Chapter 4 - Mad (About You)

Summer was winding down now, and as Rob stood on the back deck of Barry and Tommy's new home, he could almost smell the crisp fall air that was due to come in at the end of the week. It was hot today, though. It was as if the season didn't quite want to let go of its hold on the area just yet. But the end of the summer was indeed coming, and with it would come a lot of changes to the status quo.

Some of those changes had already begun. Barry, Tommy and Carolyn had decided a while back that they didn't want to continue living in a highrise condo near downtown Vancouver with a small baby in the house. Peter had already shown signs of wanting to be on the move, and there was no way Carolyn wanted to have to worry about her son walking, and the fact that they lived on the 20th Floor. So they'd sold the apartment and gotten this house in the 'burbs. There were extra bedrooms for visitors, and there was both a front and a back yard for Peter to do his exploring. There were also quite a few young families in the neighbourhood, which meant potential playmates for Peter, and whoever else might come along.

Rob took a sip of his coffee and smiled. Tommy and Barry hadn't said anything publicly yet, but he knew that they had been talking privately about adopting a child of their own. Maybe even going overseas to do it, like Brad and Angelina. The men had been enjoying their domestic bliss and their love so much that they wanted to share it with others. Barry had been thrilled with their new house. He'd always had a love of cooking and baking and home decor, and now he was in his element. And Tommy had set up an office for himself in the basement, where he was going to attempt to write the next great Canadian novel.

There was lots of room for Carolyn and Baby Peter in their house, and in their hearts. Carolyn had been talking about getting a job, and Barry had told her he would gladly stay at home with Peter. She should also get out every once in a while, he'd told her. Make some friends. Maybe even meet a guy. When was the last time she'd gotten herself laid? Barry had asked her one night over a couple too many glasses of wine, and the two of them had looked over at Peter's playpen and burst out laughing.

Rob had had a terrific summer. He'd done everything Jody had wanted him to do, and more. His latest birthday had come and gone, and he'd woken up to a very pleasant surprise in the form of a birthday card with the number of a bank account in it. When he'd gone online to check it out, Rob had been amazed to discover that Uncle Cas had set him up with a trust fund when he'd been younger, and his other Uncles had been kicking in a few bucks here and there, according to the note in the card, whenever they could. The bottom line was that, now that Rob was statistically considered a man, he now discovered that he was a fairly well-to-do one, also.

His parents hadn't made it here for his actual birthday. His Mom had been too sick to travel, then. But they were here now, and Rob's blended, extended family had been having a fantastic time. Barry loved having two babies in the house, and he had been driving all their other friends crazy by taking way too many pictures of little Angela and Peter in adorable poses, doing adorable things, and posting them online. One day, Sam had come back to his and Dean's motel room to find his brother swearing, saying if he got one more alert from Barry with an attachment, he was gonna drive up to Vancouver and see exactly where on Barry's body he could cram a computer. But that didn't stop Dean from forwarding each and every picture they received to Nicole, and every once in a while, Sam caught a glimpse of Dean looking surreptitiously at some of those photos and smiling.

Rob put his coffee cup down on the railing of the deck and stretched to his full height. He felt a little sore and achy this morning. This must be what his Dad felt like all the time. Rob smiled. His parents were unbelievable. They had announced that they were coming up here for a vacation, but that he should keep working, and carry on with his life. OK, fine. They'd done some sightseeing with Barry and Tommy and Carolyn, and life had gone on pretty much as usual. But then, on one of Rob's days off, he had answered the front door to find a brand new car being delivered, and that car was for him. And in the trunk was a brand new laptop. His Mom had said it was to make up for not having been able to be with him on his actual birthday. Rob had been astonished. It wasn't like Jody had been on tour with a rock group, or something. She'd been battling cancer, undergoing chemo treatments that had made her bald, and sick as a dog. Then hugs were exchanged and tears were shed, and then Rob had taken his Mom out for a drive in his new car, just the two of them. They'd parked somewhere and gotten milkshakes, and Rob had asked her how she was really doing. Surprisingly well, Jody had told her son. She was sporting a close-cropped, almost military-style hairstyle, but she proudly announced that each and every bristly follicle was her own. Although it was coming in with a really weird mixture of both brown and grey. Frank had joked that the colour looked like a squirrel that was trying to make up its mind, and Jody had told him that wasn't the least bit funny. But when she'd told Rob about that line on their drive, mother and son had looked at each other and nearly blew their milkshakes out of their noses laughing.

Last night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Rob and his Dad had sat out here on the deck and had a few beers together. A rite of passage, Frank had called it. One he'd never gotten the chance to share with his own father, because apparently, Gail's father had decided that Frank's parents no longer wanted to go on living. They had never really received factual confirmation about what had happened that day, although they all knew now that it was the truth, anyway.

"He's going to be a big problem," Rob had told Frank, taking a sip of his beer.

Frank had sighed. "An evil-ass, baby-bleeding, voodoo Priest who's looking for the Book of the Dead? Nawwww, that can only be good for us. I figured we'd have him over for Christmas. He and Cas will be best buddies, I'm sure." Then he had looked at Rob pointedly. "Any eyes and ears on this guy? Anything at all?"

Rob had shaken his head. "Nope. Not on Abigail, either. Aunt Gail said her mother has Cathy's files. If we could find her and get a look at those, it'd be a place to start. Or maybe Abigail knows where he is. That guy's gonna be a big problem, Dad," he repeated earnestly. "He's planning something. I don't know what, but we've all got to be on our guard. Tell Aunt Gail."

Frank took a pull on his beer, looking thoughtful. "I haven't seen that much of her recently. She and Cas have been up in Heaven, doing Angel stuff. I miss her like crazy, but maybe it's just as well. You're kind of freaking me out, Rob."

"Sorry, Dad. Let's talk about something else, then," Rob had said, and they'd gone on to other subjects.

But this morning, Rob realized he couldn't hide away here in Canada any more pretending like everything was OK, because very soon, things were going to be far from OK. He couldn't pretend that he wasn't a part of all the madness that was going to come, because he was very much a part of it. He and Gail were Vincent's children, and soon, they were going to have to make a stand.

Rob finished his coffee. As soon as everybody got up, he was going to have breakfast with them and then head over to the newspaper office. There, he was going to shake the Chief Editor's hand and thank him for the summer internship, and the advice. Please don't hold it against Tommy, but Rob had to go back to the States with his family. His Mom was recovering from cancer surgery, he had a baby sister who was going to be a year old soon, and the bottom line was that Rob missed his family. He was sorry, but when they left for the States, Rob planned to go with them.

Then, Rob was going to meet Alexis and break up with her. He'd told a few girls over the summer that he didn't want to see them anymore, but this particular split was going to be hard on the both of them. But probably it would be harder on Rob, because Rob had lost his virginity to Alexis, just a few short weeks ago. He'd had a few chances to hook up over the summer, but Rob had held out for as long as he could. Not because he thought it would be any kind of a sin, or anything. How could he? Even God was living out of wedlock these days. Rob had been amazed when his Dad had told him over their beers that technically, Uncle Cas and Aunt Gail weren't married any more. But they were still living together, even though Gail made a big show of going to their house on Earth every once in a while to create the impression that they weren't. No, it wasn't sex that bothered Rob. That part had been terrific, and it had helped that Alexis was older and more experienced. She had been able to give Rob a few instructions here and there, and even though he'd been awkward and overeager at first, Rob thought he'd done all right. He must have, because Alexis had continued to date him. But, Rob had to be honest: he didn't love Alexis, and he knew she didn't love him. He was sure that she would be just fine with his leaving.

And then, he was going to have dinner with his family tonight and tell them he was coming home. He wasn't going to ask his parents, he was going to tell them. Rob had the feeling that they wouldn't raise too much of an objection about it. When they demonstrated physical affection towards him, Rob could feel how much they missed him. But they didn't want to say anything, because they didn't want to disrupt his life here.

