Chapter 2 - She Drives Me Crazy
Before Gabriel had called Cas to come to the meeting place, Cas and Gail had been having what was for them a very intimate conversation.
As soon as she'd gotten back to the headquarters, Gail had made a beeline for Cas. As usual, he was on the gym floor, doing drills with some of the Angels who had recently deserted Raphael's troops. Cas and Gabriel had promised amnesty to anyone who would come to join them, while warning the new arrivals that spies would not be tolerated. But it seemed as though everyone crossing over was sincere about not wanting to help Raphael kill any more humans. It was just a shame that more of them did not feel that way, Cas had fretted. The latest intel suggested that neither Raphael's nor Lucifer's side were pulling ahead, but in the meantime, the Earth was being destroyed, and the humans were getting caught up in the struggle. Soon, it might not even matter whether it was the Angels or the Demons who won. Soon, mankind might be a distant memory no matter how tenaciously his group fought.
Still, Cas smiled when he saw Gail coming towards him. He always smiled when he saw her. When he became tired of fighting a mostly losing battle, he would look at her open, trusting expression, and his faith that he was finally on the right path would be renewed.
But her expression was serious now as she approached him. "Cas, we have to talk, now."
"Uh-oh," Frank wisecracked. "Cas is in the doghouse."
Cas's forehead wrinkled as he grabbed a towel. "What would the abode of a canine have to do with anything?" he asked Gail's brother. Most of the human men laughed, but some of the longer-serving Angels wore puzzled expressions, too.
Despite the shock she had just received, Gail's lips twitched at that. In some ways, she missed the innocent Cas, in the current era. Now that she'd remembered it all, she knew that he was seldom flummoxed by slang any more. It had been a really cute aspect of his personality that she'd liked, a lot.
But she wouldn't miss his current persona, if and when they got out of this reality intact. He was gentle and kind with her and with all of their friends, but Gail now knew that her husband had been a different sort of individual than they were all used to seeing, different than the one they had met at the Rogue Angel. He had been cruel, imperious, and prejudiced against humans. That was the Castiel that he'd told her he had become when God had sent him back to Heaven as punishment for defying His orders in Nazi Germany. It was a good thing that he'd realized he loved her, because Gail would never have been able to love that Castiel.
As Gail followed Cas into the office that adjoined the gym so that they could talk privately, a couple of things occurred to her. The first thing was that the setup they had here reminded her a lot of that first Academy class that Cas had taught in Heaven. Who would have ever thought that she would miss those days? But she did, so badly that it was a physical ache in her heart and in her stomach. Things had seemed so simple back then. Good was Good, and Evil was Evil. But now, with the extra component of Raphael and his troops of Angels attempting to exterminate the human race and take the planet for their own, things had gotten a lot more complicated. According to Cas, that scenario would be no less horrifying as if Lucifer's side were to win. But there was a lot more than that on Gail's mind. It went even bigger than that, didn't it? Wasn't the architect of this whole mess really God, Himself?
Cas was looking at her expectantly, but now that she had seen him here, Gail had no idea what to say. He was toweling the sweat from his face and neck now, and then he tossed the towel on the desk. His hair was sticking up, and the urge to laugh and accuse him of having "sex hair" was so strong that she had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from saying it. This version of Cas wouldn't understand, and she was pretty sure that he wouldn't approve.
The reason she was tongue-tied now was because of the second thing that had occurred to her. This version of Cas was also exactly who they needed right now. This would be the worst possible time to muddle up his head. Her Cas would be liable to feel waves of emotion if he were to realize what was really going on here, and they needed him to be on his game.
"What is it, Gail?" Cas asked her, with a touch of impatience in his voice.
"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've been doing for all of us," she said to him. "And, to tell you that I love you. I know we don't say that too often, so I just wanted to say that to you, now."
Cas opened his mouth to respond, but before he got the chance, Sam poked his head in the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but you need to see this, Cas," he said, and his expression was grim.
Cas strode out of the office, with a frustrated Gail following close behind. Dammit! She had still been debating with herself whether she wanted to tell him, or not. Or, more accurately, if she should. But now, she'd missed her chance, anyway.
A horrifying sight awaited them. There had been a loud, thumping sound up on the roof, and Dean and Tommy had gone up there to investigate. They had discovered the dead body of a young black girl. There was a shocked look on her face, and an Angel blade was driven deep into her chest, pinning a note addressed to Castiel there. The note was curiously devoid of blood. That was because Vincent had bled his follower dry before giving her to Azazel, to deposit at Castiel's headquarters. Lucifer knew where they were holed up, of course. He'd known all along. Vincent had asked him why they didn't just go in there and annihilate each and every one of those rebels, and Lucifer had smiled at the Voodoo Priest indulgently. Now, what fun would THAT be?
Cas looked down at the young woman's body dispassionately. He had no idea who she was. That fact, and the method of delivery of the corpse, suggested to him that she had been one of the enemy, used so ill to deliver a message. He felt nothing for the girl. She had chosen her side, hadn't she?
He crouched beside the corpse, grabbed the Angel blade by the hilt, and pulled it out. Then Cas unfolded and read the note: "Your little human girlfriend will be next, if you don't surrender within 24 hours. Your Brother, Raphael."
Cas straightened up, his blood boiling. He had no way of knowing that Jason had cooked up this little scheme to set up a confrontation between the Angels. Lucifer had to admit that it had been a stroke of brilliance. If Castiel succeeded in killing Raphael, that would be a big plus for their side. Angels were sheep; without their General, they would founder. And if Raphael killed Castiel, their former Brother would be removed from the field of play. His little band of rebels had actually killed more of Lucifer's side than he was willing to admit. Either way, it would be a win for their side.
