Chronicles of Absolution: Asked and Answered

Chapter 1

Then

… You are a unique individual. You are an alpha.

"Yeah right," she muttered to herself. "Alphas are the progenitors of their kind."

Not that kind of alpha. You are a natural leader.

"I am no leader."

Why do you think people flock to your banner?

"Because they are fools to trust in me."

… "Well you got me on that one. But you do know that there are multiple things about you that are considered important to me?" Ares gave a pointed look at Angela that turned into a mocking inquisitive look.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that you just exemplified one of your unique talents and in an impressive way," Ares replied in his nonchalant manner. "By the way I knew that you could do it. I expected a demon being put in his place but a ghost… incredible."

… Know that I only do this because I am sentimental. I like you, sweetheart.

… The only reason that I'm helping you is because I know a winning horse when I see one.

Yeah I'm a prize filly to you…

… She always was the one to look for alternative means of getting a job done. Often it was barely toeing the line and she crossed it on occasion. She hadn't forgotten those times and those times produced equal love and hate. Hell she met the product of that…

… His Cat would say that there is always one more thing that could be done. She really didn't believe that destiny put you on a set path even though she had been shown otherwise a couple of times…

… You are selfless in this regard, the one quality that is hard to find in a champion…

… Choices have to be made. Some lead to perdition and some lead to end of old and alone. The question comes down to whether or not one believes that they can hold on till the end and finally not be afraid to open that door…

… Isis smiled in return. "She is special on many levels. To me it is like that of a mother and daughter. Her abilities while special are nothing compared to her nature."

… You are the Malachi of Absolution…

… "Absolution is the earthbound angel that will protect us all," Anna replied… Out loud she said, "I'm not the protector of man. There are many who do that."

"But you are the Malachi; the Messenger of Absolution."

… "That is the known destiny for you. When chaos comes, you are thrown into the fight and you create the ripples that make things what they are. You always knew this."

… I know the earthbound angel has a role to play…

… She was better than most people gave her credit for and she was the one people said was the monster…

… He couldn't teach her how to do it because she was just learning her abilities and he figured that there were going to be certain things that would require connections on a deeper level. It was why he said what he said before. Her connection wasn't strong enough. Yeah she was in love with the guy but that didn't meant she was ready for it hence why he brought up the fact that she was a novice still…

… "Look Cat, what I did to help you was born out of desperation and was for you. There are some things that aren't generic. They become specific and you have to figure out what it is. The way it works."

… "It has to be you. Cat, this is the beginning for you." He looked her in the eye. "It is only the beginning and don't be afraid of it."

… "Gauntlet is not just a secure holding," she replied with a slight smile. "But don't worry. Nothing involving deals. That would be bad for business."

… "As you well know, considering your family ties, my family has been branded into the service of the Gauntlet. The other family was pressed into service for the prisons. We are the last of our kind."

"Your ancestors should have thought of that before trying to destroy a peaceful people," Angela countered as she looked at Josiah in the eye. "We all have some tie to the past Josiah. For some it is a more visible mark and others it just comes to bite us in the ass."

… "I've always liked you. I've read everything about what you've done and for the illustrious Kuran clan not to mention that you are warrior royalty apart from being the Lady's favorite."

Angela looked at Josiah and replied, "Oh I'm everyone's favorite on some level…"

… "How is she? I suspect that the rumors going around are true; that she is pulling 'pestilences' out and either sending them to hell or killing them."

"You know about that eh?"

"That is the more current I've heard. I was most interested in the other, more rare exhibitions."

Gabriel thought about it some. "The day her new marks appeared?"

Caleb gave a small smile, "Of course. I was wondering when she would ever tap into the vast reserves she is capable of."

… Angela felt like she was back in the cave system she went through for all the formalities of receiving Absolution. There was something about the whole thing that just reeked of mysteriousness and a little bit of the supernatural. It was part of the reason why some beings really liked being old fashioned despite the advances of the day. This was no different at least for this guy that she was going to see…

… "Well I never figured that the next authorized user would be a healer. And a dhampir too. Interesting combination."

"I know I was confused when I found that out myself."

"A sense of humor and with a hint of self-loathing."

