Chapter 2 – Into The Purple

Cas appeared in Heaven just outside the prison walls, and then he walked into the administration area and greeted Ethan, who was sitting at the front desk.

Ethan jumped to his feet and came around the desk, putting out his hand for Cas to shake. "How are you?" he asked Cas, smiling. "How's Gail?"

"We're fine, Ethan." Cas shook his hand.

Ethan frowned. "I couldn't believe it when I heard. You two went through so much here, and then to have to go through all of that, on top of it...Well, thank God you're both all right."

"Yes," Cas said, smiling. "Thank God, indeed." Yeah, right, the Demon in him thought. More like, thank Crowley.

They stood in silence for a moment, and then Cas remembered: "Oh, and I'm going to talk to Bobby about your promotion. It's on my list of things to do."

Ethan waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I know you've had a lot going on. Whenever you have the time, that'd be great."

Cas actually had forgotten all about it, but he made a mental note to do it sooner, rather than later. But not because he was feeling especially altruistic, now. He was thinking it would probably be a good idea to get Ethan out of here; if Cas needed to pop in and see Jason every once in a while, Cas didn't know if he could count on Ethan not to intervene, or to keep his mouth shut. Just because Cas had gotten lucky when Ethan had helped him to dispose of Lanister's body after Cas had killed the former board member, that didn't mean he could rely on Ethan to back him, again. Ethan was a nice young Angel and he had ethics, and soon he and Cas wouldn't even be speaking the same language. Better if Ethan were not here. There were plenty of other guards who would be only too happy to look the other way when Cas visited, or who could be bribed to do so.

But for now, Cas followed Ethan to Jason's jail cell. "He's been asking for you," Ethan told Cas on the way. "He says there's something very important you need to know about what happened at the cabin."

Despite himself, Castiel's interest was piqued by this. Maybe he'd have to hear what Jason had to say, before starting in on him.

Ethan opened Jason's cell door as Cas stood out in the hallway, looking in at Jason. Well, wasn't this a sweet moment. A short while ago, their roles had been reversed, and Jason had had the upper hand. Or so he'd thought, until he'd been so stupid as to toss Cas that blade. Then he'd thought he had Cas again in the cabin, but Cas had beaten him once more. Jason was pathetic, and he was weak. Cas should almost return the favour and arm Jason, just to provide a momentary challenge.

But Ethan was here, and the young guard wouldn't understand. As it was, Cas needed to figure out a way to get rid of Ethan, to have his private session with Jason.

"Hello, Jason." Cas strode into the cell, smiling.

Jason remained seated on the bunk. "Castiel," he said curtly.

"Ethan tells me there's something you want to say to me," Cas said. He put one foot up on the bunk, affecting a casual pose, and looked down at Jason. Cas undid the button on his blazer and let it hang open, making sure that Jason could see the blade. Hopefully, Jason would remember the pain he'd experienced the last time he had seen it, and had felt it cutting into him. Maybe Jason would even lunge for it, making things a lot easier.

But Jason just sat there, like the coward he was. He had no blade and no female Angel to bully now, did he? Cas still owed him for that, and if Jason thought he had forgotten, Jason didn't know him at all.

"I might know something that would interest you," Jason said slowly, "but I would want something in return."

Cas threw back his head and laughed. "That's a good one, Jason."

"I'm not joking," Jason retorted. He'd known Castiel was going to come in here like this. The shoe was on the other foot now, and he'd known his foe would enjoy the role reversal. But Jason did know something he thought could be very important to Castiel, and he was serious about making a deal.

"What makes you think you're in any position to negotiate?" Cas said to Jason, still smiling.

"I might know something about...you," Jason said cautiously, looking at Ethan. While he'd love to broadcast what he now suspected about Castiel all around Heaven, Jason highly doubted that there were many Angels who would believe him, now. Castiel was God's buddy, and he had somehow come out of the other side of the tribunal smelling like a rose. By now, everyone in Heaven had heard about what had happened at the cabin, or at least had heard a bastardized version of the events, and Castiel was the hero of the hour who had saved Heaven from the evil Angels, and who had finally vanquished Metatron. And Jason was no longer the head of Law Enforcement and Xavier's right-hand man, he was the evil bastard who had tortured the Angel Gail, before Castiel had valiantly rescued her. They should just avoid the Christmas rush and canonize the both of them right now, Jason thought sardonically. If only those Angels knew who and what Castiel really was.

Cas looked at Jason speculatively. What did he think he knew? Then Cas remembered, and his blood ran cold. Jason was the only other witness to that whole scene in the cabin. But, wait: Even though Jason had borne witness to that incident with Crowley, so had Bobby and his friends, and they now believed that Crowley had sucked the last bit of Demon out of Cas. So... so what? What Jason had seen couldn't hurt Cas. And yes, Cas had tortured Jason cruelly before anyone else had gotten there, but he had gotten away with that, too.

But there was just something about the way Jason was looking at him that was starting to make Cas uneasy. He had better find out what, if anything, Jason wasn't saying in front of Ethan. And he definitely had a way of doing that.

"Take him to the interrogation room, Ethan," Cas snapped. "Please," he added, softening the request.

Ethan approached Jason. "You heard him," he said to Jason. He put the cuffs on Jason once the prisoner stood, and Ethan and Cas walked Jason down the hall and to a small soundproofed room. Once inside, Cas said to Ethan, "You can go. I'll take it from here."

Ethan looked at him uncertainly. He remembered that the last time he'd left Castiel alone with a prisoner, he'd come back to find a dead prisoner, with a blade planted next to his body. Ethan had helped Cas dispose of Lanister's body then, and he had forgiven Cas, when he'd come clean about planting the blade. Cas had been through so much during the tribunal, and he and Gail had been so kind to Ethan afterwards. And Lanister had been the worst sort of Angel, and he had threatened to have Jason torture and kill Gail. So, Cas had temporarily lost it when Lanister wouldn't back down, and Ethan had understood.

But now Cas was asking to be left alone with Jason, and Jason was the guy who had actually carried out the torture of poor Gail. And, they were in a soundproofed room. What exactly did Ethan think was going to happen? That the two Angels would hug it out?

Ethan shook his head. "I don't think I can do that, Cas."

Cas sighed. He'd figured as much. "Wrong answer," he said, and he put his hand on Ethan's forehead. Ethan dropped to the floor, and Cas dragged him into the room with him and rolled him into the corner.

Jason's eyes widened. What the hell?

Cas smiled at the look on Jason's face as he closed and locked the door to the room. "Relax. He'll be all right. He's not dead; just dead to the world. He won't wake up until I awaken him."

"But, this place is crawling with sigils," Jason said to him.

"Oh, those don't work on me, any more," Cas said airily. "I've transcended that little obstacle."

"How can that be?" Jason asked. "You're an Angel, aren't you?"

Castiel smiled coldly. "Not exactly."

Jason's blood ran cold. He'd known that something was going on with Castiel, and this was the confirmation. The trouble was, Jason didn't know exactly what he knew. But he'd thought the bit of information he did have might be enough to bargain with.

"So what were you trying to say to me back there?" Cas asked Jason.

"I meant what I said," Jason insisted. "I'll tell you what I know, but I want something in return."

Cas had his blade out now, and he was looking at it, savouring the anticipation. "How about if you just tell me what it is, and you get nothing in return?" he said lightly.

Jason was scared now. He knew he was in a very bad situation, here. The room was soundproofed, Jason was cuffed to the chair, and Castiel was angry. Jason had screwed with him once too often, and whatever Castiel was now, he was obviously not an Angel. Not completely, anyway. He had the same purple eyes now as he had had in the cabin.

Cas had slipped the contacts out and put them in his pocket. He wanted Jason to see him as he really was now, and to be afraid.

"I'll only ask you once more, before I get to work," Castiel said quietly. "What is it that you think you know?"

"I don't know, exactly," Jason said, frowning.

Cas was really angry, now. What kind of nonsense was this idiot spouting? Either he knew something, or he didn't. He slashed Jason with the blade once, twice, several times. Who cared? Who was counting, really? "Does that clarify things for you?" he asked Jason.

"Not really," Jason said defiantly. "Why should I tell you anything for free? You're just going to torture me, anyway."

"Well, it seems you do know something, after all," Cas said, smiling. He slashed Jason a dozen more times, then stabbed him in both legs. Then Cas leaned down and looked Jason in the eye. "Just for fun," he said happily, "exactly what was it that you wanted?"

Jason was gritting his teeth in pain, but he still thought he could negotiate. "I want to be transferred to Purgatory," he told Castiel.

Interesting, Cas thought. But not that surprising, really. He knew Jason very well. Even though Purgatory was a horrible place, where a wide assortment of monsters existed just to attack and try to kill you all day long, it would be a veritable playground for someone like Jason. He was probably bored sitting here in jail, rotting away, and he also knew that Castiel and Dean had once escaped from there. To Jason, Purgatory would seem like a very appealing option.

"How about if I just send you to Hell, instead?" Cas snarled, putting his blade to Jason's throat.

"All right, all right!" Jason exclaimed. "I'll tell you this much: Metatron said something to me at the cabin. Something about what he was going to do to you."

Cas removed the blade from Jason's throat, straightening up. "Really?" he said, smiling again. "Well, you saw how that turned out for him, didn't you? What else did he say?"

Jason shifted uncomfortably. His wounds stung, and his legs hurt like a son of a bitch.

"Don't make me ask you again," Cas said in his quiet voice.

"He said something about 'buying insurance'," Jason said quickly. "He said if he didn't make it out of there alive, he wanted to make sure he paid you back for having been such a pain in his ass, all these years. His words, not mine," Jason added quickly, when Cas raised the blade again. "And he said what he had planned would last for all eternity."

Cas was puzzled. Damn Metatron, and his cryptic statements. But, what could you expect from someone who had basically been God's lapdog for all those years? His Father was the master of the cryptic statement, after all.

He sighed. "And did he by any chance explain what he meant by that?" He raised the blade again.

"No!" Jason exclaimed. "No, he didn't. That's all he said."

Of course. Of course it was. "Is that it?" Cas asked Jason scornfully. "That was your big piece of information? It's hardly enough to buy you a ticket out of here. I do believe you're slipping, Jason. Or, you're holding something back."

