Book 9 - Seven Steps To Redemption

by GailDunn2

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT AND ADULT SITUATIONS. The quest for the cure begins. But how high is the price for the ingredients that are required to make Castiel well again? Can Gail, Sam and Dean help him? Can he help himself? And what is Crowley's agenda?

6. Reflections

Chapter 6 - Reflections

Gail reappeared at the library table and was relieved to see that only Chuck was there, and he was reading Rowena's spell book.

"Good," he said when he saw her. "I was just about to come and get you. Everything OK?"

"Just great," she said, smiling. She sat down next to him. "Thanks, Chuck. I really appreciated that."

He smiled back. He could just bet she did. He'd watched them for a bit, then he had told himself that enough was enough. He was an Angel now, and bad thoughts led to bad deeds. Better to leave that alone, maybe concentrate on something productive instead. So he had picked up the spell book to see if he could find anything in it that would help them. And while he hadn't seen anything they could specifically use in this situation, Chuck had been amazed to see what was actually in that book.

"There's a spell for everything in here," he told her. "There's even a reanimation spell, that supposedly brings people back from the dead. If we'd known about this, Bobby wouldn't have needed Crowley to bring Frank back."

"What?" she exclaimed. What the hell was he talking about?

Oh, crap. Now he'd done it. She wasn't ever supposed to have found out about that.

"What are you talking about, Chuck?" she asked him.

"Nothing. Never mind," he said nervously, closing the book and putting it back on the table.

"That's my brother you're talking about, Chuck. If you know something I don't, you'd better spill it," she said sternly.

Chuck sighed. He supposed that something that big couldn't have stayed a secret forever, but he wished it hadn't been him who opened up their big yap about it. Now she'd be extremely angry with Cas when he got here, and they were supposed to sit down together with Bobby and Sam and Dean and convince them that this cockamamie idea of Chuck's was a good one.

Reluctantly, he told her about Cas having killed Frank when her brother had dropped by the bunker unexpectedly that day, and that Bobby had brought Crowley over to revive Frank before the three of them got back from Oliver's.

"And just when were you guys going to tell me about this?" she demanded.

"The plan was, never," Chuck admitted sheepishly. "Look, Gail, you've been dealing with enough lately. There was no upside in telling you anything like that."

"Upside? I'll give you upside!" she yelled. "How about if I just take that book and knock you upside the head with it?"

"Stop flirting, Gail," Chuck quipped, trying for humour to defuse her anger.

But she was too angry now. Cas had actually killed Frank, and she had just been with him, letting him...She had to calm down. It was Demon Cas who had done that. But she couldn't believe what had been going on behind her back. Poor Frank. How could she ever make this up to him? Thank God for Crowley. And had she really just thought that last thing?

"Why would Crowley bring Frank back to life, though?" she mused aloud. "What would be in it for him?"

"Probably because Cas got down on his knees and begged him to do it," Chuck replied, glad for the opportunity to tell her that. At least she should hear something good about the guy before he got here. The way she was looking right now, Cas might not have to wait until he got to Purgatory; Gail might kill him right here.

She was glad to hear that, at least, but she was still fuming. "So, he got down on his knees? Good! He'd better get used to that position, cause he's going to have to spend some time in it with me when he gets back from Purgatory! And not in the good way, either," she added, her lips twitching.

Chuck smiled. He was sorry for having made Gail angry, but he could also see that she had the right perspective on things. She'd forgive Cas; Chuck knew she would. Still, Chuck wished he'd picked a better time to open up his big mouth.

"What's all the yelling about out here?" It was Sam, who was walking out from the hallway, yawning and stretching. He looked at Chuck. "What are you doing here?"

That was right; he wouldn't know, Gail thought. Sam had been sleeping when Bobby had brought Chuck down. She looked at Chuck. She didn't really want to get into any of what had happened before with Sam. Gail was mindful of what Dean had said about Sam wanting to kill Cas, and she didn't want to give Sam any more reasons to consider it. Not only that, but now she didn't want either Sam or Dean to find out about Cas having killed Frank, either. What a hypocrite she was. She had just been getting mad at Chuck for having been kept in the dark about it, and now she was going to do the same to the brothers. But this meeting was going to be hard enough without giving Sam and Dean even more reasons to be angry with Cas. Once Jason arrived, there would be plenty of hate to go around.

"I'm here to help, Sam," Chuck said, taking her cue. "I had an idea that I think will help us get two out of the three ingredients."

"Yeah? What's that?" Dean said, emerging from the hallway. He passed Sam and headed straight for the coffeemaker. Dean wasn't surprised to see Chuck, of course. He guessed that Gail and Chuck had done a lot of talking; they were still sitting there in the same positions as they'd been when he had gone to bed. But, wait: Dean whirled back around to look at them.

"Where's your bandage, Gail?" Dean asked her, holding the carafe he'd been about to fill with water.

Crap. Well, she was going to have to tell them that she and Chuck had spoken with Cas, anyway, and that he was on board with the idea. So she and Chuck filled the brothers in on Chuck's idea, and their visit to Cas.

Dean had the coffee going now, and he walked back to where they sat, staring down at them. "I don't know if that's the smartest idea I've ever heard, or the dumbest," he told them.

"A little from Column A, a little from Column B," Chuck replied agreeably. "But if you take a minute, I think it'll grow on you."

"I think it's a fine idea," Sam said, sitting down across from them. And he meant it, too. As far as Sam was concerned, it was a win-win. Cas could either come back with the stuff they needed, or he would be killed trying to get it. Either one was OK with Sam at this point.

Gail was looking at him suspiciously. Yeah, Sam was definitely going to need some rehab when all of this was over. It was hard to think how he and Cas could peacefully co-exist in the future. She could just tell that Sam was going to hold a grudge. And Gail didn't know if their little talk had taken, either. He was still looking at her like he wanted her to come to him for comfort, but she'd better not do that; knowing the way he felt about her, it wouldn't be fair to him.

"Can you guys call Bobby?" she asked them. "Then you can call Cas. We can pitch our idea to Bobby and see if he'll agree. If he does, he can bring Jason down and we'll have you guys loan them some weapons. Then Bobby can send them to Purgatory."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. Just when they thought things couldn't possibly get any weirder, they were going to arm Demon Cas and Angel Jason, bitter enemies, and push them into Purgatory, together? This was nuts.

"I know, I know," Gail said, smiling at their expressions. "Weirdest thing we've ever done, blah blah. But just wait, guys. The week isn't even over yet."

Cas came immediately, and he looked down at Chuck, who was sitting in Cas's usual seat next to Gail. Chuck looked at Cas, then he looked at Gail. He knew she was still mad at Cas. But she shrugged. She was mad at Bobby now too, but she would try to push those feelings aside for the meeting. Things would be tense enough as it was. Cas and Sam and Dean hadn't even greeted each other when Cas had arrived. She didn't think that had ever happened before; as mad as they'd been at him recently, there had at least been a nod of the head, something. She sighed.

Chuck got up and moved to the chair on the other side of Gail, and Cas sat down, putting his hand out for Gail to take. She just looked at it, and at his face. That was the hand that had stabbed her brother to death, and now she was supposed to take it in hers and pretend that never happened?

Cas was puzzled. They'd just had such a wonderful time together. Why was she looking at him like that? "What's wrong, Gail?" he asked her.

But he had brought the Demon with him, too. It had been emerging just as Gail had been leaving, and it was angry to have been denied the chance to be with her. That side of him had a lot of pent-up anger and aggression to express, and he had wanted to start by taking her in his favourite way. He'd do that to her hard, the way he knew they both liked, and maybe take a couple of bites out of her while he was at it. Her skin was healing now, and the Demon liked to see his marks there. And now, she wouldn't even hold his hand? Which of these men at the table had she been with? Maybe she'd been with them all; he had been gone for a while now. And she'd shown up holding hands with Chuck. True, she'd stayed with Cas for a little while afterwards, but she wouldn't let him do everything he'd wanted to do to her. Maybe she'd just been trying to keep him happy so he wouldn't suspect anything.

She saw the expression on his face, and Gail could tell that he was mostly in his Demon phase now. And now, she really didn't want to hold his hand. It was the Demon who had killed her brother, and who had been hurting her all this time.

But Chuck was whispering in her ear. "You'd better do it, Gail. Unless you want to explain to Sam and Dean why you're so pissed off at him right now."

Damn Chuck. But he was right. She didn't want to do that. So she went to take Cas's hand, but he suddenly stood, looking at Chuck.

"What's going on?" Chuck said angrily. "What did you say to her?" The only one that should be whispering anything in her ear was him, when he didn't have his tongue in there, that was. And they'd better not be keeping secrets from him.

"Nothing, Cas," Chuck said uncomfortably. He wasn't afraid of Cas, he told himself. He just didn't want Cas scaring Gail.

But she wasn't scared of Cas; she was getting angry at him again. Him and his ridiculous jealousy. Look at the night she and Cas had just had. What more did he want from her? "Sit down, Cas," she ordered him, rolling her eyes. "Save all that yummy anger for Purgatory."

He looked at her with blazing eyes. "You'd love it if I was killed there, wouldn't you? Then you would be free to move on."

Gail laughed shortly. Oh, he was really testing her now. "If I wanted you dead, I could have done it myself by now," she retorted.

Cas smiled coldly. "I'd like to see you try. I'm stronger than you, and a much better fighter. And it would be difficult for you to hide a weapon when you're lying there naked, enjoying my head between your legs."

Gail couldn't help but smile. That was certainly true. But she couldn't let him get away with that. "You sleep sometimes, don't you?" she said slyly.

He looked startled. That was the reaction she'd been looking for, and she reached out for his hand now. "Come on, Cas, sit down," she said in a quieter voice. "I don't want you dead. Why the hell do you think we're doing all this? It's so you can live, not so you can die."

Cas sat, and the decent part of him was glad to hear her say that. But the Demon was scoffing. Live? As what? An Angel? He didn't think so. The only reason he was going along with this stupid idea was because he was looking forward to killing a bunch of monsters, in very creative ways. It had been way too long since he'd used his blade. And Cas was going to let the Demon out completely once they got there. Purgatory was no place for decency and compassion, and Castiel would not be required there. Cas just had to make sure to show up once the objects were acquired, so that he could bring them safely back to her. The Demon couldn't be allowed to sabotage what Gail was building.

Bobby appeared then, and he looked around the table, frowning. What did this merry little band want to talk to him about now? And none of them looked the least bit happy to be sitting here, either. Sam and Dean were glaring at Cas, Cas was glaring at Chuck, and Chuck was looking at the wall, ignoring everyone but looking uncomfortable.

Bobby took his seat at the end of the table and looked around at them all. "So. What's going on?" he asked.

Sam and Dean told him about Chuck's idea, with Chuck chipping in here and there, trying to persuade Bobby to agree to the plan.

Bobby was shaking his head. What the hell kind of cockamamie plan was this, now? These idjits actually thought this was a good idea?

"Why do we need Jason to get a vampire fang?" he asked them. "Why can't Cas just get one?"

But now he was being the idjit. Even as he said that, Bobby realized they also needed Jason's tears, and that was why he had to accompany Cas.

"Do you really think you can get him to cry?" Bobby asked Cas.

Cas smiled nastily. "Oh, he'll cry when I'm done with him. Don't you worry about that."

Bobby almost shivered. He really hated this Cas. The cure couldn't come soon enough for him. He sighed. "All right. I guess it's worth a shot." He looked at Gail. "Are you OK with this?"

Gail sighed too. "Not really," she half-joked. Then she smiled as Bobby's beard twitched. He knew that Gail had some Demon in her too, and he knew that she had lied to him about some of her recent shenanigans. But she was still in there pitching, supporting Cas, holding his hand, even. She was a good woman, and Cas had better treat her right from now on, or Bobby would make him regret it. Cas was extremely lucky that Bobby had not come to see him privately. Bobby had seriously considered it. He had left here, full of promises to leave Gail alone, and not only had he not done that, he'd come back from Europe to be even closer to her, renting their old apartment in Vancouver. Trying to persuade her to move back in with him and abandon the cure. She'd ended up doing the right thing, but it had been touch-and-go there for a while. If Gail annoyed Bobby sometimes, Cas exasperated him. The only thing that had kept Bobby from popping in and throttling Cas with his bare hands was the fact that he had not harmed Gail any further. But Bobby was sure that it was only a matter of time, and that was another reason that Bobby had agreed to this crazy idea. At least they'd be separated for a while when Cas went to Purgatory. Gail couldn't follow him there.

Bobby rose. "I'll go get Jason, then. We'll pitch him the idea, and if he agrees to cooperate, I'll tell him he can stay there once the job is done." He looked at Cas. "But if he double-crosses you in any way, you have my full permission to kill him."

Cas smiled. The Demon was taking over now, in preparation for Jason's arrival. Not that he needed it, but it was nice to have God's endorsement. That way, when Jason ended up chopped into little tiny pieces, Bobby couldn't be angry with Cas, could he?

Once Bobby left to get Jason, Sam rose to get himself and Dean a refill. He smirked. He should almost put a shot of whiskey in Dean's, before Jason got here. Dean hadn't forgotten Jason's stabbing him in the hand before Cas and Gail surrendered themselves to the tribunal. And Sam had a bone to pick with Jason, too. He had been brutal to Gail, and he was a sadistic son of a bitch. As far as Sam was concerned, Jason and Cas were a perfect match right now. Practically interchangeable.

Sam put his and Dean's mugs on the counter, pouring some more coffee into them.

"Come back to the apartment with me," Cas was saying to Gail. "You can wait there for my return."

Gail laughed shortly. This was the Demon talking now, and she knew what that was all about. When he got back from an excursion like that, he was usually out of control, and she had been badly hurt by him. "I can't do that, Cas, and you know why," she told him.

"What do you mean?" she asked angrily.

