Chapter 5 - African Symphony

First Movement - I'm Only Human

Cas removed his hand from Becky's forehead as the white light faded away.

She opened her eyes. "That's it?"

"Yes," he told her. "You are human, now. How do you feel?"

She thought for a moment. "Hungry. And, like I have to pee."

He nodded. "Yes, those are the predominant feelings that I remember. Are you sure this is what you want, Becky?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, Cas," she said, smiling. "Thanks a lot. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. You were great to give me this house, but once I start working with the modelling agency, I'll be able to pay my rent, and buy my own food. I can be independent." Becky was extremely excited. This was a whole new start for her. She could do anything she wanted, now. She saw Gail looking at her dubiously, but Becky made herself smile pleasantly. Maybe Becky was no longer an Angel, and maybe she still wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she knew better than to be rude to Gail while Cas was around.

"Can we go to the photographers' now, please?" Becky asked the couple deferentially. "I can't wait till you see this photo shoot, Gail. I think you'll really enjoy it. I can't wait to go to a store and pick up a magazine, and see myself in it. Or Cas."

"I'm only going to do it once, because Gail asked me to," Cas said quickly. "But if you are able to do it for a living, Becky, go ahead and do so. We will make sure that these people do not act improperly towards you today, but if they should ask you to do anything indecent in the future, call me right away, and I will deal with them."

Gail gave Cas the side-eye. When did they become Becky's parents? But then, she checked herself. She wouldn't want these people to be the type of individuals who might take advantage of Becky, just because she was so eager to take the job, and perhaps a little too naive. Cas was just doing what he did; being a gentleman. Put it this way: these people they were going to see had better not have anything improper on their minds, or they might find their studio a little toasty, with the Holy Fire that Cas could rain down on them.

"Let's go, then," she said, taking Becky's hand.

The photographer was very nice, and the whole operation seemed legitimate. As Becky changed into her wardrobe for the first set of photos, Ken showed Cas and Gail some of the pictures in his portfolio, and some of the magazine layouts he had done.

"Don't worry," Ken said in answer to Cas's questions. "We don't take those kinds of pictures here. I only do spreads for legitimate fashion magazines. I'm not going to say we don't do sexy shoots, because, let's face it, sex sells. But I do glamour shots, not porn. Becky's got that wholesome look. I'm not going to ask her to do anything she doesn't want to do. For instance, look at what she's wearing now."

Becky came out of the dressing room wearing a striped tank top and a pair of shorts. The top showed a wee bit of cleavage, but it was nothing that Gail herself hadn't shown from time to time in her day-to-day wardrobe.

"We're going to have her do some summer shots for next year's catalogue," Ken told them. "Then we're going to give her some blonder hair extensions and put her in high heels and designer jeans. Maybe some Western shots, with boots and a cowgirl hat."

Cas and Gail looked at each other, and Cas nodded. That sounded just fine to him. "Are you still going to do a layout?" Ken asked Cas.

"What did you have in mind for him?" Gail said eagerly.

"I think we should mess up your hair a little," Ken mused aloud, scrutinizing Cas. "I kind of like what you're wearing now, but I also want to put you in a suit. Then we'll lose the blazer. Have you ever worn a muscle shirt?"

Gail made a sound in her throat, but she covered it up with a cough. She leaned forward and said something softly to Ken, who smiled and nodded. "After a formal shoot here, I think that could be arranged," he said to her. "It wouldn't be the first time I've had a request like that from one of my models' significant others."

Gail smiled. "Well then, let's get that formal shoot done."

After Becky had finished her portion of the shoot and Cas had popped her back to the house, he came back to the studio to find Gail and Ken having a cup of coffee together and laughing. Cas looked at Ken coolly, but Gail took her husband's arm and said, "Ken's been telling me a funny story about a trip he and his boyfriend took to Italy."

Cas looked at her for a moment, and then he relaxed. Oh. He'd been wondering if Ken had been flirting with Gail in his absence, so now he felt better.

"Are you ready?" Ken asked Cas.

"I suppose so," Cas replied. He ran his hand over his face. "Do you have a mirror here? I should probably shave."

"Don't you dare," Ken said quickly. "Keep that stubble. It's sexy."

"Do you think so?" Cas said, smiling. "Gail says the same thing, but I know it scratches her."

Ken's pulse quickened. He'd lay in a year's supply of bandages and disinfectant, if he could only be scratched that way by this guy. But then, he cleared his throat, and his thoughts. He was a professional, and Cas was married to a woman, who was right here, and looking at Ken now as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. And she probably did, too. You couldn't be married to a guy who was this good-looking and not be aware of the interest in him, from people of both sexes, Ken was sure. But Gail must be a special person herself, in her own right. Cas looked at her with nothing but love in his eyes, and Gail had told Ken while Cas had been taking Becky home that the two of them had been happily together for a number of years now. More power to her, Ken thought.

"I think we'll start off with what you're wearing right now," Ken said to Cas. "I like the blazer, shirt and jeans combination."

So they took a few pictures of Cas like that, and then Ken said, "Now I'd like you to take off the blazer. You can hang it up in the wardrobe area, back there."

Cas shrugged off the blazer, but instead, he came over to where Gail was sitting and watching, and he handed the blazer to her. "My Angel blade is in the inside pocket," he said softly into her ear, and she nodded in understanding. He never liked to be separated from that. With all of the enemies they had, both past and present, Gail couldn't blame him. She folded the blazer in her lap.

After a few more photos, Ken asked Cas to go into the wardrobe area and pick out a suit to change into. He did, and a few minutes later, he came out in a dark suit, with a blue tie that matched his eyes.

They took some more photos, and then Ken was looking thoughtful. "You look great, but there's something missing," he said to Cas. "Wait here."

Ken went back into the wardrobe area as Cas looked at Gail and shrugged. "I guess I'm not as photogenic as you seem to think I am," he said to her, almost apologetically.

"Nonsense," she said firmly. "He's probably just going to get something that will complete this look."

It was a good thing that Angels didn't pee themselves, Gail thought, when Ken came back out, holding a trenchcoat. "Try this," he said to Cas.

Ken spent a lot longer with Cas than he normally did with clients, partially because the guy looked good in everything, and partly because Cas's wife was enjoying herself so much. Cas had relaxed a bit after the initial self-consciousness, and he seemed to be enjoying showing off different outfits to his wife. She laughed and clapped delightedly when he came out in different types of clothes. Ken had the music playing very loudly now, and Cas recognized many of the songs because Gail liked popular music so much. He had to admit that he had begun to enjoy himself.

Then, as the session wound down, Cas agreed to a shirtless picture; just one, at his wife's urging. He had been wearing a blue shirt and black dress pants, and he doffed the shirt now and hung it over a chair.

"I feel a little foolish, but my wife has requested a picture of me like this, and I didn't want to disappoint her," Cas explained to Ken.

The photographer was frozen in place, speechless for a moment. Wow. Cas was a lot more built than Ken had originally thought. It was a crime to hide that kind of beauty under all those layers. Ken's mouth dried up as he tried to imagine what it would be like to be Gail, even for an hour. How did she stand it? How did she ever let him put all of those clothes on? Or better still, how did she ever even let Cas leave the house? A guy this good-looking, this built, and this nice? She had to be the most secure woman in the universe.

"Just a minute," Gail said. She went over to a table at the side of the room and grabbed a rose from the bouquet of them that were in a vase there. She brought the rose over to Cas. "Can you hold this?" she asked him.

He nodded. Certainly, if that was what she wanted.

Ken snapped the picture, and then he took another couple, just because. One of them was definitely going to go in his portfolio, and another might just have to find its way into his bedroom. He would tell his boyfriend that it was an art print he had picked up. Yeah. An art print.

"Can you take just one more, of us together?" Cas asked Ken, gesturing to Gail to come into the frame.

"Sure," Ken said with a smile. Hey, what was a little harmless objectification among friends? This was probably the last time he would see the both of them, and Ken loved his boyfriend. It was just...damn.

Gail approached Cas, and Ken motioned for her to stand closer to her husband. He took a picture, and then he directed her to turn her back to Cas as her husband put his hands around her waist. Then, Ken had Gail put her arms around her husband, nuzzling Cas's chest, and Cas put his hand on her head, stroking her hair. Gail thought this might be her favourite pose of all.

"OK, that's a wrap," Ken announced, before he allowed himself to venture into a questionable area with the poses. For a moment, he pictured having Gail kneel in front of Cas, as if she were going to...But, no. No. Just because Ken would have loved to have found himself in that position, that didn't make it right. They weren't in the porn industry, here. "I'll call you when the photos are ready," Ken told the couple. They thanked him and left the studio, as Ken stared after them. Man. Some women had all the luck.

Second Movement - Afternoon Delight

"Just look at him," Gail was saying to Liz, as she showed her friend the glossy pictures of Cas that Ken had taken.

"He looks good, Gail," her friend said.

Gail looked at her. "Well, don't sound so excited," she said dryly.

Liz sat back on the couch. She and Gail were sitting in Gail's office, catching up. "I'm sorry," Liz said now. "I'm just preoccupied."

"Why? What's the matter?" Gail asked her friend.

Liz frowned. "It's Gabriel. You know we've been on a couple of dates, right?"

Gail nodded. "Right. And...?"

Liz made a face. "How do you know, Gail? How do you know if you can trust a guy? How do you know if he's the one?"

Gail laughed shortly. "How the hell should I know? Cas is the only man I've ever been with. In every sense of the word. I'm hardly the one to ask for advice on men. I just got really, really lucky. But, for the record, Gabriel's a bit of a character, but I think he's a really good guy. He's certainly got to be better than that loser you married on Earth. I'd say 'no offense intended', but I'd be lying," she concluded sarcastically.

Liz smiled. "Thanks, Gail. Thanks for listening, anyway." She picked up the pictures of Cas again. "You're right; your husband is hot."

"I know, right?" Gail said, laughing. "And Canada thinks their Prime Minister is so good-looking. Suck it, Canada. But of course, Canada's leader is way better than that abomination who rules the United States right now. You know, I'm this close to asking Cas to just take that guy out, or maybe to annex the States as part of Canada until his term is over."

The women laughed again. "Is Cas going to be in any magazines?" Liz asked Gail.

"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me," Gail said, taking the pictures back from Liz. "I mean, look at him. If he's appearing in an ad, I don't care what it's for, I'm buying it."

Liz giggled. "Hey, did you persuade him to take his shirt off for one?"

Gail's lips twitched. She got up from the couch and closed the blinds at the big picture window overlooking the corridor, then locked the office door. Then she went over to her desk and unlocked the bottom drawer, bringing out a file folder.

"I hope he's not looking right now," Gail said to her friend. "He might not be too happy if I showed you these. But you're the only one I'm going to show them to."

Liz was intrigued. How undressed WAS Cas in these pictures, anyway?

Gail sat down next to her friend and showed Liz the pictures that she would be keeping for herself. Liz was both relieved and a little disappointed to see that Cas was only shirtless in them.

"Wow, the way you were acting, I thought he was going to be naked, or something," Liz said with a smile.

"I wish," Gail said, half-jokingly.

"Boy, does he look good," Liz commented. She put the pictures down after looking at them for a minute, looking at her friend. "Can you tell me something?" Liz asked Gail. "What's it like, being with...a deity?"

Gail's lips twitched again. "Could it be that I know a certain somebody who's thinking of getting together with a certain Archangel?"

"May-be," Liz said, trying to look innocent. There was a moment's silence, and then she said hesitantly, "Is it any different than...oh, I don't know. You know what I mean."

"Well, I do, and I don't," Gail answered honestly. "You know that Cas is the only guy I've ever been with, right? But...is there a difference between making love with him when he was an Angel and now, when he's God? Well, yes, in some ways."

Liz was looking at Gail with interest now. "What ways?"

Gail looked off into space. "He's got this thing he does, with the white glow..." She leaned towards her friend and whispered in Liz's ear.

Liz's mouth dropped open. "He does that...to your..." She was so astonished she couldn't even form a complete sentence. She felt all tingly just thinking about it.

Gail smiled slowly. "That's one of the many, many reasons I can't stay away from him, even though we're technically not married, at the moment."

"Nobody cares about that," Liz tried to reassure her, but Gail shook her head. "That's not true," Gail said. "There are a lot of longer-serving Angels who would be very unhappy to hear that their God isn't actually married to the woman he...consorts with, for lack of a better term."

Liz giggled again. "When you 'consort' with God, what do you yell out?" she joked.

Gail smirked. She and Liz were best friends, so that kind of question didn't bother her, not coming from Liz. In fact, if was kind of fun, having a girlfriend to confide these kinds of things to. That was another experience that Gail had never had the chance to have in her youth. She could hardly have had this kind of conversation with Frank, although at one point, she had imagined that she had. Her need for a confidante had apparently been so great that she had manufactured a conversation in her mind with Frank about sex, a conversation that had never taken place. But this was much better. "I just say his name," Gail replied in a serious answer to her friend's question, and then she grinned mischievously. "And, if he's doing his job properly, I say it over and over again."

Both of them laughed, and then Liz asked, "Yeah, but: if a lot of other people call out to the Almighty at the vital moment, which I'm sure a lot of them do, does he hear all of them calling out to him, too? Sort of like prayers?" Then Liz made a face. "Boy, it's a good thing I'm already in Heaven; otherwise, I'd probably go to Hell for what I'm thinking," she went on.

"Hey, I've thought about that, too," Gail told her. "Could you imagine? Boy, I sure hope not." They laughed again, and then Gail's expression turned serious. "Between you and me, it doesn't matter to me whether Cas is God, not. I've always loved him, and I always will. It doesn't matter to me whether he's in the High Office, or on Earth."

Liz looked closely at her friend's face. "What's the matter, Gail? I know that look."

Gail was frowning now. "I don't know, Liz. I honestly don't. Cas thinks it's too quiet, and frankly, so do I. I have a weird feeling, that's all."

The Angels were silent for another moment, just long enough for Cas to pop into the office. Gail hurriedly shoved the photos she'd been showing Liz back into the file folder, and Cas looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Hello, Liz," he said.

"Hi, Cas," Liz replied, willing herself not to picture him without his shirt on.

There was another moment's silence now that hung between the three of them, and just before it got really awkward, Liz said, "Well, I should get back to work. I'll see you both later." She popped out.

Cas came around to sit beside Gail on the couch. "I was glad to find you here," he said to her. "We haven't seen very much of each other in the past week or so."

"I know," Gail agreed, nodding. "I've been - "

Before she could finish her sentence, Cas was kissing her. His tongue probed her mouth. "Lay down on the couch for me, please," he said without any more preliminary.

Gail was intrigued. That was a little forward for him, even after they had been together all this time. He usually took it a little slower than that. But she kind of liked it. And she'd just been looking at pictures of him with his shirt off, so...It was amazing, she thought. Summer was over, and they were in Heaven now, yet he still had a tan. How did he DO that?

Cas was looking at her now, and a slow smile crept across his face. It was funny how he didn't have to say a word, yet she knew exactly what he was thinking. And she was thinking the same thing.

He waved his hand, and suddenly she was naked from the waist down. He parted her legs, continuing to look at her face. He was driving her nuts. Soon he'd be peeling her off the ceiling.

"Turn over," Cas instructed her. Gail bit her lip. This wasn't his usual way of behaving, but every once in a while...

She flipped over, and Cas lifted her hips, entering her from behind. Then, after a few minutes, she could feel him withdraw from her, and his lips and tongue were on her instead. She started to whimper. She buried her face in the throw pillows on the couch and arched her back, allowing him better access. She cried out his name, pressing herself against his mouth. He had done this to her many times, yet every time, he found a way to make it feel new.

Then he pulled her hips up gently and entered her the other way, and she made a sound of surprise. Whenever they did this, she usually had to ask him first. It was probably because when they had both thought he had been a Demon, that had seemed to be the Demon's preferred position. But Cas had never been a Demon, and he wasn't one now. This was merely another way of making love, one that they had both found brought them pleasure, and what was wrong with that? But Cas was always tentative, worrying that it hurt her. And it did, a bit, but Gail had assured him that if it was done the right way, it also felt good.

Cas reached around her and touched her breasts, teasing her nipples with his fingers. He leaned forward and kissed her back and her neck, still thrusting gently forward. Then he grabbed her by the hips, pulling her toward him. "What do you need, Gail?" he murmured.

Her eyebrows rose. It had been ages since he'd asked her that. It excited her so much that she reached around and grabbed his hand. "This," she said, putting it in-between her legs.

Cas smiled. That, he could do. He stroked her with one finger, then two, and then he inserted another into her, still pushing into her from behind.

Gail shouted, burrowing her face into the pillows again. She raised the lower half of her body so that it was right up against his pelvis, and he sped up. A moment later, he groaned loudly, wrapping his other arm around her waist, pressing himself close to her.

He moved away from her and gently flipped her onto her back. "I love you, my darling," he told her.

"I love you too, Cas," she replied, reaching up to caress him. "That was wonderful."

He smiled charmingly. "You seem to be under the impression that it's over," he said as he put his hands under her knees and lifted her legs, parting them, "when nothing could be further from the truth."

He lowered his head to her, still holding her legs with his hands. She watched him as he touched her with his tongue. She made a noise, and he looked up at her. It was incredible. How many times in a row could he make her feel like this?

"As many times as there are stars in the sky," Cas said in answer to her unspoken question. "As many times as it will take for me to prove to you that I love you more than life itself. And, as many times as it will take for you to tell me that you will want to remarry me, once we undergo the annulment ritual."

Now Gail got it. Or at least, she thought she did. In reality, she had no idea. Cas was withholding a great deal of information from her about that particular little set of rules. His insecurities had been gnawing away at him. What if Gail discovered that she preferred the alternative? When Cas made love to his wife, when she said his name over and over again and told him that she loved him, he felt as if she was somehow dependent on him. But the reality was, he was dependent on her. It had always been that way, ever since the day they had met.

"I love you, Cas. You have nothing to prove to me," Gail insisted.

But Cas wasn't so sure. Depending upon who the stones chose for the fourth step of the ritual, Gail might just discover that there was someone better for her than him. Someone who didn't screw up all the time. What if it was Gabriel? He was an Archangel with prodigious powers, and he made Gail laugh. She loved to laugh. Cas knew that Gabriel liked Gail. He'd come up with a pet name for her within seconds of meeting her, and Cas had seen them holding hands from time to time. Not that he suspected that there was anything going on between them, of course. They were both far too loyal to Cas. But what if the ancient ritual were to put them together?