His life? No. Rob didn't have a life here, not without his family. He'd been having a summer fling here, that was all. He smiled. He would have to write that one down. He loved Barry and Tommy and Carolyn and Baby Peter, but Rob's heart was in Kansas.

He brought his empty coffee cup inside the house and closed the sliding patio door.

Vincent was smiling. He stood on the front lawn of the grounds, looking at the structures. The buildings were already pretty much adequate for his purposes. It was amazing what a little voodoo magic, a bit of charm and intimidation, and a buttload of money could do.

He'd been ground to a halt, as far as the Book went. Vincent had greased a lot of palms in a lot of corners of the globe, and if something didn't shake loose soon, he was going to have to start slicing and dicing.

He may not be reduced to such crudeness when his children arrived, though. Once the amenities were installed here and Vincent called his best and brightest to him, one of them might well have some information for him. There were quite a few psychics coming, as well as a plethora of other potential talents. Surely, one of them would be able to give him some intel on the stupid Book, given the right motivation. Some needed the carrot, and others, the stick. There were some very interesting prospects among the ones that he would call here. Vincent had felt his son Rob trying to probe and feel around for his whereabouts, and that pleased him. That was some serious juice that Rob was exhibiting, there. And Rob's twin brother was very talented at teleporting himself, although he sometimes had trouble controlling it. Neither Rob nor Eric knew of each other's existence, but if it suited Vincent, he might bring the two young men together, at some point.

The one he was the most excited about receiving was his daughter, Gail. There was just so much upside there. When he'd first found out that she had become an Angel, Vincent had been pissed off, thinking that she was lost to him. But now, he realized that she was the greatest asset he could have. She had otherworldly powers, she was an excellent fighter, and she was God's wife. When Vincent had dropped in on their little confab with Oliver, he had been impressed by Gail's spirit, her aggression towards him, and her vulnerability when it came to her friends. And the way that Castiel had come roaring in there, using his Godly powers to defend her? If Vincent were to ever consider swinging that way, Gail's husband would probably be one hell of a place to start. No wonder Gail was so into him. She was Vincent's daughter, after all.

It would be risky calling Gail here, but there was just so much potential upside that he couldn't not do it. That husband of hers was going to pose Vincent's biggest challenge yet, but he did so enjoy a challenge. There were so few of them left to him these days. Vincent had the feeling that Castiel was going to be a lot of fun. So would Gail be, if she would just control her mouth a bit. From the admittedly brief sampling he'd had, it seemed to Vincent that his daughter had an extra helping of sass. She must have gotten that from her mothers. Both of them.

But Vincent had a couple of things up his sleeve for Mr. and Mrs. God, things that they might not be expecting. He had a couple of individuals in his employ who were familiar with the two of them, one in particular who had advised that he was very well acquainted with the Lord God Castiel. Vincent couldn't wait.

He walked into the main quarters to check on the testing facilities.

Gail was angry now. She and Cas had come down to the bunker to greet everyone when they got back, and they'd been having a nice visit, up until she'd made the mistake of talking about her pilot project.

She blamed Sam. When he and Dean had been on the road, Gail had sent the younger Winchester an e-mail, asking for his advice on how to word a couple of paragraphs on the cover letter of her presentation. The fact that God was her husband notwithstanding, she was going to be professional about this.

"So, when can we expect a bunch of Angels to show up here on Earth?" Sam asked Gail, grinning.

"Yeah, give us some kind of warning, at least," Dean said, nudging Cas. He looked at Gail. "Did you put that 'no dicks' clause in there, like I told you?"

"Well then, by your definition, there wouldn't be that many coming, would there?" Frank said dryly. He yoinked the beer out of Dean's hand, smirking, and gave it to Jody. She grinned up at her husband. Jody was healthy enough to have the occasional beer now, and she had slowly started to work out again, in their basement gym. She still had her off days, but she felt like she was on the right side of things now. She had just a few radiation treatments left, and then she and Dr. Glover were going to talk some more.

"There won't be any Angels coming," Cas said, tight-lipped. Gail was staring at him, but he was avoiding her gaze.

"Ask him why not," Gail said to their family, gesturing in frustration. "Go ahead. Ask him."

"OK, I'll take the bullet: why not?" Bobby said to Cas.

"Because HE thinks it's a bad idea!" Gail exclaimed, before Cas could speak.

"It IS a bad idea," Cas said, as patiently as he could. "We've been over this."

"It's not," she insisted. "You just have to open your mind a little. Just because something's never been done before, that doesn't make it a bad idea."

"Well, this is a bad idea, and we're not going to be doing it," he said firmly.

"You're wrong, Cas. You're not even giving it a chance," Gail persisted.

Cas let out a frustrated breath. "I wish you would stop objecting to everything I say," he said to Gail in an exasperated tone.

"Well, then, stop saying so many objectionable things!" she retorted tartly.

Cas threw his hands up in a gesture of ultimate frustration. "You're being very obstinate," he told Gail.

"No, YOU are," she shot back. "You know, just because you're God, that doesn't mean you can just say or do anything you want!"

Frank looked at the Winchesters. "You know, I kinda thought it did," he remarked to them.

Dean grinned. "Ten bucks on Gail. Pool starts now: how many minutes until the Almighty folds like a cheap suit?" Frank was holding a fresh beer he'd grabbed from the mini-fridge, and Dean grabbed it from him now, raising the bottle to Gail's brother in a mock salute.

"All I know is, if Cas raises his hands like that again, I'm ducking for cover," Sam quipped.

"I hate to tell you this, kiddo, but I've gotta go with Cas on this one," Frank said to his sister. "Sam and Dean have told me stories about Angels here on Earth that nearly made my hair go dark again."

"Oh, what do you know about it?" she asked him irritably. "You never even met an Angel before, until you met Cas."

"Dicks," Dean said, pretending to cough into his hand.

Gail glared at him. "Fine. I'll tell you what, then: why don't you all just f-"

"Hey, Cas, do you want to come with us to the bar?" Sam said quickly. "I'll buy you a drink."

Cas looked at Gail. "I don't understand why you are fighting me on this."

She looked back at him coolly. "Obviously. Never mind the hours that the board and I spent debating the pros and cons, and working up the presentation. You listened to the first sentence, and said no. But you don't understand why I'm angry," she added sarcastically.

"It's a bad idea, Gail," Cas repeated. "You don't know Angels like I do. It's a recipe for disaster. I'm God, and I say no. End of discussion."

"Don't you try that with me," she said through gritted teeth. "You're getting dangerously close to telling me to obey you. Let's see how well that works out for you."

As Cas opened up his mouth to speak again, Sam and Frank grabbed him by the arms, turned him around, and propelled him towards the corridor. "Come on, Cas," Sam said. "Just one drink." Then they were down the hallway and heading towards the garage, with whatever potentially disastrous retort Cas had been about to make remaining mercifully unsaid.

"So where does God go, when he's in the doghouse?" Dean asked Cas with a smirk.

"Nowhere," Cas said sadly, taking a small sip of his beer. "Gail's been staying in our house here on Earth, for the most part."

The men all nodded. That was an open secret in their family, one of those things that everybody knew about, but nobody ever talked about. They knew that the couple still got together at one domicile or another, but, when she thought she should, Gail went to their house here in the neighbourhood. Sometimes Cas stayed with her, and sometimes he didn't. But until they underwent the ancient ritual for annulment and remarried, this was the uneasy compromise they had arrived at.

"Well, at least you guys don't sleep, so you don't have to worry about her kicking you downstairs to sleep on the couch," Frank remarked. "I hate it when Jody does that."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be such a dick," Sam teased him. "I'm sure that whenever she does that, she has a good reason."

Frank glared at him. He opened his mouth to retort, and then he closed it again. The truth was, on the rare occasions when that had happened, Frank had totally deserved it.

Rob cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I'm just trying to figure out what's going on, here," he said to the men. Secretly, Rob was thrilled. This was the first time he'd ever gone out to have a drink at the Hunter bar with his Dad and his Uncles, just the guys. It was great. He lowered his voice. "I thought that God was the ultimate boss of everything, Uncle Cas."

