Title: Lost and Found

Chapter: 25

~~~~~~~~~~~

While Gwen expected some nasty surprise to go along with his words, the Trickster apparently felt such a gesture unnecessary. Awfully magnanimous of him. What exactly was he up to? She thought about all she’d learned about him and decided he was definitely up to something.

“Wait, how do all of you know him,” Jo asked.

“I thought Tricksters were demigods, not Alphas.” Dean turned to Sam. “Demigods or no?”

“I’m like a demigod,” the Trickster said, “only better.”

“They’re a little more than demigods.” Gwen watched him carefully. “Very dangerous creatures with sizeable egos.”

“We meet you before or was it always Gabriel,” Dean demanded.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Tell me.” Raising the gun in his hands, Dean took aim.

“You can’t hurt me with that.”

“No, but I can have an awful lot of fun putting holes in you anyway.”

“Can’t have you doing that, Dean. I think you need to pay more attention to your wife.” With a clap of his hands, he’d put Dean and Jo at the back of the Impala, where they began to argue once more.

Sam watched them a moment, his lips tightening into a thin line. “Make them stop.”

“If you think I can just snap my fingers like Gabriel did….” The Trickster laughed. “You’re right, I could, but I won’t. That’s good entertainment, right there, let me tell you what.” It was uncanny how good an impression Gabriel had done of him. “The effect will fade an hour or so after I’m gone from this place, maybe sooner. They’ll go back to normal. Boring normal. I like them this way, full of fight and snark.”

“Why choose them,” Sam asked.

“Why not them? Gabriel had such a fascination with you Winchesters. Why not have a little fun? Besides, sometimes I cause discord in happy relationships to show the smug it’s not always roses, teach them a deserved lesson. Like those two.” He pointed at Jo and Dean. “Couple of smug kids thinking they’ve got it all figured out. You should have seen how smug they were, both thinking nothing would rain on their parade, giddy with excitement.” Now he leaned against the car. “But as you can hear, they’ve learned their lesson and started thinking about the hard things.”

Something about his tone didn’t seem right. He hadn’t just come across them, had he? Gwen had a hunch…. “Were you sent after them?” Gwen didn’t bother softening her tone. She knew well how showing any weakness to him could backfire.

He quirked a brow and slowly inclined his head. “Actually, I was. It wasn’t just dumb luck. I knew they’d be here. I did a favor to someone higher up than myself. Sometimes I will -- if asked nicely.” One hand gestured. “Like when Gabriel asked if I’d be willing to trick the gods, see if they could tell the difference between me and an imposter. Good joke, that.”

“Apparently only Kali could,” Sam replied in a dry tone.

“Gabe messed with her?” He whistled long and low. “She’s a nasty piece of work. Talk about complicated women.”

“Sometimes he lived on the edge. I should have known he’d choose the Alpha to contact instead of one of the descendants. Easier to mask his own level of power if he chose a being with a high level to begin with. How exactly did that happen?”

Gwen knew about Gabriel. He was one of the stories Sam had told her, though Sam hadn’t revealed that he’d masqueraded as a Trickster, only that they’d tangled with him a few times.

The Trickster studied him. “You want the story, Sam? Okay. Consider it a gift for figuring out I was even here. He looked like me, got it? Gabriel’s vessel was similar in looks to me and he did a bit of, shall we say, reconstructive surgery to make the similarities far more striking. He went clean-shaven, which I hadn’t done in front of any of them and we spent awhile together so he could get my mannerisms down. That angel had quite the presence. I think he made a good me. It was a glorious trick, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. I must say, I think he and I were brothers under the skin. I liked his style.” He pointed at Sam, then at Dean. “And I like you two and your women. I especially like Gwen.”

