Chapter 4 – Nobody's Business

Gail frowned down at herself. Frank was due to leave soon, so this would have to be good enough. Her clothes covered most of the marks, but she didn't own anything that covered it all. She should have done that shopping with Jody after all; bought some full-sleeve sweaters with high necks. She had a three-quarter sleeve top on, but it wasn't enough to cover the scrape on her chest from Cas's stubble or the ugly black and green bruises on her arm, near her wrist. Well, Frank had seen those marks before; she would just have to make some kind of lame joke if he pointed them out again. She wouldn't have to worry about it, soon. Their human family was leaving today. Frank was heading out this morning, and Sam and Dean had advised they would probably be gone later today, after Dean finished whatever he was doing with the Impala. Some kind of car stuff; she had tuned out when he and Frank had been talking about it.

Cas put his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. "Ready to go?" he asked her.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied, trying to sound cheerful.

"Turn around," he said. She did, and he looked her up and down. Cas saw the bruising too, but he shrugged. People bruised sometimes, and she'd had them for a couple of days. Though it had changed into a dark, ugly colour now, it shouldn't be a problem. The irony was totally lost on him.

Chuck, Ethan and Kevin sat in Bobby's office. He'd smiled when all three of them had walked in a few minutes ago. Laurel had buzzed him and said that the Angels said they needed to see him urgently, and he'd said to send them right in.

"Ganging up on me, now?" Bobby had asked them, still smiling. He made a gesture, inviting them to sit. Truthfully, he was glad of the visit. Things had been very quiet for the last few days, and he'd been getting a little bored. Careful what you wish for.

But he was not smiling a minute after the Musketeers sat down. The Prophets were telling him they'd been having ominous visions about Cas and Gail. Bobby sighed. Why did this not even surprise him? They were two of his best Angels and two of his best friends, but it was always something, with those two. For such a lovable couple, they sure seemed to have a lot of enemies. But he'd thought that everything was OK with them, now. He hadn't seen them since their brief visit here, but Bobby assumed they'd been spending time with Gail's brother. Lord knew she was entitled.

Chuck had advised that he was seeing Metatron too, but that didn't make any sense to Bobby. Metatron was locked up in Lucifer's cage; how could he be a factor, any more? But while Chuck said he'd been seeing Metatron, Kevin advised HE'D been seeing Crowley. And what was worse, he had seen Cas and Gail standing with Crowley, and they'd all been looking at Angel blades together. If Bobby didn't know better, he'd swear that Chuck had a few flasks hidden in those books of his at the library, and that he and Kevin had been having more than a few "book club meetings". Their recent detente notwithstanding, the only way Castiel and Crowley would be looking at blades together would be when they were putting them into each other's chests, and Gail certainly wouldn't be standing between them, at the time. Kevin was nuts.

But then Ethan had weighed in, telling Bobby about Cas's visit with Jason, and Gail's, as well. Jason had been telling Ethan that there was something very seriously wrong with Cas, and maybe with Gail, too. And while you had to consider the source in that instance, all of this information pouring in all at once was a red flag. But what should Bobby do about it? What COULD he do about it?

"Thanks for coming in, guys," Bobby said to them. "Leave it with me."

They rose, thanking him for listening, and left the office. Bobby sat there, frowning, deep in thought. There may be nothing to it; at least, he hoped so. But the Prophets had never been wrong, as far as Bobby knew. And Ethan was smart, perceptive.

Where should he start? Angel Radio? Cell phone? Hotline?

Bobby opened his desk drawer and took out the cell phone.

Sam picked up. "Hey, Bobby," he said. The others all looked at him, and Gail smiled, giving a small wave. "Tell him hi from us," she said, and Sam nodded.

"Gail's just saying goodbye to her brother," Sam told Bobby. He listened for a moment, then said, "Yeah, sure." He hung up. "He said to call him back," Sam said aloud. It wasn't clear who he was talking to.

Frank had packed up the car, and they were all standing around him in the garage.

"Well, I guess that's it," Frank said. He was excited to be getting back on the road again, and getting back to his old life. To Hunting. But he was also sad to be leaving Gail behind.

"I'll see you soon, kiddo," Frank told her. She was crying silently. "Aw, don't do that," he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his hands. But the tears kept on coming. She couldn't help it. She didn't know when she'd see him again. And what condition would she be in, when they did see each other next? What would Cas be, then? Would they even both still be alive? If she were selfish, she'd beg Frank not to leave. But it was best that he got away from here for a while. Things were going to get very ugly very soon, and Frank would be safer fighting monsters than he would be staying here, and around Cas.

Frank shook hands with Sam and Dean, pulling each man in for a half-hug. "Thanks for your hospitality, guys," he told them. Then he smirked. "And for all the beers."

"Any time, Frank," Sam said to him.

"Yeah, we'll keep some on ice for you," Dean said. Then, he held up a key.

"What's that?" Frank joked. "Spare key to the Impala?"

"Hey, you may be family, but I don't like you THAT much," Dean joked back. "I don't even like Sammy that much." Sam pretended to look offended, and they all laughed. Dean handed Frank the key. "It's a spare to this place. Cas and Gail don't need it; they just barge in here whenever they feel like it." He smirked at the couple. "If you're in the neighbourhood and we're not here, make yourself at home. But don't drink all the beer, or I'll have Gail kick your ass."

Frank smirked back, but he was touched. The Winchesters had accepted him as a friend and family member after all the crap he had pulled as a Demon, and Cas and Gail had forgiven him, too. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

He looked at the Angels, then. They were still a puzzle to him. Gail had changed a lot in the year that he'd been gone, but in some other ways, she hadn't changed at all. He had to stop thinking of her as that little girl he'd had to protect all those years ago, though. Even though what had happened in the training room had upset him, he had to admit that she could pretty much take care of herself, now. And if the guy standing next to her was taking care of her in a different kind of way, well, Frank would just have to accept that, too. Strange as it was to him, Gail was happy.

Frank put out his hand for Cas to shake. He wanted to tell Cas he didn't hate him, as Cas seemed to think he did. It was complicated. Cas had replaced Frank in Gail's life now as her protector and constant companion, and that had been hard for Frank to deal with. Dean had told Frank that Cas was an acquired taste, and Gail's brother could see why. To Frank, Cas was an odd combination of Angel and human, both meek and bold, and Frank just couldn't figure him out. Next time he saw Cas, Frank told himself he'd make a real effort, sit down alone with him and have a nice long talk. They both loved Gail, and she loved them, so they had that in common, at the very least.

"Good luck, Frank," Cas said to him. "Stay safe."

Frank smiled. "I will. You'll take good care of my sister, won't you?"

"I always do," Cas said, smiling gently. "And I always will."

Gail's eyes were still leaking. She launched herself into Frank's arms and he hugged her back. It hurt her bruised areas, but she didn't care. This whole thing hurt.

Frank extricated himself from Gail's embrace. This was getting ridiculous, and even though he didn't think they'd give him too hard of a time, Frank didn't want to start crying in front of Sam and Dean. He could do that once he got out of here.

"I love you, kiddo," Frank said to Gail, chucking her under the chin. "Go wipe your face, you're springing a leak."

Gail sniffled, wiping her face with her hands. "You've got me on speed dial if you get hurt, right?" she said, trying to smile. "And Sam and Dean can help you out, if you get into trouble."

"Piece of cake," he said lightly. She hadn't mentioned Cas by name, he thought. Odd. Oh well, he guessed they were such a package deal now that "I" meant "we". Couples were like that. "Later, 'gator," he said to Gail.

"See you later...Frank," she replied. They smiled. That was one of their private jokes.

