Chapter 6 - Back Door Angel

Frank and Sam were standing in Cas and Gail's room, nervously watching the hourglass. The last grains of sand were now falling upwards from the bottom.

Gabriel was lounging in a chair with his feet suspended in midair, as if they were resting on an invisible ottoman. He had gotten bored overnight, and so he'd gone to the library shelves for a little light reading. Right now, he was reading a book about possession. "It's funny that there are different rules," Gabriel remarked. "Certain entities can only enter certain other ones under certain circumstances...It's all very confusing. Luckily, I don't have to worry about stuff like that. We Archangels can pretty much do whatever we want." He manufactured a leer. "But entering somebody like that isn't nearly as sexy as it sounds."

Suddenly, Chuck popped Jody into the room. Frank jumped, and Gabriel's feet fell to the floor. "Wow. So THAT'S how it feels to be on the receiving end of one of those," he quipped.

Sam wasn't really fazed. He knew that Chuck already knew what they were doing now, and that everybody else knew that Chuck knew. Now that they might be on the verge of getting the last ingredient for the revival spell, Sam had started to wonder how they were going to explain Dean's sudden re-emergence, when everyone had been to his funeral, and seen his body burn.

But, one thing at a time. Gabriel put the book down and stood from his chair. "It is time to bring the Angels back from the Great Beyond," he announced in a deep voice. Then he grinned. "I've always wanted to say something like that." He flexed his arms, then put his hands on Cas and Gail's foreheads. A minute or so later, without any bright lights or fanfare, the Angels stirred.

"Piece of cake," Gabriel said, smiling. "Stand back and give them a little space."

Cas was the first one to attempt to sit up, and he put his arm around Gail to help her. She was blinking her eyes, as if awakening from a deep sleep.

"Where's the blood?" Sam asked Gabriel sharply. Gabriel put his hand up to silence the younger Winchester, but Cas had already heard. He looked angrily at Gabriel. "Where is it? I had it!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Check your pants pocket, oh ye of no faith."

Cas patted his pockets, then relaxed. He took out the vials of blood.

"That's Cain and Abel's blood?" Frank asked, and Cas nodded. "Yes, Frank." His brother-in-law stared at him, and at the vials. Every time he thought they'd reached max on the Freak-O-Meter, it seemed they had another level to go. "It's a good thing you were Abel to get that. Did your brother raise Cain when you asked him for his blood?"

"OK, Frank, OK," Gail said, putting a hand to her head. "Can you give us a second to adjust, before you bombard us with the world's most obvious jokes?"

Cas gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "Take all the time you need, my darling," he said to her. "A leap in time like that is always a very hard thing to come back from."

After a moment more, the Angels started to regain their equilibrium. They eased off the bed and stood up. "Thank you, Gabriel," Cas said to him.

"De nada," the Archangel said. "I'll see you around, Brother." He snapped his fingers and disappeared without another word.

"Not too big on long goodbyes, are you guys?" Frank quipped.

"He's a unique individual, that's for sure," Gail remarked.

"So, how was it? How are the in-laws? See any snakes?" Frank asked her.

"You think you're funny, but you're not," Gail said wearily.

"Sure I am," Frank persisted. He turned to Cas. "Hey, did you leave a message on your Voice Mail, saying you weren't Abel to come to the phone?"

Cas smiled gently. "Actually, Frank, since I WAS Abel, I don't think that would be the truth," he responded.

"He's got you there," Chuck said, elbowing Frank.

"OK, let's go out to the library, get the spell book, and see where we go from here," Gail said. She eyed Chuck. "Since everybody apparently knows everything now, I have to make sure we've got everything we need before we try the spell." She looked at Jody. "How are you feeling? Are you up to this?"

"Please don't baby me. You know how much you hate being on the receiving end of that," Jody said irritably. There was silence for a moment, and then Jody sighed. "I'm sorry, Gail. Must be hormones, or something."

"How did it go, by the way?" Frank asked his wife. "What happened?"

"OK, we all want to hear from everybody about everything," Sam said, "but maybe, let's just deal with one thing at a time. And I'm sorry, but right now, I want to focus on this spell. I need my brother back, you guys."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Cas said, "Sam is right. Let's do this."

They all walked out to the library, and Sam went to the shelves to get the book. He brought it out to Gail, who opened it on the table's surface and began to study it.

"Frank, Chuck, can you help me get the ingredients together?" Sam asked his friends. He looked at Jody with a raised eyebrow. "At the risk of having you pull your gun out of your purse and plug me one, will you do me a favour and at least sit down?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Jody breathed with relief. She took a seat at the library table, kicking off her shoes.

Once everything had been brought out to her, Gail checked the ingredients twice against the list. Then she read the instructions very carefully. "OK, I'm ready to try the spell," she told everyone. "But I'm too nervous to have an audience. Chuck, can you take Frank and Jody to their place to wait? I promise, you guys'll be the first to know what happens. But this is huge, and I don't want to screw it up."

No one argued. Chuck popped Frank and Jody out of there, and Cas kissed her gently on the forehead for encouragement. "I'll take Sam over to get him, and we'll be right back," he told her softly, and the two men disappeared.

Gail paced the floor. The bunker was eerily quiet. Oh, God. My God. Please let this work, she prayed. This had to work. She looked at the book again. It all seemed to easy. She hoped this was the right thing to do. But how could it not be? This was Dean.

The men returned carrying Dean's body in the shroud, and they laid him gently on the library table. Gail had moved the spell book and all the ingredients down to the end to make room.

"Now what?" Sam asked.

Gail's heart fell to her stomach as she looked at the shrouded body. "We have to unwrap him," she said softly.

Cas started at the feet, Sam at the head. Gail winced inwardly, but she made herself look. Now was not the time to be timid. They only had one shot at this.

The men unwrapped the shroud from Dean's body. He was bare-chested, dressed only in a pair of shorts. He could be sleeping. He was only sleeping, Gail told herself. She moved down to the other end of the table and mixed all the ingredients in a large bowl. All except for the blood, which had to go in last.

Once she was ready, she took the candles and placed them on the library table around Dean's body. "Can you light those for me, Sam?" she asked Dean's brother.

He did so, with a bit of a shaky hand. This had to be the weirdest-ass, creepiest, Pet Cemetary-ish thing he had ever been involved in, and with his and Dean's history, that was really saying something.

Cas was standing stoically at Dean's side. He was in Castiel mode now, putting his emotions aside while the process was going on. But it was difficult, especially when Gail came to him with the bowl and asked him to empty the vials of Cain and Abel's blood into it. He did, and the liquid in the bowl began to steam, and then bubble furiously.

Gail put the bowl down on the table by Dean's side and consulted the spell book again. After a moment, she dipped her fingers into the bowl and began to paint the symbol on Dean's chest with her hand, as drawn in the book. Then she recited the incantation.

The lights in the bunker suddenly went out, and there was only the light produced by the candles around Dean's body for illumination. Then they started to flicker, and then they went out. The room was plunged into total darkness.

What the hell? Gail thought. What were they supposed to do now? Was this part of the ritual? Then suddenly, she felt a cold hand clamp around her wrist. Dean's hand.

This was too creepy. She had to see. So she slowly took her blade out of her pants pocket with her free hand, and spoke the Enochian phrase to invoke the golden light.

Dean's eyes were open, and as she brought the blade closer to his face to check his expression, he moaned. "Geez, will you get that light outta my face? Give me a minute to wake up, at least."

"Sorry, Dean," Gail said softly, but she was starting to smile. That sounded like the Dean she knew.

Sam moved forward eagerly. "Dean?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Sammy," Dean responded.

"Dean," Cas said in a thick voice, and Dean smiled. "Oh, good. Cas is here, too," he said. "I'll get up in a minute, guys. Let me just hit the snooze button for another minute or two."

"Take all the time you need," Sam said, and now his voice was thick, too. He looked in Gail's direction, although it was still too dark in the room to see her. "I don't know what to say," he told her.

"Neither do I," she said, dazed.

A moment later, the lights in the bunker all came back on. Dean squinted. "All right, all right, I'll get up, now," he said grumpily. "Sam, did you put the coffee on?"

Sam started to laugh and cry at the same time. Dean was struggling to sit up now, and Cas rushed forward to help him. Dean put his hand to his own head as Cas put his arm around his friend's shoulders, propping him up.

"This is one hell of a hangover," Dean said, and then he looked down at himself and froze. Then he looked at the others, puzzled. "I think I've had this dream before, but there were a lot more women in the room," he quipped. Then he looked at Gail. "And, no offense, but none of them were you."

She burst out laughing, and the happy tears began to flow. Now they were all crying, and Dean was looking at them warily. "What in the holy hell is going on here, you guys?" he asked them.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked him.

Dean thought for a moment. He looked at his brother, then at the blade in Gail's hand. She saw him looking and snapped it shut, but the sight had been enough for Dean to remember. "Is Lucifer gone?" he asked them.

"Yes, he's gone, Dean," Cas replied softly.

"Good deal," Dean said, nodding slowly. He swung his legs slowly off the table and looked around the room. "I'm not even gonna ask you guys why I'm lying here nearly naked with stinky red goo on my chest," he told them. "I'm just gonna go take a shower and put on some clothes, and then the four of us are gonna have a drink and talk." He hopped off the table, tottering a bit, and Cas steadied him.

"Thanks, buddy," Dean said. He looked at Gail. "I get the feeling I'm gonna have to thank you, too. Maybe you, most of all."

Gail kissed him on the cheek. "Just being able to see you and talk to you is all the thanks I need," she told him. She was crying again.

"Every time I see you and your hubby lately, one of you is leaking on me," Dean groused good-naturedly. But he nuzzled her cheek with his for a moment. "Boy, am I ever glad we didn't run you over that night," Dean said softly, "for a number of reasons." He gave her a smile. "Now, I'd better go get some clothes on, before your husband gets jealous."

Then Dean looked at Sam. His brother was standing there, looking at him with the puppy-dog eyes. "OK, Sammy, bring it in," Dean said. He moved forward, opening up his arms. Sam drew Dean to him with one arm and the brothers hugged fiercely, while Cas and Gail smiled at each other.

The hug lasted a minute or three, and then Dean gently disengaged himself from Sam's arms. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told his younger brother. Then Dean walked slowly down the hall.

Sam moved forward and grabbed Gail, giving her a big bear hug. "I don't know how to thank you," he said to her. "I'll never be able to find the words."

Gail gave him a squeeze. "I know, Sam. It's OK. I know."

Then Cas launched himself at the two of them, and they enjoyed a group hug for a minute. They all sniffled back a few more tears, and then Gail said, "Let's break out the booze. I don't care if it is the morning; I can't think of a bigger occasion."

"I'll put on some coffee," Sam said happily. "We can spike it. Then we'll make breakfast. I'm sure Dean will be hungry. I'll make extra bacon. I'll make extra everything, and deep-fry it, if he wants."

Cas took out his cell phone. "I'll call over to Frank's place and tell them the good news."

"Invite them for breakfast," Sam said, smiling. He was giddy with excitement at having Dean back.

"OK, let's go to the kitchen, then," Gail said. "We can start cooking, while Dean's in the shower."

"Not you," Sam said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You don't work today. As far as I'm concerned, you don't ever have to do anything, ever again. Cas and I will do it, right, Cas?"

Cas smiled. "That's right, Sam. We'll do it." He took his wife in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. "You brought our brother back to us, my darling. We owe you everything."

"Oh, boy. Carte blanche," she joked. "I'll have to think about that for a while."

The three of them smiled at each other and walked down the hall to the kitchen, to await Dean's arrival.

Sam had never had a happier group in the kitchen for breakfast, nor had he ever been happier to cook it.

