Book 4 - The Commandments

by GailDunn2

Castiel and Gail are on the run from Heaven, and Sam and Dean can't help them. There is a new Angel who wants God's job, and he'll stop at nothing to get it. Cas's past is catching up to him and Heaven is looking to make him pay.

6. Thou Shalt Not Kill

Chapter 6 – Thou Shalt Not Kill

Chuck had seen Jason threatening an Asian woman with his Angel blade, and he had heard the beginnings of the telephone call. He was crestfallen. If only Kevin had been able to trust Chuck, when he'd visited the young Prophet's office. Now, it was too late.

Xavier had retrieved the special cell phone he kept in the cabinet in his office. It was this item that he had been obtaining when he'd rushed past Aurielle without a word. God had provided Xavier with this phone to be used only in emergencies, as a direct conduit between Heaven and Earth. Xavier had kept it on his desk within arm's reach while debating with himself whether to send Jason to Earth on his horrible mission, and once the decision was made, Xavier had given it to Jason to use.

Kevin was sweating bullets. He had no doubt that Jason would carry out his threat. Kevin couldn't allow his mother to be tortured, but how could he live with himself if he gave Jason the information? Kevin knew exactly where Castiel and Gail were, and he knew where Sam and Dean were, too. He'd have to tell Jason something. Should he lie? Send Jason on a wild goose chase? That might buy them some time, but what would happen when Jason found out he'd been had?

"What'll it be, Kevin? I know that you know where the Angels are," Jason said over the phone.

"What makes you think I know anything?" Kevin said, stalling. Thinking furiously. Looking for a way out. "I told you and Xavier I couldn't see anything."

"I know that's what you told us," Jason said calmly, showing a terrified Linda the blade, taunting her with it. "I'm calling you a liar."

"Don't you call my son a liar," Linda said tartly. She was scared, all right, but she'd been menaced lots of times in the past, and no one was going to stand here and insult her son. She couldn't believe this guy was an Angel, though. Weren't they supposed to be the good guys? "What's this all about, Kevin?"

"They think I know something about where Castiel is, Mom," Kevin replied.

"Castiel?" Linda said, puzzled. "But he's an Angel, isn't he? Why don't they know where he is?"

"That's Heaven's business, human," Jason snapped, putting the tip of his blade to Linda's cheek.

"They're trying to put him on trial," Kevin blurted out. "There's a really bad Angel named Xavier who wants to take over Heaven, and he needs Cas out of the way to do it."

"Oh, well, in that case, don't tell them anything," Linda said boldly. "That is, if you knew anything to tell them."

Kevin almost smiled. Tiger Mom strikes again. He could picture her giving Jason the stink-eye. She'd stood up to Crowley on her son's behalf, punching the King of Hell in the face. She'd once kidnapped a Demon

single-handedly, and brought him to Sam and Dean to be tortured for information. Cas might have been in on that, too; Kevin couldn't remember any more. But his mother had no idea what she was dealing with here, and she was all alone.

Neal was walking around the poker room, waiting for a spot to open up. He wandered into the High Limit alcove to watch the action there, for a bit. He wished he could afford to play for higher stakes, but Production Assistants didn't make that kind of money. Still, he loved what he did. Being part of the creative process of a TV show as popular as Supernatural had become was very satisfying.

He watched the hand in progress, concentrating on the cards in the middle of the table and the size of the bets placed. Wow. It was just as well he didn't play here. These guys really had big ones, risking that kind of money.

Then Neal got a good look at the guy who'd just won the hand, and his jaw dropped. He looked almost exactly like...but it couldn't be. Neal had just left the studio, and the guy had been filming a scene.

Barry walked by the High Limit table just then, and he put his hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Have some mercy, Cas," he joked. "At this rate, we'll be broke in a week."

Cas smiled up at him. He really liked Barry. He was funny and friendly, and he was really good to Gail. "You'll survive," he joked back. "But I think I will take a break, for a bit. Gail's lunch is coming up, isn't it?"

Barry nodded. He should have figured as much. Gay or straight, Cas and Gail were the closest couple he had ever seen. Nauseatingly in love. They spent all her breaks together. Funny, he'd never seen them eat, though, even during her lunch break. They just sat there, holding hands and talking. He and Tommy should try that, sometime. They'd have to have Cas and Gail over for dinner soon, give them a few drinks, and pry some secrets out of them. It wouldn't hurt for Tommy to see he was friends with such a good-looking guy, either, Barry thought. It would probably make him more attentive.

Cas reserved his spot and walked up to the poker desk. He always kept his chips tableside, until he was ready to cash out for the day. Barry would watch them.

"You ready for your break?" he asked Gail.

She hung up the phone and added a name to the list, then asked Barry if it was all right for her to go.

He'd already come behind the desk, preparing to take over for her. "What are you asking me, for?" Barry teased her.

"Well, you are her work husband," Cas said, smiling. He was fine with the term, since he'd learned what it meant. He actually thought it was pretty funny. He enjoyed seeing the interaction between Gail and Barry, and he saw no reason to feel jealous of their closeness. In a lot of ways, their banter reminded him of her relationship with Dean. In fact, he'd almost slipped and called Barry by Dean's name, once. He missed the brothers.

"Yeah, but she rules the roost, everyone knows that," Barry replied.

"And don't you forget it," Gail said, nudging Barry with her shoulder.

Neal followed the couple to the casino's café, and took a table next to them. He also noticed they weren't eating, just holding hands and talking. He just couldn't get over the resemblance. He pulled out his

cell phone and called one of the producers, telling him about what he was seeing. Then he discreetly took a picture of Cas, and sent it to the producer. "And, get this - the guy's name is Cas!"

Richard couldn't believe it. Neal was right; the resemblance was uncanny. And the guy's name was Cas? It was almost eerie. Well, the show was called Supernatural, after all.

"I'm coming down there," he told Neal. "I've got to see this for myself. If this guy's OK, I might offer him a job. We've been looking for a body double for 'Castiel' ever since the last guy got hurt, doing one of the stunts."

"OK, see you in a few," Neal said, and hung up the phone. He'd nearly forgotten about that. Hopefully, if Richard offered this Cas guy a job, he'd outline the risks first. Some of the fight scenes were pretty intense, even though they were well-scripted and rehearsed. He looked like he was in pretty good shape, but they'd have to see how he handled himself.

Chuck burst into Kevin's office without knocking and saw Kevin sitting at his desk and staring at his phone. His face was ashen.

After Linda had told Kevin not to tell Jason anything, Jason had slashed her arm with the blade, and she had cried out in pain.

"Mom!" Kevin had yelled.

"That was for your defiance," Jason told Linda. "The next one will be for your son's benefit." He slashed her other arm, relishing her screams. It had been way too long.

Kevin couldn't stand it. "Mom!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, matching her screams. "Mom! No!"

Linda was in pain, but her resolve remained strong, even as she sensed her son's was about to falter. "Don't, Kevin," she said. "Think. Take a minute, and think."

Kevin was very smart, but he knew his mother was, too. He would do what she said. "Call me back in ten minutes," he said, and hung up the phone.

Good Lord, Kevin thought, what have I just done? And what was he going to do now?

Impulsively, he'd picked up the phone again and called the only one he could think of that might know what he should do. Kevin would have to trust him, now.

Chuck didn't know what he was supposed to say. "We both know where they are," Chuck said to Kevin. "Agreed?"

Kevin sighed. He had called Chuck for help out of desperation, one Prophet to another. He hadn't known where else to turn. There was no point in being coy any more; he couldn't afford the luxury.

"Yeah, Chuck. Agreed," Kevin said.

Chuck thought for a moment. What was the rightest wrong thing to do, here? If they didn't act soon, Kevin's mother was going to suffer terribly at Jason's hands. Maybe even die. But if Kevin gave Jason the information he was seeking, Castiel and Gail would be apprehended, and Kevin would be tormented by guilt for the rest of his existence. On the other hand, if Cas and Gail were apprehended and brought before the tribunal, it would not necessarily mean that anything bad would happen to them, would it? As far as he and

Kevin knew, the proceeding was just a really intense job interview, right? At least, that's how Xavier was presenting it to the rest of Heaven. But Chuck knew better, didn't he? He'd had another vision just before Kevin had called him. Gail screaming, weeping hysterically, as Jason held her by the hair and forced her eyes open. Making her watch as Heaven's newly appointed Executioner, Metatron, stabbed Castiel to death. Over and over again he stabbed, long after Castiel was dead. And Metatron was laughing.

But maybe Chuck could do something to help Cas and Gail, once they were back in Heaven. But there was nothing that he and Kevin could do for Kevin's mother now, except for the one thing. They didn't have a choice. No one else was going to get hurt or die on Chuck's watch; not if he could help it.

"When Jason calls back," Chuck said to Kevin, "I'll be the one who gives him the information. You know nothing. Then he'll have no reason to hurt your mother. You play innocent. I'll be the bad guy, here. It's not like I don't have a lot of practice." Chuck smiled wryly. "You just have to promise me something."

Kevin was shell-shocked. "What?" he asked Chuck.

"Promise me you'll help me do whatever it takes to help Cas and Gai,l when the time comes. And it will come," Chuck said grimly.

