._.__.~Castiel~.__._.

I was quite intrigued by Felicity's newfound abilities. She could conjure as well as my brother, Gabriel. She was hyper observant, which is how we got ourselves in this situation. I could only imagine what else was in store.

We found Gerald and decided to ask him a few questions. Of course, Felicity did most of the talking.

"Can I help you?" He asked us once we arrived at his apartment.

"You must be Gerald Turner." Felicity began.

"Yeah. Who're you?"

"My name is Shana," She used her fake name. I just hoped she wouldn't use mine. "And this is my associate... Jimmy." Jimmy. My vessel's name. How she knew it, I wasn't sure. Perhaps it was merely a coincidence.

"What do you want?"

"We're here about the disappearance of Linda Turner."

"It wasn't no disappearance. Stella put you up to this, didn't she?"

"Sir, we are just going to ask you some questions. It won't take long."

He hesitated for only a moment. "Fine. What do you wanna know?"

"Do you know where Linda is exactly?"

"She's with her sister. After the fight, she stormed out and said she'd be with that little bitch until further notice."

"Have you made contact with her since then?"

"Nah. Anything I say to her will go in one ear an' out the other."

"How long has she been away?"

"Well, the fight was about a week ago, so since then I s'pose."

"And she wanted a divorce, correct?"

Gerald chuckled. "She wants a divorce every damn Thursday. It ain't nothing special. She's a serious drama queen."

"And where is Linda's sister?"

"Just a couple towns over. I can give you an address."

"That would be very helpful. Thank you for your cooperation."

He wrote down the town and address on a slip of paper and we left.

"Are we leaving Boulder, then?" I asked.

"We'll leave tomorrow. I think we should stick around here a little while longer just to make sure nothing falls through the cracks."

I nodded. "Yes. I suppose that would be wise."

We flew to the motel room we had rented. Felicity was compiling all of the information we had gathered. I, on the other hand, was in the middle of a self-conflict. It was about the most trivial, seemingly negligible thing.

Telling Felicity I loved her.

I knew it was something I had to say, and would eventually say, but it made me feel apprehensive. It was something I'd never said to anyone before, and I had no idea where to start. She made me feel human, as far as emotions go, and I honestly wasn't sure if that was good or bad. The fact that I loved her in the first place was enough to make my stomach flip. Metaphorically, of course.

I walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, pressing my palms against the sink. I desperately needed to sort through my thoughts.

"Felicity Sanders," I whispered to my reflection. "The way I feel around you is unarguably the most pleasant experience I can imagine. I can feel my heart race, my stomach twist into knots, the adrenaline pump through my veins, and it's because of the emotion that I cannot hold back any longer. You make me feel... human. And I cannot decide whether that's good or bad, but as long as I feel human around you, none of that matters. Good, bad, I don't care. As long as you are with me until the very end, I. Don't. Care. Felicity Sanders... I-"

There was a knock at the door which cut me off. I jumped slightly, but quickly relaxed.

"Yes?" I called.

"Hate to interrupt, but I believe I have found something a bit... shall we say, unnatural."

"What is it?"

"Just... wrap up what you're doing and get out here."

I sighed lightly. I glanced at my reflection and frowned at what I saw. I saw a desperate angel who can't bring himself to say three little words to the woman he loved.

I opened the door where Felicity waited.

"Let's play deductions." She smiled.

I subconsciously tilted my head to the side in confusion. "I have never heard of such a game. You will have to tell me the rules." Some moments, I felt human. Other times, my uncultured angelic side kicked in.

She chuckled. "It's not a game. Not in that sense. I'm talking about figuring out the mystery."

"You said you found something?"

"Just a tidbit of a something."

"Meaning what?"

"Well, I gave Gerald and Linda's neighbor a call. According to her, they were fighting about some pretty weird stuff."

"Like what?"

"For example, she'd hear Gerald say something about hiding something. 'You can't keep hiding this! Someone's gonna find you out!' And things of that nature. And she would usually reply with, 'Its not my fault I'm different! It's all because of my family! They're the ones who caused me to be me!'"

"What could that possibly mean?" I wondered.

"Not sure. But I think it's definitely worth looking into."

"Who was this neighbor?"

"I didn't get her name. But I think we've got enough to go on."

"What should we do?"

"I'll go Invisible Girl and sneak into Gerald's place, snoop around and see if I find anything."

"What about me?"

"You keep watch. Stay outside, make sure nothing happens."

I sighed, knowing what she was trying to do. "Felicity, if you want me to stay here, you can just say so. There is no need to bring me along if you can handle it."

She sighed as well. "You sure?"

"I am positive. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden. I... I guess I've got it covered."

"Just go. I will be fine here."

She paused for a moment. She grabbed my tie and pulled me closer so our lips connected. We stayed like that for a while until she broke free.

I half smiled. "I'll miss you."

She smiled back. "I'll miss you more."

I gave her a light peck on her soft lips. "I'll miss you most."

Her smile grew. "I'll be back in... safe side an hour or so. Gotta make sure I leave no stone unturned."

"And I'll be right here, waiting for you."

She kissed me again and flew out, the sound of fluttering wings marking her departure.

I sighed and sat on the bed. I buried my face in my hands and began to think.

I should've told her, but I was such a fool that I backed out. Three little words, while small in size, meant a great deal. It meant commitment. It meant dedication. It meant... forever. I knew I was loyal to her, but how far was she willing to go for the sake of our love? All these thoughts swarming my mind continuously made my head spin. But one thought was relentless in its attempt to subdue me.

Did she love me back?

I laid down on my back, my legs still hanging off the edge of the bed. My thoughts continued to haunt me.

It should have been obvious to me, but I just wasn't sure of anything anymore. When someone loves you, how is it supposed to feel? Every time she kisses me, it feels as though she is forcing it upon herself. Of course, that could have been my paranoia. It was something I had been struggling with for a while.

All of these emotions were puzzling. Paranoia, sadness, anger, even jealousy. They were all mind boggling. It was all very stressful.

I then remembered that book Felicity had showed me, with all of the optical illusions. I knew I shouldn't have gone through her handbag, but I needed that book. She said it helped get her mind off everything.

I found it and started reading through it. I found the afterimages page. I stared at the dot in the center of the woman's forehead for thirty seconds then blinked. I saw her image displayed perfectly once I closed my eyes.

A smile crept across my face. I continued to read through the book, and once I reached the end, I reread it.

I kept reading it, laying on my stomach with the book resting on the pillow. It reached the point where I could hardly keep my eyes open. And the last thing I remember seeing before falling asleep was the afterimage of that same woman.