Frank got in the car and Dean pressed the remote, opening the garage door. Then Frank pulled out, waving out the window, and he was gone.

They were all quiet for a few moments. Gail sniffled again as the garage door rolled shut.

"I'll call Bobby back," Sam said quietly. "Find out what he wants." He opened the door to the bunker and stepped inside.

Cas said, "I'll come with you." He kissed Gail on the cheek. "Will you be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Cas," she replied, sighing. "I'm just sad."

Dean had lifted the hood of the Impala and was looking at the engine. He really wanted to finish what he'd been doing so he and Sammy could get on the road, too. He understood Frank's eagerness to get back out there. He looked at Gail. Dean knew the siblings would miss each other, but they were in different places than him and Sam were. Frank was a human, and Gail was an Angel, and Cas would be there for her.

Cas grabbed her arm where the really bad bruise was, and Gail winced. Cas leaned down and spoke into her ear. "Don't worry, I'll make you feel very happy in a little while," he said softly.

"You're hurting me, right now," she said sharply, but quietly. Dean had his head under the hood of the car, and she didn't want him to hear.

Cas looked down at her arm. "What, this?" he said, smiling. He brought her arm up to his mouth and licked the bruise. "We'll get our friend to take care of that, and then I'll take care of you." He was speaking softly, too. He realized that Dean was here, but Dean was busy looking at his Baby, and Cas was busy with his.

But then, he frowned. "I'd better go see what Bobby wants." He'd better not want them to come up there. Cas needed to get Gail healed again, and then he needed to take her to bed. Though maybe not necessarily in that order, he smiled to himself.

Cas left the garage, and Dean stared after him. Then he looked at Gail. Dean had been covertly watching them, and that little scene had given him a very weird feeling. They'd been talking softly, so he hadn't heard what they had said. But he'd seen Cas lick Gail's arm where the bruise was, and it had creeped him out. Dean didn't judge; if his Angel friends were somehow able to have a sexual relationship, it didn't bother him. But that action of Cas's had been so atypical of the Cas he knew that it had made Dean's flesh crawl. And now that Cas was gone, Gail was looking so forlorn. And Dean also couldn't help but notice that when Cas had grabbed Gail's arm, the bruise she wore seemed to be in pretty much the same shape as that of Cas's fingers.

OK, now, that was nuts. There was no way. How could he even think such a thing? Dean gave his head a shake. It had to be just a coincidence.

Gail came over to the car. "Are you still tinkering around in there?" she asked him, smiling.

"My Baby's gotta be happy," Dean said, smirking. He looked down at the air filter. Better replace that, too; who knew how long he and Sammy would be gone? He looked at Gail. "Hey, do me a favour. Would you get me a new air filter? I've got a couple over there, on the shelf." He nodded at the shelving unit against the wall.

"Sure, Dean," she said, walking over to where he'd indicated. Her eyes scanned the shelves. She'd been hanging around Frank long enough to know what an air filter was, but she couldn't see one. "Where?" she asked him.

"Top shelf," he told her. He had the toolbox open and was already starting to remove the old one.

Gail looked up, and she rolled her eyes. "Way up there?" she said. "Who am I, Sam?"

"There's a stepstool right there," Dean told her.

Gail looked to the side. Oh. Right. She drew it in front of the shelving unit and climbed up, stretching for the box. "Wow," she said dryly. "Could you maybe store this a little higher, next time?"

Dean looked over at her, preparing a retort, but the words died on his lips as he saw the marks on her back. Gail's top had lifted as she stretched up for the box, and Dean saw the red marks and bruises there. Dean's blood ran cold. What the hell?

Gail brought the box over to him. "Here you go," she said. "Next time, either store them lower or get Sam to do it. Yikes."

Dean couldn't move, and he couldn't talk. He just stood there, staring at her. There had to be an explanation, and it couldn't be what he was thinking. That was impossible.

Sam and Cas came back into the garage. "Bobby says hi, and he'll be in touch," Sam told them. "I told him we were going on the road, and he reminded me he was God." He grinned.

Cas came over to where Gail and Dean stood. He noticed the look on Dean's face. "What's going on?" he asked them.

"I don't know," Gail said. "Dean asked me to get this for him, and now he's just standing there like a statue. Earth to Dean," she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

Dean took the box from her. His eyes now shifted to Cas. He knew Cas better than anybody, and it was unimaginable. But, how had Gail gotten all those marks? And why had Cas licked her bruise?

"We've got something we have to do," Cas said to Sam and Dean. "When are you planning to leave?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean spoke first. "It might not be as soon as we thought," he said slowly. "Baby needs more work."

Sam looked at Dean, puzzled. His brother had told him that the car was in tiptop shape. He rolled his eyes. Dean had probably found something that didn't meet his standard of perfection. Oh, well. Today or tomorrow, it didn't really matter to him. Maybe he could sneak in one more healthy home-cooked meal before they had to start eating road food.

"Oh," Cas said. He guessed it didn't really matter. He and Gail would go about their business as they saw fit. Now that her brother was gone, she wouldn't feel the need to come here as often. She'd probably want to see Sam and Dean off, but then that would be it, for a while. Then he could finally take the damn contacts out. They were starting to irritate his eyes. He took Gail's hand. "We'll see you later, then." He winked them out of the garage.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked his brother. "I thought you were ready to go."

"We may have a problem, Sammy," Dean said thoughtfully. Was Gail that injured all over? She couldn't be; based on what little he'd seen, he didn't know how she could even be walking around, if that was the case. But, how had she gotten hurt? That was what was bothering him. She'd been tortured by Jason at the cabin, but he had healed her, and then she'd been fine. Things had been quiet after that incident, and though he and Sam had seen very little of their Angel friends since, if she and Cas had been involved in a fight that had caused those kinds of injuries, they would have told the Winchesters about it, at the very least. But what else could it be? He didn't want to think what he was thinking, but Dean was thinking it anyway. His brain was fighting with itself. Cas had done that to her. No; that was idiotic. That wasn't who Cas was. The one bruise, Dean could easily explain away. Stuff happened, sometimes. Dean had hurt himself working on this very car more than once, and anyone could have an accident. But even if Cas had grabbed her arm a little too hard by accident, that wouldn't explain all the marks Dean had seen on her back. Rough sex? Dean felt nauseous at the thought, but could that explain what he had seen? And if that was the case, was it even any of his business? But Dean was pretty sure there was something more going on here, and it stunk. He had to find out if it was Cas who was doing this to her, so he could hopefully rule that out. If Gail had injuries in other places, especially more private ones, the evidence would pretty much be conclusive. But he wasn't the one who would be able to find that out. Then, he had an idea.

"Give me your phone," Dean said to Sam. "I need to call Jody."

Cas took Gail straight to the bedroom. He felt freer now that her brother was gone, and last night hadn't satisfied him. He took the contacts out, and then he grabbed her. His tongue was in her mouth, dancing with hers, and he stripped her top off immediately. Then he sat her down on the bed and pulled her pants off, as gently as he could. He really was going to try to be a bit more gentle with her, from now on. If Crowley could provide him with the same kind of outlet as he'd had last night to take the edge off, Cas could be just the right kind of aggressive with Gail, not hurt her so much. He was sure that had been her problem last night. And he didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to love her. To please her. He was sure he could convince her to stay with him if he just kept the violence in Hell, where it belonged.

He ran his tongue all over her body, paying attention to every bruise and abrasion he had caused. She was starting to respond, now. This was more like it. He opened her legs and kissed the insides of her thighs, licking the red marks there. Maybe he'd have Crowley leave a couple. This was his territory, and looking at them made him feel proud. How many times had he been here, using different methods to make her cry out his name? And it always worked. She loved him, and she'd told him to keep the stubble, hadn't she? She probably liked having his marks on her most intimate of places. He used his tongue on her, and her body jerked. Her hands were in his hair, and she was breathing heavily. That was confirmation enough for him. But, he needed to hear her.

