness listening to Rowena speak like that and sounding so near for much longer, she was going to lose it.

"Rowena, may we have some light?" Oliver asked.

"Why, certainly," Rowena said, and Gail could hear the smile in her voice. "I want to see her."

There was a flash of pink light, almost like a flame, and a ball of pink light appeared, suspended in the middle of the table. It afforded just enough illumination for the occupants of the room to make out each other's faces.

And there Rowena stood, behind Gail's chair. She had no solid form, of course, but Gail could see her clearly, down to the expression on her face. Rowena looked amused, but Gail could feel the hostility emanating from her.

Rowena strolled over to where Dean sat, still staring at Gail, and she put her hand on Dean's shoulder, then slid it down and touched his bicep, squeezing it. Dean jerked his arm, as if trying to shake something off of it. "What is that?" Dean asked Oliver. He shook his arm again, a look of distaste on his face.

"It's Rowena," Gail told Dean. "Can't you guys see her?"

"No," Dean said sharply, looking around, and Sam shook his head.

"Only Oliver and Gail can see me," Rowena said. She looked at Sam, then at Dean, then back at Sam. "But I can see you, boys," she continued, sounding eerily like her son for a moment, "and you're looking very well. Very healthy." Now she sidled over to Sam, and Rowena stroked Sam's cheek. Sam had followed the direction of her voice, so he'd figured she was approaching him, but he still jumped a bit at her touch. But he sat stoically, maintaining the connection, as Dean had.

Gail looked at Rowena warily. Was she trying to get one of them to let go of the others' hands? Or was she just messing around with them? She seemed to have appeared willingly enough. Gail supposed there wasn't much in the way of entertainment in a place called the Netherworld.

"So, how is my dear son?" Rowena asked. She had moved around to stand behind Oliver now. She didn't touch him, though. Maybe she'd had her fun, or maybe even dead, otherworldly beings sensed his ability to read them. "I know you've been seeing a great deal of him, Gail. And I know he's seen a great deal of you."

Gail was discomfited by that remark. Why had Rowena put it that way? How much did she know, and how did she know it? Gail sure as hell didn't want Sam and Dean to find out about that little episode. So Gail pulled the spell book closer to her, showing it to Rowena.

"We're here to see you about this," Gail told her, trying to adopt a businesslike tone.

"Oh yes, my wee present," Rowena said, and now a trace of genuine affection crept into her voice. "And how is my dear Bobby?"

Dean and Sam's expressions darkened at her question, but they said nothing. Anything they could think of to say to that would just piss the witch off.

"He's good, Rowena," Gail answered, trying to maintain a conciliatory tone.

"Unlike Castiel, who isn't," Rowena retorted. "Isn't that a shame." She affected a pout, then she smiled nastily. "Although there can be some definite benefits to that, can there not? I used to lay with a Demon myself, so I know. That was, until you beheaded me, of course."

Gail sighed inwardly. This attitude of Rowena's was nothing she hadn't expected, but it was difficult for her to keep a civil tongue in her own head. Yes, she had killed Rowena, and in a rather spectacular fashion, Gail thought wryly. But Rowena and Crowley had made life very difficult for Gail, to say the least; and though Gail had been warming to Crowley lately due to the strange circumstances she now found herself in, she had not forgiven, and she had not forgotten.

But Gail really needed Rowena's cooperation, so she bit back any potential retort she was tempted to offer, and she tried to swallow her pride.

"Rowena, I'm very sorry about that - " she started to say, but the witch cut her off.

"No, you're not," Rowena snapped.

Gail sighed. No, she wasn't. But she had no idea what to say to this woman now. What the hell was she supposed to say? Had she thought that Rowena was just going to help her out of the goodness of her heart?

Rowena had moved back to stand behind Gail now, and she put her hand on Gail's shoulder again. How was she doing that? She didn't have a corporeal body. But Gail could feel her hand there. It suddenly clamped down, and Rowena's fingernails dug into her skin. Gail winced in pain, and Rowena leaned down, speaking into her ear.

"What's the matter, dearie?" she cooed. "I thought you liked this sort of thing." She laughed, then removed her hand. "I suppose I'd better not draw any blood, though. We both know how much he likes that."

"Shut up." Dean said. He was sickened. Just because he couldn't see Rowena didn't mean he couldn't hear her.

Oliver had heard, too, and he looked at Gail with disgust. "Ask your questions," he said to her. "I'm not sure how much longer the connection is going to hold."

"It will hold as long as I want it to hold," Rowena said with amusement in her voice. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time. It's a shame that Castiel couldn't be here with us today, though. I would really have loved to touch him. But I'm sure I'll be seeing him soon, once he behaves so badly that my dear Bobby will have no choice but to kill him."

Gail sighed. "Is there anything I can say or do here that will possibly persuade you to help us?" she asked Rowena. "If not, you may as well let go," she continued, looking at Sam and Dean. "I'm not here to be your little toy, Rowena."

Rowena surprised her then. "No, you're not," she said softly. "And you shouldn't be his, either. Have some self-respect."