Cas gripped the blade tighter and brought it down, stabbing and slashing Jason in a frenzy, now. Jason screamed in agony. "That's all I know, Castiel! I swear it!" he cried.

Cas stopped for a moment, breathing heavily. "Then, what good are you to me?" he said to Jason.

"Kill me, then," Jason spat out defiantly.

Castiel considered this. "I could, you know. Then, when you arrived in Hell, I could just call Crowley and have him send you back to me, and we could start this all over again. And again, and again, and again." He smiled at the thought, and it was a dark and ugly smile.

Jason stared at Castiel, astonished. What the hell WAS this guy, now? Jason wished he did know what Metatron had meant by what he'd said, but Jason had been telling the truth on that score. All he knew was that Castiel was more than just part Demon now. He was worse; much worse. If Metatron had somehow managed to screw with Castiel before Castiel had stabbed the Scribe to death, whatever he'd done must have exacerbated Castiel's little Demon issue, and turned him into a full-on monster. And whatever it had been, Metatron had said that it would last for eternity.

Despite himself, Jason smiled, then. He and Castiel were both prisoners now, weren't they? Of course, Castiel was the one who was holding the blade, but the damage being done to Jason's enemy was clearly coming from within himself. Any Angel could lay hands on Jason and heal him, good as new, but Castiel was just going to get worse and worse.

"Do you find something funny?" Castiel snarled. What the hell did this guy have to smile about? Which of them was holding the knife, and which of them was bleeding all over himself?

Jason looked Castiel in the eye. "So, how long do you think it will be before you're doing this to her?"

A chill ran through Castiel. "What?" he breathed.

"You heard me," Jason retorted.

Cas was beyond angry, now. How dare Jason even suggest such a thing?

"I see what you are," Jason continued. "You are way worse now than I ever dreamed of being, and you're getting worse every day, aren't you? How long before Gail stands up to you, and you have a choice to make? How easy would it be to just take out your blade and finally shut her up, once and for all?"

Castiel slashed Jason again and again, making sure to cut his face so he would shut his stupid mouth. "You have me confused with you!" Cas shouted. "You're the one who hurt Gail, not me! Why would I want to hurt her, when I have YOU for that?"

Castiel stopped himself just short of killing Jason, using all the self-control he had. He stepped back, panting, the pulse beating at his temples. No, he wasn't going to make it that easy for Jason. No escape in the form of death for him. He was going to be Castiel's pet now, a toy Cas could play with whenever he wanted.

"If you're trying to get me to kill you, it won't work," Cas sneered. "Nice try, though. I think I'm going to have to keep you around a good long time. Next time I think I'll gag you, though, if you can't keep your filthy mouth shut."

He glared at Jason, daring him to say something else. Let him dare to speak Gail's name again, and see what happened.

But Jason was done. He was in too much pain to smart-mouth Castiel any more. He just wanted it to stop.

Mercifully, Castiel was wiping the blood from his blade on his pants now, and stashing it back in his blazer. He would have wiped it on Jason's clothes, but Jason was so covered in the stuff now that there wasn't a clean spot to be seen.

Cas's urge for violence was sated for the moment, and he was now eager to see Gail. He loved her, and he would never hurt her. Jason had just been trying to get under his skin.

He loomed over Jason and Jason shrank back, but Castiel was healing Jason's injuries now. Now that Cas didn't have to worry about the sigils holding him back, he could do anything he wanted, within these prison walls. He'd better not push it, though. If they saw the mess he'd made of Jason, he might have a problem. He was just starting to enjoy himself; why invite trouble?

There was nothing he could do about the blood on Jason's clothes, though, or the blood on his own, nor about the pools of blood on the floor. He'd tried to wave his hands over them, but nothing had happened. Oh, well, you couldn't have everything. But Ethan wasn't stupid. Even though Jason was fully healed now, the young guard would know what had transpired, here. Should Cas kill Ethan? But, how could he explain that? Unless he put a blade in Jason's hand, and said that Jason had attacked Ethan before Castiel could stop him. For a moment, he considered it. But something held him back. Ethan had been so good to him and Gail when they'd been here. Castiel owed him for that. So, for now, he would let young Ethan live. But he'd better talk to Bobby about that promotion, or at least a transfer. He couldn't guarantee the same result, the next time.

Castiel bent down to awaken Ethan, and then he mentally kicked himself. Of course: The two-finger system.

So, when Ethan awoke, his memory had been modified, and he saw no blood. Castiel told him that Jason had had no information. He'd just been screwing with them. Ethan had no memory of what had happened in this room. As far as the young guard was concerned, he had been here and awake the whole time, and the prisoner was fine. But then he looked into Castiel's eyes, and saw that they were a deep purple colour.

"What's with your eyes?" Ethan asked him, puzzled.

Castiel cursed himself. In his excitement, he had forgotten to put his contact lenses back in. How could he explain? "I don't know what you mean, Ethan," he said quietly, hoping that the confusion induced by his modifying of Ethan's memory would somehow extend to what Ethan was seeing now.

"Your eyes," Ethan said to him. "They're purple."

"Are they?" Cas said. He was stalling; he had no idea what to say.

"Yeah," Ethan said, looking at Cas curiously. "But they were blue, when you came in."

Cas sighed. He had nothing to offer but the truth. Well, a very small part of it, anyway. "Jason made me angry," he told Ethan. "Sometimes they change colour, when that happens."

Ethan frowned. He had seen a lot of emotions in Cas, including anger, but he had never seen THAT before. "Since when?" he asked.

Cas smirked. "It's a fairly recent development. But, it's nothing to worry about."

Ethan wasn't so sure. Cas looked weird like that.

"Oh, it's something to worry about, all right," Jason piped up. "I'd be plenty worried, if I were you." But he was looking at Castiel when he said it.

Ethan escorted Jason back to his jail cell. It was just the two of them. Castiel had exited the prison directly from the interrogation room, saying he had to get back to Earth and collect Gail. Ethan had told him to give Gail his love, and Cas had smiled. He certainly would.

Ethan put Jason back in his cell, and Jason looked at the young guard. "There's something very wrong with him, you know," he told Ethan.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's good, coming from you," he jeered. "I know what you're in here for. What you did to them."

"Fine, don't believe me," Jason retorted. "But don't say I didn't warn you. He knocked you out back there, tortured the hell out of me, and then did something to you, so you wouldn't see all the blood."

Ethan was skeptical. "Yeah, right. Like I would ever believe that. YOU'RE the one that was messing with US."

"Really?" Jason looked down at himself, and noticed that there was a small pool of blood in the crease of his pants. He dipped his fingers in it and smeared it on Ethan's arm, after Ethan took the cuffs off of him. "Is THAT my imagination?"

Ethan looked at the red smear on his arm, and then he peered closely at Jason. Now Ethan was beginning to see the blood on Jason's clothes, and he pictured Castiel's hand descending on his forehead.

"Even if I was inclined to believe you, what you're saying is impossible," Ethan told Jason. He backed away towards the cell door, keeping an eye on his prisoner. "The prison is encased in sigils."

"That doesn't matter to him, any more," Jason said evenly. "He's no longer an Angel."

Ethan locked the cell door and then looked at Jason once more. "You're a liar," he said, and then he walked down the corridor to the front desk.

But he sat there for a while, and Ethan began to wonder who the liar really was. He'd felt sorry for Castiel during the tribunal, and then he had ended up supporting him, and then, he had looked up to him. But then Cas had killed Lanister, and had lied to Ethan about the circumstances of the murder. And now, Ethan had his suspicions about what had really just happened in the interrogation room. He had seen Jason's condition when God had first sent Jason to prison from the cabin. And Ethan had seen Cas's eyes.

Ethan's heart sank. It couldn't be true. The treachery of Demons, he could handle; that was nothing when compared to the betrayal of an Angel, especially one who you had admired so much. But, where was the proof? He couldn't just run around making wild accusations.

He would have to watch Castiel very closely.

Gail was teasing Frank about Jody.

Jody had gotten back on the road after dinner. She'd been away longer than she'd planned, and she needed to get back and make sure the deputies hadn't cocked everything up in her absence, she joked. There were hugs all around, and she had walked up the stairs and exited the bunker as they all waved goodbye.

Gail had noticed her brother watching Jody leave, and she was giving him a hard time about it now.

"I do believe someone's got a little crush on someone," she said slyly, smiling at Frank.

"Get out of here," he said, giving her a gentle, playful shove. "I do like her, though. She's good people." He smiled.

"Methinks he doth protest too much," Gail said to Sam, who was grinning. Sam was so happy to see Gail and Frank like this. It was about time. He'd hated to see the tension and fighting between them. But now that the ugly episode with Cas was over, the siblings were rediscovering their bond, and it was good to see.

"Shouldn't that be 'I think'?" Dean said, sitting down next to Gail and uncapping a beer.

She looked at him, amused. "Really, Dean? Seriously?"

Sam just about snorted the sip of beer he'd just taken out of his nose, at the look on Dean's face.

"Your sister and my brother," Dean groused to Frank. "They both think they're the smartest people anywhere."

"Yeah," Frank agreed, smiling. "Maybe it's them who should have gotten together." Ouch. He probably shouldn't have said that. He'd only been teasing, but Gail was so sensitive about Cas. Now that they were getting along so well, he didn't want her to think he was insulting Cas.

But Gail was smiling mischievously. "Well, we did sleep together in Vegas," she joked, looking at Sam. "Remember?"

"I'll never forget," Sam teased back. He raised his beer bottle to her.

"What?" Frank said, puzzled.

Gail laughed, and told him the story. Dean and Sam chipped in, making sarcastic comments about Gail having been too pure to join in the fun of that night.

"It's hardly because I'm too pure," she retorted. Boy, if they only knew, especially now. "It's because I was the only sensible one, that night."