Gail liked what he was doing right now. He had kissed and licked every sore he'd made on her body as if in apology, and he was being just the right combination of gentle and aggressive.

"Do you want me to continue?" Cas asked her softly.

Gail nodded. "Yes. Please."

Cas smiled. He liked that, but he needed to hear more. He continued, then stopped again, kissing and licking the red marks, instead. His marks. The violet in his eyes darkened to deep purple.

"Tell me you like it," he said to her.

She was whimpering now, trying to redirect him to where she needed him to be. But he wasn't going to make it that easy for her. He gave her a couple more licks, and then he waited for her to speak.

"Please, Cas," Gail breathed. "Please don't stop. You know I like it."

He did, and that was what he needed to hear from her. She might pretend she didn't like it when he was aggressive with her, but this was all evidence to the contrary, as far as he was concerned. She'd reacted when he'd kissed the welts and licked the bruises, and when he resumed what he'd been doing, she started to call out his name, saying she loved him. That signified to Cas that she continued to accept him as he was, even as dark as he was, now. That she was willing to wear his marks, if he was willing to love them as much as he was willing to love her.

He moved his body on top of hers and she wrapped her legs around him. He couldn't be gentle any more; he was too excited at the thought that he could do what he wanted to do to her, whatever he wanted to do to her, all with her tacit permission.

Sam and Dean had a long talk. Dean confided what he had seen, and what he was thinking. Sam was shocked, but when he opened his mouth to tell Dean he was crazy, he snapped it shut again. Sam had also been feeling that there was something up with Cas and Gail, but he had kept himself in denial about it. He had thought that Gail had been ranting when she'd said what she said to him after the training session, but now, he seriously wondered. He told Dean that she'd spouted some nonsense to him about hitting her. The brothers looked at each other. Had Gail been trying to tell Sam something?

But Sam agreed with Dean; the idea was so crazy that it needed further investigation. They called Jody, and asked for her help. If she could come back and take Gail clothes shopping, could she try to find out the extent of Gail's injuries, maybe talk to her and try to draw her out a bit? They were like brothers to Gail, but they also went way back with Cas; maybe that was why Gail felt like she couldn't confide in them. If there was anything to confide, that was. The brothers still didn't want to believe it.

Jody was willing to help, but she told them it would take a while for her to get there, even if she hopped in the car immediately. But Dean didn't want to wait that long. "Hang on, Jody, I have an idea," he told her. "I'll call you back."

Dean told Sam what he was thinking, and Sam thought it was worth a shot. They dropped to their knees and started to pray, loudly.

Bobby appeared a few minutes later. "You bellowed?" he said dryly.

"Yeah, well, we didn't have your number," Dean said, rising to his feet.

"Is it unlisted, or do you just not love us, any more?" Sam quipped.

Bobby looked at them, surprised. He'd just assumed he'd given them his number, at some point. "Give it here," he said to Dean, pointing to the cell phone Dean had in his hand. "Yours, too," he said to Sam. He entered his number under Contacts on both of their phones.

"It IS unlisted," Bobby told them, handing the phones back. They couldn't tell if he was joking, or not. "So don't go giving it out." He thought for a moment. "OK, you can give it to Gail. But, that's it."

"What about Cas?" Sam asked him.

Bobby frowned. "Better make it just Gail, for the moment. If and when I need to talk to Cas, I'll call him in the usual way. Or I'll just show up at their house, if I have to."

Sam looked at him suspiciously. "What do you know that you're not telling us?"

"What do you guys know that you're not telling me?" Bobby countered.

All three men looked at each other for a moment, and then they started talking, all at once. None of them liked what he was hearing, or what he himself was being forced to say aloud.

When they were done talking, Bobby looked at Dean and said, "Make the call. Tell her I'll be right there."

Jody left one of her deputies in charge, and left the police station. She drove home and let herself into her apartment. Bobby was already in the living room, pacing the floor.

"I let myself in," he said dryly. "Didn't figure you'd mind."

"You'd better not have stolen anything," she quipped, and he smiled.

Jody took off her jacket and duty belt, dropping them on a chair. "What do you think, Bobby? Is there a reason for us to worry, here?"

Bobby frowned. "I don't know, Jody. I sure hope not. But, we've gotta find out. There's something going on, that's for sure. Too many people think there's something wrong for there not to be something wrong. Does that make sense?"

Jody sighed. Actually, it did. "Yeah, Bobby. I've worked a few domestics in my time, and in pretty much all of them, the signs were all there. Most people ignore them because they don't want to believe what's actually been going on behind closed doors."

Bobby's expression was grim. "I don't want to believe it, either. None of us do. But we need you to find out as much as you can for us, Jody. We need to find out for sure. And I hope we're wrong. I really do."

Jody nodded. So did she.

She went into the bedroom and changed into jeans and a T-shirt, then came back out. "Where's Frank?" she asked Bobby.

"He's already gone out on a case," Bobby told her. "And it's just as well. At this point, he doesn't need to know anything. There may not be anything to know. But the last thing we need is for him and Cas to be mixing it up. Sam and Dean told me they've already come close, a few times."

Jody shook her head. She knew. Frank had told her how much he regretted not being able to get along with Cas better, and that Gail was mad at him because of it. Like Dean, Jody had just put it down to Frank's reluctance to accept that Gail was an adult woman in an adult relationship. Frank had told Jody the whole story of how he and Gail had gone on the run after those Demons had killed their parents. Frank had been a combination of father, brother, and a little bit of a mother to Gail, and he had done his best to raise her the rest of the way to adulthood, while doing what he did. Then those Demons had kidnapped Frank and Gail, and everything had changed for them from that day on. Jody had felt for Frank as he'd told her what had happened after that. He'd been unflinchingly honest with her about his time with Crowley, and Jody respected him for it. She didn't know him then and she hadn't been around for most of it, so it would have been very easy for Frank to have toned down or minimized his actions while in Crowley's service. But he'd told her pretty much everything, and he'd hung his head at the end of the story. She'd felt like giving him a hug then, but Jody had restrained herself at the last moment. Despite hearing just about everything there was to hear about him, she really didn't know Frank that well. And he didn't know very much about her, either. She had her own tragic baggage, but her story would have to wait for another time.

Bobby took Jody to Cas and Gail's house, and he dropped her off around the corner, just in case one of the Angels happened to look out the window. He needn't have worried. They hadn't left the bedroom since they'd gotten back. They never did, any more.

Bobby waved his hand, and a new car appeared at the curb. He handed her a key. "On loan only," he said, smiling faintly. "If I did it for you, I'd have to do it for everybody."

If the situation hadn't been so potentially serious, she would have laughed. "Thanks, Bobby," Jody said, taking the key.

"Give a call over to the bunker when you're done," he told her. "I'll wait there, and I'll bring you back home after you give us your report."

Jody nodded. She was here under the guise of a simple shopping trip, but she would approach it like a case. She had to; there could be a lot riding on her observations.

Gail heard the knocking. She and Cas were taking a break, and as their breathing calmed down, she raised herself up on one elbow. "Do you hear that?" she said to him.

"I don't hear anything," Cas said. "Come here." He pulled her down and rolled her over onto her back, kissing her, probing her mouth with his tongue. He grabbed her hand and guided it down to himself. He was ready to go again, right now, and if she wasn't, that was too bad. Crowley could heal the abrasions.