Out of all the things that Rowena had said to her, this one hurt the worst. "Let's go, guys," Gail said, shaking her head. "We're wasting our time here."

"Gail..." Sam started to say, but Rowena said hastily, "Wait."

Frank had gone to the fridge and helped himself to a beer, and he sat down at the library table, popping the cap. "I guess I'm the only one here that can appreciate one of these," he said, smiling. He took a drink and sat back in his chair, looking at Cas.

"Where's my sister?" Frank asked.

Bobby and Chuck looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. But Cas did. He had that Demon tongue, after all.

"She's with Sam and Dean, on a case," Cas said, smiling at Frank. Bobby had to hand it to him. He wasn't even technically lying.

"Why aren't you with them?" Frank asked Cas.

Without any hesitation, Cas said, "Because Chuck's here for a training session, and I volunteered."

Chuck looked at him, startled. What?

But that didn't seem strange at all to Frank. He remembered that Chuck had requested fight training when Cas and Gail had been kidnapped and taken to that cabin. Made sense to him. In fact, Frank thought that Bobby should be authorizing more of that kind of thing. The more fighters on the side of good, the better, as far as Frank was concerned.

"I'll help, too," Frank said to them. "Do we know when they're getting back?" he asked Cas.

"Not sure," Cas said easily. "Soon, I hope."

"OK, well, let's go, Chuck," Frank said, standing.

Chuck looked stricken. "Go where?"

Frank nudged Cas, who had stood also. He rolled his eyes. "Are all of them this chicken?"

Cas smiled. This was the best that he and Frank had ever been able to get along. Apparently, all it had taken was for Frank to go away. He wasn't sure how long he wanted Frank to stick around, though. The longer he was here, the more chance there was for something bad to happen. Presumably, Frank would want to stay here at the bunker, at least for a night or two, and Cas had no intention of curtailing his activities with Gail in their bedroom. He was already looking forward to a repeat of last night and this morning when she got back, and he knew Frank would have a problem with that. Maybe he could get Sam and Dean to take Frank somewhere for a while, so he wouldn't have to hear his sister crying out Cas's name, over and over again.

But until then, Cas could keep himself occupied by sparring with Chuck for a while. The problem was, he really wanted to have another shot at Frank. Chuck had been a master manipulator and plotter before he'd turned good guy, but he had never been a fighter. Cas would have to lead him by the hand like a child. But Frank would give him a real contest. Cas smiled. Maybe he should wait until he and Gail had their next extended session, and then challenge Frank. He'd bet Gail's brother would be highly motivated then.

Bobby and Chuck stood now, too. Bobby supposed he could allow a little basic training for Chuck. It was a good idea for some of the Angels to be trained in combat, in Bobby's opinion. Most of them were nothing more than glorified office workers. If Crowley or anyone else decided to mount an organized attack, they would be in serious trouble. Look at what had happened with Metatron and the Demon Tablet. The only reason they'd come out of that little adventure unscathed was because the number of Demon assailants had been greatly reduced, and that was due to the skills of the Angels and humans fighting on the side of good. And Crowley had helped out too, Bobby had to admit, albeit grudgingly. Of course, their best fighter was currently on the wrong side, Bobby thought. He looked at Cas, who was smiling easily at Frank. Suddenly, Bobby wasn't so sure this was a good idea.

Chuck wasn't sure, either. He'd said he wanted to receive combat training from Cas, and he did. He just wasn't sure that now was the best time. He hadn't seen any Demon behaviour from Cas yet, but was Chuck really thinking about facing Cas with a weapon in his hand? Yes, he and Cas and Bobby could all heal each other, but still...pain was pain.

But he supposed he had no choice. Chuck knew that Gail's brother was currently out of the loop, and the others wanted him to stay out, for his own safety. And Chuck loved Gail like a sister now, too. So he would have to go along with their cover story. He just hoped Cas wouldn't hurt him too much.

Sam and Dean had been about to let go when Rowena told them to wait. She'd sounded a little panicked when Gail had told them they were all wasting their time, and to let go. Maybe Rowena had been full of it when she'd claimed that she was in charge; maybe she was only able to stay because of the connection.

"Will you help us, or not?" Sam demanded. "We can just let go and leave, you know."

Rowena pursed her lips. She doubted they would do that. They needed her desperately. But she needed them as well. Now that they had brought her out of the veil, Rowena's mind was working furiously on a way to stay. She'd known that they were calling on her to help undo the damage that Metatron had caused with his tomfoolery, and Rowena had been amused to see how far the Angel had fallen. Angels, actually, if you counted Gail. But Rowena had also been appalled to see Gail submitting to Demon Cas's domination, bending to his will. Sure, she had pushed back eventually, and she did get on top sometimes, but the marks on her body and the hesitant way she moved signified to Rowena that Gail was a victim. This had raised Rowena's feminist ire. Gail should be putting the collar on Castiel, not the other way around. If Rowena were Gail, she would pour the cure down Castiel's throat all right, but she would take a few more vials of his blood into herself, first. Then let him see how it felt to be on the receiving end, for a change.

"Let me see the list," Rowena snapped. Gail opened the book and held up the list of ingredients Metatron had used for Rowena to look at.

