Chronicles of Absolution: Jewel of the Nile

Chapter 1

The sky was bright with not a cloud in the sky. It was one of those perfect days that one could dream about and wish for. Wish for; a phrase that actually brought an air of caution and rightfully so. To think that it took a Babylonian coin and a wishing well in a Chinese restaurant to begin a wishing spree of wishes coming true but with a twist to it.

Angela and Sam were on their way to stop the wishes from destroying the town. They were on their way in when a bolt of lightning bolt came out of that perfect sky and hit Sam. Angela was sure it hit her but what she saw was Sam being literally shocked out of his shoes.

It was a moment of shock but it quickly turned to a panicked hurt. Angela began on CPR. She had Sam on his back and was starting compressions and screaming for help but no one was listening. She gave a glare as she opened Sam's mouth and began giving mouth to mouth. She could feel the air moving from her lungs and into his. As she blew the last breath, Sam gasped for air and she fell back to sit hard on the ground.

Sam sat up and looked at her. Angela could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. After all she was giving the 'kiss of life' and if Dean had been around, he would have been hounding her and Sam for the rest of the time there and he would be sly about it. She leaned back on her hands and said, "Um… looks like the wishes were stopped."

Sam was frowning and blinking a bit. The last thing he remembered was walking with Angela and their guy to stop the wishes and then everything was black. Now he was sitting on the ground and looking at Angela who was blushing like crazy. It occurred to him that she had been giving him CPR and she probably had done the mouth to mouth. No wonder she was embarrassed. He followed her lead and replied, "Looks like they were."

They stood up and were about to go into the restaurant when Angela spotted something. She moved away from Sam and noticed that he wasn't following. When she looked back, what she had seen was gone. She turned and looked around. As she turned, she spotted what she had seen but it was in a different location and it wasn't a thing; it was a person and it had been watching her. So she did what she knew was in her nature. She followed it.

She followed the mysterious person through the town leaving Sam behind. It had long occurred to her moment that she had spotted the mysterious person and she started moving towards it, she was dreaming. The fact that she was dreaming about Sam dying of all things had her… disturbed. The memory of giving CPR was um…

The mysterious person had turned the corner. Angela sped up and rounded the corner and found herself in the middle of a suq. She stopped and frowned and looked around. She recognized this place from a long time ago. She had been living in…

"You remember. Good."

Angela turned to see her mysterious stranger. It was a woman dressed in hijab and she was tall and slender. She replied, "A time and a place long ago and yet full of fond memories."

The woman replied, "Where you learned the arts that make you unique and you were made a daughter."

Angela raised her brow. Few people knew details since they were pretty much long gone except those for who time had no harness on. She ventured, "Wosret?"

The woman revealed her hijab to reveal the princess that Angela had known when she had been taken in by her parents. Wosret smiled upon seeing the human that had been like a sister and said, "It is good to see you again Shifa'. It has been a long time since we last spoke."

Angela couldn't help but smile at the name Wosret had given her. It was her Arabic name and reflected the ability that she had downplayed for many years. She replied, "It is has been a long time Wosret. The last we spoke you asked me why I kept coming back."

"And you said it was for them."

"That is true," Angela replied. She gave a slight smile as she looked down. She then added, "I do come back for them but it is one that is most persistent. I…"

"No need to explain. You forget Sister that I can see into hearts and souls," Wosret replied as she held up her hand to stop Angela from saying anything further. She then looked when a sound rang off. She searched to make sure that no one was watching. Even for urgent business niceties were observed but now it was time to get to business. "I do not have much time."

Angela had picked up on the sense of urgency. There was something going on and she figured that it was serious for a young goddess to be in that much trouble. "What's wrong?"

Wosret was quiet for a moment until she was certain that no one was listening. Eyes were on everywhere. It had been a last resort plan when she came up with it. Actually it was one other who did and he said that they could trust Angela. She replied, "Dangerous things are afoot Sister."

"You could say that again considering that I'm stuck in the middle of this whole seal and angels and demons game," Angela replied. She was certain something was up. Looking at Wosret, she noticed that the goddess seemed to have aged a bit. She was older and more mature looking but she still had that youthful beauty. "Seriously Wosret, something's going on and I'm being held in suspense here."

Wosret looked at Angela and replied, "I am aware you have problems with that which is why I am reluctant to ask this of you, but I need your help."

Angela could detect the concern. This was serious and she was not going to let Wosret get into trouble. "Are you in some sort of trouble?"

Wosret looked at Angela and replied, "This is serious Sister. There are many who do not like the shades of grey that you operate in. It is even worse when the lines are crossed and fear rules the day."