Gail was aware of the other men's presence in the room, and even though they knew pretty much everything already, she wasn't prepared to talk about that out loud in front of them. "You know what I mean," she said through gritted teeth.

They had been holding hands, but now Cas grabbed her by the arms, and his fingers were digging into her. "Why are you refusing?" he asked her, narrowing his eyes. "Who are you staying here to be with?"

"Let go, Cas," Gail said. She was starting to get mad again, too. Not this, again. "You're hurting me, and you're being ridiculous."

Sam rushed over to them and grabbed Cas, hauling him to his feet. Cas was so surprised by that he let go of Gail. "Try that again, I'm going for the knife," Sam told Cas. He looked down at Gail. "Go sit beside Dean," Sam told her. "Go."

Gail sighed. She'd better do it; all she needed was for Sam to be threatening Cas with a knife when Bobby got back with Jason. Jason would probably become Sam's new best friend.

She rose and walked around the table, sitting in the seat Sam had recently vacated. Sam put his hand on Cas's shoulder and shoved him back into his chair, hard. Cas glared at Sam, but he made no move to fight. Bobby would be back in a moment with Jason, and Demon Cas had no desire to piss Bobby off by starting something right now. He wanted to go to Purgatory very badly. He could figure out a way to get to Gail when he got back. If Sam tried to keep her from him then, that would be the last action Sam would ever take.

Bobby returned a moment later, leading Jason by the arm. Jason's hands were cuffed, and his legs were in shackles. Bobby led him to the chair at the end of the table and plunked him down in it.

Sam was still standing by Cas, and he walked over to where Jason sat. He wound up and punched Jason in the face. "That was for Gail," he told Jason. Then Sam went back to the counter to retrieve the coffee mugs, grinning. That had hurt his hand, but it had been extremely satisfying.

Dean got up then, and he punched Jason in the face too. "That's for my hand," he said. "Oh, and for Gail, too."

Cas was smirking. He may be angry at the Winchesters right now, especially Sam, but that had been sweet to watch. He glanced at Gail, who was also smiling. They made eye contact, and Cas felt sorry that he had said what he had said to her. He wished he could apologize, but he didn't want to seem weak in front of Jason.

Jason was working his jaw as Dean sat back down, looking very pleased with himself. Gail turned to him. "Good to know what your priorities are," she quipped. Dean shrugged, smiling at her. They both knew that it was really the other way around. Dean had just put a little levity into her morning, and Gail appreciated that.

"All right, everybody, settle down," Bobby said in his sternest voice. He sat down in a chair he'd drawn up next to Jason, so he could keep an eye on Jason and on everyone else. Bobby was well aware of the animosity in the room towards the prisoner, and he had allowed the boys their one free shot, but that was it. Bobby was in charge here, and he wasn't going to let the situation get out of hand.

Sam sat in the chair next to Cas, responding to Bobby's authoritative tone.

Jason had a dribble of blood coming out of his mouth as a result of the brothers' one-two combination, and he looked at Bobby defiantly. "So, you bring me down here to ask me for a favour, and this is the way I'm greeted?" Jason snarled.

"We're doing you the favour," Bobby said evenly. "You wanted to go to Purgatory. We're proposing a deal here. You give us what we want, and I'm willing to give you what you want. But if you try to double-cross us in any way, I've authorized Castiel to kill you."

Jason smirked. "Last I looked, he didn't need anyone's permission to kill. He'll just do it anyway."

Bobby looked at Cas, who was looking at Jason contemptuously. "Do I have your word you'll leave Jason there alive if he gives you what we want?" Bobby asked Cas.

Cas sat back in his chair. "My word? Sure, Bobby," he said, smiling slowly.

"He's lying," Jason said. "Demons lie. Everyone here knows that."

Sam and Dean were startled. Jason knew? Had Bobby told him?

Jason saw the looks on their faces. "I've known what he was for quite a while now," he said angrily. "Pity no one in Heaven would believe me. I warned her he was going to hurt her when she came to see me." He looked Cas in the eye. "Word will spread. You may still be a hero to most of the Angels, but it's only a matter of time before everyone knows. I don't know why you're bothering with this so-called cure. Soon, no one in Heaven will want anything to do with you."

"We weren't asking for your opinion," Gail said to Jason. What he was saying had hurt her badly, because she feared he was right. Cas had been ostracized in Heaven for centuries now, by guys like Jason, and Xavier. That was why she had been trying to keep his current situation quiet. If it got out, he would be hated there once again, and then where would they be? What if they were able to cure him, only to have him become Heaven's new Metatron?

Jason looked at her, and now he was smirking. "And how about you?" he said to her. "I see your eyes. You're as bad as he is, now. Why don't you come to Purgatory with us? Then you'll both be among your own kind."

"If you don't shut up, I'm gonna take a poke at you myself," Bobby growled. "And I'm the one with the Godly powers." Jason sat back in his chair, fuming, but he shut his mouth for the moment. He couldn't take on God. But he couldn't believe that Bobby was standing up for the pair of them. Some example he was setting.

Bobby sighed. "Look, Jason, I get it. You don't like Castiel, and he doesn't like you. The question is, are you willing to work with him long enough to get us what we want, so that you can get what you want? If the answer is no, I can just take you back up to prison and you can rot there for eternity. It's no skin off my nose."

Jason glared at him for a moment, then he relented. He really did want to go to Purgatory. He could have so much fun there. And he guessed he could fight alongside Castiel for the short time it would take to get a vampire's fang. It's not as if they hadn't killed side by side before. And secretly, he thought it would be kind of interesting to see this Castiel at work there. He'd been a very efficient killing machine as an Angel, but as a Demon? Jason was looking forward to seeing that. Maybe he'd wind Castiel up even further when they got there by talking trash about Gail. That had always worked before. As long as Castiel didn't turn on him. If he did, Jason would just do them all a favour and kill him. He wasn't so sure that wasn't the best move, anyway. Just look at the guy; he was a maniac. Gail would be thanking him.

Bobby hadn't told Jason about the second request, thinking that was the prudent move. Jason would have laughed in his face. But Cas seemed fairly confident he could get Jason's tears somehow. Bobby would just have to trust that Cas could pull it off when the time came. And quite frankly, he didn't really care if Cas killed Jason afterwards. If that made Bobby a bad person, or a bad God, then so be it. The guy was a waste of space, and a dangerous one, at that.

"All right, Bobby, I'll do it," Jason told him.

Cas smiled. Jason was just arrogant enough to think that he could kill Cas. He obviously didn't remember how easily Cas had defeated him in the cabin. Oh, one of them was going to die in Purgatory, but it wasn't going to be Cas.

Bobby stood to release Jason from his shackles, but Cas said, "Wait." Bobby looked at him. What now?

Before letting the Demon have free rein, there was something that Cas wanted to get off his chest. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Cas said to Bobby. "And Gail, can you come as well?"

Gail and Bobby exchanged glances. She shrugged. "OK, Cas," Bobby said. "Let's go into the kitchen." He looked at Sam and Dean. "Behave yourselves while we're gone," he told them. "Remember, I'm God. I can still see you."

They both looked at Bobby as innocently as they could. "We'll be generous hosts," Sam said, his mouth twitching.

Bobby's mouth started to twitch too, then he made it stop. "See that you are," he retorted. He didn't want Jason all banged up before he and Cas even got there.

He led the way to the kitchen, Cas and Gail trailing behind. They all sat down at the table. Cas looked at Gail, but he didn't try to take her hand this time. He was sure she wouldn't want to give it anyway, especially not after what he had to say. He took a deep breath.

"Bobby, I want you to hear my confession," Cas said shakily. "I've done a lot of horrible things recently, as you both know. But there's one thing that Gail doesn't know about, and I want her to hear it from me in case I don't make it back." Cas turned to look at her. "I killed Frank when you and Sam and Dean were at the seance. Chuck and Bobby tried to stop me, but it was too late."

Bobby stared at him incredulously. He and Chuck hadn't tried to stop Cas at all; the deed had already been done before either of them could react. Cas was actually being generous by telling her that.

But Gail was shaking her head slowly. Finally, Cas was owning up to what he had done. Then she guessed she could be honest, too. "I already know, Cas. Chuck let it slip before you got here this morning. That's why I was so mad at you when you got here."

Cas had mixed emotions about that. His first impulse had been to feel anger at Chuck for telling her. Was Chuck trying to poison her against him now, too? Should he consider Chuck another threat to his relationship with Gail? But mainly, he just felt guilty. He had killed Frank, and he had hidden this fact from Gail. Then, he had driven Frank away from the bunker with his reprehensible behaviour. He couldn't blame Gail for being angry. He should have owned up to it at the time and taken the consequences.

"I'm sorry, Gail," Cas told her. "The guilt is all mine. And while I'm being honest, I have to tell you something else: I worry that even if you're able to cure me, I've damaged our relationship so badly now that things will never be good between us again. Maybe I should just stay in Purgatory, and let you get on with your life."

Gail didn't know what to say. In a way, he was right. She made herself look him in the eye. "I worry about that, too," she said quietly.

Bobby looked at the both of them. He was sad to see them like this, but he couldn't let them give up on each other now. "No amount of guilt can change the past," he told them, "and no amount of worrying can change the future."

Gail smiled sadly. Bobby was right. They would have to cross that bridge when they came to it. "Don't you give up on us," she told Cas. "Just don't." She touched his face and he put his hand over hers. He felt like crying. After everything he'd done, she was still touching his face. Telling him not to give up. Giving him comfort. And here he was, talking about deserting her.

"If you don't come back, I'll just kill Sam and Dean and have Bobby send us all there, just so we can kick your ass," Gail said, smiling through the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Then Cas did start to cry, and they leaned forward together until their foreheads were touching. Gail sniffled back the tears, kissing him on the forehead. "We really have to buy stock in a tissue company," she joked. "We could have been millionaires by now." She sat back in her chair and looked at Bobby. "Sorry, Bobby. I know how much you hate it when we get like this," Gail said to him, smiling sadly.

Bobby's beard twitched. He blessed Gail for that; he'd been dangerously close to shedding a couple of tears of his own. He really hoped she'd be able to get her cure now. If anyone deserved a break, it was these two. He'd gladly put up with a bit of tween romance, if it meant that things could be how they used to be.

"Anything else, Cas?" Bobby sighed.

"Just one more thing," Cas told him, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. "You may want to avert your eyes for this."

"Why bother? You know I can see you anyway," Bobby retorted. He guessed he knew what was coming now.

Sure enough, Cas took both of Gail's hands in his and kissed her softly on the lips. "No matter what happens, always remember I love you. I'll come back if I can, Gail. I swear it."

"OK, let's go," Bobby said, standing up. This was getting maudlin now. Time to get the show on the road.

Cas and Gail stood, too. "Wish me luck," Cas said to her.

"You know I do," she answered. "And wish me luck, too."

"You?" His forehead wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

"It's time for us to multi-task," she told him. "While you're doing your thing, I'm going to do mine. I'm going to get Crowley to take me down and get those tears from Aurielle. Then, when you get back, we'll only have two more things to get."

Both Cas and Bobby frowned. Cas didn't want her going to Hell with Crowley, and neither did Bobby, though for slightly different reasons. Cas looked at Bobby, and Bobby gave him a slight nod. He'd be talking to her about that once Cas left.

Damn, Gail thought. She shouldn't have told them that. She should have just gone ahead and done it. She hadn't missed that little exchange between Cas and Bobby; she was standing right here, wasn't she? Well, if Bobby thought he was going to stop her, he was sorely mistaken.

Gail sat with Bobby and Chuck at the library table while Sam and Dean took Cas and Jason to the weapons room.

Dean still couldn't believe he was standing here with two of the unlikeliest allies he'd ever seen. And he was arming them.

Jason was staring at the collection of weapons in amazement. He couldn't believe the collection they had; there were a couple he had never even seen before. He and Cas started loading up. This was going to be fun.

Dean caught Jason's arm. "When you guys are done, we want those back," he said pointedly.

Jason smiled at him. "Oh, you'll get them back, don't worry." Yeah, they would. After they pried them out of Castiel's cold, dead body, that was.

"I don't want you going down to Hell alone with Crowley," Bobby was saying to Gail.

She regarded him coolly. "Why not?"

Chuck looked at her in amazement. "Why not?" he echoed. "He's the King of Hell, Gail! He's the supreme evil!"

Gail made a face. "Obviously, you've never met Lucifer," she said. "Crowley doesn't scare me, and I've been alone with him before, as I'm sure you already know," she said pointedly.

"Well, I don't like it," Bobby insisted. But he didn't exactly know if there would be anything he could do about it. He had Heaven to run, and he couldn't watch her 24/7. But she did have a point. He had found out about her little caper with Crowley at Oliver's place from Sam and Dean, and he also knew that Crowley had done nothing to harm her. In fact, he had helped her. Bobby couldn't figure the guy out. He had never known Crowley to do anything to help anyone without having an endgame in mind. But what was it?

Chuck was horrified. "Lucifer?" he asked Gail. "You've met Lucifer?" What the hell had she gotten herself into? Hanging around with Crowley, and now...Was Cas even worth saving, if this was going to be the company she was keeping?

Gail smiled wryly at Chuck. "We obviously didn't talk nearly long enough last night."

But now was not the time for conversation. The men were re-entering the library area. It was time to send Cas and Jason into Purgatory.

Bobby rose, and so did Gail, but Cas gave her a shake of his head. He was disconnecting now, letting the Demon take over, and he didn't want her anywhere near that guy. "I'll see you soon," he said to her.

Then the Demon took over, and Gail could see the expression on Cas's face change. How had she not noticed that before? Then again, she probably had; she had blinded herself about many things when it came to Cas's transformation. They said that love was blind; apparently, in her case, it was stupid, too.