At first, Kevin had been alarmed when Chuck had outlined his plan, thinking that Chuck hadn't changed at all. He'd just been biding his time until he could screw Cas over, deliver him to Xavier. While Kevin hadn't had the horrifying vision that Chuck had earlier, the young Prophet also knew that the tribunal was no mere job interview. If Cas returned to Heaven, he was toast.

But Chuck was handing him a way to save his mother, and asking Kevin to team up with him to HELP Castiel, once he got here. It was the best of a bad situation.

So when Jason called back, the two Prophets were in agreement: Chuck would tell Jason exactly what he wanted to know.

Oblivious to the peril they were both in, Cas and Gail were having a very interesting, and confusing, conversation on her last break.

"So you're telling me this Richard guy is one of the producers of the Supernatural TV show, and that he offered you a job to play...yourself?" Gail said incredulously.

Castiel smiled. "Well, yes, and no. I'd actually be what they call a 'body double' for the actor who plays...me." Even as he was saying it, he realized how crazy it sounded.

"What exactly does a 'body double' do?" Gail asked curiously. "Not that you don't have a good one," she added, teasing.

Cas squeezed her hand for a moment, appreciating her comment. "Richard told me that I'd be standing in for the actor for fight scenes, things like that. He advised it's physically demanding, but I think I'd be pretty good at it, considering my wealth of experience with a real blade."

Gail smiled at that. It was certainly true.

"I need to know what you think," Castiel said to her.

What DID she think? It was funny, weird and surreal, all at the same time. "Never mind what I think," Gail said, turning it back on him, "what do YOU think?"

He frowned suddenly. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "It would be an actual job. I'd be earning money, not winning it away from others. I'm growing a little tired of playing poker, to be honest."

"It sounds like you should take the job, then," she said.

"But, on the other hand," Castiel said, "the previous association we had with 'Supernatural' was one of the worst things that ever happened to us. I almost lost you."

"True, but that didn't really have anything to do with the show," Gail pointed out. "That was our world, not theirs."

Castiel nodded. She was right. Gail had a way of piercing through to the heart of the matter at times that he admired, and he needed her perspective on things.

"But, I won't be here to keep an eye on you," Cas said. Thoughts of the Supernatural convention and the near-tragedy had re-awoken his fears for her safety; even though there had been no threat since they'd arrived in Canada, that didn't mean there wouldn't be one. Jason was still out there. Look what had happened the last time Cas had let go of her hand, and let her walk into that concourse alone.

"Are you still worried about me and Barry?" Gail teased, knowing full well that wasn't what he was concerned about. "Don't worry, he's not changing uniforms any time soon. In fact, he and Tommy invited us over for dinner next week. We're going to have to talk about that, at some point."

Cas smiled again, disarmed by her humour. "I guess we will. I don't know if I can pretend to eat a whole meal. Do they have a dog, or a potted plant?"

Gail laughed merrily. This time in Vancouver had been really good for him. For both of them, really. Without the constant drama of threats to their lives, they had grown even closer as a couple, and blossomed as individuals. And while she realized this idyllic existence couldn't go on forever, and that sooner or later they'd have to deal with what they'd left behind or it would show up to deal with them, Gail just wanted to hang onto their happiness for as long as she could. Was that so wrong?

She touched Cas's face. "I'll be fine. If you want to do it, you should do it. It might be fun. Just don't let it go to your head, when you become famous."

He smiled. She could always make him smile, even when he was having the most serious of thoughts. "I'm sure you wouldn't let that happen."

"Damn straight," she quipped, thinking of Dean as she said it. Wait until they told the brothers the news. It was a good thing they were only in contact by phone. Now, If she uttered the word "Supernatural" to Dean, the only one he could punch would be Sam.

"Well?" Jason asked. "What's it going to be, Kevin? I won't ask again."

Kevin had the phone on speaker, and he looked at Chuck. This was it.

But Linda had other plans. Jason had leaned over to speak into the phone, and he had tied her arms to the chair, but her legs were free. She half-closed her eyes and kicked Jason in the groin, as hard as she could.

Would that even work on an Angel? She had no idea, but she had to try something. It was not in Linda's nature to be passive, and she didn't want Kevin to tell this bastard anything.

Jason doubled over in pain, and Linda yelled, "Don't you do it, Kevin! Don't you tell this son of a bitch anything!"

But Kevin wasn't going to; Chuck was. Chuck opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, Linda was screaming again. Kevin's blood ran cold. What was that bastard doing to her now?

Jason was killing her, that was what he was doing. The bitch had hurt him badly, and she was still openly defying him, even though he'd warned her not to. He lost it. Having been denied the pleasure of hurting humans for so long, the pent-up rage and sadism inside him exploded, and Jason ran his blade right through Linda's chest. He kept on stabbing her until he could no longer see the smirk on her face.

"Your mother is dead, Kevin," Jason said, breathing heavily. "Take the lesson. This is what happens to people who defy me." He grabbed the cell phone and activated the video feature. He'd had one of the young Angels show him how to do it, before leaving Heaven on his mission.

Kevin's cell phone rang then, the one he'd kept in his desk drawer as a souvenir from when he'd been alive. . It couldn't be...but it was. He flipped it open, and saw the image of his poor mother's body. Jason hadn't just murdered her, he'd ripped her to shreds.

He threw the phone against the wall, shattering it. Chuck looked at Kevin inquiringly for a moment, and then, he understood. But Chuck didn't understand why Jason had done it. His leverage was now gone. They didn't have to tell him anything about the Angels, now. He was glad about that, but his heart broke for Kevin.

Tears were streaming down Kevin's face, but Jason wasn't finished with him. "Now, you're going to give me the Winchester humans," Jason said to him. "I'll get the information from them." He looked down at Linda's body again. "This was entirely too brief, and not very satisfying. I need to sharpen my interrogation skills."

Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You just killed my mother, you crazy bastard!" he screamed at Jason. "Why the hell would I tell you anything?"

"Your girlfriend Becky is a pretty little Angel, isn't she?" Jason said, almost happily. "I wonder if she'd be so cute with scars like mine."

Kevin couldn't stand it any more. How had he thought he could defy someone like Jason, and get away with it? Now his mother was dead, and Becky was going to be next. He couldn't have that on his conscience.

Before Chuck could stop him, Kevin told Jason where Sam and Dean were. Jason hung up the phone without another word.

Then Chuck came around the desk and held Kevin while he cried. That was all he could think of to do.

Cas was enjoying his new job very much. The director had been impressed with his ability to make the fight scenes look so realistic, and he had been able to make some helpful suggestions on how the weapons should be utilized. Everyone on the set liked him, but more than a few of them wondered what he had done for a living before he'd come here. Cas was vague, noncommittal. It was what he did best. Dean could have told them that.

Since much of his work took place at night, Gail had requested the night shift in the poker room so she could spend time with him during the day, before they both had to go to work. Since they didn't sleep, fatigue wasn't a problem, and she enjoyed the night shift just as much. She missed Barry, though. He was heading out now, just as she was coming in. But they'd exchanged phone numbers, and she and Cas had finally accepted his invitation to dinner that coming weekend. They could no longer beg off without seeming rude. She figured they'd have to have a bit to eat and drink, and then plead stomachaches, or something.

Gail was walking home from work when it happened. Cas had been upset when she told him she didn't want to take a cab home every night. Many times, by the time one showed up, she could be home already, she'd told him. He worked a bit longer into the night than she did, and she liked to be there when he got home, to exchange stories about their nights. She also liked the fresh air and exercise, and the weather was really nice now. And there hadn't been a hint of trouble since they'd been here. She had her Angel blade in her purse, and a small vial of holy water they'd brought with them from the bunker. She'd be fine. So, against his better judgment, Cas had given in. It wasn't like he could have stopped her, anyway. He loved Gail, but she was so stubbornly independent sometimes.

That night, Gail was distracted when she was walking home. She'd started to get a hinky feeling, much like the feeling she'd had at the Supernatural convention the day before her murder. It was nothing she could put her finger on. She didn't feel like she and Cas were in any imminent danger, yet she'd started to feel dread, for no apparent reason. What could it be? It was times like these that she kind of missed her psychic powers. What good was it having just a general sense of foreboding, when you had no idea what it was connected to, or what to do about it?

Thus distracted, Gail wasn't paying as much attention to her surroundings as she should have been. A man came up behind her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"Give me your money," he said.

"I don't have any," she told him. It was true. She and Cas had agreed it wasn't a good idea for her to be walking around at night with cash on her. They kept Cas's poker winnings in a bureau drawer in the apartment. They couldn't open a bank account, for obvious reasons. Gail threw her tips and the cash salary that Gloria paid her at the end of each week into the same drawer, and Cas was going to ask for his salary under the table too, pleading a vengeful ex-wife. And if they wouldn't accommodate his request, it didn't really matter. They had plenty right now, and if he had to, he could play a little poker on his days off. If they needed cash for anything, they would just take it out of the drawer.

But Gail hadn't needed any cash, so she had none now. The would-be thief didn't believe her. He gestured to her purse. "Hand it over."

She couldn't do that. The purse had her Angel blade in it, and it also held the picture of her and Cas in Las Vegas. It was silly, she knew, but ever since he had stopped coming to the poker room, Gail had taken to putting the photo in her purse and taking it to work with her, propping it up next to the phone at the poker desk. If she couldn't be with him, at least she could glance at him from time to time. Barry had teased her mercilessly when he'd seen her do that, and so had the other poker supervisors, but she didn't care. Then at the end of her shift, back it went into her purse, to make the trip with her back home to get propped up on the nightstand by the bed. It had become a ritual for her now, and the photo was a talisman, a symbol of what their lives could and should be like.