As he had promised, Cas had rolled up his sleeves to the elbow, and he was bringing the food to the table now, and refilling everyone's coffee.

"We should get you a frilly apron, or something," Dean joked.

"Or, an order pad," Frank chipped in. "Than you can say 'what'll you have'?" He looked around the table at the others. "Just don't order Adam and Eve On A Raft, or he'll punch you."

Gail was smiling. She had seen Cas in many states of dress and undress, yet there was just something about those rolled-up sleeves. He saw her looking, and he smiled. No one rolled up their sleeves to pour coffee; he'd done that on purpose. They made eye contact. They'd both been grieving, but that was all over now. Dean was back, and it was time to rejoice.

"Do you need anything else, Dean? Coffee? More bacon?" Cas asked him.

"I can throw on some pancakes, if you want," Sam said. He was hovering around the stove.

"No, there's plenty. Sit down, you guys," Dean said, gesturing. "Here, Sammy. Sit beside me, here. And, Cas? Come over here, to the other side. Take your wife's seat. She'll just be sitting on your lap, anyway."

Gail smiled at Dean. "Won't we make you want to throw up, if we start canoodling while you're eating your breakfast?"

"Hey, canoodle away," Dean said, as Gail got up to let Cas sit down. "Life's too short." Cas pulled Gail down onto his lap and kissed her softly on the cheek as Sam raised his coffee cup. "To Dean," he said, looking at his brother. Everyone toasted.

As his fellow humans began to eat, Dean asked, "Where's everybody else?"

They all exchanged looks. "There've been a few...developments since you've been gone," Cas said hesitantly.

Dean's forehead wrinkled. "How long was I gone for?"

"About a week," Sam replied.

"Oh," Dean thought about that for a moment. "Crap," he continued. "Still, it could have been a lot worse." He nudged Gail. "How'd you get the bone? Or do I even want to know?"

She looked at him blankly for a beat. "I took a look at the thing, when you first came up with the idea," Dean said to her. "I wanted to know what kind of weird, voodoo crap was in that spell. So, where'd you get the bone, and what did you do with it?" Dean smirked. "I don't know if it was just because I was happy to be alive, but I did notice a little extra in the shower this morning."

"Up top," Frank said, and the two men high-fived. But Gail wrinkled up her nose. "OK, first of all: ewwwww. Secondly, there WAS no bone. Cas and I had to go back to Creation, all right, but it was blood that we had to get. The original Cain and Abel's blood."

Dean gaped at Cas. "You guys went back that far in time? Wasn't that risky?"

Cas shrugged. "We didn't think about that. It was for you, Dean."

Everyone was silent for a minute, and then Cas urged them to continue eating while he and Gail told the story. When they got to the part about Cain having been the one who had been the first to taste the forbidden fruit, Sam laughed shortly. "Why does that not even surprise me?"

"I know, right?" Gail said, nodding. Then she told them all about her encounter with the snake who spoke in Lucifer's voice, and they were all silent again for a moment.

"But Lucifer's gone now, though, right?" Dean asked them.

"Yes, Dean, he's gone," Cas confirmed. He paused for a moment, and then he said, ""What happened to you after you died?"

Dean gave him a grim smile. Only in their world would that seem like a fairly routine question. The only problem was, he had no answer for it. "Nothing, Cas."

"Nothing?" Cas asked him, and his voice was sharper now. "What do you mean, nothing?"

"That's what I mean, Cas," Dean insisted. "Nothing. Nada. The last thing I remember is feeling the knife in my chest. Then everything went dark, and then, I woke up here. That's it."

Cas's brow was furrowed now. As far as he knew, this was unprecedented. Now, he blessed Gail even more. Apparently, Dean did not go to the Garden, after all. But still, Death should have come for him. Or, if Death hadn't deigned to come personally, he would have sent one of his Reapers. But Cas was very surprised that Death wouldn't have taken the time to attend at the disposition of Dean's soul. He'd been acquainted with the Winchesters for years now. At one point, Sam had been slated to go to the Netherworld, although none of them knew if that was still the case. But if Dean was slated to go there, too, then Death should have come for him. The fact that no one had come for Dean concerned Castiel a great deal.

"Anyway, back to my original question: where's everybody else?" Dean asked.

They all exchanged glances again. When the others had arrived when Dean was still in the shower, Gail had lectured them not to bombard Dean with a lot of information all at once, and Cas had concurred. He knew personally how disconcerting it could be to come back from an experience like that, without having a bunch of people peppering you with questions. But now, it was Dean who was asking the questions.

"Barry and Tommy went back up to Vancouver, to start making wedding plans," Jody said, buttering another piece of toast.

Dean nodded. That made total sense to him. Their presence around the bunker would be missed, but they had their own lives to live. "OK. Where's Rob?" he asked. More glances were exchanged. Dean threw his fork down on his plate. "Hey, I'm not dead any more, and I'm not blind, either," he said, frustrated. "Talk to me, guys. What's going on? Where's Rob? And where's Bobby? I thought for sure HE would be here."

Frank sighed. He was bursting to share their good news with his friend, but he guessed they should deal with this, first. So he told Dean what he and Jody had decided to do regarding Rob. Dean's heart hurt for his friends, but he applauded their selflessness. Might be that would be just the thing that Rob needed.

"And as for Bobby, no one really knows where he's at right now," Sam told his brother. Dean looked at him, and Sam continued, "He took everything really hard. He told Cas and Gail he was taking off, and we haven't seen him since."

Dean thought about that. "Well, he's a grown man. But we've gotta find him, and tell him I'm back."

"Are you gonna eat all that bacon, or can I have some?" Jody said to Dean. She reached out and speared a couple of pieces of bacon from his plate with her fork. Then she elbowed Frank. "Quit hogging the eggs."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed. He gaped at Jody. She was shoveling food into her mouth. She looked up at him. "Wha-?" she said, her mouth full.

"Did I wake up in Bizarro World?" Dean asked them. "Since when did Jody become me?"

"Leave her alone. She's eating for two, now," Frank said slyly. He kept his eyes on Dean's face, waiting for his reaction.

But Dean didn't get the hint. "She's eating for more than two people," he said to Frank. "What's the matter? Are you on a diet, or something?"

Frank looked at Gail, smirking. "I guess there weren't any extra brains included in that spell." He grinned at Dean. "Jody's eating for two, Einstein. She's pregnant."

Dean's mouth fell open. "Get outta here," he said. Then he sprang to his feet and ran around the table. He leaned down and hugged Jody tightly as she smiled.

"Hey, quit mauling my wife," Frank said good-naturedly. "That's my job."

"That's how I got pregnant in the first place," Jody quipped.

Dean clapped a hand on Frank's shoulder. "That's awesome," he said.

"You shouldn't have said anything," Chuck piped up. They all looked at him, and he smiled slowly. "You should have let Jody get bigger and bigger, and waited to see how long it would take before Dean realized what was happening."

There was silence for a moment, and then, Jody laughed. "That's actually pretty funny, Chuck," she said.

Dean was staring at Chuck now. He wasn't so sure about that, but he guessed if Jody thought it was funny, he could let it go. He re-took his seat, looking at Cas and Gail. "What else did I miss? One of you God, now?"

Cas smiled. "Things don't work that quickly, Dean. It's a process. We've filed the paperwork."

Sam shook his head slowly, smiling. "It's so strange to think of Heaven having an electoral process. Is it the same as ours?"

"No, thank goodness," Gail told him. "I imagine there might be a little campaigning, and we've made provision for a debate, if the parties involved want one. But, it's just a straight vote. None of this Electoral College nonsense, or 'popular vote'. Just one-and-done."

"Are you guys and Patricia the only three candidates?" Dean asked.

"As far as we're aware, but the deadline to register hasn't come yet," Gail told them. Then she grinned. "But you'd better watch the chauvinism, 'cause if there aren't any other candidates, it's a two out of three chance that your next God is going to be a woman."

"But it could also be Cas," Dean pointed out.

"Yes, it could also be Cas," Gail agreed. She kissed her husband on the cheek. "In fact, I think the chances are excellent that it will be Cas. It SHOULD be Cas. He's the logical choice, and he's the best choice."

"Hopefully, that's not your campaign slogan," Jody quipped. "'Cause if it is, it needs work."

Gail smiled. "You'd be right, if I was mounting a serious campaign. But I'm not. I only agreed to be on the ballot in the first place because we have to make sure Patricia doesn't win. But let's not talk about stupid politics right now. What I want to know is: when's the party?"

"That's an important question, but it's not the most important question," Cas remarked. "The most important question is, how are we going to explain the fact that Dean is alive?"

Everyone thought about that for a moment. Then Dean said, "I thought you were totally against using that spell to revive me," he said to Cas. "What happened there? Gail put the smackdown on you?"

"You could put it that way, yes," Cas replied, giving his wife a squeeze. "And I'm glad she did. As usual, she was right, and I was wrong."

Gail looked at him. "Laminated card," she and Cas said in unison, and they both laughed. "Everybody excuse us while we canoodle for a minute," Gail said, kissing Cas on the lips.

"Actually, I had an idea," Dean said, poking Cas. "Can't we just tell everybody you put some kind of Angel whammy on me, or something? Something that made it just seem like I was dead? We could say that we needed to have a funeral to make sure Lucifer was really gone, because the Tablet said I had to be dead."

Cas thought about that. It was weak, but it was at least an explanation of sorts. And most of the people they would have to explain it to were humans. They wouldn't know how these things really worked. Bobby would, but he would be so overjoyed to have Dean back that he probably wouldn't care. Actually, Cas was hoping that Bobby wouldn't demand a more detailed explanation. Cas had been so vociferously opposed to the spell book and Bobby's possession of it that it would be embarrassing for him to have to admit that he had helped his own wife use it to bring his best friend back. He nodded. "If everyone here is agreed, that's the explanation we'll go with, then."

Shortly afterwards, breakfast was over, and Cas was helping Sam clean up. Gail leaned back in her chair. "I could get used to this," she said, smiling.

"I don't know why men object to doing household chores," Cas remarked as he loaded the dishwasher. "I enjoy helping."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Way to go, Cas. Way to sell us all out."

Jody looked at her husband, amused. "Hey, you should be over there, taking notes. If you think you're not helping out around the house now, and even more when the baby comes, you're dreaming."

"I still can't believe it. Our Jody is pregnant," Sam said, grinning.

"YOU can't believe it?" she retorted, but she was smiling.

Chuck sat down beside Gail. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he said softly to her. She looked at him, and he gestured with his head towards the hallway. The Angels got up and walked out of the kitchen.

"What is it, Chuck?" Gail asked him.

"I think I might know where Bobby is, but I didn't know if I should say so in front of everyone," Chuck told her.

"Why? Where do you think he is?" she said, curious.

Chuck told her about taking Bobby to the downtown hotel when Gail had been held captive at Lucifer's compound, and Gail's heart sank. Of course. She should have figured as much.

"Now you can see why I didn't say anything," Chuck said to Gail. "I know he's a grown man, and I'm sure he went there of his own free will, at least, to begin with. But she's got this way of making you lose track of time. Don't you think it's strange that none of you have even heard from him? Sam and Dean are like his sons, aren't they? Wouldn't he at least have checked in with Sam at some point, just to make sure he was all right?"

Now, Gail was troubled. She was pretty sure that Chuck had a point. She asked him to go back to the kitchen and ask Cas to come out.

When he did, Gail took a moment to marvel at her husband's appearance. He had always been extremely handsome, but now he looked about fourty years younger, as well. She knew that didn't even make any sense, but it was true. This was what Cas looked like when he was happy and worry-free. How she wished he could look like this more often.