"Maybe I would be, if I was single," Cas lamented, and all the men laughed. Dean clapped him on the back, making Cas spill his beer. He automatically waved his hand, cleaning it up. Luckily, no one in the bar was paying any attention to them.

"That was a good one, Cas," Frank said to his brother-in-law, raising his drink in salute. "Women, eh? Can't live with 'em, can't smite 'em."

This led to another round of back-slapping, jokes, and laughter, and then another round of drinks. But Cas was looking around the bar restlessly now. He loved being here with his friends, but he missed Gail. He hated it when they fought. Usually, he just gave in, because usually, she was right. But in this case, Cas was still convinced that she was wrong. As he looked around at all the Hunters in the bar, Cas allowed himself to fantasize about throwing a bunch of Angels into the mix. Even if they were to vet the individuals very closely for the pilot project, he still thought it was a risk that they couldn't afford to take. Sending otherworldly beings unto the Earth to interact with humans was inadvisable. Angels had once been humans too, and they would bring their emotional baggage down here with them. For every selfless, benevolent Angel like Liz, there could be two like Pamela, Xavier, or even Metatron. Heaven wasn't perfect, nor were the Angels who inhabited it. Unless one of them were to commit a crime or behave very badly while they were in Heaven, though, they were entitled to stay there. But that didn't mean that Castiel believed that they were all virtuous, or altruistic. Pamela posed no threat to Cas, or Gail, or their marriage, but that didn't mean that he trusted her, either. He allowed her to remain at the Academies because she was good at her job, and because he thought it was important to have female instructors. Linda had now joined his faculty and was a part-time instructor, but there were still too few females. If Gail wasn't so busy, he would ask her to do it. She was a tacit member of the faculty, of course, just as he was a tacit board member. But she had her main board duties, she also served on the Suicide Board when needed, she volunteered at the seniors' centre and the school with Liz, and she helped Frank and Jody out on Earth. Although now that Jody's health was improving and Rob was back, the latter would probably become a moot point now.

In any event, the point that Cas was making to himself, and had been trying to make to Gail, was that Angels did not always mix well with each other, let alone with humans. There were many humans that needed help, but they did not necessarily want to acknowledge that fact. For example, Stephen, the man who was playing pinball at the machine across the room, had a drinking problem that he was in deep denial about. He had already lost his wife and children because of it. Rebecca had stuck by him all those years as he did odd jobs by day, and Hunted at night. They'd even built a bit of a normal home life together. But Stephen had become haunted by the monsters he'd Hunted, and he had started to spend more and more time here, trying to drink the images away. Rebecca had begged him to get help for his problem, and he had laughed harshly, and said he didn't have one. And, even if he did, what was he supposed to do? Go and lay on some psychiatrist's couch and talk about vampires, and Rugarus? So she had taken the kids and left, and now Stephen spent nearly all of his time here at the bar when he wasn't Hunting, because he didn't want to rattle around in a nearly empty house, wondering how his family was doing without him. Fearing that the answer to the unspoken question was: Just fine, thank you very much.

Then there was Doug. He was sitting at the bar doing shots and eating bowl after bowl of the free popcorn and peanuts that the bartender was putting out. Doug was just about broke. Soon, he would have to decide whether or not to just chuck it all and look for a regular, paying job. He darted a glance at the Winchesters' table. Maybe he should talk to Sam and Dean about it. Find out how they'd stayed afloat all these years.

"Another round, boys?" Iggy asked them. He started picking up empty beer bottles and glasses from their table.

Cas looked at him. "Your wife loves you," he told the man. "You shouldn't be cheating on her with those girls."

Iggy looked at Cas, his eyes narrowing. "Look, Buddy, I don't care if you are a friend of the Winchesters, that's none of your business." He threw Dean a glare and then stalked away from the table. It was a good thing that the Winchesters brought a lot of revenue to the bar. They had been bringing that weird guy in here with them for years now, and he always looked at Iggy like Iggy was doing something wrong. And now, the dude had obviously found out that Iggy had been screwing around with the waitress from the local diner, and her twin sister. Nobody was supposed to know about that. The guy was right, of course, and Iggy knew he really shouldn't be screwing around behind his wife's back like that. But he'd always fantasized about being with twins, and when the opportunity had come up, he hadn't been able to resist. Damn that guy. He'd better keep his big mouth shut.

Dean was smirking now. "How many girls are we talking about?" he asked Cas. "Hey, if a guy as ugly as him can get multiple women, there's hope for you yet, Sammy."

Cas's lips were pursed together. He didn't find the situation funny at all. But, he also realized he shouldn't have just blurted Iggy's secret out in front of the others, either. Even though Cas highly disapproved of what Iggy was doing, nor did he have the right to invade the man's privacy by revealing his personal life to others. Now, he shut that part of his mind down so that he wouldn't have to hear the bar patrons' thoughts any more.

Now he was missing Gail again, and feeling awful about their fight. She had worked so hard on her presentation, and she had been so excited to have him hear it. And what had he done? Shut her down, without even hearing her out. Cas still didn't think it was a good idea to send Angels to Earth as missionaries, but he could at least have given her a bit more of an audience than he had. He knew that Gail was coming from a place of love and compassion, and he thought that was wonderful. And if she was perhaps being a little bit naive about the situation, he couldn't really condemn her for that, now, could he? Look at how green Cas had been when he'd first come to Earth.

Frank noticed it first. He nudged Sam, who kicked Dean under the table. Frank gestured towards Cas, and the men looked at their friend, smiling.

"Who has eight o'clock in the pool?" Sam wisecracked.

"I do," Rob piped up, and they all laughed as Gail walked into the bar area from the ladies' washroom.

"What's so funny?" she asked the men.

"We started a pool," her brother told her. "How many minutes it would take for God to cave. Rob won. That's my boy," he said to Rob, lifting his hand to his son for a high-five. "Pony up, guys. Next round's on Rob."

Gail rolled her eyes, shaking her head slowly. Then she started to smile. She pushed Dean. "Move over. I want to sit beside my husband."

Cas looked at Dean, but the elder Winchester was already on the move. He slid over in the booth and Cas rose to his feet, allowing Gail to slide in between them. Once she was settled, she looked around the table at everyone. "Great," she said pertly. "Now, Cas and I are going to sit here and make out for about fifteen minutes. Hopefully, that won't be a problem for anyone." She looked at Rob. "And I'll take a glass of rose wine."

Cas took her hand. "I'm so sorry, my darling. Please accept my sincere apology. I should have listened to your presentation."

"Wow. Who knew God was such a wuss?" Frank wisecracked.

Gail looked at him. "Your wife took your car home." Then she looked around the table. "The rest of you are all single, am I right? So, out of all the guys at this table, or even in this whole bar, who is sitting cuddling up to a woman at the moment? Oh, yeah. My husband. So I suggest that you guys might want to take a little relationship advice from him, next time."

Then she and Cas began to kiss, as the men all groaned.

After the Angels left the bar, they went back up to Heaven. Cas had been at his most charming and ingratiating, and Gail had forgiven him. He had implored her to show him her entire presentation, and he had told her that he would listen to the entire pitch without comment.

So she had taken him by the hand and led him to the boardroom, sat him down, and given him the whole presentation. She had slides on the PowerPoint, and she even had a couple of jokes worked in.

Cas sat back, quietly listening, trying not to smile because she might misunderstand. But, she was just so cute. He knew that Gail had never had an actual career on Earth, because she and Frank had never been able to stay in one place for long enough. But he could see how excited and proud she was now. For a moment, he could picture her as the CEO of a company, in a power suit and wearing glasses. It was a shame that she never had the chance to show off her intelligence in that way.

He listened very patiently, and as Gail continued to speak, Cas realized that she was actually making a very logical, cogent case. He was impressed by the amount of thought and care that she'd obviously put into her presentation. There was only one problem: he still disagreed with her.

