Chronicles of Absolution: Lure and Allure

Chapter 1

The night was alive with the lights in town blinking their brightness. The club was full of patrons that were eagerly waiting to hear the next performer. It was open mic night for amateur singers. The pickings were ripe for the taking.

The stage was being set for the performer. The stage hands moved back the equipment towards the back. Waiters and waitresses were bringing the drinks to their customers. Some were unique concoctions and it was enough to satiate while they were waiting.

Suddenly the house lights turned down and the stage lights went on. All eyes went to the stage to the shadowy figure that was standing center stage. She was a tall beauty with shoulder length hair and her back was towards the audience. She wasn't wearing a skirt but the shadows told that she was wearing skin tight pants and the jacket flared at her hips. She was a looker.

The stage lights went up and she turned around breaking out in a number that was like New Age rock. It was easy to tell that it was a new song but it was pretty good but it was the voice that was the lure. All eyes were on her and their ears were attuned to her voice. She moved as she sang the song and most didn't pay attention to the band that was playing the music for the song that she was singing.

Jo Harvelle sat at her table in the back, sipping ice water, watching the new act. She could see the glassy eyed stares become full of hunger as they watched the girl on stage. She couldn't help but smirk at the fact that everyone, guys and girls were drooling over the girl. It seemed that she was going to lose this bet.

A hiss sounded nearby and Jo looked. She could see a young male looking at the singer with hunger in his eyes. Jo made a face at that but was relieved that a certain man she knew wasn't around. That would have been something and it wouldn't have been pretty. Still she was surprised that the plan was a pretty good one even if she had some reservations about the whole thing. It had been awhile since she had been on a job like this.

"You know I find that being the bait when you normally aren't is a sign that there is a problem emotionally."

Jo turned to see a familiar face looking at her. She couldn't help it, "Well you know the thing about sharing feelings goes. So what do you got Sach?"

"You know I only allow three people to call me that. You, Simone and a friend of our mutual acquaintance," Sacha replied as he took a sip of the cocktail he had ordered.

"Don't forget Mom."

Sacha made a slight sound that sounded like a snort as he watched the performer. "Doesn't count."

Jo scoffed herself, "Aww you're too scared to admit that you are scared to stand up to Mom. Don't worry cause I know a few that are the same way and one is just better at dealing with it." Jo gave a slight smile before going back to scour the crowd. "So what's the score on the rest of the place?"

"Bar is clean. Apparently the big dog Slick over in VIP is the one that we should be worried about," Sacha replied as he took a sip while pretending to watch the performance. "According to the waitress Delaney, Slick is the one that has been making trouble with his 'messes'. Put a real danger spot for us normal folk."

"As if you are normal," Jo teased. "So you give a call and now we have to get rid of a bad vamp so the other vamps can pretty much live in peace."

"Technically they are good. They actually help this town," Sacha replied. "Not all of us deserve to be hunted by hunters."

"Well you're still alive and she didn't kill you," Jo gave a slight shrug of her shoulder as she adjusted the wisp of hair that she had draped for the part she was playing tonight. "Looks like show's almost over." She reached under the table as if to feel for Sacha's leg.

Sacha made a slight sound and made it look like he was groping for Jo. It was just as the performer finished and the crowd was going nuts. Sacha said, "Well I always could fall for a beautiful voice. Never could resist."

"And what about a siren's song?"

"I'd be happy to avoid such a thing. I'd rather not be seduced and then given the ax. I am quite fond of my head," Sacha replied.

At that moment their guy was motioning at the singer. He was being his usual arrogant self as he tried to show what a player he was by flashing his money. Sacha watched as the performer motioned that she wasn't interested and walk over to the bar. He gave a slight grin but he was a bit concerned, "That's right, separate him from the groupies and frustrate him."

Jo felt her throat convulse. She did think the performer was a looker. She always said that she was but to see her in the tight fitting leather pants and the sleeveless shirt that was under the flimsy jacket she put on. The leather one was on the stage. She had to hand it to the girl for choice in wardrobe for the occasion. She pretended to be interested in Sacha while they were watching.

At that moment their guy went to the bait and started trying to chat her up. It was going pretty well in that the target was being kept at the bar. It allowed Jo to slip out and circle to where she was flanking the room by going to the ladies room. In the meantime Sacha decided he needed another drink and walked over to the bar.