"I was hoping to get a moment alone with you," he said, smiling. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the mouth. His tongue came looking for hers, and she gave it to him, of course. They hadn't been able to be intimate with each other ever since they'd found out that Dean was going to have to die. But now, everything was all right again. Now, they could be happy again.

Cas pushed her gently against the wall, and his fingers lifted her top slightly. "I'm looking forward to the party, but I'm looking forward to being alone with you even more," Cas said softly. "I need to show you how much I love you. I'm sorry I fought with you, my love. I'm so glad you're not angry with me."

He kissed her again, more deeply this time, and Gail closed her eyes, making a sound in her throat. But then she reluctantly broke the kiss. "As much as I'm enjoying this, and believe me, I'm enjoying this, I have to talk to you about something," she said to her husband. She told Cas what Chuck had said, and Cas frowned.

"I should have known," he said, tight-lipped. "Bobby would never stay away from Sam voluntarily for this long, grief or no grief." He thought for a moment. "We'll tell the others that we have to go up to Heaven for a bit. Then we'll go over there to that hotel and see if Bobby needs any assistance. In any event, we'll urge him to accompany us back here. He needs to see that Dean is alive."

Gail nodded. She completely agreed. They couldn't let Bobby grieve for Dean any longer. She took Cas's hand and they walked back into the kitchen together.

"We have to go to Heaven for a few minutes," Cas announced to everyone.

"That's what I've always called it," Dean quipped. "Which reminds me, we have to figure out how to break the news to Nicole. I'm looking forward to showing her just how alive I really am, but I don't want her to flip out, either."

Gail's heart sank. Crap. Nicole. Another person who was still in mourning for Dean. "I'm sorry," she said to him. "I guess things are going to be a little complicated for a while, until we can break it to everyone gently." Then she smiled. "But, it certainly beats the alternative."

Dean grinned. "I agree," he said. "Oh, and don't get too worn out 'in Heaven', you guys. Angels or not, you're gonna drink with me at my party. I might even dance with you, Gail."

"It's a date," she advised him. "No takesies-backsies." She looked at Cas. Everyone was assuming they were actually going home for some alone time, but she didn't bother correcting them. Neither she nor Cas knew for sure if Bobby was even with Rowena at that hotel, and even if he was, they didn't necessarily know if it was even their business. Bobby wasn't God or even an Angel any more, and he was way past the age of consent. Just because the Angels thought it was a terrible idea, did that mean that they had any right to tell Bobby who he could or couldn't see? As long as Rowena wasn't causing them any trouble, they supposed there was nothing they could really do about it.

So they winked themselves over to the hotel. They didn't know which room number she might be in, of course, but they should be able to sense her, as long as she was in her human form. Each Angel took a floor, moving from corridor to corridor, side to side, until Gail paused in front of a door on the 16th Floor. She felt a really strong vibe coming from the room she was standing in front of now. If it wasn't Rowena, it was someone or something else that was ancient and powerful. Gail called Cas on their frequency and he appeared beside her immediately.

Gail pointed to the door, and they looked at each other for a moment. Now what? Cas shrugged. He tapped lightly on the door. No response. He knocked again, and they heard movement inside the room. Then, a voice: "Yes? Who's there?"

They looked at each other. Rowena's voice, complete with her signature Scottish brogue.

"Room service," Cas said. He gave Gail a small shrug. It was as good a ruse as any.

Rowena tied her robe tighter, yanking open the door. "That's impossible. We only called five - " She trailed off when she saw who it was. Damn. She made to close the door again, but Cas pushed it open, forcing her to step back.

Bobby came out of the bathroom, clothed only in a robe. He stopped short. "What are you two doing here?" he said irritably.

"We wanted to see how you were doing, Bobby," Gail said softly. "We haven't seen or heard from you in days."

"Yeah, well...I'm alive, as you can see," he told them.

They all stood there for a moment, and then Cas said, ""We'd like you to come back to the bunker with us."

"Well, he's not going to," Rowena said angrily. "It's you and your sanctimonious group that got Dean Winchester killed in the first place. Bobby wants nothing more to do with you."

"Fine," Cas said coolly, "but what about Sam? Don't you think that Sam needs you there, Bobby?"

Bobby dropped his eyes to the floor. "How's he doing?"

"How do you think he's doing, Bobby?" Gail said evasively.

"He needs you," Cas repeated.

Bobby looked at Rowena. "I've got to see him, Ro," he pleaded with her. "He's my family."

"He's not your family," Rowena said bitterly. "None of them are. I am. I'm your wife."

Bobby moved swiftly over to the bed and began to gather up his clothes. "That's bull, Ro," he said angrily. "Just because you did some kind of weirdo hex on me when I was passed out don't make us married."

"And just because you wish you were somebody's father doesn't make it so," she shot back. "So, you're going back there with these two, even though you told me you held them responsible for Dean's death?"

Cas was surprised, and more than a little hurt. "Did you really say that, Bobby?" he asked their friend.

"Oh, who the hell knows what I said?" Bobby said irascibly. "I've been tanked ever since I got here."

Gail put her hand on Cas's arm. She could tell that he was upset, but the main goal was to pry Bobby away from Rowena right now and get him to come to the bunker. Any further discussion could wait.

Bobby looked at the Angels. "Wait outside. I'll get dressed, and then I'll be right with you."

"I think we'll wait here, Bobby," Cas said calmly, eyeing Rowena. She glared at him. Bobby shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said. His hands moved to the belt on his robe. Yikes, Gail thought, her eyes widening. He was going to get dressed right here. How drunk was he? She averted her eyes. But she agreed with Cas. There was no way they were leaving the room. Rowena couldn't be trusted. Gail was sure the witch had been whispering in Bobby's ear, telling him how Dean's death was all Cas's fault. Plying him with alcohol, and poisonous thoughts.

"You know, if you really loved Bobby, you would help him, not just put a lot of spiteful nonsense in his head," Gail said to Rowena.

Rowena glared at her. "You know nothing about me, or about our relationship," she retorted.

"That may be true, but I know that's not love, it's manipulation," Gail shot back.

"Stay out of my business, my girl," Rowena hissed.

"All right, Rowena, settle down," Bobby said to her. He was buttoning up his shirt now. "I'm gonna go see how Sam's doing. I'll call you."

"When?" she asked him.

"I'll call you," Bobby repeated vaguely. He moved towards Cas and Gail as Rowena let out a frustrated breath. Damn it. Only one or two more doses, and he would have told Castiel to go to hell. But there was nothing she could do about it now. If she raised an objection, Bobby would just walk out anyway. And she didn't dare tangle with the Angels right now. They had caught her completely by surprise.

As Rowena sat on the bed, fuming, Bobby and the Angels took the elevator down to the lobby of the hotel. Cas took out his cell phone and called Sam, letting him know that they were bringing Bobby to the bunker. Cas thought that once they got their friend there, they could sit him down and calmly explain what had happened.

But when they popped into the library area with Bobby, Dean was standing right there, waiting for them. He'd felt terrible about Bobby not being in the loop, and he hadn't wanted their friend to grieve a minute longer than he had to.

As soon as Bobby saw Dean, his face turned ashen. He staggered forward a few steps. "Dean?" he said in a hushed voice.

Then Bobby fell to the floor, unconscious.

Bobby woke up in the hospital, with Sam and Dean at his bedside. Cas and Gail were there too, though they weren't really supposed to be. Strictly speaking, neither were Sam and Dean, either. Bobby was in the ICU, and it was only after a lot of pleading and a little flirting that the Winchesters had been allowed to see their "father". Cas and Gail had tried to come in with them then, but the nurse had forbidden it. The patient had just had a massive heart attack; the last thing he needed was a crowd of people staring down at him when he awoke.

But Gail wasn't taking that as an answer. She waited until the nurse walked around the corner, and she followed the Winchesters into the room anyway. Cas sighed, and then he did the only thing he could do: he pushed open the door and went in after her. At least they could get a glimpse of their friend before the nurse returned to kick them out.

Dean felt awful. He'd had no idea Bobby would react this way. Bobby had survived being shot and stabbed numerous times when he'd been a Hunter. If there was a tougher man alive, Dean had yet to meet him. But what Dean had failed to take into consideration was that this human version of Bobby was older and a lot more frail than the version he was used to. Bobby had been self-medicating with alcohol pretty much since the moment Lucifer had kicked him out of Heaven, and after Dean's death, Bobby had completely given up.

"I'm so sorry, Bobby," Dean said as soon as he saw their friend's eyes open.

"Is it really you, boy? Are you alive? Or did I already die, and we're both in Heaven?"

"No, I'm alive, Bobby," Dean assured him.

"How?" Bobby asked.

"It's a long story," Dean said. "Rest up, and we'll talk about it when you get better."

"No, we'll talk about it now," Bobby rasped. "You were dead. We burned your body."

"That wasn't Dean we burned," Sam said gently. "Cas and Gail brought Dean back."

"Really? Cas and Gail? What do you think, I was born yesterday, boy? What really happened?" Bobby said irritably.

Gail glanced at the men. Then she looked down at Bobby. "I brought Dean back, with Sam and Cas's help," she told the older man. "I used the revival spell from Rowena's spell book."

Bobby laughed shortly, but then his laugh changed into a cough. Gail was alarmed. "Do you want me to go get the nurse?" she asked him, starting to leave the room.

"No, dear, I want you to stay," Bobby said. "I want you and Cas to stay. I want all four of you to hear my confession."

Dean's eyes grew wide. "Your confession? What are you talking about?"

"You need to rest up and get better, Bobby," Sam told him. "In fact, I think we should leave now, so you can get some sleep."

"You'll stay right here," Bobby ordered. "And don't argue with me. I don't have much time. I'm letting go. In a way, I'm glad this happened. I don't belong here anymore. My body aches all the time, and I don't sleep well unless I've got a snootful. Hunting is a younger man's game. When I was an Angel, my vessel wasn't as agile as all of yours, but at least it didn't betray me all the time. I'm sick of feeling old and pathetic. So, unless I have to do some time in Purgatory because of what I've been doing with Rowena, I expect I'll be an Angel again in no time. And if I have to wait in the Garden until one of you comes to get me, well, that's my doing, too. And even if I go to the Netherworld, Linda and I can play cards and drink tea. Maybe she can teach me how to paint. So you see, it's not so bad. It's not bad at all. I'm ready to go."

"You don't have to make your confession, Bobby," Castiel said soberly. "Your business is your own. I promise you, if you do go to the Garden, you'll be the first one we look for. And if either Gail or I are successful in attaining the Office, we will ensure that you have an open assignment here on Earth, any time that you want to come here."

"Thanks, Cas," Bobby said with relief. "I haven't always been fair to you in the past, but I just want you to know that I think you would make a really good God, now. You too, Gail."

"Yeah, yeah," she teased him gently. "We all know we want it to be Cas. But, thanks anyway." She grabbed her husband's hand. "Come on, let's give these guys a moment," Gail told Cas. "Oh, and Bobby..." She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I hope we'll see you real soon."

"Thank you, dear," he said, smiling.

She and Cas left the room, and Bobby said, "OK, now that the Angels are gone, let's get down to business. I've got some money under the mattress in my room at the bunker. I want you guys to take it and throw me the most wild, booze-filled wake you can buy at the Hunters' bar. Get them to close it down to the public, and only invite the usual suspects. Remember Dean's service, Sam? I want that, only just the drinking and telling funny stories part. No body-burning until you guys find out where I've gone. With any luck, I'll just be able to keep my same vessel, like I did before. Hopefully, rank'll have its privileges. I mean, I was God, once. That oughta count for something."

"So would you be grandfathered, or Godfathered, then?" Sam quipped.