There was no way this guy was going to get her photo, and if she let him get his hands on her Angel blade, he could kill her with it. So Gail clutched the purse tighter and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Now he produced a knife of his own. It was an ordinary knife, but it was still a weapon, and now she had angered him. "I think you can," he said to her. "Give it here, bitch."

Crap. Gail planted her feet and centered her body, as Sam and Dean had taught her. This guy was quite a bit bigger than her, but Gail had fought Sam before in the training room. She'd never beat him, though. Not once.

Barry was walking along the seawall towards the casino when he saw them. He started to walk faster. How had Cas known? He'd called Barry on a break from shooting earlier, and asked him to go there and check on Gail. Cas had had that same hinky feeling all night, and though he told himself he was being paranoid, he just couldn't shake it. He'd intended to go there himself in a bit, but they'd told him there was just one more quick sequence to shoot. But the lighting hadn't been right and as the technicians fiddled with it, Cas realized he wasn't going to make it there in time for the end of Gail's shift, so he'd called Barry. Could he please do Cas a favour and walk her home? Barry was a little surprised, but Cas had really sounded worked up, so he said he'd do it. It was just as well that it would be Barry showing up instead of him, Cas had joked, trying to ease the tension he was feeling. One look at Cas, and Gail would probably be very angry with him for being so overprotective.

But apparently, he had been right to worry. Barry saw the man attack Gail. She was able to dodge him once, and she grabbed his arm to try to force him to drop the knife. But she missed the pressure point she'd been going for, and he stabbed her in the stomach. Dammit, when was she ever going to learn to protect her flank?

Barry ran then, yelling, "Hey!", and he startled the attacker. The man had been just about to grab Gail's purse, but she had fallen on it, so he merely ran away. Barry raced to Gail's side.

"Gail!" he exclaimed, and then he rolled her over and saw the wound. "Oh crap, oh, crap," Barry muttered. This was bad. He pulled out his cell phone to call an ambulance.

"No. No ambulance," Gail said to him. "Call Cas." They were Angels, this time. Cas could just heal her.

"Don't worry, I'll call him on the way. But we've got to get you to the hospital," Barry said to her. "Don't move."

Gail wasn't sure if she could. This was starting to feel awfully familiar. It would be nice just to get through one complete change of seasons without somebody sticking her with a knife. But she reminded herself again that she was an Angel, and though her wound hurt, it had been inflicted with an ordinary knife. She didn't want to go to the hospital. She just wanted to see Cas.

But then the ambulance was here, and they were grabbing her and loading her into it. Barry got in the back with her, holding her purse with one hand and calling Cas with the other.

OK, this was bad. Would they be able to tell that she wasn't a human when they started treating her? What would she do, then? She should have listened to Castiel, and just taken a cab home. If she got out of this without being discovered, she swore she'd never be so stubborn again.

Castiel had gotten the call from Barry just after they'd finally finished the scene, and he ran outside the studio building and around the corner. Seeing no one, he disappeared, then reappeared outside the hospital Barry had advised they were going to.

He saw the ambulance pull up. The attendants wheeled Gail out and into the emergency room, Barry trailing behind, holding Gail's purse.

Cas should hang back for a few minutes. How could he explain having gotten there so fast? But he couldn't, of course. She was likely just fine, or she would be, once he was able to get in there and heal her. But Castiel had seen Gail's purse, and that reminded him that she'd been carrying her Angel blade. He had to make sure. She needed him.

So Castiel rushed into the hospital after them. As he had expected, Barry's mouth dropped open. "How did you get here so fast?" he asked Cas. "I flew," Cas joked grimly. He tried to take Gail's hand, but they were wheeling her away.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you can't go in there," a nurse said to him, blocking his way. Oh, the hell he couldn't. "Family members only."

"Say you're her husband," Barry murmured to him.

"I'm her husband," Cas repeated to the nurse.

"Oh. Sorry," she said, stepping aside. "Go right in, then."

Cas threw Barry a grateful look. "Go. I'll wait here," Barry told him.

Castiel drew the drape open and saw an intern applying pressure to Gail's wound. He looked up at Cas. "You can't be in here, right now," the intern said to him.

"I'm her husband," Cas repeated.

"I don't care," the intern retorted. "You'll have to wait outside. I have to get this under control."

Gail was pale, but she was conscious, and she looked up at Castiel, giving him a grimace and a half-shrug. There was nothing they could do at the moment. She was in pain, but once the intern moved on to another patient, Cas could come back and help her.

But he lingered, and she could see the worry on his face. "Go talk to Barry for a minute," she reassured him. "He's still got my purse, and it's got my souvenir from home in it. It's still clean, and I don't want him to dirty it up."

Cas got it. She was telling him that her Angel blade was still in her purse, and that her attacker hadn't used it on her.

"Oh, and send Barry home," Gail added. "He has to get up for work in the morning. Tell him I'll be fine."

Now she was telling him to get rid of Barry. He'd have had to send him on his way, anyway; it wouldn't do to have Gail waltz out of here in a minute, her wound gone, with Barry right outside. He'd already noticed how impossibly fast Castiel had gotten here.

"Will do," Cas said to Gail. "I'll be back in just a minute," he added, looking at the intern when he said it. If this guy thought he was going to keep Cas out for long, he had another think coming.

Cas came back out into the waiting room, and Barry stood. "How is she?" he asked. "Why aren't you still in there?"

"They kicked me out," Cas said. He put his hand on Barry's arm, and smiled. "She'll be fine, don't worry." Then his expression turned serious. "I wanted to thank you, Barry. Thank you again for taking care of her, and for being so kind to us. You're a good friend."

Then he was hugging Barry, and Barry returned the hug, touched. Cas was such a good guy. He was also a little bit of a puzzle. How HAD he gotten here so fast? Cas was a total marshmallow when it came to Gail, but he also had a quality to him that Barry couldn't quite figure out. He was quietly macho, if there was such a thing. He spoke gently and didn't swagger around the poker room like many of the players did, yet no one messed with Cas, or would even try. But here he was, giving Barry a warm hug, not in the least bothered by Barry's sexuality. There were other players Barry had known for years who were nice to Barry's face, but would shrink back if they thought he was going to touch them, and he had heard them use homophobic slurs in conversation. Cas and Gail could teach them a thing or two about tolerance, Barry thought. He loved his new friends, and he was glad Gail was going to be all right.

Cas pulled out of the embrace. "You need to go home, Barry. You've got to get up for work in the morning."

"Okay. As long as Gail will be all right," Barry said. "But I guess dinner's off on Sunday, right?"

Cas considered for a moment. This would be a valid excuse to get out of it. But he didn't want to disappoint Barry, and he and Gail had been curious to meet Tommy. They'd have to keep up the pretense for a bit, though. Maybe Gail could wear a fake bandage, and walk gingerly for a while. He smiled. "Let's just play that by ear," Cas told Barry. "She might just feel up to it. She's surprisingly resilient. And we've both been looking forward to meeting Tommy."

"OK. Good." Barry had better get out of here now. He was dangerously close to tears. He'd been extremely upset to see Gail attacked like that, and Cas's hug and their support of his lifestyle meant the world to him. "Here," he said, handing Gail's purse to Cas. "Let me know how she's doing, OK? Or have her call me herself, if she's up to it . I'll let Gloria know she'll be off till further notice."

Oh. Right, Castiel thought. Gail could hardly show up for work tomorrow, as if nothing had happened. Well, she might be mad about it, but there was nothing they could do now. He needed to talk to her about their circumstances, anyway.

Barry left then, and Castiel went back inside to where Gail was. She was alone, so he drew up a chair by her bedside and closed the drapes around them for privacy. He sat down and looked at her. "Barry went home," Cas said, putting Gail's purse on the bed by her feet.

"He's such a sweetheart," Gail said, smiling. "I wonder what he was doing there so late at night, though."

"I sent him," Castiel admitted. "I was worried about you."

Gail sighed. She should have figured as much. But considering what had happened, she'd better not say anything right now.

"What happened, Gail?" Castiel asked her.

"It was just an ordinary mugger, with an ordinary knife," she replied. "He wanted money, but I didn't have any. Then he wanted my purse, and he sure as hell wasn't going to get that. It has my you-know-what in it, and that picture of you and me in Vegas." She smiled. "My most prized possession."

Castiel wasn't sure if he should smile, or frown. An "ordinary" mugger? Well, he guessed that beat what he'd originally feared, when Barry had called him. But now, he had something extra to worry about. As if it wasn't bad enough that both Demons and Angels had attacked Gail in the past, now he had to protect her from humans, too? And would she even accept his protection? He wouldn't give her a choice. But they were wasting time talking, here. He had to fix her up and they had to get the hell out of this hospital, before the intern came back.

He rose from the chair and lowered the rail on her bed so he could sit by her side, lifting her top so he could get at the wound. Gail couldn't help but smile. "How I wish you were doing that in a different context," she quipped, and he raised his eyes to hers. "Me, too," he smiled back, then looked at her stomach. He was dismayed to see that the intern had wrapped a tight bandage around the wound. How could he heal it, if he couldn't get to it?