But at the conclusion, Cas found that he didn't have the heart to tell her so. Their argument was still so fresh, and she looked so hopeful. And Cas didn't even have an intelligent rebuttal; he just instinctively knew that, despite their best intentions, the enterprise was doomed to fail. But, contrary to what his wife might believe, and despite how long they had been together now, Cas didn't know the first thing about being in a relationship with a woman. How was he supposed to tell her that he had no choice but to turn her proposal down?

"Well? What do you think?" Gail asked him.

Cas took a deep breath. "Let me consider what you have said. Can you give me a couple of days to think about it?"

She smiled. "Sure, Cas. I'm just happy that you listened to the whole thing. Thanks for doing that." She shut down the projector, and started to log out of the computer.

Cas felt badly now. He should really just tell her his position right now, and get it over with. But then she came to him and sat in his lap, kissing his face, and the subject was set aside.

The next day, the Angels were sitting outside, in the back of their house on Earth. Cas knew that this would be the last hot and sunny day of the summer, and he had wanted to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his skin one more time.

Gail felt no such desire, of course. She couldn't wait for the autumn. It had always been her favourite season. So she was sitting on the back porch in the shade, reading a book that she would use to fan herself with every now and then.

Cas was standing out in the back yard, studying the flowerbeds at the side of the yard. "I'm thinking about planting some vegetables here in the spring," he said aloud.

Gail looked up from her book. She smiled warmly at her husband, remembering that time in Romania when he had mentioned the possibility of growing his own vegetables here. "How many sheep do you want?" she teased him.

Cas turned around to look at her, puzzled, and then he returned her smile. He remembered the conversation too, when their family and friends had joked about that. "None, I promise," he told her now. "But, I would like to try my hand at growing a few vegetables. This soil looks like it might be well suited."

Gail shrugged. "Sure, Cas. Whatever you want." Suddenly, she felt a tickle, and she looked down to see a multi-legged bug crawling on her stomach. "Ewww! Cas!"

He came up onto the porch and saw what she was reacting to. Immediately, Cas put his hand down, and the centipede crawled onto his palm. Cas lifted the hand holding the bug towards his face, telling it softly to tell all of its little bug friends that Gail's stomach was not the path for them.

"She doesn't care for that kind of behaviour," Cas told the centipede adorably, and then his eyes shifted to her. "Besides, that's my territory," he said in a low voice.

As Cas turned to go back down to the garden area to release the centipede, Gail watched him, fanning herself with her book. She just now registered that Cas's shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow in the way that she liked, probably because he had been poking around in the soil and he hadn't wanted to get the cuffs dirty. For a masculine guy, Cas was very fastidious about those kinds of things. She watched as he crouched down and released the centipede to go on its merry way.

Gail shook her head slowly as Cas absently waved his hands to clean himself of a couple of bits of soil he had picked up from the insect. She had seen him grip his blade and carve up Demons without a single change of expression, but now, he wore a gentle smile as he watched the centipede scuttle away.

Then he straightened up and stood to his full height, returning to the porch. "Don't be too hard on our little friend," Cas said to her. "He only wanted to take the most scenic and beautiful route to where he was going." He sat down on the side of the chaise lounge on which Gail was reclining and put his hand lightly on her stomach, caressing her bare skin. "And, this particular road would be the softest on all of his little feet."

Gail smiled at him. Wow. He was really pouring on the charm. Before she could think of what to say in return, he leaned down and started to kiss her stomach, softly at first, and then with wet, open-mouthed kisses. Oh, my. Her hands went to his head as he began to lick her stomach. She had a long T-shirt on, which she had tied up and knotted just below her breasts when it had gotten too warm for her outside, and she was wearing only a pair of women's boxer underwear underneath it. When Cas startled to nuzzle her abdomen, she said, "That's it; it's getting way too hot out here." Cas smiled, and an instant later, they were in the bedroom.

Cas waved his hand, and her T-shirt disappeared. He led her to the edge of the bed and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. Another hand wave, and her underwear was gone. He raised her by her hips and buried his face aggressively between her legs, making her cry out instantly. She clutched at his head, calling out his name as he worked on her with his lips and tongue. Then he slowed down for a minute, kissing her gently, and then he sped up again. She fell back on the bed, writhing in ecstasy, giving herself over to him.

This went on for a few more minutes, and then, when she had calmed down, Gail sat up. "Now, you," she said, looking up at him. She undid his pants, eased them and his underwear down off of his hips, and started to kiss and lick him. She was delicate at first, but when she heard him begin to moan, she became more ardent. She could feel his hands on her head as she took him deeper into her mouth. He whimpered her name and pushed forward, but he was careful not to hurt her. Cas never hurt her. They had done this enough times by now for him to know how far he could go without causing her discomfort. He cried out as she moved further forward, accommodating him. Now Cas had given himself totally over to her, in return. His knees trembled, but he made himself stand firm as the hot rush came over him.

Gail was caressing him now, looking up at his face. "I suggest you turn the air conditioner on, because things are going to get even hotter in here, in a minute," she said to him, smiling. Cas waved his hand, and the window unit switched itself on. Then, another hand wave, and the bedroom door closed.

"Come and lay down with me for a minute," she said, moving up the bed to lay her head on the pillows. Cas did as she requested, taking her in his arms. They rested for a brief period of time, caressing each other lightly. Cas had waved away his own clothing at some point, and she was admiring his tanned, muscular torso. She started to kiss and lick his chest and then he pulled her head up towards his. He kissed her passionately, searching for her tongue with his own.

Then his hand wandered down her body and parted her legs. He stroked her lazily with one fingertip for a bit, and when she started to move against his hand, he smiled. Then her hand closed around him, and he started to move, as well.

When they had teased each other to the point of extreme excitement, Gail took his hand and put it on her rear end. She eased him into her. They made love that way for a few minutes, and then Gail moved her body so that she was facing away from him, and he entered her again. He pushed forward, gripping her hip gently but firmly. What a wonderful sensation this was, Cas thought. Then again, it was all wonderful. He leaned forward and flipped her hair away from her neck, kissing her there. Then he licked her earlobe and murmured words of love into her ear. She pushed her lower body against his, and Cas's head swam with the feeling of pleasure that action of hers was inducing.

Another rest, and then he was on his knees on top of her, straddling her. She had him in her mouth again and he was helpless, letting her take the lead. Then she asked him to lay on his back as they switched their positions, and she bent sweetly over him, making him shout out her name. But then, he took charge again, moving her body so that she was kneeling over his mouth. When her knees buckled, he held her firmly. And then, when she asked him to, he changed their position again so that he could enter her from behind as she gripped the headboard of the bed, telling him to go faster, please.

As they lay together afterwards, gasping for breath, Gail smiled. "What a wonderful way to end the summer," she said, kissing his face softly. "What do you say we have our showers and then pack some fresh clothes? Then we can go back up to Heaven, and you can designate a few Angels for the pilot project."

Cas looked at her, dumbfounded. He'd told her he would think about it, but she was acting as if the decision had already been made. He scooped up her hand in his and kissed every knuckle, stalling for time. But really, who was he kidding?

"All right, my darling," Cas said softly. "Go ahead and shower first, if you like. I'll start thinking about potential candidates."

She thanked him, kissing his face again and again, and then she scooted off to the shower as Cas sat up in bed, sighing. "Perhaps Dean should have set up another pool," Cas said to Ralph. But as usual, Ralph had no comment to make.

"Now that we have explained to you what we have in mind, I want to hear from each of you," Cas told the four Angels who were sitting in chairs across from his desk. "Do not let my status hinder you from speaking freely. Gail and I have agreed that this is a test case, only. We're going to send four volunteer representatives to Earth, and I have handpicked the four of you as designates. But if for any reason you do not wish to go, you need only say so. No one will be forced to go. We only want willing participants, or the enterprise is doomed to fail."