Dean looked at him, frowning, but Bobby's beard twitched. "Make sure to tell that one at my wake. Frank'll love it. Don't be sad, boys. I'm not. This works out great. I prayed to God to trade my life for yours, Dean. Turns out I'm just getting my wish."

Then Bobby closed his eyes and reached out his hands. Sam and Dean took one hand each in theirs, Bobby smiled once more, and then he died.

"I must say, this is a bit of a surprise," Death remarked calmly.

"Maybe for you," Bobby responded. "For me, not so much." He looked around. "Well, I guess we can rule out the Garden, then."

"Why would you say that?" Death asked curiously.

"Well, I've been to the Garden, and this ain't it," Bobby said bluntly.

"I just wanted to have a little chat with you, first," Death remarked. "We both have as much time as it takes." He paused, then said, "Do you think Castiel will win the election?"

Bobby looked at him, startled. "Since when would you care about Heaven's politics?"

Death shrugged. "What happens there could affect me greatly," he stated. "In the same way that I follow the elections that are held on Earth. Countries can take on the personalities of their leaders. Business, for lack of a better term, can pick up if someone with an unsuitable temperament is allowed to take the reins of power. That is why I am glad that Lucifer has finally been eradicated. But do you think Castiel is suited to be God, Bobby?"

It was a little disconcerting to have Death ask his opinion like this, but Bobby decided to answer honestly. "Ya know, if it had been a few years ago, I'd have said no. But he's a better man, now. I think Gail has helped him a lot in that regard." Bobby's beard twitched a little. "You know she's thrown her hat in the ring too, right?"

"Yes, but from what I understand, that's more of a nullification tactic than an actual candidacy," Death remarked thoughtfully.

Bobby stared at him for a moment, and his beard twitched again. "You didn't dumb that down for me. I appreciate that," he told Death. "Most people hear my down-home accent, and they think they have to use one-syllable words when they talk to me. Don't tell him I said so, but even Sam is like that with me, sometimes."

"I know you're an intelligent man, Bobby," Death told him. "Our Father knew that too, but I'm of the opinion that he didn't leave you with enough information or tools to do the job properly. Maybe if he had, there wouldn't be any need for an election now. For instance, did you know that once you have held the High Office, you are grandfathered for certain things?"

"Funny, Sam made a joke about that just before I died," Bobby remarked. "You sure you weren't there, already?"

Death made a face. "Please. Deathbed goodbyes are very personal. I always tell my Reapers to maintain a respectful distance until the proper time."

Bobby gave Death a nod of his head. That didn't surprise him. People in Bobby's circle felt strongly about Death, but the Ultimate Reaper had a quiet sense of dignity and propriety that couldn't be denied. "My apologies," Bobby said. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"For one thing, once you have been God, even if you are no longer so, you will have the ability to overcome sigils, going forward as an Angel," Death told him. Oh, Bobby thought. Well, that certainly cleared up a mystery. He remembered at least one occasion when he'd found himself able to use his powers after he had resigned, even though there were sigils around. Even Cas had been able to overcome them, with a great effort. That made sense though, too, when Bobby thought more about it. Bobby'd been God for several years; Cas had only held the position for one day. Still, it would have been nice to have known that.

He frowned. "It would have helped to know that," he said dryly. "Anything else?"

"We'll talk about that in a moment," Death said evasively. "But let's talk some more about the election, first. In your honest opinion, would either Castiel, Gail, or Patricia be best suited for the Office?"

Bobby thought about that. "Remember, I want your honest opinion," Death prompted.

"Like I said, Cas would be better at it now than he would have been a few years ago," Bobby said slowly. "But, truthfully? I think he's still got a ways to go. He's still too hotheaded, sometimes. His detractors have said that they think he might start a Holy War with Crowley one day, and I've gotta tell you, I don't think we could entirely rule that out." Then he paused. "Then, there's Gail. Sweet little Gail. Big brown doe eyes, sunny disposition. But every once in a while, she'll turn on you. It's funny. One of my neighbours growing up had a puppy. Cutest little thing in the world. We all went over there and played with that puppy every day, for a week or so. Then one day, out of the blue, it bit my buddy's nose just about clean off. Mind you, he was playin' kinda rough with it, but he wasn't doing anything that the rest of us hadn't already done to it. It was just on that day, at that time, that puppy decided it wasn't gonna take our crap anymore."

"Are you telling me that the Angel Gail is like that puppy?" Death asked Bobby curiously.

"I'm just talking about a story from my childhood," Bobby said evasively.

A moment's silence, and then Death asked, "And what about Patricia?"

"She's a smart, capable woman," Bobby replied. "There was a time when I thought that maybe she and I...Anyway, then Lucifer came, and I haven't seen Patricia since. I hear she's changed. If I'm around, I'll have to see for myself. But if she's as bad as Cas seems to think she is now, then she might be the worst one of all."

Death digested this for a minute. "I would like to propose a situation that could be of mutual benefit to us, then."

Bobby eyed him. "Is that your way of saying that you'd like to make a deal?"

"I'll leave the deals to Crowley," Death said dryly. "But there is something I want from you, and I am prepared to give you something you want, in return." As Bobby looked at him warily, Death continued, "If you promise me that you will run in Heaven's election, I will bring you directly to the Portal."

Bobby looked at him in surprise. "You want me to run? Why?"

"Because your administration was stable," Death replied. "Those other scenarios unease me."

"So I'll go directly to Heaven?" Bobby said. "No Garden?"

"That's right," Death said. "You need to get to Heaven before the deadline for the candidates to apply is over."

"If I say no, what will happen to me?" Bobby inquired.

"Nothing will 'happen' to you," Death said with a hint of irritation in his voice. "Once again, I am not Crowley. But if you decide you would rather not, as a former God, you are a dignitary. And, as such, I would be taking you to the Netherworld."

Bobby pursed his lips together. In a way, this felt like blackmail. But then again, he realized that if he really did believe his own assessment of the three candidates for the position, maybe he owed it to Heaven to throw his hat in the ring. Hell, maybe he owed it to himself, too. There were a lot of good things that Bobby could get done if he was back in the Office. Quitting had been a mistake, and he had often regretted it.

"You have a deal," he told Death.

Death nodded. "Oh, and one more thing, Bobby," he asked. "Tell Dean Winchester that he cannot hide from me indefinitely. The next time he dies, and with your lot, I feel safe to say that the next time will be soon, I will find him."

Bobby was stunned. So, Death had come for Dean, but Dean had been hidden from him? Bobby didn't know how such a thing was even possible, so he said nothing.

Suddenly, the men were standing in front of a set of white double doors. "Here's where I leave you," Death said. "Good luck, Bobby." He disappeared without another word, and Bobby opened the doors and walked into Heaven.

The first thing Bobby did once he was back in Heaven was to try out Angel Radio. "Hey, Cas. Ya got your ears on?"

Cas came back immediately, and Bobby could hear the smile in his voice. "I was hoping we would hear from you, Bobby!" he said excitedly. "But, how is it possible? Angel Radio doesn't work in the Garden."

"I'm not in the Garden. I went directly to Heaven. 'Do Not Pass Go'," Bobby replied.

"Go? Go where?" Cas asked, and Bobby laughed. Cas had come a long way, but he was still Cas.

"Well, that's wonderful!" Cas continued. "I can't wait to tell everyone! Better still, why don't you come back down here, and you can tell them yourself?"

"I can't, Cas. I tried, but I can't. I guess I'm back at Square One. And don't ask me what a geometric shape has to do with it," Bobby said good-naturedly. "Anyway, can you and Gail come up here for a minute? I need to talk to you both about something. Oh, and tell Sam and Dean I still want that wake. Dean's return deserves a party, anyway. Too bad I won't be able to make it."

Cas gave everyone the good news, and then he and Gail popped into Heaven. Bobby was waiting in the boardroom. "I'm kinda homeless at the moment," he told them. "I guess I'd better see Laurel after this. She can show me where my cabin is, and assign me an office."

"Cabin?" Cas asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, I'm hoping," Bobby replied. "I was never an apartment or house kind of guy."

Gail moved forward to hug Bobby. "Well, Laurel will be thrilled to see you, just like we are. But how did you bypass the Garden?"

"That's what I need to talk to the two of you about," Bobby said. He went on to tell them about the deal he had struck up with Death.

Cas frowned. "I knew he didn't like me, but the fact that he's meddling in Heaven's affairs like this makes me feel - "

" - Angry?" Bobby said dryly. "You see, Cas, this is part of the problem. You have a reputation."

"Maybe I should just withdraw, then," Cas said in a slightly miffed tone.

"No, sweetie, I don't think you should," Gail said, putting her hand on his arm. "Everybody's entitled to their opinion, but I think you'd make a terrific God. So do a lot of other people."

"Do you really think so?" he asked her.

"Yes, I honestly do," she told him.

"For the record, I only agreed to run because Death said he'd fast-track me to Heaven," Bobby told the couple. He didn't see the sense in telling them anything more than that. Let it sink in for a while. They were his friends, after all.

Gail shrugged. "That's OK, Bobby. We want Heaven to be a democracy. That's why we put the election rules into law in the first place. Two men, two women. I think it's a really balanced slate. And truthfully, the more people we have running against Patricia, the better."

Bobby frowned. "Is she really that bad?"

Gail gave him a half-shrug. "You can see for yourself, when you talk to her. But Cas and I think she is."

Bobby frowned again. "Oh, and by the way, Death said that he looked for Dean when Dean died, but he couldn't find him. Did you have anything to do with that, Cas?"

"No," Cas said, astonished. "I wouldn't even begin to know how to do something like that."

"Huh," Bobby said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on."

"Thanks, Bobby. We appreciate that. We're going to go back down to the bunker now. We're planning your wake," Gail told him with a smile. "It's going to be one helluva bash, especially now that we know you're here, and you're fine. I'll get Cas to take some pictures with his cell phone. Maybe if one of the guys passes out, we'll put some lipstick and a tutu on him."

Bobby smiled affectionately at her. "No offense to you, Cas, but I'm very tempted to vote for your wife for the High Office. She would sure be the funniest God we've ever had."

"And the cutest, and the most beautiful, as well," Cas said, taking Gail's hand. The couple smiled at each other. "We'll see you soon, Bobby." They popped out of the boardroom as Bobby smiled, too. Some things had definitely changed, but some things remained the same.

Suddenly, the couple popped back into the room. "Sorry, Bobby, but I just remembered. We forgot to tell you something: Jody's pregnant," Gail told their friend.

Bobby's jaw dropped. "That's fantastic!" he exclaimed.

"All the more reason why one of us has to win that election," Cas said firmly. "You need to be able to visit Earth. I believe your job will be to buy Frank and Jody the world's biggest teddy bear," he deadpanned. Then he and Gail disappeared again.

Bobby shook his head, smiling again. His friends. They were all right, really. Now he felt a little bit bad about assessing them so harshly when he'd been talking with Death about their respective candidacies. But friendship was one thing, and holding the High Office was another. It might seem a little harsh, but Bobby was standing by his opinion.

He left the boardroom.

The party was in full swing, and everyone had been having a great time. The only person who was missing was Bobby, but since it was his wake, that was a normal state of affairs.

All of their friends were there, both Angel and human. Cas had popped up to Vancouver and gotten Barry, Tommy and Rob, telling them that Dean was miraculously alive and well. All three of them had accepted his story at face value, although Rob had given him a bit of a strange look.

They had talked about Nicole, but Dean had been reluctant to bring her to the kind of raucous celebration that this promised to be. So they had decided on a compromise. Cas and Gail had used Sam's computer to Skype Nicole from the bunker. They had told her that they might have some good news for her regarding Dean very soon, and she was ecstatic. Nicole assumed that meant that Dean was going to be an Angel, and they didn't bother to correct her. There would be time enough for that. But at least she had hope, now.