He could have easily flagged a waitress but part of the plan was to cover the bait and target and leave plenty of room for the show that was going to start. He did give flirting glances at the waitresses that passed him. He was good with the flirting but it was empty. Of course he did enjoy pushing buttons and there was one person that he enjoyed doing that to and he was curious about testing a few others that he had yet to explore.

Sacha leaned against the bar and tapped it indicating that he wanted another cocktail. He gave a slight smirk when the bartender handed over a fresh drink and ventured, "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

Sacha pretended to be interested elsewhere while talking, "It is the plan."

"It's not going to work."

"Yes it will."

The bartender sighed as he looked down to see the performer and Slick in conversation. He worried his lip slightly, "I know that you said you had friends who were in this line of work but… This is my place of business. I can't have it destroyed because of Slick."

Sacha got that. "You came to me remember. I said that I knew a few people and we are here. We'll take care of Slick. Even if his crew is filling up the joint, we get him, you can rest easy. Besides the people I have in mind are pretty good at what they do." He noticed that Jo was hanging out by the restroom and one of Slick's bodyguards had been drawn to her. He had been right in that the human side of things was attractive.

"Well your singer made an impression."

"She's done this before and she has a mean right hook," Sacha grinned as he took a sip of his cocktail. He made a slight sound. "This is really good. All the more reason to rid this place of a bully."

In the meantime the singer was sitting at the bar nursing a scotch and water while trying to keep Slick's hands off and in a conversation. Slick was grinning salaciously since she was beautiful. Her voice was pretty too but her physical beauty… He wouldn't mind having a piece of it… literally. He said, "You know this is pretty small time for someone like you."

"I've heard that one before. Small time is where the journey is."

"But it could be an adventure if you tag along with me." Slick leaned against the bar to get a good look at her face.

"I prefer solo acts. Call me a glory hound but I have my standards." She chuckled a bit as she took a sip.

"And I have mine and you are grade-AA; I like fine things." Slick ran a finger up the arm that was closest to him. He was tempted to lean forward and sniff her since she was emitting a scent that was intoxicating. He did manage to move the sleeve of her covering and the fabric slipped from her hand to reveal a tattoo on the right hand. He looked at it and asked, "Are you a follower?"

"I serve in my own way."

"I like that. Religious but not afraid to let the pleasures of life pass you by," Slick replied as he ran a finger and traced the sigils of the cartouche that was on the hand. He didn't notice the slight muscle twitches or the twitch of disgust in the lips of the singer.

"I prefer not to get touchy when I barely know someone," the singer said as she deftly removed her hand from his range and took a drink.

Slick didn't like that and grabbed the offending wrist and held it tight. "Now you listen to me bitch. I take what I want and when I want and I expect them to obey."

The singer looked at the hand holding her wrist. She said, "I suggest you let go. I don't take kindly to people touching me in a free for all." Her voice held a dangerous lilt.

"And I suggest you do what I want whore," Slick replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I want you and I will have you."

"You've been taking a long time Slick. It's time to pay the piper." The singer looked at Slick with a narrowed look. "So you and your boys cut out or things could get ugly pretty fast."

Slick began to laugh. He thought it was hilarious that a mere woman thought that she could take them all on. He looked at her and said, "You are a regular comedian, bitch. Why should I give up what the Mick here has generously given as part of his protection for the last few years?"

The singer looked at Slick with a look that was more like he was a moron for not guessing what it was earlier. She replied, "Because I'm in a generous mood since I normally kill assholes like you." She looked at Slick.

Slick didn't like what he heard, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"The name is Angela," the singer said. She let her eyes flicker to show who she really was.

At that moment one of Slick's boys had tried to launch an attack but Sacha had interfered, pretending to be a drunken patron. When that didn't work, he threw a punch and that was when the fight started. Angela gave a slight sigh as she looked at Slick and said, "You know it doesn't have to get any worse if you call them off, pack up and leave town."

Slick glared at her. "Fat chance of that bitch." He took a swing at her.

Angela blocked with her right and grabbed Slick's arm. She flipped him over and twisted his arm. She heard the bones and joints crack a little. A little more pressure and she could actually break his arm off if she wanted. "Now I know we want to avoid any unpleasantries…"

She was interrupted when one of Slick's men came charging at her. She gave a sharp look and extended her leg to kick the guy in the chest while holding onto Slick's arm. That encouraged two others and they came at her. She knew that she didn't have help since Jo and Sacha were otherwise occupied but that didn't matter. She had done this before. Still holding onto slick she hooked her leg around a bar stool and flung it out while using her free arm to clothesline another. It only seemed to encourage them further and it took a bloody turn when someone brought out a knife and started brandishing it with the intent to kill.