Gail was looking fondly at the men. Her three brothers. This was more like it. Everybody getting along, no blades coming out. Maybe she should come clean, now, tell them what was really going on, before things got very bad. She and Cas couldn't keep up their deception forever, and Gail was afraid of what might happen if Cas lost his temper again. Oh, who was she kidding? Not "if". When. But she'd made her commitment to Cas, and had given him her promise. She still loved him, above all else. No one understood her and Cas's relationship. How could these guys possibly understand? None of them had ever been in a deeply committed relationship with a woman. Hell, none of them had ever been with a woman for more than a couple of months, let alone been in the kind of relationship that she and Cas had. Cas loved her, and he put her needs before anything else. He always had. He'd been ready to plead guilty to all of the charges at the tribunal, just to save her life. He'd rescued her from Crowley. He'd forgiven her, after she'd said all those horrible things about him on the witness stand. He'd protected her from their enemies time and time again, and he wouldn't let anyone say a bad word about her. How could she even consider selling him out like that?

She couldn't. So, Gail said nothing. Just sat there, and teased her guys.

Cas came out of the shower and dressed, throwing his bloody clothes on the floor. He considered burning them, as he'd joked to Gail the other day, but then he vetoed the idea. He had nothing to hide from Gail now, and that would be wasteful. She could do a laundry, or she could show him how to do it. It didn't matter to him.

He made sure to blink the blue contacts back into his eyes before he left for the bunker. That had been a stupid mistake on his part. Fortunately, Ethan hadn't raised too much of a stink about it. But, he would have to be more careful next time.

He winked into the library area and saw her, sitting and laughing with her brother and the Winchesters. They all looked so happy together. For a moment, Cas wondered if he should just pop back out again, go back to the house, and pack his things. How could he ask Gail to put up with him the way he was now? She had agreed because she loved him, but he was using that love as a weapon. And what would happen to his relationship with her and with the Winchesters when he really started to deteriorate?

But he couldn't do it. Sam had seen him now, and as Sam said, "Hey, Cas," Gail turned around and looked at him, and his gradually blackening heart melted. He needed her, and he needed her with him.

So, Cas walked up to the table and leaned down, kissing Gail on the cheek. But he made sure that was all. He could wait until they got home.

"How're things in Heaven?" Dean asked him. Gail had told them all that Castiel's presence had been required there, but she hadn't elaborated. Angel stuff, she'd said. And truthfully, Dean didn't really care.

"Same old, same old," Cas said, smiling. "Angel crap."

Dean smirked. "Right. Whatever."

"Have a seat, Cas," Sam said, and Frank moved over one. He wanted Cas to know he was welcome to sit down with them any time.

But Cas was shaking his head. "No, I don't think so, guys," he said mildly. "It's been a long day. I just want to go home." He looked down at Gail. "If that's OK with you," he said to her.

She rose from her chair. "Sure, Cas. It HAS been a long day." She put her hand on Frank's shoulder, smiling at him and Sam and Dean. "We'll talk more, tomorrow."

"Maybe you can stay for a longer visit tomorrow," Frank said. He'd been having a good time with his sister, and he really did want to get to know Cas better.

"Maybe," Cas said vaguely. But he extended his hand to Frank, and they shook. "We'll see. If not tomorrow, it'll be soon, though. I promise."

"Better make it soon," Dean said. "We'll be going back out on the road. Getting the taste, again."

Cas could relate. "I hear you," he said. He took Gail's hand. "Goodnight." Then he winked the two of them home.

Cas led her straight to the bedroom, and he took the contact lenses out as she looked down at the bundle of bloody clothes on the floor.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Fantastic," he told her. He strode over to where she was standing. "Really good."

Cas grabbed Gail's top and pulled it over her head, then did the same with his shirt. Maybe he'd try to find shirts without buttons, to save time. He kissed her, probing her mouth with his tongue. She undid her pants and stepped out of them, and he did the same with his.

He picked her up and took her to the bed, propping her up against the headboard. In his eagerness to have her, he pushed too hard, and the back of Gail's head hit the headboard. "Ow! Cas!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," he smiled. He pulled her down and laid her head on the pillows. "Better?"

She smiled. "Better."

He was already inside her, and he was more aggressive than he'd ever been. He was holding her so tightly it almost hurt, but it felt really good, too.

Gail's breathing became panting, and when Cas's thumb began to stroke her in the place she liked in addition to what he was already doing, Gail began to call out his name, saying she loved him, and then she lost her words altogether.

They were in each other's arms, talking about her time in the bunker, and his time in Heaven.

"So, everything's OK with you and Frank now?" he asked Gail, kissing her gently on the forehead. He hoped her head didn't still hurt. He really hadn't meant to do that; he'd just gotten carried away for a moment.

"Yeah," she told him. She was still trying to catch her breath. The back of her head still hurt, and now her body hurt in other places, too. But she felt great. The aches and pains would subside.

"I'm glad, Gail," Cas said, and he meant it. "There's no need for any acrimony between us. We've got our life, and they've got theirs. They'll be going on the road soon, and we'll have our training with Crowley. Everybody wins."

She supposed he was right. There was a time when she really would have missed the guys, but now she thought it was for the best. If Sam and Dean went, Frank would go too, either with them, or out on his own. Then she and Cas could go about their business, and they wouldn't have to worry about hiding anything from their friends.

He was caressing her body again, and his eyes were that beautiful shade of violet.

"How did things go with Jason?" she asked Cas. "What did he say?"

He frowned momentarily, and his caresses ceased. "Nothing of any significance," he told her.

"Well, what did he want with you, then?" she asked.

"Just to mess with me," Cas said casually. Then he smiled. "But he clearly forgot the position he's in, now. I had to remind him."

Gail thought about the bloody clothes on the floor.

Cas sighed, shrugging his shoulders. There was no reason not to tell her, he supposed. "He went on and on with some nonsense about how Metatron planned to do something to me at the cabin, and Jason believes he succeeded."

Gail was startled. "What did he mean by that?"

"Who knows?" Cas said. "Jason had no further information to give." Then he smiled again. "Though I did try and try to elicit more." He grabbed Gail's hand and brought it down to touch him. He was feeling excited again, thinking of every slash and stab he'd inflicted on Jason.

She stroked him for a minute, then they exchanged a look and Gail moved down his body. Good girl, he thought, closing his eyes. Apparently, she knew what he needed, too.

He gave himself up to what she was doing, and Gail wanted to make him feel as good as he always made her feel. And it was working. God, she was good. He cried out her name, and then he just cried out.

When he regained his breath and his senses, Cas pulled her up to kiss him, then pulled her body up to meet his mouth. "Don't move," he told her. His fingers were digging into her skin, but what he was doing with his tongue more than made up for it. "Don't move," he said again. But she had to move; he was driving her crazy. She started to whimper, but his grip tightened. "Not until I say," he said softly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Cas, please," she breathed. "Do you love me?" he asked her. "Yes," she answered. "Please, Cas." "Yes, what?" he said, still smiling. "Yes, I love you," she said, pleading. Cas said, "OK. Now." She began to move, and he moved with her, and Gail cried out loudly. Maybe it was his name, maybe not; who knew, who cared? The only thing that was important was the way he was making her feel, and it was everything.

They lay together for the rest of the night until the morning came. At one point, Cas may have even have dozed off; Gail wasn't really sure. Neither of them were completely Angels any more, though Gail was still more Angel than Cas was, now. The Angel in him was fading fast, being consumed by the poison in his system. But he still loved Gail, and he always would. He'd been a bit rough with her last night, and he could see the bruises forming on her body now. But she had liked it. She was kissing his chest now, and his hand began to stroke her again, but she stopped him reluctantly.

"Maybe we'd better wait for a bit," she said ruefully. "I'm pretty sore." She smiled. "Well worth it, though."

He smiled back. He was glad she was happy.

"You?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Her hand was on him, and he was starting to feel the effects of her touch again. It was unbelievable. He started to move against her, thinking about pushing her down into the pillows and proceeding, anyway. What was a little more soreness? But he reined himself in, and grabbed her hand. "I can wait," he told her. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it, then licked her palm. "Remember where we were," he murmured, smiling.

He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. If he didn't get out of this bed now, he'd never let her leave it. And he had other things he wanted to do, although none he wanted to do as much. He stood up and started to dress.

Cas turned around and looked at her. "Please get dressed, before I change my mind."

Gail smiled. God, he was cute. "Okie-dokie," she said, hopping out of the bed and walking to the closet. She chose a top and a pair of pants, and got dressed. She was moving a bit gingerly now due to her soreness, and she noticed the bruises coming in. "Ow," she said mildly.

"Are you all right?" Cas asked her. He crossed the room to where she stood. "I guess I was a bit... enthusiastic, last night." The things that Jason had said to him yesterday flashed into his mind, but he shook them off. This wasn't the same thing. Oh, no? a voice in his head spoke up. Isn't it?

But she was smiling. "Yes, you were. But, I'm fine."

He took her in his arms. "But you liked it, didn't you?" he asked Gail.

"Yes, Cas," she reassured him. "I liked it." And she was telling the truth. Even now, as sore as she was, she was about one touch away from taking off her clothes and having him do it to her again. Were they in love, or were they nuts?

It was both, and it was neither. Metatron had poured heavily when he'd grabbed the ingredient for Lust, not knowing what he was doing, or what the effect would be. The bonding agent had been the most important ingredient, anyway. That was the one that ensured that the disease would stay inside Castiel for eternity, and the one that would be his undoing.

Castiel called Crowley on his cell phone. "It's time we had our first session," he said when Crowley answered.

Crowley would normally have been angry that Castiel was calling him out of the blue like this, thinking that he was calling all the shots. But, he was frankly curious to see his Brother. Crowley wanted to see where Castiel's head was at, see if he was starting to deteriorate, yet. He had no idea how fast things had already accelerated within Castiel, and no idea what he had done to Gail.

So, they agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse that would serve as their training ground. The place was big enough so that they could stretch out a bit, and it was in a deserted part of town, so they could let their hair down without being heard.

Crowley was already there, waiting, when the couple appeared. He eyed them appraisingly as they approached.

He was pleased to see that Castiel's eyes were purple. Cas had not bothered to put the contacts in, for this meeting; it wasn't as if they had to hide his current status from Crowley, after all. Which reminded him: "Everyone believes that Gail and I met with you yesterday, and that you removed the rest of your Demon essence from me," Castiel told him without preliminary.