What if it was Chuck? He was with Laurel now, but Cas knew that Chuck had always had special feelings for Gail. Cas was sure that, when Chuck had been seeing Cas and Gail making love, or more accurately, spying on them under the guise of being a Prophet, it wasn't Cas who Chuck had fantasized about, trembling beneath him, as Gail was trembling beneath Cas now.

What if it was Dean? His sexual prowess was legendary. Dean and Nicole were a couple, but Dean hardly ever saw his girlfriend these days. Cas didn't want to, but he could almost picture Dean making love to Gail in the same way as Cas had just been doing, and Gail crying out Dean's name, instead of Cas's. The two of them may fight like brother and sister, but Cas knew that great passion sometimes rose out of such encounters. Cas himself had sometimes disagreed with Gail more vehemently than perhaps he needed to, because there was just something so attractive about Gail when she lifted her face to him, and stood up to him. Dean would have to be made out of stone not to feel that.

But it was Sam who worried Cas the most. In many ways, it should have been Sam and Gail who were a couple, to begin with. Cas was not a stupid man, nor was he oblivious. He knew very well that Sam loved his wife. But Cas couldn't blame Sam, nor could he get angry at the younger Winchester because of it. Sam and Gail were both highly intelligent, and both were younger siblings who had lived under their older brothers' shadows for most of their lives. They shared a liking for pop music, and would rather spend their days reading books than just about anything else. When Cas had come into the bunker that night, Sam had already been developing feelings for Gail. What had made Gail turn her head from Sam and focus on Castiel, instead? Had it been the fact that Cas had needed her, as opposed to Sam, who had merely wanted her? What if the stones chose Sam as Gail's mate, when the time came to perform that part of the ritual? What was Cas supposed to do then? Just sit back and accept it? Kill Sam? Or, kill himself?

"Cas? Are you OK?" Gail said now, shaking him out of his reverie.

Cas sighed inwardly. "Yes, I'm fine, my love."

"Well, you've got me in kind of a vulnerable position here," she said dryly. "So either let me up or do something about it, will you?"

Cas almost asked her which she would prefer, and then he decided that he was being ridiculous. He was borrowing trouble. Who was it that Gail had chosen to go with, all those years ago? Who had she given her virtue to? She had been through the fires of Hell with Cas, and that was not just a metaphor. She had stood trial with him, and when Metatron had led them to believe that Cas had allowed himself to become a monster of the worst sort, Gail had not even deserted Cas then, although no one would have blamed her if she had. Not even Cas himself. Yes, she had made him leave her, but that was no less than he would have deserved, had he actually committed the offences. But even then, she had not completely written him out of her life. And again recently, when he had betrayed her and their family by making that damnable deal with Rudy, Gail had stood by him until he had been cured. So where on earth was this sudden insecurity coming from? Gail loved Cas. He knew she did. Of course she did.

He moved up her body and kissed her on the mouth, and then he placed her leg over his shoulder and slid down her body again. He licked her just as he knew she liked, and she clutched his hair with both hands, pulling his head closer to her. Cas sped up his motion, and she made a noise.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, and Gail did. The white light came from Cas then, and Gail shouted again, bucking her hips. Cas had told her that he was only going to save that particular move for special occasions, but the way he was feeling now, he was determined to use whatever edge he had to remind her that out of all those potential suitors, he had the most to offer her.

Gail cried out his name, and then she was reduced to making inarticulate sounds. Even though her eyes had been closed, she knew that Cas had used the extra power he had on her. But she was hardly in any position to argue. A part of her was wondering where this sudden insecurity of his was coming from, though. Gail knew her husband very well, and based on what he'd said about the ritual, she knew that there was a lot more to it than he was telling her. What else was new? But now, he was gripping her by the hips, pulling her even closer, and his tongue was moving the way that she liked the best, and then she cried out again, threading her fingers through his hair.

A minute or two later, Cas was pushing himself into her excitedly. He loved it when she cried out like that. The more carried away she got, he knew the better he was making her feel, and the happier he was as a result.

"Do you love me?" Cas asked her. He pushed forward, thrusting himself into her, watching her face.

"Of course I do," Gail said languidly. She had no idea what had gotten into her husband, but she liked it. She was basically putty in his hands now. She threw her head back, watching him make love to her. He was caressing her skin lightly, teasing her. He'd stopped moving now, and he was just looking down at her face.

"Say it, please," Cas said to her, and Gail smiled. "I love you, Cas," she said. "I love you so much. I love you more than anything."

He started to move again. "More than anyone else?" he asked her.

"Yes, Cas, of course."

He lifted both of her legs over his shoulders. "Say it."

Gail's stomach fluttered. This was unusual, even coming from him, but it was kind of sexy, too. She could see his muscles flex as he lifted her legs, and he kissed and licked the insides of her thighs as he lifted her legs high. He pushed into her.

"Say that again. What you just said," Gail requested.

"Say it," he said in his low, gravelly voice. "Say you love me, and only me. Say you will never be with another."

"I love you, and only you, Cas," she told him, caressing his chest and arms. "I could never be with anyone else. You're my husband. I place you above all others."

That left Cas speechless with excitement for a moment. It excited him so much that he pushed forward into her so hard that the couch moved several feet forward. Gail grunted in surprise, but he could see that she was smiling, and when Cas felt the warm rush, she felt hers, too.

Cas lay on top of her for a moment, and then he conjured a soft blanket out of thin air to wrap them both in. He whispered terms of endearment to his wife until he got his breath back, and then he cuddled her in his arms, telling her that his life was hers, and her life was his, and that neither one of them could exist without the other. He'd known that ever since the day they'd met, but it had never been made more clear to him than when Raguel had used the overleaf of the Book of Life to show Castiel the alternative world that could be, if Raguel so chose.

"But I don't understand, Cas," Gail said, clinging to him. Every time he described what he'd experienced to her, it scared her more and more. Cas wasn't describing a concept to her, he was describing an actual state of being. "Why didn't I exist, in this alternate universe of his?"

Cas held her even tighter. The thought scared him, too. "You must not have come into being, somehow," he told her. "That is why I no longer think we should just sit back and let others dictate what is to be. I think we need to mount our own search for these Books. I can't risk them falling into the hands of any of the individuals who wish us harm. What do you say, my love? Are you in agreement?"

Gail wrapped her arms around her husband, nuzzling him. "Definitely, Cas. I think that's a great idea."

He smiled down at her. "Do you mind going out on the road with me, even though we are not married?"

"Are you kidding?" Gail said, smiling back. "We'll get separate hotel rooms, and then you can come and visit me. It'll be hot. Just like this was."

Cas kissed her. "At some point, we will have to undergo the ancient ritual, though, if we hope to remarry."

Gail gave him a half-shrug. "Let's just worry about that when the time comes." She started to caress him, under the blanket. "Now, how about you give me a preview of what I can look forward to, when you sneak into my hotel room at night? Should I get a bigger bed?" she joked.

"If you wish," Cas said in a low voice, raising an eyebrow to her. "But you know that it does not really matter. We can make love in many different ways, and in many different locations. In fact..."

He popped her over to their suite in Heaven, but instead of taking her to the bedroom, or even to the couch, Cas pushed her gently against the wall. The blanket they'd had wrapped around them fell to the floor as he kissed her with his tongue.

"We can make love right here," Cas murmured. "Do you remember Camelot?"

Gail smiled. Oh, yes. She did.

Cas lifted her by her rear end, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He put one hand behind her head, cushioning her as he drove forward into her, caressing her rear end with his other hand. She had her arms around his neck, and he kissed her on the mouth, breathing heavily. She opened her lips and gave him her tongue, and Cas made a guttural sound in his throat as he licked her tongue with his. He drove her body into the wall, moving quickly.

"Or, we can make love here," Cas said softly. Suddenly, they were on one of the mats in Cas's original Academy classroom. "Do you remember when we spoke about my instructing you here?" he asked her silkily, kneeling over her on the mat. "Would you like me to instruct you now?" He moved his body forward and she took him in her mouth, as he reached back and touched her between her legs.

"How about here?" Cas said, and now, they were in the kitchen at their house on Earth. He had lain her across the kitchen table and he was sitting on a chair in front of her, kissing her thighs.

"Or here?" Cas was bending her over the boardroom table in Heaven now, pushing into her from behind. They had never actually done this here, but Cas had thought about it several times. In fact, on a couple of occasions he had missed a few potentially important points of law, because he had let his mind wander, watching his wife chairing the meeting. He loved and respected Gail, of course, but he couldn't help but fantasize about their private time sometimes, especially when the meetings grew long.

Gail felt the same way. She knew it wasn't a matter of respect, because she knew that Cas held her in high esteem. But every once in a while, she found it very exciting when he took total charge like this. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't fantasized about clearing the boardroom of the board members and having him do what he was doing to her right now.

"Go faster, Cas," she told her husband. "Harder. Please."

He did as she asked, and Gail started making her sounds again. This was incredible. How many times had she cried out in the last hour or so? And when exactly had her life become a porno movie, anyway?

"Cas!" Gail said, but he continued what he was doing, thinking that she was crying out his name in pleasure. And she had been, but..."Cas, please take me back to our suite. I want to talk to you."

The boardroom disappeared, and they were sitting on the couch in their suite in Heaven, fully dressed. Cas took both of her hands in his. "Was I not making you happy?" he asked her, confused.

Gail looked at him warmly. "Of course you were, sweetie. You always make me happy, whether our clothes are on, or off. But I need to talk to you, now. I love you with all my heart, and I love it when we make love, but you're trying too hard, Cas. And I'm not even sure why."

"I fear you won't want to remarry me, after the annulment ritual is over," he said quietly.

"Why? Why would you think that, Cas?" she asked him.

"Because, once the five steps of the process have been undertaken, you may very well decide that someone else is a better alternative to me," Cas said sadly. "Someone who doesn't keep making mistake after mistake, and putting you in harm's way as a result."

Gail felt a flash of anger now. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. You and I exchanged vows, Cas. Sacred ones. I don't care what those five steps are that you're talking about. I don't even care that you haven't even told me what they are yet. Obviously, you're afraid to, which makes me think I'm really going to hate them. But don't insult me by suggesting that I could just run out and get another guy to replace you. Like you're some kind of interchangeable part, or something. Like I could love anybody else even a fraction of how much I love you." Tears welled up in her eyes now. "After everything that we've been through together, don't you dare say that to me, Cas. Don't you dare."

Cas was instantly contrite. He gathered her up in his arms, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry, Gail. I didn't mean it," he told her. "Shhh. Shhh."

He held her in his arms for quite a while, without another word spoken between them. How had he gotten so lucky? Cas thought dazedly.

Finally Gail sniffled, coming out of the embrace. "So, what exactly ARE those five steps, anyway?" she asked Cas. But, before he had the chance to answer her, there was a knock at the front door of their suite. The two of them looked at each other quizzically.

Cas rose from the couch and crossed the room to the door. He opened it.

"Hi'ya, your Godship," Gabriel said.

Third Movement - Lords Of The Ring

"So, let me get this straight: Frodo is gonna ice God?" Dean said skeptically, grabbing a beer from the mini=fridge in the library area of the bunker. He tossed it to Sam, who made a neat one-handed catch.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Do you ever NOT sound like a 1940s gangster?" he said, heavy on the sarcasm.

But Sam had a half-grin on his face. "Actually, I can't believe you got that reference right," he said to his brother. "Those were what you would call real nerd movies."

Dean shrugged. "Hey, those movies had some cool parts. Like the fight scenes. And, that elf chick was hot."

Sam was shaking his head now. "Oh, come on. You slept through most of the trilogy. And you snored, too. Loud. A couple of times I had to turn the volume up on the TV."

Dean made a face. "I don't snore."

"Yes, you do," Sam and Cas said in unison, making Gabriel smirk. He looked at Gail, who gave him a half-shrug.

"OK, well, maybe if those movies weren't, like, ten hours long, each, I wouldn't have fallen asleep," Dean said defensively.

Sam looked at Gail. "Can you believe this guy?" he asked her.

She smiled. "Actually, I hate to tell you this, Sam, but I'm kind of on Dean's side on this one. That particular franchise was never one of my favourites. Tolkien may have been fantastically creative and gifted, but I also found him to be a little long-winded." She looked at Dean. "Hey, at least you got to fall asleep. I don't have that luxury. I had to stay awake that whole time. I think I must have started playing word games in my head or written an entire song or something, by the time the credits rolled on that last one."

Sam looked at her, astonished. He'd thought for sure that Gail must have liked the trilogy as much as he had. It was like finding out that one of your best friends was a serial killer. Sam looked at Cas. "What about you?" he asked Gail's husband, looking for some support. "Did you like those movies, Cas?"

"What are you asking HIM for?" Dean said to Sam, opening a beer of his own. "Cas'll watch anything. You know that."

"Actually, that's true," Sam said, grinning again. "I once saw him stare at an infomercial for about an hour, because he thought it was a TV show. He WILL watch anything. Literally."

Gail kept silent because she knew that what they were saying was true, and because she knew that the brothers liked to tease Cas sometimes. As long as they weren't hurting his feelings, she didn't really see the harm. But then, they started to go on a long riff about things that Cas would watch: paint drying, hair growing, the ice caps melting...

"OK, that's enough," Gabriel said impatiently. "I don't think you yahoos realize how serious this is."

Sam and Dean looked at him incredulously, and the Archangel made a face. "Do you see how bad it is, now?" Gabe said sardonically. "If I'm the one who's the voice of reason here, that should tell you something. Raguel means business. I've been trying to pin him down in one place long enough for us to do something about him, but he's always one step ahead of me. So then, I had the bright idea to concentrate on the ring, instead. It gives off a really faint 'pinging' sound, sort of like sonar. So, after weeks of searching, I've narrowed its location down to Africa, somewhere in the Northeast."

Sam opened his laptop immediately, pulling up a map of Africa. He still had all of his notes and pictures from the research he and Tommy had done just before the group of them had gone to Egypt, to retrieve the Earth Tablet. He sat back in his chair now, thinking.

"What's the deal with this ring, anyway?" Dean wanted to know. "So, it was Michael's. He was an Archangel, and he had a lot of power. I get that. But God still trumps the Archangels, doesn't he? So why wouldn't Cas be able to win in a straight fight with this Raguel guy, even if he does have the ring? I've seen Cas take on multiple Angels lots of times before, without even breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, but this isn't like that," Gabriel insisted.

"Yes. For one thing, I have Godlike power, but I don't have it all," Cas told Dean. "Neither did Bobby, and nor did Patricia. So, as you would say, I don't have enough juice to defeat the power of three Archangels, combined."

"Three? What do you mean, three?" Dean asked him, puzzled.

Cas and Gabriel exchanged glances, and then Cas cleared his throat.

"What aren't you guys telling us?" Gail asked the men impatiently.

Cas frowned. "Our Father gave Michael the ring, but its original owner was Lucifer," he said gravely. "Therefore, if it is in Raguel's possession now, the ring would hold the power of three Archangels. Raguel could then use those powers to kill me." He and Gabriel exchanged another glance. Cas was only telling them part of the story, and both he and Gabriel knew it. If Raguel decided he didn't want to kill Cas outright, he could also accomplish a few other dastardly deeds once he put that ring on his finger. Gabe could understand why Cas didn't want to tell them about any of that. It was better that they didn't know.

"You guys," Sam said, typing away at his laptop. Then he stopped, staring at the screen. "Do you remember the Coptic Museum in Egypt that we were at? The one where Ibrahim works?"

"Where that nutjob Stu was, who told us all those weird things about our numbers?" Dean said. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because there's some weird stuff going on around there," Sam replied.

"Yeah? Like what?" Dean inquired.

Sam frowned. "Like, spontaneous fires breaking out, then extinguishing themselves. Like wild animals getting suddenly aggressive, and attacking people."

"Fire? Wild animals? Not exactly apocalyptic, Sammy," Dean remarked.

But Cas was agitated now. "It's Raguel. I'm sure of it," he said firmly. "Gabriel and I will leave immediately."

"Wait a minute, cowboy. Slow your roll," Gabriel said, holding up his hands. "What do you mean, 'Gabriel and I'?"

"What do you suppose I mean?" Cas said angrily. "We will go there, and we will kill him, before he has the chance to do any real harm!"

"You can count me out, Cas," Gabriel said uneasily, shaking his head.

"You're kidding us with this, right?" Dean exclaimed. "You're really not gonna help Cas get rid of that dick?"

"How do you know he's a dick?" Gabriel joked nervously.

"He's an Archangel, isn't he?" Dean said through gritted teeth.

"So am I," Gabriel said in a hurt tone.

Dean raised his eyebrows, and Gabe laughed shortly. "Oh. Right. Fine. Here I am, helping, and you're giving me the attitude. What a surprise."

"How exactly are you helping?" Gail said tartly. "By refusing to fight the guy who wants to kill my husband?" She took Cas's hand. "I'll go with you, sweetie. If Gabriel is too much of a coward to help you fight, then I will."

Cas withdrew his hand from hers, horrified. "No, you won't," he told her sternly. "You're not going anywhere near him."

"You can't stop me, Cas," she said stubbornly. "I've been to that Museum, too, you know. I know where it is. So if you go there by yourself, I'll just follow you."

Cas looked helplessly at the Winchesters. "Will the two of you talk some sense into my wife, please? If Raguel and that ring are able to kill ME, imagine what he might do to Gail."

"Are you afraid he'll kill me, Cas?" Gail asked him. "Why would Raguel be looking to kill me? What would be the point of that?"

"No," he growled. "I'm afraid he WON'T." Cas was thinking about the other things that ring could potentially do. She didn't understand. Some things were worse than death. He looked at the Winchesters again. "Please, can you keep her here? Use the Enochian restraints, if you have to."

Now Gail was really getting mad. "I was hoping I'd broken you of the habit of talking about me as if I wasn't in the room. Let me give you a refresher course on how much I hate that." Then she pointed her finger at Sam and Dean. "And if either one of you tries it, I'll zap you into next week."

"I can restrain her, if you want," Gabriel said, smirking. "And I wouldn't even need that pair of fur-lined Enochian handcuffs I've seen in your little sex dungeon to do it."

