Book 16 - Epic Movie

by GailDunn2

WARNING: SOME ADULT CONTENT AND SITUATIONS. The quest to obtain the Tablets of the Realms begins in Egypt. The team is tested immediately as Castiel must decide how far he is willing to go in order to stop Lucifer.

6. Desert Rose

Chapter 6 - Desert Rose

When Cas had wheeled Ibrahim into the back rooms of the hospital, the medical personnel had taken care of him right away. They told Cas that they'd been absent from the reception area because they'd been rushing around, stocking up and making preparations for the wave of casualties that they were expecting from the battle in the Valley.

"You'll be in good hands now, Ibrahim," Cas told his former manservant. "Take care of yourself. And please, try to remember that not all Americans are bad, and women are not inferior to us. Will you do that for me?"

"I will do my best, Sheikh," Ibrahim said, taking Cas's hand and kissing it. "I owe you my life."

Cas gave him a nod in acknowledgement, and then left the room, unable to say anything further. He had begun to walk back down the corridor to the waiting room where Gail was when he felt a pair of arms grab him and pull him into one of the rooms, and then he felt the blade stab him in the chest.

"I hate to use such strong-arm tactics, but I needed to speak with you urgently," Death said to Castiel.

They were standing over Cas's vessel, which was lying on the stretcher. "You killed me?" Cas said incredulously.

"I had to," Death told him. "It was the only way I could speak with you directly. Crowley breathed life back into your manservant, and there is not one dead person in this entire hospital. Yet," he added dryly.

"So, you just...killed me?" Cas said again. He couldn't quite get over that.

Death held up a glass vial with Cas's essence in it. "Only for a moment or two. When we're done talking, I'll put this back into you and heal your wound. But this conversation couldn't wait. Walk with me."

They left the room and walked down the corridor.

"You did an excellent job here, Castiel," Death told him. "I know that you will be very hard on yourself because of it, but what you did was worthy of our Father Himself. That is why I came here to help you with your next Tablet. It is the Heaven Tablet, and it is in Rome. But time is of the essence for its acquisition. It is secreted in the sub-basement of a very old building, which is slated for demolition as part of a project to build a new shopping mall. Progress," Death sniffed disdainfully. "No one knows that there is such a valuable item there, of course. But once the building is destroyed, the Tablet may very well be, too."

"Thank you for telling me this," Castiel said to him.

Suddenly, a loud, anguished scream came from down the hallway, where they had just been. "I fear your fiancee has wandered away from the waiting room," Death said with a grim half-smile. "Come." He took Castiel's arm and they moved quickly back up the corridor. "Incidentally, as you might expect, the Heaven Tablet is not warded against Angels," Death told Castiel. "So I imagine that, after you and Gail retrieve it, you may want to take a few days to plan your wedding. A fall ceremony in Italy. Think of all the glorious food you could serve at the reception."

They walked in the room, and once Cas got over the shock of Death's almost-friendly demeanour, his heart broke to see Gail standing there, sobbing. Even though he knew he'd be seeing her again in a minute, she didn't know that. "Please, can you hurry?" he asked Death, who nodded in agreement. He was a dour individual who didn't feel much of anything as a rule, but even Death's heart hurt a little to see her standing over her fiancee, so grief-stricken.

Death snapped his fingers, and Gail froze. He crooked his finger, moving her away from Castiel's vessel. Then he opened the vial and poured Cas's essence into his vessel's mouth. Then Death leaned down and put his mouth on the lips of the corpse, breathing the essence back into Cas. Then he put his hand on Cas's chest and healed the wound, and Cas opened his eyes.

"Good luck in Rome," Death said to Cas. Then he snapped his fingers, reanimating Gail. "I wish you all the best for your wedding, my dear," Death said to her as Cas sat up. "Do save me some lasagna, or a nice rigatoni, maybe." Then he was gone.

Cas swung his legs off the table as Gail ran to him, laughing and crying at the same time. "What happened, Cas?" she asked him. "I thought - you were - " He put his arms around her. "I'll tell you in a minute," Cas said. "Just give me a moment. It's always very disorienting when that happens."

She had no idea what he was talking about, and she didn't really care. He was alive and well, that was all she cared about. "Are you OK?" she asked him, kissing his face all over. "Are you really OK?"

"I'm really OK," he told her. "But I really think we should all chip in and get Death a cell phone for Christmas."

Gail looked at him, puzzled, and he smiled. Then she started kissing his face, again and again. "Can we just go home, Cas? Please?" she said, between kisses.

"With pleasure," he said, taking her hand.

They were in the bunker now, all together, and it was a joyful reunion. Barry and Tommy had been just about to serve supper when Cas and Gail had gotten back, and there were hugs and kisses all around.

"Go ahead and eat, you guys," Gail told them. "I need a shower, big time, and I can't wait to get back into my American whore clothes." Then she realized that Robbie was sitting right there at the kitchen table, and Gail clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Jody," she said, seeing her sister-in-law frown. "Forget I said that, Robbie. That's a terrible, hateful word, and I shouldn't have said it."

Robbie shrugged, pouring himself a glass of milk. "That's OK, Aunt Gail, I know that already. There are certain words you don't say because they're rude, and they hurt peoples' feelings. I know what those words are, and I'll never say them."

Gail smiled. Way to go, kid.

Frank followed her and Cas out to the hall. "You can't just go saying things like that around a kid of Robbie's age. He's really impressionable, Gail," her brother admonished her.

"I get that, Frank. I said I was sorry," Gail replied.

Frank lowered his voice. "For the record, though, I thought it was damn funny. If Jody hadn't been in the room, I probably would have peed myself laughing. 'American Whore' collection, now available at your local department store."

Gail laughed too, and then kissed she him on the cheek before she and Cas headed off down the hallway to shower and change their clothes.

As dinner was ending and the clearing was being done, Cas said, "I just want to thank everyone for your help in Egypt, and I'm sorry it was so unpleasant there. I'm sorry I was so unpleasant there," he amended, smiling ruefully. "I've already received the information for the next Tablet, and it should be much easier to obtain."

"That's what you said about the one in Egypt," Sam pointed out.

Gail gave him a sharp look, but Cas smiled sadly. "You're right, Sam. But, don't worry. I'm absolving all of you from this next one. It's not warded against Angels. Gail and I will obtain it, and then we will spend a little extra time in Italy after that, planning our wedding."

There was bedlam in the room. "What?" Barry exclaimed. "Already?"

"Yes," Cas said firmly, taking Gail's hand and kissing it gently. "We set the date while we were in Egypt. October 15th, which is coming up, very soon. And it can't be soon enough for me. I think after what we've all just been through, we can all use a really good, happy day. I know that Gail and I certainly can."

"But, until then, we have another surprise for those of you who might be interested," Gail said, squeezing Cas's hand. They had discussed this beforehand, and they thought it might be a nice reward for their friends. Gail also thought it could benefit Cas immensely, and herself, as well. It would be nice to leave Egypt with one happy memory, anyway.

Cas continued, "The 'Supernatural' movie is filming in Egypt, coincidentally, and we have received an invitation to visit the set tomorrow. Anyone who wants to come with us is very welcome. Then, after that, Gail and I will continue on to Rome."

"What do you say, Dean?" Sam asked his brother.

"What do you think I say?" Dean retorted. "Hell, yeah! Count us in."

"I think I'd like to go, too," Bobby said. "Could be fun."

"I'll tag along, too," Chuck said.

"Not me," Kevin said. "No offense, Cas, but I've had just about enough of Egypt for a while."

"I'm with Kevin," Ethan said. "Besides, I want to check in with my staff and see how things are going."

"I don't think I want to go, either," Jody said. She had Robbie on her lap, and she smoothed the hair back from his forehead. "I've missed this fella, and I'd like to spend a bit of time with him before we have to go traipsing around again. You can go if you want, Frank."

Gail's brother considered it for a moment. Unlike many other wives that he'd heard of, when Jody said he should go if he wanted to, she really meant it. She wasn't just waiting for him to say he'd like to go so she could lower the boom on him, nor was she going to lay in wait for him here if he did go, and then make him feel guilty about it for the rest of his natural-born life. That was one of the many things he loved so much about Jody. She said what she meant, and she meant what she said. They'd had a pact with each other since entering into their romantic relationship to always be brutally honest with each other, no matter what.

"Nahh," Frank said. "It might be kind of fun, but I've kind of had my fill of it over there, too. Take lots of pictures for us." He took Jody's hand and they walked Robbie down the hall to put him to bed.

"I guess now that everyone's back, we should look for our new place," Barry said to Tommy.

"We're back for now, but I can't promise for how long," Cas told them. "Gail and I should be able to handle the Heaven Tablet on our own, but there are three more to get after that. By all means, look for your place, but we may ask for your help again in the future, if you don't mind."

"In fact, while you're looking for your own place, I wonder if you could set aside a few listings for us, as well," Gail said to Barry.

"Sure," he said, delighted. "What did you have in mind? And what's your budget?"

"Two million dollars," she said, just to see the look on his face.

