Chapter 4 - The Enemy Within
Rowena watched as Bobby walked back into the castle, and the Angels stood from the bench and began to walk towards the souvenir stands out on the promenade. She smiled, despite herself. Angels, looking at vampiric souvenirs? The idea was amusing.
She'd arrived here in Romania this morning. She had known where the group her son would call the God Squad was right away, and she had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Bobby alone. But so far, he had stayed right in the midst of everyone. The humans didn't worry Rowena, and neither did Chuck, even though she should probably not let Chuck see her. As far as Rowena was aware, he had never figured out her true identity, and she would just as soon keep it that way. But she'd really wanted to avoid Castiel, if she could. He was the only one in that group who might pose a real threat to Rowena, although Gail might be a more formidable foe these days, also.
But now that those two Angels were separating from the group, Rowena saw her chance. She adjusted the black wig she was wearing and began to walk down the promenade towards the castle. When Cas and Gail approached her, walking hand in hand, she averted her head. They weren't looking her way, anyway. And then they passed by her, and she continued on towards the castle. She turned her head briefly, just to make sure that they were continuing on, and someone bumped into her, hard. She turned back angrily, opening her mouth to hex the individual.
"So, the rumours are true, then. Hello, Mother," Crowley said.
"You two need your fortunes read."
As Cas and Gail were walking down the promenade, a Rom woman grabbed Cas by the arm. She had been sitting on a lawn chair in front of her tent, just waiting for some gullible tourists to go by. She made quite a good living pitching her tent here a few times a week, telling fortunes for people who wanted to hear spooky things from a real Romanian gypsy. Either that, or it was a group of girls, wanting to know who their husbands were going to be, or who might secretly love them. In any event, Rupa knew how to read her clients, and what they were looking for.
But her heart had skipped a beat when she'd seen these two. She may be a charlatan as far as the tourists were concerned, but Rupa was a full-blooded Rom going back many generations, and she knew her lore. She just didn't waste her real talents on the tourists, because none of them really wanted a true fortune, anyway. But these two were Angels, seeking to defeat Lucifer, and there were some very hard things that they needed to hear.
So Rupa had stood from the chair and seized Cas's arm.
He looked at her, startled. She was a short woman, almost as short as Gail, but her eyes were darker, almost Demon black, and her gaze was penetrating. The woman was dressed in stereotypical gypsy fashion. She must think that he and Gail were tourists. Maybe things had been slow, and she was looking to drum up some business.
But when he grasped her hand to remove it from his arm, she repeated, "You and your wife need your fortunes told. You face many challenges ahead. Even when you resolve the current one, the sources of the next few may surprise you."
Cas laughed shortly. "While what you say is no doubt accurate, it is also a very general, sweeping statement. We are not the people you seek."
"No, Castiel?" Rupa retorted. Suddenly, when he had put his hand on hers, she had known his name, and that of his wife.
Cas's eyes flashed briefly. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rupa," she replied. "I am a Rom, and my family goes back many generations. Family lore says that we were here during the time of Vlad Tepes himself. I have the gift, as did my mother, and her mother before her. I just don't waste it on the tourists. Come in, and I will lay the cards for you and Gail."
Cas looked at Gail. This reminded him of the time that they had gone into the tent at the fair. Only that time, it had been Oliver there, and he had been waving a gun around, ranting about Lucifer. This woman was calm, but she was oddly insistent.
Gail was thinking of Oliver as well, but she was also thinking of Quinn. This woman could very well be legitimate. She had known their names. Maybe they should at least listen to what she had to say. Gail nodded at Cas, and the two of them followed Rupa into her tent.
Before they sat down, Cas opened his jacket to show the psychic his Demon knife. "I also have other types of weapons," he told her calmly. "And if you are who you claim, you know that both myself and my wife have otherworldly powers, as well." He was thinking not only of Demons, but Leviathans, who had the ability to shapeshift.
Rupa sat down behind the table. "I mean you no harm, Castiel," she said. "Please. Sit."
Cas pulled out the other chair for Gail, and then he sat down himself. Rupa smiled. "Old-world manners," she remarked. "You don't see that very often, these days." She peered closer at the couple. "Actually, with your colouring, either one of you could be part Rom. Mind you, you've been many people over the years, haven't you, Castiel? And you, Gail? I feel that you have, as well."
"We have to be somewhere shortly," Cas said, tight-lipped. He still wasn't certain about this.
"I understand," Rupa said. "I will read you, first." She extended a deck of Tarot cards to Cas. "Pick one, please, and place it face down on the table." Cas did so, and then Rupa extended the cards to Gail. "Please pick the second card for your husband," the psychic said to her. Gail did, and she put the card she had picked on the table next to the one Cas had picked.
Rupa touched the card Cas had chosen. "Matthew did not commit suicide," she told him gravely, and his eyes widened.