Before Castiel could even think of a way to articulate his rage, though, there came the message from Gabriel, over their frequency. The King of Hell was proposing a deal, and the Archangel thought it was worth a listen.
Cas let out a frustrated breath. What was Crowley trying to pull? But Castiel had to at least hear what Crowley had to say, especially if Gabriel thought he should. Cas looked at Gail. With both himself and Gabriel gone, she was far too vulnerable here, with only humans and lesser Angels for protection. This could be a setup. So he did the only thing he could do: he grabbed Gail by the hand and winked them both out of the building.
"Who is this fetching creature?" the King of Hell asked Cas, eyeing Gail. She rolled her eyes. Wow. Apparently, Crowley was obnoxious in any reality. He moved forward now, extending his hand to her. Predictably enough, Cas growled, "Stay away from her."
"Take it easy, Mama Bear," Crowley said, his lips twitching. "I am merely attempting to make the acquaintance of this remarkable young lady. Are you certain she's a human? Because she would have to have the patience of a Saint to put up with you."
"It's OK, Cas," Gail said, stepping up to take Crowley's hand. Now that she knew who and what they all were, he didn't intimidate her. She let the King take her hand. He kissed it lightly, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes once again. Yuk. She wondered if his so-called charm worked on more gullible women.
"Let's get straight to business," Cas said abruptly. "What is your proposal?"
Crowley frowned. "Obviously, having a girlfriend hasn't exactly improved your sunny disposition. Fine." He outlined the deal that he had proposed to Gabriel.
But Castiel was shaking his head. "I propose a counter-offer," he said, tight-lipped. "If you and your legion will join with me and mine, we will kill Raphael immediately, and any Angel that pledges allegiance to him. THEN, we will deal with Lucifer and his men."
Both Crowley and Gabriel were open-mouthed. "Uh...can I talk to you for a minute?" Gabe said to Cas. He grabbed Cas by the arm and they moved away from where Crowley and Gail were standing.
"Are you nuts?!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Crowley cleared his throat. "I can still hear you, you know," he said affably.
Gabe ignored him. "What the hell are you doing, Cas?" he said in a quieter voice. "Are you really gonna team up with HIM, to wipe out our own brethren?"
"Raphael forfeited any right to call himself our Brother when he mobilized upon the Earth," Cas said stiffly.
Gabriel eyed him. "True, but..." He peered closer at Cas's face. "What did I miss?"
Cas sighed. He began to tell the Archangel about the threat to Gail that he believed had come from Raphael.
As the Angels were conversing, Crowley was smiling pleasantly at Gail. He'd warned them that he could hear what they were saying. But clearly, Castiel didn't want to let the girl out of his sight. Which was completely understandable, of course. Anyone who wanted to get to Castiel could just simply seize this little bitty thing with her big brown eyes, and torture her a little. Or, a lot. Crowley knew his brother very well. He had shown up here holding hands with this woman. Holding hands. For a sanctimonious, uptight individual like Castiel, to be holding a woman's hand in public was tantamount to undressing her and mounting her, right here.
Crowley smirked at his own wit, and he was also amused because he knew something that none of them did: Raphael hadn't sent the threat. Lucifer had. But now, Castiel was coming in hot, asking for Crowley's help to wipe out battalions upon battalions of Angels? How on earth could the King of Hell turn down an opportunity like that?
"Don't worry, sweetheart. We won't let that big, bad Angel harm a hair on your head," Crowley assured Gail, looking pointedly at Castiel. "Or Raphael, either."
She barked out a laugh. Dammit! He'd surprised it out of her. But now, he was looking at her speculatively. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
Gail shrugged. "No, I'm not."
"Why not?" Crowley asked with frank curiosity.
But before she had the chance to even formulate a plausible answer to that question, Cas and Gabriel had come back. Gabe's lips were pressed so tightly together they had almost disappeared.
"We have a deal," Cas told Crowley.
That deal was the beginning of the real End Times. Sam and Dean, Cas and Gail had talked about eschatology back on Kilimanjaro before their world had gone to pieces, but none of them had had any clue what that had truly meant. Demons, humans and Angels alike banded together to slay Angels, and the Earth ran red with blood. The tide started to turn, and when there were only a handful of Raphael's troops left, many of them surrendered to Castiel, and Raphael was taken prisoner.
The Archangel was defiant as Castiel and Gabriel entered the room where he was being held. The ancient sigils decorated the walls, and as an extra precaution, Castiel had brought the Seal of God. If Raphael tried to escape or to fight, he would be vapourized instantly. Cas wished he would try.
"Have you got anything to say, before we decide what to do with you?" Castiel said coldly.
"What do you want me to say?" Raphael retorted in an angry voice. "You're the one who made a deal with Demons to sell out your own kind. You're the one who has killed untold numbers of your own Brothers and Sisters."
"How about all of the humans YOU killed?" Cas shouted. "What about THEM?"
"There was a time when you would no more have cared about the insects that crawled all over this planet than you would care about slaying Demons," Raphael said contemptuously. "Now, you kowtow to humans, and make Unholy pacts with the King of Hell. You should be ashamed of yourself. Father would be disgusted if He could see you now."
"You have spent months roaming the Earth, destroying Father's creations," Cas pointed out. "I think it's YOU who would disgust Him."
Raphael looked at Gabriel, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange. "You have been very quiet, my Brother," Raphael said to Gabriel. "How do you feel about the arrangement Castiel has made with the denizens of Hell?"