… "You have lived for centuries with a gift that is in the blood and have been forced to endure unexplained phenomena when things happen."

"I know what happens with my abilities. I heal."

"But what you have been doing is not healing in the sense of what most know it as. Of course purging a demon and eradicating it is seen as healing in the grand scheme of things." The Alchemist moved towards the totem and put a hand on it. "It is a skill that average healers can't do."

… "What makes a healer who they are is that they are honest not just to the people they treat but to themselves. You have to know how true you are to yourself in who you are."

… It was a concentration of her telekinetic ability. The bastards with the Centurion called it a shockwave since the effects spread outward and could cause a pulse that would knock everything in a 360 degree radius off their feet. The severity depended on the strength level…

… "Don't diminish my work. But the truth is my desert dove made it difficult. She couldn't kill me so she banished me to a half existence and hid what I sought."

… "How she did it? No idea but she set me free trying to set a trap for me. Of course time does strengthen things. Now I can pick and choose my meat if only for a temporary purpose. It's why I need my desert dove."

… "Don't hurt yourself. Not for Dean. Not for me." He looked down at her.

… Alû realized his doom was near and cursed at Angela, mostly in a language that few would understand. Angela finished it and when she actually had the demon… It was like what she did to Jade. The thing was she didn't realize her nose had started to bleed. She just rode out the high until the demon was done…

… "What did you do Cat?"

"Why the hell are you so interested?"

"Because this," Gabriel held up the doll for her to see before continuing, "Doesn't need a booster. The spell is still active in here."

… "And I told you. I did it exactly as I was taught. Even I know that slight variations affect things. Setna warned me about not getting it right so I was really careful." Angela wondered where this was going. She was certain that she needed to just reboot the spell. "The spell would have worn out after a couple of years."

"Well in this case… no." Gabriel held out the doll. "I don't know what you did Cat but… you don't need to do anything…" Gabriel frowned a little at that as something clicked. "Unless you have something else in mind?"

… Looking around, her gaze fell on Sam who was fast asleep himself. He was flat on his back and he looked content. She felt it then when she felt his fingers curl near the base of her spine. She could see where she had used his chest as a pillow and gave a slight smile. She really did feel safe and warm and it wasn't just the utilitarian function of the words. It went beyond that…

… Before she could say anything more, she was startled by Sam leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise and her headache was forgotten. It was quick but full of emotion and lingered when he pulled back saying, "Don't do that again."

… "There was this one scene where Bela gives the Colt to a demon named Crowley, Lilith's right hand man. I think her lover, too."

… "Okay so we Cas on board. Definitely Bobby." Dean paused. Someone had to say it and he knew Sam wouldn't. "And we should… consider Cary."

"No."

The answer was expected and Dean knew that if he argued recent events, Sam would listen but it didn't mean that he would automatically be on board. He sighed, "Sam, Cary is a demon."

"Yeah and it was a mistake to go to him the last time."

… "I don't think Cary would try it especially if Angie were there. She's scary as hell when she gets her dander up. But it's kind of cool in that sexy way."

… "Don't play coy with me," Lucifer growled in her ear, "You just offered to be my vessel. In my view that means you are willing to turn yourself over to my side. That I take very seriously." He gripped her tight and whispered, "It will end as it is written but I will have you. That I promise." He then said something in another language.

Angela opened her eyes and found herself in her motel room. She looked around and sat up to look around. Nothing was out of place but she felt unease; unease about what just happened and what Lucifer said to her and about the fact that they needed to find Crowley and she wasn't looking forward to that. She looked at Cerebus who had taken to sharing her bed with her and found him looking at her with a worried expression. She rubbed his head as she thought about what she was going to do and muttered, "Trip down memory lane."

Now

It was dark and quiet along the stretch of highway that ran along a forested mountainside. The rocks stuck out the side like a jagged mesh of rock, interrupted only by the two lane stretch of highway and then a steep drop down to a bottom that was a chasm. It was lonely and gave the impression that it was haunted being that it stretched for miles between towns and cities. It gave in to the need to speed along as quickly as possible in order to avoid getting caught alone.