Rowena smiled. Her son's handwriting. After all this time, he was obviously enamoured of Gail still. Why else would he be going out of his way to help her like this?

"Where did you get that list?" Rowena asked Gail, intrigued. "And HOW did you get it?" She hadn't been able to see that little episode. No otherworldly being could see into the wing of Hell that held Lucifer's cage, not even her. It was that protected.

"We went to see Metatron in Lucifer's cage, and he told us what he put in the potion," Gail answered.

Wow. Even Rowena had to be impressed by that. Perhaps Gail hadn't lost all of her spirit after all.

"How did you gain admission?" Rowena asked curiously.

Gail sighed. Sam and Dean already knew, but she hadn't wanted Oliver to hear this. He thought so little of her as it was. But, God willing, she'd never have to see him again after today.

"Castiel had already injected me with his blood, twice, so then Crowley injected me with one vial of his own blood. Only one, though. Then he said I had enough in me to get in," Gail told her.

As expected, Oliver did not take this well. "I knew there was something wrong with you!" he shouted at Gail. "I'm done here." He tried to let go of the Winchesters' hands and walk away from the table, but both Sam and Dean gripped his hands in theirs tightly, and they yanked him back down into his chair.

"It's fortunate you have been to Lucifer's cage, for you will have to go there again," Rowena told Gail. "In fact, you both will."

"Why would we have to do that?" Dean asked, annoyed. He loved Cas and Gail, but he really didn't want to go through that again.

Rowena lifted an eyebrow. "You?" she said scornfully. "I would have thought it would have been your brother who had accompanied Gail there. After all..."

But Gail didn't want Oliver to hear the rest of that sentence, so she quickly interrupted. "So, Dean and I have to go to Lucifer's cage again?" Gail asked her. "What for?"

Rowena hesitated. She thought she had figured out a win-win situation here. Well, win-win-lose, actually.

"Not you and Dean," she told Gail. "You and Castiel."

Great, Gail thought. "And what do we do when we get there?"

"Quid pro quo," Rowena responded. Sam smirked, unable to help himself. Rowena sure didn't look like Anthony Hopkins, though she was almost as awful as the character he had played. Rowena continued, "I will tell you the first ingredient you need for the potion to reverse the spell, but I want something in return."

Of course she did, Sam thought. He had rolled his eyes at the movie reference, but he should have expected as much. "What do you want?" he asked her.

"Regular visits," Rowena said brightly. "There's no one fun here to talk to. And I have missed you all, so very, very much."

"For how long?" Sam said warily.

"For however long it takes to give you all the ingredients," Rowena responded. "And I must warn you, they won't be easy to obtain. Metatron has made a mockery of the magic contained in my book. A spell is not a stew," she spat out. Of all the aspects of this situation, this was the one that bothered her the most. She was proud of that book. It was a compendium of all of the knowledge that she had acquired over the centuries. But it took a special sort of talent to put together the potions and cast the spells, and Metatron had just tossed random ingredients in there as if they had not mattered one whit. Well, as the Angels and humans would find out, the ingredients mattered a great deal. Like the bonding agent Metatron had added at the end, to ensure that the effects would be irreversible. Or so he had thought. But Rowena knew how to remove that bonding agent. It would take the most powerful thing of all to achieve that, but it could be done. And that was what she would lead off with now, as a show of good faith.

But Gail was frowning. How long was this going to take? "How many ingredients are there?" she asked Rowena.

"Seven, of course," Rowena replied, smiling. "The most magical of numbers. Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Contrary Virtues. But first, an ingredient will be required to add to the finished product, to remove the bonding agent."

"Bonding agent?" Gail asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Rowena responded. "The one that Metatron attached to Castiel's essence. Once his essence was infected, the change in him was permanent."

Gail's heart fell to her stomach, but Dean was enraged. "If the change is permanent, then what are we even doing here?" he shouted.

Rowena looked at him, amused. He was kind of sexy when he got angry. "We have to counteract the bonding agent with the most powerful thing we have at our disposal."

We, thought Gail scornfully. Suddenly, we're a team. But at least, Rowena seemed to be cooperating now, though Gail wasn't quite sure why. Was Rowena so desperate for conversation that she was willing to help them for that reason alone? Gail highly doubted that. But she'd play along for now. Then, when they had all the ingredients, Gail would make sure to arrange a trade for Rowena. Maybe Death could agree to send Rowena to Hell. Then she and Crowley could drive each other nuts for eternity. No, Gail hadn't forgiven either one of them.

"We have to treat the infection as humans would treat a tumour," Rowena explained. "We have to send in the troops, as it were. Only the essences of the five Originals, combined together, can remove the bonding agent." Gail stared at her, open-mouthed. Rowena stared back at Gail. "You must obtain a breath each from Castiel, my son, yourself, Metatron, and Lucifer. The essences must be willingly given, and must be collected by you, Gail, as all five of you stand together. Put them in a vial and keep the vial in a safe place until the cure is ready. Then you will add the contents of the vial to the potion and have him drink it."