Gabe frowned. "Not great, to tell you the truth," he admitted. "But, let me tell you something. You and all those self-righteous bigots have it all wrong. When I used to go to the bar for Happy Hour, I had the chance to get to know a lot of humans." This would normally be the point where he would waggle an eyebrow and state that he'd gotten to know a number of female humans very, very well, but Gabriel refrained. He only joked around with his friends, and besides, he had a point he wanted to make, now.
Gabriel cleared his throat, and began again: "Humans are just like we are, Raphael," he stated. "I know you're going to scoff at that, but it's true, nonetheless. In fact, you could almost argue that they're better than we are. They're just here on this planet, doing the best they can to survive under nearly impossible circumstances. They eat, and sleep, and laugh, and love. They work hard all their short, miserable little lives, or at least most of them do, just so they can scrape together enough money to live. And then, by the time they find themselves in a position to finally take it easy and enjoy everything they've worked so hard for, Dad gives them cancer, or Alzheimer's, or one of about a million other little delights He's got in His bag of dirty tricks. I talked to a guy once who was finally able to retire after seventy years of working like a dog. Seventy years, when the average human lifespan for a man is about seventy-eight years old. And if that concept isn't bad enough to wrap your head around, he told me that he and his wife were going to take up a hobby together, now that they had the free time. Great. Good for them. Then I saw him again, a couple of weeks later. I asked him how his retirement was going. And you know what he told me? He told me his wife died. She died! The poor bastard was finally able to spend some quality time with his wife, and then our loving and compassionate Father decides to give her one of those diseases. You know what? I know what everybody says about me: that I'm a drunken, pleasure-seeking womanizer, et cetera, et cetera. But I would give just about anything I have to fall in love, and to be loved in return. You and Lucifer can fight over this ball of dirt called Earth all you want, but none of it means anything without love." He grabbed God's Seal from Cas's hand, advancing on Raphael. "And that's why you're about to be executed, 'Brother'. You forgot what this whole thing is supposed to be all about, or maybe you never even knew in the first place. I don't approve of the deal Castiel made, but I'll stand with him, each and every time. And you know why?" Gabriel held the Seal high, getting ready to strike. "Because, at the end of the day, he demonstrates what most of us only talk about. He loves God, and he loves God's creations. Yeah, I'm talking about humans. You should never have threatened to kill Gail."
Gabriel started to bring down his hand, the one with God's Seal in it. Once it touched Raphael's skin and Castiel and Gabriel spoke together, invoking the Lord's name, Raphael would suffer great pain, and then he would die.
But Gabriel's hand paused when Raphael said, "I didn't."
"What?" Cas said sharply.
"I didn't threaten to kill Gail," Raphael repeated calmly. "I don't know where you got that impression. Go ahead and have your human, Castiel. Marry her, even. It won't matter, anyway. Once Crowley betrays you, all of your humans will die at Lucifer's feet. Go ahead and kill me. I will not live in a world where Lucifer is King."
Raphael was bound and handcuffed to the chair, but his legs were free. He extended one of his legs now, and he used it to pull Gabriel towards him. His fellow Archangel was caught completely by surprise. Gabe fell on top of Raphael, and when he did, his hand came down and God's Seal burned itself into Raphael's forehead.
Gabriel scrambled off of Raphael immediately, dropping the Seal on the floor. But it was already too late. Raphael started to scream in utter agony as the pattern that had been etched into his forehead glowed. Gabriel looked on in horror as Raphael continued to writhe and scream, and scream and writhe. Now there was an acrid odour, a foul stench that signaled the start of the immolation of Raphael's flesh.
Castiel was sickened by the smell, and he was shocked by what Raphael had said. Normally, he would have simply assumed that Raphael was lying. But it was impossible to lie in the presence of God's Seal. That could only mean one thing: If Raphael hadn't issued the threat, then Lucifer had. It was Lucifer who had lied, signing Raphael's name to the threat because he knew that Castiel would then concentrate on bringing Raphael and his army of Angels to their knees. And now that that had been accomplished, Lucifer would be free to take the Earth, virtually unopposed. All thanks to Castiel.
And then came the worst news of all. There was a pounding on the door of the interrogation room, and Frank shouted, "Cas! Lucifer's got Gail!"
VIGNETTE - STRAIGHT UP
"Wait a minute," Death said to God. "I thought you said that you were bringing about the End of Times. The Cleansing."
"That's what I did say, yes," God replied calmly. "That is why I gave Lucifer his page of the Book of Life."
"And now, he has won," Death remarked.
"It would appear so," God said, shrugging.
Death was eyeing Him suspiciously. While it wouldn't be the first time the Father had employed such methods, Death didn't truly believe that the total annihilation of the Earth was the endgame, here. But then, what was? God had punished Castiel, and then He had punished Gail. But then He had returned them to the Earth and to each other, and reunited them with most of the friends and family they had had before. However, then, He had slowly started to dismantle everything again. He had taken Gail away from Castiel twice now, once by death, and now, by abduction. He had given Sam and Dean Winchester wives and children, and then taken all but Nicole away from the brothers. Frank and Jody were together for now, as were Barry and Tommy, but if things kept going the way they had been, soon those relationships would be torn asunder by blood. Many of Castiel and Gail's family who were supposed to be dead were now dead again, or soon would be. Or, they had never even existed in the first place. So what had been the purpose of this whole exercise? The punishments had already been meted out. Was it simply as Gail had said, when she had had her fit of anger on the mountain? Was God just demonstrating His dominion over His children? That didn't seem like Him, though, in Death's opinion. The two ancient entities had known each other since before all existence had begun, and Death knew there was so much more to the Almighty than the qualities He was demonstrating now. Anything that God did, even the wrathful destruction that He had wrought in the past, had always been from love. Castiel's friends and family accused the Angel of being too intense about many things, and that was certainly true, because the apple hadn't fallen too far from the tree, in this case. God's children were flawed because He Himself was flawed. Longer-serving, high-ranking Angels were fervent because God Himself was fervent. When the Almighty rained down death and destruction upon His creations, He usually did so because they had disappointed Him. Broken His heart. Much like a child will upend the board game, if things aren't going his way. That was obviously what He was doing now. But then, inevitably, the board game would be set back up again. Of course it would. Because the alternative was nothingness, and no one wanted that, not even Death. Everyone had to have a purpose. Everyone.