Demon Cas was still looking at her. The last time he had been with Gail, he'd been denied his chance to play with her. Well, he would come back with her little ingredients, for all the good they were going to do her. He would never take the cure. He liked how he was now, and he knew she did, too. She was just putting on an act for her holy friends. But when he got her alone, it was always a different story. They'd be having some extended sessions when he got back, and if she was battered and bloody at the end of them, so what? He knew she liked that, too. And she would be in his debt.

Bobby walked over to Cas and Jason and put one hand on each of their foreheads. He wanted to impart some words of Godly wisdom, but he found he had nothing. "Good luck," he said, and he sent them on their way.

Gail sighed. It was done now, for better or for worse. The men all looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Well, I guess we'll go back now," Bobby said, breaking the silence. "Let me know as soon as you hear anything," he said to the brothers. "You, too," he advised Gail.

"Same goes for you," Sam said.

Chuck gave Gail a hug. "Everything will turn out all right. you'll see," he said to her.

"Is that the Prophet speaking?" she asked him lightly.

"No, just me," Chuck answered, tweaking her on the nose. "I'm rooting for you guys."

"Thanks, Chuck. You're a good friend," she told him, smiling.

"De nada." He released her and went to stand beside Bobby. "Later, guys," he said to Sam and Dean. Then he and Bobby disappeared.

Dean sat down at the table, shaking his head. Chuck. He still couldn't believe it.

"So, what now?" Sam said, moving to where Gail stood.

She shrugged. "I don't know, Sam. We just wait, I guess." But she wasn't going to just sit around and wait; that would kill her. And she had a job, as well. She just wasn't going to tell the brothers about it. Look at the reactions she had gotten from Bobby and Chuck. But Bobby hadn't shared her little confidence with Sam and Dean, or asked them to keep her here, so she took that as tacit approval. Or maybe he'd just had a lot on his mind. In any event, she was going to go right now, before anyone found out, or thought better of it and tried to prevent her.

"I'm going to go home and get cleaned up a bit," Gail told them. "Maybe give you guys a chance to catch up on your rest. I know you haven't had a break from us for a while." She looked pointedly at Dean. If he was getting more than 2 or 3 hours a night, she'd be shocked, and the poor guy was starting to look it. She was a lot to blame for that, too. He'd told her that she and Cas were driving him nuts. After this was all over, Gail would have to appeal to Bobby for another vacation for them all. The four of them could go somewhere together, re-establish their bond.

She looked up at Sam. If such a thing was even possible now. He worried her more than Dean. Sam was a gentle giant, but there was a stubborn quality to him not unlike her own. She didn't know if it would be possible for him to just forgive and forget. And he was still looking at her like he hoped that she would just give up on Cas.

Sam opened his arms, and Gail walked into them. She needed the comfort, but she'd better be careful. Gail could see Dean watching them, a strange look on his face.

Sam gave her a squeeze, and Gail realized that was the first time in a long time that anyone had given her a proper embrace without her wanting to scream. She was finally, truly healing. She hadn't realized how bad things had really gotten until they had started getting better. Now that she thought she was able to tell the difference, Gail would just have to make sure not to be alone with Demon Cas again.

But now, it was time for a get-together with a different Demon. Gail extricated herself from Sam's embrace and walked over to Dean, kissing him on the forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be back later," she said, then winked herself out of the bunker.

She went to the house and showered, then dressed, spending a few extra minutes in the mirror, combing her hair. Gail wanted to look as good as she could for Aurielle. She had the same idea Cas had had: She would go into Hell and tell Aurielle about her and Castiel's glorious nights, giving Aurielle as much detail as she possibly could. Then, to cap it all off, Gail would tell Aurielle that God Himself had married her and Castiel, and Aurielle would sure as hell never be putting that asunder. Aurielle should be crying like a baby after that. Piece of cake.

Gail appeared at the crossroads and thought Crowley's name.

"I haven't seen you for a while, sweetheart," he said, smiling. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, just the usual. Talking to a dead witch, doing European heists. Everyday stuff," she quipped.

She told him about the mission she had in mind, and Crowley laughed. "My mother's given you the easiest one yet. All that one does is cry, I hear."

"Well, she'll be crying for me, one way or the other," Gail said slyly.

Crowley looked at her appreciatively. He liked her a lot better when she wasn't with Castiel, or at least, the Demon version of his Brother. That Castiel subjugated Gail and held her back. When it was just her and Crowley, she seemed a lot bolder, more self-confident.

"Let's go, then," Crowley said. He took her hand and they descended into Hell.

Castiel and Jason had been in Purgatory for less than two hours and they had already killed countless beings. Purgatory would have a lot more room now, if Bobby suddenly became indecisive, Demon Cas thought sardonically. Both he and Jason were covered head to toe in blood now, and they'd been having so much fun slicing and dicing that they'd almost forgotten how much they hated each other.

Demon Cas was washing his face and his hands in the stream. His clothes, he could do nothing about, but Gail could wash them when he got back. Or he would just burn them, if they were too stained to clean. He might have to cut out a piece of cloth and save it for posterity once it had Jason's blood on it, though. She would probably want him to do that, too.

Jason began to wash himself also, casting surreptitious glances at his temporary ally. He had imagined that a Demon Castiel would be a fearsome warrior, but Jason had had no idea until he'd seen him in action. The guy was so vicious, so sadistic. Pity they weren't friends; Jason could get along with this guy just fine. He thought that Gail was crazy for wanting to cure him. But even Jason could see why she would want to. Castiel was scary like this, and Jason couldn't even imagine what it would be like to share a house and a bed with him when he was like this. Jason had just been trying to get under her skin when he had taunted her about Castiel using his blade on her, but apparently, it was true. When they'd been resting up between fights, Demon Cas had been bragging to Jason about all the things he had done to Gail; and apparently, not only had she let him, but she had liked it. He knew that Jason liked to torture people, but Demon Cas had given Jason some free advice: there was a lot of satisfaction to be had in other areas as well, and things were not always black and white. Then an amazing thing happened. Jason had actually felt nauseous about what Castiel had been describing. Jason was an evil and sadistic bastard; heartless, really. But when Demon Cas had almost fondly described entering Gail from behind and cutting her with his blade at the same time, his dark purple eyes shining, Jason felt sick to his stomach. He did love a good torture, it was true; but torture and love were supposed to be two separate and distinct things. Even Jason knew that you weren't supposed to do that to a woman you truly loved. And Gail was still with him, and still working on the cure. Either Gail was the stupidest and most depraved woman since Creation, or she was the most loyal and the most loving. Jason wasn't sure which. But in either case, she was nuts.

Crowley brought Gail to an interrogation room in Hell, where they sometimes questioned residents who had committed minor infractions. The King was a great believer in corporal punishment, but every once in a while, if the suspected offense was indeed minor, the individual in question would be brought here. There were just two chairs in the room, and nothing else. One for the interviewer, and one for the interviewee. And depending on the way the hapless soul answered the questions, the interrogator's next move would then be decided. He'd had Aurielle brought here, thinking it would be the perfect venue for a tete-a-tete.

He handed Gail a vial. "My advice to you? Don't fill it," he said to her.

Gail was puzzled. "Why not?"

"That's the one that counteracts Lust, isn't it?" he said, raising an eyebrow to her.

Gail smiled. "You know, I never realized how funny you are before," she said to him.

"No one does, sweetheart," Crowley said, smiling. "No one does. Come to my office when you're done." He turned and walked down the corridor.

Gail opened the door to the room and walked in. She saw Aurielle tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

"Well, isn't this an interesting sight," she said, walking towards Aurielle. She put the vial in her pants pocket and then sat down opposite her would-be rival. "Looks kind of familiar, too," Gail said to her. "Only, I like it far better this way."

"What do YOU want?" Aurielle said defiantly. She sure as hell wasn't crying at the moment, Gail thought. She was merely looking at Gail with pure hatred, as she always did.

Gail smiled. She was going to enjoy this. It was Aurielle and her stupid love potion that had caused all of this in the first place. And what had Gail ever done to Aurielle, anyway? They didn't even know each other. Just because Gail had been lucky enough to be the one to receive Castiel's love? Well, too bad. Jealousy was one thing, and so was envy; but Aurielle had screwed up Gail's life so badly now that she wasn't sure if things would ever be right again.

"Aren't you going to ask me how Castiel is?" Gail asked Aurielle.

Aurielle's brow wrinkled. "Is he still sick?"

Gail's blood started to boil. "Yes, he's still sick! And who do you think made him that way? You did!"

But Aurielle wasn't taking the bait. "No, I didn't. That was a love potion, nothing more."

Gail scoffed. "Oh, it was more. It was so much more."

"Well, that's not my fault!" Aurielle exclaimed. "I followed the instructions in the book, and Metatron helped me. If you're going to blame anyone, blame him."

Gail was really mad now. This woman had the nerve to sit there and act like she had done nothing wrong? "If there had been no potion then, there would be no disease now," she told Aurielle. "This is totally your fault." She sighed. She was getting nowhere. This woman was crazy. You couldn't reason with a crazy person, and logic wouldn't apply here. And all that Gail was doing now was making Aurielle even more defiant.

Gail sat back in her chair, looking Aurielle in the eye. "Still, it does have its benefits," she told Aurielle, smiling. "We spend hours in bed together these days. He just can't get enough."

Aurielle gasped. "Do you mean...sex?" she said in a hushed voice.

Gail smirked. Really? Was Aurielle really that naive? "Oh, not just sex; the most incredible sex you could ever imagine. His lips and tongue have been all over my body, and mine have been all over his. And he yells out my name all the time, and he tells me he loves me. That's because he does. And I'll tell you something else: he's fantastic. I would never have thought that someone who'd never been with a woman before he met me would be so skilled. He does things to me with his tongue, and with the rest of his body, that you wouldn't believe."

Now Aurielle looked like she was on the verge of tears. Finally. But there was still some defiance left in her. "Heaven teaches us it's wrong to do that kind of thing," she told Gail.

Gail was still smiling. "You're just saying that because he'll never do it to you," she told Aurielle.

"How do you know that?" Aurielle said, panicked. She was still crazy enough to hold out hope. If Castiel had visited Aurielle here once, perhaps he would do so again. And Aurielle could be even more forthcoming the next time. She wanted to feel his tongue on her body, and she'd give anything to hear him cry out her name.

"Because we're married, Aurielle. God Himself married us. I'm Castiel's wife, and he's my husband. And you know he would never violate our sacred vows. So, too bad for you. We'll be going on our honeymoon soon, and we'll send you a postcard. That's if we can get out of bed long enough to write it, of course. Once he gets me there, he likes to keep me there."

Aurielle was crying now. They were actually married? And God Himself had performed the ceremony? Well, that was it, then. It was all over for Aurielle now. She had been an Angel for too long, and even though she was a Demon now, she could never expect Castiel to break a sacred vow like that, and she didn't know if she could bring herself to try to make him. Not when their Father had performed the ceremony Himself. Castiel must truly love Gail, then. He would never have married her, otherwise. Aurielle had had visions of herself in a white gown and Castiel in a tuxedo, being married by God. But it was this awful woman that Castiel had married instead. Aurielle couldn't stand it.

Gail stood and pulled the vial out of her pants pocket, placing it underneath Aurielle's eyes to catch her tears. Aurielle tried to shrink back, wondering what Gail was doing, but she was tied too tightly to the chair and there was nothing she could do about it.

"What are you doing?" Aurielle gasped.

"What, this?" Gail looked at the vial, wiggling it in Aurielle's face. It was about three-quarters of the way full now and Gail smiled again, remembering what Crowley had said to her. And Gail tended to agree. She stopped up the vial and stashed it in her pocket. She'd gotten a little excited describing Cas's skills in the bedroom, and Gail had to acknowledge that she had no idea if they would even be able to continue what they were doing now once they had taken the cure. She really didn't want to have to sacrifice that aspect of their relationship, if she could help it. Maybe, if they decided they were actually married, God would allow them to continue. But that was nothing to contemplate now. First things first. Gail was pleased, though. Next to Bobby's blood, this was the easiest ingredient she'd ever gotten. She hoped Cas was having success in Purgatory.

Cas was doing all right. His Demon side had the run of the place now, and there hadn't been one entity that had even mounted a real challenge. Jason had been backing him up but mainly staying out of his way, leaving most of the kills for Cas.

They had finally come upon a group of vampires and had dispatched them efficiently. Jason grabbed a large log from the forest floor and smashed the Alpha's jaw with it, and Cas pried the fang out of its mouth, stashing it in his jacket pocket.

Jason dropped the log, breathing heavily. "There," he said. "Done." He looked up at Cas. "What do you say we take another bath? She'd better not see you looking like that." He was grinning, though. Jason hadn't had this much fun in a long time. It was a shame he was going to have to lose such a great partner.

Cas looked at Jason, thinking the same thing. But there was still something that Jason owed him, and Cas was damn well going to get it before Jason had to die. And he thought he knew how to get it now.

Gail and Crowley were sitting on the couch in his office, having a drink. She felt like celebrating; it had been so easy making Aurielle cry, and so satisfying, too.

"Hit me again," she said to him, extending her glass.

Crowley poured her another, and he refreshed his own, as well. She had told him everything she'd said to Aurielle, and he had been both impressed and amused.

Gail showed him the vial. "Only three-quarters full," he remarked, raising an eyebrow. "I took your advice," she replied, smiling mischievously. They both laughed.

Now they were talking about the cure. "Once Cas gets his two things, we'll only have two left to get," Gail told him. "I can see the finish line now."

"What does he have to get?" Crowley asked her, curious. She hadn't mentioned.

"A vampire's fang, for one thing," Gail told him, helping herself to some more whiskey from the decanter.

"Well, that should be no problem for you lot," he said to her.

"I don't think it will be, either," Gail agreed, "but the other one will be a lot more tricky." She told Crowley that Cas had to get tears from Jason, and he smirked at her.