"Maybe I should have charged you rent for that hotel suite," Barry quipped.

Gail told him the circumstances of her having come by that amount of money. She also advised him that she and Cas were not looking to spend nearly that much.

"A modest three-bedroom house is all we're looking for, or maybe four bedrooms, come to think of it," Gail told him. She was counting pairings on her fingers. Her and Cas for one, Frank and Jody for another. Sam and Dean could each have their own room, but if Barry and Tommy were over at the same time, the brothers could double up. She was subconsciously making Christmas plans, even though it was not quite October yet. She was determined to host a Christmas this year, no matter what ills were befalling mankind at the time. She continued, "It's got to have a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room that's big enough for a Christmas tree." She smiled at Cas, who smiled back. "This year, for sure," he promised her. "No matter where we are, or what we're doing."

"Do you guys take turns sitting on top of the tree?" Tommy joked.

"And here I thought Frank had left the room," Gail quipped. "Never mind, Mister Smarty-pants. Just start looking for places. Oh, and make sure your suits are pressed for October 15th."

The next day, Cas, Gail, Dean, Sam, Bobby and Chuck were all dressed and ready to go to Egypt. Since they would be on the movie set all day, Gail did not have to wear Egyptian garb or keep her face covered. The set was considered American domain, much like a foreign embassy would be, and therefore it was exempt from cultural constraints. She was glad. Still, she wore a plain top, modest shorts, and closed-toe sandals. She'd be comfortable, but she'd still be respectful of their customs.

The Angels popped Sam and Dean to Cairo, and they piled into two air-conditioned taxis to take them out to the movie set. Gail settled back, breathing a sigh of relief. There were a lot of things that she had hated about this place, and the extreme heat was definitely high up on the list. If Cas suggested going anywhere tropical on their honeymoon, she might just have to kill him.

It was so nice to be able to sit next to him again, by his side, able to hold his hand and kiss his cheek whenever she wanted to. He had shaved off his beard as soon as he'd had his shower back at the bunker, and he was once again dressed in his now-familiar jeans and shirt, The Sheikh was gone, and Cas was his loving, humble, soft-spoken self again. If anything, he was being even more gentle and tender, as if to try to make up for that period. He was being more physically demonstrative, too. He had not let go of her hand once, and he kept bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. When the two cabs had come, Cas had quickly put her in one, climbed in after her, and left their friends to the other cab. He had been apart from her here for too long, and under very adverse circumstances. He was sure their friends would understand.

Soon they were making out like two teenagers in the back seat. Nothing improper, just hugging and kissing, kissing and hugging. Their driver had to clear his throat a couple of times before they realized that they were in the back of a cab, not a limousine, and he could actually see them.

"I'm sorry," Cas apologized to the driver. "We're Americans, and we had to endure a forced separation recently."

"We're engaged," Gail said, waggling her finger. "But still, we're in public, and we shouldn't be doing that here. We apologize. We'll stop now."

The driver nodded to the couple. Truthfully, he had been starting to find the display a little bit disgusting. But he had actually seen worse behaviour in the back of his cab before, and not just from Americans, either. At least these two had apologized to him.

They got to the film set, and Cas gave his name to the security guard. "Yeah, you're on the list," the guard acknowledged. "Go on in. Things are a little bit less organized here than they were back home, but you'll find them somewhere."

The group went wandering around. "Wow. This certainly is a big set," Cas said, looking around them in wonder. So far, he didn't recognize anyone, but he imagined a movie would have a much bigger crew than a television show.

"Cas!" Richard's voice. He was just stepping out of a trailer, and he saw Cas's group. "Glad you could make it!" Richard greeted Gail with a brief hug, and Sam and Dean with handshakes.

"Richard, this is Bobby, and this is Chuck," Cas said, introducing the other men.

"Chuck," Richard said, extending his hand for Chuck to shake. "And what do you do, Chuck?"

"I'm a writer," Chuck blurted out.

"Of course you are," Richard said, bemused. "Every actor wants to be a writer, and every writer wants to be an actor."

Chuck looked at Cas, puzzled, and Cas shrugged. Apparently, Richard had assumed that Cas's friends were actors, too. Oh, well. No matter.

"Bobby Singer," Bobby said, offering his hand for Richard to shake.

"Are you kidding me with this?" Richard said, shaking Bobby's hand.

Bobby cursed himself. He shouldn't have introduced himself that way. Now this guy was gonna think he was a lunatic, or worse, a groupie. "Just an amazing coincidence," he said to Richard, trying to smile.

"Your name, or your look, or both?" Richard asked him.

"Umm...both," Bobby said. Sam and Dean were smirking now.

"He was our most popular character," Richard said. "We had a lot of heartbroken viewers after that episode ran. Frankly, I wish we could think of a believeable way to bring him back."

Bobby was smiling now, and Chuck said, "I can think of a few."

"Really?" Richard said to him. "Maybe I should have you talk to our writers, then. Not the guy who's writing this screenplay, though. He's hit on some real gold here. Action, suspense, romance, sex, explosions...this first film is packed to the gills. I think it'll do well as a franchise, but you know how short the attention span is these days. They want to pack all kinds of excitement into this one, because it's the first one." Then he frowned. "Still, I thought that Bobby was one of the best secondary characters we ever had, next to Cas himself, of course." Now Bobby and Cas were both frowning, and Sam and Dean's smiles grew wider.

"Secondary characters?" Dean said to Sam.

"Yeah, that's like lower-tier," Sam said, grinning. "Not as important."

"No offense to everyone's favourites, but let's face it, the whole thing revolves around the Winchester brothers. Anyone else can come and go, but if there's no Sam and Dean, there's no show," Richard agreed.

"No show without Dean and Sam," Dean said smugly.

"Anyone else can come and go," Sam repeated, continuing to grin. This was fantastic. The brothers high-fived each other as Gail rolled her eyes.

"Where's the wardrobe trailer?" Cas asked Richard. "I'd like to say hello to Nicole and Zoey, and my friends here probably would, too," he added, indicating Sam and Dean.

Dean smiled at Cas gratefully, glad he hadn't taken their teasing personally. Yes, Dean would like to say a few things to Nicole. Like, for instance, apologize to her for his behaviour the last time he had seen her. Maybe they could sneak off for coffee, or lunch, or something.

"We have several now, but I'll take you to the one the girls are working in," Richard told the group. "I was just on my way over to talk to some of the production staff, anyway. Maybe I'll introduce you to the screenwriter, if he's here. He's a bit of a weird bird who keeps his own hours, but that's what you get when you hire an 'artiste', I guess. But I've got to say, the man's come up with some pretty interesting ideas, though. He really has a flair for the dramatic. And he's been getting a little bit better at the comedy lately, too."

"I definitely would like to meet him," Chuck said. "He sounds like an interesting guy."

Metatron had seen them pass by, of course. He had been peeking at them from inside his trailer. No one knew that he was here. He just popped in and out whenever he chose, and as long as he wasn't witnessed doing either, Metatron didn't see a problem with that. He knew he had a reputation for being a bit of an oddball, but writers were supposed to be eccentric, weren't they?

He was actually considering going out there and talking to them. Was he crazy? But he knew that they wouldn't make a scene, not with all these humans here, and they certainly wouldn't kill him in front of them, either. He supposed that God, aka Bobby, could once have just smited him? smote? and then modified everyone's memory about it, but Metatron now knew that God was nowhere near this movie set. As soon as Bobby had walked by Metatron's trailer, he had instantly known that Bobby was no longer God. He still had an air of quiet authority, but that vibe, that aura, was gone. Castiel and Gail were way more powerful than Bobby was now.

Metatron had also been extremely impressed with the job that Castiel had done in Luxor. He knew all about it, of course. He'd been checking the Internet every day for updates, and he had watched the news every night. And, in the end, the good guys had prevailed, and they now had part of the recipe needed to construct a brand new cage for Lucifer.

And it was this that he was itching to talk to them about. He did not want to be put in that replacement cage with Lucifer. No way, no how. He'd considered every desperate tactic, every underhanded maneuver he could think of to prevent that from happening. And he'd finally come upon the one thing, the only thing that they would never expect from him. It was just a matter of time before they found him, and Metatron was tired of looking over his shoulder every time he ventured out to stretch his legs. So, when Metatron revealed himself to them, he was going to try to disarm them with the one tactic they would never anticipate coming from him, not in a million years.

He was going to tell them the truth about who he was now, and what his wants and needs were. And, he was going to offer to help them in their fight against Lucifer.

Nicole and Zoey were happy to see Cas, and they were welcoming to his friends. Well, to most of them. Nicole was coolly polite to Dean, who looked shamefaced.

"Can I talk to you alone for a couple of minutes?" he asked her. "Please?"

She sighed. "Yeah, OK, Dean. Let's go for a walk."

"I need to get out there and start doing an authenticity check on some of the extras' outfits," Zoey said. "If anybody wants to come with, we're setting up for a big battle scene."

"Sounds interesting," Sam said, and he, Bobby, and Chuck followed her. Sam looked back at Cas. "You coming?"