"Lucifer has abducted Gail before," Death said, with dry sarcasm. "You're being a little redundant here, don't you think?"
God regarded him for a moment. Just as Death knew God, God knew Death, too. Death was also a flawed individual, and much more emotional than he would ever let on. Death expected everyone and everything to fall neatly in line, and when that did not happen, he became angry. Life was messy and imperfect, and sometimes, death was, too. The individual who the latter was named for had never understood that, just as he had never understood that there were varying degrees of death. There was death of the physical being, of course, but there were also deaths of the soul, and of the spirit. It wasn't falling down that was the problem; it was how many times a person could get back up again. How much was too much?
"We'll see," God said noncommittally, as Castiel rushed out of the interrogation room to confront Lucifer's messenger.
VIGNETTE - MY PREROGATIVE
They winked themselves outside to the grounds of the college campus for a private talk.
"You don't seem surprised," Crowley said to Cas calmly.
"That's because I'm not," Cas replied tonelessly. "I would have done the same thing, myself."
Crowley smirked. "Well, you're honest. I'll give you that much."
"What does he want?" Cas asked his brother.
"What do you think he wants?" the King of Hell responded. "He wants to rule it all."
"And you're just going to bow down to him?" Cas said skeptically. "That doesn't seem like you."
"I bow down to no one," Crowley said, with a bit of an edge to his voice now. "I said, he WANTS to rule it all. I didn't say he was going to GET to."
Cas sighed. "Either way, what will it take for me to get her back unharmed?"
Gail was wondering the same thing now, as Lucifer came into the room where she was being held. This was ridiculous, she thought. It was deja vu, all over again. What was it going to take for them to be rid of this guy, finally rid of him, once and for all?
"I know, right?" the Evil entity said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm the original bad penny, aren't I? I just keep on turning up." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the page from the Book of Life that God had given him, back at Kilimanjaro. "And the beauty of it is, I didn't even have to do anything with this. You all played your parts perfectly. Death Squads, Part II. The Sequel. Except this time, it was a lot more Biblical. One brother betrayed the other, and a bunch of Angels died. Or, what I would call a happy ending. Now, we've got the damsel in distress. Will the hero rescue her in the second-last reel of the movie? But then, what if he does? What will happen to them next? The world as they knew it is gone, and so is most of their family. How much is too much, Gail? How much will you have to endure, before you finally lose your damn mind? How do you know you haven't, already?"
"If you tell me that this whole thing has just been in my mind this entire time, I'm going to punch you right in the face," Gail fumed.
Lucifer laughed. "No, I can assure you, this has all been quite real."
Gail sighed. "Great. So, where do we go from here?"
"Ask your husband, or whatever the hell he is, nowadays," Satan said, shrugging. He waved his hands and suddenly, Cas and Crowley were standing beside him. Gail was thrilled to see Cas, of course, but her heart sank when she saw Crowley.
"Of course," she said to the King. "Of course it was you who betrayed Cas."
"Why isn't anybody ever surprised by that?" the King of Hell said sardonically. "I think I need a new press agent."
"No, what you need is to stop stabbing people in the back!" Gail yelled.
"Good luck with this one," Crowley said to Cas, nodding his head towards Gail. "She's awfully feisty, for an inferior specimen."
"She's not inferior at all," Cas said softly. "She's a far better individual than I'll ever be."
"Awww, isn't that sweet," Lucifer said with sarcastic humour. "We should have gotten that on tape. Nobody'll ever believe he actually said that." He looked at Crowley. "Let's leave these two crazy kids to talk alone for a minute. Once they make their decisions, we'll pick up where we left off."
Lucifer and Crowley popped out of the room, and Cas rushed to Gail. "Are you all right?" he said, putting his arms around her. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," she responded, holding him tightly. She'd been really scared. They stood there like that for a moment, and then Gail pulled out of the embrace. "What did he mean, 'make our decisions'?"
Cas let out a breath. "Come here," he said, taking her by the hand. There was a small couch against the back wall of the room, and he sat them down on it. Well, at least this was an improvement from the dark, cold stone cell where Lucifer had held her the last time she was his prisoner, Gail thought dryly. Soon, if he kept on abducting her, she would be in a deluxe suite, with a butler or two, maybe.
Cas gave Gail's hands a squeeze. He didn't know how much time they had, but there was something he wanted to say to her now, before it was too late. "For all of my existence, I knew there was more," Cas began. "I was conditioned to believe a certain way, so I did. I was trained to behave in a certain way, and so I did. God shaped me into a cruel despot, no better than Adolf Hitler."
Gail looked at him sharply. Out of all the names he could have used, why had he used that one in particular? Or was it just a coincidence? That was the one name people always invoked when they wanted to refer to the worst of the worst.
