Chapter 3 – The Joker's Wild
John was the logical one to return to the Earth, because he had the most animosity toward many of the principal players, from the righteous to the most depraved, and a few who were in-between. Also, John was one of the four Gospel writers, but because he had been in Hell for so many years before Rowena had dispatched his Demonic essence, John was out of the loop. He and Mark knew a little of the truth, but not enough to represent a real danger. Matthew and Luke would represent a far greater risk, but the latter two were currently in the Netherworld, oblivious to each other's presence there.
There were very few others left who knew enough of the truth to be of any consequence. Gabriel had done an impressive, if sporadic, job in eliminating those individuals, and there would be several more assassinations to come.
But in the meantime, there was John. He was placed in Michigan, due east of the St. Clair River.
Castiel knew very well how to navigate by the stars, but there was one little detail of which he was unaware. Prior to the spell that had brought about the cessation of modern conveniences on Earth, there had been a way to bypass the river on foot. But, approximately one week before that night, the municipal workers in the area had gone on strike. That meant that all of the other workers in their union were expected to follow suit. So every construction worker, concrete pourer, backhoe operator and flagperson had walked away from the highway infrastructure project, leaving a torn-up road and a morass of heavy machinery behind. There was no way to traverse the road to the southeast, and the only other option was to proceed northwest before they could go south again, adding a minimum of three or four more days to their voyage.
Gail felt like stamping her foot in frustration. It had taken them five-and-a-half days just to get this far, and now they were going to be stymied by a lake that sat smack-dab in between them and the USA?
She looked around, gauging their surroundings. There was no way they could walk on the torn-up concrete, and even if they were able to skirt that and walk on the shoulder of the road, there was too much heavy machinery to negotiate their way through, especially with a child in tow. The forest beside the construction site was extremely dense. Could they pick their way through it? She looked in the other direction. The roadway was clear, but... four more days? She didn't know if she could take that.
The journey thus far had been the strangest few days Gail had ever spent in her husband's company, and considering every way she had ever seen Cas, that was really saying something. The brief flashes of humanity in him, for lack of a better term, that she had seen at Aaron's farm had been just that. With little else to do but walk, rest, and provide food and shelter for Peter and Barry, Gail had discovered something: this version of Castiel was really, really pissing her off.
She supposed she should be grateful for the fact that Cas was with them. If it had been just Barry, Peter and Gail, she would never have been able to keep their human charges alive this whole time. She was still powerless, and even though she had her Angel blade in the pocket of her pants and could still fight, there was no way she would have been able to provide all the sustenance and protection that Cas had. He was like a Boy Scout on steroids. Even without the prodigious powers his wife knew that he possessed right now, Cas was a one-man survival machine. He built fires, foraged for food, provided shelter, and protected them against wild animals. A few times, they had been accosted by humans who had been looking for food, and Cas had shared with them what little provisions they had. But in the handful of incidences where it seemed as though the people they'd encountered were not going to be satisfied with that arrangement, Cas had drawn his blade and told them to move on. Once, several men had started a fight. Which they had lost, of course. Gail had helped out a little on that occasion, but Cas had kicked their butts pretty much all by himself, and had done so without using an ounce of Angelic Grace.
All of which could have been terrific, if he hadn't been so sanctimonious this whole time. She knew that might be a strange thought coming from an Angel, but Gail couldn't help the way she felt. Cas was acting like they weren't even married. She could understand that they couldn't go skipping down the road holding hands, not in this current reality. At any given moment, a predator could appear, necessitating a confrontation. Nor could the two of them sit under a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, as Angela and her little friends might say. Hell, who was she kidding? Dean and Frank would probably say that, too. For the umpteenth time, Gail wondered how they were all doing.
She'd had a lot of time to worry about that, and she was also worried about Peter. Before that night in the barn, he had been a precocious, inquisitive pre-adolescent child. Now he trudged along beside Barry, hardly speaking, sometimes holding his hand. When it came time to rest for the evening, Peter wrapped himself like a cocoon in the blankets Cas provided, laying there quietly until one of the adults would rouse him in the morning.
And all this time the Angel Castiel had been walking with them, a strong and stoic guardian and protector. Unfortunately, he wasn't a silent one. Whatever the occasion was, it seemed like he had a Bible verse or a Liturgical reference for it. Which was fine, to a point. But it was all starting to sound a little too preachy to Gail. He still hadn't expressed any remorse for having killed Carolyn and Mike, and she had given up trying to talk to him about it.
So, as they stood there considering their options, Gail looked at her husband. "What now?" she asked him.
Cas's lips were pursed. "I suppose we have no choice," he remarked. "We will have to go northwest."
"But that'll add four days to our trip!" she protested.
"It cannot be helped. God will provide," Cas said tonelessly.
Gail lost her temper. "I'll tell you what, Cas. If you're so holy, why don't you just walk us across the water, then? How about that?" she said tartly. "Or maybe you could part the waters, just by waving your hands. Oh, wait: That would mean you would actually have to use those powers you've got to do something helpful, for a change! But then, why stop there? Why don't you wiggle your pinky finger and move those construction vehicles? Or, better still, why don't you just wink us to Frank's place right now, and end this ridiculous farce?"
"You know I cannot do that," Cas replied, in his best stick-up-the-butt tone.
"No, I don't, Cas!" Gail shot back, throwing her hands up in frustration. "All I know is, if I wanted my own copy of the Bible, I would have broken into that bookstore we passed yesterday, and taken one. This is stupid! I'm going to ask you one more time: will you take us to Frank's house, or not?"
"No. I cannot," Cas said calmly.
"Fine," she said in a clipped tone. "I'll just go by myself, then." She looked at Barry. "Good luck with 'Chuckles', here. He'll keep you and Peter safe. But... I'm out. If I have to listen to one more Bible quote, I'm going to have to kick some tall, dark and handsome Angelic ass."
And just like that, Gail stormed off, thrashing her way through the woods. She didn't look back.