Interesting. But Crowley could certainly see why. And it wasn't only the eyes, it was his Brother's bearing and his attitude that were different. Crowley knew him very well, and he'd picked up on it, right away.

Then his eyes shifted to Gail, and his jaw dropped. He could see the bruises on her arms, and he could just bet that she had more in other places that her clothing covered. She was moving a bit gingerly, too. A part of him felt like grinning at that, thinking of the implications. But the bruises disturbed him, though he didn't know exactly why. He was the King of Hell, for God's sake. So to speak. What should he care, if Castiel was rough with Gail? She was here with him, wasn't she? That must mean she liked it.

"Good to know," Crowley said in answer to Castiel's comment, dragging his eyes away from Gail. "But, how have they not noticed the change?"

Cas smiled, taking Gail's hand. "Blue contact lenses, and self-control," he told Crowley.

"So that's where the self-control is going," Crowley said casually. His eyes had drifted back to Gail.

That made Cas angry. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snapped. "And what business is it of yours, anyway?"

"You're right, Castiel, it is none of my business," Crowley said calmly. Wow. Was his Brother ever deteriorating, and quickly, too. Good times, as Dean would say.

"You're awfully quiet, sweetheart," Crowley said to Gail.

"Nothing to say, I suppose," she said to him.

"And you're OK with...everything?" Crowley asked her, curious.

Cas knew what he was getting at. "It's OK, Gail, you can tell him," he said gently.

Gail sighed. All right, then, she would. "Cas injected me with his blood," she told Crowley.

If Crowley had had a mouthful of liquid, he would have spat it out, then. He couldn't believe it. Castiel had no idea what he'd done. Though one injection probably wouldn't damage her irrevocably, Crowley now understood how she was able to be here with the creature that Castiel had become, holding his hand and wearing his bruises.

"Don't look at me like that," Castiel snarled. "It was her own choice."

Crowley raised his eyebrows. He hadn't been looking at Castiel in any particular way, he'd actually been looking at Gail. Perhaps that was the glimmer of Angel still in his Brother, and the guilty way he might be feeling, seeing Gail through someone else's eyes. If the King of Hell thought there was something wrong with you, there was really something wrong with you.

"Is that true?" Crowley asked her coolly.

"Yes, it's true," she replied, nodding. "I love him." Cas smiled and put his arms around her from behind, looking at Crowley. "See?" he said. He kissed Gail's ear, then licked it, and she smiled, pulling Cas's arms tighter around her.

Crowley was starting to feel unclean watching the two of them, and that was really saying something. Still, he was amused. The two of them were bought and paid for now, though they were obviously still in denial about it. They still thought they could fool God and their friends about what they were now, and whose side they were really on. Well, that wasn't going to last much longer. All you had to do was look at them.

But he didn't really care. Why should he? Crowley was curious to see what they could do, though, and how much use they would be to him, once it got to that point.

He walked up to Gail. "Let me see your blade," he said to her. He held out his hand.

Castiel moved out from behind Gail. "You're kidding, right?" he said derisively.

"Oh, relax," Crowley said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not feeling too relaxed, at the moment," Castiel retorted, removing his blade from his jacket.

Crowley sighed. "I merely wanted to look at it," he told Castiel. "Here." He put his hands up, and moved closer to Gail. "Take it out, and if I try anything, your boyfriend can kill me. Or is it husband, now?" He couldn't resist. "I'm sure the relationship has been consummated by now, many times over. And, in many different ways." Crowley smirked.

Now it was Castiel's turn to sigh. It was indicative of his transformation that Crowley's remark didn't even make him particularly angry. After all, the King was right, Cas thought, with a touch of Pride. "Do it, Gail," he said to her. "Show it to him. I don't think he'll try anything. He wouldn't dare."

With a glance at Castiel, Gail took her Angel blade out of the sheath she had hooked onto the hip of her pants. She'd fashioned the sheath a while back, and no longer carried a purse. She'd learned that lesson the hard way, in Vancouver.

She showed the blade to Crowley and he bent closer, examining the markings on its hilt. He straightened up after a moment, his expression brightening.

"She's an Original, all right," Crowley told them both. "It's all right there."

"Where?" Castiel asked. "What are you talking about?"

Crowley pointed to Gail's blade. "The markings on the hilt. All blades are unique, and these markings denote the powers of its owner."

Castiel was astonished. All these centuries, and this was the first he was hearing of this? "How do you know?" he asked Crowley. "And how do you know that, when I don't?"

Crowley smiled. "You must have skipped school, that day." He was pleased to know something of such importance that Castiel didn't. Their Father had always favoured Castiel, so it was a mystery to Crowley how he could know this without his Brother knowing it too, but he was not above revelling in it. "Or, maybe our Father didn't love you as much as you thought. He told me about it very early in the game," Crowley bragged.

Castiel was angry again, and it was obvious he was also jealous. Good, Crowley thought. Let HIM see how it felt, for a change.

"Why would He tell you, and not me?" Castiel said resentfully.

"I'm sure I don't know," Crowley said happily. "Why don't you ask Him? Oh, that's right, you can't. He's gone. Though, you should be glad He is. One look at you right now, and He'd be thoroughly disgusted. You'd be Lucifer's roommate, in a heartbeat."

"Shut up, Crowley," Gail snapped, somewhat unexpectedly. Both men turned to look at her. "That's right, I'm in the room, too," she said tartly. "You're hardly one to talk, Crowley. Besides, who was it that put the Demon in Cas, in the first place? Oh yeah, that was you. And you did it to me, and to Frank. You've got to start shutting your mouth, and quit sticking things in us," she quipped. Part Demon or no, she was still herself, and so her mouth twitched with faint amusement at her quip. She was mad at him for hurting Cas's feelings, though. Cas was looking equal parts angry and sad. Probably thinking about how his Father would be disappointed in him now. Well, that ship had sailed, hadn't it? All they had to do now was wait for the iceberg.

"It looks like my brother is the one who's - " Crowley started to retort, but then he smiled. He actually liked the both of them better this way. No more moony-eyed, Angelic hand-holding. No more holier-than-thou pretense. He felt closer to them, now. They could actually be a family. That was if he could get them to get on board, but he didn't think that was going to be much of a problem. Not based on what he could see coming from the both of them right now.

"Bring your blade over here, Castiel," Crowley said to him. "You can look at them, and compare."

Castiel came over to where they stood with his blade raised. The sight still made Crowley a little nervous, so he said, "Give it to Gail, to hold." He looked at her, smirking. "I know you know how to do that."

Incredibly, Gail smiled. Yes, she did, and King of Hell or not, that had been a good one.

Castiel rolled his eyes and handed her the blade. She held them side by side, and Crowley pointed at the markings. "See? They're different. Ancient Enochian."

Castiel scanned the markings in amazement. Crowley was right. He could see the difference, and when he concentrated, he could make out a few words, here and there. The ancient language had never been his strong suit, and he was out of practice. But he could see, for instance, that his had a notation that said he could foresee future events, but it had a line through it. He had elected to give up that ability when he'd burned Chuck's prophecies way back when, and not only did his blade show that ability, it was updated to reflect that he now did not have it. Did the markings update themselves?

Then he looked at Gail's blade, and saw with a shock that hers stated that she had the ability to call forth animals to attack. Had he read that right? Then, he remembered. He looked at Crowley, and pointed to the marking. "The hawk," they said together.

"What are you guys talking about?" Gail asked them, annoyed. They were looking at her blade, and she was entitled to know. The only other language she'd ever learned a bit of was French, when she'd been reading some magazines in Canada between calls in the poker room, and that was self-taught. But she didn't think that was going to be particularly helpful in this situation.

So, they told her what the marking they were looking at said, and reminded her about the hawk that had attacked Metatron when he'd been holding the Demon Tablet, about to close the Gates of Hell.

Gail was astonished. SHE had done that? She remembered seeing the hawk flying in the sky and wishing it would peck Metatron's eyes out, then raising her arm involuntarily against the storm that had been brewing. A golden beam had come out of her hand and the next thing she knew, the hawk was attacking Metatron, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet into the pit.

"I did that!" Gail told them proudly, smiling. Crowley gave her a small bow. "And I still owe you for that," he said to her, smiling also. "I had been intending to repay you by bringing everyone to the cabin to save you both, but by the time we got there, Castiel had matters well in hand." He looked sideways at Castiel, and they found they could actually smile at each other about that.

"And now that we're all getting along so swimmingly, allow me to show you mine," Crowley said to them. He opened his suit jacket to reveal a blade. "Unless you think yours might suffer by comparison," he quipped to Castiel. Like Gail, he was who he was.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Hardly," she said, looking at Castiel. They smiled at each other.

Now it was Crowley's turn to roll his eyes. Like Dean would have done, he almost told them to get a room. But they already had one, and they were obviously making good use of it. Must be nice.

He took his blade out and held it beside theirs. Gail was so fascinated that she didn't even flinch.

Crowley pointed. "See, there's my ability to speak any language."

Castiel could see it now, plain as day. But Gail's brow furrowed. "Looks like just a bunch of squiggles, to me," she said, frowning. "Clearly, my learning curve is about the size of a ferris wheel on this one. I wonder how much Sam charges for tutoring."

Cas could see that it bothered her to be in the dark about this, so he said, "I'll teach you all I know. We'll look at them tonight." They'd better leave the blades in the living room though, he thought, and he got a very strange feeling at that. Almost like a foreboding. But it was true; once they crossed the threshold of the only room they'd been spending any time in lately, there wouldn't be a hell of a lot of intellectualizing going on in there. He smiled.

"Wait a minute," Castiel said to Crowley. Gail's mention of Sam had reminded him of something. "Didn't you lose your blade, in Las Vegas? I thought Sam had it now."

Crowley shook his head. "That wasn't mine. It was from the weapons room in Hell." Castiel looked at him, startled. "Oh, like Heaven doesn't have a weapons room," Crowley said sardonically. "And if I peeked, I'll bet I would see at least a few Demon blades in there."

That was true enough, Castiel thought. He'd put quite a few in there himself, courtesy of the many Demons he'd killed over the years. But perhaps now was not the best time to bring that up, not when they were standing here, so close to each other. And it wasn't as if Crowley didn't already know.