Cas smiled. "In a minute." He was sitting in one of the makeup chairs, reminiscing. A part of him really did miss this. It had been fun, and it had been a nice way to earn some money.

"We'll be right there, Sam," Gail told him.

Sam rolled his eyes. Right. Cue the smooching. Still, the two of them had been separated for a long time just recently, at least a long time by their standards. If they wanted to steal a few more minutes alone together, who was he to tell them they couldn't?

When they were alone, Gail put her arms around Cas from behind and kissed his cheek, looking at him in the mirror. "Reminiscing?" she asked him, smiling.

"Yes," he confirmed, answering her smile. "I kind of miss our days in Vancouver. You?" He swiveled the chair around and gently pulled her down onto his lap.

"I do miss it, sometimes. That was one of our best times, Cas," she replied.

"I know." He frowned. "But we'll have better ones, Gail, I promise. I know how hard things have been on you."

"They've been hard on you too, sweetie," she said, kissing his face softly. "Look at what you just had to do. Believe it or not, I understand how crushing that type of responsibility could be. You must feel so alone, sometimes. Even with all of us around you."

He tightened his arms around her. "You really do understand me, Gail. And, yes, it's been hard. But that's what our Father requires of me."

"Well, just remember that we all love you, Cas," she told him, touching his face.

"All of you?" he asked her, smiling slowly. "Anyone in particular, that you can think of?"

"Well, I know Dean has a really soft spot for you," she said, playing along, "and Jody told me she thought you looked kind of hot with a beard."

"That's nice," Cas said, kissing her face. "Anyone else?"

"Well, there was this one American woman who kind of had a crush on you," Gail said, smiling as he nuzzled his cheek against hers, "but she was kind of weird. She thought you should only have one wife, and that it should be her."

"That's the sexiest thing you have ever said to me," Cas said, and he kissed her on the mouth. His tongue parted her lips, and she gave him her tongue in return. They kissed that way for a couple of minutes, and then Cas let go of her. "I have to stop now," he told her. Then he kissed her again anyway.

"You're right. I need to get off your lap now," she told him. Then she kissed him again.

"Please, Gail, we really have to stop now," Cas pleaded.

"You're right," she said again, and this time she did get off his lap. She took a deep breath and smoothed her clothes, which were, somewhat mysteriously, slightly rearranged. She smiled at Cas, shaking her head slowly. "I'll meet you outside in a minute," she said to him, and then she took another deep breath. "October 15th."

"October 15th," he echoed, smiling. Cas was also trying to collect himself now. "I'll be there in just a moment. I need a second to...I just need a second."

Gail's smile widened. She blew him a kiss and exited the trailer.

"I'm sorry I acted like such an ass at Frank and Jody's wedding," Dean said to Nicole, once they were alone.

They'd gone for a short walk away from everyone so they wouldn't be overheard, and Nicole said, "When Cas told me you wanted me there, I was happy to come, Dean. I like Cas, I like you, and I like Gail and Sam. I figured I'd like your friends, too, and it would be a fun evening. And it was, for the most part. But you have to admit, you and Gail were acting a little weird there at the end. By the time Cas brought me back home, I was seriously wondering why I'd even bothered to come."

"Don't blame Gail. It was all my fault. She's had a really bad year. Hell, she's had a really bad several years," Dean said. Now he was defending Gail, even though Nicole hadn't said anything critical of her, not really. Why couldn't Dean just talk straight to this woman?

"I get the feeling she's not the only one," Nicole said dryly. "Isn't Lucifer still out there on the loose? You guys didn't just come from Luxor, by any chance, did you?"

Dean looked at her, startled. "Yeah, I watch the news, Dean," Nicole went on. "I don't know what went on there, and you can tell me as much or as little as you want. But from everything I read, and saw, it just seemed kind of...well, Biblical. And now here you all are. Why do I have the feeling that's not just a coincidence?"

Dean sighed. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me a chance to explain what I can over dinner tonight?"

"Just you and me?" she asked.

"Yeah, Nicole, just you and me," he confirmed. "I'll tell you everything I can. It's actually been a pretty wild ride, so far."

How could she pass up an offer like that? "Okay, Dean," she said. He put his arms around her and kissed her. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. Nicole kissed him back, giving him a little tongue. What the hell. If he'd come all this way just to apologize to her, she wasn't going to act all snooty about it. She really did like Dean.

Meanwhile, the group had all begun to congregate in the one area. They were about to shoot the big fight scene. Zoey was just putting the finishing touches on a few of the costumes and refreshing some of the actors' makeup. It was hard to keep fresh in the desert heat. Nicole rushed over to help, and as they were doing that, a young boy was running amongst the extras, shouting and being exuberant.

"Sean! Get over here!" Richard shouted at the boy. "My wife's brother's kid," he told the others. "He and his parents are on holidays here, and I said he could come out and visit the set today so they could take an adults-only cruise up and down the Nile. I suspect they just wanted a day off so they could get some extra sleep. Sean!"

The boy ran over to where the group was standing. He seemed about as excitable as Robbie got sometimes, maybe even a bit more wound up, if such a thing was even possible, Gail thought.

"Remember what I told you about sitting still and being quiet when we're just about ready to film?" Richard asked Sean.

"Yeah!" Sean shouted, jumping up and down.

Gail's lips twitched. Yeah, that was just like Robbie, all right. Too bad Frank wasn't here to rein him in a bit. Then again, based on what she'd seen, Frank might just wind the kid up even further.

Richard rolled his eyes. "Sorry, he's even more hyper than usual," he said to the group. "I think the crew's been stuffing him full of sugar."

"Hey, Sean, do you want to go and see some of the prop weapons we'll be using?" one of the crew members said to the boy.

"Yeah, that'd be cool! Can I, Uncle Richard?"

Richard silently blessed the crew member who'd suggested that. At least Sean would be distracted elsewhere for a while, and they would have the necessary quiet for the scene.

Once Sean was gone, they started to shoot the fight scene. After a few minutes, the director said, "Cut." Nicole and Zoey moved in again, and the effects guys started applying fake wounds and blood packs to some of the actors.

"Problem, Cas?" Richard said. Cas had been frowning, watching the scene.

"I don't think the Demons are being aggressive enough," Cas told him. "But, I also think the Angels are being too passive."

"They're Angels, Cas," Richard said, not unreasonably from his point of view. Sam and Dean laughed, and Bobby piped up, "So what does that mean? That don't mean they have to be wusses."

"Yes, but they're the good guys," Richard argued. "If they defend themselves too vigorously, they won't be turning the other cheek."

"The only time I've ever seen Cas turn the other cheek was when he was going into his jacket for his secondary weapon," Dean quipped softly, and Sam laughed.

"Do you two have opinions about this?" Richard said sharply.

"No. Sorry," Dean said. "We'll be quiet now, we promise."

Richard sighed. "How would you visualize it, Cas?" Normally, he wouldn't tolerate this from set visitors, but when Cas had worked on the TV show, he'd often had constructive suggestions that had actually ended up improving scenes. And quite frankly, Richard had also felt that the scene had been somehow lacking.

Cas moved forward and began instructing the actors, and Richard and the director made notes. Gail smiled. She had never seen Cas do this before, but it didn't really surprise her. He definitely knew what he was talking about when it came to this kind of thing. But then her smile faded a little. She kind of wished that it was only pretend fighting that they had to do in real life. It would be so nice if the violence was only make-believe.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk," Chuck said under his breath. "If I see one more thing Cas is an expert at, I think I'll puke."

Luckily, Gail was the only one who heard what Chuck said, and she followed him as he walked away. "Wait up, Chuck," she told him. He kept walking, but he slowed down a bit.

"I heard what you said," she told him.

He frowned. "I'm sorry, Gail. I didn't mean for you to hear that. But you guys said I shouldn't keep everything all bottled up, right?"

Gail sighed. Yes, that's what she and Cas had said to him. But it bothered her that he still felt that way. "What can we do, Chuck?" she asked him, frustrated. "Is there anything we can possibly do or say at this point to make you feel better?"

Now it was Chuck's turn to sigh. "No, Gail. It's just something I'll have to work through on my own, I guess. Maybe I shouldn't have come here, after all. Just let me be on my own for a few minutes, okay?"

She stopped walking. "Okay, Chuck."

He continued on, and soon she lost sight of him. Now Gail looked around, and she was disoriented. It was a huge set, and there were so many tents and trailers around she wasn't sure which direction she needed to go in.

She started walking in what she thought was the right direction, and she came upon a clearing where there was a large table set up, with a vast array of prop weapons. Richard's nephew Sean was happily playing with them, and the crew member who had taken him there was talking on a walkie-talkie.

"You need what? More spears?" he was saying. "Real, or fake?"

"One of each," the voice crackled back over the radio.

The crew member lifted two long spears off the table, one that had a blunt tip and one with a sharpened tip. "Come on, Sean, we have to get back now," he said, and he turned around to where the boy was standing. At the same moment, Sean was running towards him, and before the boy could stop his momentum, he had run right into the spear with the sharpened tip.