"I killed thousands upon thousands of Angels," Cas confessed. "I became a paranoid, heartless individual. My Brothers and Sisters all feared and despised me. If I'd been a different sort of leader, Raphael would never have been able to rise to power. The deaths of all the humans his army killed are on my hands. I knew that Crowley was not going to honour his end of the bargain. I took the deal because I wanted all of those Angels dead, as punishment for killing Father's creations. But now, we're left with this. Lucifer has won. I'm sorry, Gail. I failed you, in every way possible. The decisions he's talking about are simple: We get to choose which way we would prefer to die."
Cas took his Angel blade out of his pocket and held it up. Oh, God. Gail felt sick to her stomach, but she also knew that he was right. They would never be able to serve Lucifer.
Cas put his other arm around Gail and pulled her close to him, holding the blade firmly between them. "You'll hardly feel it," he promised her. "It'll be just like a pinprick, or the sting of a bee. Then, I'll follow. I love you, Gail."
"I love you too, Cas," she said. "Do me a favour? Kiss me while you're doing it. A really good kiss, like you gave me back in the bar, the day we met." A couple of tears squeezed out of her eyes and dribbled down her cheeks. "Like you gave me at our wedding."
Cas was startled, but then he smiled warmly. What a lovely thought to end on. He would fantasize about that too, when he was releasing his essence. What a wonderful way that would be to leave this existence.
He kissed her, but just as he started to push the blade gently into her, Lucifer and Crowley popped back into the room. "Nice try, Romeo," the Devil said dryly. He waved his little finger, and the couple moved apart. "This little party is only over when I say it's over. I'm the boss around here, not you, Castiel."
"And, I'm the King," Crowley said. He snapped his fingers, and the page of the Book of Life that God had given to Lucifer suddenly appeared in Crowley's hand. "Plot twist. Here, Cas. Catch." The page folded itself into a paper airplane and flew over to Cas, who caught it neatly. "Remember our deal," Crowley said to his brother. He grabbed a shocked Lucifer by the arm, and they both disappeared again. Cas grinned briefly. Then he pocketed the page and his blade and grabbed Gail's hand, winking her away.
VIGNETTE - IT TAKES TWO
While Castiel and Gail were gone from their headquarters, Gabriel was pacing the floor, livid. Boy, it was a good thing for Crowley that Gabe had left God's Seal back on the floor of the interrogation room, or he would be one very dead King of Hell right now. So, Crowley had betrayed them. Quelle surprise. Why did Cas think that Gabriel had been so reluctant to make the deal in the first place?
The Archangel stopped his pacing and grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt. "I want you and Isaac to go out there and find what's left of Raphael's army. You tell them that Castiel and I are their leaders now, and they have new marching orders. They are to go to every corner of the Earth, and slaughter as many Demon bastards as they can. And if for any inexplicable reason they refuse, you are to kill them where they stand. If anyone finds any of the major players on Lucifer's side, they are to summon me immediately."
"What about Cas and Gail?" Frank asked the Archangel.
Gabriel looked at him for a moment. "Uhhhh...what ABOUT them?" he asked Gail's brother.
"Shouldn't we be mounting a rescue operation?" Frank persisted.
The Archangel gave him an indulgent look. Humans. "Well, aren't you cute," he said dryly. "And just where do you suggest that we GO for this rescue operation? Don't you think, if I had any idea where Lucifer's compound was, we'd be storming over there right now?"
Frank let out a frustrated breath. OK, the guy had a point. "Okay, then we just torture the crap out of any of those black-eyed bastards we come across, until they give it to us. How about that?"
Gabe gave him a half-shrug. "Fine. Let's go, then," he said to the Angels and humans who were in his charge. He could understand where Frank was coming from, but Gail's brother was just deluding himself. This was wartime, not an action movie starring some impossibly tanned and muscled human being. Castiel and Gabriel had already talked about this type of scenario. Neither of them could ever consider enslavement by Lucifer to be an option, and Castiel could never allow Gail to be taken to Lucifer's harem, of course. The men had no illusions about what would happen to her there. Death would be far more preferable. No; all they were going to find when they stormed into Lucifer's lair were a bunch of evil vermin and two very dead lovers, who had deserved a much better fate.
But in the meantime, the survivors had work to do. "You coming?" Frank said to the Winchesters, cinching his weapons belt tight. Those bastards were gonna regret messing with Frank's family. Jody looked at him with a grim smile. She had never had any real family of her own in this reality, so she could only imagine how he was feeling right now. But if there was even a chance that they could get Cas and Gail back alive, that would be a big win for their side. And Lord knew they could use one of those.
"Go ahead," Dean said to Gail's brother. "I've gotta see a man about a horse." He took Nicole's hand. "Go with Gabriel. He'll keep you safe. Me and Sam will see you in a minute."
Sam shrugged, nodding towards his sibling. "Buddy system," he said by way of explanation. "We'll catch up."
Everyone filed out of the headquarters, and when the two brothers were the only ones left in the building, Sam turned to Dean. "What'd you have in mind?" he asked his older brother.
A short while later, the Winchesters were quickly and quietly picking their way through the rubble in the streets. They had encountered small pockets of enemies along the way, but it had been nothing that they couldn't handle.
But Sam was puzzled. "Why is it so quiet?" he asked his brother with suspicion. "Shouldn't there be more..."
"More what, Sammy?" Dean asked him, kicking a couple of smaller chunks of concrete aside.
"I dunno. Just...more," Sam said, thoughtful. "And don't call me Sammy. I hate that."
"No, you don't," Dean told his brother, and Sam sighed. No, he guessed he didn't, not really. It certainly beat the alternative.