"I seldom use mine, to be honest," Crowley said to Castiel, as Gail smirked. "And you can quit smiling, Gail, I see you," he said to her, but he smiled, too. Apparently, she was bringing that out in him. He took his blade away from where he'd been holding it beside theirs and put it in his coat pocket. "It's too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands. You two want to be careful with yours, as well."

"You don't have to worry about that," Castiel said, taking his own blade back from Gail and putting it back in his jacket as Crowley had done. "It never leaves my side."

Gail sheathed hers, as well. "I have to admit I don't always have mine with me," she said. "Maybe I'll start carrying it all the time."

Cas frowned. "You won't need to. Not with me around."

"But you may not always be around," she pointed out. "What about if you have to go back up to Heaven by yourself, again?" She looked at him, trying to convey the message without saying it aloud. There were still some things that were none of Crowley's business.

But Crowley was curious. "And why would you go to Heaven by yourself, Castiel?"

Cas gave Gail a momentary glare, but then he shrugged. What did he care if Crowley knew? At least the King of Hell would understand.

"I was told that Jason wanted to see me to talk about what happened in the cabin," Cas told Crowley. Then he grinned. "I didn't mind conversing with him about that."

Crowley was intrigued. He wouldn't have minded being a fly on the wall for that little conversation.

"He seemed to think that Metatron had done something to me, before I sent him into the great beyond," Castiel continued, smirking. "My blade and I convinced Jason that he was mistaken."

Crowley regarded Castiel calmly, but his mind was racing. What did Jason know? Obviously, not that much, or else Castiel was hiding the knowledge. But Crowley doubted that. The poor guy had no clue; he thought it was just Crowley's Demon essence that was making him behave this way, and Gail must think the same. Too bad these two didn't know what Crowley himself knew. Yeah. Too bad for them. Why should he tell them what he knew? There was no upside to it for him. While Castiel still had a bit of Angel left inside of him, and Crowley could see that there was still a sliver, he might get the crazy and noble idea that Sam and Dean should kill him, before he sank all the way down. And Gail was still a good part Angel, herself. No. Crowley wouldn't be enlightening them any time soon. Where would the fun be in that?

"Where'd you find this place?" Gail asked Crowley, as they walked around the warehouse.

"I looked in the Yellow Pages under 'Secret Training Facilities'," he quipped.

She smiled at him. "You're dating yourself. You should have said Google."

"Well, I have been around since Creation," he retorted, but good-naturedly. "I think I'm entitled."

"Well, I'm going to call it the Room of Requirement," Gail joked, "and we can be the DA. Demons/Angels." She had been smiling, but she frowned now. Was that last part even funny? Maybe not so much.

But Crowley laughed, and he silently thanked her for it. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually had a genuine laugh. And he got the reference. "Our blades can be like our wands," he responded. "The blade chooses the being. I'd love to have a few House Elves."

Now Gail laughed. That had actually been pretty clever. "Don't tell me you're a fellow boy wizard fan," she said, looking at him.

"Guilty as charged," Crowley told her. "They are books from my adopted homeland, after all. And, you?"

"I am..." she paused for drama, "e-qual-ly guilty."

Crowley laughed again. He hadn't laughed even once in centuries, and now, he'd laughed twice in two minutes. Unbelievable. Was this what having a friend was like? Or, a sister-in-law, he supposed. Though his Brother was not looking too pleased, at the moment. Which made Crowley feel like laughing again.

"My favourite book of the series, and my favourite movie," Crowley said to Gail. He tipped her a wink. "Although the wrong guy won, in the end."

Gail laughed again, and she put her hand on Crowley's arm without thinking, just like she would have done with Frank, or Sam or Dean. He was being too funny.

The tip of Castiel's blade was suddenly underneath her hand, lifting it from Crowley's arm. "I don't think so," Cas said quietly from behind them, though it was unclear which of them he was talking to. Probably both.

Crowley was amused, but he was also annoyed. What was wrong with them getting along, sharing a laugh? It was bloody miraculous, considering their dark history. Didn't his brother's kind believe in miracles? But then he reminded himself that he and Castiel were the same kind now, and Castiel was looking murderous. Crowley had best be careful.

But Gail spoke up. "Oh, put that thing away," she said to Castiel irritably. "We were just having a laugh. It wouldn't hurt for you to lighten up once in a while, too. We're all in this boat together, you know."

Cas grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to look at him. "That may be true, but you're not Rose, and he sure as hell isn't Jack! You see, I watch movies, too," he said sarcastically.

"What are you babbling about?" Crowley asked him, mystified.

But, Gail got it. "Ow," she said pointedly, and Cas let go of her arm as if it were hot to the touch, looking at the bruises there. Cas was feeling jealous and insecure. This wasn't just about an innocent and unwitting touch on the arm. It was about the way a small part of himself felt about the ever-growing other part of himself. Cas was afraid of what he was becoming, and despite her promise to him, he was afraid she was going to turn her back on him when he got worse.

Sensing this, Gail put her arms around him and his arms crept around her tentatively, just like the old Castiel would have done. He laid his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair, comforting him.

"I'm sorry, Gail," he said softly. "Look at your poor body. I'm a monster."

"No, you're not," she assured him. "You're Cas. My Cas." She was still defending him, enabling him.

Crowley shook his head. They were both nuts. He'd heard about co-dependent relationships, but this was ridiculous. He didn't know if he was more disgusted that Gail was staying with Castiel and supporting him, or if he respected her more because of it. She certainly had guts. If he was in her position, having to be in such close quarters with that temper and those eyes, Crowley probably would have run off screaming by now.

Cas lifted his head from Gail's shoulder and smiled, and his smile chilled Crowley's blood. He was manipulating her and her emotions, and Gail wasn't even aware of it. Cas kissed her, using his tongue, and he ran his hands all over her body, under her clothing, as if marking his territory.

Crowley rolled his eyes, looking away. "Oh, why don't you just pee all over her, and get it over with?" he said irritably.

Cas let go of Gail and marched over to Crowley. "I believe I've had just about enough of you," he snarled in Crowley's face. "The next time you see my blade, you won't be able to read the markings."

Gail stepped in-between them. "Maybe that's enough for today. We're all eternal beings, here; we've got all the time in the world. Come on, Cas." She pulled him away from Crowley. "We'll call you," Gail said over her shoulder, still steering Cas away. "Next time, I'll bring snacks." She winked herself and Castiel out of the building.

Crowley let out the breath he'd been holding. Then he smiled. "'I'll bring snacks'," he repeated aloud. He could really get to like Gail, if Castiel didn't kill them both.

Gail and Cas appeared in their living room. He took her by the arm, being careful to avoid the most badly bruised area, and tried to lead her upstairs, but Gail planted her feet.

"No. We have to talk, first," she told him.

He looked at her. "We can talk in the bedroom," he said mildly.

"I don't think that's possible, and I'm just as much to blame for that as you are." His eyes flashed, but Gail continued: "You know what I mean, Cas. I gave you my promise, and I meant it. But you're going to have to work with me, here. I was just joking around. You know the more nervous I get, the more I joke. You know that about me." He nodded. He did know that. "Well, I was really nervous to be that close to Crowley, and even though I know this training is something we both want, and I know you would always protect me from him, my nerves got the better of me. You can understand that, can't you?"

Now she was the one who was lying, manipulating him. She hadn't been the least bit frightened of Crowley, back there. In fact, that might have been the only time in her existence that she had been genuinely enjoying the King of Hell's company, for a minute. But she was certainly not going to tell Cas that. Look how he had reacted over a couple of silly jokes, and an innocent touch on the arm. She wouldn't get much training or instruction if Cas ran his blade through Crowley when they saw him next, would she? And Gail had been fascinated by what she was learning about the markings on the blades, and thrilled to discover that she now had at least one very interesting power she'd never known she had.

She told Cas this now, and she emphasized to him that they were in this together, to use Crowley for his knowledge. Nothing had changed in that regard. She hated Crowley, but it was easier, if they had to be in such relatively close quarters, to just get along. And she loved Cas. She had chosen to stay with him, hadn't she?

Cas acknowledged that everything she was saying was true, but: "I still need some reassurance," he told her.

"OK, let's go into the bedroom, then," she said, smiling. "You've never doubted me in there."

"Oh, we'll definitely be doing that," he replied, smiling back. "But, wait here, first. I'll be right back."

Her brow furrowed. Where was he going?

She found out a moment later when he came back downstairs. With the syringe in his hand.

"Just one more," Cas said softly, sitting down beside her on the couch. "Then I promise I'll get rid of it, and you'll never see it again."

Gail looked at him and sighed. Did he really need her to do this once more? Hadn't she already committed herself to him by agreeing to it the first time?

"You're hesitating," Cas said, and his look darkened. "Did you even mean it when you made your promise?"

"Yes, I meant it, Cas," she replied. "And I still mean it." What the hell, she thought. How much more bad could it be? If this was what he needed for her to prove her commitment to him, she supposed she could let him do it again. And he had given her his promise that this would be the last time. They had never gone back on any promise either of them had ever made to the other. So, she gave him her arm.

Gail hadn't really felt the effects of the first injection when she'd received it. The poison had seeped into her slowly, and the change had been gradual. After Cas gave her the second shot and then broke the needle in two with his bare hands, throwing it onto the coffee table, he pulled her upstairs and into the bedroom. Now she began to feel a low hum, almost like a tingle, throughout her whole body. She had never taken any sort of illicit drug, but she had read accounts from people who had, and Gail imagined this must be what shooting up speed must be like. And this had been only one vial of the stuff that was coursing through Cas's body every day, all the time. Wow.

She laid down on the bed and submitted as Cas tore the clothes off her body. He tore his off, as well. Who cared? They could buy new ones. He was on top of her, and she wrapped her legs around him as he tore into her. She winced, but the pain soon went away and she went with the motion.

"What do you need, Gail?" he breathed.

"Everything," she told him.

"That can be arranged," he said, smiling.