“It’s not mutual,” Gwen replied.

“Would that it were….” His tone was wistful. “I was glad to move on from there. He gave me the chance to see the world without them breathing down my neck. Now, while the vacation was nice, I’m headed back to work full-time. With him gone, I have to get back to the nitty-gritty lessons. This bit here was getting my toes back in the water, stretching my muscles.”

“I should kill you,” Sam told him. “We kill things like you.”

“I know you do. Quite the occupation and you’re very good at killing, aren’t you? But why kill me, Sam? All I did was play a harmless little trick on your brother and his lovely wife. They can easily recover…if they’ve got the heart for their hasty marriage.” His smile was wicked. “Do I hear happy hearts, Dean and Jo,” he called out.

The radio in both cars turned on, a song playing, interrupted by bursts of static.

“…I’m not half I’m whole now with your love...It’s my happy heart….”

“If they don’t recover I’ll hunt you down --”

“And kill me, blah, blah, blah. That refrain is already getting old. How do you even plan on killing me? I haven’t killed anyone -- that you’re aware of in recent days. That puts a big old crimp in that plan.”

“If we find a victim or more than one, we will come after you.”

“I look forward to being your Moriarty, Sherlock.” He took a step closer to Gwen, hand reaching out and almost touching her hair. “We could have been fantastic together, darling, what with my good looks and your unique spark. Rowr.” He rolled his r’s and shrugged a brow several times. “What we could have created together….” He sighed. “Alas, it’d never last.”

“You’re a murdering Trickster.” She leaned back, away from his hand, and he pulled it back.

“And a confirmed bachelor. I’d only leave you in a bad way, darling. Please, don’t beg me to stay. You’re embarrassing yourself.” His attention turned back to Sam. “Until we meet again.” Turning into a crow, he flew off.

“Unique spark,” Sam asked, arching a brow and returning back to stand beside her.

“I think it’s his way of trying to woo me. Made a big deal about it when we captured him -- his avatar, I guess. Pissed Samuel off how he went on and then when it wasn’t even the Trickster himself?”

“I don’t remember that.”

“You didn’t show up for a couple days yet. He was the first Alpha we tried capturing. Slippery. Made Samuel look like a damn fool.”

“Wish I could have seen that.”

“It was kind of funny.” She replayed that scene in her mind and smiled. Samuel certainly hadn’t learned the lesson the Trickster had attempted to impart that series of days. He’d obviously been suggesting that Samuel’s course of action was a foolish one and had turned out to be completely correct on that count. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Over by the Impala, Dean and Jo both sputtered to a stop, going silent and staring at each other. They backed away from each other, both with a stricken expression. Jo turned away first and Sam sighed.

“Here’s hoping they’ll be fine in awhile after a good talk or two.” He pushed off from the car and walked around the Impala. Gwen couldn’t hear what he was saying to them, his voice was too low, but when he came back, he motioned for her to get in the car. “Dean wants to talk with Jo alone. They’ll meet us at the hotel. I told them we’ll wait in the lobby.”

“Is leaving them alone a good idea?”

“Maybe.” He opened the car door. “Won’t know until later.”

At a last glance in the mirror before they were out of sight, Jo and Dean were standing side by side, much like they had when Gwen and Sam had driven up.