"What? How do you know that?" he exclaimed.
"I am Rom," Rupa said, shrugging.
"What happened to him, then?" Cas demanded. "Was he murdered?"
"I can only tell what I see," she replied. "That is all I see. Now, I will read you."
"Fergus," Rowena said sweetly. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Sightseeing," he said shortly. "I would ask the same of you. You're supposed to be in the Netherworld."
"I have friends in high places," Rowena said pertly. She looked him up and down. "And in low ones, as well." She smiled. She hadn't expected to come face to face with him this soon, but this might be kind of fun. She always did like winding him up. "So, have you picked a side yet, Fergus?" she asked him airily.
Crowley rolled his eyes. "For the millionth time, it's Crowley. I'm the King of Hell, Mother. That's which side I'm on."
She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really? Because the last time I heard, the Angel Gail was wearing your bollocks for earrings."
Crowley laughed without humour. "You're wrong about that. I'll admit that there was a time I was a little too helpful to the Angels. But that time has passed. I have aligned myself with Lucifer now. Actually, I'm surprised you're not in bed with Lucifer, yourself. And I'm not just speaking metaphorically."
"I did spend a short time in his employ," Rowena sniffed disdainfully. "But he's a paper tiger. A tin god. I follow no man, Fergus. If you want some free advice, I would be very careful with him, if I were you."
"Thank you for that oh-so-helpful advice, Mother," Crowley said sarcastically. It was advice he surely didn't need. If she thought for one minute that he trusted Lucifer, she didn't know her son very well. Lucifer thought that Crowley was here on his behalf. The Devil was physically unable to get anywhere near the Tablets because of the warding, so he had asked the King of Hell to go, instead. And that was just fine with Crowley. Not that it was any of his mother's business, of course.
Rupa turned over the first card. "The Knight of Swords," she announced, tapping her fingernail on the card. "Violence is your way."
Cas nodded sadly. Unfortunately, that was true.
"But," Rupa continued, "this card can also represent the start and the end of hostility, or conflict."
He frowned. He'd been hoping to hear more than just generalities or platitudes from this woman. One could interpret that statement in many different ways. He and Gail appeared to be on the verge of ending their hostilities with Metatron, if he truly had changed. On the other hand, they had recently renewed hostilities with Crowley. Castiel hoped they were nearing the end of their hostilities with Lucifer, once their quests were successful. But again, he was the one who was supplying the interpretation.
"You can be perceived as being emotionless, but nothing could be further from the truth," Rupa went on. "Rather, you suppress your emotions. You are afraid of your feelings, because you feel things too strongly."
Gail smiled thinly. She could totally see that. Luckily, he didn't seem to do that so much with her any more.
"You have always been capable of making the hard choices, because you refuse to back down from what is right," Rupa said, "but your rage can get out of control if you allow it to. There is a difference between revenge and righteousness, Castiel. You will do well to remember that, when the time comes."
Cas regarded her curiously. Now she was zeroing in on his personality more specifically. She was still being rather vague, but what she'd said resonated with him strongly.
"There will be a wedding in the New Year," Rupa said.
Now Cas was losing his patience. This was the kind of thing he would expect to hear from someone's aunt, at a child's birthday party. He looked at Gail. "Let's go," he said to her, and he made to rise.
Rupa slammed her hand down on the table. "I have not finished, Castiel!"
Cas was so startled that he plunked back down in his chair. The psychic's eyes were blazing now. "You think that I am a fraud, but I am not," she said coldly. "I see many things, Castiel. Too many for you to even comprehend." She looked at Gail. "Your sister-in-law needs to go to that doctor." Then she looked back at Cas. "And, your brother is closer than you think. He means to take the object that you seek." Rupa sat back in her chair, folding her arms. "Now, will you remain for the rest of your reading?"
Gail gasped, and Cas looked at her. She told him quickly and quietly what Frank had told her about Jody. And the psychic was telling them that Crowley was nearby, looking to steal the Hell Tablet? "That, I could totally believe," Gail said to him.
She looked at Rupa. "We apologize. Please continue."
"So you'll be here for the Tablet, of course," Rowena said to her son. He looked at her in surprise. "Yes, I know all about those," she said casually. "And I also know that Lucifer can't get near them. So I suppose he's sent you here to fetch it for him."
Crowley was angry. "I do not play fetch, Mother. I am a King."
"Yes, of course you are, dearie," Rowena said soothingly. Then she crouched down for a moment. "Here, King. Here, Boy," she said, mockingly, as if calling for a dog.
Crowley's eyes flashed red. He waved his hand and Rowena stood back up, then she staggered back from him a bit. Sometimes she forgot that her son had some daunting powers of his own. Maybe she had better conclude this conversation before he remembered that, too.
"So, you are here to obtain the Tablet for Lucifer, then?" she persisted, rephrasing her prior question.