"Oh, my God," the man said. "Oh, my God, Sean! What the hell did you do?"

Sean looked down at himself. The spear had run right through his stomach. He started to scream.

Panicked, the crewman pulled the spear out of Sean's stomach, and the child collapsed to the ground, bleeding copiously. "No!" Gail yelled, running forward, but it was already too late. Sean was going to bleed out in a few minutes, if she didn't heal him immediately.

"Call an ambulance!" the man was shouting into the radio. "Sean's been hurt!"

Gail called for Cas on Angel Radio, dropping to her knees in front of Sean. She put her hands on his stomach. She couldn't afford to wait any longer. "Go get Richard!" Gail screamed at the crewman, and he dropped the spear and ran off. As soon as he had gone, she pulled Sean's T-shirt away from his stomach and began to heal him.

"Keep still," she told the frightened child. "You're going to see a kind of glow-y thing happening, but it won't hurt, I promise. Then, you'll be all better in a minute. Okay?"

Sean was still crying, but he had mercifully stopped screaming, and he watched, fascinated, as the golden glow came out of Gail's hands and healed the wound. Gail sat back on her heels, exhaling a relieved breath. Thank God she'd been here. Sean's shirt was a bloody mess, and so were her hands, but he would be fine.

Sean sat up and looked at her, wide-eyed. Then he looked past her, over her shoulder.

"What in the holy hell was that?" Gail heard Richard exclaim from behind her.

"I had a spear in my stomach, Uncle Richard!" Sean shouted excitedly. "But she fixed me!"

Oh, crap. Holy crap. Gail looked over her shoulder to see Richard and her guys standing there. How was she going to explain to Richard what he had obviously just seen?

Richard ran to Sean and dropped to his knees in front of his nephew. He looked at Sean's bloody shirt in amazement.

Sean lifted his shirt. "Look, Uncle Richard! I had a hole in my stomach, and it hurt so bad. But she fixed it!"

Richard touched Sean's stomach dazedly. "I know, Sean. I saw."

Double crap. Gail glanced nervously at Richard, then up at Cas, who had moved to stand beside Richard.

"I had to do it, Cas," she told him. "There was no time. He was going to bleed out."

Cas nodded. As soon as the crewman had run over, telling them that Sean had been gravely injured, Richard, Cas, Sam, Dean and Bobby had all run over here. Cas was getting the frantic call from Gail at the same time in his head. Then the men had arrived just in time to see the golden glow coming out of Gail's hands. Fortunately, the crew member had not come back here with them. As soon as he had told Richard, he had passed out from the shock of what had happened.

So Richard was the only one outside of their circle who had seen. But, he had seen. He looked sideways at Gail as Sean jumped to his feet. The boy threw his arms around Gail's neck and said, "Thanks!"

"Who are you?" Richard asked her quietly. "WHAT are you?"

Cas touched Richard on the shoulder. "Would it be all right if we ask Bobby, Sam and Dean to watch Sean for a few minutes, so you and I and Gail can talk in private?" Cas asked his former boss. Richard nodded, and Cas took Sean by the hand and led him over to Bobby. "Please take him back to where we were. We'll be along in a minute."

Once their friends had left with the boy, Richard helped Gail to her feet. He kept looking from her bloody hands, to her face, to Cas's face, and back again.

"We're Angels, Richard," Cas said without preliminary.

Richard stared at them both, open-mouthed. Gail's hand sought out Cas's. She was so nervous that she didn't even think about the blood on her hands. But he grasped her hand as always, giving it a squeeze.

Then Richard started to smile. "I knew you were too good to be true," he said to Cas. Then he looked at Gail. "That explains a lot. That explains an awful lot," Richard said, shaking his head slowly.

"You believe us?" Gail blurted out.

Richard smiled even wider. "Of course I do. Ever since we met Cas, we knew there was something special about him. Nobody could put their finger on it. And now, I know. Thank you for saving my nephew, Gail. I'll be forever in your debt."

"Hey, it's what we do," Gail said uncomfortably, answering his smile. Or, at least, that was what they were supposed to do. Not fight each other, or even Demons, she thought. Once they had disposed of Lucifer, she intended to have that discussion. "We just don't generally do it in front of humans."

Richard glanced back behind himself. "And your friends? Are they - ?"

Cas smiled. "Some of them are, and some of them aren't. Nicole and Zoey already know, but they're the only two here who do, besides you, now. And we need to keep it that way, Richard. Can you do that for us, please? You can tell your wife, of course, but can you please ask Sean not to say anything to anyone? I know it's hard with children, but we have to be very discreet, especially right now."

Richard stared at him. "Does this have anything to do with what's been happening in Luxor?"

Cas was both startled amd impressed. This was a sharp group of people. Before they had rushed over here, Dean had mentioned to Cas that Nicole had asked him the same thing.

"Yes, Richard, but that's all I feel comfortable saying at the moment," Cas told him. "Can you accept that?"

"Cas, I can accept anything coming from you," Richard told him sincerely. "You've done so much good for the shelter. And Gail, thank you so much again for saving Sean. If there's ever anything I can do for either one of you, please, just let me know." But even as he said it, Richard realized how ridiculous that sounded. What could he ever possibly do for two Angels?

"There is something you can do for us, Richard," Cas said. "If you can keep October 15th open, both as a shooting date and in your own personal schedule, we'd love it if you would come to our wedding. I was going to invite Nicole and Zoey also, but I wanted to be discreet about it. There will be both humans and Angels there, but it may involve a couple of things that people who didn't know who we truly are might find a little surprising."

Gail looked at Cas, startled. What exactly did he mean by that? He squeezed her hand briefly, seeing her look. We'll talk about it later, his eyes said. Yes, we certainly will, hers said.

Richard was positively beaming now. "I'd be honoured, Cas," he said.

"Good," Cas said, nodding. "I'll invite the girls, then, or Gail and I will. Then you can let me know where you'll be that day, and we'll send some special escorts to come and get you."

Richard snapped his fingers. "I just remembered. Your friend, Aurielle? The one you brought to the shelter? Is she - ?"

"It's complicated," Cas replied, "but, no. She's not an Angel. What about her, Richard?"

"The last time I talked to my wife, she told me that Aurielle was looking to talk to the both of you," Richard told them. "But she didn't know how to reach you."

Cas and Gail exchanged glances. What could that be all about? "Did she say anything else, Richard?" Cas asked.

"Something about having seen a mutual acquaintance of yours on the streets of Vancouver," Richard told them. "But, beyond that, I have no idea. Listen, I'd better get back to work now. Thanks again, and I'll see you October 15th."

"Please tell our friends we'll be along in a minute," Cas said to him.

Once Richard had left, they looked at each other. "What do you suppose Aurielle wanted?" Gail asked him. "A mutual acquaintance?" Who could Aurielle have been referring to?

Chuck had been walking around the set for a while, stewing in his own juices. Now he was starting to feel like a whining, pouting baby. No one had actually treated him poorly, least of all Cas and Gail. Yet every time he turned around, he was feeling resentful. What the hell was the matter with him?

Suddenly, Chuck felt someone yank on his arm, and he was pulled into a tent. The sun was bright outside, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust.

"Hi, Chuck," a man's voice said. "Long time, no see."

Metatron! Chuck froze in terror.

"Don't panic, Chuck," Metatron said to him. "I only want to talk."

Richard sat in his chair as they were setting up the next scene, deep in thought. He'd had a brief chat with Sean, who had more or less convinced himself now that it had all been a magic trick, or an optical illusion, or something. Thank God for kids and their resilience. Richard had taken off Sean's bloody T-shirt and given him a Supernatural T-shirt to wear, and he had discreetly disposed of Sean's bloody T-shirt, with the gaping hole in it.

Richard had also ducked into one of the production trailers to talk to the crew member who had inadvertently injured Sean in the first place. Some of his fellow crew members had carried him into the air-conditioned trailer after he had passed out, and Richard advised him now that Sean was just fine.

"But...he was badly injured, Richard!" the guy protested, agitated. "He was bleeding out!"

"He was bleeding, all right, but Cas's girlfriend has medical training, and she was able to get the bleeding under control. Don't worry; he's just fine. In fact, I'm afraid he's getting boisterous again. I think we're going to have to tie him down and gag him, before we film the next scene," Richard quipped.

So all was calm now, and Richard was starting to wonder just what kind of divine intervention was at work here. Their show had started out with a tiny cast, and a nearly non-existent budget. It was almost cancelled after the first year of production, and for the first three seasons, it had hung on by a thread. Then, one of the writers had had the inspiration of a lifetime. The show was, at its core, a story of two brothers who were monster hunters, but you could only come up with so many monsters, and so many ways of killing them, before the show became redundant and formulaic. Then this particular writer had suggested that Dean be delivered from the tortures of Hell, which was the cliffhanger at the end of Season 3, by an Angel, whose name was Castiel. Heaven had wanted to use Sam and Dean to open the seals which would begin the Apocalypse, and the Angels were not very nice individuals at all. They were fierce warriors who thought nothing of killing each other, and using humans to do their bidding, because they were superior life forms who had been given a mission.