And they had pretty much done it all, too, including one or two things she would have never thought she was capable of doing, or would even enjoy. But Gail had enjoyed everything, and she was stretched out on her stomach now, smiling, too tired and sore to move. Cas was on top of her, and his hands were still caressing her body. She would have more bruises in the morning, and probably some abrasions, too. Or, was it later tonight? How long had they been here? It was a good thing they didn't eat, or they would have starved to death by now.

His fingers were stroking her again, and she sighed contentedly. "That's so good," she told him, and he smiled. He knew.

"You can roll over, or stay like that. Your choice," he said to her.

"I don't know if I have the energy to roll over," she said, her voice muffled by the pillows.

"Suit yourself, then." Cas shrugged. He lifted her hips and entered her, and his fingers kept stroking, and Gail found that she did have the energy to move, after all. She cried out his name into the pillows, and Cas continued to smile. He loved it when she did that.

And so it continued, on and on, until the next day. Dean had called twice, and Cas had simply ignored the phone. He had never promised them they'd see him and Gail the next day, had he?

In the morning, he asked her, "What do you want to do today?"

"Besides this, you mean?" she said, smiling up at him.

He couldn't argue with what she was doing right now, that was for sure. She was as insatiable as he was now, and Cas was glad. Until he'd given her the second shot, he'd been a little apprehensive that he was giving her more than she wanted, and being a little too rough with her in the process. But now he could see the marks that he had left all over her body, yet when he reached for her, she pulled his hands to the places on her body where she wanted them to go. He enjoyed being this aggressive with her. She was allowing his true nature to come out, and he didn't have to hold anything back with her. No wonder he never wanted to leave this room; besides the interrogation room at the prison, it was the one place where he felt like he could be himself, do anything he wanted.

"Unless you want me to stop?" she teased. He had his eyes closed, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I don't think so," he said, holding her head where it was. He began to move, and she was going with it, making him feel incredible once again. He didn't let go until it was over, and then she crawled back up beside him and laid her body on top of his.

"Did you like that?" she asked, kissing him on the mouth.

"I loved it," he murmured. He was finding it hard to speak right now, but he smiled at her. "I love YOU."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I need to take a break," Gail said, wincing as she lifted herself off of him. "I feel like I've just gone ten rounds with a wrestling champion."

Cas frowned. "Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, but I'll be OK," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" he asked her. Then: "Are you happy, Gail?"

"Yes, I'm very happy, Cas," she told him. "Don't worry so much."

OK, he wouldn't, then, he thought. He kissed her, using his tongue, and she gave him hers. His hands caressed her, but he tried to do it gently this time. There wasn't too much that he could touch that didn't have some kind of a welt or bruise on it. He supposed he should feel badly about that, but he'd been too busy feeling good to notice until now. And she had said she was happy.

"Do you love me?" he asked her. Now that he'd noticed her condition, he felt the need to ask.

"Yes, I love you, Cas," she said, touching his face. He felt better immediately. She hadn't done that in a while. She'd been too busy touching the rest of him.

"I'm going to have a shower and get dressed," she told him. "You should call Crowley and set something up for this morning. I want some more training."

She got up and padded to the bathroom, and he smiled, watching her go. He was glad she'd done that. If she hadn't taken action, they would have just stayed here, and he supposed she really should receive more training. Funny, even though he'd told her each time that Dean had called, she hadn't said anything about them going to the bunker. And he was glad. He really didn't feel like putting in any contact lenses or putting on an act right now. He'd have to try to curb his temper a bit, though. Crowley was of no use to them dead, and after the day and night they'd just had, Cas would be crazy to doubt her loyalty to him, or her fidelity.

He picked up the phone and called his brother.

They were back in the warehouse, and Crowley was giving Gail surreptitious looks when Castiel was looking the other way. He couldn't believe how many marks she had on her body now, and that was only in the places that he could see. The bruises on her arms had turned into ugly welts, and she had angry-looking red abrasions on her neck and upper chest. She was walking slowly, almost limping, and he was no longer finding it so funny. How was she able to stand it? How was she able to stand Castiel, now? Crowley looked at his brother, and his brother was smiling, not seeming the least bit concerned.

Gail had purposely chosen a top with a bit more of a sleeve, but she couldn't cover everything up, and she saw Crowley looking at her with a strange expression on his face. She didn't know why she had felt like she had to hide her condition from Crowley, anyway. Look at who he was. But she just hadn't wanted to deal with it, or with any snide comments he might have. She didn't know what the hell she was going to do if and when they ever went back to the bunker, though. Gail may be crazy now, but she wasn't stupid. They would be shocked by her appearance, and there would be a ton of questions that she wasn't prepared to dodge. Cas would come off looking like the bad guy, and they would make him angry, when they confronted him. But she supposed they would have to go to the bunker soon, before the guys showed up at their door. Maybe she could cover up the visible areas with makeup, or something. She'd tell Cas to go easier if she thought it would do any good, but he was so aggressive now. And she let him be that way, because she knew he needed to be that way. And, if she was really honest with herself, she liked what he was doing to her. Sure, she could do without most of the pain; she wasn't a masochist, or anything. But she knew he couldn't help it, and he made her feel so good so often that she was willing to accept the pain as part of the package.

But Crowley kept looking at her, and she was getting annoyed. "What?" she snapped.

Crowley eyed her incredulously. "What do you mean, 'what'?" he said. "Don't you have any mirrors in that house of yours?"

Castiel turned around, looking at Crowley sharply. "Why do you persist in asking about things that don't concern you?" he asked Crowley coldly.

"Maybe you should be the one who's concerned," Crowley retorted. "How are you going to take her to that precious bunker of yours, looking like that?"

Castiel frowned. He'd been wondering that, too.

"Maybe you should go a little easier on her," Crowley said to him.

Castiel strode up to his brother, looking him in the eye. "That's between Gail and me, and she's very happy. I see to that. Me. You need to keep your nose out of our business, and your eyes off of her body."

Gail was getting annoyed. They were talking about her as if she wasn't in the room again. Plus, she and Cas had just gotten here, and already he and Crowley were fighting.

"Cas is right. I AM happy," Gail said, walking over to where they stood. "You two need to stop this. That's not what we're here for."

"So, you're happy, are you," Crowley said to Gail skeptically, "looking like that?"

Gail could see Cas reaching for his blade, so she grabbed his hand and put it on her body instead. "Yes, I am," she murmured. She kissed him on the mouth, running her tongue around his lips, and Cas squeezed her, drawing her towards him. His hands moved under her top, and when her clothing lifted, Crowley's suspicions were confirmed. Her torso looked like a road map.

After a moment, Gail stepped back. Cas was getting carried away, slipping his fingers into her pants and pushing against her, but she still had enough self-control to realize that this wasn't the time or the place. And certainly not in front of this audience. But she'd wanted to distract Cas enough so that he would stand down, and she'd also wanted to shut Crowley up. It was pretty bad when it took the King of Hell to point out the abuse your body had been through at the hands of your boyfriend. She reminded herself to find that funny sometime, far, far in the future.

Cas was breathing heavily, and his eyes were lidded. He'd been about to do it, too; he didn't give a damn whether Crowley was in the room, or not. Let him watch. Let him see how happy Cas made Gail. Then maybe he'd finally back off. He had been angry when Gail had stepped away like that. What the hell was she trying to pull? She couldn't get him all hot like that, and then leave him hanging. Next time she tried something like that, he'd make sure she didn't go anywhere until they finished what she had started.

Crowley couldn't believe what he was seeing from the two of them. How powerful WAS the stuff that Metatron had given Castiel, anyway? And Gail was behaving like this after only one dose of his Brother's blood? His eyes narrowed. He lunged for Gail and rolled up the sleeve on the arm that had been pristine when they'd last met. And sure enough, there it was, amongst all the other marks that his brother had inflicted on her: the pinprick mark of the needle.

He lifted his head to look at Castiel. "You dosed her again."

Cas had been about to go for his blade when he'd seen Crowley grab Gail, but his hand froze at his brother's comment. "Yeah. So?" he retorted. But he was avoiding Crowley's gaze when he said it.

Crowley let go of Gail, and he looked at the both of them. Now, he got it. He and Gail had shared a couple of laughs, and his brother had gotten all pouty about it. Obviously, Castiel had been feeling insecure about his hold on Gail. He talked a big game about satisfying her sexually, but that would only hold her for so long. Castiel forgot that Crowley knew Gail, too. In fact, if the King had a death wish, he could have reminded Cas that he and Gail had spent a lot of time discussing literature and current events way back when, and that Gail had seemed to enjoy a different kind of stimulation with Crowley. He had treated her like a gentleman, and his brother, the former Angel, was treating her like a thug. Even with a second dose of Metatron's cocktail running through her veins, Crowley thought that Gail may not be beyond socking Castiel in the face, once she'd had enough of his abuse. But if he didn't lose his temper and kill her then, where would Gail go? The bunker? Or would she come to Crowley? And would he take her, if she did?

Even while he was thinking these things, Crowley realized he was being a hypocrite. When he and Gail had been enjoying their civilized conversation, he himself had been injecting her with his own Demon blood. So what made him any better? And she had ultimately rejected him and gone running back into Castiel's arms. Apparently, she was still enjoying being in them, and if their grip had now tightened to the point of being painful, well, she had made her choice, hadn't she? Only his brother could get away with this sort of treatment of her, though. Crowley sighed. It figured. Castiel always won, didn't he? Crowley had always thought that was because his brother represented Good, and everyone knew that Good was supposed to win out over Evil. But there was nothing good about Castiel now, and Gail was going to reach her breaking point soon.

"So, nothing," Crowley said to Castiel. And that was all he was going to say. If he wanted to do his brother a favour, he could have told Cas that his measly two doses wouldn't work on her indefinitely. You had to continue the dosing on a regular basis, or it might wear off. The King ought to know. But even though Crowley welcomed this transformation of the two Angels, he held himself back from telling Castiel this. He wasn't really sure why; he was a foul, evil being, wasn't he? But if Crowley told Castiel, Castiel would be dosing Gail every day, he was sure, and Gail would probably continue to let him. But Crowley owed Gail one for her help, however unwitting, with Metatron and the Demon Tablet. Maybe Crowley had put her through enough crap, for a while. She and his Brother could sort themselves out, or not; he was staying out of it. He had the feeling that Sam and Dean and Frank had yet to weigh in on the matter, and Castiel could deal with them. Crowley smiled inwardly. He wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for that, too.