It was probably doomed to fail anyway, Cas thought, but then he checked his attitude. Gail might actually be right about this, as she had been right about so many other things. When he had been taking his own shower after their wonderful lovemaking session, Cas had tried his best to be impartial about this whole thing. Perhaps he wasn't giving in just because he loved his wife. Perhaps Gail did have a point. Maybe he was just being closed-minded, falling prey to the old ways of thinking. Heaven had changed under his regime, and thus far, every change had been an improvement. Who was to say this wouldn't be, too? Once they were dressed and had finished packing, Cas had told Gail that he wanted to start small, to dip their toes in the water, so to speak. She had been so happy that he was willing to try out her idea that she'd gladly agreed to whatever terms he had wanted to set.

Gail was sitting on a chair beside Cas now, looking at the four Angels he had chosen. She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes as she looked at Becky. Cas had broached the subject to Gail when he had been considering which Angels to pick. Becky had been restless, chomping at the bit to receive an assignment to Earth. And Cas had always had a bit of a soft spot for Becky. She had befriended Gail in Las Vegas, helped Cas with Aurielle in Florida, and supported Cas and his team in Africa during that horrible year of the death squads. Cas was aware that Becky came with some baggage, and that she was far from perfect. But she had always been there for him and Gail when it had counted, and so he had told Gail that Becky could help to spearhead the pilot project, if Gail had no objections. Gail had shrugged. Whatever Cas thought best was fine with her, she had said.

Becky was eyeing Gail surreptitiously now, but the young Angel was careful not to let her expression change. She was so close to getting what she wanted now that she didn't want to blow it. When Becky had heard through the grapevine that Gail had taken up residence at her and Cas's house on Earth, without Cas, the young Angel had freaked out. Why were the two of them separating? She'd ended up worming the information out of Chuck that Patricia had invalidated Cas and Gail's marriage when Patricia had been God, so the two of them were living apart right now, until they could make arrangements to remarry.

Becky hadn't liked that. No, she hadn't liked it one bit. It was just too convenient. Cas and Gail's house was way too close to the bunker for her liking. Forgetting the facts that Sam currently had a girlfriend, Gail would never even consider getting together with a man other than Cas, and that if Gail wanted, she had the capability of popping into Sam's bedroom every night if she so chose, Becky had been frantic to hear the news. She had to get to Earth; she just had to. So when Cas had invited Becky here to talk about her going to Earth with three other Angels, she'd been thrilled. She had originally hoped to go to Earth as a human, but for now, she would take what she could get.

Efram was excited about having been chosen for such a prestigious assignment, as was Riley. The two of them sat side by side, looking at Cas admiringly. Both young Angels had a case of hero worship for Cas that was pretty much unrivalled by any of the other Academy faculty, although Pamela's came close. She was doing her best to keep it under wraps, though. Cas had picked Riley and Efram because they were what he would have called "good soldiers", back in the old days. Because they were young, they remembered what it was like to be human, and there was the extra added benefit of Riley and Becky having served together with Cas in Africa, so they would be comfortable around one another.

The fourth designated Angel was named Martin. He sat on Riley's other side, looking at Castiel and Gail with great interest. He was a longer-serving Angel, whose outlook was a little more on the religious side of things. Cas had picked Martin because he was more mature, and because Martin had a reputation for being a no-nonsense type of individual. If Cas was going to send three young Angels to Earth to interact with the human race, he wanted an older Angel with them, one who had a moral compass, and wouldn't allow any deviations from the path.

Martin had known Castiel for some time now. Or, more accurately, he had known OF Castiel, by reputation. Martin was intrigued by the changes he saw going on in Heaven. Although he had served under the original God, for the most part, Martin approved of the changes he'd seen under Castiel's administration. He didn't even mind that Castiel acted as if his wife was an equal partner with an equal say when it came to the decisions that came out of the High Office. Some of Martin's friends and co-workers who were also long-serving Angels had commented negatively on that apparent fact, but Martin had assured them that he believed that was more a matter of appeasement than a real approach to the decision-making process.

All four Angels assured Cas that they were very happy and honoured to take the assignment. "Becky will be your coordinator," Cas told the men, prompting an eyebrow raise from Gail. Becky would not have been Gail's first choice. But Gail kept her mouth shut.

Becky was delighted. As all four of the Angels rose from their chairs, Cas informed the men that he and Becky were going to go down to Earth and rent a house that would be their base of operations. The house would be located near the bunker, and the Angels would concentrate their good works on the town of Lebanon for the time being. Then, if the pilot project was a success, he would consider expanding their area of influence. Becky would be in touch with the men, once everything was set up.

"Would you like to come with us?" Cas asked Gail, but she shook her head.

"No. I want to check in with Jody and see if she needs anything, and then I'm going to pack a few more clothes," she told him.

Becky was smiling inwardly when she heard that. If Gail was packing more clothes on Earth, that probably meant she wasn't going to be there all that much. But Becky would be, wouldn't she? Yes, she certainly would. Finally.

Gail was in the bedroom of their house on Earth, lost in thought. She had one of their suitcases on the bed and she was slowly putting some of her and Cas's clothes into it. She still intended to keep some things here for appearances' sake, but now that Rob had returned and Jody was getting healthier, Gail knew she wasn't really needed here anymore.

As she had been packing, Gail's mind free-associated, and she was now thinking about her mother, Abigail. Again. How in the hell were they supposed to find the woman? She was taking on a mythical, larger-than-life quality in Gail's mind now. There had to be a way of figuring out how to figure out where Abigail lived.

Then Gail's eyes lit on Ralph, and she smiled.

Cas and Becky were walking down the road from the house they had just rented to be a base of operations for the Angels when a car that had been driving by in the other direction slowed down, and the driver poked his head out the window.

"Excuse me," he called out. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Cas stopped walking, and then, so did Becky. "Yes?" Cas inquired. "Are you looking for directions?" he asked the man.

"Not exactly," Nate said.

"So do you think that'll work, or am I out to lunch?" Gail asked Sam and Dean. She had abandoned her packing as soon as she'd had the idea, popping over to the bunker. The brothers had just gotten home from their latest Hunting trip. It had been just a short jaunt, over to the next state. They'd more or less agreed to keep the Hunts fairly local for a time, while they might be needed here to help Jody out, or to help in the investigation to find Gail's parents.

"No, I think that's a good place to start," Sam told her now. "Actually, I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it."

"Cas want in?" Dean asked her, taking a bite of a sandwich he'd just made in the kitchen.

Gail thought about that for a moment. "I don't know. I suppose I should probably ask him," she said hesitantly.

"In on what?" Frank said, entering the library area from the hallway.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Since when did we become an open house around here?"

"Uh...I called Sam and asked him if I could borrow a few books," Frank said, frowning. "Now that Rob's back, he wants to learn more about the kind of monsters we deal with, so we're gonna do a little home schooling." He moved over to the library shelves, pausing to tousle Gail's hair on the way. As he perused the shelves, Frank said, "So, I repeat: get in on what?"

While smoothing down her hair, Gail told him about the idea she'd had, to go back to the hospital where she'd had her tonsils out as a child. "Ralph gave me the idea," she told her brother. "I told these guys about that - "

"Yeah, and I'm sorry to say this, Frank, but what your mom did really sucked," Dean said angrily.

Frank was still frowning. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. "But it was out of character for her. You guys never knew my parents, but they weren't mean people. I always thought that was really weird of her, actually."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. She hadn't been all that nice when they'd seen her spirit at that house in Denver, either. People tended to revere their parents sometimes, overlooking their true natures, especially if the parents had died before their time. Both brothers had been guilty of that same failing, in regard to their own parents.

"Anyway, I thought that if we went back to the hospital and asked them to check their old records, they might have Abigail's name and address on file," Gail continued. "Since I was adopted, I was hoping they'd have at least one of my real parents' information on file, just in case there was a medical issue of some kind. Like if I needed a transfusion or something, like I gave to Rob, when he was shot."

"Or just generally, for your medical history," Sam chipped in. "I think it's a great idea."

"I want in," Frank stated, and all three of the others exchanged glances. "What?" he said. "I'm bored. I love my family more than life itself, but do you know how long it's been since I worked a case? At least let me tag along."

Dean shrugged. "Your call, Gail."

She smirked at her brother. "I'll tell you what. If your suit pants still fit, you can come."