Kevin had been deployed to eastern Europe, along with his own squad of three dozen Angels. How things had changed for the young Angel, he thought. Way back when Lucifer had been terrorizing the human race, Kevin had been a junior member of Frank and Jody's team. He had been the only Angel accompanying them, in fact. But he had been very green, as far as combat experience went. Now he had been tasked with his own celestial troops, and it was freaking him out, more than just a little.
He and two dozen of his squad had popped into a department store and liberated heavy winter coats, gloves, and blankets for the town's citizens. The weather was turning colder now, and not every home had a working fireplace.
Kevin had just about two minutes to feel good about himself and his team before he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down at the little girl, who was gazing up at him with the biggest, roundest brown eyes he had ever seen.
"I'm hungry," she appealed to him.
Kevin glanced around. "Where are your parents?"
"Aren't they with you?" the child said in an innocent tone. "Nana told me they're with the Angels."
Kevin's stomach churned. Aww, geez. "Nana? Is that your grandmother?" he asked her. The little girl nodded. "Where's she?" he added, puzzled.
"She's with the Angels, too," the child said. "We were cold when the 'lectricity went out, so she put her blanket on me. Then she went to sleep, and she didn't wake up. I waited for the heat to go back on, but it didn't. So I put my boots on, all by myself, and I walked to the neighbours' house. But they were all sleeping, too. I tried to wake them up, but they wouldn't wake up. So I found some cookies in the kitchen, and I ate them all. But now I'm hungry, again."
Kevin put his hand on the girl's head, wishing he could just zap up a whole bunch of food for her. For everybody in the town, and the surrounding villages. Well, those who hadn't died already, from the cold, or from starvation, or both. Then he made the mistake of looking at her feet. She had mentioned boots, and there was a light dusting of frost on the ground. Maybe they should just wink themselves over to a shoe store, and get warmer footwear for everyone, too.
The Angel's jaw dropped open. The child's bare feet were sticking out of the remnants of her galoshes, and they were bruised and bleeding. Oh, geez! Kevin called Bruce on Angel Radio, and Bruce showed up immediately. Bruce had been a pediatrician, in life.
Kevin gestured to the child, but Bruce was already kneeling beside her. "What's your name, sweetheart?" the doctor asked her.
"Nina," she said shyly.
Bruce was examining her feet. "We're going to take you inside, now. How about if I take you for a ride? Would you like that?"
Nina nodded, looking up at the Angels with her big brown eyes. Despite the gravity of the situation, Kevin's mouth twitched with amusement. Gail and her doe eyes had some serious competition, here. Even though things had been rough for Nina, he and his squad of Angels would be able to help her and the other kids. They would get them some boots, and some thick socks, and...
Bruce lifted the girl up from the ground, cradling her in his arms. Nina laid her head on his shoulder, and Kevin's face broke into a smile. Man, was she cute.
But the doctor was frowning. He told Kevin via Angel Radio that Nina was probably going to lose both feet, due to frostbite. Kevin's smile faded immediately.
"Go ahead," the young squad leader said quietly. "I'll be there in a minute."
Bruce and Nina disappeared, and Kevin stood there for a moment, stunned. Who the hell were they fooling, here? What was the point? It didn't matter how many Angels Bobby sent to Earth, or how helpful they thought they were being. The fact was that people were dying all over the world, in record numbers. What good was Bobby, anyway? Kevin liked and respected his boss, but how could Bobby call himself God, right now? What good were any of them, if they couldn't help these people in any sort of meaningful way?
And now, here came the tears. Kevin couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Probably at one of the many, many funeral services that had been held for any one of their extended family members. How many people were in the process of losing their own loved ones all over the world right now, just because someone had decided that human beings were just objects to be played with for their personal amusement?
Kevin stood there on the riverbank, watching the water trickle by over the rocks on its way to the lake. Thank goodness it was fresh water; at least the locals were able to slake their thirst without worrying about disease, on top of all their other problems. The bitter tears continued to fall from the Angel's eyes. He would give himself another couple of minutes' catharsis, and then he would shake it off. Kevin's mom had always told him that it was OK for men to cry, and intellectually he knew that, of course. But Kevin also knew that he couldn't pop in there bawling like a baby, and expect dozens of Angels to follow his instructions at the same time. He was pretty sure that Cas wasn't out there crying, wherever he was. Bobby hadn't said anything about Cas or Gail or Gabriel, but Kevin hadn't asked, either. It was really none of his business.
The tears Kevin had shed when he was at his most bitter and despairing had fallen into the river, and the current carried them into the lake. And so it was that the third designated Angel's feelings of bitterness and resentment made the waters into poison, and by week's end, every last human that Kevin and his squad had helped would be dead.
Among other things, the Gospel writings of John stated that the reason the Son of God had appeared was to destroy the devil's work. But black was white and up was down in this new reality, wasn't it?
Therefore, John was back upon the Earth, and he was looking for vengeance. It was too bad that Lucifer was gone, because he would have been at the top of John's list. The former Angel/Gospel writer/Demon had been sold a bad bill of goods. When Satan had recruited certain Biblical figures of higher standing to be on his team, it had been with the express understanding that, once Lucifer prevailed, there would be rich rewards coming to all of them.
John had received the first installment of his rewards early, or so he had thought. He had been assigned to Hell, to keep an eye on the operations there. That had been many years before Lucifer had been sprung from the cage. John had always been attracted to and intrigued by the dark side of things, so it had seemed like a natural fit. He could wallow in sin and depravity for a while, yet return to Exalted status once Lucifer took over Heaven. A win-win, to be sure.
But it hadn't worked out that way, of course. Although admittedly, John had enjoyed indulging in a variety of violent and sexual acts - sometimes combining the two - during his tenure in Hell, he had met with a very unjust end. The King of Hell had treated John no better than a bootlicking lackey, even though John had been Crowley's most loyal and trustworthy assistant. Yes, John had been bedding the King's mother behind his back at the time, but so what? What did Crowley care? What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, would it?