Crowley chuffed a breath. "Ostensibly."
Rowena eyed him. "And what does that mean?"
"Ostensibly: adverb. Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually," he said sarcastically. "I believe that's Webster's definition of the word."
"And now, we will look at the card your wife chose for you," Rupa said to Cas. She turned it over. "Oh. The King of Wands."
Gail gave Cas a small smile. "I must have had our wizard book series on the brain when I chose that one," she said to him.
"This card represents a natural leader and commander," Rupa told them. "When he talks, people listen. He is much more compassionate than people realize; he simply doesn't get the chance to demonstrate that quality as much, because he's always being thrust into contentious situations. He has a deep and innate respect for those who have earned his respect, and for the beliefs systems of others." She gave the couple a tight smile. "I would have been able to tell that this was the card your wife had picked, even if I hadn't seen her do so with my own eyes," Rupa said to Castiel. "These two cards represent the duality of your nature. You see yourself as a violent individual, whereas your wife sees you as a great and respected leader. But, you both recognize your unlimited capacity for love, and compassion."
Cas and Gail were clasping hands and smiling warmly at each other now. Cas was very happy. Gail was demonstrating her love for him again now, and apparently, she even did so subconsciously. She had taken the worst quality he saw in himself and turned it into a positive thing. She believed that he was actually the version of himself that he wanted to be, the best version.
"But," Rupa said, suppressing the urge to smile herself, " sometimes he injects himself into situations where his assistance isn't actually needed, and sometimes, he can make things worse, by doing what he thinks is the right thing to do. And, he always thinks that what he's doing is the right thing to do."
Gail's lips were twitching now, as she tried to prevent her smile from turning into a grin. "Oh, well, the cards giveth, but then they taketh away," she quipped. She looked at Rupa. Now the fortune teller was talking her language.
Cas was looking askance at both women now. Was he sure they didn't know each other? If he didn't know better, he would swear that Gail had put the psychic up to that last part.
"But, the bottom line is that you are the Warrior of Light, Castiel. You will always stand up for the people and the principles that matter to you the most."
Gail squeezed her husband's hand. "'The Warrior of Light'," she repeated. "I really like that, Cas. It sounds noble, and wonderful."
He looked at her doubtfully. It did, though, didn't it? Was that supposed to be him? How could he possibly live up to Gail's lofty expectations of him?
"Once you have all of the items you need, you will have to go back to the Bible," Rupa continued. "The end, to the very beginning, and back to the very end. The path will be thorny, but it must be traversed."
"I know what 'ostensibly' means, Fergus," Rowena said with a touch of irritation. "So, what do you plan to do with the Tablet once you obtain it?"
"Lucifer wants me to destroy it," Crowley replied in a casual tone. "If even one of the Tablets is no more, the chain will be broken, and he can never be encaged again."
"Are you sure you're not an Angel?" Gail quipped, looking at the psychic. "What does any of that even mean?"
Rupa regarded her evenly. The girl's heart was in the right place, she knew, but she obviously still had a lot to learn about the way that things worked in their world. She would be learning soon, that was for sure. Castiel was experienced with hard lessons, but Gail had a lot of catching up to do. Like, thousands of years' worth.
The Rom woman extended the deck of Tarot cards across the table. Gail picked a card out of the deck and put it face down on the table, then Cas did the same.
Rupa looked at Gail. "You and your husband have concealed things from each other in the past," the Rom woman said to her. "You feel that I am too enigmatic? Well then, here is some plain talk for you, my girl. If you endeavour to practice dark magic behind Castiel's back, you will lose him."
"Which would be the best case scenario for HIM, of course," Crowley continued. "But Lucifer's off his nut. This is the Hell Tablet we're talking about. That's my realm, not his. That won't be happening. It was the Demon Tablet that set him free in the first place. I made a mistake there. I freely admit that now. I just sat on the damn thing. I had it in my possession, and I did nothing with it. It was used by others to attempt to destroy me, and then it was destroyed. But now, I have a second chance. A while back, one of my former acolytes accused me of being reactive instead of proactive, and I've decided that he was right. I'm not going to destroy the bloody thing. Why would I?"
Gail stared at Rupa. Was the woman nuts? "Dark magic?" she retorted. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm an Angel!" She looked at Castiel. "She's full of - "
"I said, IF," Rupa said loudly. "So...what? Suddenly, my plain talk is not what you desire? I was not accusing you of doing it, I was merely cautioning you against the temptation to do it."
Gail laughed shortly. "Oh. Well. All right, then. I don't think there's much danger of that."
Rupa gazed at her steadily. It was to be denial, then, was it? Although, to be fair, they hadn't gotten there, yet. Gail had not yet been confronted with the type of desperate situation that would lead her to consider the darkest magic of all. But she would, Oh, yes. She would.