At the time Slick gave a good kick to Angela's midsection. She let him go and actually fell back and over the bar to the other side. Slick thought he had her as he pulled out the big knife that he was known for. He peered over the bar expecting to find her but found nothing. It was then he felt a finger tap on his shoulder and he turned to see Angela looking at him with a pair of glowing orbs. "How did…"

"Surprise," Angela replied. She then struck out with her hands. Slick never saw what was coming next.

"Ya know yer the biggest idjit to walk this earth."

Angela gave a slight roll of her eyes as she walked into the house. She was glad that Sacha and Jo didn't have to hear this since they probably would have been just as insistent as Bobby was being now. She sighed, "Yeah and you think that I got cracked in the head one too many times. I know what I'm doing Bobby."

Bobby growled as he followed her into the study. "Sure ya do considering that the boys more or less made you stay here for a while."

Angela paused a moment and chewed her lower lip. She knew that the boys asked her to stay behind and for their own reasons she was sure of rather than the ones of the fact that she was barely recovering from her bullet wound and she was not in full faculty of her powers since it seemed that Castiel's blood contribution had a thing to say.

She couldn't blame them not in the least. She did decided to John Wayne the whole thing with the essentials and ended up being a bitch for the sole purpose of finding out what the other side wanted and she wanted to go after Lilith to keep Sam from feeling like he had to. So a lot of mistakes there and if she were in their shoes, she wouldn't want to be around her either.

Bobby wasn't stupid. He had grown pretty good at reading the signs with his girl and knew when she was thinking those nasty thoughts about herself. It was like dealing with an emotional Sam in the super extremes. He said, "Now don't ya be thinking that they don't want ya around. They're concerned for ya."

"Trying to sugar coat things Bobby?" Angela turned to look at the elder hunter while at the same time rubbing her abdomen where she had been shot. It was still tender and some days she felt like she was sluggish. It was worse than when the hypothermia slowed her down. "You and I both know that I probably need to be locked up in the panic room."

"Only if ya give me a good enough reason to," Bobby countered, "And ya haven't given me one yet so put up and shut up, princess."

"If only it were that easy," Angie replied as she took a seat on the beat up couch that at the moment looked more comfortable than the bed that Bobby gave her upstairs. Mostly she didn't want to climb the stairs, feeling too exhausted.

Bobby watched with concern as she lowered herself like an old man would have. This had been happening more and more frequently. When they got back from wherever they were, she took it easy and she seemed to be bouncing back. In some instances things were a little unusual like something suddenly levitating and heading in the direction of Sam mostly. Sometimes it was Dean and him but mostly Sam. That was strange since he knew that she would never willingly go after Sam. Other things included a shot glass accidentally exploding or something like that.

It was easy for her to avoid the boys by using that as an excuse to stay in her shed. Bobby knew that she was hiding from them and for a totally different set of reasons. She always did hide from them when it came to the hard stuff or the things she was intending to do. In this case though it seemed his idea and hers were sort of one and the same and in the end the boys kept the distance but always were watching, Sam especially and with that worried puppy look in his eyes.

The other thing that worried Bobby was that she seemed to tire easily and was sluggish. He would catch her rubbing where she had gotten hit a couple of times and wincing when she thought no one was looking. She gorged on the blood that she kept in the shed and that was another likely reason that she hid from the boys even though Sam did give her a mugful at breakfast one time and she had little choice but to drink it in front of them.

Bobby never thought he met someone so ashamed of doing what was a normal and necessary thing. Of course he figured that what happened to her in hell was the cause of it or contributed to it and didn't press on it. At least she acknowledged her need for it and accepted it. It did pain her though when she agreed to stay behind for a little while just to get her strength back.

It had been nearly a week and a half and to Bobby it seemed like she was getting worse. She put on a good show and she did handle herself pretty nice on the hunt that Jo called her on with Sacha. He suspected that Angela hid her problems from them and they assumed that she was just getting rid of pent up energy.

Watching her sleep on the couch, Bobby could make out slight dark circles form under her eyes. Her breathing was so still, it looked like she was dead with her hands resting on her abdomen. "Damn Angie. Why don't ya let us help ya?"