"Jason? Tears?" Crowley said, shaking his head. "Well, you might as well abandon the cure and move in here with me right now, then." He was only half-joking. If there was anyone he could think of who was less likely to cry than Jason, it might only be himself. Or Lucifer, maybe.

Gail laughed shortly. "Hey, I may like you now, but I've always hated the heat," she quipped.

Crowley lifted an eyebrow. "Do my ears deceive me? Did you just say you like me?"

Gail thought for a moment. "I did, didn't I? Must be the alcohol talking." But she was still smiling.

"Well then, by all means, have some more," Crowley said, and he was smiling, too. He topped up her glass. She took another drink, but then her smile faded.

"No one gets you, do they?" Gail said to him. "I know, you're the King of Hell and all that, but you're really not that bad of a guy."

"Shh, you'll ruin my reputation," he teased.

"I'm serious," Gail said, taking another sip. "You've helped me so much, and I really do appreciate it."

Crowley frowned now. "Well, we need to get Castiel cured. If you insist on staying with him, he can't be allowed to continue to treat you as he's been doing."

"Amen to that," Gail replied, then she elbowed him, grinning. "Sorry."

Crowley laughed. He had never laughed as much in his entire existence as he had laughed when he was with her. "Are you sure you want to stay with him, though?" he asked her, his expression turning grim again. He felt like he was free to say what he really wanted to say to her now. There was nobody else around, and the alcohol was loosening both of their tongues. "He's treated you abominably. And Sam and Dean can barely even speak to him now, can they? Even if you do manage to cure him, do you think everything will just go back to normal?" he asked her softly.

Gail sighed. "No. You're right. Everything's so screwed up now. I don't know what we're going to do."

Crowley thought about that. What WERE they going to do? Even if they both took the cure and reverted to being Angels, Castiel would likely not be happy or comfortable going back to Heaven; he never had been, even before. But would he be as welcome at the bunker as he had been before, if he would be welcomed there at all? And if not, what would he do? Where would he go?

"Are you sure you really want the cure?" Crowley asked her.

"No," she said in a small voice. "Sometimes I'm not sure if I do, any more." Gail sighed a little as she reached for the decanter again. But then she pulled her hand back. Maybe she'd had enough. She was feeling dizzy now. "Crap. I think I'm drunk," she told Crowley.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit, then?" he said, rising from the couch. "I have some rounds to make. You just rest, and when you feel better, I'll take you back topside."

Gail was already lying down. "Yeah, maybe just for a few minutes," she said, closing her eyes. "Thanks."

Then she passed out, and Crowley continued to stand there, looking down at her. It was cute that she'd gotten drunk, he thought. And she'd obviously needed the rest. She'd been running herself ragged in her quest for the cure. He should just leave the office for a while and let her rest.

But he was a little worse for wear himself now, and the thoughts began to form in his head. She was too good for his Brother. Castiel didn't deserve her. He had been brutal to her as a Demon, and if they reverted to being Angels, they would be ostracized by their own kind, Crowley was sure of it. Gail was an Original, and she was special. She'd said she liked Crowley now, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted the cure any more. Maybe Crowley could help her to decide. When Castiel got back, he would no doubt bully her into doing whatever HE wanted to do, and then Crowley would lose her.

He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve, going into his desk drawer for the syringe. He tied off and withdrew his blood, then walked over to the couch and looked down at her again.

Crowley's head spun, both from the alcohol and from what he was contemplating. He couldn't do this to her. Sure, he could; he was the King of Hell, wasn't he? He had never professed to be anything else but what he was. He was a vile, horrible individual. Everybody said so. Even his own mother had abandoned him. But Gail had said that she liked him, and even though he suspected that the whiskey had had a great deal to do with that statement, she was the only person who had ever told him that. Ever.

On the other hand, he had to admit to himself that he liked her, too. Maybe he did want her for himself, as he had confessed that he did at the meeting between the five Originals at Lucifer's cage. At the time, he had told himself that he had just said that because they were accusing him of it anyway, and because he'd wanted to extradite the damn thing. But it could actually be the truth. It's not as if it was without precedent. When he had first pursued Gail over a year ago, he had viewed her as an asset to his Kingdom, nothing more. But then, she had been an ordinary human with some extraordinary powers, and though Crowley had cultivated her at the time, she had irrevocably been drawn to Castiel, who represented a force for Good. But now she was an Original, with prodigious, untapped powers, and she had enough Demon blood in her now courtesy of both Castiel and Crowley himself to admit her to the most exclusive wing of Hell. If Crowley were to dose her with just one more vial of his own blood, the blood bond they would share would be so strong that she might very well be driven to forsake Castiel for Crowley. Should he do it?

Castiel and Jason were washing up at the stream again, and Cas was thinking furiously. It was pretty much now or never. They had the vampire's fang now, and Jason would be looking to kill Cas and take off, any second. Cas was frankly surprised that he had not yet attempted it.

But the job was not yet done. Cas needed to get Jason to cry. And he'd had an idea.

"You still have some blood on your face," Castiel said to Jason.

Jason smirked. "So what? It's not like there won't be plenty more there soon." He stood and faced Cas, going for the Demon knife he had hidden at his hip, under his shirt.

Castiel nodded, unsurprised. He knew Jason very well. "One question," he said, removing his Angel blade from his jacket. "If you were just going to kill me anyway, why did you help me get the vampire's fang?"

"It wasn't about the fang," Jason told him, looking Castiel in the eye. "It was about the fight. I wanted to see you in action and have one last session as partners. We used to be a good team."

"We were scum," Castiel told him, frowning. "We killed, and you tortured, and many times our actions were as reprehensible as the deaths were unnecessary."

"Oh, they were very necessary," Jason disagreed. "I've seen you, and I know you. Can you honestly tell me that you didn't enjoy what we did here today?"

"No, I can't," Cas said soberly. "But these are monsters. There's a difference."

"You can tell yourself whatever you need to," Jason scoffed. "I suffer from no such self-delusion."

"But there was a time when you suffered, wasn't there?" Cas said to him.

Jason was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Castiel moved closer to Jason, knife at the ready. "What made you so bitter, so angry, that you are the way you are?"

Jason gripped his own knife tighter. "I don't know what you think you know, but I've always been this way," he shot back. "At least I'm honest enough to admit it."

"But you weren't always this way," Castiel insisted. "You simply repressed the memory because it was too painful to bear, and you've spent the rest of your existence taking that pain out on others."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You're crazy. So, are you just going to let me kill you, or are you at least going to put up a fight?"

Castiel smiled. "The second one, I think." He and Jason were circling each other now, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Jason ran out of patience and lunged forward. Cas sidestepped him, slashing Jason in the side with his blade. Cas should conduct a class on how to protect one's flank, he thought with some amusement. And Gail and Jason should sit up front. But he'd better not think of her now. He had to concentrate. Jason was a vicious animal, and he was capable of snapping back at any time.

"I believe it's you who has gone soft," Castiel taunted Jason. "That'll happen when you've been in prison for a while. Believe me, I know. I actually let you live that night in my cell. But you weren't supposed to survive when we were at the cabin. I was interrupted that day. Now, we have all the time in the world."

Jason came at Cas, knife raised, but Cas sidestepped him again. "Unfortunately, I can't kill you yet," Castiel said conversationally. "Not while you're still of some use to me."

Jason was puzzled again. What was this lunatic raving about? He came for Castiel again, and this time Cas grabbed him and brought him closer, then he shoved Jason up against a tree. "You're on, Benny," Cas said, smiling.

What? Jason felt his arms being pulled roughly behind him, and he felt the cuffs click around his wrists. Then the Demon knife was pulled out of his hand.

Benny stepped out from behind Jason, smiling at Cas. "You were right, he has gone soft," Benny said to Castiel. Benny had a length of rope hidden behind the tree and he grabbed it now, shoving Jason against the tree again and tying him to it.

Cas stashed his blade in his pocket, grinning. "Thanks, Benny."

Benny finished securing Jason, and then he turned back to look at Cas. "How is my old friend Dean?"

Cas sighed a little. "He's fine, Benny. It's me that's not so good. That's why I'm here. I told you that, when we first spoke."

Benny frowned. "Yeah, you did. And I know that thing in your pocket ain't for the tooth fairy. I should be mad at you for killing one of mine, but since it was another Alpha, I'm willing to overlook it. I don't need the competition." He turned back to Jason, touching Jason's neck. "And if I turn this guy, he'll be the same damn thing."

Castiel shrugged. "It may not come to that. We'll see."

Jason's eyes were wide. What were they talking about? Who was this guy?

Benny leaned close to Jason and smiled, baring his fangs. Now Jason got it. "What the hell is this?" he said, alarmed.

Cas smiled. "Jason, meet Benny. He's an old friend."

Jason sneered at Benny. "A friend," she said sarcastically.

"Yes, he was an ally when Dean and I were here before," Cas said. "And when I incapacitated you an hour ago, Benny and I struck up a bargain. I told him if he helped me deal with you, I would owe him a favour."

"You incapacitated me?" Jason said incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember when I modified Ethan's memory at the prison?" Castiel approached Jason, smiling.

Crap. That must be why he didn't remember any of that, Jason thought. When they'd been fighting together, Castiel must have somehow put the whammy on him. They'd been in close proximity a number of times, and the fighting had been fast and furious.

"Lucky I saw you," Cas said to Benny.

The vampire nodded. He'd been on the way back to join his own group when he'd seen these two kill the Alpha. Cas had looked up to see Benny, but he wisely hadn't reacted to the sight of his old friend. Then, after he had pocketed the fang, Cas had touched Jason and momentarily incapacitated him. Jason had been unconscious when Cas and Benny had had their chat. Cas had given Benny a brief rundown on his current situation, and on why he and Jason were here.

Benny had known there was something up with Cas right away; all you had to do was look at his eyes, and at the expression on his face. The guy he'd known here before had been a fierce warrior, but he had also been an Angel. This guy was no Angel, that was for sure. He was mostly a Demon, but Benny recognized that there was a little bit of vampire in there, too. It had sickened him to hear what had happened to Cas, and Benny still felt an affinity for Dean, so he had agreed to help Cas with Jason.

So Cas had leaned down and put his hand on Jason's forehead, accessing Jason's memories. There had to be something in there, something he could use to obtain a few tears from Jason. He went back to Jason's childhood. Even in adolescence, Jason had been bitter and cruel, torturing insects and then small animals, then escalating further. His own parents had been afraid of him, and his schoolmates stayed well away from him. No help there.

Then Castiel went further back, and he found it. Just before Jason had hit his teens, his parents had sent him to summer camp. They hadn't known what else to do with him, and they had wanted to get rid of him for a while. He had not yet been the monster he would become later, but Jason's parents simply had never liked their son. Neither of them had wanted any children to begin with, and they had been disappointed when Jason's mother had become pregnant with him. But they had also both believed that the concept of abortion was wrong, and the damage had already been done.

So Jason had gone to camp, and that was where he had met Anne.

She was unlike any other girl he had met before. She was up for anything, had a wicked sense of humour, and she would tease Jason any time he was in a funk, eventually getting him to smile. Because they were so young, their time together was mostly innocent, though they'd ended up holding hands a lot. Castiel realized with a start that Anne looked a lot like the young girl that Gail would have been several years after her and Frank's parents had been killed. And when Castiel saw Anne and Jason holding hands, talking, and laughing, he drew the obvious parallels.

A couple of days before it had been time to go home, Jason and Anne shared their first kiss, the only kiss Jason would ever receive. They exchanged addresses and phone numbers, vowing to keep in touch.

And if Jason had been able to have and keep Anne in his life, things could have turned out quite differently for him, and for countless others. But the next day, Anne had slipped on the wet dock by the lake, hit her head, and died.

Jason went home devastated. He prayed to God, asking Him why, but of course, there had never been an answer. His parents hadn't known how to comfort him, and Jason had had no friends. So he grew up bitter, and brutal. And now he was an Angel. How could that be? He had simply slipped through the cracks. He had never killed a human being, only animals, and because he had been raised a Christian, Jason had flown under the radar and snuck through. But that was all right with him. He had been able to torture and kill plenty of people once he'd gotten to Heaven. Ironic, wasn't it?

So now that Castiel had the ammunition, he thought he had a way to make what he needed to happen, happen. He had turned to Benny and asked him to come down to the stream, waiting for Cas and Jason to show up, and Benny had agreed. Then Castiel had woken Jason up, and they'd gone to the stream to wash up. And that was where they were now.

Cas looked at Benny. "Can you babysit for a bit? I'll be back in a little while."

Benny shrugged. "Sure. I got nothin' better to do at the moment."

Jason glared at both of them. "I'm really going to enjoy killing you both."

Cas and Benny exchanged brief smiles. That wasn't going to be happening. "Well, you wanted to come to Purgatory," Cas said to Jason. "Aren't you having fun?"

"A former Angel and a vampire, teaming up. And they call ME disgusting," Jason spat out.

"Can you at least gag him, or something?" Benny said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll do better than that," Castiel said, stepping up to Jason. He put his palm on Jason's forehead and knocked him out, again. "There. Now you won't have to listen to him babbling."

Cas stepped back again, giving Jason one more look. He'd needed Jason unconscious, but Cas had also done that just to shut Jason up while he was away. The last thing he needed was Jason talking to Benny, telling Benny how bad Cas had become. Then, when Cas got back, Benny might take up arms and join Jason in killing Cas. The vampire had his standards, Cas had learned, and Benny had a soft spot for Dean. He might not want Cas around his friend, the way Cas was now.

"I'll be back," Cas told Benny, who nodded. Then Cas climbed up the embankment and, finding the narrow portal he knew to be there, he squeezed through it.

Crowley was still standing over Gail with the syringe, still debating with himself.