The wake was a private function. They had bribed the owners of the bar handsomely to close the premises to the public. So they hung a sign on the door and turned the keys over to Dean, after he had greased their palms with a very generous damage deposit. And then, the party had begun.

Gail and the brothers were at the bar, and Tommy was behind it, mixing drinks. To the Winchesters' delight, they had found out that bartending was another one of Tommy's hidden talents. Sam had quipped that Tommy's life was one big Tom Cruise movie.

"You can fly jet planes, like in Top Gun, and now we find out that you can tend bar, like in Cocktail," Sam said, grinning.

Tommy returned his smile. "Yeah and finding an affordable wedding venue in Vancouver is turning out to be Mission Impossible," he joked.

"Cas and I will come up there and help you out," Gail told him. "I can do the two-finger system now, too. We'll get you some deep, deep discounts."

"Now, now, is that any kind of talk for an Angel?" Crowley said.

Gail started. "What are you doing here? How'd you get in?"

"Sweetheart, please," he said with an indulgent smile. "If you wanted to keep me out, you would have to do a lot better than a locked door and a sign." He looked at Tommy. "Set me up, barkeep. Your finest scotch, please."

"We didn't invite you," Dean said bluntly.

"Nonetheless, here I am," Crowley said cheerfully. Tommy was looking at him doubtfully. Gail sighed, rolling her eyes, and gestured to their friend. "What the hell, Tommy. You may as well. I'll buy him a drink," she said. "He did help us out with Lucifer over there."

Crowley gave her a nod of the head. "That's not all I did, either." He accepted the drink from Tommy. "Cheers." He took a sip of the drink, then said, "And may I say, it's good to see the team of Moose and Squirrel back together again."

"What are you doing here?" Cas said angrily. He had been across the room talking with Frank and Jody. Then he had felt the sudden presence of another Original, and since the only other one left alive was his Brother, Cas had known that Crowley was here.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Crowley said calmly. "I'm here for the same reason all of you are: to celebrate the fact that Dean is alive and well."

"You'll forgive me if I'm skeptical about that," Cas said dryly.

"You're forgiven," Crowley said, smirking. He took another sip of his drink.

Frank had followed close behind Cas when his brother-in-law had rushed over here, and he threw his hands up once he saw Crowley. "OK, that's it. If this becomes a Demon bar, I'm not coming here anymore," Frank quipped. "What are you doing here, Crowley?"

"If one more person asks me that..." Crowley said good-naturedly. "Relax, Frank. I'm not here as an adversary; not today, at least. I'm here to rejoice at the return of your friend. And to express my condolences on your other friend. Although I daresay we'll be seeing Bobby again, very soon. Seeing as he was God at one point, I'm sure Death will grandfather him. Or, Godfather him, if you prefer."

"That's what I said!" Sam exclaimed, and his arm moved involuntarily. With a moment's horror, he realized that he'd been just about to high-five the King of Hell. How drunk WAS he? He put his glass down on the bar, backing away from it.

Cas sighed. "Be that as it may, we did not invite you here. Your presence is not welcome."

Crowley looked him up and down. "How I wish I could start a crowdfunding campaign to get that stick out of your arse. I guess I'm going to have to start stockpiling weapons, just in case you attain the High Office, Castiel. Even your wife was kind enough to buy me a drink. I think I'll root for her, instead." He put his empty glass down on the bar. "In any event, I just came here to get my 'props', as I believe the urabn expression goes. When we were all in Madagascar, while you and the Missus and Sam were all fighting Lucifer, I shielded Dean from Death's eyes."

"YOU did?" Cas said, astonished. "Why?"

Crowley was pleased with himself. "Because I saw your wife and Moose exchange that look, and I correctly interpreted it," he said to Cas. "Maybe you should spend less time being righteous, and more time paying attention to your wife."

Cas's hands were curling into fists. "And maybe YOU should spend less time being smug, and more time stockpiling those weapons you were talking about," he said angrily. "Because if I do achieve the High Office, you just might need them."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "You do so enjoy your anger, don't you, Castiel? Look around you. This is a party." He looked at Gail. "Thank you for the drink. At least someone here knows how to show a little gratitude. And you're welcome for the blood, too. But I'm a little surprised your sanctimonious husband didn't burn my mother's spell book."

"My spell book? What about my spell book?" Rowena said, approaching their group.

Dean threw his hands up in frustration, just as Frank had a couple of minutes earlier. "I knew we should have brought those damn candlesticks!"

Rowena pointed her finger at him. "This is all your fault," she hissed at Dean. "You, and your Angels. You should have stayed dead. Then, my Bobby would still be here with me."

"Listen, lady, none of this is any of your business," Frank told her. "I'd leave, if I were you. No one likes you here."

Crowley smirked. "Finally, something my former Knight and I can agree on."

"'Knight'? What's he talking about, Dad?" Rob said, coming forward now.

"Get back, Rob," Frank said, gritting his teeth.

"What's he talking about?" Rob asked again.

"Well, well," Crowley said, raising an eyebrow. "Apparently, your adoptive father hasn't shared his illustrious past with you."

"Shut up, Crowley," Frank snapped.

"I'm surprised young Robert here doesn't already know all about you," Crowley continued. "That's his forte, isn't it?"

Cas's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about that?"

"Can we please just get back to the point?" Rowena said, raising her voice. "Are you saying that Gail used my spell book to revive Dean? MY spell book?" She glared daggers at Gail. "Give it back to me."

"No," Gail said shortly. "That's my property," Rowena said, tight-lipped.

"You gave it to Bobby, and he gave it to Sam and Dean," Gail pointed out. "Therefore, it's part of the bunker's library, now."

"If you don't give it back, you'll regret it," Rowena hissed. "I can put any number of hexes on you, my girl."

"Oh, yeah? Well, apparently, so can I," Gail said pertly. "I can do any spell in that book, the same as you. And if that's not enough to get you to behave, my husband is going to be God soon. So I'd go easy on the threats, if I were you." She looked at Crowley. "You're always talking about doing your mother in. I'll tell you what. We'll all close our eyes and count to ten. Go ahead, Crowley. Have at it."

"I can't," Crowley said through gritted teeth.

"Sure you can. It's easy. I ought to know; I've already done it," Gail said to him.

"You don't understand," the King of Hell replied, frustrated. "I mean, I'm unable to do it."

"Really?" Cas asked. "And why is that?"

"Because she used that same spell to revive me," Crowley replied.

"Say what, now?" Dean said.

Crowley sighed. "It turns out that a by-product of the spell you used to bring Dean back to life, sweetheart, is that the revivee cannot kill the reviver, once the reviver has brought them back to life. Therefore, I am unable to kill my dear mother, as much as I would like to."

Gail's mouth dropped open, and she looked at Cas. So, THAT was why Crowley had kept on trying to get them to kill Rowena for him. Now it all made sense.

But Sam was grinning now. "So that means that Dean can't kill me, or Gail, or Cas? No matter how much we piss him off?"

"That's right, Moose," Crowley said agreeably.

"That is - how would you put it, Dean? Awesome!" Sam crowed. Gail stuck her hand out, and Sam high-fived it.

Rowena was seething. None of these grinning fools had any idea what Bobby meant to her, and they also had no idea who they were messing with. "I could mix up a love potion that would make Castiel fall in love with someone else," she said to Gail. "A potion so strong that he would turn around and kill you, if the object of his desire asked him to."

Becky perked up at that. She and the other Angels had been standing at the other end of the bar with Barry and Jody, but they had all been slowly edging over to the group, in case their friends needed backup. Becky was very much interested in what she had just heard. She glanced at Sam, who was glaring at Rowena. Sam still had feelings for Gail, Becky was sure of it, and the young Angel was done waiting. Gail was always hanging around the bunker, and if Cas became God, he wouldn't be around all the time, like he was now. Becky had herself convinced that the longer she waited, the closer she would be to losing Sam altogether. Poor Becky. She had never been able to accept the fact that Sam would never be an option for her.

"Yeah? Try it!" Gail shouted at Rowena. "Maybe the King of Hell can't kill you, but any number of the people in this room sure can!"

Rowena raised her arm to hex Gail, and Cas stepped in front of his wife. He grabbed the witch's arm and took his blade out of his blazer's pocket. He thrust it towards her, but the blade stopped just before it entered her chest.

"Do you think I was born yesterday, Castiel?" Rowena said, laughing sardonically. "I put a protective spell on myself before I came here. And for your information, dearie," she added, looking at Gail, "that spell is not in my book. So I guess you'll just have to be looking over your shoulder from now on, won't you?"

"Either that, or I'll just hang out in Heaven, which is one place I know YOU'LL never be," Gail shot back. "I'll say hi to Bobby for you, when I get there."

Rowena's eyes narrowed, and she shook free of Castiel's grip. "You will regret that." She spat out the threat, but she was vastly outnumbered, and she knew it. Even if she couldn't be stabbed with a blade at the moment, she'd better get out of there before Castiel came to his senses and realized that he could just strangle her with his bare hands. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the bar.

Cas stood there breathing heavily for a moment, and then he put his blade back in his jacket. Then he turned around and went to Gail, taking her in his arms. "I won't let her hurt you," he said.

"None of us will," Sam added. "Don't worry."

Becky was alarmed by that. She didn't like the way that Sam was looking at Gail, not one bit. But nobody was looking at Becky at the moment, so she popped herself outside.

"Wait!" she called out to Rowena. The witch stopped and turned around.

"What do you want, my girl?" she asked Becky.

"I heard what you said about the love potion," the young Angel said. "Is it true?"

Rowena smirked. "Now, what would an Angel need with a love potion?"

"How do you know I'm an Angel?" Becky asked, startled.

"I know who you are, Becky," Rowena replied calmly. "I know many things, including who you're thinking of using it on. Sam Winchester."

Becky was struck momentarily speechless. How did Rowena know about that? But then again, she was obviously a very powerful witch, so Becky supposed she had her ways.

"Well, you're wasting your time," Rowena continued. "Even if we were able to work out some kind of an arrangement, I don't want anything to do with Angels. You saw how they treated me in there. That ungrateful little...she didn't even have the courtesy to thank me, for the use of my spell. And her husband tried to kill me! Meanwhile, Sam was looking at her like...Never mind," Rowena said huffily. She turned around and started walking away, slowly.

"I know, right?" Becky exclaimed. "That's why I need that love potion!"

Rowena smiled. The fish were biting. She turned back around. "I can't help you now, dearie. But, I'll tell you what; if you get that assignment to Earth I know you've been looking for, here's my card." She reached into the cleavage of her dress and pulled out an actual business card. It had her first name only, and a telephone number on it, and that was it. She handed it to Becky. "And, just in case you were thinking of double-crossing me, that card will set itself on fire if anyone but you touches it. Look me up, if you decide you want to learn from the best."

Becky looked down at the business card, and by the time she looked back up, Rowena was gone.

"Well, that was bloody entertaining," Crowley enthused. "A drink, and a show. Maybe I should visit a bit more often."

"You're done visiting now," Frank said to him.

Crowley was amused. "Really, Frank? You forget yourself. You're of no threat to me whatsoever."

"I am, however, and so is my wife, and we would be glad to put that to the test," Cas said coolly.

"All right, Castiel," Crowley said, holding up his hands. "All right."

"Wait a minute," Gail said to Crowley. "I want to talk to you for a moment before you take off."

"You, I'll talk to," the King of Hell said affably. "You seem to be the only one here with any manners."

"We'll be right back," Gail said to their friends. She put one hand on Crowley's arm and the other on Cas's and winked them outside. The three of them were alone. Rowena had already left, and Becky had winked herself back inside following their conversation, pocketing Rowena's business card.