Sam whistled out loud. He couldn't help himself. Crowley would likely cooperate, but how were they supposed to get Metatron and Lucifer to do that? Were they finished before they even started?

Chuck was sweating profusely, and he doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Hand-to-hand combat was not for wimps, that was for sure. He was exhausted, and he was a little embarrassed about that fact. He'd thought he was in pretty good shape, but obviously, he'd been wrong. And the worst thing of all was his feeling that Cas had gone extremely easy on him.

Cas had, too. They had been sparring under the watchful eyes of Bobby and Frank, but even so, Cas had no particular desire to hurt Chuck. With Chuck's inexperience, it would be like preying on a lamb. Way too easy. But the simulated violence was teasing the Demon, and he was becoming frustrated. He needed a real battle soon, or he was going to explode. He hadn't used his blade for a while now, and he could see it, sitting on the weapons table, calling to him.

"I'm sorry, Cas, but I'm done," Chuck said, panting. He tried to smile. "I'll have to find out if Heaven has a gym, so I can get in better shape for next time." He moved to the side of the room and flopped down in a chair, trying to catch his breath. Bobby handed him a towel, trying not to grin too widely. Lucky he was God; as the elder statesman, and one with considerable powers to boot, Bobby no longer had to worry about keeping himself in shape. Good thing, too. He'd have been a puddle on the floor after the workout Cas just gave Chuck.

Cas looked at Frank. "What do you say, Frank?" he said affably. "Want a bit of exercise?"

Chuck had hung the towel over his head, which was currently between his knees, but he peeked out at Cas now. Unbelievable. Chuck rolled his eyes. If he'd still been a bad guy, he'd be hating Cas's guts right now. Chuck was about to pass out, and not only had Cas not even broken a sweat, he wanted to keep going.

Frank regarded Cas. He hadn't forgotten what had happened the last time they had faced off in this room. Cas had actually stabbed Gail when the two of them were sparring, and though neither of them had seemed particularly bothered about it, it had been disturbing to watch. Cas had healed Gail, of course, but it had looked to Frank that he had taken his sweet time about it for some reason. That had pissed Frank off, and he and Cas had had words about it when Gail had left the room. Then she had come storming back, freaking out, as if she'd thought that the two of them were going to seriously hurt each other, or something. So she'd overreacted, doing her Angel thing to send Frank to the diner and forcing Sam and Dean to come and collect him. At least Dean had gotten a good meal out of it, Frank remembered, smiling.

But Gail was just being silly. Why would Cas hurt Frank? He'd brought Frank back from Hell, hadn't he? If he'd been pissed off at Frank for having killed him in the den that day, all he'd have had to do was leave Frank there. And if he'd done it just for Gail's sake, he wouldn't do anything to hurt Frank now. Whatever Frank might think about Cas personally, or about his and Gail's relationship, he knew that Cas had to know his sister very well by now. Gail had one of the world's longest fuses, but when you got to the end of it? Boom. And every man on Earth or in Heaven knew you could never underestimate the power of an extremely pissed-off woman. Cas wouldn't dare hurt Frank.

Nor would Frank ever want to hurt Cas, either. He wasn't sure he would ever truly like the guy, as he liked Sam and Dean, but he had to have his good points. Look at the way the Winchesters and the Angels backed him. Frank knew he'd had his troubles in Heaven, but that board had sounded like a bad bunch, anyway. From what Frank could see, Cas was well thought of by anybody who really mattered. He obviously had God's endorsement. Frank thought highly of Bobby, both as God and as a man. And Gail had always been a little naive, but she was not stupid. She'd been a good judge of character all her life, and if she loved Cas, he had to have a lot more to him than just good looks and charm.

So Frank smiled at Cas. "Sure. Let's go for a few minutes."

Cas walked over to the weapons table and picked up his blade, thought for a moment, then picked up Gail's, too. No sense putting himself at risk if Frank got a lucky shot in.

"Here," he said, handing Gail's blade to Frank. "It's your sister's. She won't mind."

Frank took it, but he regarded Cas curiously. Why did he insist on using real weapons in training sessions? Well, at least he did with people with experience; with Chuck, it had been simulated weapons only. Maybe the perceived element of danger made it more fun for him. But there could never be any real danger. Unless an Angel received a deliberate thrust right into the chest with an Angel blade, any other wound incurred could be healed immediately. Frank, on the other hand, could be hurt plenty, if Cas had a mind to do so. But Frank didn't believe Cas did, and if Frank were to sustain something incidental, there were two Angels plus God here on standby.

So Cas and Frank faced off, and they began to fight.

Neither man was able to touch the other for a while. They lunged at each other, parried, then sidestepped, and Chuck and Bobby were enjoying the show. It was like a swashbuckling scene from the movies, and what guy didn't enjoy those?

But the Demon in Cas was getting frustrated. Frank was almost too good, and Cas hadn't been able to touch him. Not that he intended to seriously harm Frank, but he did want to cut him a couple of times, to show him who the better man was. He hadn't forgotten how Frank had treated him before, or how Frank had spoken to Gail. But how could he cut him if he couldn't get to him?