And Castiel had been written that way too, at least initially. But the actor who played the part had brought unexpected nuance and depth to the role, and viewers had been captivated by this new storyline, and by his special relationship with Dean. And later, Castiel developed a close bond with Sam, and Bobby, and their circle. The Angel/Demon plotlines had progressed way beyond what the show's producers had initially envisioned. Now the show was so hugely popular that it had actually transcended the small screen, and it showed no signs of slowing down.

But then along comes a guy named Cas, out of nowhere, applying for the job of body double for the character of Castiel. And he bears more than a passing resemblance to the actor who plays Castiel. And Cas has got a little wide-eyed girlfriend he needs to protect from an alleged abusive ex-boyfriend. Then the couple disappears out of the blue, with no explanation. Then Cas comes back, seeking re-employment, and this time he has a couple of friends visiting him on the set whose names are Sam and Dean, and they strongly resemble their actor counterparts, too. Then Cas suddenly disappears again, but now here he is, telling Richard that he and Gail are actual Angels. Richard's head was spinning.

Cas and Gail were back at the filming area now. Cas had taken her into the wardrobe trailer to clean the blood off, and Cas had gotten her a clean T-shirt to put on. As soon as Richard saw them, he asked to speak with them privately again.

"What's your connection to the show?" Richard asked them. "Is there some kind of a purpose here, Cas? Are we supposed to be conveying some kind of a message to humanity, or something?"

Cas smiled. "No, I don't think it's anything like that, Richard." He looked at Gail. "Frankly, we have no idea why we seem to have such a connection to this show. Believe me, we've talked about it. It's been going on for quite some time now, yet we're as mystified as you are about it. We've had a bit of a strange relationship with the show, both good and bad. But you have all treated me very kindly, and I'm very happy to call you my friends."

Richard was still looking thoughtful. "And now, here you are in Egypt, and here we are in Egypt, and our screenwriter has Castiel and his friends running around, searching for ancient holy artifacts. Without giving too much away, is that anywhere in the ballpark of what was going on in Luxor, Cas?"

Cas was shocked. That was way too close to what was actually happening for comfort. "Who is this screenwriter, Richard?"

"An Internet author who goes by the pen name 'First Edition'," Richard replied, and Gail gasped. "First Edition" was the name of the author who had written the fan fiction book series that she and Cas had read. The series that detailed their entire life experiences together, including Cas having been a Demon. A fact that no one except Cas and herself knew about, now.

"We'd normally never have hired an Internet fan fiction writer for such a huge project as this," Richard continued, "but when we met with this guy, there was just something that was so compelling about him. His stories were so original, so creative. He pretty much persuaded us to hire him on the spot."

"What does he look like, Richard?" Gail asked, almost afraid to hear the answer now.

"He's a little guy, kind of nebbish-looking, if you know what I mean," Richard said, smiling. "He likes to wear smoking jackets, or blazers with patches on the elbows. I think he honestly thinks that that's what writers are supposed to wear. It's almost like he's from a different era, or something."

Gail and Cas looked at each other, dismayed. Metatron. It had to be Metatron. Gail was kicking herself. She'd had her suspicions about "First Edition" for ages now, but she had never followed through beyond that initial e-mail contact. Of course, her mind and her body had been hijacked by Lucifer shortly afterwards, so maybe she deserved a little bit of a break on that one.

"I wonder if that's who Aurielle saw," Gail said to Cas. He was already nodding. She was likely right. But, what could they do about it now?

"Do you know this guy?" Richard asked them.

"We might," Cas answered, pursing his lips. "Do you have any idea where he is now?"

"He should be here, sometime today," Richard said, and Gail's heart stopped for a moment. "He's in Cairo, and I asked him to come to the set today, to talk about some rewrites."

Cas and Gail looked at each other in astonishment. Could it really be this easy?

Metatron and Chuck were sitting down, facing each other. Chuck had considered attacking him, or just trying to cut and run, but he hadn't plucked up the courage to do either. If his one attempt were to fail, Metatron would make mincemeat out of him.

What a hypocrite Chuck was. He was whining about wanting to be treated with respect, but what was he doing to earn it? Here Metatron was, both Heaven and Hell's Most Wanted if you didn't count Lucifer, and Chuck wasn't doing a damn thing about it. He tried to send a call to Bobby on Angel Radio, but Metatron smiled.

"Sorry, I can't let you do that, Chuck," Metatron told him. "I may be talking to all of them in a minute, myself. But first, I wanted to get the lay of the land, so to speak." He gave Chuck a mischievous smile. Just because Metatron was considering reinventing himself, as Chuck himself had done, didn't mean that he was above needling Chuck just a little.

But Chuck didn't react to Metatron's little jab. He was still thinking furiously, trying to figure out a way to alert the others, now that his radio signal was jammed.

"Relax, Chuck, I'm not going to kill you," Metatron assured him.

"Why not?" Chuck blurted out. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Because, believe it or not, I don't want to," Metatron replied. "Believe it or not, I don't want to kill anyone, any more. Not even Castiel."

Chuck's heart fell into the pit of his stomach. Why did he find that so hard to believe?

"I know it's hard to believe, Chuck, but it's true," Metatron said, correctly reading Chuck's thoughts. "I've found my calling now, and it's all I want to do. I'm a writer, Chuck. An author."

Chuck nearly smirked. The guy was writing a screenplay based on a TV show based on a couple of trashy books that Chuck himself had written, and suddenly, he was Shakespeare.

Metatron could sense what Chuck was thinking, and he would have thought the same thing, had the shoe been on the other foot. But he had told himself that if he could convince a guy like Chuck, maybe Chuck could help him to convince Castiel of his sincerity. Or, at least stand in front of him when he talked to Cas.

"I just want to be left alone, to live out the rest of my existence doing what I love to do," Metatron continued. "Do you think Castiel could be convinced to spare me?"

"So, let me get this straight. The most notorious, reprehensible Angel out of Heaven - "

"Well, maybe not the MOST," Metatron interrupted, making a face.

Chuck sighed. "All right. The second-most, then. Anyway, you were one of the worst of us. You were in Lucifer's cage for a reason, you know. You killed your fellow Angels in the Fall, you killed humans on Earth whenever you felt like it, you conspired with the King of Hell, you actually killed both Gail and Cas, and then you kidnapped them both and tried to kill them again! Why on earth would you ever think that we would believe anything you say?"

Metatron frowned. He'd known that this was going to be the reaction, of course. Suddenly, he leaned foward and, before Chuck could react, he put his palm on Chuck's forehead to read what was in there. It was very strange. Metatron saw an awful lot more resentment in there than there should have been for a so-called good guy. It was almost as if the old, evil Chuck was doing battle in there with the new, allegedly improved Chuck. Metatron was startled. Was Chuck really as benign as he claimed to be now?

Right now, though, Metatron's priority was to convince the God Squad somehow of his own harmlessness. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He leaned in closer and breathed his essence into Chuck's mouth.

Another scene was being set up, and it was another one that had to be done just right. In this part of the story, Sam and Dean and Cas were on the run from the Bedouin rebels, who were chasing them across the desert. Somewhat inexplicably, they were fleeing in the Impala, driving in a zigzag pattern across the sand, evading the charging Bedouins, who were galloping behind on camels, firing machine guns at the heroes. Visually spectacular for a big-screen feature film, but highly unlikely in real life.

Cas was bemused. There was so much that was inherently wrong with this scene that he didn't know where to begin. As devoted as Dean was to his Impala, he would not be driving it in the desert in Egypt. But Richard said the show's fan base needed to see the Winchesters driving around in Dean's "Baby". It was the car they loved, and the car that they had come to expect. So the screenwriter had explained its presence here somehow, and Richard didn't think it would be that much of a problem. People went to movies like this to escape reality, he'd told Cas. But Cas wouldn't be in the back seat of the car hanging on for dear life while Dean performed all of those evasive driving maneuvers, Cas thought. He would have just grabbed the brothers and winked them to safety. But that was the problem, Richard had said quietly. He was highly amused by their conversation, now that he knew what he knew. Cas couldn't just use his magic Angel dust every time the boys were in trouble to bail them out of it. Where would the suspense be, then, the sense of danger?

Cas thought about that. Funny, there didn't seem to be any lack of danger in their lives, despite his and Gail's "magic Angel dust".

"And let's face it, Bedouins aren't going to be chasing them through the desert on camels," Sam chipped in. "Tommy said they don't do that anymore, and we didn't see any guys on camels when we were there."

"It does make a kick-ass action scene, though," Dean said approvingly. "Especially the way Dean drives."

"You know..." Richard mused aloud. "Cas, Gail, can I talk to you a minute?"

He took them away from the group and said, "I really want to do at least a little something for you, to show my appreciation. Cas, how would you like your old job back, for this scene? Sam and Dean, too. All three of you can be the body doubles for the actors in this scene. Dean can even do the driving for a couple of minutes, if he's willing to sign a waiver. We'll put in all the effects later, so it won't really be dangerous. But then at least you and your friends can be in the movie. Do you think they would like that?"