"Sometimes, I wonder what the point of all of this is," Dean said suddenly. "What are we even fighting for, anymore? If Demons or Angels or whoever want this stupid planet, maybe we should just let them have it. Pollution, disease, war, global warming...it's not like it's a freakin' paradise, here."
"They killed our kids, Dean," Sam said softly. "They killed Quinn."
"I know that!" Dean said angrily. "Don't you think I know that? Not one damn day goes by that I don't replay that day over and over, in my head! What did I do wrong? What should I have done differently? I didn't protect our family, Sam. That was my job, and I failed."
"You're not the only one who failed," Sam agonized, tears springing to his eyes. "I lost everything, that day."
"Not everything," Dean assured his younger brother. "You still have us. We still have each other." He clapped his brother on the shoulder. "That's gotta count for something."
Sam pulled Dean to him for a hug. "Awww, geez," Dean said softly, but he hugged Sam back just as fiercely.
"Well, well. Isn't this a touching sight," Azazel said sarcastically. He had suddenly appeared on the street ahead, in the direction to which the brothers were heading. They were closer to Lucifer's headquarters than they knew, and he couldn't pass up the chance to mess with them a bit more. "How are you, boys?"
Both Winchesters were seething. "Why did you kill our kids?!" Sam yelled at the yellow-eyed Demon.
Azazel shrugged. "Because I could," he stated. "And, because, I was owed."
"I don't know what you mean by that, and I don't even want to know," Sam said between gritted teeth. He went to his belt for the Demon knife and advanced on Azazel, brandishing it in his hand. "Come on, you coward. Let's see if you're as good at fighting grown men as you are at beating up women and children."
Azazel rolled his eyes. "You do realize that I can vapourize you with one little flick of my finger, right?"
"Then do it," Sam said with barely controlled anger. He stood right in front of the former Prince of Hell, holding the Demon knife aloft.
"Stand down, Sam," Dean instructed his brother. "We've seen what this douchebag can do." He moved forward, standing between Azazel and his brother, looking at the yellow-eyed Demon with a crooked smile. "I don't know what my brother is thinking," Dean went on. "We all know a simple Demon knife can't kill somebody like you."
"That's right," Azazel said arrogantly.
"No, he shouldn't have a Demon knife," Dean said conversationally. "He should have one of these." He took God's Seal out of his pocket and sprang forward, grabbing Azazel and pressing the Seal against his face. "Fry, you Demon son of a bitch!" Dean yelled. "Nobody messes with our family! Not now, not ever!"
Azazel was screaming at the top of his lungs now, but there was no one to hear him. Lucifer and his supposed allies were all otherwise occupied at the moment. And even if they hadn't been, none of them would have risked themselves for Azazel, anyway. He was just a cheap thug, a Demon who Crowley had kicked out of Hell years ago for the crime of thinking that he was more than he actually was. The Demon who had started Sam and Dean Winchester on their path was a relic from the past, a boogeyman whose reboot was done.
Dean and Sam exchanged grim smiles of satisfaction as Azazel turned to ashes, and then they went looking for the rest of their group.
VIGNETTE - LIKE A PRAYER
Rowena had been hearing the screams for the better part of an hour now, and she had been on the verge of tearing her flaming red tresses right out of her scalp when, mercifully, they had finally stopped.
Shortly thereafter, Jason emerged from the corridor which led down to the servants' quarters. He had blood on his hands and face, but strangely enough, none on his clothing. Rowena frowned. Come to think of it, maybe that wasn't strange, at all. Whatever it was he had been doing to that poor girl, he must have been doing it with his clothes off. The witch felt nauseous.
"How you can call yourself an Angel is beyond me," she said to him.
Jason smiled coldly. "I don't know where people ever got the idea that Angels are supposed to be synonymous with Saints," he said, approaching her. "Or worse, with chubby little babies, sitting on clouds and playing harps. Now, come over here, and clean me up."
Rowena's lips tightened, but she moved to him obediently. If Lucifer were to hear that she had refused to assist his lieutenant...well, suffice it to say that she didn't want to find out what would happen. Placida had snapped the other day and cursed Jason out, and all that Lucifer had done was look at the woman. Then, seconds later, her flesh had rotted right off of her face, and then her body had exploded. Literally. Exploded. Then Lucifer had giggled and said something vulgar to Vincent, telling the Voodoo Priest to clean up his mess. Then, Satan had clapped a hand on Jason's shoulder and said that Jason could buy him a drink to thank him, leaving a fuming Vincent behind. Rowena had been careful to keep her expression neutral, but inside, she had been rejoicing. Those Voodoo people were the worst sort. Upstarts, who could do parlour tricks, but who lacked the training or the education to practice the ancient arts properly. They had no regard for Rowena, or for what she could do. About the only one of them that she had held out any hope for was Blaise. The girl was young and innocent, in a lot of ways, but she spoke to Rowena and Abbadon deferentially, with the proper respect. When the witch and the Demon left this place, they'd already agreed that they were going to take Blaise with them. Then all they would need was an Angel for their group and they would have the set, Rowena had joked.
She waved her hands over Jason now, cleaning the blood from his skin. He was looking down at her, smirking. "You don't like me very much, do you?"
Rowena bit the insides of her cheeks to keep herself from issuing a scathing retort. No. He wasn't going to get her that easily.
Jason went for a different tactic. "You know, I thought that Blaise wouldn't be such a noisy little thing. From what Vincent's told me, she's much more used to the rough stuff. More than a lot of you other spoiled princesses. Oh, well. It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. She's dead, now. After you're done cleaning me up, you can take her outside and leave her on the curb with the rest of the trash."