~~~~~~~~~

It was like waking from a nightmare only to realize it had all been real. Jo sucked in a breath. She and Dean had been bickering for days and not the half-hearted joking bickering they usually did. They’d been doing full-on nit-picking that at times had slid into heated arguments.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the car, staring out at the desert road, half afraid to look at Dean and see the expression on his face.

“Bad few days, huh?”

Jo was shaking, more than half afraid the Trickster’s intervention had derailed their relationship completely. Not a good way to start a marriage. “Yeah. Very bad.” She recalled some of the things she’d said and bit her lip, tears threatening. Her stomach was upset, feeling like it was flip-flopping inside her.

Dean slid his hands in his jeans pockets. “About the whole being easy to live with thing…. You’re actually very easy to be around, Jo.”

“So are you.”

He laughed. “No, you had it right. I’m a bear. I don’t know how you or Sam put up with me. I’m the epitome of annoying.”

At least he was laughing. That should be a good sign, right? As for being easy to live with, Jo had found it easy to be with him. Well…when she wasn’t under the Trickster’s power. “I’m not easy to live with either, Dean. I’m opinionated, headstrong, and have a tendency to be sarcastic.”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “That just makes you good fun.”

Looking up at him, she saw that he meant it. “You really think that, don’t you?”

“What’s a woman if she doesn’t have a little fire in her?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve got a whole blaze. Just ask my mother.”

“She’s got the blaze, Jo. You’re just…simmering and tempting.”

“And you’re the sweetest man I know.”

“I know a lot of people who’d argue with you on that.”

“So what do we do now?” Jo was afraid to ask that question and did anyway. She was one to face her fears and ignoring it wouldn’t make it go away. They had to deal with the past few days one way or another.

Stepping in front of her, he took her hand and began to slide the engagement ring off her finger.

Her lower lip quivered. No, she thought. Oh no…. The tears began to fall and Jo wiped at them with her other hand. This was it, wasn’t it?

But he didn’t take the ring all the way off like she thought he was going to, kneeling in front of her. “Joanna Beth Harvelle, will you do me the honor of marrying me again in front of our friends and family? No Tricksters invited.”

Her breath caught in her throat. He wasn’t taking the ring back? “You still want to marry me?”

“We’re already married, Jo. I still want to be married to you. What the Trickster did…. It wasn’t natural. Now, maybe we’ll be like that in twenty or thirty years if we live that long, but who knows, right? We’re not that way now. Might not be in our cards. Besides, I don’t buy into that whole predestined crap. What’s say we make our own destiny together?”

She smiled, still holding back tears, only they’d become happy tears. “Yes. I’ll marry you a second time.”

He returned the ring fully onto her finger and stood, moving close and cradling her hips in his hands. Dean’s lips parted and it looked like he was trying to gather courage to say something.

Jo slid her hands up his arms and shoulders and clasped her hands behind his neck.

