Ghosts of an Angel's Past
When the sun came up in the morning on Christmas day Dean woke up to see a most welcome sight but stopped since he wasn't sure if he was seeing a memory or not. He glanced around the room and noticed Sam was buried under the blanket again and the damn cat had turned him into a pillow. He looked up and asked, "Angie?"
Angela gave a smile. She had hurried back after bullying them to let her leave as soon as the job was finished. She had called Castiel and the angel took her back. He would have left right then and there but she stopped him to give him a kiss and gift and left him to contemplate it. It had made up slightly the fact that she had to be gone from the boys who should be getting over those colds by now. She found them and decided to wait until one or both decided to wake. Dean woke up first so he would get his gift first. She replied, "Morning Sunshine."
Dean scowled at that reference as he shifted in his chair. He found that his cough was near gone and for once was glad he didn't feel stopped up. He replied, "Making sure you are some whatever. People see things when they are sick."
"And say things," Angela replied. "I hurried home so that way I could start on restoring some semblance of order in the chaos. How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Good," Angela replied as she walked over and pushed the cat to one side on Dean's lap and plopped a package in it. "That's for you."
"You get right down to business huh Angie?" Sam's voice sounded from under the blanket. For his trouble, something was flung at him. It was soft and didn't hurt when it smacked him in the head and landed in front of him. "Merry Christmas to you to."
Angela gave a wry smile and replied, "Angel lag can do that to a person… or make them not poop for a week. Take your pick." She glanced over at Dean who was trying to hide his embarrassment as her mentioning that. Then again they both shared similar thoughts on angel zapping. She looked back at Sam and added, "Well it looks like you both are doing better. I guess those raspy voices on the phone were for my benefit?"
"Bite me Angie," Dean replied as he started to open the brown packaging. It was light but a box and he wondered what surprises were in store.
"If you tasted good, maybe," Angela replied as she answered their joke. She watched as Dean opened his gift. She couldn't help but chuckle as Dean scowled at the mess of tissue paper in the box and threw it out. The look on his face when he pulled out a battered stuffed dog was priceless.
"I has owies and I hot."
"I know and that is why I'm here."
"Are you an angel? Mommy says that angels watch over me."
"That is a nice thing to say. I have something for you." Angela produced a stuffed dog. "His name is Xander and he is a special dog. He will protect you and make you feel better."
"Really?"
"Really, really. Now go to sleep and you'll feel better."
When Dean was asleep, she whispered, "This is your sleeps."
Dean looked at the stuffed dog that he hadn't seen in years. He thought it finally fell apart and got lost but here it was. It was expertly repaired. The ear that Sam chewed when he was a baby was still limp but it was there. It was funny how the woman was clear now when he barely remembered. He then asked, "It was you, wasn't it?"
Angela sat in the chair opposite of Dean. She had seen the memory pop up and a few things were going through her mind. Right now though she focused on what was being asked of her. She replied, "Yes. Your mom called me, well I was checking up on the house and I overheard."
"Thanks," Dean replied. "How did you find this thing?"
"That's for me to know and for you to find out."
Dean gave a knowing look at his brother and Sam returned it while he opened his. Out of the wrapping he pulled a tiny hoodie but he remembered that particular one. It was the one he wore when he kicked that bully's ass. Well sort of.
Sam stood to the side as the bully ran past him and fell. When he got up, he came at Sam swinging. Sam ducked and gave a 1-2 punch combination to the gut. He was pushed away but the kid was doubled up in pain.
"I remember you telling me that Sammy," Dean interjected as he watched the memories. "And something tells me someone else was watching." He gave a wry grin towards Angela who returned with that look that said she had no idea what he was talking about.
Sam knew better though. He never told Dean that he heard a voice in his head that day and he had been trying to figure it out ever since. Now he knew that it was her. She had been watching out for them since day one, more or less. It was no wonder that witch cast that spell to make her into a four year old to make them see.
Angela said, "I happened to be going through some old stomping grounds and Bobby's attic and I found them. Figured it would be nice for you to have something from a happier time." She started to get up, "I'll go make some coffee and think about breakfast."
"No let me," Dean replied as he stood up. It was his luck that Setna hadn't scratched him with the claws of doom. He started towards the kitchen, pausing to give Angela a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Angie." He walked off still holding the stuffed dog.
"You know I think I may have died and gone to heaven," Angela replied. "The last time he did that, he said it would be a cold day in hell before he did it again."
By that time Sam had gotten out of bed. The puppy had stayed the night with him and was lying awake staring at him. It was like it was asking him what he was going to do next. Next to it was the stuffed teddy that it had found. Sam had an idea. Bobby would probably raise holy hell but then again it was Angela. He replied, "This is Dean and you mean a lot to him. Not just as a friend but as family."