Dean gave him a double-take, and then he said, "OK, number one, you have no idea what we've got in there. And, number two, you don't get a say in anything that goes on here."

"No, YOU don't," Gabriel retorted. "This is between us Angels."

"Yeah? Well, Sammy and me ain't Angels, but we'll go with Cas, and we'll fight with him," Dean said angrily. "Like real brothers do."

Gabriel glared at him. How could somebody like Dean Winchester ever possibly understand where Gabriel was coming from? "Don't you ever - EVER - presume to talk to me about what real brothers do," the Archangel said furiously. "You and the Jolly Long-Haired Giant there are hardly a shining example of brotherly behaviour. The two of you have had more drama between you than a freakin' Shakespeare festival. Castiel understands."

"Well, I don't," Gail said coolly. "I know you don't like to fight, Gabriel. Neither do I. But, I will. I'll give it everything I've got, and I know Dean and Sam will, too. You know what? You pop in here every now and then with the quips and the sarcasm, and we ARE grateful to you for the information that you provide. But it's time to put up, or shut up. If you won't stand with us, then you can go ahead and leave."

Gabriel looked at them all, his lips pursed so tightly they were almost white. "Don't you think I want to - " he started to say, frustrated that he couldn't make them understand. Truthfully, he wasn't even sure he understood, himself. He was behaving like the yellowest, most low-down coward there was. Even Castiel was looking at him with contempt now. "It's suicide," he told them. "He'll annihilate you."

"Then at least I'll die trying to save the man I love more than anyone, or anything," Gail told the Archangel. "I believe I asked you to leave."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and disappeared, and Cas looked at the brothers. "I can't ask you to lay down your lives for me," he said quietly.

"I don't remember asking you for your opinion," Dean said, standing from his chair. "Get the travel bag, Sammy. Throw anything you think will help in there. At least if we can slow him down long enough, Cas can get some good shots in."

"You mentioned wild animals?" Gail said to Sam speculatively. "I can probably do something with that."

"Please, I don't want any of you to risk yourselves like this," Cas pleaded.

"I know you don't, sweetie," Gail said. "But we're doing it, anyway."

Cas was speechless. He couldn't believe that they would do this for him. Gabriel was right; it was a suicide mission, especially if Raguel had that ring. But Sam and Dean had already gone down the hallway towards the weapons room, and Gail was taking her blade out of her pocket now, looking at it. She saw the expression on Cas's face and put the blade away, moving towards him. He stood from his chair and embraced her, crushing her to him. "I won't let him harm you," Cas told her. "I'll die first."

"Nobody's dying today, except for one Archangel dick," Dean said. He and Sam came back down the hallway, both carrying a duffel bag that was loaded with every weapon they could think of that might help. "Let's go, Cas. We've got your back."

Before Cas could protest again, Gail moved forward and took each brother by the hand, winking them to Egypt.

Fourth Movement - The Deal/No Deal

The quartet had shown up at the Coptic Museum loaded for bear, prepared to face and do battle with Raguel. There was only one problem: he wasn't there.

But Ibrahim was, and as soon as the four of them walked in, he rushed over to Cas. "Hello, Sheik...I mean, Castiel," he amended. "It is so good to see you again. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need to ask you some questions," Cas said to him, but before he could go on, Ibrahim said, "I'm sorry. He threatened me, Castiel. He told me to tell you that the codices were forgeries. But they're gone now, and so is he."

"Wait, what?" Sam said sharply. "What do you mean? Do you mean those codices are real?"

Ibrahim nodded. "Yes, and he's stolen the Codex, too. I tried to stop him, but he waved his hand, and pinned me to the bookshelves. Then he said that he would leave me alive, so that I could give you the message when you got here."

"Codex?" Cas asked his former manservant, confused.

Ibrahim looked at him in surprise. He'd felt sure that this was what they were here about. Maybe it was just his guilty conscience. "Yes, Castiel," he replied, his brow furrowing. "The ancient coptic Codex, that contains the spells and invocations. Initially, I thought that he was sparing my life because he needed me to provide the translations for him. He seemed extremely frustrated that he could not read the language. But when he left, he had both the Codex and the codices, and he said to tell you that he was - how did he put it? - 'going to the competition'."

Cas was astounded. Spells and invocations? The competition? He looked at his companions. "Will you please excuse us, Ibrahim?" Cas said quietly.

"Certainly, Castiel," the curator said, hurrying away to his office. He had delivered the message; now he wanted as little to do with these people as possible.

"Sam, can you use that computer over there and see if you can find out what Ibrahim is talking about?" Cas asked his friend. "He obviously assumed that I knew about the Codex. But I don't have any idea what he is talking about."

As Sam moved over to the computer, Dean dropped the duffel bag he'd been holding. "What the hell, Cas? I came here ready to kick some Archangel ass, and now you wanna do research?"

Cas held up his hand. "Be patient, Dean. Depending on what we discover, this may change the situation."

"OK, so we already know about those codices," Sam said, studying the computer screen. "They were written in ancient Coptic. So, if they're real, and there's a Codex, then..." He trailed off. "Holy crap."

"What?" Dean said.

Sam looked up from the computer. "It says that two Egyptian brothers found the papyri in 1945, right after the Nazi era."

"The what?" Dean asked him blankly.

"Papyri, Dean. It's the plural of papyrus," Cas said absently. "Go on, Sam."

"Anyway, it says here that they were excited about the find, so they brought the codices into their house to examine them, but of course, they couldn't read the language. Their mother came into the room while they were looking at them and she started grabbing them off the table, screaming that they were evil, and should never see the light of day. Then she threw the ones she had grabbed into the fireplace, but one of the brothers scooped up the rest and ran out of the house with them. They ended up here in the museum, but it took years for scholars to decipher the subject matter of the remaining codices. They were the Gnostic Gospels. There had been 13 of them originally, but only a handful survived: the Codex, the Gospel of Truth, The Origin of the World, and the Dialogue of the Saviour."

"No," Cas breathed. They all looked at him. Angels' complexions didn't change, but Gail could swear he looked pale.

"What do you know about this, Cas?" Sam asked him, curious.

"The Gnostic Gospels are a myth," Cas said, dazed. "They have to be."

"Not according to this, they're not," Sam remarked. "What do you know, Cas?" he repeated.

"Those Gospels, if they are genuine, refer to the origins of mankind, and what purpose it should have," Cas said in a hushed tone. "They outline how to find the truth."

"The truth?" Dean echoed. He was a little freaked out. He'd seen Cas a lot of ways, but he'd never seen him quite like this before. "The truth about what?"

"Everything," Cas replied. "All of it. The creation of everything. Father's plan for the human race. The whereabouts of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And the Codex, if it can be translated, is the key to it all." He began to tremble. "If Raguel is able to translate those Gospels, he can burn it all down. He can wipe out the human race. Let me see that, Sam."

Cas shouldered Sam out of the way, staring intently at the computer screen. Gail and the brothers gaped at each other, open-mouthed. What the hell was THIS, now? They'd arrived at the theatre prepared to see High Noon, and suddenly, they were watching Apocalypse Now, The Sequel. Was Cas kidding with this?

He was not. Cas scrolled down to the description of the Codex. He scanned the paragraph and then slowly straightened up, looking at the others. "Raguel had taken these things to Crowley to be translated. That's what he meant by 'the competition'. We cannot allow that translation to take place."

"How are we supposed to prevent it?" Sam asked him.

But Cas had no answer for that. None at all.

"The last time I saw you, you were leaving with my mother," Crowley said to Raguel. "You could at least have given me a forwarding address, so I could send a wedding gift. Or, a sympathy card. Tell me, how is the whore?"

"I'm not here to talk about your mother," Raguel said stiffly. "I'm here to propose a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Crowley was amused, and he was also intrigued. "You're talking about a deal? You want to make a deal...with me?"

"Yes," Raguel said, tight-lipped.

Well, well, Wasn't this interesting. Crowley relaxed now. He could see that Raguel was holding some papers in his hand. "What do you have there?"

"Some ancient papyri," Raguel responded. "I need you to translate what's on them. I have a Codex, but this language is too complex. I am no scholar. I was an Officer of the Lord God. If Metatron were still alive - "

" - Then you wouldn't have to come to me," Crowley finished, nodding. "But he's not, and you do. So here you are. Tell me: what will you do for me in return, if I provide you with those translations?"

"I will kill your mother," Raguel said quickly.

Crowley eyed the Archangel. He was just a little bit too eager. Those must be some important little scraps of paper he had there.

"You're a little late on that score," the King said, feigning boredom. "I've already got an arrangement in place for that particular item."

"I'll sweeten the pot, as I believe the expression goes," Raguel said quickly. Crowley was trying not to grin now. "Really? I'm listening," he said calmly.

"I'll kill Castiel," Raguel offered.

Now Crowley did smirk. "You're going to kill God," he said sarcastically. "You know, I'd heard that you Archangels had an inflated sense of your own importance in the scheme of things. But let me give you some free advice. I was in the room when Castiel snapped his fingers and imploded Raphael. I was picking bits of your Archangel brother out of my hair for a week afterwards. And Castiel wasn't even God, then."

"I have a secret weapon," Raguel said confidently.

Even more interesting, Crowley thought. "Been raiding Father's pantry, have we?" he asked rhetorically, not really expecting an answer. "Let me see what you've got there, then."

"Do we have a deal?" Raguel asked warily.

"Not so fast. Like any working girl, I need to see some cash up front, before I put out," Crowley said with some humour. "If you think I'm going to just take your word, you can forget it." Raguel frowned, but he said nothing. Finally, Crowley sighed. "All right. Fine. At least tell me what you're holding there, then. The Dead Sea Scrolls? The long-awaited sequel to The Catcher In The Rye? What?"

"They're called the Gnostic Gospels," Raguel said casually. "Nothing that would interest you. Just religious tracts, mostly."

Crowley froze. Raguel obviously believed that the King of Hell would know nothing about the subject. But he had clearly forgotten about Crowley's true, original identity. "Religious tracts," he said, keeping his voice steady. "Oh. Well, in that case, I don't see why not. Give us a little look-see, then."

"Don't you have a contract for me to sign?" Raguel asked him curiously.

Crowley appeared to consider. "No, we're both men of honour, I'm sure," he remarked. "A simple handshake should suffice. But first, I'll have to get a look at the materials. There's no use striking up a bargain if I'm unable to do the translations. If the language is as complex as you say, I might not be able to hold up my end."

"That's what the Codex is for," Raguel said, extending it to Crowley.

The King of Hell took it from him, examining the scrap of parchment. "There are spells and invocations on here," Crowley said after a moment. "That doesn't sound like a religious tract to me."

"Certainly it does," Raguel said arrogantly. "The entire Catholic mass is nothing but a spell, when it comes down to it. The blood of Christ, and the body of Christ? Latin words? Incense? What would you call that? Spells are not always pagan, you know."

Crowley considered that for a moment. He supposed Raguel had a point, there. He looked at the Codex again. Some of the terms on it were unknown even to him, and would require further study. "I think I need a Codex for the Codex," he muttered. Was that...? "Baktiotha," he said aloud.

"What? What's that?" Raguel asked him sharply.

"Oh, nothing," Crowley said airily. "Just musing aloud. You weren't joking about the language being complex, all right."

Crowley betrayed no emotion as he struggled to read the passage. Obviously, from his lack of reaction, Raguel had no idea that "Baktiotha" was a very arcane term for a mysterious divine figure whose identity was a closely guarded secret, but who many religious scholars believed to be Jesus Christ. The whereabouts of God's Son had always been such a secret that none of the major players knew the answer to the question, not even those who had been closest to the Father Himself. Crowley would be very interested to learn the answer to that ancient riddle.

But then, Crowley's eyes lit on another passage, one that interested him far more at the moment. His black heart stopped in his chest. No. It couldn't be. He scanned it again. He could see Raguel stirring restlessly out of the corner of his eye, moving to reclaim the Codex. Smart. Crowley hadn't actually said that they had a deal yet, had he?

The passage he was looking at now stated that, among other things, the Gnostic Gospels contained a spell that could permanently reverse evil possessions. Wait, what? Yes, that was what it said, all right. He was sure of it. The blood in Crowley's vessel froze solid. There was no way he could let any of the God Squad get their hands on that spell. Raguel had dynamite in his possession, here. He obviously knew that the Gospels were important, but only Crowley knew the potential significance of what the Archangel held. Imagine if Moose and Squirrel were to get a hold of that spell. Crowley might as well just hang out a Going Out Of Business sign then, and go back to altering men's clothes for a living.

"Let me see those other papers, for a second?" Crowley said, gesturing.

"Why?" Raguel asked him.

Crowley let out a frustrated breath. "Do you or do you not want the Gospels translated?" he said irritably. "Wasn't that the crux of the deal in the first place?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid," Raguel said acidly. "The Codex you're looking at is the genuine article." He held up the yellowed pieces of paper he had in his hand. "But these are not. I met you here, alone, to see if we could strike up a deal. But I'm hardly fool enough to have brought the actual Gospels with me."

Bollocks, Crowley thought. What a shame. "All right, fair enough," he said calmly. "I'll tell you what. We will meet at a time and place of your choosing. You will bring my mother to the meeting place, and you will kill her in my presence. Then, I will translate exactly half of your little Gospels. Then, if you and I are both satisfied with the way our deal is progressing, you will kill Castiel. If you can accomplish that, I will provide you with the remainder of your translations. How does that sound?"

"Why would you not just provide all of the translations at once?" Raguel asked the King.

Crowley smirked. "You Archangels aren't too big on popular culture, are you? The standard deal is: half up front, the other half after the hit is performed. As I said, I already have a deal in place for my mother's demise. But, seeing as you already have access to her, if you kill her as a show of good faith, I will be willing to help you. But I will decide which parts to translate, and when. If you want the happy ending, you must provide payment in full. If you can actually pull off killing God, you'll have your translations. But in the meantime, I'll hold on to this, so you won't be in a position to renege." Crowley gestured with the Codex, then opened his suit jacket, stashing the piece of parchment inside. He lingered, keeping his coat open, making sure that Raguel saw Crowley's Angel blade.

Then Crowley put his hand out. Raguel looked at it for a moment and then he put his hand in Crowley's, and the men shook. The Archangel withdrew his hand, a look of distaste crossing his face. But in this case, the end would justify the means. Raguel would receive the key to the mysteries of the universe, in exchange for the murders of two individuals. It was the bargain of a lifetime. Rowena meant nothing to Raguel. Ever since the Archangel had used the overleaf of the Book of Life to illustrate to her the way things would truly have gone if she had not borne Crowley, Rowena had been cold and distant to Raguel. Oh, well. No matter. She was expendable, anyway. It was funny, too; Raguel had thought that he was on to something when he'd found the overleaf of the Book of Life crumpled up in the corner in the Great Pyramid at Giza, left there like a discarded candy wrapper. At some point, Raguel had been under the impression that there were clues to the Book's location to be found at the sites of the Seven Wonders of the World. But he'd soon found out that his intel was faulty, and his references were way out of date. Except for the Pyramid, none of the other Wonders even existed any more. They had all been replaced by shopping malls, and restaurants. "Progress", they called it. But Raguel called it Sinful. The Hanging Gardens had been beautiful. How could some ugly concrete building compare with that? So he'd soon abandoned that theory, and he'd been continuing to search for the Books ever since. But this opportunity was too good not to explore.

And Raguel had the ring, for Castiel. He was not as confident as he appeared to be about that particular undertaking, though. But Raguel had known that he had to offer Crowley something big, something that no one else could provide. Almost anyone could murder Rowena, but only Raguel had Michael's signet ring. He hadn't told Crowley about that, because quite frankly, it was none of Crowley's business, it was Heaven's. But there was only one problem. Raguel had tried to put the ring on his finger, but it refused to go. But he held it in his pocket, waiting for the right time and place.

"I'll be in touch," Raguel said to Crowley, and disappeared.

That was Rowena's cue. She had been watching the whole sordid thing, this entire time. She'd taken a calculated risk and slipped the tiny hex bag into Raguel's pocket. Then, she'd alternated between amazement and disgust, as she'd watched the men strike up their bargain.

Now, it was time for her to go. She placed the codices in her satchel and waved her hand over the bowl she'd placed in the middle of the room. She spoke a few words and the ingredients in the bowl ignited, creating a thick, black smoke which permeated the room.

And when Raguel returned a moment later, the smoke was still clouding the room. But Rowena and the codices were gone.

Fifth Movement - Set Directions

"So if I'm not gonna get to kick some ass today, what do you say you pop us over to Madagascar, so I can see Nicole?" Dean asked Cas.

Predictably enough, Cas frowned. "At this very moment, Raguel could be negotiating a deal with Crowley that could eliminate you, and you want to visit a movie set?" he said incredulously.

Dean shrugged. "Hey, Carpe Diem. There you go. There's some Latin for you. Look, Cas, until we figure out what to do about those two, I want to take a minute to check in with my girlfriend. If you knew this might be the last day of your life, wouldn't you want to spend it with Gail?"

Sam and Gail exchanged a smile. "Dude, who are you, and what did you do with my brother?" Sam teased Dean. "Quoting Latin? Being all romantic?"

"Shut up, Sammy," Dean said. "So what do you say, Cas?"

Cas looked at Gail. She gave him a half-shrug. "I have to admit, I'm really curious to see the actress who's playing me in the sequel," she told him. "Besides, Chuck's there, isn't he? Maybe we can get him to channel his inner Prophet, and see if we can get a line on Crowley and Raguel."

"If he could do that, don't you think he would have done it by now?" Dean asked her, and Gail rolled her eyes. "Do you see what you're doing right now? You're undermining your own case," she admonished him. "It's a good thing you didn't represent yourself at your trial, or we'd be visiting you in the Big House." She looked at Cas again. "Besides, I just thought, if the two of them were together somewhere, with those Gospels, he might be able to pick up on all that power in the same place at the same time."

Cas was thoughtful now. Actually, she could have a point about that. But, Cas was God. Why couldn't HE pick up on it? He had sent out The Eye, of course, but he had come up with exactly nothing. Raguel was still shielded, Cas was sure, but he should be able to see Crowley anywhere, even in the depths of Hell. Why couldn't he? Or, for that matter, why couldn't Cas pick up on the Codex, or the Gospels themselves? If they were the Word, directly from the Father Himself, they should be calling out to Castiel like a beacon.