But the knocking had become a pounding, and Cas frowned. Whoever was at the door was clearly not going away. For a moment, he considered just ignoring them and proceeding, anyway. The house had every protection, and he didn't like to be interrupted. But the pounding persisted, and Cas was starting to get seriously pissed off.

"Stay here," he barked at Gail. He got off the bed and threw on pants and a shirt, looking at his blazer hanging on the chair. He shrugged that on too, and checked to make sure that his blade was tucked securely in the inside pocket.

"Be right back," he said to Gail, and he swept out of the bedroom.

Jody didn't know how much louder or how much longer she should knock. Maybe they weren't home. They were Angels; they could be anywhere. She sure as hell knew they weren't sleeping. She'd give it another minute and then call the bunker, tell them they'd have to try again another time.

She'd raised her hand to pound on the door one more time when Cas suddenly jerked the door open. "What?" he snarled.

Jody almost reached for her gun out of reflex, but then she realized she didn't have it. Cas's eyes were dark purple, he had his blade out, and his expression was murderous.

Jody made herself smile. "You're not going to stab me, are you, Cas?"

Jody. He took a deep breath and stowed the blade. "Sorry, Jody," he said, trying to smile in return. "You can't be too careful. Especially when you've had the kind of year we've had."

She couldn't deny he was right about that, but the expression on his face when he'd opened the door had been a lot more than just simple wariness. And what was up with his eyes?

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Jody was on alert, but she reminded herself that Cas was an Angel, and she knew from the guys that he wasn't always smooth when it came to the social graces.

"Can I come in, Cas?" Jody asked him.

Oh. Yes. She would want to do that, wouldn't she? Well, he had opened the door to her, and he could not think of a plausible reason not to let her come in. He opened the door wider, and Jody walked in.

Nice place, she thought. The kitchen and dining area amused her, but then, they did have human friends, herself included. She walked into the living room. "Where's Gail?" she asked Cas.

"She's upstairs," he answered.

"Ask her to come down," Jody said lightly.

"Yes. Sure," Cas said. "I'll be right back."

He left the room and headed up the stairs. Jody looked at the photos hanging on the wall above the couch and grinned. She knew about the TV show, and the guys had told her about that Supernatural convention in Las Vegas. These guys were the stars of the show, she knew, but she could see the resemblance. What a cute and funny thing to do. The guys had to be wrong. They'd told her quite a few stories, both good and bad, about Cas and Gail and their adventures, and at no time did Jody ever get the impression that the Angels could have a relationship that was less than loving. The men were probably just overreacting. Jody had been a cop for many years, and she had seen lots of things, probably even more than Dean, who thought he was so worldly. What happened behind closed doors between two consenting adults was not always black or white. Jody would never tell any of her friends this, but she had once tried her handcuffs with a guy, just to see what it was like. And she had kind of enjoyed it. So this might be one of those types of situations. As long as Gail was OK with it, who were they to judge? Maybe Angels needed a break from being so Angelic all the time.

Cas rushed into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Jody's downstairs. She's in the living room, and she wants to see you."

Jody? Gail was surprised. She knew that Jody had gone back home. But she was here, now? Why?

She started to get up, but Cas stopped her. "I believe we were in the middle of something," he said, smiling. He undid his pants and grabbed her, pulling her towards him. "I don't like to be interrupted."

"Cas..." she tried to protest. She wasn't ready, and it hurt.

"Sorry, but there's no time for finesse," he said cheerfully. "I'll make it up to you after she leaves, I promise. I love you, Gail. Always remember that."

But it wasn't feeling like love right now, it was feeling like...nope. No, she wasn't going to say that word. She couldn't even think it. If she did, she would lose her mind. If Jody wasn't downstairs, maybe she would have tried to push him off of her, and take her chances. But now was not the time to make a stand, not when Jody could run back to the guys and tell them whatever she would tell them.

So she tried to make the best of it, since it was happening anyway. She kissed him, using her tongue, and murmured, "Touch me, Cas. Please."

He smiled. He'd be glad to do that. They were on the same page, as always. He reached down and started stroking her, and soon she was moving with him. She buried her face in his shoulder, whimpering, putting their visitor out of her mind. The more she enjoyed this, the less it would hurt, and God help her, she was enjoying it now.

"Good girl," Cas said in her ear. "Good girl." Then, he couldn't talk at all. She was licking his neck, and he buried himself in her, groaning. He held her tightly for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Then he continued to stroke her, and a moment later, she was moaning and clutching him, saying his name over and over again in his ear.

He kissed her once she'd regained her breath. "Get dressed," he told her. "We don't want to keep our visitor waiting." He helped her off the bed, then put his arm around her when she reeled a bit. "Easy does it," he said, smiling.

Gail's head was swimming, and her body was sore. But she had to pull it together. She grabbed a fresh top and pair of pants from the closet and said, "Tell her I'll be down in a minute." She took the clothes with her, opening the door to the hallway. She'd better wash up for a moment, at the very least. And check her appearance, too. Hopefully, the new marks she'd acquired this morning wouldn't have time to show yet.

Jody was seated on the couch when Cas came back down the stairs. "Gail will be down in a minute," he said, smiling pleasantly. "She's just freshening up." He had his blue contacts in, now. He'd realized with a start that he hadn't had them in when he'd first opened the door, but Jody hadn't reacted. Odd.

Jody looked at him. She didn't know what to think, now. They'd left her down here cooling her heels for a bit longer than she'd expected, and at one point she could have sworn she'd heard some decidedly non-Angelic sounds coming from upstairs. And now Cas was telling her that Gail needed to "freshen up". Would they really have done that when they knew she was here, waiting? Then she shrugged inwardly. Jody was indeed a lot more open-minded than her friends knew, and she had arrived unannounced, after all. Maybe they'd just been at the point of no return. She knew how that got, sometimes. But it wasn't as if they'd marched down here and done it on the coffee table in front of her, or anything. She decided to be amused about it. But it was a good thing she'd been the one to visit, and not one of the guys. Frank would've popped a blood vessel.

Gail came down the stairs. She had to walk a bit slowly, because she was pretty much sore all over. She came into the living room and smiled at Jody. "Hi," Gail said to her. "What brings you here?"

"I was just in the neighbourhood, and I thought I'd stop by," Jody said lightly. "How are you, Gail?"

She made no move to hug Gail, and Gail was glad. She'd better have Crowley tend to her before Sam and Dean went out on the road, or she'd be sore for about a year after the goodbye hugs.

Jody wasn't much of a hugger, anyway. She'd considered it when she saw Gail moving slowly down the stairs, to see if she could gauge anything from that, but it wasn't the way she usually was with acquaintances. If Jody wanted Gail to trust her, she had to be natural with her. But she had noticed how gingerly Gail was moving, and Jody made a mental check mark. There could be a number of explanations for that, though, including what she thought she'd heard taking place just a few minutes ago.

Jody smiled, both at that thought, and because she wanted Gail to warm to her enough to think of her as a friend. "Are you free for that shopping trip you promised me?" she asked Gail.

Gail was puzzled. "What? You mean, now?

Jody shrugged. "Why not?"

Cas was suspicious. Jody lived in Sioux Falls, but she just happened to be here in their neighbourhood? And why the sudden need to take Gail shopping? This had Winchester written all over it. But what would they be looking to accomplish? He didn't think they suspected anything, and Gail wouldn't be too likely to confide in Jody; the women barely knew each other. He could hardly forbid her to go, though. He didn't really want her to go, but Jody might be alerted if he raised an objection. And Gail might be angry with him if he tried. She pretty much let him have his way with her in the bedroom now, but he'd better not push it too much. He wanted her to have every reason to want to stay with him. He gave her plenty of reason in there, he knew, but she had always had a bit of an independent streak, something he had found out the hard way, a few times. He couldn't lock her up, or bind her to himself by being too heavy-handed too quickly. She'd do that to herself once the Winchesters were gone, and she realized that Cas supplied everything she needed.