Cas and Gail smiled. "Like it? They'll be like kids at Christmas," Gail said.

"I'm sorry I can't put you in there too, dear," Richard said to her. "None of us ever thought it would be believable for Cas to have a girlfriend, even though he did in the fan fiction book series."

"It isn't believable," Cas said, putting his arms around Gail. "No one would ever believe that someone like him would ever be so lucky."

Now it was Richard's turn to smile. "Seeing the two of you, though, we may have to rethink our position."

"Well, in any event, don't worry about me," Gail said. "I think it's a wonderful idea for the guys, though. I'll definitely be paying to see those handsome faces on the big screen." She touched Cas's face, still smiling.

Cas had been about to back out gracefully, wanting his friends to have their moment, but as soon as he saw how happy Gail looked at the prospect of seeing him in the movie, if only for a few seconds, he knew that he couldn't refuse. So Zoey and Nicole dressed all three men and put makeup on them in preparation for the scene.

"Better practice signing autographs, for all those fans who'll be accosting you once the movie comes out," Zoey teased them.

"Maybe practice self-defense, for all the groupies who'll be stalking you," Nicole chipped in.

"Now, why on earth would we want to discourage that?" Sam quipped.

"You don't mind my dressing Cas, do you, Gail?" Nicole said with a smile.

"Do I mind that you've gotten way more action from him in the last few minutes than I've had in the last few weeks? Heck no, why should I mind?" Gail quipped. Nicole looked a little taken aback, but Gail smiled to show that she was kidding.

"I'm just looking forward to you un-dressing me after all this is over," Dean said to Nicole, and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Let's go, Romeo. It's time to get this scene done," she told him. "We're losing daylight."

The men rose from their chairs and Cas leaned forward, sniffing the air around Dean. "You smell very nice," he told his friend, smiling. "And you both look very handsome."

"OK, yeah, thanks, Cas," Dean said, rolling his eyes. But he started to smile.

"I'd say you do, too, but Gail might kick my ass," Sam said, grinning. "We have to get the two of you married off quick, so she's not so grouchy all the time."

"You'd BETTER get going, before I actually do kick your butt," Gail grumbled good-naturedly. "Next time you see me, I might be wearing a fake beard and riding a camel."

They all laughed, and everyone walked outside. The guys shot the scene, and it only took a couple of takes to get a scene that both Richard and the director were happy with.

"Great driving, Dean," Richard told him, and Dean grinned, pleased with the compliment. He thought he'd done a pretty good job, but it was good to hear Cas's boss say so. Or former boss, he amended. The Impala they had here was so similar to his Baby that he'd found driving it to be almost second nature. It hadn't been too hard imagining the three of them on the run from crazed Bedouins; all he had to do was draw from recent experience. But, how the hell did real actors do it?

"What did you think?" Dean asked Nicole, plunking himself down in the chair for her to remove his makeup.

She dabbed his face with cold cream and grabbed some sponges. Truthfully, Nicole had been very impressed by Dean's handling of the car, and more than a little turned on by it. But he was acting a little too smug at the moment. "It was all right," she said, attending to his face with a sponge. "But it'll look really impressive once they add all the special effects later."

Sam grinned. "Keep your face still for a second, Sam," Zoey said. She was in the process of removing his makeup.

Nicole glanced at Cas. "Sorry, Cas, we'll get you in a sec. This may be a big-budget movie, but there's still just the two of us. The lead actors have several wardrobe and makeup people each, but we have to multi-task here."

"That's OK, Nicole. I'm pretty sure I've seen it enough times that I can do it by myself," Cas said. He opened a jar of cold cream and began to dab it on his face, then he grabbed some sponges and began to wipe the makeup off of himself. "How am I doing?" he asked the girls after a minute or two.

"Pretty good, Cas," Zoey said, smiling. She was helping Sam put his old T-shirt back on. It wasn't really part of the job, but she didn't mind. Sam had asked Zoey if she wanted to have dinner with him tonight, and she'd said yes. She was looking forward to repeat of the kind of night they'd enjoyed in Vancouver. Not that she was looking for any kind of relationship or anything, but he was here and so was she, and they were both consenting adults, weren't they?

Nicole tossed Dean's clothes to him and went over to Cas to look at his face. "Good job, Cas," she told him. "Lucky most actors aren't the do-it-yourself type, or we'd be out of jobs."

Cas looked at Gail. "Did I get it all?" he asked her.

"If Nicole says you did, then I'm sure you did," she said, shrugging.

"Are you sure you wouldn't care to look closer, just to make sure?" he asked her, smiling.

Ohhhh. "Well, on second thought, maybe I will have a look," Gail said. She moved close to him and touched his face lightly, with her fingertips. "I don't see anything. But did they put any on your mouth?"

"They might have," Cas said, straight-faced. "I think you'd better check."

Gail kissed him on the mouth. "I don't think I see any there. But maybe I'd better check again, just to be on the safe side." She kissed Cas again, and he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"Should we be here for this?" Nicole said to the others.

Dean rolled his eyes. "We're used to it. They pull that kind of crap all the time. Come on, you guys, get a room, already."

"We will, Dean," Cas said, coming up for air. "October 15th."

"Well, until then, stick a sock in it, willya?" Dean grumbled.

"In what?" Cas asked, puzzled. Gail laughed, and got off his lap. "As much as I hate to admit it, these guys are right," she said to Cas. "We've got to stop."

"Why?" he asked her.

Gail looked at him. "You know what? I have absolutely no idea. Be that as it may, I think I'll go for a walk while you guys finish up here."

She stepped outside and walked around for a bit. Chuck approached her. "Where have YOU been?" she asked him. "I thought you got lost, or something."

"No, just soaking up the ambience," he said to her. "Walk with me for a minute?"

Gail looked at him. "Sure, Chuck. What's up?"

They began to walk together. "So, you two kids are going to take the plunge, eh?" Chuck said, taking her hand and looking at the engagement ring. "That's amazing. Believe it or not, I'm really happy for you. Have you set the date yet?"

Gail looked at him curiously. "What's gotten into you, Chuck? Has the desert air finally baked your brain? October 15th! We told you guys all about it already! And what do you mean, 'believe it or not'? Is that some more of your jealousy crap, Chuck? Cause quite frankly, I'm getting tired of hearing about it. I thought you were our friend. I hope you're genuinely happy for us."

"I'm sorry, Gail. Of course I'm happy for you guys. After everything the two of you have been through, no one deserves to be happy more than you," Chuck told her. He opened his arms. "Hug?"

Gail walked into his arms and gave him a hug. "Things have been so hard on you for so long, haven't they, Gail? I didn't realize how bad they were until you and Cas split up after the cure. I thought you two would never get back together, and that would have been one of the saddest things to come out of that whole plotline. I really do want to see true love prevail, Gail. I really need for you and Castiel to believe me."
Gail's eyes widened. This was not Chuck. It couldn't be. Like everyone else, he'd had his memory modified by Lucifer to have no recollection of the disease Cas had had, so there was no way he should know anything about the cure. And he had called it a "plotline". She pulled out of the embrace.

"Where's Chuck?" she asked him suspiciously.

Damn. Metatron had forgotten how sharp she was. "He's all right, Gail. He's safe. I haven't harmed him. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, and I knew that if I approached you as myself, you'd freak out."

"Of course I would freak out, Metatron," she replied, her heart hammering in her chest. "You've been the bane of our existence for years now, and I still owe you big-time for what you did to Castiel." She opened her mind and was about to call Cas privately on their Original frequency when Metatron/Chuck smiled. "Go ahead and call him," he said. "But please, tell him to come alone." Then he hustled her into the tent where his own vessel lay on the floor, like a lifeless mannequin. Gail looked down at it, wide-eyed. Now she'd seen everything.

Metatron sat her down in a chair. "I'm sorry, Gail, but this is for my own protection." He took an Angel blade out of his jacket pocket and held it over her.

Great. Gail sent Cas another message to let him know that Metatron had a blade, but he was not trying to attack her at the moment. Oh, and not only that, but he currently had Chuck's face on.

Metatron's pulse was racing. Here we go, he thought. Any minute now, Castiel was going to come through that tent flap, and Castiel was going to be enraged.

"I don't want to hurt you, Gail, and I don't intend to," Metatron told her nervously. "But I have to stay alive long enough to have our conversation." He held the blade close to her.

"You should have thought of that before you nearly ruined our lives," she retorted. "As far as I'm concerned, you deserve whatever Castiel's going to do to you."

"He's not going to do anything to me as long as I have you here like this," Metatron said, and he put the blade to her throat. She shut her eyes tight. Was this it?" Was he finally going to kill her?

Cas came bursting into the tent. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Chuck, standing over Gail with an Angel blade to her throat. No, wait; check that. She'd advised that this was Metatron, and that he'd taken possession of Chuck. Cas looked down at the tent floor, seeing Metatron's empty vessel. Apparently, it was true, then.