"I know," Gail said. "There was nothing I could say without arousing suspicion. I think there might be scissors in the nightstand."

There were, Cas was glad to see, and he used them to cut the adhesive tape around the bandage. Then he began to lift the bandage away from the wound, but he was doing it too gingerly, too slowly, and she hissed in pain. "Just rip it off, Cas, please," she pleaded. It would hurt, a lot, but at least it would only last a moment.

He nodded. She was right. But this was going to hurt her, and they couldn't afford to call attention to themselves. So he put one hand over her mouth, and grabbed the end of the bandage with the other.

"I'm sorry, Gail," he said. She nodded briefly, and he yanked the bandage off.

Yikes! Gail's eyes teared up, and she moaned into his hand. But she'd tried to be as quiet as she could, and luckily, no one came.

The bleeding had started again, but Cas put both of his hands on her stomach and an instant later, she was completely healed.

"Phew," Gail said. She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks." She looked down at herself. "I guess I'll have to buy a new top. Come on, give me my purse and let's get out of here."

"My thoughts exactly," Castiel said. Gail hopped off the bed, and Cas took her hand, grabbed her purse and winked them back home.

They were both happy to be home, but soon they were arguing.

The instant they had appeared back in their apartment, Castiel handed Gail her purse and she took it into the bedroom. He knew what she was doing, and he followed her, needing to talk. Sure enough, Gail was taking her picture out of her purse and propping it up on the nightstand.

Castiel smiled involuntarily, but he made himself stop. He wanted to have a serious discussion.

Gail turned from the nightstand, and was a little surprised to see Cas standing right there. He had that look on his face.

She sighed. "What is it, Cas?"

How to start? "Barry is going to advise Gloria you won't be back to work for a while."

Oh. She hadn't really thought about that. Gail had been planning to show up tomorrow night, as usual. Or more accurately, later tonight. It was pretty late by now. But Barry had seen how bad her wound had been. She couldn't just walk in there fully healed, whistling a happy tune.

"OK, I'll be 'sick' for a couple of days," Gail said agreeably. "Then I'll go back after the weekend, and I'll move slowly. I do want to go to the dinner, though. I've been looking forward to that."

He'd thought she might say that. Castiel had no problem with the dinner. He'd been thinking along the same lines. But he had something to say to her, something she wasn't going to like.

"I don't want you going back there," he told her. "I want you to quit."

"Why?" Gail asked him.

"Because if I'm on the set, I can't be there to protect you."

Gail was frustrated. "We talked about this before we even came here, remember? There will be times when we'll have to be apart. I can't rely on you all the time. I just need to pay closer attention to my surroundings. And I need to work on protecting my flank better." She smiled wryly. "You know that's my weak spot."

Yes, he remembered, all too well. Castiel winced at the memory of having stabbed her himself, in the bunker's training room. He knew she hadn't meant any harm by her remark, but the memory still hurt him as much as if he had incurred a stab wound of his own. She'd been trying to disarm him with humour, but it was not going to work, this time.

"No, Gail," Castiel said. "That's it. I'm putting my foot down."

Gail laughed shortly. "Really? You think so?"

"Yes, I think so," he retorted. "He might have taken your blade out of your purse, and killed you."

That was true, but..."So what am I supposed to do? Just quit the best job I've ever had, and... what? Do what with myself?"

Castiel sighed, thinking about that. He knew how much she liked the job, and he understood the need to have a purpose, but he couldn't allow it. She needed to be with him. "Maybe I can get you a job on the show," he said to her.

"Doing what?" she said. "I don't know anything about that kind of thing."

"Neither did I," Castiel said, warming to the idea now. "But it's worked out very well."

But Gail continued to protest. She really liked the poker room, and co-workers like Barry, and most of the players. She'd found something she liked doing, and was really good at. Barry had even said that he was

going to switch to nights in a couple of weeks, so they could work together again. Tommy would just have to deal with it, he'd said.

"No, Castiel, I'm not going to quit," she told him, looking him in the eyes.

Heavenly Father, she was stubborn, sometimes. Couldn't she see he was trying to keep her alive? His eyes flashed. "Yes, you are," he said.

They stared at each other. Gail knew where he was coming from, but she was exasperated.

"Cas, there hasn't been one ounce of a threat since we got here. Yes, I got mugged, and that wasn't fun. But that kind of stuff happens to people from time to time, and they get over it. We have to live our lives. I can't let that stop me from doing what I want to do."

"Just because there hasn't been a threat from our world yet, doesn't mean there won't be one," Castiel said firmly.

"OK, fine, whatever you say," Gail said, throwing up her hands. "You're always right, anyway. But the only threats we've faced here have been Barry finding you attractive, and a bird flying into our bedroom!" Humour. Her go-to defense mechanism.

Castiel knew what she was doing, but he couldn't resist asking, "And how was the bird a threat?"

"Well...it might have pooped on your new TV!" she exclaimed.

They stood there, staring at each other, and then they both broke up laughing. It was great when they were able to laugh individually, but when they laughed together, it was glorious.

Castiel stepped forward and drew her into his arms. How could he be angry at her?

Gail felt the same way. She was being stubborn and stupid. There was no way she could ever choose a job over her relationship with Cas. Of the two, it was no contest which she loved more. She hugged him back, and kissed his face. "OK, Cas, I'll quit. I just hope they can find something for me to do there, on the TV show."

He looked down at her, thankful she had given in before he'd had to resort to drastic measures. Although what those would have been, he was sure he didn't know. He loved Gail just as she was, but Castiel was sometimes convinced their Father had sent Gail to him just to test him further. Oh well. No matter. He'd gladly take that test for the rest of eternity.

The next day, Cas and Gail appeared in his usual spot on the studio grounds. He knew they weren't really supposed to do that, but it had been much quicker and easier than getting there any other way. When he'd first told Gail what he'd been doing, she'd rolled her eyes. She should have figured as much. They'd agreed to keep the Angel stuff to a minimum, and here he was, popping in and out to commute. But, what the hell. The rules they'd made for themselves were only guidelines, anyway; they were pretty much making it up as they went along. Gail had to admit it was much quicker and easier, and this way they could spend more time together alone before he had to start work. As long as they weren't seen, it should be fine.

But they were seen. He hadn't seen how they'd actually arrived, but Neal saw them walking hand in hand towards the offices. He recognized Gail from the poker room, of course. He guessed Cas had received

permission to take her on a tour before she had to go to work. Neal knew she was now working nights, likely coordinating her schedule with Cas's. He'd seen her in the poker room last week. Maybe he'd swing by there in a little while, play a bit.

Castiel and Gail went to Richard's office. His door was open and he was sitting behind his desk.

"Hi, Richard, can I talk to you for a minute?" Cas said.

Richard looked up. "Sure, Cas, come on in."

Cas pulled Gail by the hand. She was feeling a bit shy. This place was not her milieu, and she thought it was crazy for them to be walking in here wanting Richard to just hand her a job. They'd already accommodated Cas on the salary thing; how far did they want to push it? And did she really want some random job that was given to her just to make Cas happy, anyway? Though they'd made up and cuddled last night as usual, Gail was still a bit upset she'd have to quit the poker room. But she had agreed to do it, so she'd better let that go.

Cas made his request, and Richard raised his eyebrows. He liked Cas, and was pleased that he'd worked out for them so well, but now he was asking them to hire his girlfriend, and Richard didn't know if he could do that.

"I don't know, Cas," Richard said, frowning. "There are already a lot of people in the industry that would love to work on this show."

"I'll have to quit, if we can't work something out," Cas said.

Gail tried not to roll her eyes. This was not the way to get a human to do what you wanted them to do, she thought. She had to remember that though Castiel had had a lot of experience with humans, he may not have had a lot of experience with negotiation. In their world, much of the negotiating Castiel would have done would likely have been done at the end of his blade. She smiled inwardly.

She nudged Cas. "What he means is, we would appreciate anything you could do to help us out," Gail said, smiling at Richard. She spun the same tale for Richard as she had for Gloria about the fictional ex of hers and the restraining order, saying that Cas just wanted to make sure she was safe.

Unbeknownst to the couple, Richard and his wife had done some volunteering for an association that raised funds for battered women's' shelters. It was a cause very near and dear to their hearts. Their niece had died at the hands of an abusive boyfriend, and Richard had vowed to do anything he could to ensure that no other woman would have to suffer like that. His heart went out to the couple, sitting there holding hands, looking at him so hopefully. He didn't want anything to happen to Gail, and he thought more of Cas for trying to protect her. The lot was a secure facility, and there were always people around.

So he said, "OK, Gail, we'll find something for you. Just do me a favour and don't leave the lot without Cas or someone else with you, OK?"

She smiled at Richard. He was being so kind. Gail felt kind of bad to be lying to him that way, but in a way, she hadn't been lying. There WAS someone out there after them, although when he showed up, the guards and the gates wouldn't be able to stop him.

Kevin burst into God's office and confronted Xavier. Laurel had tried to stop him, but he'd ignored her.

"How could you?" Kevin yelled at Xavier.