Of course. Frank was a human now. If Cas could rile him up, he would make a mistake.

Cas put his hand up. "Just a moment, Frank." He turned his back to Frank and blinked out the blue contacts he'd been wearing. Gail had thoughtfully packed them in the suitcase from home, and she had suggested he put them in before they went to Oliver's. As it turned out, it had made no difference, but he had left them in when he'd known Bobby and Chuck were coming. He'd just now remembered that Frank still thought he was an Angel; maybe if he showed Frank the purple, it would unnerve him. And Cas had a thing or two to say that he was pretty sure would do the trick, also.

He turned back around and looked at Frank. Gail's brother did a double-take when he saw Cas's eyes, and as they resumed fighting, Frank noticed that the purple was growing darker.

"What's with your eyes, Cas?" Frank asked. He was a little unhinged now.

"Just a little variety," Cas said. Then he smiled. "Your sister likes variety."

Frank frowned. He remembered when he'd been here last that Cas had made comments like that from time to time. But he said nothing, just kept fighting.

Cas had seen Frank frown, and his smile grew wider. Time to ratchet it up a bit. "In fact, if you plan on staying here tonight, you may want to wear some earplugs. Gail tends to be very vocal when she's happy."

"Cool it, Cas," Bobby growled. He'd seen Cas's eyes change, and he knew what was going on here. The Demon wanted to play with Gail's brother.

"What's wrong, Bobby?" Cas said, sidestepping Frank's charge. "We're all men here. We all know how good it is." Frank brought the blade down again, but Cas used his arm to block Frank's, then slashed Frank's arm with his own blade. Then he grabbed Frank by the shirt and pulled him closer. "And your sister is very, very good," he said.

Frank lost it then. He stabbed Cas in the shoulder with the blade. "That's for talking smack about my sister. We're done here," Frank said. He took the blade out of Cas's shoulder and let it drop on the floor, then he turned his back on Cas and started to walk away.

Cas's shoulder was bleeding copiously, and he was enraged now. They were just getting started, and this douchebag was walking away? He didn't think so. He rushed after Frank, raising his blade, and stabbed Frank in the back. Frank fell to his knees, and Cas stabbed him again. Then Frank fell forward onto his face. Cas leaned down and rolled him over, watching him closely for signs of movement.

Bobby was rooted to the spot by shock. He was so shocked he literally couldn't move. But Chuck ran over to Cas and grabbed him by the arms, shaking him. "What the hell are you doing, Cas? Heal him, then man up and apologize!" he yelled.

Cas blinked a couple of times, then he looked down at Frank again. What had he done? He fell to the floor and rolled Frank back over, putting his hands on Frank's wounds. But they weren't healing. Why weren't they healing?

Chuck shouldered Cas aside, laying his hands on Frank instead. Maybe Cas's status now had affected his healing abilities. But it wasn't working for Chuck, either. What the hell?

"Bobby, you'd better get over here," Chuck said nervously. But Bobby was just standing there. "Bobby! Get your ass over here!" Chuck yelled. That broke Bobby's paralysis, and he rushed over, dropping to his knees beside Frank. He took one look and he knew, but he checked Frank for vitals, anyway.

Bobby's eyes raised to Chuck's. "He's dead," he said quietly. What were they going to do now?

"We need to talk about this," Sam was saying earnestly. He looked at Oliver. "Can we break the connection while we talk in private, then re-establish it when we're done?"

Oliver shrugged. "I can try. But there are no guarantees."

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting right here," Rowena said lightly. "It's not as if I've got someplace else to go."

Sam, Dean and Gail all looked at each other, and then the men let go of Oliver's and each other's hands. The ball of pink light disappeared, and the room was plunged into darkness again. They heard Oliver's chair scrape on the floor and an instant later, he drew back one of the black drapes, letting in just enough light so that they could see one another's faces again.

"I'll put on a pot of coffee," Oliver said, and he left the room.

Sam had been about to protest that they probably weren't going to stay much longer, but then he shut his mouth. Oliver was giving them a chance to talk in private, something he had been about to request anyway.

Gail was looking down at the piece of paper on which she'd jotted down Rowena's first instruction. "So, we just have to go back to Hell and get Metatron and Lucifer to give us a little of their essence?" she exclaimed shakily. "Piece of cake, right, Dean?"

"Easy peasy," he responded sarcastically.

They all looked at each other, but nobody felt particularly like laughing. "And even if we somehow get the impossible accomplished, we have to come back here and deal with HER seven more times?" Gail lamented. "How long is that supposed to take? And what the hell else will we need to get for this stupid counter-spell, or whatever it is?" But of course, none of them had any answers to the questions she was asking.

"One step at a time," Sam said, sighing. It was a rational enough statement, but he wasn't feeling very rational at the moment. He also wondered how long the process was going to take. He didn't know how much longer he could take living under the same roof with Cas the way he was now. But they had to keep Gail safe from him. He looked at Dean. At least his brother wouldn't have to go back to Lucifer's cage. As much as Sam hated to admit it, Crowley was the best one to escort Gail in this situation. It was a good thing Cas knew what they were trying to do for him now, because Gail would need his cooperation, too. Maybe Crowley could convince Metatron and Lucifer somehow, or maybe he could force them. They were in his Kingdom, after all. But what could you possibly threaten beings in their position with?