"What do you know about Rob?" Gail asked Crowley without any preliminary. "And, for that matter, what do you know about me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sweetheart," he said airily.

"Don't give me that," she shot back. "I know you know something."

"I know a lot of things," Crowley said evasively.

"Go ahead, then. Kill him," Gail said to Cas frustrated.

"I'll be glad to," Cas said happily, opening his blazer once more.

"Very funny," Crowley said, but he was eyeing Cas warily now.

"Who's laughing?" Cas said angrily.

"You have a party to get back to, and I don't want to keep you from it," Crowley said. "Better start pressing that flesh if you hope to win the election, Castiel. I fear your sparkling personality won't be enough to seal the deal." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Damn it!" Gail exclaimed. "We've gotta keep him in one place long enough to get some answers!"

"I'm sorry, my love," Cas said.

"Not your fault," she told him. "But you know what? He was right. We have a party to get back to, now. Let's loosen up and enjoy ourselves a little, for a change. Lucifer's gone, Dean is alive, and Bobby's an Angel again. That's a win-win-win. Haven't we had enough of problems for a while?"

Cas smiled. He put his arms around her. "You're right, my darling. Let's go and have some fun with our friends. And then later, we'll go home and have some fun with each other. How does that sound?"

Gail smiled up at him. "It almost sounds like I want to blow off the party and go straight home," she said mischievously. "But we have all the time in the world now. I have some ideas about what we can do, going forward."

"So do I," Cas said, smiling. He leaned down and kissed her neck, then gave her earlobe a delicate lick. "But for the record, I know what you mean, my darling. It'll be wonderful, planning for our future," he said into her ear.

"OK, give me one really good kiss just to tide me over, and then we'll go back inside for a couple of hours," Gail said to her husband. He kissed her on the mouth, and their tongues danced together. Cas sighed contentedly. Then, a moment later, they popped back inside to join their friends.

Crowley poured himself a drink and sat down behind his desk. Obviously, the Angels weren't going to just let it go. He could understand from Gail's point of view why she would want to know about her origins, but it was like the old adage: Don't ask the question, unless you're absolutely sure you want to know the answer.

He sat back in his chair, remembering back to the night he met Frank's mother.

VIGNETTE - VOODOO CHILD

Christina heard the front door open, and she looked up in surprise. Jim had just left a short while ago. He was good at what he did, but still...She was glad, though. She was in the kitchen heating up Gail's bottle. If she could feed the baby and get her to go to sleep for a few hours, maybe Jim and Christina could open a bottle of wine and watch a movie. It was so seldom that they got a chance to do anything like that, any more.

She was just about to call out to her husband when he called out to her instead, but his voice sounded strange. Then she heard him cough, and then she heard a crash.

Christina turned off the burner and ran out to the hallway. Jim was laying there, bleeding from the chest. Christina gasped.

"Help me to the couch," Jim said weakly. Christina put her arms around him and the two of them staggered to the living room. She laid her husband down on the couch. "I'm calling 911," she told her husband, but he grabbed her wrist. "No. There isn't time," he said. "I have a bankbook hidden under the floorboard of our closet, and some cash in the basement," he told her. Then he coughed again. "I'm sorry, Chris. I love you." Then he closed his eyes, and then he died.

Christina was in shock. "No," she said. "No!" She started shaking her husband, as if trying to wake him up. "No, Jim! Come back! Please don't leave me like this!"

Baby Gail heard her shout, and the infant began to cry. Christina had just gotten the baby settled down before feeding time, but now Gail was wailing again. Christina glanced at the crib, which was across the room from the couch. Whenever Jim was out in the evening, Christina always kept the baby by her in the living room while she watched TV, just in case. Frank was in Kindergarten now, and he had his own room, upstairs.

What was Christina going to do? She looked back down at Jim. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. She loved him. She needed him. How on earth could she be expected to cope, with two young children and no husband? Christina wasn't cut out to be a single mother, the head of a household. Jim was the one who worked and paid the bills. Her job was to take care of the kids and maintain the house. She'd never paid a bill in her life. She and Jim had married young, and Jim was a take-charge kind of man. That was one of the first things that had attracted Christina to him.

He'd told her he was a Hunter before he'd proposed, and Christina had been OK with it, or so she'd thought. Truthfully, she had looked up to him all the more because of it. But she had blinded herself to the very real dangers. Jim had always come home to her, and he had always been just fine. She had never allowed herself to believe that he could be killed. He'd told her a bit about his experiences out in the field, battling Demons and various monsters, and he had spoken so knowledgeably that she'd had every confidence in the world that nothing could ever happen to him.

But now, there was this. Christina's mind disconnected from her grief and began to free-associate. Jim had told her that there was a way to bring someone back from the dead, but he'd also said that it was an unholy arrangement, made by purely desperate people. There was a place called the crossroads, where these people went to summon Demons from Hell. If they were able to strike up a deal, the person petitioning the Demon would get anything they asked for, but only for a ten-year period. Then, at the end of the ten years, hellhounds would come and take the person who'd made the deal to Hell.

Anything they wanted...Christina thought about that. But, that was crazy. How could she even be considering this? But how else was she going to get her husband back? Ten years was a long time, and Jim was a Hunter. He'd dispatched lots of Demons before. If an ordinary person were to make that deal, they would probably have no recourse. But Christina persuaded herself that Jim would be able to figure out a way to get around it, somehow.

He had even told her where the crossroads were located, so that she could avoid the area. Christina pursed her lips. Baby Gail was still crying. Christina walked over to the crib, looking down at the infant. And that decided her. Gail was so innocent, so fragile. She needed two parents, and so did Frank.

"I'm going to bring your father back," Christina said to Gail. Suddenly, the baby stopped crying and peered at Christina intently. Christina had seen her do that before, almost as if she could understand every word that was being said. "Don't worry," Christina continued. "Everything will be all right again, I promise."

Gail was no longer crying. She was just staring at Christina now, with those wide, dark eyes. "Don't look at me like that," Christina said hastily. "I have to do this." Then she gave her head a shake. What was she doing? Gail was a tiny baby. The accusation that Christina saw in the child's eyes was obviously a figment of her imagination.

Christina rushed back to the couch and fished in her husband's pants pocket for the car keys. Then she went to the front hallway and stood there indecisively for another moment. Frank was upstairs sleeping, but he was just a little boy. Should she really be vacating the house, leaving two very young children alone? No, but the alternative was far worse. She was going to see a Demon from Hell. She would hurry there, then hurry back. The kids would be fine.

Christina seldom drove. She lacked the confidence to be a competent driver, so she chose not to do it. But she had no choice now. Fortunately, the crossroads was in a remote area, so she encountered no traffic.

She parked the car and got out, hurrying to the intersection. But then, it occurred to her that she had no idea what to do now. Jim had never told her exactly how contact was made. Now she was indecisive again. Maybe, if she concentrated really, really hard, something would happen. What was the opposite of praying, exactly? She shut her eyes tight, pleading for someone to come.

Hiram was passing by the Portal, and he happened to hear her. The last one who went out there had obviously left the door open a crack. Would Crowley ever be pissed, if he found out. But, Hiram was in a bind. His numbers weren't good this month. As a crossroads Demon, his job was to close deals. But he lacked that quality, that extra bit of persuasion that was sometimes needed. If the person he was talking to showed the slightest bit of reluctance to sign the contract, Hiram would usually just back down, and let them leave. As a result, his numbers were anemic, and the King of Hell could get very creative with his punishments at the annual job review.

Whoever was up there now obviously had no idea what the proper procedure was, but Hiram wasn't going to let that stand in his way. He exited through the Portal and appeared in front of a very frightened Christina.

"You rang?" he said in a deep, sonorous voice. He'd always wanted to say that.

Christina was terrified now, but she managed to explain the situation to him in a shaky, tearful voice. If he could bring her husband back to life, she would do anything, sign anything he needed her to sign.

Hiram smiled. Wow. This one was a slam-dunk. And boy, she couldn't have come at a better time. She was a bit of a looker, too. He was gonna enjoy closing this one. He went into his pocket for a standard contract form. The breath spray was in there too, of course. He always kept both of those things handy. And it was a good thing he did. The last deal he'd made had been with a guy who had the strongest garlic breath Hiram had ever smelled or tasted. He'd had to give both himself and the guy a few blasts of the spray just to make the kiss tolerable. Well, that and close his eyes and picture Rihanna. The kiss was an iron-clad part of the deal, so even though a fat, middle-aged Italian male with garlic breath that could choke a horse was hardly Hiram's preferred flavour, he was required to kiss him. When Crowley had been a crossroads Demon, he had introduced the kiss as part of the deal. They had ridiculed him for it, but then it had caught on, and now, it was mandatory. Crowley and his weird sense of humour. But he was the King, and his word was the law.

"Name?" Hiram asked Christina. She gave it to him, and he wrote it on the contract under Petitioner. You could say what you wanted to about Crowley, as long as he didn't find out about it of course, but everyone had to admit that the guy wrote one hell of a contract. Pun definitely intended.

"Name of deceased?" Hiram said in a businesslike tone. Christina started to cry, and Hiram let out a frustrated breath. He hoped she dried up a bit before kissing time. He hated it when they were soggy.

Christina sniffled back the tears and told the Demon Jim's name, and his pen paused. There was something about that name...Another hallmark of Crowley's organizational skills was that he had a "Red List" that he gave to all of his employees that worked topside. The names on the list were revised regularly to reflect the individuals the King had a special interest in. And this "Jim's" name was on the list; Hiram was sure of it.

"Wait here," he told a puzzled Christina, and he popped back into Hell. He proceeded directly to Crowley's office and knocked on the door. Crowley didn't have any guards outside. He was so powerful that he didn't need them. But everybody knew that you knocked on his door at your own risk. If you were there to waste the King's time, he would chew you up and spit you out. But Hiram was sure that Crowley would be interested in what he had to say.

"Come," Crowley called out in response to the knock.

Hiram wasted no time in explaining the situation to the King, and when he mentioned Jim's name, Crowley raised an eyebrow. "The Hunter?" he said, but his question was rhetorical. He knew the name of every person on that Red List, and what each individual was all about. He sat back in his chair and regarded Hiram coolly. "Now, what on earth would make you think that I would ever agree to revive a Hunter? You know what they do, right?"

Hiram's blood ran cold. Crap. Oh, crap. He hadn't really thought about it from that viewpoint. He'd just reacted to the fact that the name had been on the list. He thought fast. "She said she would do anything we wanted. Sign anything we wanted. I just thought you could use that to your advantage."

Crowley continued to regard his minion. Now, that was an interesting point. The King had been sitting here for the better part of a day making notes in files and signing proclamations, and he was bored stupid. Even if this came to nothing, it was at least a break in the monotony.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention," he said to Hiram. "I'll overlook your poor showing this month. But if you don't make your quota next month, you'd better buy some swim trunks, because you'll be doing the breaststroke in the pit of boiling oil. Are we clear, Hiram?"

"Yes, Majesty," Hiram said, trembling.

Crowley snapped his fingers and popped himself up to the crossroads. "How do you do, Madam?" he said to her, taking her hand. She gaped at him. "Who are you?" Christina asked him.

"Let's just say I'm the Manager of the Sales Division," Crowley said pleasantly. "My underling came to see me because your special circumstances call out for my expertise."

Christina was confused. She was a fairly intelligent woman, but she had no idea what this man was talking about. He saw the expression on her face and smiled. "Begging your pardon, dear woman," he said, using his old-world manners. "I can see you're not well-versed in these matters. Don't worry, I'll walk you through it. But in any event, I will need to see your dearly departed. If you will give me your address, I can take you there."

"I have our car right here. I can drive us to my home. Or you can drive, if you prefer," Christina told him.