Gail looked at Cas for a moment, and Jody noted that, too. Another check mark. Maybe. "I do need a few things," Gail said to Cas. He'd torn a few of her outfits, and she should really get a few tops with long sleeves to wear around their friends. At least it was winter now, so she had an excuse to wear sweaters. She wouldn't bother about the underwear, though. She had the feeling that anything she bought wouldn't last past its first wearing, anyway.

"Well, then, you should go," Cas said to her. "You've got the bank card. Go nuts. Buy as many things as you want."

Gail laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to buy that much."

Cas gave her a hug, and he whispered in her ear, "No underwear, though." He licked her ear, and felt her shiver in response. He wasn't worried.

Gail had picked out a few outfits to try on, and so had Jody. Jody didn't really need anything, but that wasn't the point of this little excursion. She needed to get a look at Gail, at the places her clothes were hiding. This would take a little finesse.

"You go in, first," Jody said to Gail. "I'll hand you the stuff as you need it."

"Don't bother. I'll just take everything in at once," Gail said.

Jody pointed to the sign on the wall. It read that only 5 items were allowed in at a time, and Gail had more than that.

"So what?" Gail said, shrugging. "Who's gonna know?"

"I will," the sales clerk said, giving her a stare. "Sorry, but those are the rules."

Gail rolled her eyes. Oh, brother. What a clothes Nazi. Fine. She handed a few things to Jody. "Thanks," Gail said to her. "I'll let you know when I'm ready." She would just have to make sure she was fully clothed when she asked Jody to switch out some items, Gail thought.

She took off the clothes she had worn to the store, and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Holy crap. Yeah, there was no way Jody could see her like this. Gail would have been shocked to see herself looking like this, if she weren't so used to seeing it by now.

Suddenly, the door to the change room opened and Jody poked her head in. "I just wanted to tell you - " She stopped talking, struck speechless at the sight of Gail's body. There wasn't any place Jody could see that didn't have black and green bruises, red welts, or angry-looking abrasions on it. How could she even move, without suffering excruciating pain?

Gail grabbed a sweater and pants and held them in front of herself. "Jody! What are you doing?" She exclaimed.

Jody had to say something. "I - I was just going to tell you that I have to go to the bathroom," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - " She swallowed. "I'll be right back."

She retreated from the change room and basically threw the clothes she'd been holding at the sales clerk. Jody had been lying to Gail, of course; she'd had that all planned, just to try to get a look at Gail. See what, if anything, they were dealing with. But now, she really did need that washroom. The sales clerk pointed around the corner when Jody gasped her request, and Jody went hurtling into the first stall she came to and vomited into the toilet. Oh, God. My God. That hadn't been anything even close to what the guys had warned her she might see. No; it was much, much worse. What kind of a monster WAS Cas? And what were they going to do now?

Gail locked the door to the change room, and her hands were shaking. Too little, too late, she thought ruefully. It was her own stupid fault though, for not locking the stupid door. Who came into a change room and didn't lock the door behind them? An idiot, that was who. Jody had pretty much seen it all, and how the hell was Gail going to explain this? She thought of every bad made-for-TV movie she had ever seen. I walked into a door. I fell down the stairs. And she would sit and yell at the TV: You need to pack your bags and kick his ass, and not necessarily in that order! Sometimes Frank would be there, and he would smirk every time she did that. "If it makes you that mad, why do you keep watching?" he'd asked her, amused. "Because I need to see the moment when she finally stands up to him," she would retort, and her brother would roll his eyes and pick up a book or a magazine. Then, when the woman in the movie finally came to her senses and left the bastard, Gail would clap and cheer. "Bonus points, if she hauls off and smacks him," she would crow to Frank. "Never gonna happen," he would retort. "Dinner?" she would say, grinning. "It's a bet," he would say. Then he would be forced to keep an eye on the rest of the movie, to see if he won the bet. Usually, the woman in the movie just cried buckets, but once in a while, one of them would clock the bastard, and Gail would get up and do what she called the "dance of victory". Frank always claimed he hated that, but he'd actually thought it was pretty funny.

But Cas had never raised a hand to her in violence, Gail thought. He loved her, sometimes a bit too much, maybe. Besides, he would never dare. One time, just once, and that would be it. But when you came right down to it, what the hell was the difference? Look at the way her body looked, and the pain she felt. And he was getting worse. Now that he knew Crowley could heal her, Cas seemed less concerned about her injuries at his hands. Could it be that the only thing holding him back from doing even more to her was the fear of discovery? Well, that ship had sailed now, hadn't it? Jody would go running to Sam and Dean, and then they would tell Bobby, and Lord knows who else would find out. Had Gail subconsciously left the change room door unlocked on purpose, hoping that Jody would find out? Every one of those bad, pulpy movies had a cop or a social worker, saying that the victim had to ask for their help before they could give it. Was that what she had just done?

Jody tapped softly on the change room door. "Gail? Gail. Come on, let's talk."

Gail had put her original clothes back on, leaving everything she'd picked out to try on hanging in the room. She no longer cared. What was she going to say to Jody? She thought about just popping out of here, but that would put Jody in an awkward position. How could Jody explain her friend's sudden disappearance from a locked, enclosed change room in full view of the sales clerk and other humans? This wasn't Jody's fault; she was just trying to be friends.

Maybe it would be good to have a friend to confide in. But Jody went way back with the Winchester brothers, and with Bobby. There was no way Gail could expect her to keep her mouth shut.

Gail sighed. She unlocked the door to the change room, avoiding Jody's eyes.

"I'm taking you for a drink," Jody told Gail.

"I don't - " Gail started to say automatically, but Jody cut her off.

"Well, I do," Jody said firmly, "and I don't like to drink alone. Humour me."

"What are you going to do, Jody?" Gail asked her. As if she didn't already know.

"I told you, I'm going to buy you a drink," Jody replied as they walked out of the store. "Then you'll say whatever it is you feel like saying, and I promise you I'll listen with an open mind. Then, when you're done, I'll say whatever it is I feel like saying. Then, we'll see where we're at."

Totally reasonable. Jody was actually mad enough to spit nails, but she wasn't going to show her anger to Gail, not yet, anyway. Gail had that skittish look, and Jody was well aware that she could just disappear at any time. Literally. But she was here now, allowing Jody to lead her into the bar next door to the mall. Maybe that meant she was ready to talk, and to listen.

Jody had ordered two shots of whiskey and a beer, and after a moment's hesitation, Gail ordered a glass of wine. She felt like she needed something to do with her hands, and psychologically speaking, if she ever felt like she needed a drink, it was now.

Jody threw back both the shots immediately. Then she just stared at Gail, making Gail feel uncomfortable. She stared down at her glass of wine and then picked it up, giving a small shrug. What the hell. If she was going to live in a Demon house, she might as well re-acquire the taste. She took a big swallow.

Jody was still looking at her, and Gail felt like she had to say something. Could Gail make Jody understand where she was coming from? Then again, how could she, when she didn't even understand it herself?

"Have you ever been in love, Jody?" Gail asked her.

Jody fought to keep her expression steady, but inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. Aww, geez. Here it came. I love him, and he loves me, and he promised me he'd never do it again, the last fifteen times.

"Yeah, I have," Jody answered her. She had to keep the dialogue going. Bad movies or no, Jody knew it was very hard to help someone in this situation, if they were resistant and defensive.

Gail was silent for another moment. She'd expected Jody to start in on her right away; after all, that's what Gail would have done. But Jody was just looking at her quietly and calmly.