Rowena was another individual with whom John was planning to have a chat. He still couldn't believe that it was she who had stabbed him in the back, dispatching him well before his time. That had been completely unexpected. Who would have thought that Crowley's mother would end up abetting her son's little protegee's escape, while the King's back was turned? Women. They had always been a complete mystery to John.
Since Crowley's former right-hand Demon had been off the game board for so long, he had no way of knowing that Gail was Castiel's wife now, and a powerful Angel in her own right. Well, that latter part had been true up until just recently, anyway. Similarly, John didn't know that the lines between Heaven and Hell had frequently been so blurred in the past decade that allies were not necessarily allies, and enemies were not always enemies.
Night had fallen now, and Gail was cursing herself. What an idiot she'd been. Her husband had annoyed her, so she had lambasted him, then taken off on her own. Had she thought that Cas was going to follow her, stammering an apology? The old version of him might have, but she had picked the wrong iteration to pull that crap on. He and Barry and Peter would be proceeding northwest along a smoothly paved road, and she had been picking her way through the woods, stepping on logs and fallen tree branches, and being scratched by twigs. Every now and then, she could hear a rustling sound somewhere in the forest, and her head would snap up. Human? Animal? She saw nothing, but as the daylight began to wane, Gail realized that she was about to pay a huge price for having lost her temper.
She had a light pack on her back, but it didn't have much in it. She didn't even have any matches, or anything to start a fire with. That was what she got for taking Cas and his survival skills for granted. She only had a change of clothing and a blanket in there. Great. She took the pack off her shoulders and rested it on a log. Might as well double-check, while she could still see. She rooted around. Yep; that was it. She extracted the second sweater and put it on, then shoved the rolled-up blanket under her arm.
It was getting very dark now, and cold, too. What was she going to do when night fell? Unless she was going to change direction and try to figure out how to get back to where she had been, she was committed, now. As scary as the prospect of being here when it got pitch-dark was, the alternative would be even worse. Gail was following Cas's original navigation plan as closely as she could. If she were to deviate from it, she could end up going the wrong way, or walking in circles. How bad would THAT be? Imagine wandering around for an eternity, never finding her way out of the woods. She had no powers, so she had no access to Angel Radio. Her blade was in her pocket, but she had no way of activating the golden beams of light or any of its other features without her Angelic Grace. Great. Just peachy.
Once night began to fall, it fell hard. Soon, there was only the faint light provided by the moon to illuminate her way, and that was only when there was a clearing in the forest canopy.
Gail tried to continue walking, willing her eyes to adjust. But after a while, she realized it was hopeless. As an Angel, she wouldn't die of starvation, dehydration or exposure, she knew. But there were many levels of discomfort, weren't there? Even with the extra sweater on and her blanket wrapped around her shoulders, she was freezing cold. What if she tripped over a log and rolled down an embankment, or managed to impale herself on a tree branch?
Nope. No, no, no. Not gonna happen. Things were bad enough, as it was. She carefully picked her way a bit further along, until she got to a larger tree. She bent over and felt around on the ground. There were no gnarly tree roots or sharp branches that she could feel, so she slung her bag onto the forest floor and sat on it, hunkering down with her blanket. Suddenly, Gail realized how exhausted she was. Without human companions to feed, or who needed sleep, she had been constantly on the move. Actually, now that she was off her feet, it was kind of nice to rest for a bit.
But her respite was short-lived, because there was something that Gail hadn't even considered. As she stared straight ahead into the forest, she could hear a rustle, and then another. Then, she could just make out a large shape of some sort; a shadow moving in the thicket.
Her heart stopped for a moment. Oh, geez. Oh, God. It was a wild animal; a predator of some kind. Could it see her? Could it smell her? Gail tried to remember what kinds of wild animals Aaron and Cas had talked about that were indigenous to this part of North America. They'd seen raccoons and squirrels and things as they had walked through southwestern Ontario, but that had been about it. Were there bears here, or big cats?
Oh, why had she gone and thought about that, now? Gail's mind flashed back to the time she'd been attacked by that black panther, in the Secret Garden. That had been one of the most horrifying, excruciatingly painful experiences of her entire existence. Cas and Bobby had been there for her then, and her vessel had received the best medical care available. But there had been a time when she'd been so injured and in so much pain that they had actually discussed the possibility of her getting a new vessel.
What if she were to be attacked like that now, without Cas to kill the animal and transport her to safety? Could she be eaten alive? What would happen to her essence, if she died? Would she perish, too?
Gail's stomach was churning. Maybe that would be best. There was no way she could go through that again. Lucifer had cured her, back then. Satan. Of course, he'd had his own twisted reasons for doing it, but still... If he hadn't, would she have been in that much pain this whole time? Could Crowley help her, if Cas wouldn't?
What the hell was she doing, thinking something like that? Crowley? Right. As if. He was the son of a bitch who'd taken her powers, in the first place! He would probably throw a party if some wild animal ripped her to shreds.
She heard another rustle, and then another. This was terrifying. The noises seemed to be getting closer. Oh, geez. She saw some more movement, through the trees. It was large enough, but too small to be a person. A part of Gail had hoped that it was Cas, searching for her. But it wasn't him. She knew it wasn't. Why had he deserted her like this? Maybe he was mad at her for talking to him the way she had, but still...
There was a loud rustle right in front of her, and she could detect a sudden movement. Reflexively, she reached out with both hands and grabbed it. Whatever it was. It was warm, with coarse fur. She cried out, in terror and disgust. Oh, God! Too late, she realized that her blade was in her pocket. But she didn't dare let go of the animal now; it would tear her throat out.
She twisted her body sideways, bringing the thing down on the log as hard as she could. She kept on beating it, again and again, and again, until she could feel its blood on her hands. Still, she kept on striking the thing against the log, just to make sure.
Finally, Gail was satisfied that the animal was dead. With the darkest of humour, she took a moment to hope that it wasn't somebody's pet Pomeranian she had just smashed to bits.