"All right," Cas agreed reluctantly. "I suppose we can go, for a few minutes."

A mere instant after the quartet vanished from the museum, Raguel suddenly appeared. He was in a towering rage. He had turned the hotel room upside down once the smoke from the spell had cleared, but to no avail. Rowena had gone, and she had taken the codices with her. And now, Crowley had the Codex, leaving Raguel with nothing.

Someone had to pay. Raguel popped into Ibrahim's office, startling the curator.

"I gave Castiel your message," Ibrahim blurted out.

"Castiel was here?" Raguel thundered.

"Yes, and I gave him your message," Ibrahim repeated, quaking.

"Well, where is he now?" Raguel demanded.

"I don't know!" the curator exclaimed. "I have no idea! He came here asking about the codices, and I told him I didn't know anything about them!"

Raguel stared at him. "You will give me the copies you made of those documents, immediately."

"I didn't make any copies," Ibrahim said in a small voice. "You promised me that the originals would come back to the museum once you were finished with them. Why do you need copies, then, if you have them in your possession?"

"That is none of your business, human!" Raguel rushed up to Ibrahim's chair, putting his Angel blade to the man's throat. "You have served your purpose to me. I do not need you, or this museum, any more."

"Please don't kill me," Ibrahim pleaded.

"Give me one good reason I should not," Raguel said through gritted teeth. "You told me that the Codex said the Books could be found at one of the Seven Wonders of the World. But the only one of those that exists any more is the Great Pyramid at Giza, here in Egypt. I went there, and all I found was that one page! You lied to me! I don't know why you would do that. You had to know that I would find out."

"I didn't lie!" Ibrahim shouted, panicked. "That is what I read! The Seven Wonders!"

"Then why weren't they there?" Raguel asked him, frustrated.

"I don't know," Ibrahim pleaded. "Please, Sire, spare my life and my museum. It's all I have."

"You're of no use to me," Raguel said coldly, pressing the knife closer against Ibrahim's throat. Beads of blood were forming on the blade now.

"But I could be," Ibrahim said desperately. "I can deliver Castiel to you."

"It's good to see all of you," Richard greeted them heartily, shaking Cas's hand. "I was hoping you would have the time to show up. I'm sure you must be very busy in your new job, Cas." He smiled, lowering his voice. "Thanks for all the great weather we've had. It's easier to shoot all the action scenes when we don't have to worry about rain, or sandstorms."

"Cas has a new job?" Syd said, approaching the group. He clapped Cas on the shoulder. "Hey, what're you up to, man? What's your new job?"

"I'm the manager of a company," Cas said smoothly, his lips twitching. Sam gave him a discreet thumbs-up.

"Yeah?" Syd said, impressed. "Way to go, Cas, man. I always thought you were destined for greatness."

"Fill up your boots, Syd," Cas said to his former co-worker. Syd stared at him for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. "You're awesome, Cas," he said. "Don't ever change."

As Syd walked away, still laughing, Richard said, "We're just about to continue filming the big scene. Do you guys want to watch?"

"Big scene? Do you mean - " Dean started to say, and Richard looked sheepish. "Yes, Dean. That one."

Dean was a little taken aback for a moment. Then he grinned. "Cool. Let's go watch Sammy kill me."

"Dean- " Cas started to say, but Sam merely elbowed his brother. "Dick," he said affably. Enough time had passed, and enough beers had been consumed between the brothers that they could joke about it now.

Gail put her hand in Cas's as they walked to the filming area. "I can't wait to see myself," she said, grinning.

"Dean!" Nicole exclaimed as they got to the place where the wardrobe and makeup trailers were. She ran over to him, and the two of them hugged and kissed. "What a great surprise to see you all like this!" Nicole said, smiling. "You're just in time to see the big scene." She grinned at Dean. "Try not to take it personally."

Then they were watching the filming, and the four of them were amazed. The scene was set up exactly as they remembered it. The only difference, of course, was that the actors were only pretending to fight. Every once in a while, the director would yell "Cut!", and everything would stop. Then Nicole or one of her staff members would walk out and replenish the actors' makeup, or straighten out their clothes. Then some of the crew would walk around, adjusting lighting, or camera angles. While they were doing that, the actors would all joke around with each other. It was so strange to see the actor who played Cas conversing pleasantly with the actor who played Crowley. Then, the actor who played Sam kept reaching around and tickling the back of "Cas's" neck, but every time that actor turned around, "Sam" was looking elsewhere, acting innocent. Then the actor who played Cas would look around, ducking, as if warding off an insect. It was hilarious.

Gail was staring at the actress who was playing her. Now she knew how the guys had been feeling, all this time. It was surreal to see somebody who was you, and yet not you, pretending to do the same things that you yourself had actually done, right here, on this land. Did that even make sense? "Gail" went over to "Cas" now and nudged him, pointing at "Sam". "Cas" ran after "Sam", as "Dean" and "Crowley" laughed together. Then, "Gail" poked "Lucifer" in the stomach, making him giggle.

Lucifer, giggling? Putting his arm around Gail fraternally, and giving her a hug? Boy, this was going to take some getting used to. Gail had better remind herself that this was only make-believe, or she was either going to throw up, or reach for her Angel blade.

"It'll be better when we add the special effects, and the CGI, of course," Chuck said, joining them. "But, what do you guys think? Is it pretty accurate?"

They all murmured that it was, but it was all so surreal that they had very little to say at the moment.

"We've got one more take to get right now, I think, and then we're breaking for an early dinner," Nicole said to Dean. "Can you hang around for a bit?"

"We have to talk to Chuck, anyway," Gail said to the couple. "We'll go and do that now, and we'll meet you back here in a little while."

Dean threw her a look of gratitude. Then, when the scene wrapped, Nicole took Dean by the hand, telling him that she had a trailer of her own now. Heading a department had its perks. Dean winked at the others and allowed her to lead him away.

"I hope I can get online here," the actress who played Gail was saying now. She was tugging the actor who played Cas by the sleeve. "You need to show me how to set up that web page, the one to fund the Wildlife Protection Agency."

Gail burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. The actress was behaving towards her movie husband exactly the same way that Gail behaved towards Cas. The actress was Gail's height, and she had the same hair and eye colour, too. Gail looked at Chuck, and he smiled. "Casting consulted me," he told her. He called the actors over and introduced the actress to her and "Cas's" real-life counterparts.

"It's so good to meet you," Gail said, shaking the woman's hand.

The actress was looking at Gail and Cas, open-mouthed. "Wow. They told me that there was a resemblance, but this is uncanny," the actress said.

"Did I hear you say you work with the Wildlife Protection Agency?" Cas asked the actress.

"Yeah," she confirmed, nodding eagerly. She elbowed the actor who played Cas, who was checking his cell phone. "Movie hubby here is going to help me set up a charity page to help the WPA protect the African rhino. Did you know that the black rhinoceros has been hunted nearly to extinction, by poachers who harvest them for their horns? People in certain cultures believe the horns are an aphrodisiac, even though they're not, and they'll pay top dollar for them. Isn't that disgusting?"

The actor who played Cas lifted his head from his cell phone. "Did someone say aphrodisiac?" he quipped. "I wasn't listening to the rest. She tends to blather on, sometimes."

The actress hit him on the arm, rolling her eyes. "Quit being such a doofus," she said. Then she looked at Gail, smiling. "I hope your Cas doesn't drive you nuts, like this guy does, to me."

"Aaaah, you like it," the actor said affably. Then he looked at Cas, squinting. "You're looking pretty buff there, my friend. What are you trying to do to me? I've been hitting the gym most days, but if they see you, they're gonna make me go even more often."

Cas laughed. "Don't worry, you look just fine the way you are," he told his counterpart.

"I'll say," Gail agreed, perhaps a little too eagerly. That prompted the actress who played her to laugh this time, and once again, Gail was struck by the eerie similarity between the actors and themselves.

"Well, it's been nice to meet you, but we'd better get going," the actress said. "They've got us on a pretty tight schedule." She smiled at Chuck. "I'm loving the work, though. You've written one hell of a story, no pun intended. It's good to be able to play a romantic lead who also gets to kick some ass with the boys. Those kinds of parts don't come along every day." She poked her movie husband. "Come on. Let's get this rhino thing set up, and then have something to eat. I'm starving."

The actors walked away, Chuck smiling after them. "She's cute, isn't she?" he asked Cas and Gail.

"I suppose," Cas replied. "It seems as if she's got a good heart, as do the other cast members. That was one reason I enjoyed working on the show so much. Those people do genuinely care about worthy causes, and they dedicate a lot of their free time and resources to making a difference in the world."

"Maybe we don't need to send Angels to Earth, then," Gail mused aloud. "Maybe they're already here, in the form of humans like those." There was silence for a moment, and then her expression brightened. "She IS cute, though. They look good together, too."

"Like another couple I know," Cas said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"And the love scenes between them? Hot," Chuck chipped in. "In fact, they want me to write more of those." Cas gave him a sharp look, and Chuck stopped smiling. Right. He'd better cool it on that kind of talk. Luckily for Chuck, since he and Laurel had gotten serious about each other, he was no longer deprived in that department. But there had been a time a while back when he had used his status as a Prophet to become a little too much of a voyeur when it came to Cas and Gail's sex life, and Cas had obviously not forgotten about that. "Sorry, Cas," Chuck apologized sheepishly.

But Gail had either forgotten, or she missed the look the men exchanged, because she smiled and said, "I hope we get to see one or two of those love scenes in the new movie. That would be interesting."

Chuck cleared his throat, avoiding Cas's gaze. "Anyway, I should get back to my tent," he said. "I'm writing about the aftermath of Lucifer's death right now, and I'm kind of struggling to find the right balance between triumph and pathos, if you know what I mean."

"Because Lucifer's gone, but Dean is dead," Sam said matter-of-factly.

"Exactly," Chuck replied, and then he looked chagrined. "I don't know what the hell I'm thinking. I have the perfect resource, right here. Do you think you could help me with that, Sam? After all, you lived it. If it wouldn't be too traumatic for you, that is."

Sam thought about that for a moment, and then he shrugged. "Nah. It's OK. Dean and I have died so many times now that we tend to get over these things pretty quick," he quipped.

"Do you two want to come along?" Chuck asked Cas and Gail. "I'd actually like to get Gail's input on that whole revival spell thing."

Sam smiled warmly at Gail. "I wouldn't mind re-living that either, any time," he said.

"No," Cas said tersely. "You two go ahead."

They all looked at him, surprised. He was working his jaw now, almost as if he was angry. After a moment, Gail said, "Go ahead, you guys. We'll catch up."

Chuck and Sam walked off together, and then Gail and Cas were alone. She looked at him. "What's up with you, all of a sudden?"

Cas didn't know what to say. How could he tell her that he was feeling insecure again? She had gotten so angry when he had talked to her about it in Heaven, before they'd come here to Egypt. And for the most part, he couldn't blame her. Gail had never shown him anything other than love and loyalty. But she was the only woman who Cas had ever loved, and she was the only one he would ever want to love. His feelings for her were so intense that the insecure part of him couldn't stand the thought of another man possibly having feelings for her, too. Once this latest crisis passed, assuming that they would be able to prevent Raguel and Crowley from ending everything, of course, Cas would have to initiate the annulment process as soon as possible. He simply wouldn't feel right until he and Gail were remarried. IF they were remarried.

"I was thinking about the endangered rhinoceros," Cas lied. "It's terrible that one of Father's magnificent creatures is on the verge of extinction, just because of human folly. What a waste." But even though Cas had said that just to cover up what had truly been bothering him, as soon as he did say it, he realized the truth of what he was saying. It really WAS a tragic, senseless situation.

Gail put her hand in his. "Let's go talk to Chuck."

But Chuck didn't have anything to tell them. "I'm sorry, you guys, but I think my Prophet thing is on the fritz," he said apologetically. "Ever since I started writing these scripts, I've been blocked. All I can see are plot lines, and character development."

"Writers," Sam said affably, shaking his head. Chuck gave him a double-take, but the younger Winchester didn't seem as if he was being sarcastic. They'd actually had a pretty civilized chat about that whole Sam-killing-his-brother-to-save-the-world-from-the-Devil thing. Then Cas and Gail had chimed in, talking about their feelings about the battle, and the aftermath. Chuck nodded as Gail talked about the way that she and Sam got the ingredients for the revival spell together. He remembered very well when she had come up to Heaven's library to photocopy the page of the book that had the revival spell. But Gail was so busy reminiscing that she didn't notice the expression on Cas's face. He was frowning deeply. He remembered that very well, too. All he needed the way he was feeling right now was a reminder of how his own wife and a man he looked upon as a brother had basically been sneaking around behind his back. They'd had their reasons at the time, but that had nonetheless been a crisis point in their marriage. Now it seemed as if they were going to have another one, when they had to undergo the last part of the annulment process. Well, that was unless Raguel was successful in annihilating the human race, of course. Then, he supposed the whole point would be rendered moot.

"Anyway, as we all know, it turned out all right in the end, but I never want to go through that again," Gail said to Chuck now. "That was the worst thing I think I'll ever experience. I'm never going to go to another Hunter funeral again, ever."

"What? You won't come to my funeral?" Sam joked.

"You're not allowed to die," Gail said, pointing his finger at the men. "You got that? None of you are. Ever."

"Are you gonna be here for a while?" Chuck asked them, gathering up his script notes. "I'd love it if you could watch the scene, once they resume filming. Then you can give me any constructive criticism you might have."

Sam shrugged, looking at Cas. "I guess we could hang around for a bit, huh, Cas?"

Cas took Gail's hand. "Why don't you go ahead?" he said to the men. "I want to talk to Gail for a minute."

Once Chuck and Sam left, Gail turned to face Cas. "What's going on with you, Cas?" she asked him, looking curiously at his face. "You're acting weird again."

"I don't want to watch filming," he told her. "I want to go somewhere with you, just the two of us."

"Where do you want to go?" she inquired. Cas told her what he had in mind, and her face broke into a smile. "That's a great idea, Cas!" she enthused. "I would love to do that!"

"I just sent the message to Chuck, telling him that we'll be back soon," Cas said. Then he winked them away.

Sixth Movement - The Halo Effect

Dejuan's parents were at the church, so he let the Angels into the house, ushering them into the living room area. "Mother and Father will be so sorry they missed you!" he said excitedly. "What can I get for you? I can make tea, and I think that there might be some cookies in the pantry. And, if not - "

Cas smiled gently. "Please, have a seat, Dejuan. We don't actually eat or drink, as a rule. Christmas was a special occasion."

The youth stopped short, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Yissa, I forgot. I was just so happy to see the both of you."

Gail was gaping at the boy. She couldn't believe it. He was almost Rob's height now, and his voice was deeper. Where did the time go?

Dejuan sat down across from them. "How are things going in your village?" Cas asked him. "How are your parents? Has there been enough rain?"

"We have been blessed with a good summer," the young man told him. "We have rain when we need it, and it has not been too hot. Thank you for the blessings."

Gail's lips twitched. "Do you still have the kite, or are you too big to play with it anymore?"

Dejuan smiled. "I hope you do not mind, but I don't keep the kite any longer. Now it hangs on a hook in the vestibule of the school. It belongs to all of the children in town, now. Any one of them can just take it and use it, provided they are done with their chores at home. But, do not worry; they all take turns, and they share. Regrettably, I do not have much time to play anymore. As I am older, and I am an only child, it is my responsibility to go out and earn money. So, I achieved a position at the grocers' in town. I go there after school and sweep up, and I stock the shelves and help the owner do inventory. Next week, he will show me how to work the cash register. I am only home today because it is my day off. The salary is very little, but I give half to my parents, and the other half, I save in a bank account that my father helped me to open. This Christmas, we will take what I have saved and buy gifts for the poorest children in the village."

Gail was astonished. "That's wonderful, Dejuan! But what about yourself? Don't you keep anything for yourself?"

He shrugged. "I have everything I need. I am receiving schooling, and I am learning a job. I took my example from the two of you. I remember what a joy it was to wake up Christmas morning and find that kite and those books here, for me. For me. So I want to share that feeling with the smaller children, to give them the same feeling that I received. Am I expressing that correctly? I work very hard on my English."

"You expressed it very well, Dejuan," Cas said, touched by the young man's simple eloquence, and his giving attitude.

Dejuan smiled. "Oh, and by the way, the books you gave me are also in the school now, in the library there. I believe that every little girl and boy has read them by now. I myself read them numerous times. Many adults say that magic does not exist, but I respectfully disagree. Whenever I look at the faces of the children who are flying that kite, or reading those books, I see proof that it does."

Gail's eyes stung with tears, and her lower lip was trembling. "Have I upset you?" the youth said, alarmed.

"No," she assured him. "Just the opposite." She sniffled, and Cas gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We have to go, now," Cas told the young man. "Please give your parents our best regards. My wife and I are very happy to see what a wonderful man you are on the way to becoming."

"I learned that from you also, Yissa," Dejuan said. "And now, the spirit of giving that you have shown us will be passed down, through all of the children in the village."

The Angels left the house and walked down the dirt road, hand in hand. Gail sniffled again. "Darn that kid," she quipped. "Every time I see him, he's making me cry. We've got to do something, Cas."

Cas was nodding. "I have an idea."

Then they were back at the movie set, talking to the actor who played Castiel. Cas explained about Dejuan, and the poor children in his village. "I know that you have a charitable foundation that helps out families of this nature," Cas said to the actor. "I thought you might like to give some money to the school for books and supplies, and maybe a few toys, as well. Dejuan shouldn't have to give his entire salary for that purpose, but I know that he will do it. But, if the children were all to receive toys at Christmastime, perhaps he will be able to save a little money for himself."

The actor eyed the couple speculatively. "How do you know so much about the situation?"

Cas smiled enigmatically. "Let's just say that we're old friends of the family."

The actor thought for another minute. "We're kind of stretched thin at the moment, Cas," he said reluctantly. "I just signed a huge cheque for a dancing school in Johannesburg. The woman who teaches all the disadvantaged kids there is dying of cancer, and the school would have had to close once she was gone, if it hadn't been for the generosity of our fans who gave to my foundation."