"Did Frank tell you anything about the way I grew up?" Gail asked her. "What happened to our parents? And with Crowley?"

Jody nodded. "He told me pretty much everything, Gail. But, that was from his point of view. How about you tell me about it from yours?"

Gail took another swig of wine. Then she sighed, and began to talk. She told Jody what it was like to be on the run with your Hunter brother, fleeing the home you'd grown up in and the sight of your murdered parents' bodies. Frank got a false ID and rented a car, and most of the places they could afford to stay in didn't ask too many questions of their clientele.

So she'd grown up with only Frank for company, and when he'd gone out at night, doing what he had to do, Gail had watched TV, or read. He'd buy her the occasional book when he could afford to, and once in a while Frank would liberate a book or two from the library. Technically, that was stealing, but he needed to keep her occupied when he couldn't be there, and he wanted his sister to keep up her vocabulary. There was no point enrolling her in school when they could never stay in one place long enough, and there was really not much point in her receiving a formal education anyway, considering the kind of life they led. But Gail had been a bright young girl, and she'd loved to read and to use her imagination.

She HAD loved to read, Gail told Jody; she still did, though she didn't have much time to do it any more. But really, who needed to read fantasy novels, when you were living one?

Jody couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. She could think of a couple of other genres that probably described Gail's current situation better. But she'd promised to hear Gail out, so she took a sip of her beer and continued to listen.

Gail told her about the kidnapping, and meeting Sam and Dean. Jody smiled. Her boys, the heroes. She could just picture it, too. Gail was no longer a child at that point, she was a woman, but she must have been very scared. Sam and Dean would have taken care of her, Jody knew; that was what they did best.

Gail didn't include everything in her retelling; she didn't mention Dean having had the Mark of Cain when she'd met the brothers, her own special abilities at the time, or the things she had done for and with Crowley in his den when the King of Hell had been dosing her. She didn't know Jody that well, after all. But she did give Jody an overview of what that time in her life had been like. When Frank died, Gail had become dependent on the Winchesters, and especially on Cas. Sam and Dean had filled in as surrogate brothers, and Castiel had filled a need that Gail had had for a man to love and who loved her, a hero who would do anything for her. He had been patient and kind throughout her grief over Frank, and when Gail herself had died, he had taken her to Heaven to meet God. She'd chosen to become an Angel because of him; not only to be with him, but because she had wanted to be like him.

Then came the drama in Dallas, when Gail found out that Frank was in Hell and that Crowley had turned him into a Demon. Around the same time, Gail had found out about Castiel's checkered past. He had voluntarily confessed everything to her once they'd been living together for a while, and he had been very penitent about the questionable things he'd done.

"You were living together?" Jody asked curiously. She remembered having joked with Sam at the time about whether Angels were intimate with each other, or could be, and neither of them had really known.

Gail smiled faintly. "You're curious about whether anything was going on. Everybody seems to wonder about that."

"If it's none of my business, just tell me," Jody told her.

Gail laughed shortly. "Don't worry about it. It's pretty much an open book, now." She made a face, thinking about the tribunal. "And the answer is no, not really. We'd hold hands, hug, maybe a little smooch on a special occasion, but that was it. We were Angels, so we weren't able to do anything more than that."

This was interesting to Jody. She noted a couple of things: Gail had said they "were" Angels. It could just be semantics, but Jody filed this away on her mental checklist. The other thing was that Gail was saying that they "weren't" able to do anything more than that. Again, past tense.

"Anyway," Gail continued, "I was a little shocked at everything Cas was telling me, and I got on my high horse, and took off." She wasn't sure why she was telling Jody this; maybe because she didn't want Jody to think that she'd always been the pushover she felt like she had turned into now. "Dean had to talk me into going back." Gail smiled at the memory.

But Jody frowned. "Dean talked you into going back to him?"

Gail frowned now, too. She didn't like the expression on Jody's face. She knew what Jody must be thinking. Gail wasn't stupid. But Jody barely knew Cas, and she hadn't been there at the time.

"Yes, he did," Gail said, annoyed. "And he was right. I was in no position to judge anyone, least of all Cas. He rescued me from Crowley's den, he showed me how to be an Angel, and he gave me his shoulder, when I lost Frank. And then Frank went and killed him. He mentioned that part, right?"

Jody nodded. "Yeah, Gail, he did. I know Frank feels terrible about that."

"Well, he should!" Gail exclaimed. In starting to relive all the memories from the beginning of her relationship with Castiel, Gail was starting to feel a wave of sentimentality for him. Cas was a good man; it wasn't his fault that Metatron had done this horrible thing to him, and she needed to figure out a way to fix it. She had to save him, somehow. Lord knew he'd saved her, enough times. And if she had to sneak around behind his back to do it, that's what she would do. But Gail still didn't want any of their friends to know about the way he was now, not if she could help it. If she could just keep it quiet for now, maybe she could find the cure, and nobody need ever know. Look at how bad Frank had been, and he was fine, now.

Jody was regarding Gail calmly, but she was boiling inside. OK, so what? So, Cas USED to be a good man. But Jody had seen him in the cabin, and there had been something very wrong with him, even then. And now, Gail's body was looking like a science experiment gone horribly wrong. And what had been up with the colour of his eyes? They'd been purple when he'd answered the door at the house. She'd never seen eyes that colour, before. And he'd looked so angry. Then, Jody'd heard what she was pretty sure she'd heard upstairs, and then Cas had come downstairs with blue eyes, acting all normal, and Gail had come down, walking so gingerly. Was Cas a Jekyll one moment, and a Hyde the next? But that didn't make any sense, either. Sam and Dean had been close to him for years, and he was like a brother to them now. They had always spoken very highly of him, even when they'd had the occasional differences of opinion. And she knew that Bobby thought Castiel was a good Angel, and a loyal friend. Something just didn't add up, here. Could this be Crowley's doing, somehow? Jody knew that Cas and Gail had gone back to Crowley after the incident at the cabin, and they had told their friends that Cas was OK, now. Had Crowley fooled them somehow? But if that was the case, wouldn't Sam and Dean and Bobby know?

Everything came back to Gail. She lived in the same house as Cas, and from everything Jody had heard, the two were practically inseparable. But Gail was not exactly being forthcoming, here. Not that Jody could blame her, in a way. They barely knew each other. And even though Jody had not said much during Gail's recitation, she realized that Gail was becoming defensive. She obviously loved Cas, and she might be protecting him. You saw that mentality in domestics all the time. Jody needed to cut through the crap. But, how? Should she go in hard, or soft?

Jody was a cop, and she had interrogated many suspects. Reading Gail's face right now, she decided to go in soft. Gail was in love with the guy, and she was obviously feeling sentimental about the relationship, and its beginnings. So Jody smiled, adopting the role of girlfriend. At least for the moment.

"The guys told me some funny stories about Las Vegas," she told Gail.

Gail thawed, answering Jody's smile with one of her own. Those were some of her best memories. She still had her photo propped up against the lamp in the bedroom of the house. Though some nights she would glance at it and frown, comparing how things had been then with how things were now. Still...

"That was the best holiday I've ever had," Gail said, a faraway look in her eyes. "So, I guess they told you that we were humans that weekend. I got to eat, and drink, and sleep, and..." She looked at Jody. "I might as well say it; everybody knows, anyway. That was the first time Cas and I ever had sex."

Silence. Gail was lost in the moment, remembering how shy and tentative he'd been, that first time. It had felt like an act of love that weekend. Now, it felt like...what, exactly? She had to admit she still loved it, but as Cas grew darker, so did what they did in the bedroom. Her body was proof of that.