But now, she had another problem. Its warm, sticky blood was all over her hands, and her clothing. She wiped her hands on the blanket, making a face. Yuk. There was no way she would be able to get completely clean, not at the moment. Which led Gail's mind to her next problem. Cas had made sure to wash himself and his blade thoroughly every time he'd killed an animal to feed Peter and Barry, because her husband had advised that animals would be able to smell the blood, and they would be attracted to it.
Oh, crap. As the moonlight became a little brighter, Gail could see a number of pairs of glowing eyes in the forest; half a dozen, easily. Oh, God. She reached into her pocket for her blade, trying not to make any sudden movements. There were more creatures out there, and they were looking right at her, and smelling the blood on her.
She was screwed. What if they all rushed her at once? They probably would, too. This wasn't like one of those hokey movies where the bad guys were nice enough to attack you one at a time, giving you the opportunity to fight them off. Whatever the hell those things were out there, Gail was sure they were going to set upon her as a pack. She was only one person, with one blade, and no powers. Gail had fought men, Angels, and Demons before, many of whom were nearly twice her size. But a pack of wild animals? Yeah, right. Like one blade was going to save her from that.
Gail heard a low, rumbling sound coming from the forest. Was that a growl? She clutched her blade tighter, wishing they would just get on with it, already. This feeling of dread was almost worse. Every muscle in her body was tight, ready for her to spring into action. Would she even see them coming? She heard a rustle, and then another, louder one. She raised her Angel blade, vowing to take as many of them with her as she could before they made her their dinner.
Linda was in Jerusalem with her own squadrons of Angels, oblivious to the problems her fellow designates had been having. She'd been intending to call her husband and her son on Angel Radio to find out how things were going in their parts of the world, but it had been so hectic here that she hadn't really had the opportunity.
"How's the crop?" Linda asked Renee, a younger Angel who had recently joined their ranks. Renee had been training in the agricultural sciences when she had died suddenly, the victim of an unlucky accident. But the young woman's loss was Linda's gain, in this case. Renee had been an invaluable addition to Linda's team. Kevin's mother had kept a small garden on Earth, and also in the Netherworld, but she'd had no idea how to plant and harvest grains and vegetables. Renee did, of course, so even though Bobby had designated Linda to be in charge, Linda had given Renee carte blanche to do anything she needed to do to make that happen.
"We're going to be able to feed a lot of people," Renee said cheerfully. "For a region that's as hot and humid as this one is, without a lot of arable soil, there should be a good yield. We'll have to use a bit more water than I'd like, because the ground is so arid. But as long as there's abundant sunshine, we should be in good shape." The young Angel smiled. She really liked Kevin's mom. Linda was warm and friendly, but she took crap from no one. Rumour had it that Linda could kick some serious ass, too, although Renee hadn't actually seen her do that, of course. Linda dropped into one or the other of the many Academy classes every now and then, although Renee hadn't been lucky enough to have her come in to one of her training sessions, yet. But the young Angel had been thrilled when she'd been chosen to accompany Linda and the others on their missions of mercy to Earth.
"Good. That's great, Renee," Linda said, nodding. "Good work."
As Renee moved away, smiling, Linda watched the young Angel leave. Maybe, once the current crisis was over, she would see if she could arrange an introduction between Renee and her son. It had been long enough. They were all extremely sorry about what had happened to Emma, but Kevin had no social life whatsoever. As hard as Linda had tried not to be a helicopter parent, it hurt her heart to see her son doing nothing but working all the time.
Because she was concentrating on her son, Linda inadvertently sent out a call to him on Angel Radio. Kevin responded immediately, and she could hear the sorrow in his voice. Linda asked him what was the matter, and he told her about all of the humans in his charge who were being poisoned by their water supply. Bobby was there right now, but he had told the Angel squads that there was nothing he could do for the unfortunate humans who were slowly and painfully dying.
Kevin was the lowest he'd ever been in his entire existence, and that included the time he'd thought that Crowley had had his mother killed, to force the young scholar's compliance in translating the Hell Tablet. He told his mother now via Angel Radio that he had let them all down. That he had no business calling himself an Angel. Then Bobby had come to talk to him, so the young Angel had abruptly signed off.
Linda had stood there in the hot sun for a while, her heart breaking for her son. Whatever had happened there wasn't his fault, she was sure. But then, Kevin had always taken these kinds of things to heart. She remembered back to the year they had all been fighting Lucifer's death squads here on Earth. Well, all of them except for her, of course. Linda had still been stuck in the Netherworld at that time, angry and frustrated that she was unable to help them fight. She thought back to the day that Kevin had reached out to her through Quinn, confessing his feelings of depression and guilt that he hadn't been able to save more people during the war against Satan's legions.
But this felt worse, somehow. There was no enemy to fight. The human race had become complacent and lazy, relying on modern technology to do many things their ancestors had once done for themselves. And for every community that was pulling together and helping each other, there were half a dozen others that had descended into chaos. Sections of London were being burnt to the ground, the murder rate in Texas was through the roof, and homemade bombs were being detonated near the Vatican. Maybe it was a good thing there was no technology at the moment, or Linda felt sure that someone would have figured out a way to drop a nuclear bomb or two, by now.
Kevin's mother's mood was so somber at that moment that she inadvertently blocked out the bright sunlight which had been beaming overhead, supplying the necessary photosynthesis for Renee's crops to grow. The sun wouldn't shine again in that entire region for over fourty days afterwards. By then, all of the crops they had planted were dead, and so were all the people they were supposed to have fed.
Gail had lifted her Angel blade high in the air when she'd sensed the impending animal attack, hoping to protect her face, and her throat. But the moment she'd done that, she suddenly found herself in a different part of the woods.
What the...? Gail looked at her blade. She could see the silver edge, glinting in the moonlight. Wait a minute: the moon was brighter, here. She peered through the trees. No glowing eyes, no moving shapes. Had she teleported herself here?