"Are you calling me fat?" he said, grabbing some books off the shelves.

"No, not at all," she said innocently. "But now that you mention it, you do seem a little...jollier than you used to be."

Frank brought his books out from the shelves, and then he looked skyward. "Hey, Cas, can you look the other way for a minute while I smack my sister?"

Gail grinned. "Actually, he's here in town right now. So smack me at your own risk; that just means he'll get here faster." She told the men what Cas and Becky were doing, and Frank and Dean smiled at each other. Dammit. They should have started up another pool on how long it would take until Cas caved on Gail's idea.

But Sam was frowning now. Becky, on Earth, nearby the bunker? He wasn't sure he liked that. But he guessed it wasn't really any of his business, in a way, provided she left him alone. If she left him alone.

"I'll ask Cas if he wants to come, too," Gail told them. "We'll go tomorrow." Then she popped out as Frank looked at the brothers. "I'd better get going, too," he said to them. "I have to find out if Jody can show me how to let out my suit pants by tomorrow. Shut up, Winchester," he added, pointing at Dean.

Frank walked down the hall towards the garage to the sound of the brothers' laughter.

Nate had pulled the car over to the curb on the other side of the street and hopped out to talk to the Angels. "My name's Nathaniel Regan. I'm a talent scout, for various entertainment companies. I just wanted to tell you that you're a very stunning couple."

"We're not a couple," Cas stated very quickly, and Becky looked at him sharply. Geez, he didn't have to look THAT disgusted by the idea, did he? "We're just friends," Cas continued. "My friend just moved here, and I was helping her to find a home."

"Oh," Nate said, trying not to laugh at the look on the girl's face. "Well, anyway, how would the two of you like to make a little money in the entertainment industry?"

Cas frowned deeply. "No. Let's go, Becky." He took the young Angel by the arm, steering her away.

"Wait. Not so fast," Nate said, smiling ingratiatingly. "Your friend there is really cute, and you've got that dark, brooding quality. You'll appeal to both sexes."

Cas wheeled around and grabbed Nate by the shirt front, getting close to his face. "I've heard about men like you. We're not interested in your type of 'entertainment'," Cas growled. "Now get in your car and drive away, or you will be very sorry that you did not take my advice."

"My kind of - " Nate laughed, despite the intimidation he was feeling. "You've got me all wrong, Mister. I'm talking about modelling."

"Really?" Becky said eagerly, approaching the men.

"Stay out of this, Becky," Cas said through gritted teeth. "This man is what Dean would call a 'sleazeball'."

"I am not," Nate protested, with as much dignity as he could muster, considering that he was on the verge of pooping his pants. "I represent American Beauties, among other companies."

"That's one of the biggest modelling agencies in the world, Cas," Becky told him. "Their models are in all the best fashion magazines. Let him go, Cas. Let's talk to him. I need a job here, don't I? This would be perfect. I could work part-time, and still have time for that other stuff."

Cas reluctantly let go of Nate's shirt and stepped back, but he continued to eye the man warily. "Let me give you my card," Nate said, reaching slowly into his inside jacket pocket. He handed the business card to Cas, who looked down at it.

Nate pulled at the cuffs of his shirt, smoothing out his clothes. Just friends, his ass. This guy had a temper, and he was obviously very protective of his "friend". But Nate guessed that was understandable. She was young and pretty, and his early impression of her was that she wasn't particularly bright. She was lucky that Nate was one of the few who actually was on the level.

And as far as this man Cas went, even though he seemed to have a short fuse, Nate would like to have him as a client. The guy was tall and handsome, with ice-blue eyes and a sexy dusting of stubble on his jaw. The magazine people would love him. He had a nice physique, too, from what Nate could see.

"Would you excuse us for a second?" Becky said sweetly, and she tugged at Cas's sleeve, pulling him away from Nate. "I want to do this, Cas," she pleaded. "Please." She was beside herself now. Imagine if she became a model. Surely Sam would have to notice her if she was in all those fashion magazines.

Cas was considering. If this fellow was legitimate, Cas supposed it would be a good idea for Becky to have a job. Not only would she then appear to be human, which was the whole point, but she would also be kept busy while not out with the other Angels, doing good deeds. Contrary to what most of their friends seemed to think, Cas was not oblivious about Becky's proximity to Sam, and the bunker. But he had decided not to worry about that, unless and until there was something to worry about.

"I'll tell you what," Cas said to Nate. "We'll talk it over, and then we'll call you to let you know what we decide." He gestured with Nate's business card, then put it in his pocket.

"Fair enough," Nate said. He walked back to his car and drove off.

"You have to do it, Cas," Gail said, her lips twitching furiously. They were in his office in Heaven now, coordinating with each other after their separate errands.

"You want me to be a model?" Cas said incredulously.

"Just do one photo shoot," she persisted. "Please? For me? Maybe I can get some nice big glossy pictures and hang them in our house, and in my office." She smiled mischievously. "Maybe I can get them to take one of you with your shirt off, for my private collection."

Cas shook his head slowly. "You really think they would want to take pictures of me?"

Gail rolled her eyes. "Either you're pretending to be modest, or you've never looked in a mirror. Cas, the guy stopped his car because you caught his eye. You're so good-looking you actually stop traffic! I've got to meet this Nate guy. He might just be the smartest guy in the world."

"Well, we'll see," Cas said noncommittally. "After we go to the hospital tomorrow, depending upon what we discover, we'll accompany Becky to see Nate, and make sure that he is legitimate."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Gail said, delighted.

"Of course I do," Cas replied, smiling. "I want you with me everywhere, all the time. And if I do decide to do it, you can help advise the photographer on my wardrobe."

"Or, lack thereof," Gail said under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?" Cas asked her.

"Nothing, sweetie," she said innocently, flouncing out of his office.

The next morning, the five of them gathered at the bunker, dressed in their FBI suits.

Jody hadn't had any idea how to let pants out, so Frank and Rob had gone on Google and looked it up. Jody had watched with great amusement as the two of them had tried to figure it out. Frank had taken a Demon knife and ripped at the seams of his pants at the waistline, and Jody'd had to leave the room quickly, before she peed her pants laughing. About an hour later, Frank had ended up calling Bobby on his cell phone, asking him to zap down to their house. When Bobby got there, three generations of men stood puzzling over Frank's pants as Jody pulled up a chair with a cup of coffee in hand, watching the show.

After another half hour or so, Bobby had looked at Frank and said, "The hell with it. Bring some cash, and I'll pop you over to the mall for a bigger size. I wanna spend some time with Angela before she has to go down for the night, and then maybe Rob and I can get in a game of chess."

So Frank had sworn Bobby to secrecy, and the men had bought Gail's brother suit pants that were two sizes bigger than his old pants. Those were actually a little bit bigger than Frank had needed, and he nudged Gail now.

"Look," he told her, pulling at the waistband of his pants. "I must have lost some weight."

She eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing. It was strange, really; for some reason, Gail was nervous. Were they going to find her birth mother today? What was she going to be like? What kind of a woman would have slept with a guy like Vincent, and allowed herself to get pregnant by him? Surely, if Abigail knew Vincent well enough to have sex with him, she knew what kind of a man he was. Then, what kind of a woman did that make HER? Suddenly, Gail wasn't sure if she wanted to find Abigail at all. What if she was as bad as Vincent was?

Cas could see the fear and trepidation in Gail's eyes, and he took her hand for reassurance. This was one of the reasons he'd wanted to come along. If they did find her mother, Gail would need all the support she could get. Also, the closer they got to finding Vincent, the closer Cas wanted to stick to Gail.

The Angels popped everyone over to the hospital, and they all went to the administration office, flashing their fake badges to the receptionist there.

Molly was surprised to see five FBI Agents, inquiring about records that dated back that far. "It's a cold case," Sam told her. "You know, like that show on TV?" He gestured to Dean. "This is my partner, Agent West, and I'm Agent Ward. These three are trainee Agents: Agents Gorshin, Newmar, and Meredith. Would there be any nurses on staff who might have been on duty during the time period in question?"