Xavier straightened up in his chair. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Kevin said. He was in God's office, and this asshat was sitting where Bobby should be sitting, right now. Kevin's hands curled into fists. It was taking all the willpower he had not to just reach across the desk and strangle this guy with his bare hands. But then he would be no better, and he couldn't help Chuck help Cas and Gail if he was in prison. There was nothing he could do to help Sam and Dean now, though. But they were experienced Hunters, and they could kick ass. He'd just have to pray they'd be all right.

"You sent Jason after my mother, and the bastard killed her!" Kevin said to Xavier, seething.

Xavier was surprised. Jason had killed Linda Tran? That wasn't supposed to happen. He was just supposed to menace her, to pry information out of Kevin. Xavier hadn't heard from Jason. He'd been hoping that meant that Kevin had given him the information on the Angels, and that Jason was on the way to apprehend them.

"I'm sorry, Kevin," Xavier said. Really trying to mean it. "That was not my intent."

His intent?! Kevin's intent was going to be to punch this guy in the face, in about two seconds. What a cold-hearted bastard! Where was the real God, anyway? He needed to come out of retirement, and smite this guy right out of His chair. And what about Kevin's poor mother? What had she ever done to deserve what Jason had done to her?

"Jason was not supposed to do that," Xavier continued stiffly. "His instructions were merely to pay your mother a visit, to encourage you to disclose whatever information you may have on the Angels."

"Well, he killed her!" Kevin shouted. "And then he threatened to carve up Becky's face, if I didn't tell him where the Winchesters were!"

Xavier perked up. "Did you?"

"Yes, of course I told him!" Kevin exclaimed. Xavier didn't seem to be getting it. The man in his employ was a dangerous psychopath, and as much as he hated Xavier right now, Kevin couldn't let himself believe that anyone sitting in God's chair would approve of or sanction Jason's actions.

"Good," Xavier said. "You did the right thing, Kevin. The Winchester humans will know where the Angels are, I am sure of it. Then Jason can return Castiel to Heaven, and we can finally hold the tribunal." He smiled.

Then it hit Kevin like a ton of bricks. Xavier was nuts, maybe even crazier than Jason. All he cared about was his stupid tribunal, and putting Cas away so he could imbed his ass print in God's chair. Xavier didn't give a damn about anything or anyone, as long as he got what he wanted.

"Where's my mother?" Kevin asked Xavier in a calm, quiet voice, not unlike Cas's dangerous tone.

"What?" Xavier asked, startled.

"You heard me."

Yes, where WAS Linda Tran, anyway? The simple answer was: nowhere. Xavier was sitting in God's chair, but he didn't have God's power; not yet, anyway. So he had no ability and no authority to deal with the

disposition of her soul. When Castiel was gone and Xavier was able to formally assume the Office, he would be able to enter the alcove that held the vial that God had breathed into when He'd retired. It was a failsafe agreed to, years ago by God and the seven members of the Upper Echelon, along with the Originals. Even Crowley had been allowed a vote, in this special case. They'd all decided it was a good idea to have a vial of Godlike powers put aside, in case of the unthinkable. Then, whatever Angel the tribunal decided was worthy to take over the High Office would be able to access God's powers, and truly do His job.

But until that triumphant day, Xavier could do nothing for Linda's soul, and he told Kevin this now.

"So she's just...gone?" Kevin felt himself dangerously close to tears again. But he tried to stick with the feeling of righteous anger. There was no way he was going to give this guy the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"Her spirit remains," Xavier told Kevin. He really thought he was being comforting. "She is in what humans would call 'Limbo'."

Kevin was done here. He had reached his limit. He'd gotten a non-answer, but he had his answer about Xavier. He and Chuck were going to start a grassroots rebellion. Maybe they could get some of the other, younger Angels to join them. Two Prophets should be able to tell who was with them and who was not, if they opened their minds wide enough.

He stalked out of Xavier's office. No, God's office; Xavier was just a squatter there, and he would rue the day he'd decided to screw with Linda Tran's son.

Sam and Dean were in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. They'd just put another vengeful spirit to rest, and the case had been a complicated and protracted one. They were both wiped, and were heading back to the motel for a good night's rest before moving on. They'd stayed on the road, hopping from town to town, never staying in one place for too long. But they hadn't seen hide nor hair of Jason, and Sam was getting a little fed up. He missed the bunker and the comforts of home, and he was feeling cranky.

Dean was annoyed with Sam's complaining. He kind of missed the bunker too, but he preferred the road to the idea of holing up in the bunker and never coming out. But he was trying to use humour to jolly Sam out of his petulant mood, much like Gail sometimes did with Cas.

"Maybe we should see if there are any cases in Vancouver, Canada," Dean said. "See Cas in action." He had been equal parts appalled and amused when Gail had called them a while back, to tell them about Cas's new job.

"He's working for those Supernatural bastards?" Dean had exclaimed.

"They're not bastards, they're very nice people," Gail had retorted. "What happened in Vegas wasn't their fault. He really enjoys it, Dean, and he's really good at it."

Dean couldn't help but smirk at that. Yeah, Cas would be good, all right. Though none of them had better piss him off, or they might end up having a more realistic fight than they'd bargained for.

Sam turned to Dean now, and he couldn't help but grin, himself. "I still can't believe he's doing that," Sam said. "We've gotta start watching that show now, I guess."

Dean glanced at Sam, wondering what he could grab to throw at his brother. Yeah, right. As if. Still, he had

to admit that he'd love to see Cas on the set of a TV show. It had been funny enough when Cas had been playing poker full-time. Dean wished he and Sam could be up there with Cas and Gail. Their Angel friends were living their lives like normal, working humans, and he and Sam were skulking around, like fugitives. What a role reversal. Cas and Gail were the ones on the run, yet it sounded almost like they were having another holiday, and he and Sam felt like they were the ones on the run.

Suddenly, Sam sat up straighter in the passenger seat. "We can't stay here tonight, Dean."

"What do you mean?" Dean grumbled. "I know we've got to keep moving, but I need some decent sack time. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Then I'll drive, and you'll have to sleep here in the car," Sam insisted. "We've gotta grab our stuff and go. He's coming, Dean."

"Who's coming?" Dean asked. Sam looked at him. "Jason?" Dean went on. "How in the hell would you know that?"

Sam didn't know how he knew. He just knew. "I don't know, Dean, just humour me, okay?"

Dean could tell his brother was seriously agitated now. "OK, Sammy, OK," he said. "Calm down."

But Sam didn't feel calm now, not at all. Jason was coming for them, and he and Dean knew exactly where Cas and Gail were, and where to find them. He regretted having encouraged Dean to trick the information out of them. Sam was sure Jason wouldn't come alone, this time. If they didn't put Jason and his men down, would he be able to make them crack?

Jason had come alone, and he'd missed the brothers by a mere hour. Xavier had called him on Angel Radio, telling him to return immediately for his report. Jason hadn't wanted to go, eager to trap the Winchesters and begin the interrogation. Now that he'd killed one human, the old thirst had reawakened. But Xavier had reminded Jason who the boss was, and he had reiterated that Jason could have all the humans he wanted once Xavier had the Office. Yes, Xavier knew exactly who and what Jason was. Linda Tran's murder shouldn't have surprised him at all. But he still wanted an explanation from Jason. It wouldn't do to let Jason go too far off the rails, not when Xavier had not yet reached his goal.

By the time he'd made his report to Xavier and gotten back to the motel in Pittsfield, Sam and Dean Winchester were gone. Jason pounded on the door jamb in frustration, once he'd blasted open the door and found no one inside.

But he still had Kevin, and Kevin still had Becky. The Winchesters were humans, and they couldn't outrun a vision, could they? Jason would have them today, or Becky would pay the price.

Kevin was too traumatized by his mother's death to see anything, and he was worried. He didn't want to give Sam and Dean up to Jason; he really didn't. He'd been happy to hear that Jason had missed them.

But Jason was standing in his office now, turning his blade over in his hands, the same blade that had been used to kill Kevin's mother. Taunting him with it. Using it to "caress" Becky's face in the framed picture Kevin had on his desk now. And Kevin couldn't see a damn thing.

He sighed. He really hated to do it, but Kevin felt like he had no choice: "Chuck might know where they are. I swear to you, on my mother's grave - " he glared at Jason when he said it, but Jason didn't seem to care " - I don't know."

"Chuck?" Jason said. "The former Prophet?"

"Not so former any more, I guess," Kevin said dully.

Jason wheeled around and left Kevin's office. Kevin quickly called Chuck in the library, apologizing profusely. But Chuck told him it was OK. He could handle Jason. Chuck hung up the phone. Who was he kidding? But, better him than Kevin. Let them leave the poor guy alone for a while; let him at least mourn his mother.

So when Jason arrived at the library, Chuck was ready for him.

"You're wasting your time," Chuck sneered. "I'm not going to tell you a damn thing. And you don't have anything to hold over my head. I don't love anyone, and no one loves me. I'm an ass, and a creep. Ask anyone." His tough-guy facade. He'd always wanted to be a fearless, tough-guy hero. Like Clint Eastwood. Or Castiel.

But Jason was looking at him, smiling grimly. "That may be true. But rumour has it you're one of the good guys, now. You wouldn't want to see me carve up Becky either, would you? Or, how about young Kevin?"