She turned over the card that Gail had chosen for herself, and her eyebrows shot up. The High Priestess! It was extremely rare for anyone to select this card, especially for themselves. As the cards were shuffled and presented face down, it would be easy enough to believe that they were chosen at random. But the cards chose the picker, just as the wands chose their owners in that book series about witchcraft that the Angels somewhat incongruously enjoyed. Rupa's entire belief system was based on the premise that none of this was random.
"Much of your power and ability is still shrouded in mystery," she told Gail. "But you have demonstrated that you can use your powers on yourself to transform yourself, if you truly believe that such a thing is possible."
Gail kept herself from rolling her eyes, through sheer will power. "Sounds like Disney, or something," she said, with just a touch of disdain. Was that even real, or was that just like one of those so-called affirmations that Gail and Chuck used to make fun of?
"Intuition is very powerful within you," the Rom woman continued, seemingly oblivious to Gail's sarcasm. Okay, Gail had to admit that statement was certainly true. She'd had psychic powers herself, when she had first met Cas and the Winchesters, and been thrust into this world. And even though those powers had largely dissipated, she still got very strong intuitions from time to time, and she could not recall an instance when they'd ever been wrong.
"Everything you need to know already exists within you," Rupa went on.
Now, Gail did roll her eyes; she couldn't help it. "Really?" she said irritably. "What is this, a reading, or a Tony Robbins infomercial?"
The Rom woman was staring at Gail now, and her expression went very dark.
"One of the people you love the most will die soon," Rupa snarled viciously. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you that anxious to have your heart broken?"
Then the psychic looked at Castiel, and Gail's heart flew into her mouth. Surely she couldn't mean...? No, she was just saying that to be spiteful now, because Gail had disrespected her and her fortune-telling. Maybe even her culture. But did she have to be so mean about it? Then again, Gail had chosen to come in here in the first place, hadn't she?
"I apologize," she said to the woman. "I promise I'll listen quietly."
Rupa nodded. That was better. After a moment, she said, "You can be passive-aggressive, sometimes."
Yeah, no kidding, Gail thought. Like right now. I'm just sitting here, when I should be getting up and walking out of this tent, and away from all this nonsense. But she felt compelled to stay to the end now, just to see what else the woman was going to say.
Rupa looked at Gail sharply, almost as if she was reading her thoughts now, too. But then the psychic said in a calm voice, "Sometimes, goals can be achieved through inaction, as well. Yours and your husband's qualities balance each other very nicely. You are the yin to his yang, in many respects. Castiel tends to want to act first and discuss the validity of his decisions later, but that type of rash behaviour can frequently carry consequences. On the other hand, you are very much different, Gail. Fear of making a bad decision can paralyze you, so much so that you will often retreat, opting to make no decision at all. But that is not the way, either. You will be called upon to make some hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead, and many times, no decision can be just as bad as the wrong decision."
Rupa's gaze was penetrating as she stared at Gail. "You have an innate dark side, one that has existed in you since birth. That is another dubious quality that you and your husband share. But his was born of Original Sin, jealousy and homicide, and fostered during the Angel Wars. Yours is hereditary, my girl, and it has been brought out to flourish in your current incarnation, stirred by the Demon blood that you received years ago from the King of Hell himself. But if you learn how to harness that quality, as your husband is learning now, you can put it to use for the side of Good."
The Rom woman now included Cas in her stare. "Soon, the world will descend into chaos, and it will appear as if Evil has won. But you must not lose sight of who you are, and why you are here. You must dance to your own music, not the Devil's."
"The Hell Tablet belongs to me," Crowley told his mother. "Not the Angels, not Lucifer. Me. I will let them lead me to it, and then I will have it for myself."
Rowena was impressed. That was more like it. Seemingly, her son still did have his bollocks, after all. "I can help you, if you like," she said to him.
"You?" he scoffed. "The only reason you're still alive right now is because of all these humans around us. I don't want anything alerting our merry little band to my presence before they lead me to that Tablet. But once I am in possession of it, I would stay well away, if I were you."
"I can help, Fergus," she insisted. "I have ways to deal with the Angels that you do not."
"See, right there," Crowley said, tight-lipped. "Right there, you might have convinced me to give you a listen, if you hadn't called me Fergus. You will call me 'Majesty', just before I lop off your head. Or maybe I'll just go old school and burn you at the stake. I've had some success with that method in the past. I guess you don't remember." He smiled to himself at the memory. After he'd done it to Guinevere, he'd had her handmaiden trussed up and thrown on the fire, just for good measure. Just for having red hair and a Scottish accent.
Rowena shrugged. "Suit yourself, then. I could be of assistance to you, though. You seem to forget, I'm a very powerful witch."
Crowley laughed shortly. "No, what you are is a treacherous, back-stabbing bitch. Enjoy the remainder of your short life, Mother."