Angela looked straight ahead into the lonely darkness and shifted the gears to go faster. The Aston Martin sounded the shift in the electrohydraulic manual transmission and picked up speed on is V12 engine. She didn't have to worry about speeding tickets and police. She knew the way and she knew that hardly anyone dared to patrol that stretch of highway; like anyone would be foolish enough to do that especially a high speed pursuit. It was only the daring that would dare to travel that winding mountain pass at high speed and in this case… she was daring but also on a clock.

It had been a happy chance… sort of… that Becky, Sam's super fan, mentioned what really happened to the Colt after Bela stole it from them. It was also a bit of internal wincing since the demon the bitch gave the Colt to was none other than the demon that she had consorted with to try and end Dean's deal. To date, she had never told the Winchesters who it was that had given her the know how about modifying deals after stealing the contracts and the like. It had been bad enough that they knew she had to talk to a demon to be able to do what she attempted to do but to talk to the demon that had the Colt all along… She didn't want to think about it.

She didn't want to think about recent events too much either but they were always on her mind. She couldn't get over the fact that Sam had kissed her on the mouth and with emotion that was more than the brotherly pecks he gave her. Then there were the compliments, which seemed out of the blue to her but it was gradual to him. And it all conflicted with her own feelings about how she felt about him. And it didn't help that she felt the green eyed monster poke at her since then.

Then there was the dream/conversation with Lucifer. It had been awhile since he sought her out through her dreams and the nature of it… She would do anything to keep Sam and Dean from doing what 'destiny' wanted them to do. She couldn't help but think that she was fulfilling the destiny crap just by being who she was and that was essentially taking all the crap so others didn't. In this case, she was willing to take Sam's place.

The idea wasn't new or rather it was crazy but workable. It was workable in the sense because in order for the devil to take possession, the vessel would need to drink gallons of demon blood. The plus in her court was that she was half vampire. By all rights, in terms of the Old Religion, she had demon blood and she had been born with it. Hence she could technically host the devil; be his vessel and probably in so doing end up burning the world if she didn't take control.

The sticking point was that Lucifer knew how far she would go and that was probably why he said he was tempted to and didn't say that he would. He brought up her gamble with the cure for lycanthropes that had been made. It was a gamble because even with a full blooded vamp, the odds of both surviving went down drastically. It was chance, luck or maybe her will that kept her alive since it definitely would have killed a dhampir. Lucifer brought it up because she was willing to do that.

She found it odd because even if she did die and her soul went wherever, he would still have possession of her meat and he would be able to do whatever the hell he wanted. Then again he said that she had what most craved and wanted. She knew what that was but still in a willful state of denial. It was willful because she knew it was the truth but chose to deny it; as if that would make it all go away but even she knew that was a foolish hope or gesture. Things just didn't go away.

Angela stared ahead into the darkness. Her headlights cut through it but even without them on, her own eyes could see through the darkness. Vampires were primarily nocturnal so it was natural that their night vision was superior. Of course Bobby's gamble with sending her to the healer's sanctuary kind of amped some things up and others stayed normal but that didn't matter to her. What mattered was on her mind and the last thing that Lucifer said to her.

Don't play coy with me. You just offered to be my vessel. In my view that means you are willing to turn yourself over to my side. That I take very seriously.

Maybe it was foolish but at the time she suggested it, it was because she had seen Sam's anguish. They had just been separated and she had taken to following Sam to keep an eye on him while sending Sasha with Dean. She had broken one of her own rules and went parading around in Sam's dream world and that was how it started.

What are you doing here? Can't you see that I'm convincing my vessel?

Angela made the turn much like she would if she were drift racing. She always liked fast cars. When they came out, she found them to be a fascinating innovation. She still loved riding horses but cars were something else. She became a lover of the muscle cars and that was how she got the idea to by getting Deanna and then start racing her. She didn't have a preference but she did like power, speed as well as the talent of the driver. The Aston Martin was one of her favorites, which was why she had one that she bought off the lot and was now driving to her destination.

Increasing her speed and taking the dangerous turns with the quick reflexes, it allowed her to mull on her thoughts but it did affect her driving and made her speed up at times. She thought about when she first encountered Lucifer in Sam's dream and muttered her response, "By pulling that card? You really are pathetic."