She scrambled to her feet. The bad news was that she no longer had her blanket, or her backpack. But, who cared? She was in one piece!
She'd better get moving, though. If any one of those animals wanted to snack on her, they would have to catch her, first. Gail looked at her blade again. What the hell? It was worth a shot. She said the Enochian phrase, and a weak beam of light shone from the knife.
"OK," Gail said softly. "Now, we're talking." It wasn't much, but for now, it was enough.
She started to move.
An hour or so later, Gail came upon a low-rise hotel that was situated just off the highway. After the scare she'd just had, there was no way she was going to go through the forest, any more. Besides, the footing was much easier on the asphalt, and the moonlight was brighter.
Gail was exhausted. Just that brief spurt of power had been enough to drain all of her energy. She'd tried to teleport again, but nothing had happened. She couldn't even get any light to come out of her blade any more. But at least she had a sliver of hope, now. If she'd done it once, she could do it again. She probably just needed to rest up a bit.
The hotel was deserted, as far as she could see. Thank goodness. She didn't want to deal with anybody right now, benevolent or otherwise.
She trudged up the stairs to the second floor. Presumably, if an animal got into the building somehow, it would stay on the ground floor. Either that, or hopefully, she would hear one coming up the stairs.
Luckily, the first door she tried was unlocked. She entered the room, locked the door behind her, and flopped onto the bed. Boy, did it feel good to be off her feet for a minute. She kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes.
For a moment, it occurred to her to wonder how dirty the bedspread she was laying on was. Yuk. But, really, did it matter? Her hands and clothes were bloody, as it was. The blanket she'd left behind had been covered with that animal's blood, whatever it had been, but she was still far from clean. She should probably look for the nearest source of water in the morning.
But for the moment, her thoughts were all over the map. What was Cas doing right now? How far had he and Barry and Peter gotten? A part of her was very angry that he hadn't at least tried to follow her. Sure, she had lost her temper, but Cas had basically forsaken her. She could have been torn apart by those wild animals. Gail took a deep breath, and then she took another. Now, she felt like crying. Cas had killed Carolyn and Mike, and now he had abandoned her to fend for herself. She had to remind herself that Cas wasn't Cas, at the moment. He was some kind of old-school, avenging Angel automaton that Vincent had invoked with that stupid Biblical spell. Her Cas would never have done those things. Never.
That was small consolation, though. The bottom line was that she was on her own, now. Maybe she should try to look at it as a challenge. A character-building opportunity. Gail had had someone looking after her for most of her life, from Frank's parents, to Frank himself, to Sam and Dean, and ultimately, to Cas. In recent years, she'd gotten much better at being self-sufficient, or so it would seem on the surface. But now that she thought about it – really thought about it – when did she ever have to actually BE self-sufficient? She had her blade and she knew how to fight, but without her powers, how independent was she, really?
Gail's stubbornness kicked in as she realized that she didn't want to give any of them the satisfaction of thinking that she couldn't make it out there on her own. She'd been in tough spots before. How about when she'd been in Hell, having to fight her way through about a million Demons, and standing up to Crowley? Yeah, and exactly how far had that gotten her? the little voice in her head piped up. Never mind, Gail told it. The bottom line was that she had gotten out of there, and she would get herself out of this situation intact, too. And then, she would start kicking some ass. Whose? She didn't know. She would make up her mind on that subject later.
Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head: "You've got to stay inside. Then, wait one more night, and then come and see me."
Gail sat up. What? That had been Vincent's voice! What the hell was her father's voice doing in her head? He sure as hell wasn't calling her on Angel Radio.
In any event, he had to be kidding her with that. What did he expect? That she was going to hop to his bidding, just because she was mad at her husband? Yeah, right. She intended to stay inside, but not because Vincent said so; because it was safer to travel in the daytime. But she certainly wasn't going to wait past dawn tomorrow, and she sure as hell wasn't going to have anything to do with him. When the morning came, she was going to find out where she was, and then she was going to see if she could find a map book, here in the hotel.
It was kind of strange how she hadn't seen any other people since parting ways with Cas, though. Maybe there were others around, and they were waiting out the night, too. In any event, it was probably just as well. For every person they had encountered out there who had seemed like a decent individual, there had been half a dozen who weren't. As the conditions worsened, so would the people. Great. Terrific.
As if on cue, there was a sound outside, in the hallway. Dammit! Gail took her blade out of her pants pocket and got off the bed as quietly as she could, creeping toward the door. She stood still, listening intently.
The door blew off its hinges, making her yell. Lucky she'd been standing to the side, or it would have knocked her to the ground.
There was a faint beam of moonlight shining through the window of the room, illuminating the figure who was standing there, looking around. Gail rushed him, holding her blade aloft.
But John wheeled around before she was able to make contact, grabbing her knife hand by the wrist. "What is it about you women?" he said, rather good-naturedly, considering the circumstances. "I just got here, and already, you want to stab me in the back?"
VIGNETTE – GIVE AND TAKE
Frank, Dean and Rob were standing in the middle of the public park a mile or so from Frank's neighbourhood, cutting down trees. Despite Rob's youth and his father and uncle's renewed vigour due to the elixir from Bimini, it was exhausting work. They'd had to use axes, hatchets, and hacksaws to fell the trees, and then split the wood into smaller logs.
Sam and Jody had the considerably easier task of throwing the logs into a couple of horse-drawn wagons and ferrying them to a central location in the area. Even though Rob's wife had offered to pitch in and help, due to Suzanne's condition she had been stationed at home, helping to feed and entertain the children of the community who were too young to run around and help the grown-ups, and the elderly people in the neighbourhood were assisting Suzanne with the kids. Suzanne and Rob had joked privately that it would be good practice for her, for when the triplets were born.