Suddenly, she jerked her head to the side. "No, don't, Cas, that hurts," Gail said. She had passed out, and now she was having a nightmare about Cas, giving her little nicks and cuts with his blade. She was asking him to stop, but he wouldn't. She tried to push him away, but she couldn't move. She suddenly realized he had her tied to the bed. She was crying, begging Cas to stop, but the cuts kept coming. "Please, Cas," she pleaded.

That decided Crowley. He moved forward and stuck the needle in the crook of her arm, slowly depressing the plunger.

"Ow! Cas!" More pain, this time in her arm. But this pain felt different. Cas was injecting her again! Gail's eyes flew open and she saw Crowley standing over her, injecting her.

Gail leaped off the couch, knocking the syringe away from her arm. "What the hell are you doing?" she yelled at Crowley.

"Trying to help you," he retorted. Damn. He'd been busted. But Crowley still felt like he had been doing the right thing.

"Help me?" she shouted incredulously. "How is that helping me?"

"Maybe it'll finally pry you away from that beast," Crowley snapped.

"You inject me while I'm unconscious and HE'S the beast?" Gail said, astonished. "Take me topside. Now."

Crowley continued to look at her. "I don't know what you were seeing in your dream, but it didn't sound good. And that's what you want to go back to?"

"No, that's what I'm working so hard to have NOT happen," she retorted. Gail was fuming. "You know, I thought you were all right. I even defended you to everyone, telling them you were helping me. And, you have. But now you go and pull something like that on me?"

Crowley supposed she had a point, though he would never admit it. But she would never have agreed to it voluntarily. "You realize it's just a matter of time before he kills you, or someone you love, don't you? He's already killed your brother."

He'd been going for the shock factor, but Crowley was dismayed when Gail said, "I know. I found out earlier. And I know you revived him, so I suppose I owe you my thanks for that."

Crowley shook his head. "Well, don't expect me to come riding to your rescue when he does it again."

"He won't," she said stubbornly. "He's going to be cured, and everything will be back to normal."

"Who are you trying to fool, sweetheart?" he asked her quietly. His gaze was penetrating.

"Take me back, now," Gail demanded, extending her hand.

Crowley continued to glare at her, but he took her hand, dropping the syringe. "Fine. It's your funeral. In a manner of speaking," he said sardonically.

He snapped them back to the crossroads, and Gail let go of his hand immediately. "Try that again, and I'll kill you myself," she told him angrily. Then she disappeared.

Crowley stood there for a minute. Her attitude didn't surprise him, or even bother him. It was what he had become accustomed to, and pretty much what he had expected. But she might be changing her tune soon. He wasn't certain, but Crowley believed that some of his blood might have made it in there before she'd batted the syringe away. Well, time would tell on that score.

He snapped himself back to Hell.

Gail went to the bunker, or at least, she tried to. She appeared outside, instead. Puzzled, she tried again, and then again. No dice. Then she got it. Obviously, some of Crowley's blood had gotten in there, and she was now in the same boat as Crowley and Cas. Damn him! Damn them both. Well, this was going to make things a lot more difficult, wasn't it?

Panicked, she pounded on the door. "Guys? Guys! It's me! Can you let me in, please?"

She continued to pound until her hand hurt, and just when she'd been about to give up, Sam yanked the door open.

"What are you doing out there, Gail?" he asked her curiously. "Why didn't you just come in?"

She had no choice; she had to tell him. "I couldn't get in, Sam."

"You couldn't - Why not?" Sam asked, his eyes narrowing. "You could, earlier today."

Gail sighed. "I know. Look, can you just invite me in, Sam? I'll tell you guys what happened. But I also have another item for the safe."

Sam frowned, but he said, "Come on in, Gail." He opened the door wider.

She was able to pass now because he'd extended the invitation, and they both walked down the stairs.

"Here," Gail said, reaching into the pocket of her pants and handing the vial to Dean. "Another safe item. Aurielle's tears," she added, somewhat unnecessarily.

Dean took the vial from her and examined it. "The thing's only three-quarters full. Did you catch her on a good day?"

"Never mind. It'll be enough," Gail snapped. Dean rose and looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry, Dean," she apologized. "I've just had a bit of a traumatic experience."

Dean crossed to the safe and put the vial in it. Gail began to tell them the story, and by the time she finished, the brothers were infuriated.

"That's it, I'm killing him right now," Sam said, starting towards the hallway. He was going to go to the weapons room and get the biggest Demon knife he could find.

"No, Sam." Gail caught his arm and Sam looked at her hand, then looked at her. "Look, I know what you mean, and I told him if he tries anything like that again, I'll kill him myself. But, we might still need him. We haven't got all the ingredients yet."

Sam laughed sarcastically. "You and your ingredients. Who cares anymore? It's not like any of us will want anything to do with him after he's cured, anyway."

That hurt Gail, and it scared her, too. Her worst fear was that he was right. "Don't say that, Sam," she said, anguished.

"Why not? I'm just saying what everybody is thinking," Sam retorted. "Elephant. Oh, and speaking of which...where's Frank?"

Gail was looking at him, puzzled. "What do you mean, 'where's Frank'? He's out on the road somewhere. How should I know where he is?"

"That's exactly my point, Gail. He should be here. It should be Cas that's gone. I hope he gets killed in Purgatory. It would be the best thing for all of us."

Sam was tall, but Gail was extremely motivated; she got up on tiptoes and slapped him across the face.

The room was silent as they all looked at each other, speechless. Gail had slapped Dean before, twice, but she had never hit Sam. He had just made her so angry, she hadn't been able to help herself.

Gail turned to Dean. "If that's the way you both feel, I'll just take the stuff you have in the safe and get out of your lives," she told him. "I'll finish the cure myself."

"That's not how we feel," Dean said uncomfortably. He looked at Sam. They'd talked about it when they were alone, and they had both admitted that they did feel that way, sometimes. But they'd agreed never to say that to Gail. Hadn't she been hurt enough? And if they couldn't complete the cure, or if it didn't work, she would need them. And they would owe it to Cas to help her, or at least to the Cas they used to know. And, to Frank.

"Sammy's just being a dick," Dean said. "Neither of us got enough sleep."

"I was afraid you were sleeping when I was trying to knock," Gail said to him. She tried to smile. "Then I would have been screwed."

"You could have just called us," Dean pointed out.

"You've got my cell phone, remember?" Gail said, tilting her head.

Right. Good point. "Go get Gail's cell phone, Sammy," Dean said, nudging him. "It's on my night table."

Sam gave Dean a look. He was rubbing his cheek where Gail had hit him, still looking shocked. Then he walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Gail said, wondering why she was apologizing to Dean when it was Sam who she'd hit. But Sam had hurt her too badly for her to apologize to him right now. She didn't even feel like looking at him now.

Dean knew that, of course, and that was why he had asked Sam to leave the room. "He shouldn't have said that to you," Dean told her. "I'll have a talk with him."

Gail sighed. "IS that how you guys feel?" she asked him. "Be honest, Dean."

He frowned. "Most of the time, no. It's just really hard for us to see him like that, Gail. We were like brothers once."

Her heart sank. He was talking past tense.

Sam came back into the room and held Gail's cell phone out to her. "Take it," he said shortly, not looking her in the eye.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but she still couldn't bring herself to do it. Maybe she should just go home and cool off for a while.

"I'm going home. Please call me if you hear anything," Gail said, taking her phone from Sam's hand. Then she winked herself to the house.

Gail showered and changed clothes, then she went down to the living room. She sat on the couch, staring off into space. She was close to reaching her breaking point, and she was sure she did have some more of Crowley's blood in her now. She must; how else could her sudden inability to get into the bunker be explained? Not that she particularly wanted to be there right now, anyway. She'd generally gotten along with Sam and Dean throughout this whole thing, even though they'd frequently been mad at her for brief periods of time. But now, she was mad at them. If Cas was successful in Purgatory, they would only need two more ingredients. They were so close now. And now Sam and Dean wanted to give up? Did Sam really mean what he'd said about hoping Cas would die? That had been really harsh. Well, if he was thinking she'd run to him for comfort if something did happen to Cas, Sam was sorely mistaken. He'd be lucky if she even spoke to him from now on.

Cas suddenly appeared in the living room, startling her. His clothes were bloody, but his hands and face were clean. She stood but stayed where she was. This looked like the Demon to her, and the dream she'd had in Crowley's office was still too fresh.

But Cas wasn't only the Demon at the moment: for a rarity, he was presently a combination of all three. He approached her slowly, seeing the wary look on her face.

"I called the bunker, but they told me you were here," Cas said to her. He put his hands gently on her waist.

Gail was studying his face. "What happened? Did you get them?" she asked him, hope rising in her chest. He was getting blood all over her fresh clothes now, but she'd take it if he told her he had been successful.

"One, but not the other. Yet. But I think we're on the verge of getting the other one. I'm here to enlist your help in obtaining it," he told her. But first, all three of him needed to kiss her, so he leaned down and did it.

Gail kissed him back, licking his lips with her tongue. She'd been so worried about him, and now that he was here, her Demon blood was heating up.

So was his, and he pushed open her mouth with his tongue. His hands went underneath her top, and she moved closer to him. He shouldn't be doing this; he had come here to get her to come back with him, nothing more. He had a mission to finish.

But she was being the aggressor now, unzipping his pants, and he wasn't exactly stopping her, was he? He wasn't crazy, after all. She was stroking him now, and he gave up any idea of resistance. He took her top off over her head, and she stepped out of her pants. Either she'd undone them herself, or he had. Who knew? Who cared?

"Lay down on the couch," he breathed.

She continued to stroke him. "Which way?" she asked, and her eyes were very dark now.

He wished she hadn't given him the choice, because the Demon came to the forefront now. He'd been denied the last time. "On your stomach," he said, smiling.

Gail nodded. She'd figured as much. But Crowley's blood was racing through her veins now, and she found herself looking forward to it. She lay on her stomach and raised herself up as he climbed on top of her.

"We don't have a lot of time," Cas said to her. He reached around and started to stroke her, and Demon Cas looked at her hungrily.

"Well, we'd better start, then," Gail said. She was already reacting to his touch, and her breath was becoming ragged.

The Demon grabbed her hip and thrust himself into her, and she made a sound that was half-pain, half-pleasure. Cas sped up his fingers. If the Demon was going to do this, Cas wanted her to achieve pleasure, too. Since the others were present, the Demon couldn't be as rough as he wanted to, but it still felt amazing. He pushed forward, moaning, and she started to whimper. "Go harder, Cas," she said, and the Demon smiled. His fingers dug into her hip and he got rougher, thrusting himself hard into her. It hurt, but Gail had her eyes closed, focusing on the counterbalance of how good his fingers were making her feel. She started to call out his name, burying her face into the cushions. She raised herself up to meet him with every push, and he felt the warm rush of pleasure spreading through his whole body. He groaned loudly, and with one final deep thrust, he was done. What a shame it had been so quick. She was just too good.

But now it was Cas's turn to take over. He let the Demon flip her around, and then Cas opened her legs and went to work on her with his tongue. She must be in pain from what had just happened, and now that the Demon had already had his way, Cas wanted to love her like she deserved.

Gail was in pain, but she had enjoyed it, too. She loved feeling him inside her, no matter where or how, and she loved hearing him moan with pleasure. Now it was her turn, and she was holding his head as she cried out. This was so good. There was no way she was giving this up. Screw the cure. Cas's tongue felt amazing on her, and in her, and if he was going to continue to make her feel this fantastic, he could do anything to her that he wanted.

Cas continued to lap at her, and he was smiling. She was pulling at his hair a bit in her excitement, but he didn't mind. The Demon actually liked it. He liked it when she was aggressive too; that made it even more exciting. Cas wasn't sure he agreed with that, although he knew by now that she liked it when he was a little aggressive. He slowed down the motion of his tongue, then sped up again, and she cried out once more.

"I love you," she breathed. "Come here."

He moved on top of her and brought his mouth down on hers. He entered her again at the same time, and her eyes widened in surprise. Even by these new standards they had, that had been quick. He'd usually needed a bit of a rest in-between. But he was thrusting into her eagerly again, and because she'd been ready, it felt fantastic. Their tongues were playing with each other's, and they were looking into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Gail," Cas said. "I need to go faster. Is that OK?"

She smiled. "Go as fast as you want." She wrapped her legs around him and he groaned. He loved it when she did that. He felt like they were almost the same person when they were together like this. She was caressing his back and his shoulders, licking his neck and his ear. He slipped his hands under her body and pulled her forward, even closer to him. "I love you, Cas," she murmured in his ear, and he cried out her name, pushing himself harder into her. He held her there for a moment, closing his eyes, savouring the warm rush.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was smiling. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Cas asked her, trying to catch his breath.

"Only in the good way," she replied mischievously.

He kissed her face, again and again. "You're so good," he told her. "And you're so good to me." She moved underneath him, and he felt himself twitch. He could just stay here all day. Actually, they should move to the bed, where there was more room. He wanted to lick every inch of her, and he wanted her to do the same to him. And he could think of one place he'd like her mouth to go right now.

But then Castiel took over. That had been very nice, but they still had a mission to complete. He'd stayed in the background throughout most of his and Gail's exchange, but he had allowed himself to come to the forefront for just a minute or two, just so that he could experience the sensations the others were feeling. Now he could see what everyone had been talking about. When you loved someone, and they loved you, and you were able to feel so happy and make them feel the same way, why would you not want to do it? And he loved Gail. He always had. But he could sense that there was something wrong with her, something that had not been there when he had left for Purgatory. She had submitted to the Demon before, but today, it was almost like she had welcomed him eagerly, and the pain that went along with what his alter ego did to her.

"Let's go to the bedroom," Gail said. She was moving her body under his, encouraging him. She was gone now, riding the wave of pleasure that the dose of new blood had given her.

"As much as I'd like to do that, we have to go now," Castiel said, smiling gently. He started to rise, disengaging himself, easing out of her.