Angela turned and smiled. Even though Sam looked like hell from the cold, he was returning to his usual self when they joked around. He even held his hands behind his back. She replied, "He showed me as much and I return it." She gave a slight shuffle of her feet, like they were itching to do something. She then asked, "What about you Sam?"
It was an innocent question but it had more implications for Sam on his end. For a long time he had been encountering feelings that he never acknowledged before. When she had been regressed to a four year old, they started and he and Dean were finally able to see what she really felt to some degree. When those bastards did their… it was a white hot rage he felt because she had been hurt. It was then he realized something and had been hard pressed to keep it a secret. The thing was he didn't know where she stood completely. He replied, "Uh…" He wasn't sure what to do so he pulled his hands out from behind his back and presented the puppy and the teddy. "For you."
Angela was amused at the look on Sam's face but she understood to a degree why. What surprised her was that he gave her the teddy that Dean had given her. That was one of the memories she kept after her time being four again. Some she didn't remember and Sam and Dean filled in the blanks… a little. The puppy was like being hit with a kick to the guts. "Xander?"
The puppy barked as it leapt into her arms and started licking her face. Sam watched her roughly rub the puppy's head and a memory showed through. He watched it with interest and a theory came to mind.
It was Angela sitting in a car and beside her was a full grown dog that looked like the puppy. She was rubbing its head as they pulled into a nondescript town with a cheap motel. It flashed forward to the dog battling side by side with Angela, baring its teeth at some monster. It lunged at it and tackled it giving Angela time to take a shot with her shotgun.
Sam watched the memory played out and concluded that Dean was wrong. Angela couldn't have done this. She never tried stuff that had adverse reactions to the caster. He looked up and saw Dean watching the whole thing too and could tell that he came to the same conclusion. It was Dean who said, "Well at least we know who didn't give us the spell gift."
Angela stopped playing with the puppy and looked up, "Spell gift?"
Sam explained, "Someone sent a package and Xander there." He ignored the look that Dean shot him. "Inside there was a card." He handed the card for her to read and watched as she inspected it. "There was nothing in the box except scraps of paper, well stuff when Dean and I were kids."
"Right that code thing you two do," Angela replied as she inspected the card. She then picked up the box and saw the smudged label. She could make out the 'G' and the 'A'. Peering closer she could make out a lowercase't'. A thought occurred to her. "Is it possible?" She muttered it and walked to open the door and look out at the snow covered landscape. She began searching ignoring the fact that the brothers had followed, after bundling up of course.
Gabriel the Archangel stood on top of the snow covered pile of junk and watched as she peered out at the clean snow. She may be hidden from angels and demons alike but he knew her better than most of the guys upstairs that wanted this to go down. He knew how to find her just as well as Cassy did and boy did he not regret it.
He found her in, of all places, London… again. Some business for the Centurion dicks. It was some pub called the Ten Bells and she was minding her own business as usual. Of course Gabriel knew what looks like hers did to dicks who tried to get cute. At least he had been around to straighten the douche out.
Gabriel had to see her again even if he couldn't see her, see her. So he pulled on one of his disguises that he kept handy and struck up a conversation with her. She was pissed that she hadn't been able to catch a flight to get back to the states because she had been working on something that she had found and wanted to give to the Winchesters. She wanted them to remember the good times about being brothers.
Still trying to fix things, he thought. Then an idea came to him. He figured that he could pull it off. After all his alter ego was the Trickster. He zapped himself over and set it up.
The barking distracted his attention as he watched a puppy bound outdoors followed by her and the Winchester brothers. He remembered the last time he actually came to her aid as a hunter.
It was a simple disguise and enough to fool her. He offered help and waited nervously while she deferred to the dog by her side. He got the dog's approval and they went after a nasty ugly.
Gabriel tried to cover her flank against that thing with scales. He could never remember all of Dad's monsters and their proper name. He held the shotgun that she gave him and pointed to fire. In the end, the damn dog saved both their asses and paid the price.
Gabriel watched as she shed her tears for the mutt, calling him her protector. She then burned his remains and left to continue alone. He still checked up on her, occasionally giving her a break but making sure that she didn't know it was him.
It startled Gabriel that his own mojo worked on him but then he remembered that he had been specific about it. He looked around at the snow fall and how true white it was. Gabriel then realized that someone else had helped as well. He turned back to watch her play with the puppy that looked so much like the mutt he met years ago. Even though she forgave him for everything, he never thought he had earned it from her.
That gift for the Winchesters was a gift to her and as he put on the card that activated the mojo when Sammy read it, it was a kindness to them. He certainly didn't want them to take her granted anymore and it looked like they learned that lesson. He watched as Sam brushed some snow off of her hair.
Yeap, he was right. Another thought for another time. Still to watch her happy, he felt that it was worth it. He silently sent up, Thanks Dad.
A/N: Now we know who sent the spell gift but do we have a twist here at the end with the puppy. Happy Holidays!