Then he walked away from her and she stared after him, open-mouthed. Rowena had never admired her son more than she did at that moment.
"And now, we will look at the card that your husband chose for you," Rupa said to Gail.
Despite the gravity of what the psychic had just said, Cas smiled, and his stomach fluttered. He still loved it when he and Gail were referred to as husband and wife. He would never tire of hearing that, and he would never take it for granted.
Rupa turned over the card, and then she smiled, too. "The Queen Of Cups. Once again, I'm not surprised you picked this card for your wife, Castiel. You obviously love her very much."
Cas took Gail's hand in his as Rupa looked at Gail. "You reflect others' qualities back to them, so they can see themselves as they truly are. Yet, you yourself remain a mystery to many people, in many ways. Even to your own husband, sometimes. In fact, sometimes your secrets are invisible even to yourself, and your motivations are occasionally a mystery. Just when people think they have you figured out, you constantly surprise them."
Cas continued to smile. "All of that is certainly true," he said, looking at Gail. "Life with you is never dull. You are constantly surprising me."
She lifted an eyebrow to him, wondering if that was his diplomatic way of saying that nobody really knew why the hell she was the way she was, half of the time. Well, at least now, she had an excuse. Hey, the gypsy said.
But Cas was looking a little too happy right now, and Gail looked at him suspiciously. He would also have an excuse, then, wouldn't he? My wife is crazy. Hey, the gypsy said.
"I'd be very careful about the next words that come out of your mouth, if I were you," she told Cas, but now she was smiling, too. How could she not? He was adorable.
Cas was thinking the exact same thing about Gail, and Rupa was looking at the both of them now, regretting that she'd been so blunt with them before. But the cards said what they said, and the future was hardly going to be all hearts and flowers. It never would be for these two, no matter how much in love they were.
Still, the psychic's expression softened as she addressed Gail again: "You attract others to you, because your real beauty lies in the purity of your spirit."
"Once again, the cards are entirely accurate," Cas remarked. He was beaming now, very glad that was the card he had chosen for her. The psychic was describing the best qualities in her now, the way that Cas saw them.
"Oh. Well, I guess I can quit moisturizing, then," Gail quipped, "if my true beauty lies within." She was a little embarrassed now. She wasn't used to hearing things like that about herself.
"You have wondrous fantasies, and a vivid imagination," Rupa continued. Gail smiled to herself. Maybe she was the one who should be writing scripts for the Supernatural movie. Boy, could she give them some plotlines.
Rupa was frowning now. "But, be careful that your dreams are not ones that are out of reach," she cautioned Gail.
Gail gave Cas's hand a squeeze. "No worries there," she said softly. "I've already got my dream, and he's sitting right here next to me."
Cas's heart melted. "I'm so glad you feel that way," he told her.
Rupa scooped up the cards, reuniting them with the rest of the deck. "Our time here is at a close. So I will leave you with one more word of advice. The heart may see farther, but sometimes, you have to look with your eyes."
Cas and Gail looked at each other quizzically. Cas was the master when it came to enigmatic statements, but he couldn't hold a candle to this woman.
Rupa smiled. "It takes evil to find evil, Castiel. Good luck, and Godspeed to you and Gail."
The Angels stood and left the tent. The light snow had stopped, but the sky had become even more overcast. "We'd better get back and rejoin the others," Cas said. "It's going to get dark fairly early. We will go for dinner, and then we will come back when the place is closed to the public. I'm fairly confident we'll be able to get the Tablet tonight, because I feel sure it's in there." He looked down at Gail. "And then, we'll make sure that Jody goes to the doctor, when we get back home."
Gail nodded. "I was going to do that, anyway. I'm sure she meant what she said about getting it checked out, but we've got to make sure that she does. I hope she's not too mad at Frank for telling me."
Cas shrugged. "We'll be discreet about it. But I would rather have her angry than...well, let's just say that it beats the alternative."
"What about all those dire warnings she was giving us, Cas? Someone close to me is going to die? Crowley wants to get his hands on the Tablet? Now that one, I could totally see," Gail said, making a face.
"I will deal with him," Cas said grimly. "He is dreaming if he thinks that's going to happen."
"And what about all that other stuff, Cas?" she asked him worriedly. "What about the world descending into chaos, and not dancing to the Devil's music?"
Cas's lips pursed. He'd been thinking about that, too. Out of all of the things that Rupa had said to them, that one had arguably been the most troubling. He sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"How accurate do you think all of that was, Cas?" she persisted.
"It's hard to say," he said mildly. "As we both know, it's a very inexact science." But now, he wasn't being straight with her. Cas felt certain that every word the Rom woman had uttered was the truth. But Gail had her own worry line etched into her forehead now. He bent down to kiss it away, then took her hand again, leading her towards the castle.
They found their group in the main salon, just finishing up the tour.
"Where have you guys been?" Frank asked them.