"Go? Go where?" she said softly. Her hand was caressing his thigh as he sat on the edge of the couch. She was exciting him again. He tried to concentrate.

"We need to get Bobby to send us back to Purgatory, to get Jason's tears," Castiel answered her.

Gail sat up. "Why?" she said.

He misunderstood the question. "Because you will have a role to play."

She was kissing and licking his ear now and caressing his chest. "No. I mean, why bother about the cure?" she said. "You were right. We should just stay here and do this. I'll get on my knees for you." She began to stroke him. "I know you like that."

He did, but this wasn't her talking now, and he couldn't allow her to continue or he'd be all too easily persuaded. He made himself stand up, turning his back to her so that he couldn't see her. Castiel picked her clothes up and tossed them towards where she was, still not looking at her, and picked up his own. He remembered her unzipping his pants, but he had no recollection of how else they had gotten undressed. That must have been when the Demon had taken over. He put his pants on and did them back up, but with a little difficulty. He was still in an excited state, thinking about just giving in and taking her to the bedroom, watching her get down on her knees in front of him, and...no. They had a job to do. Once it was done, and once he had confronted her about what he suspected had gone on while he'd been gone, if she still wanted to, they could discuss it.

"Please get dressed, Gail," he said, sighing. "Please. I need your help to get Jason's tears. We can meet back here afterwards and discuss it further."

Wow. He really meant it. She shrugged. They would always have later. And she was intrigued now. She really did want to see if they could make Jason cry; that would be extremely satisfying. So she put her clothes back on. They were a bit bloody from the transfer of blood from his when they'd first started out, but she supposed it didn't matter. In Purgatory, it was probably weird not to have blood on you.

Once she was dressed, she moved around to face Castiel, and now the Demon in her was receding as she thought about the prospect of going to Purgatory. She could spout all the bravado she wanted to when she was safely here or in the bunker, but she'd heard about that place, and it scared her.

She grabbed Castiel's hand, and he was happy to see that she seemed like herself again.

"I'm scared, Castiel," Gail said. She'd recognized who he was right now, so she might as well call him by the right name. Only Castiel would have had the ability to resist what she'd just been proposing. Though she'd had the feeling that it had been difficult for even him to turn down. She smiled inwardly at the thought. No matter which one of him came back with her here afterwards, they definitely had some unfinished business.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you," he told her. Then he told her about Jason and Anne, and what he wanted Gail to do, and she nodded appreciatively at the idea. Castiel was right; this was probably their best and only shot to try to induce some kind of emotion out of Jason.

"Can you tell Bobby to come here?" she asked Castiel.

He looked at her, surprised. He'd thought they would meet Bobby at the bunker as they usually did. He was going to give the vampire's fang to Dean to put in the safe and give him Benny's regards.

"I think I'd better stay away from the bunker for a bit," Gail said sheepishly. "I'll tell you about it later."

Castiel examined her face. Yes, there was something going on here, all right. Dean had sounded very strange when he'd called the bunker looking for Gail, only to be told that she was here. Dean hadn't said anything else, but Cas had known that something was off. He knew Dean very well, and he had heard a quality in Dean's voice.

But now was not the time for a protracted discussion. Cas took out his cell phone and punched in Bobby's number. He had been aware that Bobby had told the brothers to give it to Gail and not him, but he had snuck a look at Dean's phone and memorized it. Demon Cas had been amused. Did they really think he didn't have the brains to figure out something so simple?

The Demon retreated now. God was coming over, and Demon Cas wanted no part of him. The Demon was only going along with this because he very much wanted to see Jason cry, and then chop him into tiny little pieces after he did it. It was unfortunate that Gail would have to be there for that, but they needed her to try to elicit Jason's tears. Maybe Benny could keep her occupied for a bit while Demon Cas took care of business. Benny could protect her while that was going on. But he'd better not even think of interfering with her in any way. Her blood was not for him.

Bobby appeared a minute later. He glanced around the living room. Nice, if a little dusty, maybe, Bobby thought. Like Jody had, he noticed the pictures hung above the couch, and Bobby smiled inwardly. They would have to rescue those pictures before he burned the house down. He'd decided that this house had to go. After all of the terrible things that had happened here, Bobby almost felt like this house was cursed. The only question was, whether Cas and Gail would be in the house at the time. If the cure could not be achieved, or if it failed, Bobby planned to rain down holy fire on the place. It would rip his heart right out of his chest if he had to do it while they were in here, and it would kill Sam and Dean, but they couldn't be allowed to go on like this. He'd spoken to the boys a little while ago and they'd told him that Gail had come back from Hell with Aurielle's tears, and Gail's eyes had been so dark they were almost black. He'd warned her not to go and see Crowley alone. Even though Bobby couldn't have seen what had gone on in Hell, he had tuned in to these two just in time to see her try to persuade Cas to abandon the cure, and Bobby put two and two together. Somehow this time Cas had found the intestinal fortitude to resist her, even though she had put a hell of a deal on the table. And if that wasn't like Crowley, Bobby didn't know what was. The King of Hell had dosed her again when she'd been alone with him; Bobby was sure of it. If Cas had given in, Bobby had made up his mind to just come here and end the couple right then and there. But when Cas turned his back on her and insisted on proceeding with the cure, Bobby realized that there was still hope for the two of them. He'd thought that Cas was a lost cause, but apparently, Cas was even more of a warrior than Bobby had given him credit for.

So he sent them both to Purgatory, praying that they would succeed. Then he pocketed the vampire fang that Cas had given him and winked himself to the bunker.

Castiel and Gail appeared where Cas had left Benny and Jason. Jason was still tied to the tree and still unconscious, and Benny was sitting nearby on a log, using a knife to whittle, passing the time.

Benny rose as the couple approached him.

"Benny, this is the Ang-" Castiel began to say, and then he realized his mistake. "This is Gail."

Gail made a face. He'd been about to introduce her as an Angel. Well, it had been a while since she'd been one of those, and now she was even less of one. She extended her hand to Benny. "Any friend of Dean's is a friend of mine."

Benny took her hand and smiled. Gail's eyes widened. Benny was a vampire! Castiel hadn't told her that little fact, merely saying that Benny was an ally, and he had been a friend to Cas and Dean when they'd been here. She was in Purgatory, shaking a vampire's hand so she could help a Demon make an Angel cry. Did it get any weirder than this? Frank would have a stroke if he could see her now.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," Benny said formally. But he'd seen her expression, and he let go of her hand immediately. "You have nothing to fear from me, Gail. I'm here to help," he said.

"I'm sorry, Benny. I've just never met a - what's the politically correct term? Dentally challenged individual?" she quipped nervously.

Benny threw his head back and laughed.

But Castiel frowned. He'd appreciated her humour as well, but this was not the time or place to laugh out loud.

Benny saw his look, and his expression turned sober. "Sorry, Cas." Both men looked around quickly, but the forest remained quiet for the time being. Good. The last thing they needed was to attract attention.

"We'd better get to it," Castiel said briskly. He put his hand on Gail's shoulder. "We'll post ourselves on either side of you, make sure you're not disturbed," he told her. "Just like we talked about." He smiled grimly, grabbing her hand and giving it a brief squeeze.

Gail gave him a thin smile in return. Benny gave her a thumbs-up and moved into position on the left side of the clearing's perimeter. Then Castiel moved to stand behind Jason and he put his hand on Jason's forehead, waking him. Then Cas retreated, positioning himself opposite Benny. If any creatures came along, he and Benny would dispatch them quietly, leaving Gail to do what she needed to do.

She approached Jason slowly. He was looking at her suspiciously. "So he's brought you here, after all," Jason said contemptuously. "Well, good luck, Gail. You're going to need it."

Gail smiled sadly. "It's OK, Jason. Now that we're alone, you can call me by my true name."

Jason sneered. "What? Demon?"

"No," she replied softly. She moved closer, until she was standing right in front of him. "You know who I really am, Jason. You've always known."

Jason was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Our Father is a loving God, but He's also a big believer in punishment," Gail said to him. "He sent me to you to test you, and when you failed His test, he sent me to you again, under a different identity." She made herself reach out to Jason and touch his face. "Don't you recognize me, Muffin?"

Jason's eyes widened. Muffin? No one had ever called him that before. Wait: one person had, but that was many years ago. He used to wake up early every day at camp, running to the dining hall to see if the cook had baked fresh muffins that day. They were his favourite, and if there were some, he would grab one and hold it in his mouth, then stuff his pockets with others, to save for later. They were only supposed to have one each, but he loved them so much he couldn't help himself. She used to tease him about that all the time. And that was how her nickname for him had come about, though she'd only used it when the two of them were alone, so as not to embarrass him in front of the other boys. No one else knew about that. No one.

"Anne?" Jason said hesitantly.

"It's me," Gail said, smiling. "How are you, Muffin?"

Jason frowned. "Not so well." But he was still confused. "But...you're Gail."

She removed her hand from his face. "I am, now. But yes, Jason, it's me. Our Father let me die because He wanted to see what you would do, how you would conduct your life from that day forward. But you let Him down, Jason."

"Well, what did He expect?" Jason said angrily. "You were the only friend I ever had, and He took you from me."

"He expected you to live your life decently," Gail said mildly. "And when you didn't, God brought me back in this form and with this name and He gave me to your enemy, to punish you for that."

Jason felt sick, but he was still angry. "Well, isn't that just great," he said sarcastically. "But what would it have mattered how I lived my life? You were already gone, weren't you?"

"Yes, but our Father told me He was going to bring me back for you, as a reward for having lived your life as a good man." Gail lowered her head, looking sad. "But that didn't happen. We could have been reunited, Muffin, if you'd only held onto your faith just a bit longer."

"So, what: He gave you a different name and sent you to Heaven to be Castiel's mate to teach me a lesson?" Jason said bitterly. "And now I suppose He's made you a Demon so you can torment me some more?"

"He didn't make me a Demon, Jason," Gail said, looking him in the eyes. "You did."

He was shocked. What did she mean by that?

Gail told him everything. How, by helping to force Aurielle's potion down Castiel's throat, Jason had helped to create the monster that Castiel was now. And, because he was what he was, Castiel had injected Anne/Gail with his diseased blood, and then Crowley had gotten in on the act, making her what she was now.

"So you only have yourself to blame for what I am now," Gail concluded. "And now, I can no longer be saved." Now real tears started to form in her eyes. This was hitting awfully close to home for her. She hoped, like everything else she had said to Jason, that that last part was a lie, too.

"And I saved you from Castiel's blade that night in his cell, remember?" Gail went on to say. "I was with him, but I still had feelings for you. I wanted to tell you who I really was, but our Father wouldn't permit it. So I had to remain silent, and I had to endure your cruelty and your contempt. And your torture. You hurt me so badly, Muffin." She was crying for real now. That last part was so reflective of her and Cas that she felt like she was no longer just playing a part. She touched Jason's his face again, and this time, it could be Castiel's face that she was touching. "Why did you want to hurt me like that? I cared about you, and now I'm condemned for eternity." Now Gail was weeping. She was telling Jason the truth now, about herself and Cas.

Jason was horrified, and he could feel the lump forming in his throat. He wished he weren't tied up; he wanted to take Anne's hand, maybe give her a hug.

"I'm sorry, Anne. I didn't know it was you. If only I'd known," Jason said softly. His eyes blurred, and the tears began to spill down his cheeks.

Gail removed her hand from his face and took the vial out of her pants pocket, gathering up his tears in it. Jason's mouth dropped open, and he stopped crying immediately. Crap, Gail thought. But she had had to move quickly; otherwise, she might not have gotten any at all. Gail looked at the vial, capping it as she did so. Only half full. Well, it would have to be good enough. Rowena had not mentioned anything about quantity. Hopefully it was the same situation as Aurielle's tears, though Gail could have filled several vials of those, if she'd wanted to. Rowena had said that Aurielle's tears represented Chastity; well, maybe Gail didn't want Cas to be chaste, not entirely, anyway. Didn't she deserve some kind of a reward for all she'd undergone in her pursuit of the cure? So maybe they could only do things with each other a few times a week, instead of multiple times per session. So what? It would be better than not being able to be with him that way at all. And Jason's tears were supposed to represent Liberality over Greed. Well, they had never been greedy anyway; as Angels, what did they have to be greedy about? Their needs were very minimal. So Gail wasn't too worried about it. As long as she'd gotten a few of Jason's tears, she was sure the potion would turn out fine.

She stepped quickly away from Jason, putting the vial back in her pocket. He was tied up and he could do nothing to harm her, she knew, but the expression on his face was fearsome now. Jason realized he'd been had. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but he knew. "You're not Anne, are you?" Jason snarled.

"Nope," Gail said, smiling at him. Now that her hands were free, she wiped her own tears away. That had been a little too real for a moment there. But she was happy now. "You can come back now, guys," she said, raising her voice.

Castiel came first, rushing to her side. "Are you all right?" he asked her. He led her away from Jason, not liking the look of hatred he saw on Jason's face.

Gail nodded. "I'm fine, Cas. I got them." She noticed there was fresh blood on him, and she reached up out of reflex to touch his face and wipe it from his cheek. To think, she had just touched Jason's clean face like this, and it had sickened her. Now here was Cas, all bloody, and all she felt when she touched his face was love, mixed with a great deal of sorrow. What she'd just said to Jason was weighing on her mind. She'd been speaking to the wrong person.

"You broke my heart," she blurted out. "But I still love you with all the pieces."

Cas felt a stab to the gut. No one and nothing had been able to hurt him here in Purgatory, until now. "Are you sure you weren't instructed to get my tears, too?" he said softly.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that at some point, actually," she said dryly. "But right now, you'd better stay the tough guy. We still need to get out of here alive."

Castiel squared his shoulders. She was right. He could allow himself to feel whatever he needed to feel once they got back.