She smiled, rising from her desk. "It's funny you should ask. It just so happens that Wendy is retiring today. She's the last one left from back then. They're having a party for her in the cafeteria, and I was heading over there in a minute to give her my best wishes. If you'll give me a moment, I'll take you there and introduce you."

"Thank you. That's very kind," Cas said to her.

The quintet moved out to the corridor to wait. "Gorshin, Newmar, and Meredith?" Frank said to Sam, who shrugged, grinning. "Hey, what can I say? I was going for a theme," Sam replied.

"At least I get to be Batman," Dean said. Then he looked at Gail. "How old ARE you, anyway? This woman's the only one left, and she's retiring?"

Before Gail could form a suitable retort, Molly rejoined the group. "Come with me, Agents," she said pleasantly.

"I remember that night," Wendy told the group. "A woman came in later in the evening, saying she wanted to see her daughter. She seemed really nervous. Skittish, you know? Like she wasn't supposed to be there. And actually, she wasn't. Back in those days, the hospital had a policy that prohibited parents from visiting very young children during their stay. The reasoning was that the children would be more confused and upset by their parents coming and going, and leaving them here."

"So instead, the kids would just think that their parents had abandoned them here," Gail blurted out bitterly.

Wendy looked at her sharply, and then the woman frowned. "I know, I know. For the record, I didn't agree with that philosophy then, and of course, things are quite different nowadays. But I was young, and I was just a nurse. No one cared about my opinion. Anyway, I had a sweet little girl on the ward who was waiting for a tonsillectomy, but I'd seen her mother, and this lady wasn't her. So I assumed that she was in the wrong wing. But before I could say anything else, she left."

"What did she look like?" Gail asked eagerly. "Did she say anything else? Give you her name? Anything?"

Wendy was staring at her curiously. Agents asking questions was one thing, but this woman had a tone about her, a way of asking those questions that made it seem almost like she had a personal stake in the answers.

"Agent Newmar is a rookie," Dean said to the nurse. "And because she's a woman among all us guys, she gets a little overeager, sometimes. I'm sure you understand."

Wendy's expression softened as she looked from Dean back to Gail. "I do understand what that's like," the nurse told Gail. "As I said, I had a lot of opinions about how things could be improved around here, but when I first started, doctors were gods and nurses were no better than their handmaidens, to be honest. But now that I'm an old lady, I speak my mind. I may be retiring, but I'm not too modest to tell you that me and my big mouth have brought about a lot of positive changes here over the years."

"Congratulations. That's great," Sam said to her. "So, can you tell us any more about the woman?"

Wendy described Abigail to the best of her recollection, but then she shrugged and said, "I can't remember whether she said anything else. I don't think she did. But she never told me her name."

Frank and Gail exchanged frustrated glances as Sam persisted, "Would there be anything in your patient records? Anything that might tell us who the little girl's birth parents were, or their whereabouts?"

Somewhat unexpectedly, Wendy laughed. "Oh, heavens, no. All of the records we kept back then have been deleted."

"Deleted?" Dean piped up. "Why?"

"They were all on microfiche," Wendy replied calmly. "When we got our new computer system, the Powers That Be decided that it would cost too much to transpose the files, so they had them destroyed."

Sam gaped at the nurse, and then he looked at Gail, who appeared stunned, too. This was unbelievable. Part of him felt like laughing. Microfiche? What kind of medieval-ass hospital WAS this? Maybe Dean had a point when he kept teasing Gail about how old she really was. How long had it been since anybody had actually used microfiche?

"If there's nothing else, I'd like to get back to my party now," Wendy said. They thanked her for her time, and then the group walked out of the hospital, gathering to stand on the sidewalk. Gail was staring off into space.

"Holy crap, Gail," Sam said with a grin. "Microfiche?"

"Shut up, Sam," she said automatically, but she was still looking off into the distance.

"What's microfiche?" Dean asked Sam. He was smirking at the expression on his brother's face. Sammy wasn't used to being on the receiving end of one of Gail's "shut ups"; it was almost always Dean.

"I remember her," Gail blurted out suddenly. "I remember sitting at my window, looking down here on the sidewalk. I saw a woman who looked just like that nurse described, looking up at the windows. We even made eye contact at some point, and I remember I was scared, for some reason." She let out a frustrated breath. "Great. Another dead end. I'm starting to think somebody's trying to tell me something."

"Sorry, Agent Newmar," Frank said, putting his arm around her. "Tell you what. You look like you could use some cheering up. Let me tell you about my pants."

VIGNETTE - THE ANGELS IN OUR MIDST

"It's unbelievable how many people pray for their sports teams to win," Becky commented, flopping down on the couch. "No wonder Cas turns off his channel sometimes."

"You should have seen me today," Efram said, smiling. He took a seat on one of the chairs. "There was a little kid sitting on the gravel, at the playground in the park. He'd skinned both of his knees, and he was bawling his face off. So I got down on my hands and knees and healed him, and then I told him a couple of 'knock-knock' jokes until he stopped crying. That was pretty cool."

"No one saw you, I hope," Martin said sharply.

"I'm sure nobody was looking," Efram told the older Angel, with a touch of irritation in his voice. In fact, he hadn't really noticed, one way or the other. It just felt so good to be doing stuff for people.

"Do you have a report for me?" Becky asked Martin. She wanted to do a good job for Cas, so he would let her stay here. Things had been going great so far, and she wanted that to continue.

"Yes," Martin replied. "As I was walking downtown, I saw a bum, slumped in an alleyway."

Efram opened his mouth to tell Martin that he was pretty sure it wasn't politically correct to call people who were down on their luck "bums" any more, but Becky gave him a look that made him close his mouth again. Efram sighed. He guessed Martin was OK if Cas had chosen him for the project, but sometimes Martin talked like he was thousands of years old.

"So I went to see if he was still alive, and he was, but just barely," Martin continued. "So, I put some money in his pocket - "

Becky frowned. "I don't think you should have done that, Martin," she remarked. "He'll probably just buy some drugs with it."

He made a tsk-ing sound. "I know that, Becky. Contrary to what you young people seem to believe, I do know how these things work. And that's why I cured him of his drug addiction."

"Martin!" Becky exclaimed. "Cas's instructions were very specific. We're supposed to heal minor injuries and show compassion to people, but that's it, for now. He wants to start off small. So we're not supposed to call attention to ourselves, and we're not supposed to do anything life-changing."

"I showed him compassion," Martin argued. "Now he's not a - " he looked sharply at Efram " - a derelict any more. Now, he can be a respectable member of society."

"That's not your call," Efram retorted. "Cas said - "

"'Cas said. Cas said'," Martin echoed, making a face. "Look, Efram, I know that you and Riley have a serious case of hero worship when it comes to Castiel, but - "

"Stop it, you two," Becky said, annoyed. This was starting to sound like a really bad episode of Big Brother, or something. Ever since they'd been here on Earth, she had discovered that show on TV, and she loved it. Not that she would ever admit it, of course.

Suddenly, Riley burst into the house, and he came running into the living room. "I think we're in trouble," he said breathlessly.

Cas pressed his lips together. "Tell me again exactly what happened," he said to Riley.

As soon as Becky had called Cas on Angel Radio to tell him they had a situation, Cas had gone over to the boardroom and interrupted the meeting.

Gail's heart sank. "Oh, no, Cas," she'd said once he brought her out into the hallway to tell her. "What happened?"

"That's what we're going to find out," Cas said grimly. "Becky said that Riley has just shown up at the house, covered in blood and very upset."

"Just a second," Gail said. She poked her head in the boardroom door and asked Paul to take over the meeting. Whenever she couldn't be there, Gail had instituted a rotational system for whomever's turn it was next to be in charge, to avoid any perception of favouritism.

So now, Cas and Gail were standing in the living room of the rented house, and Gail was waving her hands over a very distressed Riley to clean the blood from him as Cas was questioning him.