Crowley continued to smile. "Bad idea. The last thing I drove was a chariot, I believe. Much less powerful, in the horsepower department."

Christina stared at him. She knew who and what this man was, but he had disarmed her with his charm. Still, he was asking to come into her home.

"It's up to you, Christina," Crowley said softly. "But you'd best decide soon. The longer he is in his current condition, the harder it will be to revive him."

She panicked. There was no time to lose, then. They got into the car, and she drove them back to her house. Crowley was so seldom a passenger in an Earth vehicle that he was able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

He would normally have just teleported them there, but Crowley was an excellent reader of character, and he could read between the lines, here. Hubby had bitten off more than he could chew on one of his hunts. Probably riding solo, like most of these American cowboys seemed wont to do. He had staggered home, and before his horrified wife could react, he had died. Then she had likely remembered something her husband had said about the crossroads, and a deal, and here she was. Contrary to what many people thought, many a crossroads deal was cut on the teeth of love, as opposed to greed or selfishness. In fact, love was usually the strongest motivator of all.

They entered the house and Christina said, "Could you please speak quietly? I have a five-year-old boy upstairs, and a baby girl in the living room, in a crib. My husband is also in the living room, on the couch. Please follow me."

Crowley looked down at Jim's body dispassionately. Then he looked over at the crib. It was far enough away that he couldn't see into it, but all was mercifully quiet. Good. Crying babies were hardly his favourite thing. He looked at the corpse again, but for some odd reason, his gaze kept returning to the crib. Why?

He snapped his fingers, and the corpse disappeared. Christina gasped. Crowley looked at her. "Fear not, dear lady," he said softly. "Your husband is upstairs in your bedroom. I just needed a place to sit, while we chat." He moved his hand over the couch, cleaning the blood, and then he sat down.

"Does your husband keep liquor in the house?" Crowley asked optimistically.

"We have a bottle of rose wine in the fridge," Christina responded. She was confused again. Perhaps wine was needed for the ritual? After all, it figured prominently in the Catholic church.

Crowley made a face. "Alcohol, dear lady, not Kool-Aid," he said, as patiently as he could.

Christina thought for a moment. "I think Jim might have a bottle of scotch in the basement," she told him. "Would you like me to go check?"

Why would he have asked - Crowley took a deep breath. "Yes, please, my dear," he said sweetly.

Christina left the room and Crowley leaned back against the couch cushions, closing his eyes for a moment. Humans. They were so exhausting.

And that was when the baby started to fuss. She wasn't crying just yet, but it sounded like she might be warming up to it. Perhaps the child sensed that her mother had left the room. In any event, Crowley didn't want the baby to start wailing. Then the mother would be all fluttery, and then the young boy might wake up, and Crowley just didn't feel like dealing with that kind of scenario. Besides, he was curious about the child, although he couldn't say why.

He got up and walked over to the crib, looking down at the baby. Crowley had seen his share of infants due to his long, long existence, but this one was unusual. Big, dark eyes. Almost Demonlike, he thought with amusement. Had Christina been stepping out on her husband, visiting the dark side? Curious, he reached down and touched the baby's face, and the infant's tiny fist grabbed his finger. She stopped fussing immediately and just lay there, staring at him quietly.

Now the child really had his attention. Crowley didn't believe he'd ever seen a baby behave like that before. And then, he felt it. It started off as a low-grade hum, a tickle, really. Then it increased in intensity. The power emanating from that tiny little fist was making his thinning hair stand practically on end. What the bloody hell was this, now?

Suddenly, Crowley's mind's eye threw him back to the Garden, to the very beginning. He saw his brother Abel, a bloody knife, and then he heard a man's maniacal laughter, so loud and distinct that it sounded as if the laugher was right here in this room.

Crowley pulled away. He had never felt anything like that before, and deep down, it had uneased him a little. But mainly, he was intrigued. He might want the powers this baby possessed for his own. But not right now. Let someone else do the wet nursing and the nappy changing. Crowley was an eternal being; he could wait out the ten-year contract. Then, when the hellhounds came to claim both parents, because those were the terms he would put in the contract, Crowley would take baby Gail. He knew that was her name now, just from that momentary touch. And if she was this powerful now, he was practically salivating about her potential once she was 10 years of age.

So when Christina came upstairs with the bottle, Crowley had a drink. Then he produced the standard ten-year contract, made a few amendments, and had Christina sign it.

Then, a break with tradition: "Normally, we would ask you to seal the bargain with a kiss," Crowley said to Christina, "however, I can see that you are a respectable married woman. Therefore, I will give your beautiful baby a gentle kiss on the forehead to seal our contract." He moved over to the crib and leaned down. "See you in ten years, sweetheart," Crowley said to Gail. He kissed her on the forehead and then snapped himself upstairs to the master bedroom and revived Jim. Then, he was gone.

Jim never found out about the events of that night. He woke up in his own bed with blood on his shirt and a much more minor wound than he'd actually sustained. Christina informed him that he had come home, stumbled upstairs, and fallen unconscious. As his wound was minor, she told him, she had just let him rest.

So life went on as per usual for a while, and by the time Gail began to exhibit some of her special abilities, Christina was the only parent to really know about it. She didn't dare tell her husband about them at that time, nor about Crowley's visit that night. She had built their nice suburban lives on a house of cards that was due to come tumbling down in a decade.

Then the day finally came, and Crowley dispatched his minions to collect on the deal. The hellhounds had the mange, and since Jim was a Hunter with a teenage son who may or may not have been taught the craft, Crowley had sent several of his men to collect on the deal and to retrieve the child Gail. She would be 10 years old now; old enough to be tolerable, but young enough to be impressionable.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, as the expression went. When his minions had gotten to the house, a third party had been there. Jim and Christina had been in the living room talking to a tall, dark-haired man. When the Demons had burst in the back door, the stranger had looked at the couple and smirked.

"Demons? Really?" Vincent had said, amused. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that, if you want to try to intimidate me."

"We didn't summon them! I'm a Hunter, you idiot!" Jim yelled at him. He was extremely confused. This man had just barged in here as if he owned the place, and now, the Demons were coming in the back door. Thank God he'd sent Frank and Gail downstairs to hide.

"Idiot?! You're the idiot!" Vincent shouted. "Goodbye, Hunter." He waved his hand and Jim fell dead, exploded from within. His blood spattered all over the walls and the living room furniture. The Demons stopped in their tracks. Who the hell was this guy? As far as they knew, only Crowley could do something like that. Or God, but this man certainly didn't look like God to them. He had made no effort to move away from the human when he had pulverized him, and as a result, he had the Hunter's blood on his face and his clothes. As Christina looked on in horror, Vincent wiped his face with one hand, regarded it, and then started sucking on his own fingers, as if enjoying the remnants of a particularly tasty chicken dinner.

"There was no need to do that to him!" Christina shrieked at Vincent. "None at all!"

Vincent shrugged. "You're probably right," he said calmly. Then he waved his hand again and killed her too, resulting in more splatters. He bent down and dipped his hand in Christina's blood, tasting it, too. "Why is it that women always taste so much better than men?" he asked the Demons with a self-satisfied smirk.

They were frozen in shock. They might be Demons, but they had never seen a guy that was this casually evil before. Not even their own King. Crowley's cruelty always had logic behind it, however twisted that logic may be.

Well, at least the hard job was done for them now. They hadn't even had to kill the parents. Their souls would be going to Hell, as per the contract. But, where was the kid?

"Where is she?" one of the Demons snarled.

Vincent looked at him, and then he started to laugh. For some reason, the sight of the Demon minions standing there with their mouths open in amazement had just tickled him. They looked like they were going to poop their pants. He threw his head back and laughed some more. It was this laugh that young Gail heard from the basement, and it scared her so much that she suppressed the memory for years and years afterwards.

Once Vincent's laughter subsided, he said, "I'll tell you what. I'll spare your pathetic little existences if you go back and tell your boss that he's going to have to work a lot harder than this, if he wants my daughter. And ask him if he's sure he wants to open up that can of worms. I wish him luck with that."

Then he clapped his hands together and disappeared. Vincent had wondered idly where those kids had gotten to. He presumed the parents had probably stashed them somewhere, to protect them from the Demons, or himself, or both. That had been a smart move on their part. But they hadn't been smart enough not to piss him off, had they? And now, those kids were technically orphans because of it. But that wasn't his problem. It just meant that young Frank would have to grow up a lot faster now. And he'd have to use all of his wits if he hoped to stay one step ahead of Crowley. Vincent shrugged. He didn't really care. There may come a time when Vincent's daughter Gail would be of interest to him, but that time was not now.

Crowley's Demons reported back to him about the events that had transpired at the house, and Crowley was completely gobsmacked. Who could that man have been? Actually, based on the awesome power he had demonstrated, "man" was probably a misnomer. Then Crowley started to think about the known entities who had that type of ability. Besides himself, of course. Knights of Hell, Archangels, God, and...Lucifer? He'd hurried down to the wing where the cage was, but thankfully, Lucifer was still there. Crowley had been mystified. Now he wanted that child more than ever. So he'd dispatched small groups of Demons to Earth to find her, and although there had been a few close calls throughout the years as Gail and Frank had grown to adulthood, they had always managed to stay one step ahead until the night that Gail had met the Winchesters for the first time.

Crowley sat back in his chair now, lost in thought. Oh yes, he knew more than he had told the Angels. But he still didn't know who or what Gail's father was, what he had been doing there at the house, and why he had so cruelly dispatched Frank's parents. Crowley'd eventually tried to tell Gail that his minions had not been responsible for the murders of Frank's parents, but she had not believed him. Understandable, really. Crowley had been taking credit for that particular dastardly deed for years, or at least, he had never disabused them of the notion that he had been to blame.

Maybe it was time to tell Gail what he knew. Or, maybe not. Perhaps he should wait to see how the election in Heaven turned out, first. If Castiel won, Crowley might have much bigger things to worry about. He poured himself another drink.

The party was in full swing now, and the booze was flowing. The adult human males were all getting very drunk, and Gail was bemused. In retrospect, she was glad that Dean had decided not to invite Nicole to this particular celebration. The last time Nicole attended a booze-fueled function with their group was Frank's wedding reception, and both Gail and Dean had acted like asses on that occasion. And she could see that things were probably headed in that direction again. She doubted that Nicole would appreciate the sight of all these drunken men at the bar, telling jokes that were getting increasingly risque in nature. But Dean had been dead for a week, and the others had been in mourning for him. They were entitled to blow off some steam. She and Cas had had a couple of drinks with them just to be sociable, but Cas had no interest in attempting to become intoxicated. He didn't need alcohol to feel a "high"; all he had to do to feel over the moon was to look at all the happy faces of his family and friends. He looked at Jody. Soon, she would be visibly pregnant, and then shortly after that, she and Frank would be welcoming a beautiful new baby into the family. What a glorious occasion that would be.

Jody wasn't looking too happy at the moment, though. Frank was belly-up to the bar with the Winchesters, and he had his arm around Rob's shoulders. They were telling the boy some "war stories" about their exploits on the road, and while the conversation was not exactly X-rated, it was definitely leaning on the wrong side of PG-17. And, Saints be praised, Rob was holding a bottle of beer now. She'd better put the kibosh on this, before it got out of hand.

"So, Rob, once you start school, give me a call if you need any help with the ladies," Dean was saying. "I'm your resident expert, when it comes to chicks."

"Excuse me, he's got lots of other role models here, too," Sam objected.

Dean smirked. "Yeah, right. He's staying with two gay guys, and his dad married the only woman in the known universe who's able to tolerate him. And don't even get me started about Cas. You've heard of the 40-year-old-virgin? Well, he's the 40-million-year-old virgin."

