Chapter 7: In Sickness and in Health

Part 1

Cas looked at Daphne who tried to get up. He wanted to go to her, but it seemed his legs didn't want to move.

"Are you alright?" he informed worried.

Daphne groaned and panted. "What do you think, moron?" she snapped.

Cas forced himself to move and walked fast to Daphne. He ducked and wanted to heal his wife, but she pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted.

"I'm just trying to help" Cas said soft.

"You're going to get me killed someday" Daphne replied angry.

"I didn't mean to hurt you" Cas said apologizing.

"No, you just accidentally grabbed my shoulders and threw me through the window" Daphne said sarcastic. "Could've happened to everyone"

She managed to get up.

"I'll take you to the hospital" Cas offered.

"How? My car got stolen, because you had to be somewhere you weren't supposed to be" Daphne hissed.

"I know, it's all my fault" Cas said, getting annoyed. "You know what, why don't you just drop dead?"

"What's going on here?"

Daphne and Cas both looked up and saw one of their neighbors had stopped at their house.

"Nothing" Cas mumbled.

"My husband just violated me" Daphne said. Cas shot her an angry look and Daphne raised her eyebrows. "What, I didn't just throw myself out of the window"

"My car is just around the block. I'll go get it and then I'll take you to the hospital" the neighbor said. He looked at Cas. "Next time I see you…"


Part 2

An hour later, when Daphne's arm was in plaster, someone knocked on the door and Zoey appeared. Her nose was still red, but she didn't look so angry anymore. She stuck out her hand and made some movements with them like she was doing mime.

"What are you doing?" Daphne asked frowning.

"Just checking the vibes, that's all" Zoey answered. She looked at her sister. "Seriously, is it safe in here or should I get myself a helmet?"

Daphne rolled her eyes and waved her good arm. Zoey walked towards the bed.

"So, the window, huh?" Zoey said kind of impressed. "Guess he's not a total WIMP"

Daphne raised her left eyebrow. "You make it sound like I should be proud of him"

"Well, at least now you have something to hold against him" Zoey said. "And he'll have to do all the chores"

"No" Daphne shook her head. "I don't want to see him ever again"

Zoey sank down on the bed and took Daphne's hand. "Sweetie, you have to be honest here. You weren't really nice to him. He didn't do anything wrong. He didn't know. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I'm the one who took him there"

Daphne shook her head again. "That still doesn't excuse his behavior. I want a divorce"

"You don't mean that" Zoey said soft.

"I do" Daphne sobbed.

"Don't make any rushed decisions now" Zoey reasoned. "You should talk to him, give him the chance to say he's sorry"

"No, you'd have to call him and he doesn't know how to use a phone" Daphne said.

"Actually there's no need for that" Zoey said. She averted her head to the door. "You can come in now"

The door opened and Cas came in. Daphne grabbed Zoey's arm. "Get him out of here. I don't want to see him"

"Daphne, please listen to me" Cas begged.

Daphne rotated her head to Cas. "Leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with you. Get out!" she screamed.

"Daphne, calm down" Zoey said sharp. "Emmanuel, you are not leaving until this is sorted out"

"How can you take his side after what he did? He tried to kill me!" Daphne cried.

"I'm just trying to save your marriage" Zoey said. She looked at Cas. "Say you're sorry" she ordered as if she was talking to a three year-old.

Cas opened his mouth to say the words when the door was busted and two police men came in. They both aimed a gun at Cas.

"Mr. Allen? I arrest you for deliberate assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be pointed for you" the closest one grinded out.

He cuffed Cas' hands. "Do you understand these rights as they have been said to you?"

Not waiting his answer they pulled him to the open door and left.

Zoey rotated her head shocked to Daphne. "What the hell just happened?"


Part 3

Right after Cas had lost his temper Meg had made a phone call to some company that could fix windows or place new ones. And, well, someone had to let the men in, right? And someone had to keep an eye on the house while the owners were gone.

So, after the window was fixed and the men left, Meg had another tour in the house. So far she had only seen Daphne's bedroom and aside from the book she was writing there was really nothing fascinating to find.

She walked up to the fridge, hoping to find some booze, but when she opened it and let her eyes go over its content all she could see, regarding liquids, was…

"Water. Yummy" Meg muttered. She slammed the fridge. She walked back to the kitchen and searched through the cupboards. Sure there must be cookies somewhere. Every normal person had cookies in their houses. But then again, Daphne wasn't exactly what you call normal.

No cookies.

"Damn, she really is Mother Teresa" Meg said, a little impressed.

She leaned against the dresser when her eye caught something. Apparently, in the action of the moment, Daphne had forgotten her purse. Meg stuck out her arm and pulled the bag to her. She opened it and threw the content on the dresser. A few boxes popped out.

She picked them up one by one and read what it was for. One was for depressions. One was for when you get hysterical. There were painkillers, but not normal ones, these were for complete agony. And then there were also pills for hallucinations.

"What the-"

She didn't get to finish, because a police car stopped in front of the house and a woman commanded her to get out of the house, with her hands on her head.