"A dancing school?" Cas echoed, puzzled. "Isn't that rather frivolous? I know that we said the children in the village should have some toys, but mainly, would they not benefit more from school supplies, and books? Should the older ones not learn how to farm, or receive training in the trades, instead? Dreams are wonderful, but they cannot feed and clothe people."

The actor regarded Cas, an unreadable expression on his face. Then, he sighed. "You're not wrong, but..." He sighed again, trying to figure out how to articulate what he wanted to say. "The man who brought my attention to this particular school has prosthetic legs. Most people he meets for the first time don't even know that he does. He told me that he didn't want to go into fund-raising having people donate to his causes mainly because they felt sorry for him. Anyway, nothing slows this guy down. He travels all over the world, finding causes that don't make the headlines, and then he beats every bush and shakes every tree until he gets them what they need. When we raised enough money to keep the school open for nearly a decade, he sent me a video of the kids, teaching him a couple of dance steps. He hadn't tried to dance since he lost his legs, but if you'd seen his face..." His voice cracked. "And then, you look at the faces of those kids when they dance, and you're transformed, because they are. They're just so damn happy. One of the older kids is actually going to get to go to America on a dance scholarship that he earned when he sent in videos to the major arts schools in New York. And when we told the lady who started it all that her legacy would live on for the foreseeable future..." His voice broke again, and he took a moment to collect himself, clearing his throat. "All because an actor from a TV and movie franchise that people seem to like got online one day and asked people to open up their hearts, and then their wallets. I play an Angel, but the real Angels are my friend with the prosthetic legs, and the woman who established a dance academy that gives kids from dirt-poor families a reason to smile. And, the people all over the world who give whatever they can afford, to do kind things for those people. Yes, it's frivolous, but we also feed and clothe people, and we build schools, and housing, too. You need to feed the heart and the soul too, Cas. I'm surprised you wouldn't recognize that. You, of all people."

Cas's forehead wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

The actor's gaze was penetrating. "I overheard Richard and Chuck talking. You and Gail are Angels, aren't you? Actual Angels?"

Gail's heart sank for a moment. So soon on the heels of her failed pilot project, her first reaction was chagrin that someone else had found out about their supposed secret. But then, she thought about it. It could be a lot worse. The man they were talking to right now could well be considered an Angel himself, with all of the wonderful things that he was doing.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Cas smiled. "I'm God now, actually," he said to the actor. "I recently received a promotion."

The look on the actor's face was priceless. After taking a moment to regroup, he smiled, too. "OK, well...at the risk of having you smite me into next week, why aren't YOU helping these kids yourself, then?" the actor asked Cas.

"The Halo Effect," Gail interjected, and the actor looked at her. "What?" he asked pleasantly.

"We talked about that before we came to see you," Gail replied. "Cas said that he could just wave his hand and give them all that stuff, and more. Of course he could. But, look at Dejuan, as an example. Look at how good it makes him feel to be giving to the little kids in the village. Look at you, and how touched and happy you obviously are to be helping those dance kids. And I bet you that all the people that give to your foundation feel the same way, too. So, I've dubbed that feeling 'the Halo Effect'. Patent pending." She smiled, and the actor smiled back.

"You've got me, there," he said, nodding slowly. "OK, I'll tell you what. We've got three months till the Christmas season. I'm going to wait a few weeks to avoid oversaturation, and then I'll see if I can get the rest of the cast involved for a Christmas drive. I can't imagine we wouldn't be able to raise a sizeable amount, but just in case everyone has donor fatigue, we'll top it up ourselves. Then we can all feel like the two of you must feel, every day."

Cas smiled ruefully. "Well, some days more than others," he said, taking Gail's hand and giving it a squeeze. He looked at his wife. She had impressed him with the articulate way she had voiced their viewpoint on giving to others.

"You know, I've never been a terribly religious person; at least, not as far as organized religion goes," the actor said now, "but I do consider myself a spiritual person, in my own way. But now that I know about the two of you, it gives me hope for the future, and for my kids' future." Then his lips twitched as he looked at Cas. "But I hope you won't hold some of my youthful indiscretions against me, when my time comes."

Cas's smile turned genuine. "Certainly not. After all, none of mine have prevented me from achieving the High Office. And the way you are conducting yourself now, you may well be vying for my job by the time you get there."

The actor burst out laughing. "Thanks, Cas, but I think I'll settle for being one of your minions. By the time I get there, I'll be looking forward to putting my feet up on the nearest cloud and relaxing. Hopefully, I'll have earned a bit of a rest by then."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the trailer door, and a second later, the door opened slowly. "Are you decent?" the actress who played Gail called out.

"Very rarely," the actor quipped, prompting a laugh from Gail.

The actress came up the stairs into the trailer, carrying an open laptop. "Oh, har, har. You're a riot," she said to him. Then she noticed Cas and Gail. "Oh, hi. Sorry to interrupt."

"That's okay, we were just chatting," Gail said. She was still bemused by how similar the actress's personality was to her own.

"You've gotta look at this," the actress said, bringing the laptop over to the coffee table. "It's disgusting." She plunked the computer down, and they all gathered around to look.

The screen looked blank to Gail. "Ummm...what are we supposed to be looking at?" she asked the actress.

"Just wait," her film counterpart said.

A moment or two later, a vehicle came into view, shining its headlights into the jungle. Four men alit from the jeep, holding shotguns. They walked over to a clearing, where the humans and the Angels who were watching the footage saw the outlines of several large animals, lying on the ground.

"Poachers," the actress fumed. "One of the wildlife sanctuary's cameras caught this. This is what these guys do. They send one of the more junior, expendable guys to go to the watering hole first, and when they see a rhino or two there, they shoot tranquilizer darts into it. Then they sneak back at dusk, once the WPA workers have left, to kill the rhinos and remove their horns. The WPA tries to catch these bastards, but they can't be everywhere at once. This is the kind of thing I'm trying to do something about. But even if we give the WPA money, that'll give them more resources, but it won't give these poacher guys the kick in the ass they so obviously need."

Gail sat back on the couch, thinking about that. An idea was forming in her mind now as the actress elbowed her movie husband. "Oh, by the way, I saw another Tweet that called you an 'attention-seeker', because you've been posting all this stuff on your foundation."

The actor rolled his eyes. "So what else is new? You're still new here. You'll learn not to look, after a while."

"That makes me so mad," the actress said, clenching her teeth. "I don't understand why people would say things like that about you. What the hell is their problem? I've never met anyone who's made more of an impact on humanity than you have. Those haters need to just shut their faces. Maybe if they did less of what they're doing, and more of what you're doing, this world would be a better place."

The actor smiled. "Isn't it sweet how she sticks up for me?" he said to Cas and Gail, putting his arm around his movie wife's shoulders.

She closed the laptop with a bang. "And they called ME a whore!" she said bluntly.

Gail burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it," she said. "That just sounds too familiar. Believe me, you get used to it, after a while. Of course, that doesn't make it right. But, why are they calling you that?"

The actress frowned. "Because there's a very vocal group that doesn't want Cas to have a wife, or even a girlfriend, if you catch my drift. And then, there are those girls who are just jealous. They should get a life. I mean, he's married, with kids. But these people don't seem to care."

Gail nodded, rolling her eyes. She could just imagine. "Well, don't you give any of that a second thought," she told the woman. "I think you two are adorable together, and so will lots of other people. I can't wait for the movie to come out. Come on, sweetie. Let's let these guys get back to work." She took Cas's hand, and they rose from the couch. "Oh, and don't worry about those poachers too much," Gail added with a grin. "I have the feeling that karma's going to bite those guys in the ass, sooner rather than later." She winked at the actor who played Cas, and he smiled. Then she and Cas exited the trailer.

Once they were outside, Cas looked at her. "What do you have in mind?"

Gail told him, and Cas thought about it for a moment. "Come on, Cas," Gail cajoled. "They need some kind of deterrent. I'm not saying we have to harm them, necessarily, but let's just put the fear of...well, YOU, in them. Then maybe they'll think twice."

Cas had to admit that a large part of him was in favour of the idea. Frankly, he really did not care if the poachers were harmed, or not. He was merely considering whether there could be any danger posed to Gail if they went ahead with her plan. Angel or not, she had been mauled by a wild animal before, hadn't she?

"I'll tell you what," he said to her. "Let me ask Sam and Dean if they want to go with us. This is one instance when I think it couldn't hurt to have the weaponry that they brought. I don't dare use my Godly power in the presence of humans, and even if I employed Holy fire, the animals in the vicinity would be vapourized instantly. Which would more or less defeat the purpose of saving the rhinos," Cas added dryly.

"OK, Cas. Sounds good," Gail said, giving his hand a squeeze, and the Angels went off in search of the brothers.

While Cas and Gail had been talking to their actor counterparts, Dean and Nicole were slowly getting out of bed in her trailer. She was due back on set in 10 minutes to supervise her staff, and they had covered for her for as long as they possibly could.

Nicole was sitting on the edge of the bed putting her socks on, and Dean grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back onto the bed to lay down beside him. He'd managed to put his boxers on, but that was all.

"Come on, Dean. I have to get back," she said to him.

"You're the boss, aren't you?" he said, kissing her neck. "So what if you're a couple of minutes late?"

She held his head, trailing her hands down to his shoulders, and then to his back. My God, he was muscular. They'd had a delightful reunion. Now that she had a trailer of her own, they'd actually been able to make love in a bed, for a change. Things had gotten a little hot when they'd first gotten here, and then they had gotten a little sweaty, and when they were done, her bra had somewhat inexplicably ended up hanging from the light sconce by the door. They'd had a good laugh about that once they'd gotten their breath back.

Dean kissed her, and Nicole kissed him back, enjoying the feel of the muscles in his arms when they tightened around her. But then, when his hands started to wander, she reluctantly pulled out of the embrace.

Dean gave up. He knew she had to get back to work; he'd just been enjoying being here with her like this. When they had first gotten to Nicole's trailer, Dean had been conscious of not wanting to just jump on his girlfriend right away. She meant more to him than just a romp in the hay. But once Nicole had closed the door, SHE had grabbed HIM, and hey, he was only human.

Nicole had been aware that they only had a short time, and she hadn't wanted to waste it talking. They talked occasionally via Skype, and even more occasionally on the phone. Once the filming wrapped once and for all, she was going to suggest that she and Dean get away somewhere for a few days, just the two of them, and then they could spend some quality time together, both in and out of bed. But, for right now, her idea of quality time involved the both of them with their clothes off.

So they had made hot, passionate love once, and then they had caught their breath and taken it more slowly the second time. Dean was apparently looking for Round 3 now, but Nicole figured she'd better not chance it. So she got all the way out of the bed and dressed hurriedly, before she could be tempted to change her mind.

Dean was still in the bed with just his shorts on, hoping to charm her into reconsidering, when there was a knock at the trailer door.

A young makeup assistant named Nelson barged in a moment later, without waiting for an invitation. "Hey, Nic, I was wondering if..."

Nelson stopped short, gaping at the two of them. "What the hell?" he exclaimed. "What's wrong with you, Nicole? He's a married man, with young kids!"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Look again, genius."

Nelson scrutinized Dean's face more closely. Then his eyes wandered down Dean's body, prompting the elder Winchester to primly pull the covers up to his chin as Nicole tried not to laugh.

"Oh. Sorry, man," Nelson said after a minute. "I thought you were - "

"Yeah, I know," Dean said, sighing. "But I'm not."

"Right." Nelson just stood there, staring, as Nicole folded her arms in front of her, shaking her head slowly. Nelson wasn't the sharpest guy in the world, but he was a whiz with wounds, and they were going to be needing his services a lot in the next few days, as they filmed the climactic battle scene. "Was there anything you wanted, Nelson?" Nicole asked the young assistant, as patiently as she could.

"I just came here to let you know that they're setting up," he replied.

"OK, OK, I can read a watch," she said irritably. "I'll see you there."

Eventually, Nelson exited the trailer, and Nicole smiled at Dean apologetically. "Sorry, Prudence. You can come out now," she said teasingly. "Next time, I'll remember to lock the door."

Dean came out from behind the covers and started to dress. "Hey, it could have been worse. He could have come in about fifteen minutes ago," he said, smirking.

Nicole thought about that for a second, and then she shivered, remembering the position that Dean had had her in right about then. Yikes. She'd better lock the door next time, for sure. Once you'd seen your boss in that kind of a compromising position, you would never be able to look at them the same way again.

Dean came around the bed to where she was standing and gave her a long, lingering kiss. Then he shrugged on his shirt and they left the trailer.

Cas sent out The Eye when dusk fell, and sure enough, he spotted two truckloads of poachers entering a wildlife sanctuary, cutting the lock on the chain-link fence to gain access. He told the others what he was seeing.

Sam and Dean had their bags full of weapons slung over their shoulders, and Gail had her blade out. "Ready?" Cas asked them.

"Yeah, Cas, let's go," Dean said impatiently. Then he smirked. "At least this time, we know you're not gonna pop us into a tsunami."

"Yes, but don't take these men lightly, Dean," Cas said sternly. "They have automatic weapons, and obviously, they have no morals."

Gail smiled grimly. "Don't worry; as soon as you find me some animals, they're going to be way too distracted to take potshots at us."

Cas frowned. While he approved of Gail's plan in principle, when it came to wild animals and men with submachine guns, one could never be sure. "All right. So we're in agreement," he said to the trio. "We're going to wait until they get out of the vehicles and approach the rhinos."

Sam restrained himself from rolling his eyes, but just barely. Cas wanted to wait and see if two jeeploads of guys who'd cut a chainlink fence at a wildlife sanctuary at night were poachers? Who the hell did he think they were? Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom?

"Then, Gail will call on a few lions I have spotted in the area to attack the men," Cas continued. "I will use my powers to disable their weapons, and then tame the lions, before they get the opportunity to kill the poachers. We want the men left alive. Then Gail and I will modify their memories and teleport them back to the city, to tell their story to their cohorts. Word will spread. We're hoping this incident will serve as a deterrent to future expeditions."

"What do you need us for, then?" Sam asked their friend.

"I would like you to take a video of these men, one that shows their faces," Cas responded. "Continue filming when the lions attack. Then you will post the video on social media, with a message that this is the fate that awaits anyone who attempts to poach any animal."

"How about me?" Dean grumbled. "What am I supposed to be doing, in the meantime?"

"I want you to have your most powerful gun at the ready," Cas said to him. "If anything goes wrong, anything at all, I will need you to act swiftly. Can you do that for me, Dean?" Cas nodded towards Gail, and Dean understood. He remembered when Gail had been attacked by that panther at the Secret Garden, too.

"I can do that, Cas," Dean said, his jaw set. Then Cas winked them all away.

They were all sitting around in the Craft Services tent on the movie set about an hour later, laughing at the video of the poachers that Sam had posted online. They had shown it to the principal actors on the film, and one by one, they had exited the tent, laughing and chattering excitedly. It was nearly nighttime now, but Richard had kept them late because he was toying with the idea of having the battle occur at night, rather than early in the morning, thinking it might look more dramatic. So they were going to shoot both versions, and then decide which one to use when they were finished.

The last actors to exit the tent had been the man and woman who played Cas and Gail. The actress had been over the moon at the sight of the terrified poachers being set upon by lions, dropping their guns and running back to their jeeps. Cas had touched his finger to Sam's cell phone before the video was posted, editing out the part where Gail had stood in front of the jeeps just behind the poachers with her blade aloft, commanding the lions to attack. Also edited out was what happened a couple of minutes later, when the lions suddenly laid down and went to sleep, as the poachers' minds were being modified.

"Did you have something to do with this?" the actress asked Cas, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Why would you think that we had anything to do with it?" he'd answered evasively.

She'd continued to look at him for a moment longer, and then she poked her movie husband. "Let's go." He had looked over her head at Cas and Gail, winked at them, and then followed her out of the tent.

The four of them sat there, grinning at each other. "You know what? I really like her," Gail said, staring after the actress.

"Boy, talk about typecasting, though," Sam said to her. "She orders him around too, like - "

"I'd be very careful about finishing that sentence, if I were you," Gail said, raising an eyebrow to him. "We're still in Africa, you know. I could probably go outside right now and rustle up another couple of lions."

Dean smirked. "You know, I think that's the first time we've ever had a plan of ours work out the way it was supposed to."

Cas smiled absently. For the most part, Dean was right. There had been a moment when Cas had feared that everything was going to fall apart, though. He looked at Gail now. She had been so brave, holding her ground while the poachers had scrambled to board their vehicles and escape. As each man approached her, she had grabbed him, modifying his memory on the fly. Her command of her powers had vastly improved, even over the past couple of years. Cas had marvelled at that thought, as he'd looked at her admiringly. But in his moment of distraction, one of the lions had almost broken free. Dean had been prepared to shoot the beast, but luckily, Cas had been able to seize the lion just before it bounded over to where Gail and the poachers were. It would have been a failed mission if they had gone there to save the rhinos only to end up having to kill a lion or two. But the potential crisis had been averted, and the poachers had been thwarted. Now, thanks to the Angels' modifications, those poachers would spread the word in their dubious circles that the animals in the sanctuary had finally lost it, and were turning on the humans who dared venture in there at night. Sure, they could bring their tranquilizer guns, but did they know how many animals there were out there? The man who had led most of the poaching expeditions was now telling the people he'd been providing the horns to that life was too short. He and his men were out.

Dean yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go watch them kill me again. And again, and again. Let's go, you guys."

Cas glanced at Gail. "You two go on ahead," he said to the brothers. "We'll see you at the hotel in the morning."

Sam and Dean left the tent as Gail looked at Cas quizzically. "I hope you don't mind," he said to her. "I was hoping that you would do me the honour of spending the night with me under the stars."

Gail nodded slowly, in comprehension. She knew that Cas liked to do that sometimes. It reminded him of the time when he was Abel, a simple shepherd tending his flock in solitude. But now, he liked to include her on those types of excursions, and she was very happy about that. The last time he had taken her out to the desert at night and shown her all the stars, and it had been a magical experience. "Sure, Cas. I would love to," she told him.