Cas cursed himself. They had concentrated all their energies on Lucifer, and here Metatron had been all along, writing his little stories, walking the streets of Vancouver with impunity, and writing a screenplay for the very show that Cas had once worked on.

And here Cas was, without any weapon at all. None of them had any. He had let his guard down for the day, thinking that they could make a simple visit to see his human friends on a movie set without having to worry about self-defense. But he should have known better. He really should have. When had things ever worked out for them?

His eyes flashed bright blue. "Take it easy, Cas," Metatron said nervously. "We don't want anyone getting hurt here."

"Yet you're holding an Angel blade to my fiancee's throat," Castiel said in his quiet voice.

"That's just for my own protection," Metatron told him. "I wanted to talk to you both, but I need to stay alive long enough to do it."

"I find I'm not in a very talkative mood when I've got a blade pressed to my throat," Gail said tartly.

"Well, until Castiel will sit down like a nice, civilized Angel and stop pacing around like a caged tiger, I'd rather not take any chances," Metatron said.

"How about this?" Cas said. "How about you remove the blade from her throat right now, or I'll rip your head right off your shoulders?!"

"That doesn't sound like someone who's willing to sit down and have a civilized conversation," Metatron chided him. "That's why I wanted to remain in Chuck's body for a while. You don't want to rip Chuck's head off his shoulders, do you, Castiel? Even though, from what I understand, he's been a little bit of a pill recently."

"No, you're right, Metatron, I don't want to rip Chuck's head off," Cas said almost conversationally. "But that's not actually what I said." He strolled over to the floor of the tent where Metatron's vessel lay, and he crouched down over it. "Unless you want to live the rest of your existence as Chuck, I suggest you remove the blade from Gail immediately. Good luck explaining your identity to your employers then."

Metatron sighed. He supposed Castiel had him there. "Promise not to kill me until you hear me out?" he said hopefully.

"No," Castiel said shortly.

Metatron gave up. He lowered the blade from Gail's throat, but kept it by his side.

"Come here, Gail," Cas said quietly. She walked over to where he was, and he nudged her behind him. Cas glared at Metatron, but let go of his vessel, letting it drop to the floor. Then he approached Metatron, facing his enemy.

"Whose blade is that?" he asked Metatron angrily. "Who did you kill to get it?"

"No one, Castiel," Metatron said. "I meant what I said about not wanting to hurt anyone anymore." He tossed the blade to the floor in Cas's direction. "It's not even a real blade. I got it from the props department."

Cas stared at him, then bent down and picked up the blade. Sure enough, it was a fake. He couldn't believe it. "I should kill you right now," he seethed.

"I can help you bring Lucifer down, when the time comes," Metatron said quickly. "All I want in return is my life."

"And why should we believe you?" Castiel exclaimed. "Throughout your entire existence, all you have done is evil. Now you would have us believe that you have changed?"

"Why not?" Metatron said. "Chuck did. Aurielle did. Why not me?" He moved forward slowly, raising his hands in supplication. "I have finally found my calling, Castiel. I have finally found something that makes me truly happy. I do not want to harm anyone ever again, and I do not wish to be harmed, either. So here is my proposal to you: Once you have accumulated everything you need to trap Lucifer, contact me, and I will combine my powers with those of yourselves and Crowley to subdue him. Then you can strip my powers from me, and I will live out the rest of my mortal life as an author. Then, when my time comes, I will die happily, knowing that I spent my final years doing the only thing I ever truly loved."

"Why would you ever think that I would simply let you go?" Castiel asked him coolly.

"Tell me, Castiel, what have I been doing since Lucifer and I escaped from the cage?" Metatron asked him.

"What do you mean?" Cas snapped. "What are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said," Metatron replied. "How many people have I killed? How many threats have I made to you and yours?"

Gail knew what he was getting at. "I hate to say this," she said hesitantly, "and I mean, I REALLY hate to say this, but he's right, Cas."

Cas wheeled on her. "Don't look at me that way," she said, a little defensively. "You know that he's right. In all the time they've been on the loose, we haven't heard a peep out of him. He hasn't caused us any trouble."

"Nor do I intend to," Metatron said quickly. "You have my word. I know that hasn't meant anything in the past, but I mean to keep it, now."

Castiel continued to glare at him. This was a trick. This had to be a trick. This was just another example of Metatron being cornered and trying to save his own miserable hide.

"No," he said shortly. "You cannot be trusted."

"Let him touch your forehead," Gail said suddenly. Cas looked at her again. "You can read his true intent, can't you?" she asked Cas. "That's the only way we'll know for sure."

Cas was shaking his head. "I do not need to read his true intent to know that he is a liar, and one of the most reprehensible Angels history has ever known."

"History can be changed, Castiel," Metatron said quietly. "I would welcome you to read my intent."

"Re-enter your vessel, then, and I will," Castiel told him.

Metatron had wanted to hang onto Chuck's body a little bit longer, just in case. But he realized he had to show a little good faith, here. So he walked over to where his vessel was, knelt down, and breathed his essence back into himself. As soon as he did that, Metatron's body sat up and Chuck staggered, but remained on his feet.

"Cas? What the hell's going on?" Chuck exclaimed.

"Metatron possessed you," Cas told him.

"Sorry, Chuck," Metatron said.

Castiel sighed. "Come here, then." Metatron approached him cautiously, and he cowered a bit when Cas moved his arm suddenly. Perhaps a little payback on Cas's part, or perhaps Metatron was just more than a little jumpy.

Then Cas's hand was on his forehead, and shockingly, he discovered that Metatron was telling the truth. He read every aspect of Metatron's intent, searched every nook and cranny of his mind, and found only sincere intent.

Cas removed his hand, stunned.

"You see, Castiel? I meant what I said," Metatron said softly. "I'll continue to write for 'Supernatural', and I will be available when you need me to help you defeat Lucifer."

"Just a moment," Castiel said. "We have not struck an agreement yet." He looked at Gail and Chuck, then back at Metatron. "Wait here."

Cas took Gail and Chuck by the hands and winked them outside the tent.

"Is he really sincere, Cas?" Chuck asked disbelievingly.

"He is," Cas said. He could scarcely believe it himself. He looked at Gail. "What do you think?"

She made a face. She supposed she should be grateful that he was asking her opinion about such a serious matter, but this was huge. Were they really considering just letting Metatron go?

"I guess if you really believe he's sincere, he could be our Ace in the hole when it comes time to incapacitate Lucifer," Gail said to him.

"Chuck?" Cas asked him.

"It's your call, Cas," Chuck said uncomfortably.

Cas sighed. Of course it was. He popped them back into the tent.

"We will spare you for now, but if you renege on our agreement in any way, there will be no second chance," Castiel told Metatron. "Are we clear?"

"Absolutely," Metatron said. "Thank you for your consideration. I promise you, you won't regret it."

Cas frowned. He was regretting this already. But perhaps this was a way for him to try to balance the scales, after all the lives he had taken in the acquisition of the Earth Tablet. Or perhaps, like many other decisions he had made in the past, this one was also going to rise up and bite him in the butt.

"Let's go," he said to Gail and Chuck, "before I change my mind." He looked at Metatron one more time. "We will be in touch. Make sure you are available when we call."

The day was nearing its end now. It had been fun, but Bobby and Chuck had pretty much had their fill. They said their goodbyes to Richard, and then to Sam and Dean, and Cas and Gail. Chuck, Cas and Gail had made a pact to keep what had transpired between them and Metatron a secret for the time being. Chuck and Bobby winked themselves discreetly back to Heaven, and Sam and Dean arranged to hitch a ride back to town on the crew bus with Nicole and Zoey, and go to dinner from there.

"Call me on my cell phone when you're ready to go back to the bunker, and Gail and I will take you," Cas said to the brothers. They waved as Sam and Dean boarded the bus, and then Gail turned to Cas. "What now?" she asked him. He smiled. "You'll see," he told her.

Dean and Nicole were having a quiet dinner on the terrace of her hotel room. After having discussed it with Cas, Dean had told her what they agreed they felt comfortable with her knowing. But the abridged story was astounding enough.

"So you're telling me that these Tablets are really the key to defeating Lucifer?" Nicole said, dazed. What Dean was telling her was happening in real life was almost exactly the same thing that was happening in the movie. Since when had her life become an episode of The Twilight Zone?

"Yep," Dean said. He found it pretty unreal too, but since he'd had more experience with such things, this fact didn't surprise him nearly as much as it could have.

"And we're making a feature film about our intrepid heroes running around the world, looking for holy artifacts," Nicole went on, her voice heavy with irony.

"Yep again," Dean said. Then he grinned. "Maybe we don't need to find out where the other Tablets are. Maybe we should just be following you guys around," he half-joked.

"Dean, how dangerous is what you're doing?" Nicole asked him softly.

"Very." He shrugged. "Hey, welcome to my world."

She put her hand on his. "I'm glad you came here to see us today. And thanks for telling me everything you were able to tell me. I do feel better knowing you guys are out there fighting to rid us of Lucifer."