“You’ve given me new life, Jo, helped bring me back from a bad place. I’m feeling again.” One hand raised, fingers sliding through her hair. “I’ve never said this out loud to you before, but…. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He kissed her, a caress that was just as thrilling as their first real kiss had been.

~~~~~~~~~~

When angels had fled from heaven, Abigael had poked her head out of the library for the first time in centuries. She, like others, had been listening carefully to the news of what was happening outside, secretly thrilled whenever Castiel had a victory and crushed when he suffered a defeat.

She’d actually met him several times over the centuries, though it was obvious he’d made more of an impression on her than she’d made on him. He was the sort of angel she wanted to be: calm, cool, and confident enough in his own convictions to take on an archangel. An angelic hero, bravely forging a new heaven despite powerful opposition.

Never had she thought she’d work side by side with him and have the chance to study him close. The chance to do that…. It made her feel strangely giddy and prone to nervous giggles and blushes.

Ariel’s teasing that she had a crush on Castiel was wholly accurate, only not in the human definition of the word. Her crush was more that, in her opinion, he embodied all that the angels should be in this current time. The chance to learn directly from him was an awesome one and she’d jumped at that chance, leaving the utter safety of the library completely and signing up as one of the first angels interested in the AMP. Castiel had said that she was brave for doing that and leaving her comfort zone for an unknown path. She supposed she’d believe him, since he obviously knew a lot about bravery.

Ariel and Jael had made many jokes at her expense and likely still were. She suspected they’d gone to Uzziel and rigged the drawing in her favor.

She’d already had a vessel. It had been an order at one point from Raphael. He’d wanted members of each department ready for his summons to do work on earth and she’d been one of the ones chosen. What an ultimate relief never to have been called by him!

While it might have been nice to have Castiel’s guidance on wooing and caring for a vessel (it was rumored he’d once put a guard on his vessel’s family to keep them safe -- how was that for truly caring for his vessel?), she was just as glad to be able to jump right in to lessons. Castiel was a fount of information that she couldn’t learn in classes. Being here with him was a gateway to experiences she could only have on earth with humans. It was exciting and at the same time, frightening. She didn’t want to let him down.

They waited in the suite Dean and Jo had been staying in for the two to return with Sam and Gwen, dissipating any remaining parts of the Trickster’s magic. Castiel went onto the balcony and looked down. “He’s still here, but I believe he’s moved on from Jo and Dean. He’s found other targets for his pranks.”

She joined him. “Shouldn’t he be killed? He’s a threat to humans.”

“You could argue that we’re a threat. We have been as a whole. Does that mean all angels should be killed?”

“No, of course not.”

“If he murders, he should be dealt with in some way, but it appears as though he’s simply playing nasty tricks at present that aren’t necessarily fatal.”

She tried to focus as he was, to see what he was, and after a moment, succeeded. Her skills in new areas were growing. She was learning a different set of job skills now, different ones than she’d had for library work, doing her best to excel and understand how it all worked together. Castiel had soldier’s skills and a scholar’s leanings. Abigael only hoped she could someday reach his levels in both areas. “You’re right. He’s moved on.”

“I’m sure they’ll run across him again eventually.” He faced her. “When they arrive, I wish you to ask Gwen if she’d like you to heal her ankle. When she says yes, I’ll supervise the task.”

“Why me?”

“You should begin bonding with them and I think Gwen is a good one to begin with. She was the first one to meet you, whether she remembers it or not.”

“Will she say yes?”

“It’s likely she will once you explain what’s in store for her later if it heals naturally. Sam may object, but ultimately, it’s her decision.”

When they all arrived and the introductions were over, Dean put an arm around Jo, probably to diffuse any lingering tension from him recognizing Risa. Abigael did understand that much. His hand swept up and down Jo’s hip. “So Risa’s a vessel then? That explains Zachariah using her in that future I guess. How long has she been your vessel?”

Abigael looked at Castiel. At his tiny nod, imperceptible to the human eye, she answered the question. “Since about the middle of the war. Raphael ordered certain members of each department to take vessels and be ready for his call. I was lucky he had no use for my section of the library after all. I’m not a soldier, I’m a scholar. Human history. Cataloguing the events that have occurred.”

“You’re a librarian?” Sam asked with an arched brow. He and Dean exchanged a glance. Both of their faces reflected high amusement.

“I am.” She blinked. Dean’s thoughts were…strange and she frowned, confused. “Who is Marian and why should that be my name?”