Angela was used to riddles from other gods but not from Wosret. The girl could speak as plain as she could and would occasionally mix up an idiom or two. It was definitely serious and she was well aware that there were gods that didn't like her for being the one to be in the middle. Her fault since her experiences taught her that not everything was black and white and the boys had learned that when Ruby entered the picture. She didn't even think twice about helping Wosret even though she had a full serving of messing with gods in the past few days or weeks. It was Wosret.

Looking at the goddess, Angela replied, "Wosret is there something going on while the angels are duking it out with the demons to prevent the Cage from opening?"

"It is my fault Shifa'. It is my fault that there is dissention because lines were crossed. The castes are no longer clear boundaries and there is fear in the ranks." Wosret began to pace in a worried manner as she wrung her hands.

That was the second time Wosret referred to her by her Arabic name and Angela knew that the goddess was in trouble. It clearly was bothering her that she was asking her for help but the young goddess had nowhere else to turn. Angela reached out to touch Wosret, "What do you need? Can I help?"

A noise startled Wosret. They were coming. She had to hurry. She looked at Angela and replied, "Forgive me Sister but you are the only one I know and trust. Please help me."

"What do you need me to do?" Angela held on hoping to get the goddess to give her the full picture. It was difficult to since the goddess was worried about something. She heard shouting in Arabic like guardsmen or something and she felt the goddess tense more under her hand. "Wosret?"

Wosret was looking around. They had found her. She was certain. She had to finish and leave. She knew that Absolution could be trusted. She knew how to lay protective boundaries. She turned to look at Angela and replied, "I am sorry for this Shifa' but you need to keep it safe. It is much to ask but you know how to keep things safe. Please keep it safe."

"Keep what safe?"

"The Jewel of the Nile," Wosret replied. She pressed a hand to her abdomen as she said it and was aware that her face was probably showing sorrow. This was hard for her and she was asking much of Absolution. "Give it a name and keep it safe. I trust you Sister."

Before Angela could ask any more questions, Wosret was gone. She heard barking and shouts and they were getting nearer. It didn't sound good and she suspected that it was coming after her now that Wosret had talked to her. The suq was still there and lively but the people there weren't paying attention but the barking of dogs and the shouts were getting louder. She turned and ran.

She ran through the streets trying to find the way out. She rounded a corner and came to a square. She then made another turn and saw what she was looking for. She headed straight for the tunnel and into the darkness.

Angela opened her eyes as she sat up quickly in bed. She took a couple of deep breaths as she looked around the room. The more she looked, the more she relaxed and was convinced that she was actually awake and not in another part of the nightmare or dream or whatever it was. She rubbed her head and contemplated the possibility of denying dream walking for a time.

The other thoughts that were on her mind as she got up and paced the room that was home for the day or a couple of days was the bizarre request from Wosret. She knew the goddess and she equated with Jo as a sister but the relationship was different since the situation was different. So in a sense, she would do anything to help if she could. The request though seemed odd.

What is the Jewel of the Nile?

As Angela thought about it, she was reminded of the Michael Douglas movie that was considered an action/adventure and romance comedy all rolled into one. She knew it was safe to say that the name was not in reference to that movie. Wosret may be one of the few goddesses that were close to the world of the living but she was more like Castiel and that was a bit confused about human expressions and wouldn't get the reference. It had to be something else.

Angela felt a slight hum and glanced at her wrist. The Orion's belt gem was glistening so it probably picked up on her dream state and the emotions there. Not surprising. Absolution reacted to her emotions in the heat of battle. The fact that the gauntlet was reacting to her was telling that it was bonded or bonding to her on some level which she still thought wasn't right since she wasn't of the bloodlines. She sighed as she continued pacing to try and figure out what was going on.

Okay so Wosret is in trouble and she wants me to protect the Jewel of the Nile. Typical to ask me since I have charge of several objects of power and have a tendency to know the location of people that guard locks to the seals.

It was no coincidence in Angela's mind. Wosret had appealed to her for help; she, a being of the mortal plane. That meant that something big was happening in the domains of the gods. It could be that she stepped on someone's toes and was now paying the price. That didn't seem right though. Wosret had been scared and she usually wasn't when facing the other gods and she didn't use her position as the princess of the warrior royalty as a crutch. No it was something else that had her worried.

The Jewel of the Nile? Angela wondered if it had to do with an object of power that she found and some god was getting too big for his britches. She hadn't seen Wosret in over nine months and as far as she knew, she was doing the hunting game in her own fashion and intermingling with humans. So this was…

Suddenly Angela's ears picked up a sound. It was a soft sound and one she hadn't heard in years. She thought her hearing was going haywire. The sound was coming from her bed. Cautiously she approached the bed, painfully aware that she didn't have any weapon save for her powers which she called forth in a ready motion. She flipped over the covers and was about to strike when she saw what made the noise. She blinked at what she say and the first words out of her mouth were, "Oh boy."