Dean reached across the table and took Gail's hand. "We've gotta do what we've gotta do," he told her. "We'll help you any way we can." His face was grim, but he held her hand gently.

Tears prickled at her eyes. "Thanks, Dean. Thanks, Sam. I was hoping this would be a lot simpler, though. You know, one cup sugar, one cup milk, take three eggs and beat them. Well, I guess we're the three eggs, and Rowena's the one doing the beating. She holds all the cards, and she knows it."

"Yeah, but why is she helping us at all?" Dean said. "What's in it for her?"

Sam and Gail had been wondering that too, of course, but they couldn't think of anything they could do for Rowena in her position. Rowena had joked that she wanted "regular visits", but what was the catch?

They talked about it for a few more minutes, but they were getting nowhere closer to figuring it out. And now Gail was feeling the pull. She needed to get back to the bunker. Cas was starting to lose it. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew.

"We've got to get back, you guys," Gail told them. "Sam, can you go get Oliver? We need to wrap this up."

But Oliver was coming back into the room, almost as if he'd been listening outside for just the right time in the conversation to re-enter. Maybe that's how he got to be so psychic, Gail thought dryly. But she knew that he was the real deal. There was no way he could know as much about her and Cas and their personal life if he wasn't. But Rowena had known, too. Was she that much of an open book?

God was not supposed to panic, but Bobby was doing it now. After discovering that Frank was dead, Bobby had faced Cas, prepared to knock him around enough to disarm and subdue him. But all the fight had gone out of Cas now. He let Bobby take his blade, and the two Angels marched him to the bedroom and inside the Devil's Trap.

Then they had left Cas's room and come out to the library area, where Bobby paced the floor.

"What are we gonna do, Chuck?" he asked the Prophet.

Chuck looked at Bobby, then did a double-take. God was asking him what they should do? Shouldn't he know?

"You revive Frank, of course," Chuck said incredulously. "Then you modify his memory, then none of us ever speak of this again. Do you really want Gail finding out about this?"

Bobby stopped short. The truth was, a part of him did want Gail to find out. Then maybe she'd wake up and take a sip of reality juice. You couldn't keep house with a Demon and expect to live like Ozzie and Harriet. Not even like Ozzy and Sharon. If this was what it took to pry her away from Cas, maybe it was for the best. But then he realized he was letting his personal feelings about his own parents cloud his mind. Gail didn't deserve this kind of heartbreak on top of everything else she'd suffered, and Cas had been infected with a disease. This was different.

It was, however, a moot point.

"What I have to say now can never leave this room," he said to Chuck sternly. "I know I told you not to tell any of this to Kevin and Ethan, and I know you did anyway, but this one thing is off limits. If I ever find out you went and told someone, anyone, what I'm about to tell you, I'll kill you myself and send you back down to Hell. And I ain't kidding. Have we got an understanding, Chuck?"

Chuck was alarmed. He could tell that Bobby was deadly serious. "Sure, Bobby, what is it?"

"I can't revive anybody," Bobby told Chuck. "I never could."

Chuck's mouth dropped open. "But...you're God."

"Yes, and no," Bobby replied miserably. "God left me with most of His powers and all of His problems, but He said He was leaving that one out. In fact, He said the only one who..." he trailed off. Bobby did know someone with the power of revival. He had used this power recently, actually, but with mixed results. Cas was still alive, but the dubious manner in which he had been revived was the proximate cause of the dilemma they were facing now. Balls. Could they convince him to do it? Bobby would have to admit to him that, even though he was God, he couldn't do it. And, could they trust him to do it without screwing around this time?

"Wait here," Bobby said to Chuck. He popped out of the bunker and into his office in Heaven, calling Crowley on the Hotline.

They met at the crossroads, and Bobby explained the situation to Crowley.

Crowley wasn't really surprised; he was just surprised it had taken this long. At least it hadn't been a Winchester. And he'd figured that Bobby had been bluffing all along, though he hadn't been sure enough to call God's bluff. Gail had been crazy, though, moving Castiel into the bunker to be in such close proximity with her loved ones. Of course, if Crowley was in her shoes, he wouldn't have been able to stand being alone in that house with Castiel as long as she had. She had obviously cracked under the pressure.

"How's the seance coming?" Crowley asked Bobby innocently. He had been curious as to how Gail would fare with his mother.

"They're not back yet, and that's why we have to hurry," Bobby growled. Not even a reaction. Crowley knew far more about things than he should, or maybe he had just realized Bobby was bluffing when he'd claimed to have the power of revival. Or maybe Crowley just had a soft spot for Dean. In any event, time was of the essence. He'd have to sort out the consequences later.