"But then, Metatron killed me," Gail said bluntly. "That kind of put a damper on the whole vacation."

Jody smiled briefly, then stopped. "Sorry, Gail."

"It's OK, Jody," Gail said to her. "You've gotta laugh about these things sometimes, or you'll go nuts. You've probably noticed Frank uses the same kind of humour."

Jody had. She actually had found it kind of refreshing. Cops were notorious for their dark senses of humour; you needed it to sustain yourself through all the crap that you saw coming from the human race. Sometimes she thought that she would rather deal with Demons and Angels; at least otherworldly beings seemed to have some kind of boundaries.

"Anyway, we were back to being Angels then, and then, Heaven decided to put Cas on trial." The words came out bitterly. Gail still wasn't over that. Maybe she never would be. That had been the source of all their current problems, wasn't it?

"Sam and Dean told me about that," Jody said, nodding. "What was that like?"

"What do you think it was like, Jody?" Gail retorted. "Imagine having every aspect of your whole life put under a microscope. Every bad thing you've ever done, every bad thought you've ever had, put on display, for everyone to see. Being judged by a bunch of old, uptight Angels, who have no idea what real life is like."

"That's what it was like for you?" Jody asked, astonished. Gail was right; she couldn't imagine what that would be like.

"No. That's what it was like for Cas," Gail answered pointedly. Suddenly, it felt very important to her that Jody understand what Castiel had gone through. And Gail had suffered every moment with him. Dean hadn't, Sam hadn't, and Bobby sure as hell hadn't. Even God Himself, the original one, hadn't shown up until it was all over. "They railroaded him, they persecuted him, and then they killed him. And they made me watch his execution."

Jody didn't know what to say. The guys had given her a very abbreviated version of the events, but they hadn't been there for the ordeal Gail was describing. Now Jody was beginning to understand the kind of bond Gail felt she shared with Cas, and why she was still clinging to him, now.

"That's horrible," Jody said softly, and she meant it.

"Damn right," Gail said, tears filling her eyes. She took another swig of wine, trying to compose herself. "Nobody knows what that was like. Nobody."

She sniffled back the tears. "And you know what he said to me, before they killed him?" Gail continued. "He said to tell Sam and Dean that he loved them, and that he loved me, and to remember him together, and then he'd never truly be gone. Does that sound like a bad guy, to you?" The tears were falling from her eyes now. "He's only ever loved us, and every time he turns around, somebody's trying to hurt him, or kill him. How fair is that?"

Jody looked at Gail with compassion. She had the feeling that Gail had never been able to unburden herself like this to anyone before. Frank would have been the most likely candidate, but he'd been in Hell at the time, being Crowley's bitch. Life really hadn't been too kind to the brother and sister, had it?

"Then we did receive a miracle, but it took the King of Hell to provide it," Gail went on. "He was the one who brought Cas back to life. Crowley. The guy I thought was our worst enemy. I have him to thank for returning Cas to me. Not Heaven, not Angels, not even God. What do you make of that?"

Jody thought about that. At this point, she wasn't so sure Crowley had done Cas much of a favour, or Gail, either. But Jody had a passing acquaintance with the King of Hell herself, and she knew that Crowley never did anything that went against his own best interests. This made her highly suspicious. And now Gail was talking about him almost affectionately.

"Yeah, but what was the price?" Jody blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Gail shot back, even though she had been wondering that herself, recently.

"I was at the cabin, remember?" Jody continued quietly. "I saw what happened between Crowley and Cas."

"Yeah, so what?" Gail snapped. She was on shaky ground here, and the small part of Demon still inside of her was making her angry. Maybe the alcohol had exacerbated it. Gail was now starting to wonder why she was even bothering to try to talk to Jody. She clearly didn't get it. "Cas saved us both that day, once again, and it was the extra juice Crowley gave him that helped him to do it."

Jody stared at Gail. Wow. Was she ever rationalizing, now. You couldn't shake hands with the Devil and not expect to get sulphur on your sleeve. Gail had to know that, and Castiel did know that. "Yeah, but what about the after-effects?" she asked Gail.

Gail frowned. Jody was just fishing, now. "What are you talking about?" she countered.

"I heard Crowley say he wasn't taking all the Demon out of Cas," Jody said evenly.

Gail shrugged. "That was just Crowley, being Crowley. He's a real smartass, sometimes." Incredibly, she smiled. Jody wasn't sure Gail was even aware she was doing it. Now Jody was wondering if there was something weird going on with Gail, too. With everything the King of Hell had put them all through, Gail was smiling, talking about Crowley as if he were just a recalcitrant child? This conversation was getting stranger and stranger, every minute.

Gail drained her glass. "You know what? I actually kind of enjoyed that," she said, holding up the empty glass. "What do you think? Should we order another round? I can buy; it's not like I bought any clothes today, or anything." She smiled at Jody.

OK, this was getting extremely weird now. Jody knew that Angels didn't really drink, but here was Gail, smiling and wanting another. But then again, the wine seemed to be loosening her tongue, so Jody held up a hand and asked the server for another round when she came to the table.

When the drinks came, Gail took another big swallow. She was starting to feel tipsy, now. She hadn't felt this way since Las Vegas, when she and Sam had had a few drinks on that last afternoon. But she'd been a human, then. What was she now, exactly? Part Demon, she supposed, courtesy of the man she loved. So, she might as well revel in it.

"I think Frank likes you," she told Jody, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face.

"I like him, too," Jody said noncommittally, taking a sip of her fresh beer.

"Then I guess you and I had better get along," Gail teased. "Who knows, you might be my sister-in-law, someday."

Jody made a face, playing along. "Well, I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that." But the truth was that she had liked Frank a lot, and she hoped she'd see him again soon. He had all the qualities she liked in a man. He'd treated her as an equal; not a delicate flower, nor a ball-busting feminist, and Jody appreciated that.

"Well, you could do a lot worse," Gail said, smiling. "I'm just saying."

Jody decided to take advantage of the current mood of conversation. "Well, he IS good-looking," she acknowledged. "And, so is Cas. He must have to beat the female Angels off with a stick."

Gail frowned momentarily, thinking of Aurielle. No, just a blade. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" she said to Jody. "But I guess he just seemed larger than life, to most of them. He sure seemed that way to me," she said sadly.

"And now?" Jody said, pushing.

Gail took another swallow of wine, sighing. "I love him, and I know he loves me. But..." A lump was forming in her throat.

"But, what?" Jody said quietly. She was afraid to even breathe. She didn't want Gail to retreat until she said what she needed to say.

"Have you ever..." Gail started to say, and then she tried again. "Have you ever loved someone so much you didn't think you could live one second of your life without them? But then, one day, you didn't think you could stand to spend another second with them?"

Jody's eyes narrowed. Was Gail about to say what Jody suspected she'd been needing to say all along?

But Gail clapped a hand over her mouth, then. What the hell was she saying? She had been about to tell Jody everything. She couldn't stab Cas in the back like that. No matter how many sores he had given her, no matter how worried she'd been about how dark he was becoming, Gail could never give him up that way. He hadn't given up on her, even when she'd been two steps away from being Crowley's bride, and she couldn't give up on him, now. She'd find the cure for what was wrong with him. She'd pour it down his throat, if she had to. And if he killed her because of it, well, maybe Gail owed him that much, and so much more.

"I have to go," Gail said, panicked. She winked out of the bar.

She went to the house, but Cas wasn't there. He'd left a note on the bed. He'd gone to the bunker; she should come there when she was done. She was puzzled; why hadn't he just called her on Angel Radio? Or was he so far gone that he couldn't access it, any more? Was SHE? She had to figure something out, and fast.