Rowena's blood was boiling. Who did this man think he was? Or, more importantly, who did he think he was dealing with?
She waved her hands faster over him, speaking the words of the spell: "Vian dem morte. No ideme rebatem."
Jason looked down at himself. "What are you doing? What's happening to me?"
"Nothing you don't deserve," Rowena said happily. She lifted her lead high as Jason fell to his knees, retching and choking. "Come in, dearie. You have to see this," the red-haired witch called out to Abbadon.
The Demon woman hurried around the corner. She'd been waiting out there this whole time, just in case her friend had needed her assistance. But, as usual, the diminutive witch had come out on top of the transaction. Moments later, Jason's essence had escaped his vessel. The women watched the process in fascination, but they made no move to preserve any of it. Even in their most toxic spells, they had no use for such a putrid ingredient.
Rowena looked down at Jason with an expression of utter contempt on her face. "Take him outside and leave him on the curb, with the other trash," she said to Abbadon, consciously mirroring what Jason had said about Blaise just a few minutes prior. But then she looked up at her friend and added, "Please."
Abbadon came over to where Rowena was standing, and she nodded. She would. Of course she would. Anything Rowena wanted. Rowena had been so good to her. So generous in sharing her knowledge of magic. Any number of Lucifer and Crowley's sexist bastards might be surprised that women could actually work together and cooperate with each other without tearing each other limb from limb.
"And then, you and I will pack our bags, and we'll leave this place," Rowena went on. "Lucifer's tyranny is nearly at an end."
Abbadon smiled. That was what she'd been hoping to hear. She leaned down and kissed her friend tenderly. "I'll be right back," the Demon told the witch. Then she crouched beside Jason's vessel, and then disappeared with it.
CASTIEL - FIGHT THE POWER
By the time Castiel and Gail reappeared in the park, he had made up his mind.
He reached into his pocket and took out the page from the Book of Life, regarding it reverently. This version of Castiel knew what it was too, of course. The Books were the stuff of legend. But, how had Lucifer gotten his hands on this, he wondered?
Oh, well. Castiel supposed it didn't really matter all that much. The important part was that Cas held it in his hand now, and the tide was about to turn.
"I will be the one to rule, now," he told Gail. "With this page, I can turn back the clock. I will go back to Heaven, and I will open up training schools, to teach the Angels how to fight properly. But we will also educate them on the worth and merits of humanity, and ensure they know that annexation is wrong. Once they are thus educated, we will return here, and wipe Lucifer and Crowley and their ilk from the face of the Earth, so you will never have to worry about them again."
"Ummm...I really hate to have to be the one to bring this up, but wasn't Crowley the one who just helped us?" Gail said. "I'm pretty sure he didn't put that page in your hand so you could turn around and use it to screw him."
"Why not? That is exactly what he did to me," Cas pointed out. "Why should I not return the favour, then?"
Gail let out a frustrated breath. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because we're supposed to be the good guys, here?" she said sarcastically. "Oh, and that's the other thing: What's with all this 'me' and 'I' stuff? I thought that we were a team."
Now it was Cas who was frustrated. "I must bring my armies to the Earth, and eradicate Evil. Surely, you must understand that."
"Boy, does THAT ever sound familiar," Gail said, rolling her eyes. "It didn't work out too well for you back then, either."
"What are you talking about?" Cas asked her. "You have said those kinds of strange things to me before. Is it supposed to be some sort of human joke that I'm not understanding?"
Gail regarded him with mixed emotions. How was it possible for someone to be so cute, yet so clueless, at the same time? But she wanted to nip this talk of a new war straight in the bud, right now. The way he was talking sounded way too much like the time Patricia had dosed Cas, infecting him with his obsession for a Holy War. This version of Cas was pretty much like that version, except that back then, Cas had let their past relationship influence him for the better, so he had stood down.
There was no point in delaying any longer. If she didn't act now, there might not be a tomorrow, for any of them.
"You told me you loved me, the very first night we met at the Rogue Angel. Do you remember that?" Gail began.
Cas smiled. "Yes, of course I do."
"Did you ever wonder WHY you loved me?" Gail pressed on. "We'd never met, before."
Cas thought for a moment, and then he nodded his understanding of what he thought she was trying to say. "Oh, yes. Frank told me about this," he said, pleased that he'd figured it out so quickly. "He said that women employ this tactic every once in a while. He called it 'fishing for compliments'. Now it's my job to say some complimentary things about you, and then you will be happy."
Gail rolled her eyes. Cas might need that Angel army to protect her brother, the next time she got a hold of him. But right now, she had to focus on the much larger picture: preventing yet another Holy War. That piece of paper in Cas's hand was their ticket out of this crapstorm.
"No, Cas," she said in a serious tone. "There's a lot more to it than that. Give me your hand."
He took Gail's hand gladly. Who would have ever thought that an individual such as himself would have been so fortunate as to find a woman who would let him hold her hand? Of course he loved her. How could he not?
But then, she did something that both thrilled and terrified Cas: she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it tenderly, and then she put it on her head. "What are you doing?" he asked her in a trembling voice.
"I want you to search my mind," Gail told him.