"We went for a walk along the Promenade," Cas told him. "You know how your sister likes cool, fresh air."
"Oh, you were 'walking'," Dean said, smirking. "Right."
"Whatever, Dean," Gail said, rolling her eyes.
Dean glanced briefly behind his shoulder. "I hope my buddy Ass-Laugh doesn't work the night shift," he said, lowering his voice. "He followed us on the tour, giving me the stink-eye the whole time."
"Gee, Dean, I can't imagine why," Gail retorted. "Maybe it's because you keep calling him 'Ass-Laugh'." She pointed a finger at her friend. "And don't start with me. I don't want to start laughing again."
"Is there a problem here?" Suddenly, Aslaf was looming behind Dean, frowning down at Gail. This was the woman who had made such a spectacle of herself earlier, and there was just something about these two that rubbed the security guard the wrong way.
Gail looked up at him. Wow. He WAS a big one.
"No, no problem," Dean said nervously.
"Well then, I suggest you move along," Aslaf said.
"What do you mean?" Gail said irritably. "We're just standing here talking. We're not bothering anyone."
"Gail..." Dean said warningly.
"What?" she shot back. "We're not doing anything wrong!" she said to the guard.
"You were creating a disturbance earlier," the man said to her. "Bothering everyone." He put his hand on her arm. "Move along, please," he repeated.
"Get your paw off of me," Gail protested. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"Gail..." Dean said again. Man, she was gonna get him killed. "Let's just do what the man says."
"No, Dean!" she said stubbornly. "There's no reason for us to go anywhere." She looked up at Aslaf. "Go harass someone else," she said defiantly. "We'll move when we're good and ready."
Dean winced. He saw Aslaf's expression darken. Oh, holy mother of crap. So, this was how he was going to die.
"What's the trouble?" Cas said. "What's going on?" He had been talking with Frank and Jody, but when he'd looked over and seen the security guard's hand on Gail's arm and heard her voice raise, he had come over right away.
"Dean and I were just standing here talking, and this guy's harassing us," Gail complained to him.
Cas looked up at Aslaf. Yes, this man was a very large individual. But, so had Goliath been. "You will take your hand off my wife immediately," Cas ordered Aslaf. His eyes flashed bright blue for a moment, startling the man, who took his hand from Gail, but stood his ground. Cas continued to stare up at him. "Do not test me," Cas said quietly. "It is you who will move along. Now."
After a moment, the security guard turned around and walked away. Dean breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow. I knew you could tame the animals, but this is ridiculous," he said to his friend. "I thought for sure he was going to wipe the floor with me. I was about to give Sammy my Last Will and Testament." He glared at Gail. "And you weren't gonna be in it."
"Me? Why?" she said, annoyed. "Why are you mad at me? What did I do?"
"Maybe you shouldn't be standing there sassing some guy who could wear my guts for suspenders," Dean shot back.
"You? But it was me who was - how did you put it? - 'sassing' him," Gail replied.
"First rule of bar fights," Dean offered up to the group.
"Doesn't matter what the woman says or does, it's the guy she's with that's gonna get the snot beat out of him," Bobby piped up.
"Thanks, Bobby," Dean nodded, looking at Gail. "What he said."
She stared at him. Was that true? She looked at Cas, who was also nodding, albeit reluctantly. "Unfortunately, that is true," he told her. Then he looked at Dean. "But you know we all would have backed you up, Dean."
"It would have TAKEN all of you, too," Dean wisecracked.
"I'm sorry, Dean. I never thought of it like that," Gail said, putting her hand on his arm.
"That's OK, we'll just sic Cujo there on him if he bothers us again," Dean told her, nodding at Cas.
"Look out, Dean, he's coming back," Sam said, pointing.
Dean grabbed Gail and dragged her out of the room as the others laughed. He hadn't been coming, of course; Sam just hadn't been able to resist.
They all walked outside. Cas looked over at the parking lot, brow furrowed. "I suggest we go back to the hotel for a good supper," he said. "Then we will change into dark clothing and Sam and Dean can bring whatever tools they think we'll need." He frowned. "And based on our earlier experience, I would also recommend bringing as many weapons as we can possibly carry."
Bobby extended his hand to Dean. "Keys," he said shortly. Dean stared at him. "Give 'em here," Bobby said. "I meant what I said earlier."
Dean sighed and dug into his pocket, forking over the keys to the Aston Martin.
"Gail, Cas, and Chuck, let's go," Bobby said, smiling.
But Cas shook his head. "It's all right, I'll take Dean and Sam and Jody and Frank back the Angel way." He smiled at Gail. "You and Chuck should have your ride in the 'cool' car."
"What about the TR7?" Frank asked.
"I don't think anyone should be driving it," Cas replied. "It seems too dangerous. Once we get the Tablet, we will contact the car rental agency and let them know where they can find it. That will have to do."