Crap. Jason would do it, too. So much for being a tough guy. Chuck could have tried to withstand it if Jason had tortured him, but there was no way he could let Jason near Becky or Kevin. Being a good guy wasn't easy, was it? Maybe for the first time, Chuck had a true appreciation of what Castiel and Gail had been through. What Chuck himself had helped put them through.

"I'll tell Xavier, if you'll take me to him," Chuck said, going for the desperation play. Jason just stared at him, so Chuck continued, "If I don't give him the information, you can go ahead and do what you said."

Jason shrugged. He had nothing to lose.

Neal and Barry were chatting in the poker room. Neal mentioned that he had seen Gail and Cas on the lot, a little while ago. Barry looked at him curiously. "That can't be," he said. He told Neal the terrible story of what had happened to Gail last night. Cas had called him this morning to tell him that Gail was going to be OK, but she was still on the mend, and getting some rest. They still planned to come for dinner on Sunday, but Gail was still in a lot of pain, so they wouldn't be able to stay late. Cas hadn't mentioned anything over the phone about Gail quitting the poker room. Gail had wanted to tell Barry face to face, since he'd been such a good friend to them. And she had planned to stop by Gloria's office first thing Monday morning and tell her personally also, thanking her for the opportunity. If she was going to have to do this, she was at least going to try to be professional about it.

"So that can't be Gail you saw with him," Barry said to Neal. "It must have been someone else."

"I know what Gail looks like," Neal argued. "They were walking hand in hand, and she laughed at something he said, and then he hugged her. If she was hurt as badly as you say, it must have been one hell of a miraculous recovery."

Barry was due to go off shift, so he wished Neal good luck and left the poker room. But he thought about Cas, appearing at the hospital mere minutes after they'd spoken on the phone, joking that he'd flown there.

And now there was Gail, showing up with Cas at the studio the next day, apparently fully recovered from a very serious wound. Even if she'd been bandaged to the hilt, there was no way she should have been able to move that easily that soon. And Cas had lied to him this morning. He'd said that Gail was on painkillers and sleeping, and that she was still in a lot of pain. What the hell was going on? Well, he intended to find out on Sunday. Tommy would help him find out. His boyfriend was an investigative reporter, and a good one. Together, they would pry some secrets out of those two.

Jason ushered Chuck into Xavier's office, and pushed him into a chair opposite the desk. Chuck glared at Jason. What a dick. He wondered how tough Jason would be without that blade to back him up.

"Go ahead, tell him," Jason said to Chuck.

"I want to talk to Xavier alone," Chuck said firmly, trying to keep his voice steady.

"It's all right, Jason. Leave us," Xavier ordered.

Jason was angry at Chuck's insolence, and upset to be dismissed that way. But Xavier was the boss, and he would share what was disclosed with Jason. And if Chuck reneged, Jason would have to cut one of the young Angels in retaliation, maybe both, just to show he was sincere. The ball was in Chuck's court.

Once Jason had gone, Xavier looked at Chuck and said, "So, the former Prophet Chuck, returned from Hell."

So it was going to be like that, Chuck thought. All right. He'd play. "Yes, God brought me back into Heaven. He felt I was deserving of another chance."

"God did? Oh, you mean Bobby Singer. If you could call him 'God'. Which, of course, no one can, as he's abdicated his post." Xavier leaned forward. "In any event, I'm here now, and you will tell me where the Winchester humans are."

Chuck knew he would have to tell Xavier; that was what he had come here for, after all. But Xavier's attitude irritated him. "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't," he said, sitting back in the chair.

"I know that you know," Xavier said, gritting his teeth. "And you will tell me, or you'll tell Jason. I promise the conversation with me will be a lot less painful."

Chuck was outraged now. This guy fancied himself to be God, and he was threatening one of his Angels with torture? Granted, Chuck had not been an exemplary Angel, far from it, but still...Xavier was the Angel who was supposed to rule Heaven in Bobby and Castiel's absence? What kind of scumbag was he?

Chuck was about to find out.

"All right, maybe that was a little heavy-handed," Xavier said. "I understand from the reports I've read and the Prophecies - " Chuck winced inwardly at that " - that you're the kind of man who likes to, shall we say, look after himself. Once I am God, you can have anything your heart desires. I can give you untold riches, eternal life, female companionship, whatever you want, Chuck. Just tell me where the Winchesters are."

Holy crap, Chuck thought. Unbelievable. Lucky he wasn't still evil; that would have been the deal of a lifetime. Yeah. The most Unclean deal he would have ever made in his life.

"Wow," he said softly. "For a minute there, I would have sworn I was in Crowley's office. Do you even realize how you sound? At least I did an honest day's work, when I was in Hell. Though with you running the ship, here, I don't see any difference."

Xavier was angry, but Chuck had also touched a nerve. Xavier considered himself a much better being than Crowley. Yes, Xavier had resorted to methods that were questionable, especially lately, but he had the responsibility of all of Heaven on his shoulders. No one seemed to realize that. And if only he could receive a little cooperation, those tactics need never be used. He'd expected resistance from humans, but not from his own Angels. And there was the insolence, too. "Fine," he said coldly. "I'll call Jason, then."

"No," Chuck said quickly. He'd received his answer, much like Kevin had earlier, and now he needed to do what he'd come here to do. There was no way out. So he told Xavier where Sam and Dean Winchester were, and when Jason came back into the office, he had five of his Enforcement staff with him, as backup. This time Jason was taking no chances. Xavier gave him the address where the Winchesters were, and Jason and his team disappeared from the office while Chuck slumped in his chair, feeling sick to his stomach.

God had been planning to enjoy His retirement a lot more, but He couldn't rest now. He realized that things were about to come to a head, and like Bobby with his spinning plates, He couldn't afford to glance away now.

Several of His children were receiving their mid-semester report cards, but there were still others to be heard from.

After Chuck had told Xavier the Winchesters' location, God had expected Xavier to pick up the Hotline and advise Crowley that they were on the brink of victory, as Xavier normally would have done. This would have left Crowley with his own decision to make, something God had very much been looking forward to seeing. God knew that Crowley had an almost inexplicable soft spot for the brothers, and He'd wanted to see if Crowley would try to warn his Moose and Squirrel, or let it stand. But Xavier hadn't called Crowley, perhaps still smarting from what Chuck had said. Xavier realized he'd probably have to advise the King of Hell once the Angels were finally apprehended, but for now, he wanted nothing to do with Crowley.

But, Crowley's non-decision aside, this was becoming fascinating, like one of those suspense novels you just couldn't put down until you'd read just a few more pages. The dominoes were all set up to fall, and several of His children's fingers were now wavering over them.

Jason had already started the process with his murder of poor Linda Tran. Poor Linda, poor Kevin. But her murder had had to occur, to stir up the sense of outrage and rebellion in Kevin and Chuck. The Prophets were to be great leaders in Heaven, and Linda's death had provided the necessary kick in the pants the two Angels had needed to shake them out of their fear and passivity.

Xavier had been right when he'd told Kevin that Linda's soul was currently in Limbo. There would be a decision made regarding Linda, but God meant to see to it that Xavier would not be the one to make it. Even God Himself would need the help of some of His children to ensure that Xavier would not prevail, and help may yet have to come from some unexpected places.

God had stood up and cheered when Chuck had called out Xavier, comparing him with the King of Hell himself. Chuck's heroism had certainly been unexpected, considering what the former Prophet had been up to, when God had cast him into Hell. Chuck had really opened up God's eyes, convinced Him that total redemption was possible for even the worst individual, if that individual wanted it badly enough.

Chuck wanted to be a tough-guy hero, and though God still had his doubts about the tough-guy part, all the components were certainly there for Chuck to be a hero. It was interesting: Many of Chuck's thoughts these days ran to alliteration, perhaps with a little assist from his Father. Heroes: Clint, Castiel, and...Crowley? His Son Crowley's original incarnation had been the first murderer, Cain. Another hard C. Funny, wasn't it?

And, Canada was another.

Gail and Cas kept their dinner date at Barry and Tommy's place.

They were all sitting in the living room chatting. Barry offered drinks all around.

"I can't, I'm still on the painkillers," Gail told Barry. This wasn't true of course, but it was a ready-made excuse. She glanced at Castiel apologetically. Sorry, Cas. I saw my opportunity, and I took it.

He smiled at her. No matter. He was used to having the occasional drink with Sam and Dean. "I'll have a beer, if you have any," he said to Barry.

"Me. too," said Tommy.

Barry returned with the drinks, and the three men toasted.

"Here's to a full recovery for Gail," Barry toasted. He had been looking at her carefully since she'd walked in the door. She looked way better than most people would have so soon after such a savage attack, he thought.

Gail saw Barry looking at her. She'd have to try to remember to move gingerly while she was here. It was bothering her to be so deceptive with her friend, but what choice did she have? She'd better tell him soon that she was quitting her job; at least she should be honest with him about something.

So when Barry said he was going back into the kitchen to check on dinner, she let go of Cas's hand and said, "I'll come with. It'll give these guys a chance to get acquainted." She nodded at Tommy and Cas.

Just as Barry had been eyeing Gail, Tommy had been regarding Cas. Assessing him. Barry had been right; this guy was good-looking. But there was a lot more to him than that. He had a quality to him that Tommy couldn't quite pin down. Barry had told Tommy about how impossibly fast Cas had shown up at the hospital, the sighting of the couple at the studio a couple of days ago when Gail was supposed to have been laid up with her injury, and the fact that no one had ever seen either of the two eat or drink anything. Tommy had been amused. What did Barry think, they were vampires, or something? It was a good thing that Tommy was the reporter, not Barry; his boyfriend had way too active an imagination.