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

Sam opened his eyes wide to the rather loud and obnoxious music that was not even of Dean's usual repertoire. It was the kind of thing that the kids at raves would listen to. If he could put a finger on it, it was the kind Angela would listen to just to throw them for a spin since she was never consistent with the choice in music when she was driving.

Sitting up he put a hand to his ear and said, "Jerk!"

"Quit being a bitch Samantha," Dean replied as he finished tying his boots. He was moving his head to the music and had to admit that this kind of stuff was pretty good. It was called Irish rock or something like that. He had started listening to it since he first heard it when they were driving to that Academy and developed a favorable opinion of it which had grown more appreciative when he heard the stuff from Liam.

Sam recognized the music. He liked it be he just didn't appreciate being woken up like that. If anything he would rather have her wake him up with her singing. Somehow he was under the impression that Dean was just goading him with the fact that things between Liam and Angela were heading in a possible serious direction. He called her the night before and they had a conversation for nearly an hour.

Being true to his promise, he backed off even though he was suspicious of it. He knew he had worn his thoughts on his sleeve and Dean had seen it. He had been careful not to be too nosy about the conversation considering his manner when it was Nick on the phone. Dean still wouldn't let up on it and had hounded him when they were out of earshot of Angela.

The truth was he was happy that she had shown some interest in someone. She had friends but no one close that she was interested in that way. She needed someone outside of him and Dean and they were more like family anyway and honestly, she was a big girl and could decide on what she wanted. It didn't help though that he had been dreaming of her the night before.

The dream should have been more along the lines of a nightmare since it was related to that case with the wishing well. It was right when he had been struck dead by lightning. The funny thing was that he was aware of what happened after that and sort of watched as Angela screeched for help and began CPR. When she administered mouth to mouth, Sam could admit that it was a perverted pleasure until Dean's music woke him up.

The whole dream had him thinking he was a pervert. It was Angela and not one of Dean's idea of a girl. Sam was in one way thankful that Dean woke him up like he did before it got any more hinky. That was a low for him and she was the sweetest person… did he just think that? Sam shook his head and groaned a little as he stretched. At least Dean turned down the music. Slowly he got out of bed and went to get ready for the day.

"So how did it feel getting a kiss from her?"

Sam looked at Dean. Was he talking in his sleep again? The idea sent sheer panic down his spine as he hotly retorted, "It wasn't one of those."

"So she did kiss ya," Dean replied grinning with pleasure. He had perverse fun in tormenting Sam about his 'good behavior' even though he was itching to give the third degree to Angela's renewed interest into talking to people that weren't like family or the friends she had at the Academy. Last night was a doozy since Sam crashed and hard after a hard night of an easy salt and burn.

The fun part was that Sam was still nursing bruised shoulder blades and muscles from that Day of the Dead thing. Angela had started rubbing her salve on his shoulders and it turned into a massage session and he got to watch. He watched the blush that rose on her cheeks as she massaged Sam's shoulders with great amusement. He didn't tease her since that first time and it wasn't like Sam could tell though his brother's reaction certain spoke much.

After that Sam conked out and that left Dean and Angela with a little friendly banter here and there and she left with a really good parting shot that left him chuckling. It was then that Sam did what he did whenever he was really doped out on the good stuff, drunk or just plain out of it. He talked in his sleep. Dean had to fight hard not to laugh out loud but he was bursting at the things Sam said. Looking at his brother's face, it egged him on and he continued, "She kissed ya and you liked it. Admit it Sammy, Angie's a good kisser."

"It wasn't one of those," Sam repeated trying to make his tall frame small and failing.

"Aw come on Sammy. I know she gives a peck every now and then. She's just lucky I let her get away with it," Dean replied as he gave a sly grin. "Unless she did it on the mouth."

"It wasn't one of those, Dean." Sam grabbed his clothes and tried to beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

"It was mouth to mouth and you were aware of the whole thing. That's a classic Sam," Dean pointed out and revealing that he had heard Sam's entire conversation while he was dreaming. "Ya know she didn't think twice about doing it when that broad wished you to stop."

Sam was still reeling that Dean had heard the whole thing. That really was going to make a bad day worse. At least Dean was letting up a little over that. "Angie knows her stuff," was all he could say at that moment.

I'll bet and I bet it embarrassed her to no good end, Dean thought as he gave a nod in agreement. Out loud he said, "She sure does. You think she talks about healing with Liam since his sister is a doc?"