Cas was astonished. "I couldn't...I can't..." he stammered. "That is such an intimate activity, and we're not even married, yet." Now, Cas was flustered for an additional reason. He had been intending to re-propose, but he had not done it. He had been so preoccupied with the war that he hadn't had the chance to even think about it. Was THAT why Gail was acting so strangely? Even though Castiel was unfamiliar with many human customs, as a male, he was aware that once a man entered into a relationship with a female, after a time, she had certain expectations. But she needn't worry. He was not the type of man who would hold her hand and then abandon her. No. Castiel was much more honourable than that. But he needed to win the war first, to make the world safe for her and her friends. Cas needed to bring that to the marriage, as a way of atoning for all of the terrible things he had done, prior to meeting Gail. This was his chance for redemption.
Cas started to pull his hand away, but Gail held on tight. "Please, Cas. Do this for me. Everything will make sense, once you do. Please," she implored him.
Castiel relented. He had no choice. Her eyes were wide and innocent, and she was gazing up at him with such longing. "All right, my love," he said softly, and a warmth spread through him. He had never called her that before, but he was definitely going to start doing so, now. He'd felt like the best part of himself when he'd said it, and Gail's eyes had lit up upon hearing it.
Cas touched his hand gently to Gail's forehead, and entered the house of her mind.
He walked into the front hallway, and then he looked around in astonishment. Gail's house was a jumbled combination of their house on Earth, the bunker's library area, Heaven, and Las Vegas. There was even a little bit of the house where she had grown up. Somehow it all worked, though.
As Cas walked slowly through it all, he was also amazed to see that each and every door to the rooms was wide open. He had searched many minds, but he had never seen one in this state before. Everyone he'd searched had something to hide. Everyone. But there were no secrets here. None at all.
Not only that, but everywhere Cas went, he saw himself. He was with Gail, Sam, and Dean, in a room that resembled a library. Cas smiled. His friends. But it was puzzling in another way, because he'd never seen this room before. How could Gail be reminiscing about a place she had never been? And Cas himself was dressed strangely. He was wearing a suit that was nice enough, but the tie was loose and appeared to be on backwards, and he was wearing a tan trenchcoat on top of it all, even though they were clearly indoors. Very odd.
He looked in another room, and there he saw himself and Gail on a bed. He had his arms around her, and they were watching television. They were both clad, but Castiel had a funny feeling when he observed them like that. A flutter in his stomach.
Then, another room with another memory. He and Gail were eating dinner, and having a glass of wine. But Angels didn't eat or drink. Yet they were both doing that here. He peered closer at Gail. Wait a moment...she was an Angel, too! What on earth was going on, here? Was Gail imagining being an Angel in order to make their being together easier for him? What a sweet thing for her to do.
"No, that's not it," Gail said, startling him. He looked down to see her, walking down the corridor beside him. Cas's mouth dropped open.
"I don't know why you're so surprised," Gail said to him. "I frequently come in here, for introspection. Don't you?"
All Cas could think of to do was nod. Yes, he did. But he'd thought he was the only one. He took her hand impulsively, and she smiled up at him.
"Isn't this funny?" Gail remarked softly, as they continued to walk down the hall. "Years ago, I would have thought that this was the strangest, most surreal experience I could ever have. Now, I'm not even sure if it would crack the Top Ten."
Cas was having trouble speaking. He was overcome with a multitude of different emotions. Was this how humans felt all the time? How did they get through life this way? How could they contain it all?
Gail looked up at him again. "I can see the light is dawning, but this is taking a wee bit too long," she said lightly. "We need to hurry up, before things get really out of hand." They stopped in front of the room she'd been leading him to. "In a nutshell, this is us," she told him. "After seeing this, you'll know the right way to use that page."
Cas stepped into the room, and the sights hit him like a wave. Las Vegas, the tribunal, the Tablet quests, their wedding, the election in Heaven. Parties and Christmases with their extended family. All the love. So much love. No Demons, no death, no violence. All of those things were in this house too, of course. All of the negative things were also part of who she was. Gail couldn't deny that. But she had herded them into one dark, remote room that she would only visit out of necessity, from time to time.
Cas was looking around everywhere, in sheer amazement. He smiled slowly, as memory after memory washed over him. The two of them, being Angels together. Travelling the world on important missions. Helping people. Doing what Angels were supposed to be doing. Castiel wasn't mentoring Gail on how to be an Angel; SHE was mentoring HIM. They had withstood every test that their Father had administered to them, and they had done it together.
He leaned down to kiss her, and she touched his face with both of her hands. "I know what we have to do with that page," Cas said softly.
Cas took his hand away from Gail's head, looking at her in wonderment. "I have never seen anything like that, not in all my years," he told her. "It's no wonder I love you so. We're not going to wage war, my darling. That's not who I am. Correction: that's not who WE are. We're going to take this page and use it to give our loved ones the kinds of lives they should have had, all along."
Gail was nodding. "Exactly. That's what we should have done, in the first place. Now that WE'RE okay, we need everybody else to be OK, too."
Cas took the page out of his pocket again and regarded it for a moment. He frowned slightly. "Maybe, just to be on the safe side..." He tore the page in half, slowly and carefully. "There. Now we have a failsafe. In the event that things do not turn out the way they should, we can then use the other half to return here. Agreed?"
Gail nodded. That was sensible enough. She was fervently hoping they wouldn't have to use that second half, but the two of them did have a proclivity for messing things up, even when they were trying to do the right thing.
Cas put the second half of the page back in his pocket for safekeeping, and took Gail's hand with the other. "Are you ready, my love?"
Gail took a deep breath. WAS she? Were they crazy for doing what it was that they were about to do? But, how could they NOT do it? Right now, the world was in ruins, and Lucifer was in charge. If they didn't do something to change that, they would all end up dead, or worse.
"I'm ready," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Cas spoke a couple of phrases in the ancient language, and the half-page from the Book of Life glowed for a moment, then disappeared.