They had no physician in their little group yet, but Bobby had assured them all that he and Jody could probably take point on that, if need be. Bobby'd had lots of life experience on Earth, and Jody had given birth to Angela not too many years ago. What kind of "life experiences" was he talking about? Rob had wanted to know. Had his Gramps ever delivered a baby, before? Well... not exactly, Bobby had replied hesitantly. Where was Cas? Frank had chimed in. Why would they need him? Bobby had said sharply. Because Frank could just bet that Cas had delivered more than a few sheep back in the day, Gail's brother had retorted. Then the men had had a protracted argument about babies not being farm animals, and vice versa, and the rest of the family had left the room, rolling their eyes.
The squabbling was just a symptom, of course. The men were both worried and angry that they hadn't heard a word from Cas and Gail. Ilene kept asking where her Daddy and Peter and Carolyn and Mike were, and nobody had any answers to give her. Sam had posited that Cas and Gail had probably felt compelled, as Angels, to help the people where they had been, just like all of them were helping their own community here, in and around Lebanon, Kansas. Which would make a certain amount of sense, in a way, Jody had countered, if they weren't talking about two of Heaven's most powerful Angels. Even if the two of them wanted to pop around the planet helping people, why wouldn't they have brought their human friends back here, first? Didn't they care about how the rest of their family were doing?
Bobby hadn't heard Word One from them, and what had started off as concern had now morphed into frustrated anger. He didn't believe for one second that some pissant, self-professed guru would have posed any danger to the couple. No; as far as Bobby was concerned, Cas was off somewhere doing his own thing, as he almost always seemed to be. But he could at least have checked in. He SHOULD have. What was the point of having a pecking order if your main lieutenant just did whatever he damn well pleased?
"I'm ready for another log, Dad!" Angela called out, running up to her father.
"Me, too!" Jackie echoed, standing beside Dean.
"What about you?" Rob teased Ilene. "Your cousins are making you look bad."
"Cousins?" Nicole said, giving Dean a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I'm an honourary cousin," Jackie said, puffing her chest out proudly. "I guess you are, too."
"No jokes allowed," Nicole warned Frank sternly. She eyed Dean, who had stripped down to a muscle shirt when he'd started to sweat in earnest. Geez, she wished it was summertime. The fewer clothes he wore, the more she liked it.
Ilene bent down to pick up one of the smaller logs in the pile Rob had amassed. The adults all smiled as the little girl hefted it into her arms, gripping the piece of wood with her elbow-length gardening gloves. It was great to see their kids all enthusiastic about helping out. More and more people had wandered into their area in the past week or so, many of who had needed help of some kind or another. As long as they were decent individuals, they were welcome to stay.
For a situation as dire as it had initially seemed to be, the community was flourishing now, thanks to the stable leadership of Frank and Jody, the Winchesters, and their extended family. The neighbourhood parents had all banded together to take turns caring for the gaggle of kids, most of who had been extremely restless, at first. Theirs was the generation that had been raised with electronic devices and computers as part of their school curriculum, as well as using them for entertainment. It had been very difficult for the kids to make the adjustment of living life without any modern conveniences at all, especially electricity.
As the men continued to chop wood, Frank smirked as he watched the kids hurrying back and forth between the log piles and the wagons. Some of the adults were using wheelbarrows to do the job, but Frank felt it was important for the kids to feel like they were making a contribution. Running around in the fresh air could only be good for them. It kept them from being bored and distracted. Even when it grew dark outside and they went back to their homes, all of the parents in the community had been supplied with books from the local library, to read with their kids at nighttime. Even the adults who weren't parents, like Sam and Dean and Nicole, had been having a field day helping the children out with their reading.
There had been an especially happy couple of days when Bobby had popped over to Europe and brought Eileen for a brief visit. She had made her way from Paris to Belgium with a roving band of volunteers that included Neil and Celine, who'd said to say hi to the Winchesters and the Angels. Eileen wished she could stay longer, she'd told her boyfriend, but just as Sam had people he needed to help here, so did she, in Europe. Sam understood, of course. That was one reason why he loved her so much.
Nicole, on the other hand, had decided to stay. Prior to what they were now calling "The Event", the last season of the Supernatural show had been on a forced hiatus, due to the looming writers' strike. Therefore, the studio had been shut down, and all the actors had returned home to their families. Well, this was Nicole's family, as far as she was concerned, and she was glad to be there, helping.
"Feels like it's gonna snow, soon," Bobby said, squinting up at the sky. "I think I'd better take a couple of dozen Angels over to the mall and get some snow pants and boots for the kids."
"That's a good idea," Frank said, nodding. "We'll have to make sure the troops are outfitted for their winter missions. Right, Lieutenant?"
"Right, Sergeant Dad!" Angela said brightly, snapping off a salute.
Her father grinned, but his smile faded an instant later. It was early November now. These kids had already missed out on Hallowe'en, although they had hosted a modest party with warm soda and candy for the children. But, what would Christmas be like? Their friends and neighbours had no idea how and why The Event had come about, and a few wild theories had made the rounds. But their inner circle knew that it had to be Vincent's doing. Some way, somehow, Gail's voodoo bastard of a father had managed to screw the human race, big time. A large part of Frank had always thought that Vincent was mainly all talk when he said grandiose stuff like that, but, apparently not. Maybe that was where Cas and Gail were; kicking some ass.
Strangely enough, though, in a lot of ways Frank thought that this Event, whatever it had been, was good for them all. He had never felt more fit, and he had never slept better at night. The kids were doing just great without all that technology rotting their brains, making them complacent and lazy. Plus, the community was pulling together like one big family unit, which was great to see.