And Cas was drinking a beer now, looking like an ordinary human man. Had what Barry had told him subconsciously influenced Tommy's perception of the couple? Tommy had also been studying Gail before she went into the kitchen, and he agreed that she didn't look nearly as injured as she should, resilient or not. She and Cas seemed to communicate with each other non-verbally at times, and they'd been constantly holding hands, but Tommy had seen many couples behave this way. Those were the kinds of couples that made a lot of people sick, Tommy thought with amusement, but it didn't bother him. Good for them. He often wished he and Barry could be more like that, especially out in public. But society was still not quite ready for that, though things had improved over the last few years.

"What's it like behind the scenes of a hit TV show?" Tommy asked Cas.

Cas shrugged. "Busy, sometimes. Then there's a lot of waiting around, while the technical people set up the shots. But I've been enjoying it. It's certainly different from anything I've done before."

"And what have you done before?" Tommy asked.

"A little of this, a little of that," Castiel said casually.

"How did you and Gail meet?" Tommy inquired, changing tactics. Maybe Cas would open up if asked about his favourite subject.

"Through friends," Cas said, smiling. He took another sip of his beer. His natural reticence was coming in handy. He and Gail had agreed not to divulge too many details about themselves that they would have to compare notes about and remember later, but Castiel was accomplished at being evasive. Dean could have told Tommy that he was wasting his time.

And, that was it. Hmm. Barry had said that Cas didn't talk much, but how was Tommy supposed to figure this guy out if he couldn't get him to talk? The more Tommy looked at Cas, the more convinced he became that this guy was hiding something. But he seemed like a good guy. Barry sure spoke highly of him.

"Another beer?" Tommy asked Cas. Maybe if he could get a few beers into Cas, they would loosen his tongue.

"No thanks, I'm pacing myself," Cas replied. Then he smiled again. "I overindulged when Gail and I were in Vegas, and I paid the price. I'm not looking for a repeat, anytime soon." Cas had sensed that Tommy was growing frustrated with his laconic answers, but he didn't mind volunteering this little tidbit. It was the truth, and he knew that Gail had told Barry a couple of Las Vegas stories, as well. She'd kept the photo of the two of them by her at the poker desk, and had told Barry the story of Cas punching out the young poker player in Vegas after Cas had bested him. Barry had laughed and laughed, Gail told Cas.

Tommy raised his eyebrows. So, he does talk, he thought.

Barry and Gail were talking, too.

"I've got something to tell you," Gail said, touching Barry's arm.

"Yeah? What's that?" he said. Barry moved over to the fridge and took out a bottle of wine, pouring himself a glass. He waggled the bottle. "Sure you don't want one?"

Gail sighed. She hadn't been looking forward to telling her friend she was quitting. Maybe a couple of sips of wine wouldn't hurt. Which was ridiculous, of course. She'd been living like a human for so long that she'd lapsed back into thinking like one. "Yeah, what the hell. Hit me," she said, grabbing a glass from the cabinet.

Barry started to pour, then stopped, frowning. "What about the painkillers?"

Crap. In her stress about having to tell Barry she was leaving the poker room, she'd forgotten that had been her excuse for not accepting a drink in the first place.

"Painkillers, schmainkillers," she said. "I haven't really needed that many, anyway. I'm sure one glass won't hurt."

Barry handed it to her, and they clinked glasses. "To working together again soon," Barry said. "Maybe you can persuade Cas to come back on his day off. I miss him, too."

Gail would normally have teased him about that, feigning jealousy, but her heart wasn't in it. She took a gulp of wine and said, "About that...I'm really sorry, Barry, but...I'm quitting."

Barry's mouth dropped open. "What? Why?"

What could she tell him? She'd been angry at Cas for wanting her to quit, but she couldn't blame him, not really. The feeling that Jason was coming for them had been growing stronger over the last couple of days since her attack, and now Gail wanted to be near Castiel. Their idyllic time here was drawing to a close.

"There's someone out there who means us harm," she told Barry. She couldn't tell him everything, of course, but she wanted to tell him as much of the truth as she could. "The lot is secure, and Cas wants me near him." Not that it would matter in the end, she thought. She took another big swallow of wine, trying to get it past the lump in her throat. She'd miss this life.

"Your ex-boyfriend?" Barry scoffed. He knew about her original cover story, of course. "There are lots of guys in the poker room, me included, who would gladly take care of him for you."

Lucky that Tommy picked that moment to come into the kitchen, looking for two more beers. He was going to insist that Cas have another, open up more. Gail averted her eyes from Barry's at that moment, blinking back the tears that were threatening to form. She missed Sam and Dean like crazy, and what Barry had just said had reminded her of the brothers so much.

Tommy had been hoping the second beer would loosen Cas's tongue, but it was loosening his, instead. Cas had asked him what being a reporter was like, and he had lots of interesting and funny stories about working on a newspaper to share. Cas was fascinated by everything Tommy was telling him, and was asking probing and insightful questions. Just who was the reporter here, anyway? Tommy thought. How had he turned this thing around so expertly?

But Cas was a nice guy, a good listener, and Tommy liked him. He told Cas that all he wanted was that one good story, the one that would define his career. Leave a lasting mark. Didn't every writer want that?

Cas had smiled at that. Would he ever have a story for Tommy.

They'd also gotten around to the subject of Tommy and Barry's lifestyle, and Castiel was starting to feel those pangs of conscience again. Who cared what these men did in the privacy of their own bedroom? Was it anyone else's business, anyway? He felt an affinity for Tommy as Tommy described how he and Barry were looked down on and persecuted by some people, most of whom didn't even bother to try getting to know the men as people, before passing their judgment. Applying their own perceptions of morality to the way that the men conducted their lives. Wasn't that the same thing that Xavier was doing to him and Gail? Castiel didn't see any difference, and, minus the reference to Heaven of course, Cas told Tommy so.

Tommy thought that Cas was referring to the fact that he and Gail weren't married but were living together, and he found it funny that Cas actually knew people who still felt that way, at least about straight couples. People of the opposite sex lived common-law everywhere these days, and Tommy didn't know of anyone who had a problem with it. He sighed. He'd take that, all day long.

Barry was disappointed that Gail would be leaving the casino, but he supposed he could understand. Her safety was the most important thing, and if she and Cas felt like it was the right thing to do, who was he to say otherwise? But he made her promise to come back to visit, when she could.

Sure she would, Gail promised him. She and Cas would stop by soon, as soon as Cas got a day off. His shooting schedule had been pretty busy lately. The show was nearing the climactic season finale, and the Castiel character figured prominently in the story arc. Oh, the irony.

"What's he going to do when they're off for the summer?" Barry asked. "What are you going to do?"

Gail sighed inwardly. She guessed they wouldn't have to worry about that. They'd be back in Heaven and on trial, by then. She was sure of it.

"I don't know, Barry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she told him.

Barry was standing over the stove, stirring the gravy. "Hey, would you mind getting the pepper for me?" he asked Gail.

"Sure, where is it?"

He indicated the cabinet next to where she was standing. "In there. Second shelf."

Gail opened the cabinet and saw it. The second shelf was a little on the high side for her, more like Sam territory, but she could...just...reach it.

Barry had watched Gail retrieve the pepper, stretching with ease. Her top had lifted a bit, and he saw no bandage. OK; that was it. She'd been stabbed and bleeding on Friday, seriously injured, and look at her now. What the hell?

He looked back at the stove until she handed him the pepper. Then Barry put the shaker on the counter and turned off the burner under the gravy. Then he faced Gail.

"It's a good thing you don't play poker," he said to her. "You're terrible at hiding things."

"What are you talking about?" Gail asked him, her heart sinking.

"This," Barry said, and lifted her top to reveal her smooth, unbandaged stomach. No wound, just a weird-looking tattoo on one side.

Crap. Double crap. Why hadn't she at least put a fake bandage on?

"I saw how bad your wound was. I was there, remember? Now, nothing, not even a scar? What's going on, Gail?"

She stared at Barry. She had no idea what to say. She grabbed her top away from Barry's hand and pulled it back down, then walked back out into the living room. Maybe Cas could come up with something.

Barry followed her. "Gail, talk to me!"

Cas put down his beer and stood as they came into the room.

"And, you!" Barry said to him. "There's something fishy about you, too!"

Cas was puzzled. "What's wrong, Barry? What are you talking about?"

"Gail is fine," Barry said. "No wound, no scar, nothing! And just how did you get to the hospital so fast, that night?"

Gail and Castiel looked at each other. They'd both made mistakes. The question was, what were they going to do about it? How could they provide any kind of a plausible explanation?

"I'm sorry, Cas, I wasn't thinking," Gail said to him. She'd rarely felt so stupid in all her life.

But he'd made his own tactical error in appearing to Barry right after he'd been speaking to him on the phone. The TV show was filmed in a different city; it was a physical impossibility for Cas to have gotten to the hospital that quickly, even if he had flown, as he had tried to joke that he had. That had been stupid, too; although it was his concern for Gail that had prompted this rash behaviour, that was no excuse.