But it was time to get to what they had all come here for. Crowley took out his blade and approached Gail with it. He held it by the blade end, though, showing her the hilt. He wasn't idiot enough to approach her holding it the usual way, not with Castiel watching him.

Cas didn't move at first; he'd seen the way that Crowley was holding the blade, and it was non-threatening. For a split second, he'd almost wished Crowley would have held the blade the other way around, just to give him an excuse. He had a lot of pent-up aggression to release, and what he did with Gail only went so far. He couldn't take his blade into the bedroom. Or he'd better not, anyway. Still, he needed to do some bloodletting soon, or else he would explode. Maybe he'd talk to Crowley about that, see what they could arrange.

Cas walked over to where they stood. Crowley was pointing to another marking. "See, there's my healing ability," he told them.

Castiel's brow furrowed. "That's different from ours. Gail, get yours out." He took his own blade out of his jacket, and again they compared them side by side with Crowley's.

Gail couldn't read the language, of course, but she could see that hers and Cas's symbols differed from Crowley's. "Why is yours different?" she asked him.

Castiel had finished reading, and he straightened up, glaring at Crowley. "That's because we can only heal open wounds." He spoke to Gail, but he didn't take his eyes off his brother. "HE'S got the ability to heal bruises and abrasions, as well." Castiel was jealous again. So far all he'd seen from the blades was an ability he himself no longer had, and Gail's thing with the animals. He supposed that could come in handy at some point, as it had with Metatron, but, still... Crowley had shown Cas two abilities so far that he himself lacked, and he was feeling resentful.

Oh, and also: "Why didn't you tell us that?" Castiel said angrily, looking at Crowley. "You've been bitching about Gail's appearance ever since we got here! Why don't you do something about it, then?"

Gail looked at Crowley hopefully. "That really would be nice," she told him. Then she and Cas could go to the bunker and not have to worry, and she could be pain-free for a day or so. Until Cas did it again, of course.

Crowley regarded her evenly, shrugging. "I'm the King of Hell. Since when do I do anything nice?"

Gail made a face. Really? "You said you owed me one," she reminded him.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is how you want to spend it?" he asked. If it were him, he'd power through the pain, and save the favour for a big occasion. Like, for when Castiel finally came after her with his blade.

"It would be a big help," Gail cajoled. "We need to go to the bunker, before they get really suspicious."

Crowley could see that, and she certainly couldn't go like this. He looked at Castiel, who was nodding in agreement. "You realize I would have to put my hands on her body," Crowley told him, beginning to smirk. This could be fun, actually.

Castiel's expression grew very dark, but then he sighed. "Yes. All right. Just this once, I will give you my permission," he said to Crowley.

His permission? What about MY permission? Gail thought angrily. But she knew how healing worked, and she didn't want to waste time fighting about it.

Crowley stowed his blade, and he jerked his head at Castiel. "Give Gail your blade to hold. I don't want that thing in your hand while I'm doing this. The reason should be obvious."

Castiel frowned, but he handed his blade to Gail.

"Here," he said to her. "Let's just get this over with."

Crowley moved in closer to Gail, and he was smirking now. "You might want to turn around, Cas," he said slyly.

"I don't think so," Cas snapped. "Just do it, already."

Crowley looked Gail in the eye. "I'm going to have to put my hands under your clothes. I'll be as quick as I can."

She sighed, nodding.

He started with the areas that were exposed first, and it was working. She could see the marks disappearing, and the pain receded, then went away altogether. Then, he moved his hands quickly under her top.

"I can't see the affected areas," Crowley told them, "so, I don't know where to go."

Castiel let out an impatient breath. "Take it off, then."

It wasn't clear which of them he was talking to, but Gail figured it had better be her. She pulled her top off over her head, giving Crowley access. He moved his hands over her torso, pausing when he got to her breasts. But they looked red and painful, and there were what appeared to be bite marks on them. So he went ahead and touched them too, and Gail closed her eyes, deeply embarrassed. But what he was doing really was making her feel better. It was kind of refreshing to feel a gentle touch, for a change. Cas had started out that way, but he was too far gone now.

"Done," Crowley said softly, and Gail opened her eyes and put her top back on, looking down at herself as she did it. She was completely back to normal now, and she gave Crowley a quick smile of gratitude. Then she risked a look at Cas, and he looked back at her. His eyes were a dark purple, now.

Crowley looked at Castiel, too. What about the rest of her? Cas considered just leaving things as they were. He really didn't want Crowley touching her below the waist. That area was for him, and him alone.

But there was silent appeal in Gail's eyes. Cas may not care as much as he would have even a couple of days ago, but a part of him knew her pain was his fault, and so he supposed he could allow it. If she asked nicely, that was.

"What do you think, Gail?" he asked her coolly. "Should I allow it?"

Her eyes widened a little, then narrowed. Wow. He really meant it, too. He was actually going to make her plead to him for relief. Beg him to let the King of Hell touch her in her most intimate of places. And how would he react, when Crowley did that? This might be a double-edged sword, with the potential to cut her no matter how she handled it. Maybe she should just forget it; suffer through it. But she could already picture them in the bedroom later. Cas was insatiable and so was she now, and the new pain on top of the pain she was already feeling would be like torture. At least he would be working with a clean slate. Jason flashed into her mind, then. He'd said the same thing when he had healed her in the cabin, in preparation for torturing her again. But she pushed that thought away quickly. How could she be thinking of Jason and Cas in the same context? Jason was a sadistic bastard, and Cas was...well, Cas loved her, and she loved what he did to her, regardless of the pain.

"Please, Cas," she pleaded. "I'll be a clean slate for you." Would be pick up on the specific wording? Was she trying to send him a message by putting it exactly that way?

Cas merely tilted his head to the side, appearing to consider. He hadn't thought of it that way; it was a good point. "All right," he said, then he frowned. "But you'd better be looking at me and thinking of me the whole time."

Crowley averted his head so he could roll his eyes. What did his brother think was going to happen? He wasn't going to mess with Gail, he was going to heal her. Was Castiel really that insecure?

"I don't think I should do that," Gail said softly, smiling. "Then, it might feel too good."

Cas's expression lightened immediately, and Crowley allowed himself a brief smile. She really knew how to handle his brother; he had to give her that.

"Do it," Castiel said shortly.

Crowley was annoyed at his tone, but Gail was taking off her pants now, and Crowley was distracted by the shocking sight. If her torso had been bad, which it had been, this was ten times worse. How was she even walking around?

He'd better get to it, before Castiel went nuts. Crowley moved his hands over her hips, her thighs, and her calves. Then she turned around and he touched the back of her legs, then her buttocks.

Gail turned back around and he looked at her pelvic area, then at her. She sighed heavily. "Please," she said, and she slowly opened her legs to him. She wouldn't be doing this if the pain there wasn't so bad, and, quite frankly, that was the place where Cas spent the most time.

Crowley put his hands on her upper thighs, and then he slipped one hand into her most intimate area. Oh, God. She couldn't believe she was letting him do this. This was so wrong, on so many levels. She started to close her legs, but Crowley said, "Relax, sweetheart. Just one more minute. The damage here is pretty extensive."

Gail looked at Cas. His expression was dark, and his eyes were so dark purple that they were almost black, now. But he smirked at what Crowley had said. Yes, it was extensive. And she cried out his name whenever he went there. So, let Crowley have his momentary thrill. Gail would never be crying out HIS name. Never.

She was starting to heal now, and as she did, she was starting to feel good. A little too good. If she moved even a little, or even breathed, Cas would freak out, though; so she willed herself to stay still. She reminded herself who was really touching her, right now.

Then, mercifully, Crowley was done, and she was well again. "Thank you," she said to Crowley, avoiding his eyes. She grabbed her pants, putting them back on as quickly as she could.

Castiel was staring at Crowley, who was careful to keep his expression neutral. But the King was smiling inwardly. For a moment, it had been him who was making Gail feel good, and they both knew it. Though she'd had the good sense not to show it. But, no matter what happened in the future, no one could ever take that away from him.

They were all silent, a little uncomfortable to be around each other now. Gail couldn't stand the tension any more. She needed to get past what had just happened and focus everyone on what was really important.

"Metatron was an Original too, right?" she asked out loud.

Both men looked at her. "Yes, he was," Crowley confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"What kind of powers did he have?" she asked them.

It had been an innocent, curious question. A subject-changer. But even as Gail said it, she realized the question could be very important. Hadn't Cas told her that Jason was convinced that Metatron had done something to Cas in the cabin? If he had, that could explain why Cas was as bad as he was, now. She was becoming increasingly convinced that there was a lot more going on than just a bit of Demon inside of him.

"With him, it's really hard to say," Crowley told her. "He was a bit of a braggart. I know he claimed to always know which being was in which vessel, but I think he was lying, or at least, exaggerating. And he also stated that he knew who just about every being really was, inside, and that he could help them realize their true natures."

Gail was startled. Did this mean that Metatron had been under the impression that Cas's true nature was dark, and that he had done something to bring about the transformation? But why on earth would he ever think that Castiel had the potential to go dark? It was Metatron who was evil; he always had been. Had he just been screwing around with Cas? Had Jason been?

"What happened to his blade?" Gail asked both men. They exchanged glances at that. They really didn't know. Metatron had had it in the cabin; he'd pulled it and threatened Gail with it. Then she'd picked it up after Castiel had stabbed Metatron to death. Then Cas had told her to give it to Jason, and Jason had taken it from her and fought Castiel with it. Castiel had disarmed Jason, and the blade had fallen to the floor, and that was the last any of them remembered.

"Well, he didn't have it when I got him," Crowley said. "One of yours must have picked it up at the cabin. You'd better ask them about that. We should have it back."

"What do you mean, 'when you got him'?" Cas asked sharply. "He was an Original; shouldn't he be in the Netherworld?"

Oh, that's right, Crowley thought. Castiel had been too busy making a public display of himself with Gail to have overheard his conversation with Bobby.