Castiel was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. He couldn't believe what had just happened. No, what you have just done, he corrected himself. He couldn't semantic his way out of this one. He had killed Gail's brother in cold blood, and while Frank's back was turned. He couldn't even plead self-defense. So Frank had stabbed him in the shoulder, so what? Bobby had healed Cas automatically after declaring Frank dead. Frank had actually showed remarkable self-restraint, in Castiel's opinion. Frank could have taken that blade and moved it about a foot in the other direction and stabbed Cas right in the chest, and the look Frank had had on his face at that moment suggested he'd considered it. Even though that wouldn't have killed Cas, as he was no longer an Angel, Frank didn't know that, did he? But Frank had pulled off at the last second, and Cas had killed Gail's brother like a coward, like an overgrown child who had had a temper tantrum because he'd received a boo-boo in the playground.

The shock of what he'd done had driven the Demon back for the moment, and Castiel had tried to revive Frank. Hadn't that been the main reason he had agreed to let his Brother leave his Demon essence in Castiel in the first place? Crowley had assured them that Castiel would have acquired his power of revival in the transfer. That was what had ultimately persuaded Gail and Castiel to let it stand. But his attempt to revive Frank hadn't worked. Frank was a human now; it should have been easy. All Castiel would have had to do was to touch him, as Crowley had touched Sam and Dean that day in Dallas. Humans didn't need the breath of essence, as otherworldly beings such as Castiel himself had.

Chuck didn't give you enough time, the Demon tried to whisper, but Cas told It to shut up. He thought back to the conversation he and Gail had had with Crowley when they had been considering Castiel's status. Had Crowley ever actually stated outright that the revival power came with the deal, or had he only alluded to it, letting them draw the conclusion they'd wanted to reach?

Cas was sick with guilt now. True, he hadn't thought that Frank was dead, only wounded. But the fact that Frank WAS dead, and Castiel's touch hadn't brought him back, told Cas all he needed to know. They couldn't even blame Crowley, not really. He hadn't even had to lie to them; they had lied to themselves. And now, the dread crept into Cas's stomach. They would kick him out of the bunker, and Gail would hate him. He had no excuse to offer her, and no amount of charm was going to save him this time. She would never even speak to him again, let alone kiss him, touch him, or hold his hand. How was he supposed to exist now? He remembered the dream he'd had. When he'd realized he'd killed Gail in the dream, Cas had taken his blade and killed himself with it. Why should he not just do the same now?

But he had no blade, of course. They had disarmed him after he'd killed Frank. There was a mirror on the dresser across the room, but he couldn't get to it because he was not able to exit the Devil's Trap. The first thing Dean had done after letting him out of it this morning was to repair it. When he and Gail had had their little interlude earlier, it had taken place outside the Trap and away from the bed. He remembered being amused at the time, almost grateful that the bed was inside the Trap; otherwise, God would probably have had to come pounding on the door, as Dean had. But the Trap was his enemy now. If he could just get over there, he could break the mirror and slash his wrists, then stab himself in the chest with the biggest shard. And that would be for the best all around. He was nothing but a burden to them all now, and a dangerous one, at that. It could be Sam or Dean next, maybe even Gail. The Castiel in him screamed in protest against that thought, but he had to be honest with himself, didn't he? She had certainly suffered enough at his hands already, and who knew what other delights the Demon would have in store for her if he lost the fight and It took him over again? And even if he left her alone, she was going to leave him alone once she discovered he'd killed her brother. And he couldn't live without her. She was his whole reason for existing now.

Cas hung his head and started to cry. Nothing to do now but wait until she came back and found out what he'd done.

Chuck and Bobby carried Frank's body out to the field behind the bunker. Crowley still hadn't said he would do it, but he had come back here with Bobby, at least.

"Chuck," Crowley said, nodding at him coolly.

Chuck nodded back. This was so weird. He didn't trust himself to speak. Chuck hated Crowley, but he didn't want to chance saying anything that would raise the King's temper. He had to do this for them. He just had to. Chuck couldn't stand the thought of Gail receiving the devastating news, on top of everything else she had gone through. Everything Cas had put her through. That last thought snuck through, but Chuck pushed it away. Those kinds of thoughts were how the bad feelings started to grow and fester, and he wasn't that guy any more. Who would he be to stand here and judge anyone else?

Crowley looked down at Frank's dead body. He had spent entirely too much time with this guy, both dead and alive. Why should he revive Frank, anyway? Frank hated him, and Crowley felt nothing but antipathy for Frank. Why should he care if Frank was dead? Who was Crowley bailing out here, anyway? Castiel? His Brother deserved everything he would receive over this. Crowley wished he could get into the bunker so he could see Gail smack Castiel in the face and pack her bags. Crowley could hand her a blade if she wanted to exact a little revenge, and he would make sure it was a Demon blade. Maybe whisper a few reminders in her ear about how she'd looked and felt on Christmas morning.

Gail. There was the problem, in a nutshell. Crowley knew that it would break her heart when she found out that her brother was dead, and that it was Castiel who had killed him. Crowley would never admit it, but this thought was what had really brought him here. Her and her damn doe eyes. Once Crowley had stopped trying to control her and make her life miserable, and once Castiel had started doing those things, Crowley had been able to step back and appreciate Gail as the unique individual she was. Tough but tender, wisecracking but vulnerable. She was stronger than anyone gave her credit for; smarter, too. She made him angry sometimes; especially recently, when she had allowed Castiel to sublimate her. But Crowley respected her now, and he admired her tenacity in pursuing the cure. He hoped she'd told his mother a thing or two today.