Dean gave a smile as he saw Sam's back go rigid. He knew that Sam was trying to be a good boy but man this was way too much fun. The fun part was that Sam was in serious denial about his feelings for Angela or he was not recognizing them for what they were. It was frustrating since he had one of two that was well aware but the other was… He continued, "Maybe they talk shop meaning music. It must be nice to relate to someone who understands a talent."

Sam felt his jaw twitch. He said nothing though and closed the door to the bathroom with a little more force than necessary. Dean was really going to let him have it today and he was going to be sly about it. He wouldn't say anything blatant in front of Angela since she would probably nip it in the bud. He turned on the shower and sighed and blamed it on the fact that she gave him a shoulder massage last night and it felt good.

Dean was laughing so hard that barely a sound was coming out. He decided to let Sam stew for a while and went to get coffee and breakfast aka the jelly doughnuts. He came back and Sam was working on the packing. His brother was still wound up over their moment. Dean offered the coffee as a peace offering. Of course Sam took the coffee but rejected the doughnuts; the man was a health freak. He said, "Hey man I know you didn't mean anything by it with the dreams but it's hard not to look at her and not say that she's drop dead gorgeous."

Sam let out a slight sigh thinking that it was more heckling and he wasn't going to stand for it anymore. If they scuffled at least it would be out of her sight and they could chalk it up to being clumsy. Like that would work but she wouldn't look at it too hard. He replied, "Dean, it's demeaning."

"Sam, I tell her all the time how good she looks. She knows I am being honest in my own way," Dean countered. He saw that he may have gone too far in his teasing. "It doesn't mean anything and she knows it. She sees it for what it is which is a compliment."

"She gets your kind of compliments all the time when you decide on bar food," Sam pointed out a bit huffy at the whole thing.

"And she ignores it. Damn Sam, she's been putting up with that crap for years. She knows the difference."

Sam knew that. He recalled their conversation right before Dean became a hellhound chew toy. He knew that very well. He just didn't like it and sometimes it needled him that Dean would do that to someone he obviously cared for. "That doesn't mean you have to do it."

"Doesn't matter since she has you to be the nice guy. Then again you never say anything about her appearance," Dean looked at Sam, inwardly pleased that he found another thing to target and make fun of.

"I say she looks nice… when it calls for it," Sam replied with a slightly puzzled frown. He had been caught off guard by that. He did have the sense to realize that this was one more piece of ammunition Dean had to use against him. "What does it matter to you?"

"Hey, you two do the emo talks and I figured that somewhere you would say something about how she looks. I know you like her new tattoo," Dean replied, deliberately dropping the fact that Sam had ogled several times at her chakra tattoo.

"I'm curious," Sam corrected. "She got it when she was with the Old Man and I'm curious." It was a lame reason and he knew that Dean would pick up on it.

"Fair enough though the handstand act was cool." Dean turned away to hide his amusement. Sam was making this way too easy this morning. He considered giving a gentle teasing to Angela but he would have to word it carefully. Looking out the window he saw Angela walking through the parking lot and she was carrying a bag of something.

Sam was relieved that Dean decided to quit but the silence was also suspicious. He looked to see Dean peering out their window and watching Angela walk to her room with a bag of something. She reached in to look at something but couldn't read it. Dean must have seen something for he said, "Really? What are you hiding this time Angie?"

Sam knew what that comment meant and tried to head it off, "It could be nothing. You know she likes to help everyone she can."

"Right. Like she would by a can of formula for a stranger," Dean replied, his curiosity up. He opened the door and motioned towards his brother, "Come on Sam."

Sam followed unwillingly. The last time this happened Dean bit off more than he could chew and while funny… "Dean, it's none of our business."

"Hey, you're the guard dog. You're the one that's supposed to be saying that it could mean trouble," Dean replied as he led the way to her room. He couldn't resist making a joke about Sam's good behavior. "Looking for some brownie points?"

Sam glared at his brother's back. "Dean I know how she likes to prank you. She knows you fall for it every time."

Dean was going to respond when he held up his hand. He heard something on the other side of the door. Grabbing the spare key from Sam, he unlocked the door and had it open without even knocking to see if it was okay. He and Sam stood in the doorway to see Angela looking content even though she looked like she had just woken up and she was holding a bundle and a bottle?

Angela turned to look at them and at the look on their faces she said, "Oh come on. This is not the first time you've seen me in a position like this."

A/N: 3.06 starts us off with an interesting surprise and a very interesting admission of sorts from Sammy. Stay tuned for more on Jewel of the Nile...