Benny was standing beside Jason, smirking at him. He hadn't wanted to intrude on Cas and Gail's private moment, but he knew that they would want to get out of here now that they'd gotten what they came here for. And they should. Purgatory was no place for either one of them, dark eyes or not. Benny could tell that there were good people inside of them. Good people, who bad things had happened to.

Castiel took Gail's hand and they started to walk towards Benny, who met them halfway. Cas extended his hand to Benny to shake. "Thanks for your help," Cas said to him. Benny shrugged. "No problem. Glad to do it. Say hello to Dean for me."

"We will," Cas assured him.

Benny jerked his head back at Jason. "And him?"

"Do whatever you want," Cas said coolly. "He wanted to come here."

Benny started to smile. Just because Cas was mainly good didn't mean he didn't have an edge to him. But Jason was a bad guy, and he'd been the architect of his own fate when he'd chosen sadism and torture as his path.

"Thanks, Benny," Gail said in a small voice. She knew he'd helped them but seeing him bare his teeth to smile had been creepy, nonetheless.

After one more nod of the head to Benny, Castiel led Gail to the embankment. He boosted her up, then followed and reclaimed her hand. They squeezed through the portal and looked back once more to see Benny looking at Jason, still smiling.

Once safely back on Earth, Gail let out the breath she'd been holding. She'd been convinced that they were going to be attacked by a horde of monsters just before they had a chance to get out of there. That was just the way their lives always seemed to go. But they'd caught a break this time, and she was grateful for that.

"I have to get cleaned up, then we'll go to the bunker and bring them the vial," Cas said to Gail.

"Yeah, I should change, too." Gail agreed. "Let's go home."

But Cas frowned, looking troubled. "No. You go. I'll go to the apartment in Vancouver and clean up there. And don't look at me like that. I want to come back with you, but so does the Demon."

Gail was surprised. "What about a little while ago?" she asked him. "Things were fine, then." She smiled, moving closer to him. "More than fine, as I recall." She was so close to him now that their bodies were touching. "I still owe you," she said, putting her arms around his waist. It was strange. In Purgatory, she'd been heartbroken; now that they were back, she was reverting to Demon form. Or maybe she was just so glad to still be alive that she wanted to celebrate. Were Demons schizophrenic?

His arms encircled her, and he leaned down to kiss her. He was asking for trouble, he knew, but Cas needed his kiss. She had been so amazing in Purgatory. He had been patrolling the perimeter of the woods, but Cas had heard part of her exchange with Jason, and Gail had done a fantastic job with his enemy. No wonder he had brought her there. Castiel had figured that if Gail could somehow convince Jason that she was his Anne, she might be able to use her doe eyes to bring the emotion out in him. They had always worked on Castiel, anyway. But she had gone above and beyond, even to the point of crying real tears. Maybe she should have been an actor on that Supernatural show, Cas had thought with amusement. But it wasn't until she'd said what she'd said to him afterwards that he'd started to think that she hadn't been acting at all. That hadn't been Jason she had been talking to; it was Cas. And he had felt ashamed.

But she was still willing to kiss him, apparently, and do more than that. All he had to do was touch her, and they could have a very pleasurable couple of hours before they went to Sam and Dean's. But she was being suspiciously aggressive, and her eyes were too dark. They'd be talking about that when they got to the bunker. The three of them knew something that Cas didn't, and though he feared he knew what it was, he needed confirmation.

Gail had been the one in their relationship to fight for so long, but now it was her who was wavering. Castiel had vowed that he would take up the fight, and he meant to keep that vow. He had backslid a few times, though, and as long as the Demon wasn't allowed to hurt her, Cas didn't mind a little sliding. They were much, much closer to the cure now, and he meant to see it all the way through. It would take all the strength he had when it came time to actually take the cure, though. The Demon was going to fight him tooth and nail. Cas would have to have Sam and Dean strap him down in the chair and force-feed it to him, and they would probably have to do the same thing to Gail, especially now. But Cas had successfully fought off the Demon in Purgatory. The Demon had wanted to take over and chop Jason into pieces and take his time about it. And while neither Cas nor Castiel thought that would necessarily be a bad thing, they were not going to allow that to happen with Gail there. She was the priority, and she had to be kept safe. The longer they stayed in Purgatory, the more potential there was for attack, and once they'd gotten what they needed, Castiel got her out of there.

But the Demon was extremely angry that he'd been denied the supreme pleasure of taking Jason apart, and he was struggling to get out now. They owed him, and he wanted to go home with Gail and take out some of his unrealized aggressions on her. And God only knew what she would allow him to do to her, in her current condition.

Castiel was kissing her now, though, and Gail was happy that it was him. He was keeping the kiss chaste, but she wanted more, and she opened her mouth. Castiel sighed, slipping his tongue into her mouth to look for hers. He couldn't help himself. This type of kissing was so much more intimate, and it felt so good. But it led to other things, and he should not be doing it.

His hands went under her top, as if all by themselves. Gail was stroking him through his pants now, telling him what she'd like to do to him if he would only come home with her, and what she would like him to do to her.

His resolve broke, and he grabbed her hand and winked them to the bedroom of their house. Gail sat down on the edge of the bed and unzipped Cas's pants, taking him in her mouth immediately. He closed his eyes and smiled. She was making him feel amazing. In a moment, he would reciprocate, and then he would pack some clothes and take them to the apartment in Vancouver. It was OK for Cas to be here with her, but if he felt the Demon taking over, it would be time to go.

Cas began to move, and she was moving with him. He started to thrust forward, and he put his hands on her head. The Demon wanted him to grab her by the hair and pull her forward, but Cas didn't do it because he knew it would make her gag. He was pushing hard now, but she was taking him, and he started to moan with pleasure. Then she stopped, teasing him with her tongue, and he did grab her head then. "Relax, Cas," she murmured. "It'll be worth it." So he let her tease him for another minute, and when she resumed, his hands flew off her head as he thrust forward again, as hard as he could. If he brought her head forward now, as the Demon wanted to do, she would choke. But it was fantastic. He felt the warmth spread through his body as he cried out her name.

Gail stayed there for a few minutes afterwards, kissing and licking him there, and Cas looked down at her lovingly. But he'd better hurry now; he was losing possession of his own body. So he was the one to get down on his knees, and he gently pushed her legs open, kissing and licking her. She laid down and gave herself over to the feeling, raising herself up to meet his tongue. "Cas," she pleaded. The Demon was teasing her now, wanting to hear her beg him, but she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward, and Cas was glad she'd done that. He was the one on his knees, not her, and if anybody should be begging, it should be him. He was lucky to even be able to be here with her after everything he had done.

He made love to her with his tongue, and she cried out. But the Demon was biding his time now. He was going to wait until she was done, and then he was going to get his blade from his jacket and take over.

Cas wanted to stay where he was, continuing to make her happy, but he knew he was running out of time. He reached for her, lifting her body up so that he could kiss her on the mouth one final time. "I love you," he told her. "That's why I have to go, now."

He got up off the floor and grabbed his clothes, not bothering to take the time to dress. He looked at her one more time and said, "Go to the bunker. I'll meet you there, when I'm safe again." Then he winked out of the house.

Gail sat there, stunned. Wow. That had been abrupt. She'd thought that everything was OK, even though he had gotten rough there for a moment. But she supposed he knew best, and she appreciated him wanting to keep her safe from the Demon. Too bad no one was around to keep him safe from her. They'd be continuing this later on.

But in the meantime, she may as well bring the vial to the bunker and await his arrival there. So she showered, put fresh clothes on, and called Dean to get the invitation.

They were sitting around the library table, waiting for Cas to call, but no one was speaking, or even looking at each other. When Gail had first arrived, she had given Dean the vial with Jason's tears in it and he had locked it in the safe. Then she took her usual seat and the three of them were sitting there together, but the tension in the room was thick.

After Gail had left a while back, Dean had admonished Sam for being so harsh with her, but Sam had been unapologetic. She needed to hear the truth, he'd told his brother, and he'd needed to tell it to her. She couldn't keep going on like this, living in a dream world. Thinking that once the cure was obtained, IF it was even obtained, that things would just revert back to status quo. Well, Gail needed a wake-up call, and if no one else seemed to be willing to do that for her, Sam would. He cared about her that much.

Sam had just stopped himself short of saying that he loved her, and though Dean loved her too, they both knew that it was in different ways. Dean loved her like a sister, whereas Sam...well, Sam wanted to love her in the same way that Cas loved her, and Dean wanted to tell him that there was no way that was going to happen. It was Sammy who was living in the dream world there. Look at everything she had done to get Cas the damn cure. And even though the two of them appeared to be living apart these days and he had seen no fresh marks on her body, Dean was sure the couple were finding ways to be together. And if Gail was still willing to be with Cas after everything he had done to her, sticking up for him as she'd done with Sam, there was no way she would turn her back on Cas now. No way.

Gail was avoiding Sam's gaze, but she didn't particularly want to look at Dean, either. The only reason she was still here was because Cas said he was going to come. She'd thought of just winking out and going to the apartment in Vancouver, but she'd been a little afraid to. The way he'd left the house so suddenly suggested that the Demon had been taking him over, and she didn't want to be alone with the Demon. She'd learned her lesson on that score. And now that Cas seemed able to fight the Demon's influence, or at least seemed able to protect her from him, Gail would cooperate. Physical satisfaction was one thing; blood and pain was quite another.

So they sat, waiting for Cas to call, the brothers sipping from their beer bottles and Gail just staring off into space, wondering what the final two ingredients were going to be. Hoping that obtaining them wouldn't be too difficult. But she doubted that. She doubted that very much.

When Cas had left the house and winked into the apartment, the Demon took him over immediately, and the Demon was furious. He had so much pent-up aggression now that he couldn't stand it anymore. He raced through the place, upending furniture, smashing things, and breaking anything he could get his hands on. Then he went to the bedroom, picked up the TV, and threw it on the floor. He looked around wildly, but there was nothing else to break; he'd pretty much destroyed it all. Then he sat on the bed, breathing heavily, as Cas tried to take himself back. Finally, he was able to break through, and he stared sadly at the broken TV on the floor. Cas remembered when he and Gail had bought it, using his poker winnings from the casino. They'd had to call Dean so he could tell Cas how to hook it up, but Dean had coached him through it, and Gail had been so excited to tell the brothers about her new job. They should have just stayed here and lived out the rest of their existences. They'd been so happy here. They had both had jobs, and they had been starting to make new friends. And Gail had looked up to him then. He knew she still loved him now, but she had told him he'd broken her heart, and he knew he had. What kind of love was that?

He should just take his blade and stab himself with it. Better still, he should ask her to do it. She could stab him over and over again. It would be only fair; he'd pretty much been doing the same thing to her. He'd been doing that steadily since this whole mess began.

Cas got up and looked around the room, shaking his head. The Demon had trashed the place. He would have to clean it up as best he could, when he got back. He took a shower, dressed, and called the bunker to receive his invitation.

"I want to talk about the elephant," Cas said to the three of them.

Gail looked at him, startled. No greeting, no preliminaries, just straight to it. As soon as he had arrived, that had been the first thing out of his mouth, and he was looking at all three of them when he'd said it.

No one said anything. Which elephant was this, now? Lord knows they had a few between them, and they had been sitting here not talking about them for quite a while, waiting for the biggest elephant of all to get here.

But it wasn't Cas himself that he wanted to talk about now, it was Gail. He stood at the end of the table and asked them, "What went on here while I was in Purgatory? And don't say nothing, because I know better."

Sam was glaring at him. Why should they tell him anything? It was him who was the problem.

Cas looked at Gail. "Why are your eyes so dark?" he asked her. "They weren't that dark when I left."

Gail turned her head to the side, avoiding his gaze. She hadn't wanted to get into this with him. She knew he would freak out, just like Sam had. And though Gail was still angry at Crowley for having done it, she still felt like she needed Crowley.

"Crowley attacked her," Dean piped up. He was getting frustrated. If they were going to talk, he wanted to actually talk, for a change.

"He didn't 'attack' me," Gail protested. Thanks, Dean. Way to not provoke him.

But Cas wasn't freaking out, just frowning. He'd known; he'd just been waiting for one of them to tell him. He had been hoping it would be Gail, but to be fair, they hadn't been conversing much lately.

"But he injected you again," Castiel said sternly. "Correct?"

Gail looked at him sharply. How weird it was now that there were three separate personalities of his in the same body, and the more she was around him now, the more she could tell the difference.

She sighed. "He started to, but he didn't get very far," she told him. "I think a little did go in, though."

Cas's heart sank. No wonder she couldn't get in here by herself any more. No wonder she'd been so aggressive with him. "I'm going to kill him," he announced, almost calmly.

Sam had been looking at Cas, and he too started to recognize the cadence of Cas's speech, and the difference in his attitude. His jaw dropped. "Cas?" he said.

Cas looked at Sam. "Yes, Sam, it's me. Castiel and I are in charge at the moment," he said, smiling.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, puzzled. What did he mean by that?

Castiel saw their faces, and he was almost amused. He knew how puzzling this must be for them. He'd joked with Gail a while back about watching the movie about the woman with the split personalities, but that had gotten him to thinking. When he'd gone to Europe, Castiel had begun to go to work on himself, trying to discipline his mind. If he couldn't get rid of the Demon, maybe he could at least put It in a separate room. Castiel had been able to erect a wall in Sam's brain, when Sam had come out of Lucifer's cage, to keep the schizophrenia at bay. Maybe he could do something like that for himself. The Demon was still very hard for him to contain, but at least Castiel could hold him off long enough now to keep everyone safe. Or so he hoped.

But he didn't want to try to explain that to them now. He wanted to take action. "Dean, Sam, can you come with me to the crossroads? I think it's time to have that discussion with Crowley that's been years overdue," Cas said to them, smiling grimly.

Gail rose immediately and walked over to him, putting her hand on his arm. "No, you can't do that," she told him.