"It's all right, Cas, I don't care about the so-called 'cool car'," Gail said. She took his hand. "I think I'll just stick with the cool guy, instead."
Cas smiled so widely he almost dimpled, but Dean pretended to look around. "Cool guy?" he asked her. "Where?"
"Perhaps if we run into Aslaf tonight, you'll be able to deal with him on your own, then," Cas said archly, and everyone laughed again. Even Dean had to smile. Cas was getting a lot quicker with the quips these days. He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "OK, Cas," he said. "Good one. Let's go."
They were back in the dining room of the hotel, and Klara was fussing over them. The food kept coming, but everyone was sticking to soft drinks and coffee, even Dean. Klara had inquired about that fact, and they'd told her that they had overindulged that afternoon at a pub near the castle. She had smiled sympathetically, then left the subject alone.
Because Dean wasn't drinking, he had piled his plate high, and he was clearly enjoying his meal. At one point, Jody glared at him.
"What's the matter, Jodes?" he said, around a mouthful of food.
"Maybe swallow first, then ask me," she shot back.
He grinned, chewing with his mouth open just to annoy her further.
"Would you quit masticating so loudly?" Jody exclaimed. She'd chosen her words very carefully, of course.
Dean gave her a rare triple-take. "Quit...what?" he asked her, looking agitated.
"The more appropriate question might be: how does she know about that?" Chuck quipped.
"Well, she and Frank do have the room next to his," Sam chipped in, highly amused. He and Jody and Chuck started to laugh.
Jody had phrased it that way on purpose, of course. Before she had uttered her comment, the mood at the table had been very subdued. She had looked around the table and seen a bunch of tight, tense expressions. Jody had never worked well when she had been strung that tight, and she was pretty sure this group would be the same, based on the way they usually bantered with each other. So she had been looking to inject a little levity into the proceedings.
Gail was also laughing, and her eyes had pooled with tears from laughing so hard. She had stood to reach past Frank to get the butter to pass to Dean, and when she went to sit back down, she missed her chair entirely. She plunked down on the floor beside Frank, making him laugh, too. Cas dove for her, but she was still laughing, and she pulled him down on top of her when she clutched at him.
"Get a room, you guys," Sam said, grinning.
"Or, at least wait until after dinner," Dean piped up.
Jody was smiling. She hadn't expected all of this, but she'd gotten pretty much what she'd been hoping for. As Cas and Frank picked Gail up off the floor and deposited her into her chair, everyone at the table was laughing and smiling now.
"This day will henceforth be known as the day that Dean made Gail laugh so hard that she literally fell off her chair," Jody announced to the table.
"So let it be written, so let it be done," Frank added, grinning.
Cas smiled at the couple, realizing what they were doing. He appreciated their efforts to raise the morale at the table. He himself had been deep in thought about a number of things. What would they encounter when they got to the castle? How many more monsters from Purgatory were out there? And, most frightening of all, how many Leviathans?
He was hoping that Jody was right, and that Gail falling off her chair would truly be the thing that stood out about this day. That, and getting the Tablet, of course.
Cas looked at Gail. "Are you all right, my love?" he asked her.
"I'm fine, Cas," she replied. "My bum's a little sore, but the only thing that really took a hit was my dignity. I'm surprised you're even willing to go anywhere in public with me anymore, though," she continued. "I've certainly done my best to embarrass you today."
"You could never embarrass me," he said softly. He took her hands in his. "Just promise me you'll be very careful when we go out there. Don't hesitate to yell for help if you need it. OK?"
"I won't, Cas," she assured him. Gail knew what he was thinking, and she'd been thinking about it, too. She was sure that the monsters they'd encountered here at the hotel wouldn't have been the only ones. Also, the Rom fortune teller had advised that Crowley was near, looking to take the Tablet for himself. It was funny; Gail had started out hating and fearing him early on in her life, but eventually, their relationship had changed. There had been so many times that Crowley had been on the fringes of their group as a de facto ally that Gail had nearly forgotten who, or what, he truly was. Had there really been a time when she had felt warmth towards him? Yes. Admittedly, there had been. But the King of Hell was a confusing individual, arguably even more mysterious than Castiel, or even Gail herself. Deep down in her heart of hearts, she still believed that Crowley wasn't as black-hearted as he wanted everyone to believe. But she knew she had better not take that as a given, or underestimate him, or even have any expectations that any affection he might have felt for her centuries ago would save any of them today. If he had dropped the torch on her, he wouldn't hesitate to do it again, to her or any one of them.
"Excuse me," Jody said. She put her napkin on top of her plate and stood from the table.
Gail stood, too. "If you're going to the ladies' room, I'll come with," she said, trying to sound casual.
But that didn't fly, of course. "Since when do you go to the ladies' room?" Dean asked Gail, giving her a curious look.