Beside her, Castiel cleared his throat. “It’s impolite to listen to their thoughts, Abigael. They become agitated and excessively angry if you do that without permission, yet are never inclined to actually give permission.”

“My apologies, but who is Marian?”

“A librarian in a musical,” Jo answered. “Marian the librarian.”

“Oh.” She still didn’t understand the answer, but assumed she could ask Castiel later for details. Abigael turned to Gwen, who was now reclining on the bed with her ankle propped up. “Do you wish me to heal your ankle? I would be pleased to do that for you so that you’re fully mobile again.”

Gwen’s lips parted. “Oh. Um….” She looked startled by Abigael’s attention, but Abigael took Castiel’s words to heart and didn’t attempt to hear her thoughts. “I don’t --”

“If allowed to heal naturally, you’ll eventually suffer arthritis in the ankle, but with my intervention, you’ll not have that effect. Your choice.”

“When you put it like that….” She gestured at her ankle. “Go ahead. Be my guest.”

“Gwen.” Sam sat beside her. “Are you sure? We’re trying to get away from angelic healing all the time.”

“Let me think.” She rolled her gaze up to the ceiling. “Probably months of recovery time versus a minute of angelic power and I’m back on my feet again?” Gwen returned her attention to Sam. “I think I’ll take the healing this once. Don’t worry. I won’t make a habit of it.”

Abigael bent over Gwen’s ankle, cracking the cast with a touch and removing it carefully. She dulled any pain Gwen would feel from that, then healed the ankle of all injury under Castiel’s watchful gaze. She tried not to flush beneath Dean, Sam, and Jo’s scrutiny when Castiel’s hand covered hers. The process took seconds at most, though to Abigael, it felt much longer. She stood back up, aware that she’d flushed while trying not to.

“Alright, Jagger,” Dean said, releasing Jo and moving to the bed where he poked a finger at Gwen’s ankle and looked it over to a chorus of Gwen’s protests. “What are you doing here?”

Castiel stepped away from the bed. “We came to observe you. Abigael won a drawing to have personal instruction from me in regards to how to relate to humans.”

“So that’s how that happened,” Jo commented, dropping into one chair.

Gwen got off the bed and tested her ankle, putting her weight on it. “Feels fine. Thank you, Abby.”

“It’s Abigael,” she corrected, though it didn’t appear Gwen had heard her, as she didn’t indicate she had. She’d noticed humans had a tendency to shorten proper names. She’d have to ask Castiel about that later. Was it all humans or only these particular ones?

Dean crossed his arms. “No offense, Cas, but are you really the right one for that job?”

Why was Dean asking that question, Abigael wondered. Of course he was the right one. He’d fallen, learned to live as a human, and regained his angelic identity. He had plenty of knowledge to impart to his fellow angels. Abigael listened for Castiel’s answer while trying not to appear like she was listening.

“I told Uzziel to stop the drawing and he didn’t. I’m committed and,” his voice lowered though he would know she could still hear him, “the task hasn’t been the chore I’d thought it’d be. Abigael learns quickly and shows a genuine interest in humanity. We’re working our way through a series of lessons I believe will give her the skills she needs to work on her own.”

She smiled a little at the idea that he thought her a quick learner. It pleased her and she turned her attention to Jo, Gwen, and Sam, studying them.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was good to meet another angel that was nice. To many of the ones they’d met had been dicks, but Sam thought he could easily like Abby. It was also good to see Castiel at work. He was a good teacher, pointing things out to Abby in a soft voice and correcting her without sounding harsh or angry. After awhile, Cas asked Jo to show Abby the casino and explain about it. Dean went with them, claiming he wanted to see if their winning streak was over.

Castiel turned from the door. “You had something you wished to discuss with me without Dean, Jo, and Abigael around to hear?”

“How did you --”

“Your thoughts are quite loud on your desire for information. Ask.”

“What information?” Gwen stepped inside from the balcony.

“Why is Samuel trying to find Gwen? We’ve been going through the files Arlene brought without much in the way of information and I thought it’d be quicker to ask you if you knew anything.”

“Are you hiding it from Dean?”

“No. I just think he should have Jo on his mind for awhile since technically they’re on their honeymoon right now. We’ll tell him and Jo both all of it later.”

“Then I concur with the decision to withhold the information at present.” Castiel’s gaze slid to Gwen and back to Sam. “He’s trying to locate her because Gwen is special.”

Alarm slid through Sam and he shook his head. “No. Not that label, Cas. Special has never turned out good for any of us.” He’d come to hate that word and knew Dean did as well.

“That doesn’t negate it as truth.”

“How am I special?” Gwen’s voice held more than a little curiosity.

“I can’t answer that.”

“You won’t answer or you don’t know the answer?”

“Is she a vessel,” Sam stepped closer, unable to keep the urgency from his tone.

“No. Gwen is special in other ways.”