Suddenly, he winked them out to the desert. He smiled. "I know you enjoy being chilly, but we'll need this, I assure you." A down-filled sleeping bag appeared, and Cas got in. "Please, come here," he said, extending his hand to her. She took it, laying down with him. Cas waved his finger, and the sleeping bag zipped itself up. He put his arms around her, cuddling her. Gail realized that it was actually getting quite cool now that the sun was in the process of setting on the horizon. What a spectacular sight that was. The two of them watched wordlessly as the yellow sun turned orange and then red, and sank slowly behind a sand dune off in the distance. The sky was painted with a multitude of vivid colours for a few minutes before everything faded to black. Then the stars started to become visible by the dozen, until the sky was filled with them.

Gail gasped, and Cas's arms tightened briefly around her. "I know, my love," he said softly in her ear. "It never ceases to amaze me, too. No matter how many nights I was out here, I would always marvel at the sunset, and then the emergence of the stars. That was my favourite thing. Well, that, and the dawn of a new day. So fresh. So full of promise. Our Father had appeared to me and told me to have faith. That there was a reason for everything, although everything did not always appear to have a reason. He said that I would one day have a mate, someone who I could lavish all my love and devotion on. I had so much love to give. That was probably why I sacrificed one of the finest sheep in my flock to Him, to show my eternal love. But that backfired on me. The first of many bad decisions to come, I suppose. For it was that act of love and devotion that caused Cain to rise up and murder me, out of jealousy. I truly meant no harm, Gail. I really didn't. But I admit that I became angry when my brother confronted me about it. Just because he was the elder one, did that mean that he was the only one who had the right to express love to our Father? Did God not create me, too? But my words just enraged him further, and...well, you know how that turned out."

Gail was silent for a moment. Wow. No matter how many times she heard that story, it never failed to sicken her. Now, it was her arms that tightened around him. She could hear the hurt and bewilderment in his voice. And, really, who could blame him? Who wouldn't have felt that way?

"You did nothing wrong, sweetie," she told him firmly. "Nothing at all. I don't think you made a bad decision. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to give those you love your best, whatever that may be. That just shows what a beautiful person you are. It was your brother who had the problem. I think when God made Crowley, He left something very important out of him. But then, by the time our Father got to you, He got the recipe just right."

Cas smiled gently. "Thank you, my love."

She brought one of his hands to her lips and kissed it. "Boy, that story serves as a good reminder, though," she said lightly. "Things could always be worse. So I guess the next time Frank tells a couple of bad jokes, I should give him a break."

Cas laughed softly. Then, after a moment's silence, he said, "When we get back, we'll begin the annulment process with the first step."

"That's usually where things begin," Gail quipped. "What's the first step, Cas?"

"We have to confront the party who has wronged us," he responded.

She was puzzled. "What does that mean?"

Cas frowned now. "Usually, it means, the individual who has torn the marriage asunder. In ancient times, that meant the man who had been trifling with the married woman. Well, that was, if the husband didn't just kill the man outright, of course." Was that a smile she heard in his voice now? "But, in our case, as fidelity is not the issue," he continued, "we will have to confront the person who nullified our marriage."

Gail's heart sank. "Patricia."

Cas nodded. "Yes. Patricia."

Gail sighed. Great. Oh, well. It wasn't nearly as bad as what Gail had been fearing. But Cas had said that there were five steps, hadn't he? Somewhere in those five steps was a land mine, she was sure of it. But she might as well dip her toes into the freezing cold waters of uncertainty first, before diving in over her head. "OK, Cas," she said. "But let's not talk about her right now. It's way too beautiful and serene out here for that. Tell me what it was like, back then."

"What is there to tell?" he said mildly. "You know all there is to know. My days were simple and solitary. My flock was my company. You know, in a strange way, I would like to see a return to those days. Not just for me, but for everyone. There is so much stress in the world now. So much hate. There are any number of devices that do any number of things, that are designed to make our lives easier. And sometimes, they do. I myself use a cell phone now, because that makes it easier to communicate with our human family and friends. But people also use cell phones to send messages of bullying and hate, and they can also be employed to detonate bombs. Planes can transport people around the globe in the blink of an eye, but they can also be hijacked and flown into buildings, killing thousands of people whose only crime was to show up for work that morning. Hate crimes are being perpetrated all over the world, every day, and many of them are done in Father's name. Now I believe I can understand why He went away. It becomes too much to bear, sometimes."

Tears prickled at Gail's eyes. Cas may have a tough-as-nails exterior at times, but she knew how soft his heart was. His main problem was that he felt too much of whatever emotion he was feeling at the time. Cas was an all-in kind of guy, whether it be love, or anger, or any other kind of emotion that took him over at that particular moment.

Suddenly, Cas said, "If I had the Book of Life, I would be severely tempted to use it to go back to the time of the Beginning, and right a lot of wrongs. But then, I wonder if that itself would be wrong. What would give me the right to do that? What is good for me may not be good for someone else. Why should my needs, or my opinions, take precedence over theirs? That is why I go away sometimes, or I fall silent. I wrestle with those kinds of questions, especially now that I am God."

Cas stretched out his arm, pointing to the sky. "I could reach up there right now and retrieve one of those shiny, twinkling stars for you. Or the moon, or a whole galaxy. Anything you asked, I would give to you. But then, when I brought it down here, it would be a giant, cold lump of rock, and it wouldn't twinkle. Then you wouldn't want it at all. Sometimes things appear better than they truly are, if you're viewing them from farther away. And sometimes, what we think we want is miles away from what we should have."

"What are you getting at, Cas?" Gail asked him warily.

Cas gave her a squeeze. "Nothing, my darling," he said softly. "I'm just babbling, I suppose. Would you let me make love to you?"

"I'd like that," she replied, smiling. It was funny how he could be aggressive sometimes, but so shy at others. But the way he had been speaking now had been so strange. Almost as if he were trying to give her the moral of a story without actually giving her the story. But that was just the way Cas was, sometimes. It was supposed to be for better or for worse, after all, and they weren't annulled yet, were they? She turned around so that she was facing him and kissed him on his mouth. "I love you, Cas."

"I love you too, my darling," he answered, returning her kiss. "I always have, and I always will." And I pray you will always feel the same about me, he thought. But he didn't want to say it out loud and ruin a very romantic evening, so he merely kissed her again.

Seventh Movement - The Last Fight

Ibrahim called Cas first thing in the morning, as soon as the sun had risen all the way into the sky.

The Angels were still cuddling in the sleeping bag. They'd stayed there all night, looking at the stars and talking. Cas had made love to her, but only the one time. His main goal had been to remind his wife how important she and their bond were to him. Lovemaking was wonderful, and it was an extremely intimate bond between two people. But it was just as important to Cas to remind Gail that there was a lot more to them as a couple than just the physical demonstration of their love. The Father had promised her to Abel at the very Beginning. Not Gabriel, not Sam Winchester. Him. Cas knew that Gail was puzzled by his reticence in not telling her the steps of the annulment process. He'd finally told her about the first step last night, and he could sense how relieved she'd been to hear what it was. It would not be pleasant for them to confront Patricia, but at least it would not be that difficult. Not like the other things.

Cas's cell phone rang, just at the point where he'd been about to suggest that they go to the hotel in Madagascar where Sam and Dean had stayed overnight, and collect them. He fumbled in his pocket for the phone.

"Castiel?" It was Ibrahim, Cas noted with surprise. "I need to see you."

"Why?" Cas asked. "What's going on?"

"A red-haired woman came to see me," Ibrahim lied to Cas. He looked up at Raguel, who was watching him coolly, brandishing the blade. He'd already told the curator to stick to the script, or else. Ibrahim continued, "She had some ancient-looking documents in her satchel. I only caught a glimpse, but I think those might have been the missing codices. She said she wants to hand them over to you."

"To me?" Cas said, puzzled. "Why should she want to do that?" Gail was looking at Cas warily now. Rowena had to be kidding with this. Cas had put his phone on Speaker, so that they could both listen. Gail was shaking her head, but Cas put his hand up.

"Arrange the meeting," Cas said to Ibrahim. "Then call me back." He hung up abruptly.

"You can't be serious," Gail said to him now. "This thing's got 'trap' written all over it, in neon letters."

Cas was frowning. "Wasn't the purpose of coming here in the first place to confront Raguel? If she is setting the trap for him, then that is where he will be."

The fear was gnawing at Gail's stomach now. "Yeah, but..." Cas was right, but, still..."What about Crowley? How do you think he factors into this?" she asked her husband.

Cas thought for a moment, and then he shrugged. "It doesn't really matter," he said. "Even if he has decided to align himself with Raguel, which I seriously doubt, Crowley cannot kill me while I am God. Besides," Cas continued with a grim smile, "if his mother is there, he will be distracted by her presence."

"Why do you doubt that Crowley has aligned himself with Raguel?" Gail asked Cas incisively. "Wouldn't it benefit him to gang up with an Archangel who means you harm?"

Cas nodded. "Normally, you would be quite right. But remember, Raguel wanted the Holy War, and Crowley does not. Raguel has Michael's signet ring. If he puts that ring on his finger while Crowley and I are both present, if he chooses to, he can compel us to declare war on each other."

"What?!" Gail exclaimed. "You never told me that! Okay, well, that settles it. You're definitely not going."

"I have to," Cas insisted stubbornly. "If there's even a chance that I can obtain those codices, and the Codex for them...you don't know what that could mean, Gail."

"I don't care, Cas," she insisted. "I don't care what's in those things. It could be the Colonel's secret recipe, or how they get the caramel in that chocolate bar, for all I care. No. It's not worth the risk, Cas. It's not."

Cas's jaw was set. "But that's just it, Gail. It is. That's The Word. Don't you see? It's Father's journal. Well, what's left of it, anyway. All of His hopes, and desires, and goals. It's all there, clearly explained."

Gail was agitated now. "Look, Cas, I do understand. You think I don't, but I do. You think if you get your hands on those Gospels, they'll finally help you to make sense of everything that God has done. His master plan. Why He claims to love humans so much, yet allows all that human suffering. Why He just up and deserted Heaven that first time, without so much as a 'see you around'. Why He's put you through every torture and test there is, and why He never seems to be around whenever you need Him the most. You want to know if there's anything in there that will prove to you, once and for all, that He loves you, even a fraction of how much you love Him."

A tear squeezed out of Cas's eye and dribbled down his cheek. This was why Gail was his soulmate. His person. Everything that she had just said was absolutely, unequivocally, one hundred percent true. Castiel could go around claiming the Gospels were important religious artifacts that must be recovered and preserved for posterity all he wanted, but Cas just wanted to know that he was important to his Father. That he was loved by Him, or even that he mattered to Him at all.

Cas reached out and pulled Gail into his arms, trying to compose himself. She saw inside Cas, and she still loved him, anyway. He held her wordlessly for a minute, and then his cell phone rang again. It was Ibrahim, calling to advise him of the meeting.

And that was when the argument began in earnest.

"I want you to go to Madagascar, get Sam and Dean, and take them back home. You can wait for me there, if you want, or in Heaven," Cas instructed Gail, who smiled without any humour.

"You're so cute when you're delusional," she said tartly. "I'm going to Madagascar, all right, to bring them to the museum. Just like we planned."

"I don't want you there," Cas said bluntly. "I don't need any of you to be there. You'll only serve as a distraction to me. It'll be too difficult for me to concentrate if I have to worry about your safety."

That last part gave Gail pause for a moment. But then, she shook her head. "Nice try. You almost had me, there. No, Cas. I'm not letting you go there all by yourself. No way."

Cas was fuming. "You have to be the most stubborn woman in the known universe," he said to her.

Gail shrugged. "Maybe so. Maybe I am. In any event, I'll see you at the museum, sweetie." Then she popped herself away, leaving an extremely frustrated Cas behind. She really did know him very well. Perhaps all too well. He dropped the Enochian restraints he'd been holding behind his back on the sand. He'd been just about to overpower her and use them on her when she had disappeared. He cursed softly.

Then he had another idea. Cas pulled out his cell phone and called Ibrahim, changing the location of the meeting.

"What do you mean, they're not here?" Gail shouted at Ibrahim.

He looked at her coolly. "Just what I said. They are not here."

"Then where are they?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"I do not know," Ibrahim told the three of them. "They didn't tell me where they were going."

Dean was livid. He dropped the bag of weapons on Ibrahim's desk, unzipped the bag, and showed the contents to the curator. "Listen, you son of a bitch. I've been wanting to use these things on somebody for the past 2 days, and I'm thinking it might as well be you."

"Dean..." Sam cautioned, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder, but Dean shook him off. "No, Sam. If this guy knows anything, he's gonna tell us. The longer Cas is gone, the more worried I am. We need to find him, now."

Suddenly, Gail smacked herself on the forehead. "Boy, am I stupid!" she exclaimed. "Hold him down, you guys."

Dean grabbed one of Ibrahim's arms right away. Sam flashed Gail a curious glance, but he grabbed the man's other arm, helping Dean to hold him in place.

"What are you going to do to me?" Ibrahim asked in a quavering voice.

"Something I should have thought of when we first got here," Gail replied. She moved forward and put her hand on his head. Seconds later, she had her answer. She removed her hand. "They're in the field behind the royal palace," she told the brothers. "Let's go."

"Why would you go to the trouble of creating a ruse for me to meet with you?" Cas was asking Raguel now.

The Archangel shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought you might fall for it. The reports are that you've lost your edge, now that you've been consorting with humans for so long, and taken a wife. Where is she, by the way? I was looking forward to making her acquaintance."

"Never mind about her," Cas said in his quiet voice. "Do you have the codices, and the Codex? And, where did you get the overleaf from the Book of Life?"

Raguel was surprised for a moment, but then he made a small bow. "Very impressive, Castiel. How did you know?" he asked his Brother.

"Simple deduction," Cas said. "The only thing that I wondered was why you did not take over Heaven from Lucifer."

"Oh, I was just biding my time," Raguel said casually. Then he smiled slyly. "Are you sure that was the ONLY thing that surprised you?"

Cas frowned deeply. "All right. Fine. Why did my wife not exist in your reality?"

Raguel continued to smile that strange smile. "Cause and effect, Castiel. Have you ever heard of the domino theory?"

"Of course I have," Cas snapped. But now, his mind was working furiously. Raguel was telling him that because of one thing that was different in Raguel's reality, just one thing, Gail had never come into being.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head," Raguel remarked. "Perhaps the King of Hell's approach would be appropriate in this instance. How much would it be worth to you to find out? The answer will truly shock you."

Cas's blood was boiling now. "Are you honestly going to stand there and try to blackmail me? Where IS Crowley, anyway? He obviously didn't provide you with the translations you sought."

"Oh, but he will," Raguel assured Cas. "However, I'm talking to you right now." He reached into his pocket and took out the ring. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes, of course I do," Cas replied, tight-lipped. "Well, get to it, then. Put it on, and let us see whose power is greater."

"I cannot," Raguel stated.

Cas's eyebrows shot up, and he started to smile. "You cannot? Really? Well, isn't that a shame. Then toss it away, and prepare to fight."

"It won't allow me to wear it, because I'm not supposed to wear it," Raguel said, lifting his eyes to Cas. "You are."

Gail and the Winchesters appeared in the field just in time to see Cas, staring at Raguel. "No," he said firmly. "I will not do it."

"You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice," Raguel said with sour amusement. "But as you can plainly see, the ring thinks otherwise." He was holding it in the palm of his open hand. It wriggled there for a moment and then propelled itself forward, towards Cas's face. He put his hand up reflexively, and the ring attached itself onto his finger.

"There," Raguel said smugly. "Just as I suspected. A perfect fit."

Dean came towards Cas. "Cas, what the hell is going on here?" he asked his friend. "Why aren't you laying that guy out?"

"As long as he had the ring in his possession, I could not," Cas said dazedly, looking at the ring on his hand. Then he smiled wolfishly. "But I can, now." He extended his arms towards Raguel. "Shield your eyes," Cas warned the trio. He sent the white beams of light out at Raguel, giving the Archangel both barrels. Nothing. Cas tried again, with the same result.

"Do you think I am stupid?" Raguel said scornfully. "I have both the protections of Heaven and Hell on me, right now. And now that you have that ring on your finger, I can compel you to do anything I want."

Cas's heart sank. This was what he had been most afraid of. He tried to twist the ring off his finger, but of course, it wouldn't come off.

"Cas? What's he talking about?" Gail asked him nervously. She could see the panicked look on her husband's face, as he tried to work the ring off his finger. He'd known this could happen, yet somehow, he had let it, anyway. He had tried to keep his loved ones away, yet here they were.

"Cas..." Sam started to say, but Cas looked at him, wide-eyed. "Get a Demon knife from your bag," Cas said to Sam in a strangled voice. "Quickly."

"What? Why?" Sam asked, bewildered.

Cas held up his hand, where the ring was glowing an angry red now. "Because this has to come off, immediately!" he said, raising his voice. "Because I can't be held responsible for what I'll do, if it does not!"

They stared at him. "Go!" Cas yelled. "Now!"

Gail ran up to her husband, horrified. He wasn't actually ordering Sam to cut off his finger, was he? "Cas! What the hell is going on?!" she exclaimed.

"So this is your lovely wife?" Raguel said calmly. "Repel her."

Cas's other arm shot out and the white light issued from his fingertips. Gail went flying across the field, landing with a hard thud on the ground. The wind was knocked out of her, and she lay there for a moment. But then she picked herself up and started running back towards where the men stood.

"Now, do you see?" Cas shouted at Sam. "Quickly, before it's too late!"

But as Sam rushed towards Cas with the knife in his hand, Raguel said, "Kill him."

"No," Cas said through gritted teeth. "I will not."

"Yes, you will," Raguel said smugly. "Just give our Brother's ring a moment longer to sink into your flesh, and then, you'll be just like him. First, the Winchesters, and then your little wife. And then we're going to have that Holy War you refused to wage. I"M going to have it. I'm going to have an army of souls to do my bidding, and we're finally going to accomplish what our Father was too much of a coward to attempt: The Cleansing."

"Do you ever just stop and listen to yourself talk?" Gabriel said, suddenly appearing beside Cas. "You sound like the most arrogant dick in the universe," Gabe added, sneering at Raguel. "And that's a universe that includes me."

"You were foolish to come here," Raguel said to him. "The only thing you can do here is die."

"Then I'll die trying to help my Brother," Gabriel said bravely. He looked at Dean. "Because that's what brothers do."