Gail popped into the library area. Sam and Dean were sitting at the table with beers in front of them, and incredibly, Cas had a bottle of whiskey in front of him. It was half-empty, and so was his glass. Had he been doing the same thing she had just done with Jody, or had he tried to? What had he told them?

She walked up to Cas, kissing him on the forehead. "Hi, guys," she said casually. "What's happening?"

Dean smirked at her. "Ahhh, just more of the same. Never give an Angel whiskey. Especially this one." He nodded towards Cas. "I think he's drunk. 'I love you guys. I love Gail.' I think we need to switch him back to beer. Or, maybe even coffee."

Gail smiled. Phew. But now, she felt guilty. Cas had been telling these guys how much he loved her, and she had been telling Jody she didn't know if she could stand to be with him any longer. Who was the monster in this situation?

Sam's cell phone rang. "Sorry, guys, I'll be right back," he said, picking it up and retreating into the hall.

Cas put his arm around Gail's waist. "I'm so glad to see you," he said, smiling up at her.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Here we go. No wonder Bobby left."

Gail looked at him. "Bobby was here?"

"Yeah, he was here for a while," Dean said. He'd been coached on what to say. As soon as Cas showed up out of the blue, Bobby had hightailed it back to Heaven, pleading business. They didn't want Cas to think they were ganging up on him, and they had thought it best to keep him here until they received Jody's report. At least they'd know where he was, then. Dean had offered him a drink, and not only had Cas taken him up on it, but he had said to leave the bottle. Weird. Cas had had the occasional drink with the Winchesters, but Dean had never seen him do that, before. He'd told them that Gail had gone shopping with Jody, and he needed the company. So, Dean had encouraged Cas to have a few belts. Like Jody with Gail, Dean had wondered if the alcohol would loosen Cas's tongue.

Cas had fallen into a funk once Gail and Jody had left the house. That sliver of Angel that was still left in him was talking to him again, telling him that she was gone for good, this time. Women confided in each other, he knew, and Gail would probably tell Jody about how he had been abusing her. Jody would convince Gail to leave him, and really, who could blame her? So, instead of going to Crowley, he had come to the bunker, intending to talk to Dean and Sam, really talk to them, before it was too late. But he hadn't had any idea how to begin, and he'd thought the whiskey would give him the courage to say what he needed to say. But just as he had been trying to work up the courage to do it, here she was, and he was so grateful to see her now that he couldn't speak at all.

Sam was listening to Jody's story, and he was so shocked that he had to lean against the wall. "Holy crap," he breathed, as Jody described what she'd seen in the change room. Then she told him what Gail had said right before she had popped out of the bar, and Sam's heart sank. Cas had come here, full of words of love; meanwhile, he had been abusing Gail to the point of making Jody ill, and Jody was a cop, so that was saying a lot. Now, what Gail had said to Sam after the dramatic training room session was starting to make sense. But...Cas? That went against everything they knew about him. Sam knew he'd sooner take out his own blade and cut off a part of himself than hurt Gail intentionally. Jody had said she suspected Crowley's hand in this, but both Cas and Gail had said that Crowley had removed every bit of Demon from Cas. Even if Crowley had lied, why would they have told their friends that he had, then?

Jody told Sam where she was, and that she still had the car that Bobby had loaned her. Sam told her that she might as well head home. They could clue Bobby in, later. But right now, he and Dean had to deal with Cas. Sam was usually a pretty even-keel kind of guy, but right now he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Cas over what he was apparently doing to Gail. She was special to Sam, and she was like a sister to Dean. Thank God Frank wasn't here.

Sam came back into the library, and he was staring at Cas. "I just received a very interesting phone call," Sam said coolly.

Cas had pulled Gail onto his lap, and he had been kissing her on the cheek, again and again. He was just so glad to see her. He looked at Sam, puzzled. Why was Sam looking at him that way?

"Can you come here for a minute, Gail?" Sam asked her.

She was wary. Had that been Jody on the phone? Was Sam going to ask Gail about what she had said to Jody? How could she explain that to Cas?

"Please," Sam said.

She got off Cas's lap and walked over to Sam.

"I'm sorry, Gail, but I have to do this," Sam said, and he grabbed her top and lifted it as decently as he could. And there was the evidence, just as Jody and Dean had said. And Jody had advised that the rest of her was even worse.

Dean had seen a glimpse before in the garage, but what he saw now shocked him even more. He looked at Cas, open-mouthed.

Sam strode over to Cas and punched him in the face, putting everything he had into it. "You bastard!" he exclaimed.

Cas's head reeled back, and a trickle of blood escaped from his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand and looked at Sam. The blow had reawakened the poison in his blood, and he said, "You always wanted her for yourself, didn't you, Sam? It killed you that she chose me."

"Shut up," Sam said, and he punched Cas again. Maybe Cas had hit a bit of a nerve with that comment, but he wasn't going to let Cas sit there and pretend like what he had done to Gail was in any way acceptable.

Gail rushed over to Sam and said, "That's enough! What are you doing, Sam? What's the matter with you?"

He wheeled on her. "What's the matter with ME? What's the matter with HIM?"

"Good question," Dean said. He was impressed with his brother; he only regretted he hadn't done it, first.

"Nothing's the matter with him," Gail said defensively. She had gotten so used to excusing Cas's behaviour that this was her go-to response, now.

"Really? Really?" Dean was now starting to wonder if there was something wrong with Gail, too. He stood and faced her. "Look at yourself! What the hell, Gail?"

Gail couldn't take this, not from both of them. But she still couldn't turn on Cas.

The Demon in Cas pushed aside the waning Angel part of him, and he looked at the brothers. "That's between me and her, and it's none of your business," he snarled.

Dean turned to him. "Really?!" he shouted. "Well, maybe we're MAKING it our business! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Cas said, slowly rising to his feet. "She likes it."

Dean was the one to punch Cas this time, and Cas reeled back from the blow, but kept his feet. "Leave it alone, Dean," he said in his quiet voice.

"Like hell I will," Dean said. His voice was quiet, too. He had faced monsters, bad Angels, and Demons, he had been killed by Crowley, and he had had the Mark of Cain on his arm, but Dean had never felt as angry in his whole life as he felt, now. Cas had been like a brother to him all these years, and Dean would gladly have died for him; in fact, he almost had, several times. But Cas was a stranger to him, now. How dare he stand there and say that what he had done to Gail was OK? And why was Gail defending him?

"Let's go home, Gail," Cas said, extending his hand to her, but Sam stepped in front of her.

"If you think we're letting her go anywhere with you, you're crazy," he said to Cas.

"Shouldn't that be up to her to decide?" Cas said to him. He blinked his eyes. The contacts were starting to hurt like a son of a bitch. It was as if the Demon in him was trying to get out of every orifice, now. He put out his hands and blinked them out.

"Gail has my blood in her now," he said to Sam, and his eyes flashed purple, now that the contacts were gone. "She belongs with me. She belongs to me, not to you," he said to Sam.

The brothers were shocked to see Cas's eyes. What the hell was that, now?

"Yeah, and she was the one who suggested the contacts," Cas said sarcastically. "So if you think she's an innocent party in all of this, you're wrong."

Sam and Dean looked incredulously at Gail, and her heart sank. It was true. She had been far from innocent in this whole thing. But she was at the moment of truth, here. Would she go with Cas, and continue to sink with him into further depravity, allowing him to hurt her night after night? Keep letting Crowley touch her all over her body, just so she could withstand another night? Continue to wash his bloody clothes and smile to their friends' faces, telling them that everything was OK? And how long before he started incorporating his blade into the bedroom as foreplay?

"He's right," Gail told the brothers. "But, it has to end now. I'll tell you everything."