Cas frowned. "You're just saying that because of the blood bond," he told her.

Sam and Dean exchanged another glance. Blood bond? What the hell was that, and why did they have the feeling that these two had been keeping them in the dark about an awful lot of things?

Gail didn't know that much about the blood bond either, but she knew what Cas was getting at. And though it might also be true, she couldn't worry about that right now. "No, I'm not, Cas. I just think we need him."

The Demon started to push, and Cas was getting angry. "We don't need him. What you're saying is that YOU need him."

Dean didn't know what they were talking about, but he knew he didn't like the sound of that. "Somebody wanna tell me what the hell the two of you are talking about?" he said, irritated.

Castiel took over for a minute. "Originals are bonded when they share blood. The more blood that is shared, the stronger the bond. That is why Gail and I have not been able to stay apart for any appreciable length of time, and why she is drawn to Crowley now."

Sam looked at him, his mind racing. While sickening, that explained a lot. That was why Gail had kept going back to Cas; not because she liked the brutal way he'd been treating her, or even because she loved him. It was because of this mysterious bond thing that Cas was talking about. That made Sam feel a little better. But Cas was saying that she was also drawn to Crowley now because of it, and that scared Sam.

Sam stood. It was time to end Crowley, once and for all. He'd gladly team up with Cas right now to take care of the King of Hell, and then they could worry about what to do with Cas later. "Let's go," he said to Cas.

Dean stood, too. "Have you still got those weapons we gave you?" he asked Cas, eyebrows raised.

Cas made a face. "It's OK, Dean. It's me, now." Then he smiled. "You can have everything else back, but I insist on keeping the Demon knife. I believe my Brother and I have to have a little conversation. Payback, I believe it's called." He went into his pockets and started taking out the weapons, laying them on the table. "There," he told Dean. "That's everything." He held his arms out. "You can frisk me, if you want."

Dean considered it, then shook his head. He recognized his best friend now, and if that Demon asshat took over Cas's body, Dean and Sam could deal with him. "Nah," Dean said. "Just give me and Sam a minute to get armed, and we'll be right with you."

Gail was starting to panic. They really meant it. They were going to kill Crowley. But she couldn't let them do it. He was too important. But, WHY was he so important? Was she emotionally attached to Crowley now because of that blood bond thing? If so, maybe she should just let the men kill him. No good could come of something like that, she was sure. But Gail just knew there was more to it than that. We need him! her mind screamed. He can't be allowed to die now! She'd never had such a powerful intuition in her life.

Gail was clutching at Castiel now. "Please, you can't kill him, Cas. Please."

"It'll be all right, Gail," he assured her. "Once he's dead, the blood bond will be broken." He smiled thinly. "Another very good reason to do it."

"No, you don't understand," she said, raising her voice. "We need him."

"We don't need that guy for anything," Dean said, walking to Castiel's side. "He's been screwing with us for way too long. It's time for him to go."

"You stay here, Gail," Sam said, joining the other two men. "We'll be back in a bit."

"No!" She was frantic now. "You can't! Please! Listen to me!"

Castiel was looking at her sadly. He'd heard how powerful the blood bond was, but he'd had no idea. They were doing the right thing; he was sure of it. His Brother had played fast and loose with them over the years, and he was a menace. Once she was freed of the bond by Crowley's death, Gail would agree that they had acted appropriately.

"You guys know that I get these feelings sometimes, right?" Gail said, appealing to all three of them now. "Well, I'm getting one, right now. If you kill him, you'll undo everything we've done. We still need him for the cure."

Sam was shaking his head. "No, Gail, we don't need him. And YOU don't need him. Look what he's done to you. You can't even come here now, without one of us having to invite you! You should never have trusted him. That's it. He's done."

The brothers walked into the hall towards the weapons room as Gail watched helplessly. She had to do something.

"Please, Cas, don't do this," she begged him. But he was Castiel now, and he was adamant. "He cannot be allowed to live, Gail. We need to protect you from him, and then we will complete the cure so that you will be protected from me." He smiled sadly. "You will stay here until that happens. Sam and Dean will make sure that I will not hurt you." He was not unmindful of the irony; he was outraged that Crowley had been interfering with her, but had he not done it himself, twice? And she did need to be protected from him still. The Demon's first thought, upon hearing confirmation that she had received some more of Crowley's blood, had been to want to dose her again, with his own. If she was going to share a blood bond with anyone, it was going to be with him, and Crowley had been trying to tip the scales. Well, Crowley had screwed with them for the last time. After Crowley was dead, the only blood bond that would exist would be between Castiel and Gail. The way it should be.

Gail could see that she was getting nowhere, and she was running out of time. So she rolled the dice. She sent Crowley a message with her mind: "Sam and Dean and Castiel are coming for you, and they mean to kill you. Tell them you're going to meet them at the crossroads, but don't do it. Meet me outside the bunker, instead."

She looked at Castiel, but he showed no reaction. Hopefully, Crowley had been telling her the truth; that she could send private messages to the King of Hell with only her mind. And hopefully, he would do what she said. She had to save Crowley's life.

Sam and Dean came back out, and Dean called Crowley on his cell phone, telling him to meet them at the crossroads. They needed to speak with him, urgently.

Castiel kissed her on the forehead. "Stay here," he instructed her. "We'll be back when it's done." Then he grabbed one of Sam's arms and one of Dean's, and he winked them out of the bunker.

Gail waited for a second, then she sent another mental message to Crowley: "Come to the bunker, now." She winked outside, and he was already standing there.

"So they're really going there intending to kill me?" he asked her, one eyebrow raised. "I do believe my feelings are hurt. The question is, why?"

Gail raised her own eyebrow. All right, he thought. Fair enough. "OK, why right now?" he amended.

"They found out about your little stunt with the needle," she told him dryly. "And, like me, they weren't too amused."

He was unrepentant. "So, after all I've done to help, they're going to kill me. Well, why am I here, then? Why aren't you with them, sharpening your knife?"

"Because I need you," she replied. And it was true; she needed him for the cure. He still had an important role to play, she was sure of it. But that was all there was to it, right? Or was it? Surely, she didn't mean that she needed him in her life? That she missed him when he wasn't around? That he had been the only one she had had any fun with in her recent memory? Oh God, she did have a blood bond with him. There were a couple of reasons now that she didn't want him to die.

"We have to hide you somewhere," Gail said to him. She reached out and took his hand, and he looked at her in surprise. "Somewhere they can't find you."

Crowley stared at her in amazement. She had the bond! And her hand felt very warm in his. He had always felt that Angels holding hands was a little ridiculous. If that was all you were able to do with each other, why even bother? But now he understood how affectionate a simple gesture like that could be. No one had ever just reached out and taken his hand like that. Not even his blessed mother.

"I'll just go back to Hell," he told her softly. "They can't come there."

"Castiel can," she pointed out to him, and he winced. Yes, his Brother probably could now, couldn't he? In his astonishment over Gail's behaviour, he had forgotten about that. But then he had an idea. There was one place he felt certain that Castiel would not think to look, and that he wouldn't be able to access alone. And Crowley wanted Gail with him there. Castiel's friends could carry on and cure him if they still wanted to, but Crowley did not want Gail cured. He was finally ready to admit it: Crowley wanted her for himself. It might take a while, but she would thank him for it in the end. He would never brutalize her the way Castiel had. His Brother had had her for a year now, and all she had ever experienced with him was pain and sorrow. Yes, Crowley himself had been behind some of what she had undergone, but it was Castiel that Crowley wanted to hurt now. Gail had just been collateral damage, suffering from her association with his Brother. She and Crowley could have a clean slate, a new beginning, now that they were bonded by blood.

He reached out and put his hand on her forehead, and Gail crumpled to the ground. He knelt down and touched her forehead again, modifying her memory. Then he snapped them both away from there.

Dean was fuming. They'd been waiting a while now, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Crowley wasn't going to show.

"She tipped him off somehow," Dean said angrily. Then he looked at Cas, who looked alarmed. "Sorry, Cas."

But Castiel realized that Dean was probably right. She'd been so adamant that they should not kill him. She had claimed it was because they needed Crowley for the cure, but it was the blood bond that greatly concerned Castiel. Now Crowley wasn't coming, and they had left Gail alone, back at the bunker. Cas had left her there to protect her, but he had been stupid. She had the ability to go anywhere she chose, didn't she? Could she access Hell by herself now, perhaps?

"Sam, Dean, I'm going to send you back to the bunker. See if Gail is there. I'll wait for your report." He took his cell phone out of his pocket.

They nodded. Cas's concern was contagious. Whatever problems they had with him, Gail was the priority now.

Castiel gave them the push, and then he paced, waiting for their call. And sure enough, when Dean called, he advised that she was gone.

"What do we do now?" Dean said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He realized they'd been stupid, too. In their eagerness to dispatch Crowley once and for all, they'd forgotten about what Gail might be capable of now. Her and her dark eyes. "Do you think she's stashed him somewhere?"

"Nowhere that I can't find them," Castiel said grimly. And he knew just where to look, too. His Brother was going to pay through the nose for this. Blood bond or no, Crowley was not going to have her. "I'll be in touch," he told Dean, and hung up.

Then he descended into Hell.

Crowley and Gail were actually in Hell at the moment, but Crowley had no intention of taking her anywhere that Castiel would be able to follow.

He put his hand on the scanner, confirming his identity, and the door to Lucifer's wing opened. Lucky there were a lot of nerds in Hell, Crowley thought sardonically. One of his minions had ingeniously rigged the panel the recognize Crowley's actual DNA strand. That way, if anyone sought to get clever, chopping off Crowley's hand to gain admittance, the door still would not open to them.

Then he leaned down and picked Gail up, carrying her over the threshold like a groom would do with his bride. Perhaps one day, that would be an apt analogy. But he had tried to force the issue before, and that had not worked. This time, though, they were both Originals, and she had the bond. A year ago, his blood had influenced her, but it had not bonded her to him, and Castiel had been able to turn her head. This time, Crowley was the one who had the advantage. He would be sweet and kind to her, and she would fall in love with him. Crowley was going to take a leaf from Castiel's book and create a new persona for himself, one that would be only for Gail. Then, when she was fully his, he would integrate the two personalities, just as it seemed that Castiel had successfully done now. When he had modified her memory, Crowley had seen that she was thinking about that particular phenomenon. Somehow, it seemed that Castiel had been able to discipline his mind enough to channel all three of his personalities as needed, and presumably the Demon was no longer solely in control. Well, Crowley didn't have diseased blood, and he was fully capable of conducting himself properly, unlike his Brother. Crowley's strange sense of fair play made him leave Gail's memories of her friends intact, but he'd left only her negative recollections of Castiel. That way, if anything disastrous were to happen, she would not gravitate back towards his Brother this time; she would want to stay well away from him. Crowley might be fairly confident that Gail would be his in time, but he was no fool, either.

He carried her past Lucifer's cage, and the two occupants rose to their feet, astonished. What was Crowley doing? Lucifer started to grin. Was he bringing her in here?

But Crowley passed by the cage without acknowledging either of his Brothers, and he took her to a room near the end of the wing. The door swung open at his approach, and Crowley laid her down on the floor inside. Then he waved his arms, and the room was transformed into a tropical paradise.

Gail was lying on a chaise lounge now, and then he waved his hands over both of them. She was now wearing a sundress, and he was wearing an open-necked shirt and khaki pants. He'd never really been a shorts kind of guy. Crowley grinned at that thought.

One final touch. He conjured a table in-between their lounge chairs and put two cold drinks there, the kind that had some ice, and liberal amounts of alcohol. And colourful umbrellas, of course.

He touched her forehead once more, giving her another memory, and then he woke her. Crowley grabbed one of the drinks and sat down in the other lounge chair, watching her.

Gail stirred, and then she yawned and stretched. She looked around at their surroundings, seeming confused for a moment. Then she turned to look at Crowley. He held his breath, waiting for her to speak.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked him. Then she smiled. "Sorry about that. Jet lag, I guess."

"I got you a nice, cold drink," Crowley said, handing the other glass to her. "I know how you dislike the heat."

Gail took the glass from him, then raised it to him in salute. "Thanks, Ian," she said, still smiling. "Cheers."

They clinked glasses, then sipped at their drinks. Gail looked around again. "I'm glad you suggested this," she said to Crowley. "It's just the break I needed."

"I thought you could use a vacation," he told her. "And don't worry, Cas doesn't know where you are." He studied her face as he said that. He wanted to see her reaction.

Gail frowned. "Good. He's just going to have to accept that he's hurt me for the last time." She shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. "His loss."

"Amen to that," Crowley said, smiling. "Let's just relax here for a while, and then we'll get dressed for dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Gail said. She took another couple of sips from her drink. It was very good, and Ian had been so nice to get it for her. He had been really sweet to her, throughout this whole mess with Cas. She did hope that Cas would be all right, though; after all, they'd had a history together. But she had washed her hands of him. He still had Sam and Dean. He would be just fine.

Cas raced around from room to room in Hell, looking for them. But they were nowhere to be found. His mind worked furiously. Where could his Brother have taken them? Castiel opened his mind wide, just as he had done on Earth, trying to receive their signal. Two Originals together should be splitting his head open. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. He had even relented and let the Demon take over, to torture a few higher-ranking Demons in hopes that they would know of or divulge the King's whereabouts, but to no avail. No one seemed to have any idea where the King was, and Demon Cas's interrogation had been very enthusiastic.

He visited every place that he and Gail had ever been to on Earth, grasping at straws. He even went to the house, on the off chance that she had been there and left him a note. But there had been no note, and her clothes were all still there. She had simply vanished.

There was nothing further he could do on his own, so Cas took out his cell phone and called Bobby, begging him to look for her. But Bobby couldn't see her anywhere, either. Where was she? What were they going to do? And what was Crowley going to do to her?

- END OF BOOK 9 -