Sam looked at Gwen, studied her a moment, recalling how much she didn’t look like her parents. Since Castiel wouldn’t answer that first question, at least not in front of Gwen, he moved on to the next one. “Is she a Campbell in any way at all?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Gwen’s surprise at the question. Surely the idea had occurred to her too after some of the inconsistencies they’d discovered in the papers?

There was a flare of calculation in Cas’s eyes, as though he was weighing how much to tell them. “No, Sam. She’s not a Campbell. Never was. In no way is she related to you or Dean, by blood or marriage. You’ve no common ancestors.”

Gwen came forward, hand stretching out to brush Castiel’s sleeve. “Wait…. I was adopted?”

Castiel shook his head and transferred his attention to Gwen. “No. There was nothing official.”

While Sam could easily sense Castiel beginning to pull back from the conversation, he rushed forward with his next question, hoping for some clue to push on in their investigation of who Gwen was. “Is she another hunter’s daughter, raised by them after her parents died?”

He looked away. “Don’t pursue this avenue. Gwen, you were raised a Campbell from nearly birth. That is who you are. Patricia and Neal claimed you as theirs.”

Gwen slid her hands into her pockets. “But if I’m not a Campbell…. I want to know my biological family.”

“Why?” It was a demand that she explain herself. “Why is it important to you? Up until this moment you were content with your memory of who you are. That couple you were born to meant nothing to you, yet now you wish to know them?”

“Because they’re my real family --”

He sighed. “The people who raised you, loved you, and cared for you are your family. Those who now love you and care about you are family. You have a family right here that would die to save you. But the others….” Cas shrugged. “Leave it alone.”

“When have you known any of us to follow that advice,” Sam snapped.

Sadness flickered in Castiel’s eyes. “I’m quite aware of your frustrating propensity for doing the ill-advised action. You’ll do as you wish regardless of whatever I say, but I strongly encourage you to forget all of it. Gwen, you’re a Campbell by raising. Where you came from doesn’t matter nearly as much as who you choose to be today.”

“Cas, what’s in my family past that’s worrying you so much if I find out about it?”

“Don’t unlock that door and open it, Gwen. You won’t like what you find.”

He was gone in a flutter of wings.

“So, are we still digging,” Sam asked.

“Oh, hell yes,” Gwen replied with a gleam of anticipation in her eyes. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away now.”

If Cas had meant to discourage them, he’d gone about it the wrong way, Sam reflected. They were going to get to the bottom of this mystery, even if it meant hunting Samuel down and forcing him to tell what he knew.

A few hours later, after a big dinner where they all toasted to Dean and Jo’s health and happiness together, Dean pulled Sam aside and handed him two room cards and a credit card.

“Here.”

Sam took them, looked at them. “What’s this for?”

“I think Jo and I’ve had enough bright lights, big city. We’re going to take off, find a cabin in the middle of nowhere for a few days, and get back in tune with each other before it’s time to head back to Bobby’s. After the whammy the Trickster did on us, we need to sort a few things out alone.”

“Why give them to me?”

“I thought you and Gwen could take the room. Someone should enjoy the fancy digs for another couple days. Besides, since Gwen’s all healed now, you can really hit the shows, see what kind of trouble you can get into.”

“Dean….” Sam shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Which part? The shows or the trouble?”

“The taking the room with Gwen part.”

“Why not?” He was puzzled, glancing back over Sam’s shoulder where Jo and Gwen were waiting. “Not like you never shared a room before.”

He hadn’t wanted to distract Dean now, but in light of Castiel’s confirmation of his suspicions, he’d feel weird about being in a honeymoon suite with Gwen. “Well…because…Gwen’s not really our cousin.”

Dean blinked twice. “Repeat that?”

“We’ve been looking at the archives and we’ve come across a few things that suggested she was adopted.”

“What are you talking about?” As he’d predicted to himself, interest sparked in Dean’s eyes. “When did you start going through the archives?”

“A few days ago. I asked Cas. Gwen isn’t a Campbell. Never was. Neal and Patricia weren’t her biological parents. They sort of adopted her unofficially. I guess they created the papers they needed.”

“So…what? You don’t want to share a room with her because why? You’ve had a hard-on for a woman you thought was your cousin? That’s dueling banjos, dude.”

He should have known Dean would come to that conclusion. “No, it just…. Well, it changes things. Complicates them. Before, I thought we were family and it turns out we’re not.”

Dean raised a hand, stroking his chin with thumb and forefinger. “No blood relation?”

“None.”

“Mmm. You’re right, that does change things.”

“I know, right?”

“Changes, just,” he gestured, “doesn’t really complicate them. Not unless you think you could be attracted to her and that scares the hell out of you.” His amusement faded slightly. “Good God, Sam, that’s it, isn’t it? It’s not that you’ve had a hard-on for her, it’s that you’re afraid you will now.” He started laughing and Sam would swear it held a relieved note to it. “Oh, man….”