It was probably the worst thing to say to the devil but it was just her responding to the fact that she didn't like that Sam was being made to suffer in order to convince him to say 'yes' to Lucifer. Once again her mouth spoke before she completely thought about it and there she had it.

You are interfering in things that you have no part in.

"And you are a dick who is making Sam miserable."

That statement held more meaning behind her words. At the time she said it, she was upset that Sam was upset and she could recall that she almost showed her true feelings for the man. It was the last thing she wanted to do. Doing so would put Sam at risk and Lucifer would torment him and that would probably push Sam into saying yes. Angela knew that when Sam made drastic decisions, he did it with the best intentions and for the people he cared about. He would do it to protect them and in truth that was how all three of them functioned; each trying to take the burden off the other but to her it meant a whole lot more. It was like it was the true meaning of life and death and was the driving force in the decisions she made.

I am tempted but not convinced. Not after what you did regarding the lycanthrope cure.

It was a peculiar thing to mention since it didn't matter. He had her meat one way or the other. It vaguely occurred to her that Lucifer was only humoring her and what he really wanted was her on his side. It made sense on some level and the angels would have raised holy hell to get her back. It also occurred to her that the devil would use her as a means of convincing Sam to say yes. In turn that would prompt Dean to say yes to that ass hat Michael and the angels and demons really would get what they wanted: the battle royale of the ages.

As she continued along the highway, her phone rang. She glanced at the console where it was mounted to see who it was. She gave a slight smile as she put on the hands free set, "You're getting into bad habits, Sam. You slept in."

And you know why. You promised you'd call when you get in. You didn't.

Angela gave a soft smile as she replied, "I did say that I would call when I got to my destination. I haven't gotten there yet." At the slight sound that sounded like a cross between a moan and a warning growl, she relented, "I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to get on the road and make it before it got too late."

I know. We're… just worried. We started tracking down Crowley and then you decided to drop everything for this job. It's not like you.

It really wasn't and Angela wanted to curse the fact that Sam knew her so well. She could say the same thing about her knowing the Winchesters as well as she did. Of course to the wrong listener, it would come off as the creepy stalker thing. It wasn't like her to drop a project; backburner it maybe but nothing like taking off and flying halfway across the world.

Hearing the tone Sam's voice took, she replied, "I know. It was an emergency. Just helping a friend."

It was a lie and she knew it. She didn't want Sam feeling bad that she had taken off because of a bad dream coupled by the fact that they were looking for a demon she knew other than Cary and didn't tell them and the simple fact was that she was running from her own feelings about Sam. She wasn't sure what to make of it even with all the advice she had from people who had no reason and wouldn't bullshit her. It made her feel shitty and she was certain that it was in her voice and she hoped Sam didn't catch it.

That's okay. We just want to make sure that you're okay and… I wanted to be sure.

Angela made a turn off the main highway and onto a private road. It would have been easily missed if you didn't know where it was. Nothing much had changed here over the last few centuries. She heard Sam's quiet declaration even though it was laced with raspiness and felt her heart flutter. She wasn't used to the feeling and she wasn't sure if it was normal or not. The fact that Sam said she personally meant something to him… She replied, "I'm okay. Though I am worried about you. You still sound bad."

I'm fine. You know how colds work.

"Doesn't mean that I like them and want to ask for one." She chuckled a bit and heard Sam chuckle but it turned into a cough. "Hey, don't croak on me. I kind of like you."

I kind of like you too.

Angela smiled, feeling the flutter in her chest. She tried to rationalize that he was joking with her as she was with him but… "Seriously though, you need to take care of yourself and… I feel bad not being there."

Don't be. I get it that there are people you know that you may owe a favor to or you want to see from way before. It's okay. I do miss you but you have a life too.

"Now you make me feel selfish."

You're not. And things are okay. And what made me laugh was… well when you were sick when you were little. It was memorable…

"Don't lie," she countered, "I know I'm terrible when sick." She paused a moment and then added, "But you did good. I'm still here."

And I'm glad. I like having you here. Just be careful over there.

"I will."

A/N: And here we go with Angie speeding through the mountains in an Aston Martin and looks like she's on a retreat to discover a few things. Stay tuned for next time on Asked and Answered...