"What are you smiling about?" Bobby said irascibly.

Crowley snapped out of his reverie and looked down at Frank's body again. He also owed her the debt from the incident with the Demon Tablet, and though Crowley had claimed she'd cashed in her chit when he had healed her at the warehouse, he'd always intended that to be a freebie. She'd really needed it, and frankly, he had enjoyed it. Pity Castiel hadn't allowed him to do it again; he would have lingered a bit longer next time.

But Crowley wasn't going to make it easy. "I want to see Castiel. Bring him out here."

Bobby sighed heavily. What was Crowley playing at now? Was he going to do it, or wasn't he? It was bad enough that the King of Hell now knew that God couldn't revive a housefly. But Bobby also thought that Cas could benefit from looking at Frank's dead body once again. Let him look at what he'd done and agonize over how Gail would feel about it.

"Just a minute," Bobby said, and disappeared.

Chuck was avoiding Crowley's gaze. The King of Hell watched Chuck look at the sky, the trees, and his shoes. Crowley was amused. So, Chuck was a good guy now.

"Boo," Crowley said suddenly, and Chuck started nervously. Crowley smiled. OK, that had been worth the trip out here alone.

Then Bobby was back with Castiel in tow, and Crowley looked at his Brother curiously. He still had those strange purple eyes, but they were misted over, as if he had been crying.

"So this is your handiwork?" Crowley asked him, gesturing to Frank.

Castiel nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Bobby has asked me to revive him," Crowley said evenly. "Do you think I should do it?"

Castiel still said nothing, but Crowley could see the spark of hope flare in his eyes.

"I'm considering it," Crowley continued. "I just need one thing from you."

Bobby and Chuck exchanged glances. Careful, Cas. Wasn't the Bible full of cautionary tales about this sort of thing? But right now, this was something between two Brothers. And yes, Bobby had ended up telling a flabbergasted Chuck about that too, swearing him to secrecy.

"What is it?" Castiel asked Crowley, his voice shaky.

"Beg me," Crowley said. And he was not smiling now.

They stared at each other for a moment, then incredibly, Castiel sank to his knees. "Please, Brother. I beg you," he said, bowing his head.

Crowley looked down, half-amused and half-amazed. He was actually doing it. Crowley wished he had his cell phone with him; he could create a GIF and play it over and over. Demon monster or not, Castiel must love Gail more than life itself. For some reason, that thought annoyed him, and Crowley suddenly felt nauseous at seeing his Brother like this.

"Get up," he snapped, and Castiel rose to his feet but continued to hang his head.

Crowley sighed, then he knelt and put his hand on Frank's head. When Frank began to breathe again, Crowley touched Frank's forehead and modified his memory before Frank could open his eyes.

"There," Crowley said, rising again and dusting off his pants where he'd knelt. "He won't remember anything past arriving here earlier. You'd better get him inside before he wonders what's going on. And tell Gail we are now truly even." Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"All right, Rowena," Gail said once they had brought the witch back from the veil. "We'll proceed as you said. Thank you for the first ingredient." She wanted to sound conciliatory, not give Rowena any reason to get angry. They had not received anything except her word that she would continue to help them, but at least it seemed she had begun to do so. Although how much help the ingredient would be that Rowena had requested remained a mystery, and so did exactly how the hell Gail was supposed to obtain it.

"Believe it or not, even though you did kill me, I bear you no ill will," Rowena lied smoothly. "Women have to stick together, after all, do we not? Just promise me something. Don't let your loyalty become slavery." And about this last part, Rowena was truly sincere. Like her son, Rowena actually did respect Gail in a lot of ways. Pity she had struck a blow for herself by killing Rowena; otherwise, Rowena felt like she could have been a great role model to Gail. Rowena had thrived for centuries, and she had outlived most of her enemies, many of whom had been like her son had been, and like Castiel was now. Men who thought that having a penis gave them the final say in everything that went on in the world. Well, times may be different now, but some attitudes never changed, did they? But Rowena had never let misogyny stop her from doing anything she wanted to do, and she wanted the same for Gail. Full credit to Sam and Dean, though, who had stood down for the most part and let the ladies have their chat. Gail seemed to be taking the lead as far as the cure went, and that was one reason Rowena was helping her. But the main reason was that once Rowena had gotten a look at the list of ingredients Metatron had used, one in particular had caught her eye. If Gail was successful in the Herculean task of obtaining the Originals' essences and then in obtaining the other ingredients she would need, the seventh and final ingredient would be the kicker. Rowena knew that there was no particular order in which the ingredients had to be obtained, so she would save that one for the last. Knowing she was only one ingredient away from the spell that would end her suffering, Gail would have no choice but to acquiesce. And if Gail could somehow pull off the other ingredients, Rowena would be able to walk the earth again. And then God help any being, man or woman, who tried to stand in her way.