Cas was really wrestling with himself now. The ring's poison had started to seep into him, and Lucifer and Michael were talking in his ear. The Holy War was necessary, and it would be good. Didn't Castiel want to go into that weapons room in Heaven, take the biggest sword there, and cut off Crowley's head with it? Wouldn't that be sweet? Then he could descend into Hell and carve up every filthy Demon there, wearing his Holy white robes, killing them all in the name of the Father. Weren't Xavier, Alexander and Lanister still there, among many others whose dubious acquaintance Castiel had made over the centuries? Wasn't a little payback in order there? And when he was done there, Cas could ride unto the Earth on a winged horse with an army of Angels by his side, those who had stood with him, and slay the third part of man, the ones who had evil thoughts and evil intentions. Castiel could finally be a real hero, the Biblical hero that everybody always hoped he could be. The hero that Heaven needed him to be. The protector of Angels. The arbiter of Sin. And the Angels would have no choice but to obey his word. If you were not with him, you were against him.

"Kill the humans," Raguel instructed Cas now. "They are nothing but impediments to our goals. You know that to be true."

"Yes, I do," Cas intoned. He pulled the blade out of his pocket. Then he flicked his finger, and the knife flew out of Sam's hand. Raguel smiled that ugly smile of his. He raised his hands, freezing Sam and Dean on the spot.

"Stop it, Cas. Fight it. This is not you," Gail urged. She put her hand on her husband's arm. "Please, Cas," she pleaded.

He turned his head slowly, looking down at her. Gail. His wife. His soulmate, in every sense of the term. She was right. He had to fight the ring's influence. His grip on his Angel blade loosened.

"She holds you back," Raguel said, raising his voice. "She has made you soft, and weak. She would have you spare Crowley. Think about it, Castiel. Crowley wasn't the ruler of Hell in my reality, Abbadon was. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen, was he? Just like your wife. Now, I wonder why that would be?"

Cas's eyes turned to Raguel. "What are you talking about?" he said angrily. "What does one thing have to do with the other?"

"Cause and effect," Raguel replied coolly. "But there will be plenty of time to talk about that on the battlefield, if you are still interested by then. Now, kill them. In fact, you can start with your wife."

Cas turned back to Gail, and his knife hand started to raise. "No," he whimpered. "Please. Don't."

Gail stared at him. He wasn't really going to stab her, was he? But as she looked in his eyes, she saw a tinge of purple in the blue. "No," Cas said again, but the blade was still moving towards her.

"Oh, hell, no," Gabriel said. "Not on my watch." He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, Gail and the Winchesters were standing in the library area of the bunker. She hadn't been prepared for that move of Gabriel's; none of them had. Gail stumbled, and Gabriel caught her by the elbow. She looked up at him, furious. "What have you done?" she asked the Archangel.

"Uh...saved all your lives," he said sarcastically. "And, you're welcome."

"You left Cas alone there, with him!" she shouted at him.

"Cas was gonna kill you all!" Gabe shouted back.

"No, he wasn't," Gail protested. "He would never do that." But her tone was more subdued now. His eyes had been turning purple.

"You keep telling yourself that, Kitten," Gabriel said, raising his voice. "But, you know I'm right. That ring will turn him into a whole other kind of person, one you don't want to be around."

"What do we do now?" Dean fumed.

"Do? There's nothing we CAN do," Gabriel said bluntly. "Bend over and pucker up, because once he starts that Holy War, you can kiss your asses goodbye."

"No! I won't accept that! Not after all we've been through to avoid that stupid Holy War!" Gail exclaimed, frustrated.

"He's not gonna leave us a choice, Gail," Gabriel said grimly. "We have only two choices, here. Toe his line, or die."

Gail was wild with panic now. "Then I guess I'll die!" she shouted, and then, she winked out.

"Great," Dean growled. "Freakin' great."

Gail popped herself back over to the field. She had to do something. Raguel was approaching Cas slowly now. "We can rule it all, Castiel, you and I," he was saying. "There is no need for any animosity between us. We both want the same things. You have a warrior's blood coursing through your veins, and I am God's most Righteous. Together, we can eradicate all of the Sinners, and all of the evil they do. Do not worry about the humans. The deserving will ascend, to be our servants. God created the animals to serve man, and the humans to serve us. That's the natural order of things. Haven't you ever looked at the human race and felt disgust? They're dirty, filthy apes, insignificant piles of dung on the landscape. They tear down places of beauty to erect monuments to greed, and consumerism. Our Father built a Paradise here on Earth for us to enjoy, and they have reduced it to a stinking pile of garbage. We can wipe it all clean, and start again. Build the type of Paradise that our Father would have wanted. Don't you want that, Castiel?"

"Yes, I do," Cas said sincerely. "I truly do."

"And that 'Paradise' will be built on the backs of slaves, and the rivers and streams will consist of human blood," Gail said angrily.

Raguel threw her a baleful glare. "You should have just remained wherever it was that Gabriel took you," he said to her.

"I'm stubborn," she said coolly. "Apparently, you didn't get the memo." She walked slowly towards the men. "Please don't listen to him, Cas," she pleaded with her husband. "I don't care about that ring. You don't feel that way. I know you don't."

"He does, even though you and those humans have tried to persuade him otherwise," Raguel told her.

"Those who are not with us, are against us," Cas growled. "You need to decide if you are on the side of Righteousness. If not, you shall perish."

Gail stared at him, incredulous. She realized he was talking to her. What was she supposed to do? Fall on the ground and beg? If she thought it would do any good, she would do it. Still, she moved closer to her husband. He wouldn't hurt her. He would never hurt her.

As if reading her mind, Cas brandished the Angel blade. "Raguel is right. You should not have come back here," Cas said sternly. "If you will not obey me, I will have no choice but to kill you."

"Of course you have a choice," Gail said, coming ever closer. "You always have a choice. You were the first Angel to realize that. You always do the right thing, Cas. We look to you, for our example. Do the right thing now, Cas. Please."

She was standing right beside him now, looking into his eyes. They were still that weird mixture of blue and purple.

"I WILL do the right thing," Cas said, raising his blade hand. Gail flinched as Cas's arm came down. Then she screamed, as the blood began to flow.

"Take us back there," Dean demanded of Gabriel. "Now!"

"Slow your roll, flannel boy," Gabe said, raising his hand in a calming gesture. "Let me think, for a minute."

"You know Gail's there right now, facing down Raguel alone, right?" Sam yelled at him. "Not to mention a jacked-up Cas, who's not even in his right mind right now! What's wrong with you? We have to help her!"

"Don't you mean 'them'?" Gabriel said acidly. "Help THEM? I've got eyes, Gigantor."

Sam grabbed Gabriel by the shirt front. "He's gonna kill her, you useless piece of - "

Gabriel looked down at Gabriel's hand, raising his arm. But before he could zap Sam into another dimension, Dean shouldered his brother aside. "We're wasting time," he barked. "Are you gonna take us back there, or not?"

Gabriel lifted his head suddenly, looking towards the ceiling. "It's too late," he announced, in a hushed tone.

"I love you, more than anything, or anyone," Cas said to Gail. The tears were flowing down his cheeks as his knife hand trembled. The blood was dripping from the blade. "I always have, and I always will." His arm came down again, and more blood splattered as the blade found its mark. "I place you high above anyone else. Anything else. Including me. Goodbye, my love."

He stabbed himself once more, and the white light came out of his chest, eyes, and mouth. The blade fell from his hand and the ring melted off his finger as he fell to the ground, dead.

"He actually did that?" Gabriel said aloud, as if listening to something that no one else could hear. And in a manner of speaking, he was. He was listening to the sound of his Brother, dying.

"Gabriel? Gabriel!" Dean was shouting. "What? What did he do? Did he kill her?"

But now, Gail's screams were filling Gabriel's head, deafening him. He clapped his hands over his ears.

Gail fell on her knees, clutching at her husband. "Cas! No!" He was unresponsive. She shook him, slapping him across the face. "Cas! Stop it! Open your eyes!" she shrieked. She lay down with her head on his chest, getting his blood all over her face. But she didn't care. This was ridiculous. It was really smart of him to pretend to commit suicide to fool Raguel, but enough was enough. "Cas! Cas?" Then she started to wail, and then she started to scream hysterically. "Gabriel! Get back here! Fix this!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Gabriel's heart sank. No. Oh, no. It couldn't be. He disappeared from the bunker without another word, leaving two very scared Winchesters behind.

Gail rose from Cas's body, facing Raguel. She was shaking, from shock and rage. "You did this to him," she said to the Archangel, almost calmly. "You did this, and you're going to make it right."

Raguel was stunned. Castiel had actually killed himself, over this little slip of a thing? It was impossible to comprehend.

"Oh, no, Cas. What have you done?" Gabriel said softly. He knelt by Cas's body, taking his Brother's hand. A large part of Gabriel had thought that Cas was going to open his eyes any minute, and give Gabe a wink. He was only perpetrating a ruse, to fool Raguel. That had to be it.

But Cas was dead, well and truly dead, and Gail was advancing on a stunned Raguel with her blade drawn. As soon as Raguel got over his shock, he was gonna pulverize her. Gabriel couldn't let that happen. Cas would be heartbroken.

Gabriel picked Cas's blade up off the ground and brandished it, advancing on Raguel, who was taking out his own blade now and showing it to Gail. "Hey, dickbag!" Gabriel yelled at Raguel. "Pick on someone your own size, and weight class!" He extended his free hand and snapped his fingers, winking Gail behind him. He thought about sending her back to the bunker, but he knew she would just come right back, bringing those two idiots with her. Gabriel had a lot to answer for now, and he owed it to Cas to try and make sure his Brother didn't lose all of his loved ones here today, on foreign soil.

"You screwed with the wrong guy," Gabriel said, circling Raguel in a fight stance. "Come on, you coward. Let's go."

Raguel laughed harshly. "You're going to fight me? YOU?" he sneered. "How long has it been since you held a blade, exactly?"

"Doesn't matter. It's like riding a bike," Gabriel said casually. "I just lacked the right motivation, all that time. You should have stayed away, Raguel."

"No, it is you who should have stayed locked away, the prisoner of humans," Raguel said scornfully. "What can you do to me? You call yourself an Archangel?"

Gabriel snapped his fingers, and the morning sky suddenly turned dark. "Yeah, that's right, and don't you forget it, 'Brother'," he said, fixing Raguel with a glare. His eyes flashed bright, and his wings emerged from his back. Gail's mouth fell open. Wow. They were majestic. Bright white, with a streak of black ribboning them, almost like a racing stripe.

Gabriel advanced on Raguel. "You're not an Archangel," he said to Raguel, his voice heavy with contempt. "You're just some wanna-be, who used to sit at the kiddie table, begging for scraps. Dad told you that you could call yourself an Archangel, just to shut you up. But you're just a cowardly, bottom-feeding piece of shit, who didn't even have the cojones to pick up a blade and fight Castiel like a man." He extended his hand and gestured, and Raguel came rushing towards him. Gabriel grabbed him by his shirt front, pressing Cas's blade to Raguel's cheek. "I'm gonna enjoy this," he said through clenched teeth.

"You can't kill me. I have every protection," Raguel sniveled.

"Yeah?" Gabriel spat out the word. "Let's see how that works out for you." He raised his blade hand, and Raguel popped out from underneath him.

"That's what I thought," Gabriel said contemptuously, but then he let out a long breath.

Gail grabbed him from behind, spinning him around. "Were you really going to be able to kill him?" she demanded. Gabriel shook his head. "Oh, hell no, Kitten. He would have squashed me like a bug." He tapped his head. "All smoke and mirrors. If you believe it, chances are they'll believe it, too."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Under any other circumstances, they probably would have burst out laughing. But Gabriel looked at the blade in his hand, stained with Cas's blood, and he felt like throwing up.

Gail went back over to Cas's body and knelt by him, taking his hand and kissing it gently. "Well?" she said to Gabriel.

His heart sank. "Well...what?" he asked her, although he knew. Of course he knew. "You're not suggesting..." His throat closed up, and he tried again. "There's nothing I can do, Gail. You know that."

"No," she said in a clipped tone. "No. This cannot happen. I don't accept it. I won't allow it."

Gabriel stood there, feeling utterly helpless. She glared at him for another moment, and then, when she realized he had nothing more to say, she raised her head, looking up at the sky. "You're not going to just let this stand, are you?" she railed at God. "What is WRONG with you? This is your son, lying here! Your son, who loves you more than anything! All he ever wanted was for you to show him a little love in return. Instead, all you've ever done is put him through hell, time and time again. What is the point? What the hell is the point?" She was sobbing now.

"Welcome to the club," Gabriel said bitterly. "It's always been this way, our whole lives. Dear old Dad. Never around when you really need him."

Gail looked at him in disbelief. "Well, you know what?" she said, rising sloely to her feet. "Screw Him, and screw you, too! Screw all of you! Not one of you was here for Cas, when he needed you the most! Where were those big white wings of yours and that kickass attitude when we needed them? And where IS our Father, anyway? Sitting around in a condo in Boca, playing canasta? Screw Him. He's not my Father. My father is a baby-killing voodoo-practicing bastard, who would just as soon kill me as look at me! Well, at least the two of them have that characteristic in common, anyway! God the Father seems to enjoy killing me, too. Fine. I'll just have to figure it out on my own, then. Like always. Me and Cas, against the universe. So what else is new?"

Gabriel eyed her suspiciously. What was she talking about?

Gail picked her blade up off the ground, where she'd put it when she'd knelt beside Cas. She stared at Gabriel for another moment, and then she stabbed herself in the chest with it, making sure the blade went all the way through her vessel's heart. Which was incredibly redundant, when you thought about it.

Gail fell to the ground on top of Cas, her golden essence pouring out of her. She only had an instant to be glad that she had been able to touch her husband once more, and then, she was dead.

Gabriel rushed forward, horrified. What the actual hell had just happened here? He rolled her body over, preparing to give her vessel CPR, or stuff her essence back in her, or whatever, whatever it would take. He gripped Cas's blade tighter in his own hand. If he had to, he was prepared to cut his own throat and give her his own Grace. If she wouldn't take it voluntarily, he would cram it in her, invoking her husband's name as he did it. Did she think that Cas had killed himself for nothing?

But Gail was dead, too, and now Gabriel started to shed bitter tears.

Gail landed with a crash into a chair in the middle of a small, nondescript room. She looked around, bewildered. Where was she? She'd thought for sure that she would be seeing Death. She had been prepared to prostrate herself before him, promising him the sun, the moon and the stars, an endless supply of drob de miel, anything he wanted, if he would bring Cas back. Anything. Anything.

But here she was in this room, instead. A minute or two later, a youngish man opened the door. "They're ready for you now," he told her.

Huh? She got up and followed him out of the room.

"Call the hearing to order," Bobby said, rapping the gavel.

VIGNETTE - BAD TO THE BONE

"Bobby? What the hell?" Gail said, rushing forward. "I'm back in Heaven? Good. Great." She looked around. "Where's Cas?"

"He ain't here," Bobby said, tight-lipped. "And it's probably just as well. Do you know how mad he would be? He killed himself so he wouldn't end up killing you, and this is how you repay him? I never thought you were this selfish."

Gail was astonished, but then she started to nod her head. "OK, I get it. I see what's happening here. This is my warning. My cautionary tale. 'This is what will happen, if you go down this dark path'. OK. Ooooh. Very scary. Okay, Bobby. I'll make sure Cas doesn't go to that meeting with Raguel. I'll throw myself on him, give him the doe eyes, whatever it takes. Duly noted."

"I don't know what you think is happening, Gail, but I can assure you, this is quite real," Chuck said to her.

She smiled. "See, just the fact that you're here proves to me that it's not," she said to him. "Right now, you're on the movie set, in Madagascar."

Chuck shook his head, frowning. "OK, number one, I can teleport too, you know. And, number two, weeks have passed, Gail. We've all been in mourning for you and Cas for a while now. Gabriel brought his body back up here and we had a state funeral for him, and then, we had a double funeral for you and Cas on Earth. Sam and Dean and Frank insisted on it. Frank and Sam nearly got in a fistfight when - " Chuck's voice broke - "Sam wanted to burn your body. Frank said that wasn't going to happen, and if Sam even thought about trying that, he was gonna take the gun he had in his belt and fill Sam so full of holes he was going to make Swiss cheese jealous. Then, just as Jody and Dean were about to pull them apart, Frank put his arms around Sam and said he knew, it hurt like hell, and then the two of them slumped to the floor and held each other, crying like babies. Then Dean went to the kitchen and broke every dish they had, yelling at God, cursing him out. Daring him to show his face. Then, Jody reminded Dean that Cas had brought them those dishes, and then Dean hung his head and cried. What the hell is the matter with you, Gail? Look, I don't know what Cas felt like he had to do out there, because I wasn't there. But Gabriel said you took out your own blade, said we could all go screw ourselves, and then killed yourself, without any regard for how any of us would feel about it. Where do you get off?"

"But, Cas - " she started to say, but Bobby cut her off. "Never mind about Cas," he said crossly. "This ain't Cas's hearing, it's yours. Chuck's right. You broke our hearts, Gail. Cas died a hero, but you? What the hell were you thinking?"

She was starting to get agitated now. "I was thinking that I would see Death, and beg him to take it back," she said honestly.

"Well, now you're stuck with us, instead," Bobby said grumpily. "We're supposed to decide the disposition of your soul. But, you know how this works, Gail. You should. You set this board up yourself. You're supposed to tell us why you should be allowed to get into Heaven. Or, in your case, return to Heaven."

She was speechless. What? "But what about Cas?" she asked. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach now.

"My mom said he's probably been taken to the Netherworld," Kevin said.

She froze. Oh, no. In her shock and grief, she hadn't even thought of that. What the hell was she supposed to do with THAT? The point of this whole thing had been to be with Cas. Who the hell wanted to be in Heaven, if he wasn't here? And this board could only rule to keep her here in Heaven, or cast her down to Hell. One, or the other.

Gail faced the board defiantly. "You know what? Screw this," she said. "How dare you all sit there and accuse me of being selfish? How DARE you? You quit being God because it got too hard for you, didn't you, Bobby? Well, you know what? You're the selfish one. If you were still God, we wouldn't be in this mess. I doubt Raguel would have wanted to kill YOU. You're so ineffectual, so unimportant, that Patricia hardly even bothered to come after you during the election. All you are is an old man, who can't make his mind whether he wants to be a human, or an Angel. You're never going to recapture those glory years. Hunting with Rufus, or thinking that you have a chance to be Jody's boyfriend. Sam and Dean have moved on from you. They don't need you anymore. You blame Cas for being better than you, because he is, in every sense of the word. But that's not his fault, it's yours."