"Since it was none of your business," she shot back.
Frank was looking at her strangely, but he said nothing, nor did Cas, who thought he might know why Gail wanted to talk to Jody in private. Cas had remained seated when Gail stood, which was a fairly recent innovation. He still pulled her chair out for her when she went to sit down anywhere, but Gail had talked to him a few times about popping up and down like a jack-in-the-box whenever she exited a room and then came right back. His old-school manners were one thing that had endeared him to her from the very beginning, but Gail had started to feel like it was becoming very onerous on him. She'd quipped that his knees were going to give out by the time they celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. So Cas didn't do it any more, even though it went against his instincts.
Gail and Jody began to walk to the washroom. But as soon as they were out of view of their table, Gail stopped short.
"I forgot, I need to ask Cas something," she said to Jody. "You go on ahead. I was only going to wash my hands, anyway."
Jody gave her a peculiar look, but said, "OK," and continued on to the washroom.
Gail looked around wildly. There was no one in sight. She winked herself outside, to the back lawn of the hotel.
"It's about time," Jason said irritably.
Gail frowned, but she said nothing. Her eyes glazed over now, as soon as they looked into his. She had no idea why she'd had the compulsion to come out here like this. Why on earth was she not trying to kill Jason, or calling for Cas to help her? But all she did was just stand there, and when Jason approached her and pulled down the neck of her sweater, she still did nothing.
Jason fed, and then he said into her ear, "If your group finds the Tablet tonight, you will prevent them from taking it to the bunker. Sabotage the mission. Do you understand?"
Sabotage the mission? Was he nuts? But he looked into her eyes and she nodded.
"And another thing," Jason added. "Next time I feel hungry, you will call me, not the other way around. And maybe we'll arrange for Castiel to be there, just so he can see. What good is me having an affair with his wife if he doesn't find out about it?"
"We're not having an affair," Gail protested, spitting out the words. But she still didn't move. "You're disgusting."
"If I'm so disgusting, then why don't you leave?" Jason sneered. Then he smiled. "It's because you can't. You're mine, now."
Gail's stomach churned. "No, I'm not," she protested weakly. But then, why couldn't she move? Why didn't she call out for help?
Jason threw his head back and laughed, and Gail's stomach did another roll. It was a good thing she'd hardly eaten, or she'd be throwing up right now. She could see her blood on his fangs. What was she going to do? He was right; she couldn't leave, she couldn't raise a hand to him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about this, because the instant Jason left here, she would forget that it had ever happened.
"I'll see both you and your husband, very soon," Jason said. Then he turned his back on her and flew away.
Crowley was sitting in a pub near the castle, whiling away the time until Castiel's group came back. He was nursing a scotch, thinking about having bumped into his mother earlier this afternoon. It didn't even surprise him that she was somehow back from the Netherworld. Bad pennies always had a way of turning up.
He hoped there would be a way to snatch the Tablet away from them and wink it back to Hell without provoking a direct confrontation with his Brother. Crowley had no burning desire to kill Castiel at the moment. Not that he wouldn't enjoy it, of course, but Crowley was a pragmatist. Just because he had tipped over to Lucifer's side for the nonce didn't mean that he was going all in with Satan. Crowley was on Team Crowley. Once he took possession of the Hell Tablet and Lucifer found out about it, the Devil would have one of his temper tantrums, and then their ersatz alliance would be over. So killing Castiel would be counterproductive, because sooner or later, Lucifer would have to be contained. And as powerful as the King of Hell was, and he certainly was, he knew he couldn't do that alone.
Castiel was going to flip out, though, once he found out that Crowley had taken the Tablet for himself. But from what Crowley had seen around the castle, Castiel and his friends would have plenty of things to keep them occupied, once they got here. The King had seen an assortment of creatures gathering around the castle. Garden-variety monsters, vampires, and some of his own Demons, who Crowley had known to be in Purgatory. Really? Interesting. Then he had spotted a Leviathan walking down the Promenade, and the light bulb had gone on. Lucifer had opened the Portal somehow, and he was planning a surprise party for the God Squad.
Which led to another dilemma, of course. Crowley himself was not daunted by any of the monsters that could have come out of there, and he knew that Castiel and his Hunter posse could slice and dice their way through a horde of creatures while hardly breaking a sweat. But the Leviathans were a bit of a different kettle of fish. Lucifer was crazy if he thought that he could release Leviathans unto the Earth now, and then expect them to just meekly line up at the queue for the Portal when it was time for them to go back. Lucifer hadn't been here on Earth the last time the Leviathans had run rampant, but Crowley had, and the King would sooner deal with about a million two-year-old human children all at once than to have to corral about a half-dozen Leviathans. Or, even worse, one huge Alpha one.
Crowley sighed. That Tablet had better be worth it. He looked at his watch, then ordered one more.