There was no answer to Bobby's soft query except the ringing of his phone. He picked it up and walked into the kitchen, "Hey Sam."

Hey Bobby… How is she?

"Doing good," Bobby replied as he peeked into the room where she was sleeping. "You know how she crashes."

Bobby, seriously, how is she?

Bobby knew that he wasn't going to sneak one past Sam. That boy watched her closely and a blind idiot could see that it wasn't because he was being concerned like family would be. Until he saw it, Bobby was going to have to play it cool and casual and there were other things to be concerned about. "She's sleeping right now…"

Did she take any blood today?

"I thought she did. She drank out of that mug of hers twice," Bobby replied. He was only going off of what Angela told him. There was no way he was going to tell Sam or Dean about the fact that she went on a hunt. It would do no good even if he mentioned that things went okay and she was okay. "She was doing some exercises and I think it wore her out."

But that never wears her out. Is it the…

"I don't know Sam. I think it might be and I find it highly unusual."

Right because the lore says that Halflings tend to bounce back quick if they are given what they need. Something is wrong Bobby and she's not telling us… or she doesn't know and whatever it is… it might be killing her.

"Don't go all gloom and doom on me now," Bobby replied hiding the fact that he felt the same way. He went over to where he had left his book that he had been reading on the counter. It was lore on dhampirs in particular, including their history and how they came to be. "I'm trying to figure it out though I'm still thinking she's still detoxing from angel blood."

But it's been over a week. It would have been long gone.

Sam had a point on that one. Bobby flipped a page and continued to read, "Well I am still looking for more info but you know we might never know. It might just be a quirk."

And we know how that works when it concerns her. Hey Bobby, has anyone come by like… the Old Man?

Bobby knew the reason behind that. Ever since he met the vampire, he had been screening his visitors and even told Christian that he wanted thorough background checks on the trainees. The vamp seemed a little surprised but agreed to it. That vamp rubbed him the wrong way and he was determined to keep him from his girl. He glanced over into the next room as he replied, "Not lately. I'm keeping an eye out."

There was a slight sound from the other end. Bobby knew that Sam and Dean would hit the road and break every traffic law known to man to get here and protect her. Even Cerebus had taken to extra guard duties lately and Bobby suspected Sam put him up to it. The mutt responded to him better than the others.

Bobby looked at the sleeping Angela. He knew that the next thing he was going to say was going to unleash a diatribe of what was best and all that crap. She did that all the time and hers was done with logic that was crazy with the emotions mixed in. "Sam… she misses ya guys. She's lonely and bored."

Bobby? Bobby we went over this. She stays put until she's a hundred percent and judging by the conversation between you and Sasquatch here, she ain't.

Dean, she's been taking her regimen.

And it still hasn't kicked in yet Sam…

"I'm still checking on that ya idjits but keeping her on lockdown isn't going to solve anything. There is a saying about wounded animals and cages," Bobby offered knowing that it wasn't quite the right kind of metaphor to be using but it seemed to fit considering the near recklessness on the hunt she just finished.

So you saying that she's going to go postal? All the more reason to keep her from hunting.

That's not the answer Dean. Maybe Bobby has a point…

Bobby listened to the boys argue back and forth over the phone. He could tell that they were worried about her. They wanted to make sure that she was okay. They all knew that she would never forgive herself if she accidentally hurt someone with her powers. She wouldn't want that.

And what's the real reason you don't want her with us Dean? Is it because she didn't tell us about the essentials? Cause she didn't know details until it was dropped…

Quit defending her usual, Sam. You know as well as I that she says stuff like that to cover for the fact that she thinks Lilith is her problem.

That's crap and you know it. Angie's not the problem here…

"Both ya idjits shut up," Bobby interrupted. He hoped that Angela hadn't heard it and a glance told him she was still asleep but that could just be another illusion. She could give the appearance of sleeping. "I know ya both are worried but pointing fingers won't get ya anywhere. Now I'm still looking but ya both know it's hard because she's the only one to live this long. In the meantime, consider a couple of easy hunts or something. Exercise is also recommended too."

We'll think about it. Thanks Bobby.

Keep an eye on her… please.

Bobby promised and listened as they hung up. He muttered, "Damn idjits."

A/N: Well things seem to be off on a rocky start and looks like Angie knows she's the cause of it and Bobby and the Winchesters are worried about her. What else is new? Keep watching for more Lure and Allure...