Riley took a deep breath. "I told you, Cas. I was waiting for the light to change when I saw a car wipe out a girl who was crossing against the light, from the other side of the street. I yelled at her to look out, but she was looking down at her cell phone. By the time she looked up, the car had knocked her down and dragged her for about half a block."

"Those damn cell phones," Martin remarked. "Everybody's staring at them these days. No wonder accidents like that happen."

"Be quiet, Martin," Cas said, with an edge to his voice. Riley was on the verge of tears now, and the older Angel wasn't helping.

"By the time I ran over to her, she was bleeding from about a million places, Cas," Riley said pleadingly. "She was screaming in pain. I had no choice."

"So you healed her, and you were seen," Cas said tersely.

"It's worse, Cas," Riley bemoaned. "A news crew just happened to be there, and they filmed it!"

Cas let out a frustrated breath. He'd known that something like this was going to happen. "So then, you came back here?" he asked the young Angel. "Were you followed?"

Riley grimaced. "I panicked, Cas. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do."

"Were you followed?" Cas asked him again, in a sterner tone.

"I teleported," Riley confessed in a subdued voice, looking down at the floor.

Cas swore in Enochian. This was just the sort of thing he'd been afraid of. He looked angrily at Gail, but before he had the chance to say whatever he might be thinking of saying, she said, "I'm so sorry, Cas. It was a stupid idea. I should have listened to you."

"It WAS a stupid idea, Gail," Martin remarked. "Angels and humans were never meant to mix. All I've seen in all the time I've been here is bad behaviour, and sinfulness."

Cas walked over to where Martin stood leaning against the doorway that led from the living room into the kitchen. "Would you care to tell me again what kind of idea that was?" Cas said quietly, peering closely at Martin's face.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Riley's lips twitched. Cas might be upset right now, but there was still no way anybody was going to get away with insulting Gail in his presence.

Martin knew that too, and he realized he'd gone a step too far. "I'm sorry, my Lord," he said in a subdued tone. "I'm sorry, Gail." He wasn't, really, but Martin knew that if he didn't apologize to her too, that would only make Castiel angrier.

"Fine," Cas said shortly. "Pack your things and go back to Heaven. You too, both of you," he added, looking at Efram and Riley.

"What about me?" Becky asked him, alarmed. She gave Cas her most innocent, pleading look. Becky really didn't want to go back. She loved it here. Cas had told her that he was going to take her to her first modelling job, and if everything was on the level, he was considering letting her stay.

Cas thought for a moment. "Stay here, Becky. Gail and I need to have a conversation, and then we'll talk to you in a minute." He grabbed Gail by the hand and winked them over to the living room of their Earth home.

"Dammit," Gail said, as soon as they were alone. "Maybe Dean should have started a pool on how long it would take for me to look like a total ass. I'm sorry, Cas. Martin was right. I was stupid."

"No, he was wrong," Cas said firmly. "You are not stupid. Just a little naive, maybe. But I am just as much to blame as you are. I allowed you to change my mind, even though my mind was made up. I love you, Gail, but I have to have the strength of my convictions, too. Do you understand?"

Gail sighed. She could see his point. "You're right, Cas," she said to him. "Yes. I understand."

He looked startled. Just like that? No further debate? Gail's lips twitched at his expression. "You don't have to look THAT shocked," she quipped. "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while." That was another one of those sayings that she and Frank used to say to each other when they were in those motel rooms, if they'd had a particularly good day for one reason or another. People had looked at them weirdly when they would use those kinds of expressions, but they didn't care.

Cas had that same kind of look now. "What do vision-challenged rodents have to do with this conversation?" he asked her in the puzzled tone that only he could pull off.

Gail laughed. She loved that tone. "Nothing, sweetie. Never mind. That's my way of saying that I was wrong, and you were right. I'd take it, if I were you. That's not something you're likely to hear from me very often."

A slow smile crept across his face. Cas had felt sure that she was going to give him an argument. That was why he had winked them over here. He put his arms around her now. "I love you, my love," he told her softly. She never ceased to amaze him.

"I love you too, sweetie," she replied.

He leaned down and kissed her. "I have to go to the TV station and do some damage control," Cas said to her. "I want you to wait with Becky for me back at the house. I have decided to grant her wish."

Gail raised an eyebrow. "What wish is that?" she said warily, as if she didn't already know.

"She wants to be a human again, living here on Earth," Cas said patiently. "I'm going to allow it."

"Why?" Gail asked, wrinkling her forehead.

"I don't know, really," Cas admitted. "She just seems so desperately unhappy in Heaven. We did that for Aurielle, if you recall, and look how well that turned out."

"That was different, Cas," Gail pointed out. "Becky isn't Aurielle, and vice versa."

"Nevertheless, it's what I've decided to do," Cas insisted. He was eyeing his wife now, and it was starting to annoy her. It was almost as if he was daring her to argue with him now.

She sighed. "Fine, Cas. Do whatever you think is best."

Cas smiled. He was certainly on a roll, wasn't he?

"But, I'm going with the two of you to that photo shoot, and before the day is over, I'm getting those pictures of you I wanted," Gail said.

"All right, my darling," Cas said softly. If that was all that she required, he would be happy to pose for a few pictures. This had turned out to be a pretty good afternoon for Cas. Once he erased that film and modified the reporters' minds at the TV station, there would have been no real harm done. It could certainly have been a lot worse.

Cas was fully aware of the irony of his stance. After all, once he himself had first come to Earth and gotten mixed up with humans, he had eventually formed such an emotional attachment to them that he had chosen them over Heaven when necessary. But now he was in the plum position of being able to have both. However, his was a special circumstance; at least, that was the story what Cas was going with. Now that he was in the position of Supreme Authority, the responsibility fell to Castiel to decide what was best for the Angels, and it wasn't living on Earth, trying to fit in with humans. Heaven was Heaven, and Earth was Earth. There were separate realms for a reason. If they were to continue with this madness, for all the miracles and good deeds that they would perform, eventually there would be bad things that would happen, too. Look at Martin, and his thinly-veiled scorn for the human race. But perhaps Cas shouldered some of the blame. He had probably chosen unwisely, when it came to the Angels who participated in the project. Was that because, on some level, he had been setting it up to fail? But regardless, they had all been very fortunate that no lasting harm had occurred. They all had enough things to worry about without adding more problems to the list. Jody seemed fine now, but Gail had advised Cas that their sister-in-law was now statistically more likely to contract cancer again, now that she'd already had it once. Also, things had been much too quiet when it came to Raguel, and Vincent. Cas had no illusions that that status would continue for very much longer. Obviously, neither of those two individuals had possession of the Books, or they would surely have used them by now, most likely to tear everything apart. Then, there remained their uneasy detente with Crowley. Cas agreed with Gail when it came to the King of Hell: he knew far more than he was telling when it came to Castiel's wife. But, for the time being, Crowley and Castiel had a common enemy in Raguel. Actually, two common enemies, if you counted Rowena. Cas had promised to kill Crowley's mother, and he had absolutely no problem fulfilling his part of the bargain. But, they had better not put the cart before the horse. She might yet be needed, to help them track down Raguel. Crowley seemed convinced that Rowena might give the Archangel over to them, if they gave her the right incentive. Maybe they were going about things the wrong way, it occurred to Cas now. Maybe they should be proactively looking for the Book of Life and the Book of the Dead themselves. Look at the success they'd had with the Tablets. Surely God the Father would much rather see those Books on the side of Good than with any of the others who apparently sought them.

Cas pulled Gail to him now, holding her tightly. Despite the setback they'd had here, he would consult her for her opinion, and he would weigh what she had to say very seriously. The fact that her idea to have Angels on Earth hadn't worked out meant very little to him. Look at all of the bad decisions Cas had made over the years. So Gail had made one mistake; so what?

"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut, every once in a while," Cas said aloud to his wife, smiling. "I understand, now."

She answered his smile. "There you go."

Cas kissed her again, holding her tightly for a moment. "Let's go," he said. "I have a photo shoot to get to."

He winked them out of the house as Gail laughed merrily.