The only thing that would make the current situation better would be if Cas and Gail were here with him and Jody and everyone, Frank thought. But he wasn't stupid, and he wasn't naïve, either. Just because they had some kind of Leave It to Beaver vibe going on in his community, that didn't mean there wasn't some really bad shit going down in other parts of the world. Bobby had told Frank and a few of the others privately that there was total anarchy going on in some places, things that even Bobby couldn't fix. There had been some less-than-stellar individuals who had tried to muscle in on what they had going here, but the Hunters had sent them packing without too much trouble. But there was more to it than that, Bobby had told them. Not all of the sources of the world's ills had arisen from troublemaking humans. A few of the Angels who were considered family had suffered the guilt associated with the loss of human lives on their watch, and their confidence had been shaken. That was why Laurel, Ethan, Kevin and Linda were here in the area, helping out instead of leading their own squads. Bobby was busier than a one-armed paper hanger right now, overseeing all of Heaven's operations on Earth, and doing it without Gabriel, Cas and Gail. They would deal with it when they dealt with it, God had advised the Hunters, firmly closing the door on the subject.
Gail was glaring daggers at John. For the umpteenth time, she wondered how she had let herself get talked into forming an alliance with him.
The night he had broken down the door to her room, she had been terrified. Here she was, with no powers and weak as a kitten, and there Crowley's former right-hand Demon was, as massive and mean-looking as he'd been when she'd first had the misfortune to make his acquaintance.
But, somewhat surprisingly, he'd told her he wasn't looking to harm her. John was almost as puzzled as she was by his sudden re-emergence on Earth. One moment, he had been dead and gone, and the next, he had been standing on the two-lane highway just outside of town.
He had made his way to the hotel to try to establish his location. It was obvious to John that there had been a significant event on Earth, one that had changed the dynamic on the entire planet. Was that why he was suddenly back from the dead?
In any event, he intended to take full advantage. John had entered the deserted hotel earlier in the day to get his bearings, and then, true to the Demon he had once been and apparently was again, he had helped himself to the contents of the hotel's bar.
When Gail had staggered wearily into the hotel lobby, John had been astounded. Whoever had upset the apple cart sure had a twisted sense of humour. So he had waited to see where she was going to go, and then he had stood in the lobby for a few minutes, thinking about the sight he'd just seen.
John had been "out of the loop", as the expression went, for a number of years now. The last time he had seen Gail, she had been a human. She wasn't one any longer, of course, but Crowley had stolen her powers, so John could sense no Grace coming from her. But she had been carrying an Angel blade. Why would a human girl have a celestial weapon?
He'd waited an extra few minutes just to make sure, but ultimately he'd had no choice but to conclude that she was alone. John had climbed the stairs and tried the first door he'd come to, and lo and behold, there she was.
He gave her full marks for trying, but it had been easy for John to halt Gail's attack. Still, he couldn't blame her for being startled. But he wasn't there to cause her any harm, John had assured her.
Gail had snorted with derision. Sure. Sure, he didn't mean her any harm. The last time she had seen him in Crowley's den, John had held her down and injected her with the King of Hell's blood, and he hadn't been too gentle about it, either.
He had looked at her calmly. There was something very different about the girl's demeanour. What was it? Then, it occurred to him: she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. Why? She was a human, and a tiny one, at that. When he used to go into her room, she used to shrink back from him.
But now, she was standing there looking him in the eye, and her expression was defiant, rather than fearful.
"Let go of me," Gail said through clenched teeth. "I won't ask again."
John was debating whether he should let go of her wrist, or whether he should just laugh. Maybe he would do both. He smirked, letting go of her. "You sound like an Angel I once knew," he told her.
"I AM an Angel," she replied.
"No, you're not," John argued.
"Uhhh... yes, I am," Gail insisted. "Your former boss stole my powers." She saw no reason to tell him that she might not be entirely powerless. The weaker John thought she was, the better. Cas had taught her well.
"I take it you're not with Crowley, any more?" John said, bemused by her tone.
"Boy, have you missed a lot," Gail remarked, rolling her eyes.
"I'll tell you what," John came back with. "If you put that thing away and I promise not to attack you, why don't we have a conversation about that?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "Oh; you PROMISE," she said sarcastically. "Well, I guess that's OK, then. We all know how honourable a Demon's promises are, don't we?"
She'd surprised the laugh out of him. "Fair point," John said with a nod of acknowledgement. "Still, what I told you is true. It's not you I want vengeance on: it's Crowley."
Gail lowered the blade. "Crowley? Why would you want revenge on him? Last I saw, you were his evil assistant."
"'Assistant' is a generous term, when it comes to the King of Hell," John advised her with a frown. "Yes, I did his bidding, because the alternative was at best, a demotion, and at worst, the torture wing."
Gail was unimpressed. "Whatever. You enjoyed your job. I know you did. But I don't care about your relationship with Crowley. I have my own problems, right now."
John looked at her speculatively. "Are you really an Angel? How did that happen? Did my boss kill you? Or was it his mother, the evil bitch? How'd you make the other team, with all that Demon blood in you?"
Gail stared at him, her expression baleful. "I wouldn't emphasize that last part, if I were you. It only serves to remind me about all those injections you used to give me. You're lucky I don't have my powers right now, but I do have a lot of friends in high places. God and Gabriel are very good friends of mine, and if Castiel sees you anywhere near me, your stay here on Earth will be shorter than my husband's legendary temper."
"Your husband?!" John blurted out. He was looking at her, incredulous. "Castiel is your husband?"
Gail's lips twitched with amusement. Even though she was mad at Cas right now, she couldn't help but think this was what it must have been like to be married to Elvis, or one of The Beatles. Every otherworldly being she had ever encountered knew who Cas was, and most of the time, their facial expressions when saying his name held a mixture of respect and fear. Suited her just fine, especially in this case.
"Yes, he is, and he could show up here at any time," she said brazenly. "But in the meantime, the rest is really none of your business. So go ahead, and get your revenge on Crowley. See if I care. Just leave me out of it."
John regarded her calmly. He knew that Castiel was nowhere near where he and Gail were, right now. If the Angel were here, John would be able to sense him. But, on the other hand, she wore a wedding ring, and she carried an Angel blade. His eyes narrowed. "You said that Crowley stole your powers?" he asked her after a moment. "Why don't we have a little chat about that? Maybe we can help each other out."