"When can I see you again?" Dean asked her suddenly.

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Who says you're done seeing me now?"

Dean grinned again. He took her hand, and they went inside.

Sam and Zoey had foregone dinner, and they were pounding shots in her room. In a bit of a role reversal, while Sam's older brother had eaten a healthy dinner and abstained from booze so he could make it up to Nicole in the bedroom, Sam had given in to his impulse to wash Egypt out of his system with alcohol, and Zoey had been matching him shot for shot.

Finally, they fell into bed together and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours. Then, Sam ordered coffee from room service while Zoey dozed. As he dressed, he realized that he hadn't told her anything about Luxor. But she hadn't asked, either.

Cas spread the blanket he'd borrowed from the movie set over the sand, and he sat down, reaching for Gail's hand. She sat down on the blanket with him, and he put his arms around her from behind as she leaned against him.

Gail looked up at the sky. They were in the middle of the desert, and there were so many stars there that she gasped. This was a sight you could never see in the city. "It's beautiful, Cas," she told him.

"This was the sight that I used to see all those years ago, when I was a shepherd, tending my flock," he said to her. "It was a much simpler time then. But it was also a very lonely existence. Sometimes I would go a couple of years without either seeing or talking to any of my family. So I would talk to my animals, instead. They were very good listeners," he added, smiling gently. "There are times when I miss that way of life, and the serenity that came along with it."

He was silent for a moment, and then he continued, "Then I was a young man in a very poor village, living a very minimalistic life, and I was not satisfied with my lot. I ached for travel, and adventure. In both of those lives, I wanted so badly to serve God by being a brave and noble hero. I longed to put down my staff, and my quill, and pick up a sword." He laughed softly, with little humour. "Be careful what you wish for, right?"

"That's a very human quality, Cas, and it's one we can all relate to," Gail said softly, matching his gentle tone. She pulled his arms tighter around herself. "The grass is always greener. I was the same way. I read so many fantasy novels when I was a little girl, and I wished that my life could be that exciting. Then, when my life suddenly became one of those books, I regretted having wished that. All of a sudden, my parents were dead, my brother and I were on the run, and I felt like it was all my fault. Like I had somehow wished it into being. And look at our lives now. What I wouldn't give for even a quiet couple of weeks. And I'm sure you must feel the same way."

Cas smiled and nodded. He kissed her on the forehead. She always understood. He loved her so much.

"We are meant to be whatever our Father wishes us to be, and we must do whatever it is that He requires us to do," Cas said to her. "But, in the final analysis, I would not change anything. Our paths came together because of who and what we became, and who we are now. And in less than two weeks, we will be married."

Gail smiled. Less than two weeks. She could hardly believe it. She turned around to look at his face. "We really are going to get married, aren't we, Cas? I'm not just imagining that, right?"

"It is me who has imagined this, for my entire existence," he told her. "All of those years, I wished for my one true companion. All of those prayers, unanswered. And then, there you were. We will marry, and I will never be apart from you again."

He kissed her, and she kissed him back, and it felt as if there were even more stars that twinkled in the night sky when their lips came together.

"Maybe we should just chuck it all, and raise a few sheep," Gail said, smiling. "There's a lot to be said for serenity, isn't there?"

As if on cue, Cas's cell phone rang. They looked at each other and laughed. Cas checked the Call Display. Dean.

"Sammy and I are ready to go home," he told Cas.

Cas hung up and took Gail's hand. "The children need a ride home," he quipped, and she laughed again.

"Thank you for taking me here," she said to him. "It was all too brief, but it was a nice way to leave Egypt."

Cas agreed, and that was why he had done it. So much that they'd experienced here had been negative that he'd wanted to leave one good memory in her mind. He took her hand and winked them out of the desert.

Lucifer was agitated. He and Rowena were back in the States now, and he was aware that Castiel had acquired the Earth Tablet.

"He invoked the Plagues," Lucifer said to Mark disbelievingly. "He had all the first-borns killed." Lucifer had been shocked by Castiel's actions. His Brother had long had a reputation for being a ruthless killer, but this was supposed to be a kinder, gentler, wimpier Castiel that Lucifer was dealing with these days. Lucifer was convinced he would be so easy. When Lucifer had come to the bunker, Castiel had unwittingly offered up his soul to Lucifer on a silver platter in his pathetic eagerness to have her forget all about his transgressions. And now the Angels were engaged, soon to marry. Gail was Castiel's weak spot, all right, but she seemed to be his strength, as well. Lucifer had screwed with the pair, but instead of weakening their bond, what he'd done had somehow strengthened it.

"How did he find out about the Earth Tablet?" Lucifer asked Mark. "Are you certain that Luke is not helping him?"

"Luke is not his source, Sir," Mark answered quickly. "He remains loyal to you."

"If he's so loyal to me, why does he not tell me where the remainder of the Tablets are?" Lucifer said, raising his voice.

"He does not tell you because he cannot," Mark answered simply. "In the same way as you are not able to approach the Tablets, Luke is prohibited from telling you where they are. Our Father's security system."

Lucifer was beyond frustrated. He had no reason to believe that Castiel would not be able to lay his hands on the remaining Tablets, once he found out where they were. And since Lucifer was warded from the actual Tablets themselves, he either had to cut off his enemy's source of information or try to find out where the group was going to go next, so that he could try to thwart them.

He turned to Rowena. "Do you have your target picked out?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do," she said. "Give me a couple of hours with him and I will have all of their little secrets. You'll just have to flush him out for me, so I can get to him."

"I can do that," Lucifer said, smiling.

It was already morning in America when Cas and Gail brought Sam and Dean back to the bunker.

Frank and Jody were having breakfast with Barry and Tommy when the quartet walked into the kitchen.

"How was the movie set?" Frank asked them, lifting Robbie off his lap. Robbie had been extra clingy since he and Jody had gotten back, and Frank was trying to get the kid to mellow out a bit. While he understood how insecure Robbie must be feeling, Frank wanted the boy to be a bit stronger and more resilient. Maybe they were off the hook for the next Tablet, but God only knew what they might have to do to get the others, or where they might have to go. It was a damn good thing Barry and Tommy were here. They had done a great job with Robbie. He was happy and healthy, and he was learning a lot. Tommy had gotten it into his head to teach Robbie some theology, as well, so that he could understand what his mother and grandfather had been, and what they had stood for.

"It's a slippery slope," Tommy had said. "I know he's very young, but he's also very bright and intuitive, and he seems to know a lot more than we give him credit for. I just think it's important for him to have a little spiritual education, considering his background. But I'm not pushing any agenda on him, Frank, and we're not discussing any particular religion over the other, merely what each one believes."

Frank had shrugged. He and Jody were fine with it. Tommy was proving to be a patient and competent teacher, and Robbie obviously had a great deal of affection for him and Barry. Thank God these men were in their lives, Frank thought. Quite honestly, when he was younger, Frank had always been a little leery of homosexuals. He'd never had any particular dislike for them, he'd just never understood their lifestyle. But now, he realized how closed-minded he'd been. These men had the same type of belief system that Frank himself did, and Tommy's sense of humour was just as irreverent as Frank's. He and Barry were quality men, Frank realized, and if they happened to kiss and hug each other every now and then, Frank was OK with that. They never did anything too intimate in front of Robbie, or in front of anyone else. Hell, Cas and Gail were much more demonstrative. So Frank and Jody were just fine with Barry and Tommy being surrogate parents for Robbie.

"Well, we're heading off to bed," Sam said, yawning. "Try to tone down all the wild partying, OK?" he added, grinning. He was kidding, of course. Things had seldom been quieter and more domestic here in the bunker. Barry kept the kitchen spotless, and he had promised Sam and Dean a fabulous meal when they woke up.

Cas and Gail said goodnight to the Winchesters, and goodbye to the others. They hurried to their room and threw some clothes into a suitcase. Death had told Castiel that time was of the essence. The window to acquire the Heaven Tablet was closing, and they were heading straight to Rome.

So, as Sam and Dean headed off to their rooms to get some sleep, the Angels winked themselves to Rome. They checked into a modest hotel and walked to a tiny bistro that was located a few blocks from their hotel.

Cas ordered a glass of chianti for himself and for Gail, telling the server they needed a few minutes to decide on something to eat. "Is there anything you can recommend?" he asked the man.

"It's all good," he told them. "But it's a good thing you came here when you did. They're basically digging up this whole street, to make room for a new shopping mall."

Cas smiled. "So I've heard. That's why we came here today."

The server shrugged. "Time marches on, I guess. This place has been around since practically the beginning of time. I suppose it might be time for a change. Well, I'll give you a few minutes to decide."

Cas lifted his glass of wine to Gail in a toast. "Here's to progress," he said to her.

Gail lifted her glass and touched it to his. "I'll drink to that."

They had a sip together, and then Cas motioned for the server. "We know what we want," he said, and he touched the server's forehead. The quest for the acquisition of the Heaven Tablet had begun.

- END OF BOOK 16. -