“It’s not funny, Dean.”

“Yeah, it is. A little.” He clapped a hand on Sam’s back. “Sorry, Sam. I have absolutely no words of advice for this situation except to enjoy the rest of your week and maybe…take her swimming.”

“That won’t help.”

“It might. See if anything comes up.”

Sam looked away with a put upon sigh. “You’re not funny.”

“Yes, I am. Seriously, Sammy, don’t sweat it. You’ve spent this long in her company, I think you’ll be fine.”

Maybe. But how did he explain that Gwen had suddenly become far from safe? He’d let himself enjoy her company primarily because she was a relation, now to discover she wasn’t at all? It put her in the available category and Dean was right. That scared the hell out of Sam. It was easy to have one-night stands because he didn’t care about them. The women were fairly anonymous. However, he cared about Gwen and maybe he should hedge his bets and have another chat with Castiel, this time a private one -- just in case.

Castiel arrived as soon as Dean and Jo were gone and Gwen had gone down to the casino for awhile. He leaned against the dresser, hands gripping the edge. “You’re becoming as insistent as Dean on immediate meetings, Sam.” His tone suggested he didn’t appreciate it, either. “What now?”

“Can you tell me how Gwen is special? Is she….” Sam shrugged. “You know. Capable of having vessels? I know you angels use the word special for that sometimes.”

Castiel stared at him. “Your obsession with the probabilities of vessel creation borders on insane, Sam.”

“I need to know. You said she was special. Is that how she’s special and you didn’t want her to know?”

“Gwen is a unique woman with many outstanding attributes, like Jo. Both are special. Do you demand the same information on Jo?”

“No, of course not.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s Dean’s wife, Cas. It’s up to Dean to ask that question if he hasn’t already. I’d hardly sleep with Jo.”

“You’re planning on sleeping with Gwen now?” His brows rose with the question.

“Just answer the question.”

Castiel shifted position slightly. To Sam, it felt like Cas’s stare was searing through him. “Vessel creation is a delicate process. Each vessel is the product of a careful integration of certain assets within bloodlines resulting in prime conditions within the human body to house angels. The archangel lines are even more delicate because the vessels must be able to withstand the raw power of the archangels. The chances of Gwen being that sort of special meant to carry on a line -- an archangel line at that -- are one in billions. Does that ease your mind?”

He breathed a slow sigh of relief. “It does. I just…. I needed to know, Cas. For my own peace of mind in case….” He shrugged again. “I like her. If something happens and our relationship changes…. I’m not saying it will, but it could and I don’t want to have to worry about Lucifer’s line. I can’t risk the line continuing. You understand, right?”

“Gwen is a fine woman, Sam, whatever occurs between you…or doesn’t occur.”

Castiel was gone then and Sam felt a bit of tension ease from his shoulders. He was free to enjoy himself for the rest of the week now, getting back to enjoying her company as he had been. It was a relief to discover her speculation awhile back about vessels had been true. At least if something happened with her, he wouldn’t have to worry about Lucifer’s line. It was the other things he’d have to worry about, the normal every day things.

Really, he was only being realistic. He and Gwen worked together, spent a lot of time together. Realistically, with them not being family, an attraction could develop. If it did, he could relax about it line-wise.

Sam smiled a little to himself and decided to join Gwen in the casino.

~~~~~~~~~~

Abigael was still waiting in one of heaven’s hallways where he’d left her upon Sam’s summons, her arms crossed. “You lied to him,” she accused. “You let him believe she --”

Her accusation was correct and he interrupted her before she could go on. “I gave him the odds without exposing a piece of truth. It wasn’t a lie exactly, more an omission. Sam took the information as he chose to, as he longed to. Abigael, there are things they can’t know, things we can’t divulge even if we must lie to them. The archangel lines is one of those topics. We’re to protect the lines even if the angels aren’t around to use the vessels produced.”

“It’s wrong to lie.”

“It is usually, but we’re still under God’s direction. Protecting the archangel lines at all cost was mandated along with the archangels protecting the prophets. Those two orders did come directly from Him. That was one of the things Uzziel and I confirmed through Joshua’s connection.”

“Confusing.”

“Yes. Now, I’m giving you a couple days to think abut what we’ve covered so far. I’ve a few matters to attend to. We’ll return to earth together by the end of the week.”

She nodded and turned, walking slowly down the hallway. Castiel waited until she was gone before leaving heaven and returning to earth. He wanted to spend some time with Ellen and see how she was progressing in that bet she’d made with Bobby. Since everyone else was taking time off, why shouldn’t he take a few hours as well?