So the two of them had talked for a while, and against her better judgement, Gail had entered into an uneasy alliance with the Demon. Gail actually thought she was getting the full benefit of their deal. John had offered to help her plot a course to Lebanon. He would accompany her, giving her his protection from potential predators, whether animal, or human. She might be stubborn, but she wasn't crazy. If another pack of wild animals surrounded her, or if she was beset upon by too many humans with bad intentions, things would not go well for her with only one blade and no powers. And another thing had occurred to her: what about monsters, or other Demons? If John was mysteriously back from the dead somehow, could other evil entities be, too? What was Crowley's stake in all of this? He must have taken her powers for a reason. Why wasn't he deploying thousands of his Demons on the Earth at this moment, flattening what remained of the human race? They were at their most vulnerable right now. If Gail was him, that's what she would do.
All that John claimed he wanted in return was an opportunity to confront the King. Gail didn't have a problem with that. She'd meant what she'd said about not wanting to get involved. But it had also occurred to her that she would need her powers back, and soon, if she hoped to survive in this new reality. So she and John would be road-tripping to Kansas together, apparently. Once they got close to the bunker, Gail was going to enlist her family's help. She had promised John that none of them would kill him, if he would keep up his end of the bargain and deliver her there safely. Then she would have the Winchesters summon Crowley, and once he came, she would attempt to make a deal with him. Ideally, she would get her powers back without too much of a hassle. It was nearly impossible for Gail to believe that Crowley would have struck a deal with Vincent that would render her powerless, but gift Cas with enhanced capabilities. If anything, wouldn't it have been the other way around? Therefore, she could only conclude that Vincent and Crowley's agreement was built on shifting sand, or that Crowley had merely been screwing with her.
In any event, if Crowley refused to return Gail's powers to her, though, things could get interesting. She wasn't above helping John to ambush the King, if Crowley was going to be prickly about it. Then again, Gail also wasn't averse to delivering John into Crowley's clutches, if that was what she had to do to strike up a deal. She didn't owe any one of those filthy Demons a damn thing.
Cas delivered Barry and Peter to Frank and Jody's house safe and sound, as he had promised that he would do.
Frank was overjoyed to see his brother-in-law...at first. As Barry took Peter by the hand, leading the boy inside the house, Frank rushed outside to the front walk. He clapped Cas on the shoulder. "Where's that wife of yours?" Gail's brother said happily. "We've got piles of laundry." He looked around eagerly, anticipating seeing his sister's expression upon hearing his deliberately sexist remark.
"Gail and I had a parting of the ways," Castiel said with a frown. "My mission was to deliver the humans here safely, and I have done so. But now, I must take my leave."
Frank stared at him blankly. "Cas, if this is a joke, I don't get it."
"I am not joking," Cas replied.
"Hey!" Dean shouted, storming out the front door of the house. "What the hell's the matter with you?"
Frank looked at the elder Winchester, confused. What was THIS, now?
Dean rushed over to where Cas stood, poking the Angel in the chest. "Did you kill Carolyn and Mike?" he said bluntly.
Cas stared at Dean dispassionately as Frank's jaw dropped. "Blasphemers and heretics shall be executed," Castiel said in response.
"You son of a bitch!" Dean yelled.
"What?! What are you talking about?" Frank interjected, grabbing Dean by the arm.
"He killed Carolyn and Mike, right in front of Peter and Barry!" Dean replied, wheeling on Gail's brother. "Barry told us!"
Frank was shaking his head. "That can't be right," he mumbled, but Dean was back in Cas's face now. "And, Barry told us that Gail doesn't have any powers, and that you deserted her, in Canada!"
Castiel shook his head. "That's not true, Dean. She left us, at Lake St. Clair. She headed into the forest. I knew it wouldn't be safe to follow, not when it was my responsibility to bring the humans here safely." His brow furrowed. "I thought that she might have arrived here ahead of us. While it's true that she does not have any celestial powers at the moment, nor does she have to sleep, or eat. Therefore, I was under the impression that she might well have arrived here sooner than ourselves."
Frank was astonished. "So are you telling us that my sister is out there somewhere, walking around by herself with no Angel powers?" Now, it was Frank who was getting angry. "How the hell could you just abandon her like that? I don't give a crap about your lame excuses! Do you know what kinds of people are out there? Murderers, Cas! Rapists! What the actual fu-"
Cas's expression was uncertain now. "I...She..." he stammered. "First Peter, Verse 3 says, 'Wives, be submissive to your husbands'," he quoted, and Dean and Frank exchanged glances. If they hadn't wanted to kick his ass so badly right now, they would be laughing. If Cas had said something like that to Gail back there in Canada, it was no wonder she had taken off. He was lucky that she didn't have her powers right now, or Cas would be one dead Angel.
But before the men could even begin to figure out what to say to Cas next, Bobby came barrelling out of the house.
"Where have you been?" the reigning God was shouting. "Where's Gail? Why doesn't she have any powers? Where's Gabe? You've got a shit-ton of explaining to do, Cas! Go."
Frank and Dean were looking at Bobby now. They couldn't remember ever hearing him quite like this. He was obviously extremely angry at Cas, like they all were right now, but there was another quality in his voice, one they couldn't really place. It sounded almost like...panic?
"You know where I've been," Cas said coolly. "As for Gabriel, I have no idea where he is at the moment. He is of no consequence. It's Gail I have to find, now. Four of the seven designated Angels have already unleashed their plagues upon the Earth. If she recovers her powers before the fifth designate falters, I cannot be held responsible for what may happen. I have to go."
"No, what you have to do now is tell us what the hell you're talking about," Bobby retorted. "What's going on here, Cas? Why did you kill Carolyn and Mike? You're gonna give me some answers, and you're gonna give 'em now."
"I serve God, the Father," Castiel said stiffly. "It's clear to me that you are not Him, nor will you ever be. I must go where I can be of use."
"What are you going to do once you find Gail?" Frank said uneasily.
"Whatever I have to," Cas said in a cryptic tone.
Then, he disappeared.