"I see what you're trying to do here, Gail, but it's not gonna work," Bobby said through clenched teeth.

"Shut up," Gail snapped at him, and then Laurel said, "That's not necessary, Gail. I understand that you're grieving, but attacking Bobby isn't going to bring Cas back."

Oh, no? Gail thought. Well, we'll just see about that. She was crying inside, but she couldn't let the hurt expression on Bobby's face deter her. Cas needed her now.

"You can shut up too, Laurel," Gail said spitefully. "You don't know anything about it. You and Kevin are just here on the panel because I needed a couple of bleeding hearts, to balance out Bobby and Chuck. I'm sure Chuck is all hearts and flowers with you because I know he enjoys getting laid, but do you have any idea how much of a bastard he used to be? When I first made his acquaintance, he was conspiring to break Metatron out of jail, and he was ultimately successful in doing it. And then, he sicced Aurielle on me. He filled her head with all kinds of lies about me, and then she spent the next several years trying to seduce Cas, and kill me. Oh, and, even when Chuck was supposedly one of the good guys, he used his Prophet status to spy on me and Cas in bed. Nice boyfriend you've got there. So, you know what, Laurel? Don't bother."

Then, Gail focused on a shell-shocked Chuck. "Where was that Prophet stuff when it could have done us some good, Chuck?" she demanded, willing herself not to cry. "You were there on the movie set, acting like some kind of big shot when we came to you, trying to find out anything we could about Raguel. Anything at all, that would enable us to get the jump on him. But your head was filled with scripts and plot lines, you told us. You're the selfish one, Chuck. Well, I hope you're happy. You're one of the people who's directly responsible for Cas's death. Why don't you write THAT into your little movie?"

Bobby rapped his gavel. "That's enough. Gail."

She laughed scornfully. "You think so? I'm just getting started. Where's Gabriel, by the way? Cowering in a corner somewhere, probably. That's his usual position. What a waste of space he is. Wow. God made me an 'Original'. Whoopie-doo. I have super duper cleaning power. Why the hell didn't he give me Gabriel's Archangel power? I think we all know the answer to that one, though, don't we? Because I have the temerity to have a vagina, instead of a penis. At least if I'd had Gabriel's power, I would have used it, when it counted. And what about God? What good is he, anyway? Cas and I probably should have gone over to Lucifer's side. Think of all the heartaches we could have saved. At least he never pretended to be anything other than what he was. Not like you. You're all liars, and you're all cowards. Where were any of you when Cas needed you?"

"You don't mean any of what you're saying now," Bobby said to her.

"Oh, who the hell are you to tell me what I mean?" Gail said resentfully. "Where were you, when he was in Egypt all by himself, facing down Raguel? Where were any of you then? At least Sam and Dean were there, even though they were useless. I should have just let Raguel kill them. Then, at least they might have had Angel powers. Better still, I should have called on my real father. Promised him any dark deed he wanted me to perform, in exchange for Cas's life. It would have been worth it to me. But instead, I thought the forces of Good were going to come through for me. I guess I backed the wrong horse there, didn't I?"

Bobby rapped the gavel again. "You're wasting your time, Gail," he said sternly. "You're not gonna get what you're angling for."

"Yes, I will, Bobby," she said stubbornly. "One way or another, I will. We're all eternal beings here. I've got nothing but time."

"We'll just ascend you, then," he countered.

The other board members were staring at the two of them now, in bewilderment. What the hell was going on between those two?"

"Your move, Grandmaster B," Gail said coolly. "You have no idea what's going on here. You think you do, but you don't."

"I keep telling you people, Southern don't mean dumb," Bobby shot back. "You're trying to sabotage your hearing, Gail. Regardless of what you said, I care about you and Cas way too much to give you what you think you need."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Gail retorted. "If you ascend me, I'll tear it all down, Bobby. I have all the secrets. Cas didn't keep anything from me."

"You're bluffing," Bobby said, his pulse racing.

"Am I? Just try me," Gail said to him. "Ask Frank how stubborn I am. Ask Sam about my doe eyes. None of you will ever see it coming. Ask Dean about how vindictive I can be. I won't stop until I get what I want, Bobby. Do you really want to subject Heaven to that? With Cas and me gone, and Patricia in the crazy house, the Office would fall to you, by default. If you decide to ascend me, though, the Office will actually go to me, as Cas's widow. Those are the rules of succession, the ones that we drew up in that boardroom. Do you really want me in the High Office, with nothing to do all day but sit and plot my revenge?"

"Aww, that's b.s., Gail," Bobby scoffed. "Nice try. That's not who you are. Let me remind you who you really are."

Suddenly, they were standing in the field behind the bunker. Sam, Dean, Frank, Jody, and Chuck were shoveling dirt onto her and Cas's graves.

"This is where they would want to be," Sam remarked. He was fighting back tears, yet again. "I'll come out here and plant some rose bushes in the spring. She liked roses."

"I don't understand," Rob was saying to the group. He was holding Angela, who was pouting and squirming in his arms, almost as if she understood what was going on. "I don't understand any of this," Rob repeated. "If Cas killed himself because he was afraid he would be forced to kill Gail, then, why did she kill herself?"

"Haven't you ever read Romeo and Juliet?" Barry said sadly. He knelt down at their graves and crossed himself, and then he took a scoop of dirt from each grave and put it in a Tupperware container. He didn't even know why he was doing that; he just knew that he had to have them at the new house, somehow. They'd never even seen it. Maybe he would put the dirt in the back garden in the spring, and try to grow some vegetables. The last time he'd talked to Cas, Cas had told Barry that he was contemplating trying to grow vegetables in his and Gail's back yard, at their house on Earth. If they came out all right, Cas had said, smiling, he would give Barry first dibs on the best ones.

Tommy was standing at parade rest behind his husband and Rob, but his heart was broken. How had this been allowed to happen? With all the Angels that Cas supposedly had at his disposal? Cas and Gail had been the ones to restore his faith a while back, but it was shaken to its core now. What was the point? What the hell was the point to any of it? Tommy still had his gun in the drawer of his office at home. He was thinking about that now. If things had been so bad that Cas and Gail had both elected to shuffle off this mortal coil, then why should Tommy not do the same thing? Why shouldn't any of them?

"Come on, I'll buy you guys a drink," Chuck said to Barry, Tommy and Rob. "I'll put Angela down in one of the spare bedrooms. Here, Rob, give her to me."

Rob handed the baby to their Angel friend, and then he looked somberly at the graves. "I don't want to leave them," the young man said suddenly. "I loved them. I don't know if I ever told them that. Why didn't I tell them that?" He sighed, looking at his parents. "Are you coming into the house?"

"You go ahead," Jody said to him. "Please, Rob. Your Dad needs a minute."

Chuck led Rob and the other men to the bunker door as Jody turned back to Sam and Dean and Frank. But there were no words. She kissed each of them on the cheek, then followed Chuck and the men inside.

Dean swore. For just about the umpteenth time, he went over everything in his mind. What could they have done differently? But the answer kept coming back the same: nothing. Nothing at all. Of course Cas would have killed himself before he would have ever hurt Gail. Dean knelt at Cas's grave now, overcome with emotion. "You burned my body here, a while back. Well, at least everybody thought it was my body," he said to Cas softly. "I never appreciated what that must have taken out of you, at the time. But I sure do now. You went out a hero, buddy. Don't let anybody ever tell you anything different." He put his fingers to his lips and kissed them, putting them on the dirt over Cas's grave. Then he reached his hand over to Gail's. "You swept into our lives one dark night like a tornado, and no matter what we did, we couldn't shake you." Dean's lips twitched, even as the tears continued to spill from his eyes. "No wonder they named you Gail. You were a force of nature. I guess lights that bright can only burn for so long." He kissed his hand again, and this time he put it on Gail's grave. "Wherever you and Cas are, I hope you're together, making out like teenagers. That's the only way this would be remotely fair. That's the only thing that would make sense." Then he rose to his feet. "Come on, Sammy. Let's go drink a liquor store. You can get really loaded and tell us all how much you loved Gail. Somehow, I don't think anybody'll condemn you for it. Not today."

The brothers both touched Frank on his shoulder on the way inside, and now, it was only Gail's brother, staring down at the graves of his sister and brother-in-law. He moved closer.

"Cas..." Frank started, and his voice broke. He started to weep silently. "Thanks for making my sister so happy, if only for such a short time. She loved you so much, and I know you loved her the same. If I'd ever had any doubts about how much, you proved that to me with what you did. I loved you like you were my own brother. You WERE my brother, Cas. I wish I'd gotten the chance to hang around with you more. Hell, I wish a lot of things. Rest in peace, brother."

Then Frank moved over to Gail's grave, and he sank to his knees. The pain was almost too much for him to bear. This was ten times worse than when his parents had been murdered. He hadn't really had the luxury of mourning, then. He'd had to get his shit together then, and get Gail to safety.

Gail. His little sister. If not by blood, then in every way that really mattered. He pictured her as a baby, grabbing onto his finger for the first time, gurgling happily. His mom feeding her in the high chair. She would kick her little legs, holding her little arms in the air for some reason, like she was the victim of a stick-up, or something. Frank had thought it was hilarious. Then, when she'd learned to crawl, and then to walk, she used to toddle around the house like she was racing to get somewhere. Their dad had given Gail that stupid stuffed penguin that she had dubbed Ralph for some reason, and she had taken it with her wherever she went, talking to it as if it was a person. Frank was sobbing now, remembering the day after Gail had gotten back from the hospital, looking for her beloved Ralph. Frank's mother telling her that he was gone. Why the hell had his mother done that? Gail was still very young, but she had seemed to close down after that. She had spent a lot of time in her room, reading books that were far too dark for her age. Now that Frank knew who Gail's real father was and some of the story behind her adoption, he guessed he could sort of understand a few things a little better. But he knew his sister, and she wasn't Vincent's daughter, not in any way but biologically. They had grown apart as Frank had gotten older, as siblings sometimes will. First off, he'd been a teenager, with an active social life. He thought of all the times he'd left the house on his bike to be with his friends and Gail had been sitting on the porch, reading her books. There had been enough difference in their ages and interests back then to make it seem as if they were from different planets.

But then had come the murders, and regardless of who was actually behind those, Frank had been thrown into the role of his sister's protector. The two of them had grown closer together, out of sheer necessity. But Frank had realized how much he truly cared about his sister during that time. She'd been a sweet little kid, who didn't understand why her perfect Leave It To Beaver life had suddenly turned to shit. Frank didn't really understand it either, but he had been older, and he'd known by then that there was a lot of Evil in the world. So he had tried his best to help eradicate it, and as he and Gail had grown up together over the years, Frank had made sure that Gail was made aware of that, too. She couldn't afford to stay a dewy-eyed innocent, not when Crowley and his Demons were out there, looking for the siblings. So Gail had received her adult education on monsters and things that go bump in the night, much like Sam Winchester once had, from his brother Dean.

But, it was funny: even though Frank had made sure that his sister's eyes were wide open, a part of Gail had somehow always retained that cockeyed optimism that she had. "It could happen," she'd echoed to him after they had watched Angels In The Outfield, for about the billionth time. And how ironic was that, anyway? Talk about an omen for the future. Frank had frowned at her, and then, when she'd been older, he'd started to lecture her. Don't go looking for miracles, Frank had said, hating himself, but knowing that he had to do it. Miracles don't happen to people like us, he'd told Gail sternly. And she had looked at him with the doe eyes, nodding, saying that he was right, of course. But there had been a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth, as if she knew something her big brother didn't.

Then, the worst moment of their lives: when those Demons had kidnapped the siblings, and thrown them in the back of that pickup truck. But in a strange way, that had also turned out to be a wonderful turning point. That had been the beginning of the new phase of their lives. Frank hadn't even minded dying all that much at the time, because he had been in such excruciating pain. And, he had seen the men that his sister had brought into the Demon safe house with her that day, right before Frank had died. Instinctively, he'd known that all three of those men would give their own lives before they would let anything bad happen to Gail. So Frank had been able to let go, knowing as soon as he'd seen the way that Cas had looked at his sister that the torch had been passed.

But it had been torture there, for a while. Frank had been forced into Crowley's service, unable to help it. But even then, a part of him had rejoiced to see Gail, growing into a stronger woman. Then had come the blessed day when Cas had come to get Frank, delivering him from Hell. Time and time again, Cas had proven himself to be a quality individual, and one hell of a man. Nobody knew, not even Jody, that Frank had asked to see Cas before Gail and Cas's wedding, just the two men. Frank had interrogated Cas then, asking him why he wanted to marry Gail. She wasn't beautiful, Frank had said bluntly, and she was stubborn as hell. She was going to drive Cas nuts. Was it sex? If so, Frank was sure that a good-looking guy like Cas could get any number of women. Was it the doe eyes? Because Frank himself had fallen victim to them a bunch of times, and they weren't all they were cracked up to be. Was it because Cas thought that Gail needed rescuing? If so, Frank could assure him that she might look like she did, but...

Then Cas had stopped him, right then and there. He had taken Frank's hand, much like he would have taken Gail's, and when Frank had been about to make a quip, Cas had looked into Frank's eyes and said, "You can rest now, Frank."

Gail's brother had looked at Cas then. "What?" he'd asked.

"You can rest," Cas had repeated. "Let me take it from here. I love your sister, with every form and fibre of my being. She is the one that I have waited centuries for; the one that was promised to me. I will never let anything happen to her, Frank. I will lay down my life for her. She will be loved beyond any stretch of your imagination, and she will grow into a stronger woman than you could ever comprehend."

Frank's tears fell now, and they made little puddles in the dirt on Gail's grave. "And he delivered," he said to his sister in a hushed tone. "He delivered on every promise, didn't he, kiddo? And, so did you. I wish I'd told you how proud I was of you. You stood toe to toe with the big boys, and you didn't flinch. Those guys told me how you faced down Lucifer, and Raguel, too. My heart just about burst out of my chest, with how proud I was. But you never forgot how to be kind, either. Look at everything you did for Jody, when she was going through her rough time. She told me, out of everyone we knew, you were the one who did the most for her. Some stuff, I didn't even know about. If it weren't for you and Cas, I would never have even met Jody, or had a family. I hope you're happy wherever you are now, kiddo. I'm gonna picture you and Cas somewhere, holding hands and necking like teenagers. Driving us all crazy. I'm going to miss you like mad, Gail. When Angela gets a little older, I'm going to tell her all about her Aunt Gail, the girl who believed that everyone deserves love. Hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, right?" The tears continued to fall as Frank put his hand on the dirt on top of his little sister's grave. "Goodbye, kiddo. I love you."

Then he got up and glanced at both graves once more, and then he walked slowly over to the steel door of the bunker.

"You're a bastard," Gail hissed at Bobby, digging her nails into her palms. "I hate you."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he told her, giving her the same expression he used to give Sam or Dean when the boys had needed to learn a tough lesson.

"Where were YOU during those touching proceedings, anyway?" she said tartly, trying to hold on to her emotions.

"Tearing Gabriel a new one," he answered matter-of-factly. "And then, I had to talk him off the metaphorical ledge. He blames himself for everything that happened."

"He should," Gail sniffed disdainfully. If Bobby thought he was going to break her this easily, he obviously hadn't been paying attention over the last several years. Didn't he see that she was on that ledge, too?

"Are we done here?" Gail asked Bobby, as dispassionately as she could manage. "You must have lots of other cases, besides mine."

Then, they were back in the hearing room in Heaven. "Look; let me make this simple for you," Gail said, impatient to get on with things. If Bobby did anything else like that to her, she was going to have to kill herself all over again. "This is supposed to be a hearing to determine where I deserve to go, right? So let me help you out, here. I killed a child in Crowley's den a number of years ago. I thought it was a human child. The fact that it wasn't is irrelevant. I thought he was, at the time. I tortured a young man in Europe to try to get Lucifer's whereabouts from him, even though Sam and Dean begged me not to. I was the one who suggested to Cas that we should turn everything off, when we got back from Paris. You know why? Because I was thinking of myself. Because I wanted to have sex with Cas. Lots and lots of sex. I tempted him, and he gave in, and then Lucifer raped Patricia. Everything that Xavier and Patricia ever accused me of being, I am. I confess to it, now. I'm a selfish bitch. I'm a slut, and I'm a whore. Every terrible deed they said I've done, I've done. Every horrible thought they've ever said I had, I've had. It's true. All of it. I left Crowley for Cas because Cas is better-looking, and better-endowed, and I thought he could do more for me. And he did, in every sense of the term. But he's gone now, and I have to look out for myself. You know what you have to do, Bobby. The rules are very clear. As you said, I should know. I helped write them myself. Now, bang that gavel. We're wasting time."

Bobby let out a frustrated breath. "So you're determined to do this?" he said to her. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Sure I know what I'm doing," Gail said quickly.

"Do you?" Bobby retorted. "Do you realize, for the record, that everything you've said, and everything you've confessed to here today..." He paused, trying to collect himself. "Based on all of that, based on the law that you yourself helped to write, we have no choice but to send you to Hell?"

"Yes, but you're forgetting one thing: I'm an Original Angel, and the First Lady of Heaven," Gail responded. "That status should gain me entrance to the Netherworld, shouldn't it?"

Kevin and Chuck looked at each other. Ohhhh. Now, they finally got it. They had to admit that it was a brilliant ploy. Gail was going all in. She was assuming that Death had taken Cas directly to the Netherworld, and she was attempting to play the only trump card she had.

There was only one problem: "This board only has the authority to ascend you, or send you to Hell, remember?" Bobby said to Gail. "If Death had been inclined to take you to the Netherworld, he would have done it when you first died. But, he didn't. You miscalculated, Gail. According to the laws that you set out, and that all of us agreed on, I have no choice. I'm sorry, dear, I truly am. But based on what has occurred here today, I have no choice but to send you to Hell. Have mercy on your soul."

"Hello, sweetheart," Crowley said, regarding Gail. He saluted her with a tumbler of scotch. "What's an allegedly nice girl like you doing here, in my domain? I'll bet it's one hell of a story," he said, leaning back in his chair.

- END OF BOOK 32. -