"Normally, yes," Crowley said, "but Bobby let me have him."

"But he's escaped from Hell before!" Gail exclaimed, alarmed.

Crowley gave her an impatient look. "I'm aware," he said dryly. "That's why he's Lucifer's roommate now."

Two Originals locked up in a cage together, Castiel thought. It was a good thing only God Himself could open that cage. He didn't need that kind of competition.

"But you should really try to rescue that blade," Crowley said to Castiel. "Then we can check it, and see."

"What difference could it make now?" Cas snapped. "Metatron is out of play. Who cares what powers he used to have?" He was a little suspicious as to why Gail was asking about Metatron's powers, anyway. Was she just curious, or was she looking to attach some significance to what Jason had said? He'd told her that Jason had had no information of any importance. And even if it turned out there was more to it, he'd tell her to leave it alone. He liked the way he was, now; it didn't matter to him what Metatron may or may not have done. And why did Crowley care so much about the stupid blade, anyway?

Crowley rolled his eyes. His brother was getting petulant again. "All right, we'll leave that alone for now," he said to them. "Let's have your blades out again, then. We'll see what else is there."

Cas and Gail produced their blades and Crowley bent down, examining them. "Here's one you both have in common," he remarked, pointing to the identical markings on both of their blades. "You can both send humans away, to a different location."

Gail smiled, remembering the trouble she'd had with that one, at first. She'd once sent Sam and Dean a block away, when she'd meant to send them to the motel where they were staying at the time.

But Cas was impatient. "Why don't you tell us something we don't know?"

Crowley regarded him coolly. "You know, we don't have to do this at all. No one's forcing you to be here."

Cas was silent. He was frustrated, but Crowley was right. He remembered that his brother could only be pushed so far until he dug his heels in, and Cas had been fairly abrasive. So he made himself take a deep breath.

"You're right," Gail said, "and we appreciate your help."

Crowley smiled at her. "There, you see? THAT'S how you ask for something. Nice to see one of you still has some manners."

Castiel was looking murderous now, but Crowley had merely been playing with him. Crowley was here because HE wanted to be. He had plans for these two. Crowley knew from the markings on their blades that each of them had prodigious powers, some which they had no knowledge of, and he was grooming them now. Castiel had come such a long way in such a short period of time. If Crowley and Gail could just harness that temper of his, Crowley could use Cas and his powers in a variety of interesting ways. Gail was helping in that regard by offering herself up to his brother, taking the edge off, at considerable sacrifice to herself and her body. But Crowley could sense some reluctance in her to fully commit to being evil. He shrugged inwardly. Evil was only a point of view, wasn't it? Who was the more evil in this room at the moment, the King of Hell, or the former Angel who had fallen so far so fast that he was now a bloodthirsty monster who was cruelly abusing the woman who he claimed to love above all else? Crowley knew which he'd pick, if asked.

And a considerable part of Crowley increasingly wanted to see Gail haul off and smack his brother in the face, the next time Cas came at her with those eyes, and those hands. Where was the spirit he was used to seeing from her? She must really be besotted with Castiel to let him use her this way. Had the two Angels formed such a bond that she was willing to let what Cas had become drag her down into Hell with him?

Gail was smiling at what Crowley had said about having manners. She knew how Cas was now, but she also knew a little sugar went a long way. If she could just keep Cas's temper in check, they might actually learn a few things. But it was becoming increasingly exhausting having to worry about what might set Cas off. And Crowley wasn't helping matters, of course. She knew how he liked his little games.

"Show us another?" she said to Crowley, smiling. "Please."

He smiled back. "Since you asked so nicely, I will."

"Just a minute," Cas said. They both looked at him. What now?

"I want to talk to you in private, for a moment," Cas said to Crowley.

Gail froze. Yikes. That was probably not a good idea.

"What for?" Crowley said suspiciously.

"Private from me?" Gail said lightly, trying not to show her panic. "I didn't think you had anything private from me, any more."

Cas looked at her coolly. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."

Here it came, Crowley thought. She was going to do it, and he was going to get to watch. Maybe she'd even stab his brother with her blade. Though he was sure it probably wouldn't work on Cas, any more. It was an Angel blade, after all.

Gail's eyes narrowed. Cas had never spoken to her like that before. Was he still angry about Crowley having healed her, and the way he'd had to do it? But he'd said that he was all right with it at the time, and she was very glad not to be in any pain at the moment. He probably should have turned around, so he didn't have to see Crowley's hands moving all over her body. But there was nothing she could do about it now. Next time she'd just try to grin and bear the pain, if this was the alternative, unless they were due to go to the bunker.

She had excused his bad behaviour once again by rationalizing. So Gail pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Crowley sighed, disappointed. "All right, let's go outside," he said to Cas. "I could use a breath of fresh air, anyway." And he wanted to get as far away from Gail and her doe eyes as possible; it was making him sick to his stomach.

The men walked outside. The weather was getting quite cool now, and as they faced each other, their breath created plumes of steam in the air.

"What is it, Castiel?" Crowley said warily.

"I'd like to work out an... arrangement," Cas replied.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "What kind of arrangement?"

Cas was frowning. "I need...an outlet. For certain aggressions."

Crowley smirked. "I thought Gail was providing that."

"Not that kind," Cas snapped. "I need to use my blade."

Crowley nodded. He should have figured as much. His brother had always had the potential for great violence; that was one reason the King of Hell was cultivating him. Sex was one thing; bloodletting was another. He'd better come up with a distraction for Castiel, or the next time Crowley saw Gail, she could be bleeding, as well.

"I thought that Jason was fitting the bill in that regard," Crowley said.

Cas shook his head. "No, he's too closely monitored. I need a freer hand."

As Crowley considered that, he noticed a man approaching them, out of the corner of his eye. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, preparing to reach for his blade. He'd stowed it there before coming outside with Castiel. He didn't think Cas intended to attack him, but, better safe than sorry.

He touched Castiel's arm, nodding at the approaching figure. Cas took out his blade too, and he moved to stand beside Crowley.

As the man drew near, they could see that he appeared to be a human. He was unshaven and bleary-eyed, wearing ragged clothes, and stumbling. A homeless man, apparently. He had a bottle in his hand. He stopped and took a drink, then squinted into the empty bottle and threw it against the side of the warehouse, smashing it.

Crowley rolled his eyes. Just an old drunk. They should just kill him now, put him out of his misery. He advanced on the man, starting to raise his blade, but Castiel put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Alexander?" Castiel said, astonished.

Alexander looked at the man who had spoken his name. "Castiel?"

Crowley looked from Cas to Alexander, and back again. While he had not been privy to the meeting in Heaven where Castiel had dealt with the Upper Echelon board members, he could pretty much figure it out, of course. And he was amused.

"Don't tell me," the King of Hell said. "Am I about to get my second Upper Echelon board member?"

"I think you might be," Castiel said, smiling slowly.

Gail was pacing back and forth impatiently. She was uneasy about the two of them out there, talking without her. What were they talking about? She should have insisted on going with them, if they wanted to go outside. And they both had their blades with them. If things were to escalate, there was no telling what might happen.

When Gail heard the sound of the bottle smashing against the warehouse, she figured she'd better get out there. Too bad if Cas was mad about it; she'd calm him down when they got home.

She opened the door to a curious scene. Cas was standing facing a person who appeared to be a homeless human man, and Crowley was standing to the side, smiling broadly.

Gail peered at the man Cas was talking to. He looked vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place him.

"Who is that?" she asked softly, approaching Crowley.

"Why, that's your old friend, Alexander," Crowley said lightly. "It appears as though Earth has not been good to him."

Alexander! Gail was astonished. Now that she looked closer, she could see it, but he was in really rough shape. She found herself matching Crowley's smile. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, she thought sarcastically. Well, except for Xavier, that was.

"You're not looking too well, Alexander," Cas said to the former board member. He was also smiling. He couldn't believe it. This was too sweet.

"You did this to me, Castiel," Alexander slurred. "This is all your fault."

"Really?" Cas said. He laughed harshly. The nerve of this guy. Everything he and the board had put Cas through, and Gail too, and he had the gall to stand there and blame Cas? So being a human was hard? Well, there was a news flash. Cas had been human, and though he had struggled with it at times, he hadn't turned into a worthless alcoholic.

"Where's your buddy, Xavier?" Cas asked Alexander.

"I don't know," Alexander replied. "We were together for a while at the shelter, but then one morning I woke up, and he wasn't there."

Too bad, Cas thought. Two birds with one stone, and all that. Maybe he'd ask Crowley if there was any way to locate Xavier, after he was done with Alexander.

"Do you have any money?" Alexander asked him hopefully. He needed another bottle to get through the rest of the day, before he could go back to the shelter. He had come here looking for something he could steal, or try to salvage, to get a bit of money. When he and Xavier had arrived here on Earth, they'd had no idea how to survive as humans, and now Alexander had given up trying.

Almost against her will, Gail started to feel a little sorry for Alexander. He was so pathetic, now. But she hadn't forgotten that he had been one of the Angels who had voted death for Castiel at the tribunal, and they had forced her to watch his execution. Crowley had come through for them then, too, bringing Cas back to life. But in doing so, he had infused Cas with his own Demon essence. If the board had spared Castiel's life, he never would have needed to have been revived by Crowley, and they wouldn't be standing here now. She and Cas would both still be Angels, and Gail wouldn't now be worrying about how bad Cas was still going to get, or how much more she would be able to take from him.

So when Cas plunged his blade into Alexander as a response, she wasn't one bit surprised. Nor was she sorry.

Cas kept stabbing and stabbing Alexander, as Crowley looked on dispassionately. But finally, Gail had to avert her eyes. She had seen Castiel kill before, of course, but he had always done so quickly and efficiently, and always in self-defense, or when he was defending her. Even at the cabin, when he had stabbed Metatron multiple times, she could understand that. Metatron had been a very powerful and very evil being. Cas was just making sure. And she'd excused his torture of Jason as justifiable, in a way; Lord knew Jason had tortured her, enough times. But Cas was in a frenzy now, and now Gail realized that he was someone she didn't even recognize, any more.