Part 4

Cas was sitting in a room with no windows and bare walls. He was sitting on a chair, staring at a desk and felt how two pair of eyes were pinned on him.

"Do you know why you're here, Mr. Allen?" the female cop asked. Cas looked up and nodded. "I'd like to hear you say it"

Cas coughed. "I'm here, because I violated my wife" he said toneless.

"You realize that's a felony?" the female cop asked to be sure.

"I do" Cas replied.

"Then why did you do it?" she asked.

"Because," Cas started. "she was being a…" he searched for the right word as he looked down again. "bitch" he finished as he looked up. He noticed how the male cop was struggling with his temper. "I think your partner wants to hit me. I strongly advise him not to do that. For his own good"

The male cop lost it and grabbed Cas' collar. He swung him over the desk and forced him against the wall opposite the door.

"Are you threatening me, douchebag?" he hissed.

"No, I am simply warning you" Cas explained. "In the past people have tried to harm me and they have regretted it"

"That still sounds like a threat to me" the male cop said. He swung his arm and hit Cas on the eye. He wished he hadn't done that.


Part 5

His hand hurt so much he couldn't speak.

"Can I speak with you for a moment? Outside?" the female cop said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. As soon as the door closed she let him go.

"For God's sake, it's your first day back. You really going to ruin it now? Control yourself" she hissed. "Did you hear what he said? He's basically telling us that the poor woman had it coming" he snapped.

"I heard him, okay?" she said. Her face got a little softer. "Look, I know it's hard, given the circumstances, but you have to keep it together"

"I know"

"How's your hand?"

"I believe it's broken"

"Hey, you know, that man in there?" she nodded at the door. "Rumor has it he can do all kinds of tricks with his hands"

"Isabel? Has anyone ever told you you need to get a boyfriend?"

Isabel shot him an annoyed glance. "That's not what I mean. Word has it he can heal people"

He widened his eyes. "That's him? Wow, a healer with a violent character. How ironic" He stepped back in the room and Isabel followed him inside. Cas was still standing against the wall and the male cop walked towards him. "I hear you can fix people. I want you to fix my hand"

Cas touched the hand and it was healed. "I'm sorry about your wife" he said.

The man started struggling again, but Isabel pulled him back. "It was all over the news, Paul"

"And I'm sorry the real culprit was never caught" Cas said.

The door swung open right at the moment Paul wanted to punch Cas again. Paul lowered his arm and turned around.

"Detective Morgan? We need you in hearing room 2"

Paul nodded and walked outside. While the door was open an officer walked by, while he was holding a woman by her arm. Cas looked up the same moment the woman did. Cas frowned, not knowing why she was here and Meg waved and winked as she passed by.


Part 6

Ten minutes later or something the door of the hearing room went open again. Isabel sighed irritated and looked up at the door. "I'm trying to work here"

"Well, you can stop. They've dropped charges"

Isabel pursed her lips. "Well, isn't that convenient for you?"

"I don't understand. Can I go?" Cas asked confused.

"Yes, you can go and I don't want to see you here again" Isabel said. Cas stood up and walked to the door.

When he came at the entrance hall of the station he saw one familiar face. He was a little surprised it wasn't Meg.

Zoey walked towards him. "I talked to Daphne, made her see she was making a mistake"

"Thank you" Cas said.

"She's ready to see you now" Zoey said, expecting Cas to come with her to the hospital.

"I'm not ready to see her right now" Cas said cold. "You're saying she called the police?"

Zoey nodded. "Right before I visited. I should've known"

"It's not your fault" Cas said.

"I'm going back to the hospital later, but maybe you want to grab a coffee at Starbucks?" Zoey offered.

"That sounds like a good plan" Cas replied.


Part 7

Hearing room 2

Paul Morgan was sitting at the desk looking at Meg who shot provocative looks back.

"Meg Masters" he said soft. "What were you doing in Mr. and Mrs. Allen's house?"

"Looking for cookies" Meg answered with a smirk.

"You couldn't go to the store?" Paul asked frowning.

"No, I'm kind of broke" Meg said. "I would have to steal them. Besides, I knew it would piss off Daphne and that's basically why I did. Mrs. Allen doesn't like me very much, you see"

Paul nodded. "That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've been trying to get-forgive my expression-in Mr. Allen's pants?"

Meg raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Someone did his homework. But who's trying?"

"Here's what I think" Paul said, sitting up straighter. "You and Mr. Allen are having an affair. Mr. Allen, aware of Mrs. Allen's mental condition, convinces her to marry him and give him access to her bank account. Once they're married Mr. Allen tries to kill Mrs. Allen, but fails. While Mrs. Allen is in the hospital and Mr. Allen at the station, you go into the house to cover Mr. Allen's tracks. Am I close?"

Meg clapped her hands. "Bravo! You busted us. And you wonder why no one believed you when you said you didn't almost kill your wife"

Paul wanted to get his hands around her neck, but found himself unable to move.