Castiel smiled grimly. He trusted two human men above all others, but now it seemed the time had come to trust two more. He took Gail's hand and looked at her. We're going to have to trust them, his eyes said. OK, Castiel, I think we can, hers said.

"Have a seat, Barry," Cas said, as he and Gail sat down. "We have that story for you, Tommy, but it's one you can never publish."

"Angels?" Tommy said skeptically. He looked at Barry, who stood up, went into the kitchen, and turned the oven and the stove off. Then he opened a cabinet and took out the bottle of brandy he and Tommy had been saving for a special occasion. He grabbed two snifters, then reconsidered, and grabbed two more.

Barry returned to the living room and set the bottle and glasses in the middle of the coffee table.

"What the hell, Barry?" Tommy said to him.

Gail and Castiel exchanged glances. In that moment, Tommy and Barry reminded them so much of Sam and Dean that their faces were almost interchangeable. The Angels smiled.

"I know, we were saving it for a special occasion," Barry said. "But I can't think of anything more special than to find out your friends are genuine, honest-to-God Angels."

"You believe this?" Tommy asked him, astonished.

"Yes, I do," Barry said, smiling at Gail and Cas. "I knew there was something special about you two."

Tommy scoffed. "Yeah. Right. Angels, in a casino. On a TV show." He turned to Castiel. "Barry's always believed in God and all that stuff. Me, not so much. Not when I've seen what people do in the name of religion. Not when I've been persecuted all my life for who I am, and the way I feel."

Barry was dismayed. "Look, Tommy, I knew you felt that way when we got together. But I was hoping you would come around. Talk to him, you two."

"I don't blame you for the way you feel," Castiel said, and Gail looked at him, surprised. But she shouldn't have been, not really. Cas continued, "Yes, people have done terrible things in the name of religion, and in

the name of God. What humans have never realized is that there is only one so-called religion, but there are many different kinds of love, and love is love. We are all the same. Funny, flawed, and fallible." Chuck would have appreciated the alliteration. "We were made in His image, but we shape our own destinies, and we all have to choose for ourselves the path which is right."

Castiel looked at Gail, but she was already nodding when he said, "We have to go back."

Barry poured four shots of brandy, and they all had a toast.

Then Cas and Gail asked for pens and pieces of paper, and she wrote a note to Gloria, and he wrote a note to Richard. They each wanted to thank their employers for being so kind to them, and to express their regret that they had to leave town so suddenly.

As they were sealing the envelopes and giving them to Barry, Gail's cell phone rang. She opened her purse and took out the phone, feeling the dread in the pit of her stomach. There were only two people who had this number, and they were only supposed to call in case of dire emergency. This was it.

"Gail?" It was Sam's voice. "Jason's got Dean."

It was what they'd been dreading, and what Gail had been subconsciously expecting for the last few days. And here they had dawdled, making new friends, fooling themselves into thinking they could just move to another country with impunity and build a new life. Now, they had finally decided to do the right thing, but was it too late?

Gail handed the phone to Cas and grabbed her purse, touching the photo of the two of them in Las Vegas that she'd put in there before they had come here. Almost as if she'd known they wouldn't be returning to their apartment. She hoped she would be allowed to keep it when they got back to Heaven. Knowing Xavier, probably not. But she might have to risk an extra year or two in jail just to kick the ass of whoever tried to take it away from her, she thought with grim humour.

Barry and Tommy were staring at her and Cas. Barry looked like he was about to say something, but Gail held up her hand. Cas was on the phone.

"OK, Sam, stay where you are," Castiel said. "We'll be right there." He hung up the phone and looked at Gail. She looked back at him, eyes wide.

"It seems we have a situation on our hands," Cas said to her, mindful of where they were. They had told Barry and Tommy that they were Angels, but nothing else. The full story was too unbelievable, and they had run out of time.

Cas and Gail hugged their friends, and said they'd try to stop by and see them again when they could.

"Sorry about dinner," Gail said to Barry, kissing him on the cheek, "but it would likely have been a moot point, anyway." She tried a smile on, but it didn't quite fit.

Barry kissed her back, but he was troubled. He would have thought that they would be happy to be going back to Heaven. After all, wasn't that where everybody hoped to end up, one day? But these two looked like they were headed to their own funeral.

Castiel hugged Tommy, who found himself feeling surprisingly emotional. "I wish we'd gotten the chance to talk more," Cas said to him. "Don't give up on your faith, whatever it may be. There are decent people out there; you may not have met them yet, that's all."

Tommy smiled. "I just met two, tonight."

Gail came over to stand with them, and she touched Tommy's cheek. "You take care of my fella, okay?" she said, nodding towards Barry.

"I will," Tommy assured her. His mouth twitched. "And, you take care of mine." He nodded towards Cas, who smiled.

"I'll do my best," Gail replied, but her eyes were filling with tears. Her best likely wasn't going to be good enough, in this situation.

She grabbed her purse with one hand and Cas's hand with the other, blowing a kiss to the men as she and Cas winked out of their apartment.

Barry and Tommy finished the bottle of brandy and sat up all night, talking. And when dawn came, they both said a prayer for their friends. Then they went to bed, falling asleep in each other's arms.

Castiel and Gail appeared in front of Sam, who was standing on the street corner a block away from his and Dean's motel room. Normally, Gail would have run to Sam and hugged him, but this situation was too serious. There would be time for hugs later, if they all got out of this alive.

"Tell me what's going on, Sam," Castiel demanded.

"I knew Jason was on our tail," Sam advised them. "Don't ask me how I knew; I just knew. So Dean and I had gotten in the habit of parking the car on the other side of any motel we were staying in, and registering under some of our fake FBI names." Castiel almost smiled. These methods might work on humans, at least for a short time. Sam continued, "But I forgot the book I was reading in the car and I really wanted to finish it, so I walked around to the other parking lot to get it and when I came back, I could see them through the window."

"How many are there?" Castiel asked quietly.

"Looked like four or five, besides Jason," Sam answered him. "They have Dean tied to a chair, and Jason had his blade out." Sam showed them the Angel blade he'd recovered from Las Vegas. "I've got mine, but Dean's is in the room with him. Have you guys got yours?"

"Of course," Castiel said, taking his out. He'd modified his blazer so that it now had an inside pocket, and had carried it with him every day since they'd been in Vancouver. Gail took hers out of her purse and touched the spring-release on the hilt, exposing the blade. Why hadn't she asked Castiel for that refresher? She didn't feel ready for this, not at all. If anything happened to any one of her guys, she would feel responsible. She'd been so busy playing human that she'd forgotten what was really important.

Castiel and Sam looked at Gail briefly, both of them thinking how to protect her, but she'd already started walking towards the motel, in the direction that Sam had indicated. Sam and Cas exchanged glances. They were outnumbered, as it was; they just had to hope her training would kick in, when they got there.

Sam knocked on the door. "Dean! Open up, I forgot my key," he called out.

Jason nodded to one of the other Angels, who moved to open the door. "Go away, Sammy! Jason's here!" Dean yelled. Jason backhanded him, then plunged his blade into Dean's hand, for further emphasis.

When the Angel opened the door, Sam rushed forward and plunged his blade into the guy's chest, then stabbed and slashed at the Angel next to him. Two down, three to go, plus Jason. Castiel and Gail popped into the room then, and with the element of surprise on their side, Gail was able to kill one, and Castiel fought and killed the other two.

Then it was just Jason, and he was standing over Dean, blade raised. "Well done, Castiel," Jason said sarcastically. "More charges under Count 6. And now we've got one for your girlfriend, too. And that count carries the death penalty."

"And just what were you going to do to Sam and Dean?" Gail retorted, her temper rising. "How is that any different?"

Still the same smart mouth on her. Jason moved away from Dean and faced Gail, looming over her, but she stood her ground. "You're a hypocrite," Gail said to him.

Jason itched to stab her in the chest right there and then, but he knew that Xavier would not stand for it. So he settled for slashing her arm with his blade. "That's one," he said. "I keep my promises."

Gail grimaced from the pain, but she said, "Oh, and you're an idiot, too."

While she had been goading Jason, distracting him, Sam and Castiel had freed Dean, and Castiel touched their human friends' foreheads and sent them out of the room.

Gail took a breath as Jason realized what was happening, and spun around. Castiel was moving towards them. Jason turned back to Gail, and slashed her other arm. "That's two," he snarled.

Castiel grabbed Jason and threw him against the wall, then stabbed Jason's hand, forcing him to drop the blade. His other hand was around Jason's throat. "If you ever touch her again, you'll have to add another charge," he said quietly. He released Jason then, but did not drop his own blade. "I should just do it, anyway. I'm a dangerous criminal, am I not?"

"Yes, you are," Jason said, "and soon all of Heaven will know it, too."

"Well then, let's go," Gail said, walking up to them, trying to be brave. Castiel reached out and healed the cuts on both of her arms, then took her hand.

Jason looked at them suspiciously. They had him at their mercy, and they were standing there, holding hands.

"We're coming willingly, you idjit," Castiel said. "That was for you, Bobby. Wherever you are."

Gail smiled. If those were to be his last words on Earth, they weren't bad.

When he realized they were serious, Jason took out the sigil handcuffs, and cuffed both of them.

And when Sam and Dean finally made their way back to the room from wherever Cas had sent them, the Angels were long gone.