"Hey!" Gail protested.

"Well, it's true," Dean insisted. "Please. Gimme a break. I took Cas to a whorehouse one time, and I couldn't even get him laid there!"

"Really?!" Gail exclaimed, and Cas's heart sank. What Dean had said was actually true, but it was years before he'd even met Gail. And once Cas had realized what kind of place it was, he'd been horrified. But nothing had happened, of course. He'd just never mentioned it to Gail because he hadn't wanted her to get the wrong impression.

Gail's eyebrows had risen so high that they were threatening to leave her face altogether. "Now you've done it," Sam said, elbowing Dean. "Cas is sooo in the doghouse."

"He might not even get to stay in the doghouse," Gail remarked coolly. "He might just have to lay on top of it for a while, like Snoopy."

As everyone laughed, Cas started to stammer. "You know that nothing - you know I would never - I didn't - "

Frank was laughing now. He looked at Dean. "Man, are you living dangerously. You just came back to life, and now Cas is gonna kill you."

"He's going to have to take a number," Gail said darkly.

"Oh, give me a break, Gail," Dean retorted. "This was way before you guys even met."

"Yes, it was, but absolutely nothing happened, and there was absolutely no need to mention it," Cas said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, man," Dean said to Cas, giving him a sheepish look.

"Give us a call if you need a place to hide - I mean, stay," Sam said, grinning at Cas.

"OK, that's it," Jody said. She strode forward and grabbed Rob by the arm, wrestling the beer bottle out of his hand. "You and I are coming back to the house, and we're gonna have a little talk," she said to the boy. She looked at Frank. "Stay here and have some fun. I'll see you when you get home." She kissed him on the cheek, then looked at Barry and Tommy. "I'll keep Rob tonight, and then he can come back with you in the morning. We're gonna have a chat about the way we view women in our family." Then she looked at the other Angels. "Who wants to take us home?"

"I will," Becky said. "I was going to call it a night, anyway." She looked at Dean. "I'm glad you're OK, Dean."

"Thanks, Becky," Dean said, and then he looked at Sam. "I like her, Sammy. Too bad you two crazy kids couldn't make it work."

Sam elbowed him again, a lot harder this time. "I'm sorry, Becky," Sam said, embarrassed. "Dean's drunk."

"I know, Sam. That's OK," Becky said, but she was fuming. So, Dean thought her feelings for his brother were an object of ridicule, did he? Well, they'd see who was laughing when she got a hold of that love potion. But first, she'd have to get that assignment on Earth, and she thought she just might have the right person in Heaven to talk to about that.

After Becky winked Jody and Rob away, the other Angels said their goodbyes as well, and they went back up to Heaven. That left just Barry, Tommy, Frank, Sam, Dean, Cas, and Gail.

"Great. Just the men left, now," Dean said happily. "Set 'em up, Tommy."

Gail cleared her throat, and Dean eyed her. "Ahhhh, you know what I mean," he said. "You're like one of the guys, anyway."

"No, she's not. I can assure you of that," Cas said, smiling. He put his arms around her from behind, cuddling her.

"Just think, one of you could be God, soon," Barry said to the Angels. "I can't even wrap my head around that."

"I know, right?" Gail said. "But it could also be Patricia, or Bobby. We'll just have to wait and see. It won't be for a while, yet. But just between us, I really hope it's not Patricia."

"Why? What's her problem?" Dean asked.

Cas frowned. "I honestly don't know, Dean. She's a longer-serving Angel, and there's still a faction of what you might call 'old-school' thinking in Heaven. Some of those individuals supported the Archangels back in the time of the Angel Wars, when they were talking about annexing Earth. I'm not saying that Patricia's stance is quite that radical, but when I spoke to her a while ago, she was talking about cancelling all of the assignments to Earth."

"What? What do you mean?!" Frank exclaimed. "So you wouldn't be coming to Earth anymore?"

"I don't think it would come to that, Frank," Cas replied. "I believe she's talking about no NEW assignments. But still, I completely disagree with that philosophy. If I've learned anything during my time here, it's that we can do a lot of good for people here on Earth. It's what we SHOULD be doing. Not fighting and killing."

"Is that your platform, too?" Sam asked Gail. "More loving, less fighting?"

She smiled. "Are you talking about me and Cas now? 'Cause I can assure you, that's always been our philosophy. And as for Patricia, when we were up there with Gabriel, he said all she needs is a good snuggle. And I tend to agree."

The men laughed, and Dean said, "Did he really say 'snuggle'?" Gail nodded vigorously. "That's pretty funny," Dean added.

"Well, he was speaking in the presence of a lady," Gail said, smirking.

"Yeah, Dean. Weren't you listening? Patricia was there," Frank wisecracked.

"Oh, har, har. OK, losers, Cas and I are out of here," Gail said. "We'll make sure to pop into the bunker nice and early, and make lots of noise." She looked at her brother. "Hopefully, Jody will have kicked you out, so we can get you, too."

"I'm gonna start cranking out those 'Cas For God' bumper stickers tomorrow," Frank quipped.

Gail grabbed him and gave him a big, smacking kiss. Then she did the same with all the other men, saving Dean for last. "I'm really glad you're back," Gail said to him. "Our lives sucked without you."

Dean smiled. "Next time I have a funeral, put that on my tombstone," he told her.

"Oh, no, I'm not going through that again," she said, shaking her head. "You're gonna live forever. I have spoken."

"It won't be forever, but it should be longer than many others," Cas piped up. "Sam, too."

They all turned to look at him. "Uh...what?" Dean said.

"You and Sam will age much more slowly, because you have partaken of the waters in the Garden," Cas replied. "It has special properties, not unlike the Fountain of Youth in your legends. If the two of you die of natural causes, it will probably be at a much more advanced age than most humans."

The brothers looked at each other. Really? It was just like Cas not to have mentioned this before. When you were already an eternal being, they guessed it didn't occur to you that these kinds of things might be good to know.

"Ahhhh, I wouldn't worry about it," Frank said. "There's no way you guys are dying of natural causes."

As the brothers invited Frank to do something to himself that was anatomically impossible and Barry and Tommy laughed, Cas and Gail linked hands and popped themselves home.

Bobby knocked softly on Patricia's door. "Surprise," he said.

She looked up from the file she'd been reading. "Bobby? Bobby! Is that really you?"

"Yes, it is," he said, entering her office. "I hope I didn't startle you too badly. I just wanted to let you know that I'm back."

"What happened?" she asked him.

"I had a heart attack," he told her matter-of-factly, sinking into the chair opposite her desk.

"Oh, Bobby. I'm so sorry," Patricia said softly.

"I'm not," Bobby told her. "I'm actually glad to be back. Earth isn't my home anymore."

"Well, quite frankly, I'm glad to hear you say that," Patricia said stiffly. "Leave Earth to the humans. I'm running on a 'Heaven First' platform."

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about, Pat," Bobby said, but she interrupted him: "Patricia."

"Beg pardon?" Bobby said, his forehead wrinkling.

"My name is Patricia," she said, with a bit of an edge to her voice. "I know that you've been on Earth for an extended period of time, but I don't appreciate the familiarity."

"Oh." Bobby was a little surprised. He had called her by the short form of her name when they'd had those couple of dates, and she hadn't seemed to mind so much then. But Cas was saying that she had changed, and that was what Bobby was here to find out for himself.

"Anyway, I came here to tell you that I just filed the papers," Bobby continued. "I'll be running in the election."

Patricia's eyebrows rose. "You?!" she exclaimed. "But...you resigned the position, when you had it!"

"I know, and that was a mistake," Bobby told her. "I should never have done that. There are a lot of things I regret, Patricia. But now, I have the chance for a do-over. If I win the election, there are gonna be a lot of improvements made around here. Now that Lucifer's gone, I think we should make more of an effort to reach out to humans. Cas and Gail had the right idea. If we had more of a presence on Earth, Lucifer might not have had nearly as many human followers, and probably, a lot more people would be alive today."

Patricia looked at him sharply, but she said nothing for the moment. Reach out to humans? Had he not just agreed that Earth was no place to call home? He really hadn't, of course, but that was how Patricia's twisted mind had interpreted it. "I completely disagree," she said to Bobby. "If those humans were stupid enough to follow Lucifer in the first place, they deserved everything that happened to them."

Bobby looked at her incredulously. "I'm talking about the innocent victims, Pat. The ones that were killed by those death squads."

Patricia gritted her teeth. "It's Patricia. And as far as I'm concerned, none of those people were innocent. They were only humans, Bobby. They can just rut and make some more. That's what humans do. They're just like cockroaches. The Archangels had the right idea."

Bobby was floored. Cas had been absolutely right about her. This was bad. "What happened to you, Patricia?" he said, dazed.

"What happened to me?" she repeated. "You happened to me. Castiel and Gail happened to me." She leaned forward in her chair. "Lucifer happened to me. You go ahead and run for the Office, Bobby. Run on a program of permissiveness, and so-called charity. You had the Office, and you abandoned it. You abandoned me. I'll make sure to remind the Angels of that. How you abandoned them, just when they needed a leader the most. Maybe your friend Castiel should win. Then we can all look forward to an administration filled with torture, and blood, and death. Or, maybe that little tramp Gail should take the most Sacred Office. Then we can have everyone shirking their duties, burning the Holy Commandments, and doing whatever they damn well please. If you want to talk to God, you'd better make an appointment. Otherwise, you're liable to walk in there and find her and Castiel, having sex on our Father's desk!" Patricia let out a loud sob. Suddenly, she was back in that Office, alone with Lucifer, and he was bending her over that same desk, and hurting her. The very first thing that she was going to do upon winning the election was to set fire to that desk. In fact, she might just snap her fingers and blast the entire room out of existence. Then, she could redesign the Office however she saw fit. But no matter what she did in that regard, she could never erase the memories of what had happened to her there.

"What's the matter, Patricia? What's wrong?" Bobby asked her, alarmed. "Why are you like this now? Talk to me. We're all friends here, aren't we?"

"Friends? I have no friends," Patricia said angrily. "Now, get out of my office. The deadline to announce candidacy is tomorrow. If there are no others on the slate, my official campaign starts tomorrow. I was really hoping you would support my platform, Bobby. But now, I can see that you're just like the others. Oh well, no matter. You're an alcoholic, and a deserter. Castiel is a violent brute, with a long history of selfish deeds on his resume. And Gail is a slut, with proven ties to the King of Hell. I wish you all luck, Bobby. You're going to need it."

Bobby backed out of her office, shocked by what she was saying. This was bad. Really bad. If Patricia meant even half of what she was saying, let alone what she wasn't saying, this election was gonna get really dirty. And the hell of it was, she wasn't really wrong in anything she had said. It was all in the way you looked at it. Bobby had quit, and he had been drinking quite a bit on Earth recently. Cas did have a violent history, and Gail had associated with the King of Hell.

"Balls," Bobby said softly, as he walked home to his cabin.

"I think we're ready to test the latest formula," Dr. Exeter was saying to his bosses. Generals Greene, Sizemore, and Tanaka were standing in the laboratory, watching as the technicians were cleaning up for the night.

"What makes you say that?" Adrian asked him.

The head of the Experimental team pointed to one corner of the room, where one of the lab assistants was preparing to sweep something up off of the floor with a broom and a dustpan.

General Sizemore peered closer. "Is that what it looks like?"

"Snow," Dr. Exeter said, nodding. "Once we mixed the new compound, the technician accidentally spilled a couple of drops, and it started to snow in the corner, right there. It only lasted less than a minute, but then again, it was only a couple of drops that were spilled. I'm looking forward to see what we can create with a full sampling."

The Generals began to smile.

- END OF BOOK 26. -