"How is Mrs. Morgan? Still in the clinic? Is she still afraid of you?" Meg taunted Paul. She leaned forward. "I'll tell you a little secret" she whispered in his ear. "I know who nearly beat your wife to death" She leaned back in her chair and smiled. "It was a shape-shifter, looking like you"

"Ma'am, you're crazy" Paul said. He had hoped she would've really known the culprit so they could clear his name and he could go back to Janice.

"You want to know something else?" Meg continued. "I'm not really human. I'm a demon. And Cas is not human either. He's an Angel. But, sssssshhhhh, he doesn't know yet. Don't spoil the surprise"

"Who's Cas?" Paul asked frowning.

"Oh, my mistake, I mean Emmanuel" Meg said. "He can't know who he is yet or who I am. The less people know the truth the better"

"Then why are you telling me?" Paul asked.

Meg stood up and walked around the desk. She stopped behind Paul's chair and pulled out a long, silver knife.

"Because I'm pretty sure you won't tell anyone"

Paul could see a glimpse of the knife in the window opposite the desk right before Meg buried the knife in his stomach.


Part 8

Cas was sitting at the kitchen table, staring ahead. He didn't know what to do. A part of him wanted to stay. Daphne had saved his life. She'd taken care of him when anyone else would've just left him at that lake.

But another part, a bigger part, wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. It was safe to say that his lovely wife wasn't so lovely at all.

So, why didn't he just go? Because Zoey had been talking to him. She told him what really happened with Martin, their brother. How Daphne felt responsible for his death and how he, Cas, reminded her of him. Because Martin had a mental disability and the fact that Cas couldn't do much of anything reminded Daphne of her brother. When she found Cas at the lake she thought God had given her a chance to right the wrongs in her past.

"Hello, Meg"

Meg appeared behind Cas.

"We have to go" Meg said insisting.

"I haven't made my decision yet" Cas replied.

"I just did" Meg said.

"I'm not sure I want to go" Cas said.

Meg grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "You cannot stay here. Daphne's is totally nuts. She's aggressive, delusional, jealous, possessive, obsessive. She takes a whole bunch of pills"

"Zoey told me why she is the way she is" Cas said. "I understand her pain. She thinks I've been sent to her to replace her brother. That's why she won't sleep with me. It all makes sense now"

Meg shook her head in disbelief. "You're married to her. She's supposed to treat you as her husband, not her brother. She treats you like a dog. You are not her brother. If you stay here you'll only feed her fantasy. Before you know it she'll call you Martin"

Cas swallowed. Just because he didn't know who he was, didn't mean he wanted to take someone else's identity. He nodded.

"Okay, I'll come with you" he agreed. "But first I want to say goodbye to Daphne and make sure she'll be okay"

"Okay, I'll meet you there at 10" Meg smiled. "Can you give me Daphne's room number? I want to say goodbye too"


Part 9

Meg went back to her house to cover her tracks. It was only a matter of time before Crowley's demons would figure out where she was hiding, but when they did she would be long gone and she didn't want to make it too easy for them to track her down again.

So when she switched the light on in her living room she was quite surprised to see three demons standing in the room. She would've grabbed her knife, if the closest demon hadn't thrown a cup of holy water in her face.

"Aaaaaaaahhh! You son of a bitch!" she cursed, but before she could act the other demons came closer and dragged her to a chair and tied her up. She looked at the floor and realized she was trapped. She looked up. "Can you make this quick? I need to be somewhere at 10"

"This can go just as quick as you want" demon 1 said. "Tell us where the Angel Castiel is and then we'll put a good word in for you when we deliver you to Crowley. Then he'll kill you fast"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Meg said. "How would I know where Crowley's puppy is?"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way" the demon said.

Meg looked in his eyes and smirked. "Go back to hell"

"The hard way it is" he concluded and he threw another cup of holy water in her face.


Part 10

Cas slowly opened the door of Daphne's room. She looked his way and smiled weak. Cas took that a safe sign and walked towards the bed.

"Are you still angry with me?" he asked careful.

Daphne shook her head. "No. Are you?"

"No" Cas answered, though that wasn't completely true.

Daphne sat up and sighed. "Listen, Emmanuel, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you"

"I know the reason and I understand" Cas replied.

"That doesn't make it okay" Daphne said. She sighed again. "I've had some time to think and I've realized something. I don't love you the way I should. I love you as a brother and that's why I won't sleep with you. I know I was unfair to you for blaming you, because you're still a virgin. But to be honest, I don't think you love me that much either. Which is not a criticism, but if there's someone out there you really love, I won't stop you to be with her"

That act of selflessness took Cas by surprise. She was willing to let him go? And Meg had called her possessive.

"There's no one" Cas said hoarse.

"What about Meg? She basically restored our entire house and we both know she didn't do that for me" Daphne said with a wink.

Cas looked at the clock. It was already 10:30 pm. What took Meg so long?

"You need to be somewhere?" Daphne asked.

"No" Cas answered.

"So, what about Meg? She has a thing for you, that's obvious" Daphne said.

Cas realized, with a weird kind of pain, that Meg wasn't going to show.

"She'll have to get over it. She means nothing to me" Cas said with a slightly trembling voice. "I'm staying with you"