Chronicles of Absolution: The Failed Demon
Chapter 1
Now
It was rather a shock to see it but it shouldn't. She knew it was possible for it to be done but certain measures had to be taken. It was a path that she knew well and it was towards perdition if one wasn't careful. She would know since she had seen it before. To see him… to see Sam do what she could do, it was like a pang in the heart. It certainly was a surprise to Dean and he reacted the best way he knew and that was through anger.
"You're gonna explain this? Well how about you start with – who she is. And what the hell is she doing here?" Dean looked angrily at the girl until it dawned on him that it was Ruby.
She knew it was Ruby the moment she walked in and it took a lot of willpower to not go incredible hulk on the demon. The temporary truce was over though when Ruby decided to pin Dean and grab his neck. She let it loose and yanked Ruby away and pulled her knife out and held it to the demon's throat. "Hi Ruby. Long time, no see."
"Nice to see you too bitch," Ruby muttered, "How was it being someone else's bitch?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Angie, please. Let her go."
She looked up to see Sam looking at her. She didn't let go immediately as she locked eyes onto his. He was begging her to trust him on this. Slowly she released Ruby by lifting the knife from her neck and letting her go. She looked at Ruby and said, "Same as before hell bitch."
"Oh I know the rules," Ruby replied as she narrowed her eyes at her.
"Ruby, he's hurt. Go." Sam motioned for Ruby to help the man that was on the ground. That he was alive after that exorcism was a miracle since it wasn't always the case that the victim was alive. It certainly was better than the knife in terms of odds.
Angela watched as Ruby took the man off to the ER. It hurt that Sam hadn't asked her for her help since it was her specialty but then again she was pissed. To ask of herself to heal while pissed could warp any good she could accomplish. So she let them go and stood there after Dean walked out on Sam. She turned her gaze towards Sam and studied him and she said, "So I see you learned a few things like me."
Angela stood there in the middle of the field, staring at the headstone that had the name of someone she knew long ago. She really hadn't intended to come up this way for another month as per her habit but she felt compelled to and it was on the way to the next job… whenever Dean or Sam happened to find it. She needed some time to think and reflect.
It really had been a surprise to learn that Sam had been consorting with Ruby of all people after she had witnessed his exorcising ability. To be honest with herself though, she wasn't that upset about it. The only thing she was upset about was Ruby and that was something that Sam knew and they agreed silently that she would behave herself if Ruby happened to come along. She was actually impressed that Sam had learned to be that good within a span of months. Of course she would never admit that much to Dean since he was already upset about it.
Of course that led to a whole argument that had her being pushed under the bus literally and left her stuck in the middle. The case with the Rugaru, she had to admit that Sam was right since she was a firm believer in the power of choice. The more she thought about it, it was like double standards were being applied and she wasn't sure that she liked it.
"You wanna know why I've been lying to you Dean? Because of crap like this," Sam yelled as he pointed downward in an angry motion.
Angela had moved to catch up but she stood a fair piece away. Again, she was familiar with Indian fighting. She said nothing as Dean replied, "What?"
"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me, like I'm a freak!"
"I do not," Dean protested.
"You do or even worse, like I'm an idiot, like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!" Sam looked really upset at the moment and Angela wanted nothing more than to say something but this was something that needed to be gotten out.
"I mean you're kinda strolling a dark road lately."
"You have no idea what I'm going through but you do Angie." Sam looked at Angela apologizing that he was throwing her under the bus.
"Oh really?" Dean looked between Angela and Sam.
"Dean, calm down," Angela started in that calm voice that could either calm someone or just infuriate them further. "I do understand because of what I am."
"So you just ran crying to Angie…"
"Dean, stop it," Angela said in the same tone. "I understand because, as I've said before, I have demon blood in my veins too. Where do you think the freaks come from? Then there's me and those like me but that's not as important. It's not about the what but the who. I agree that we should just talk to Jack. Believe me I know better than anyone what it's like to go from human to this." She motioned to herself.
Angela looked at the headstone. It said, "AD 1980." It was followed by a Latin inscription that essentially was a protection against possession and the usual. AD, short for Adrian, and pretty good with the witch mojo was one of her strays that followed her in the early years and then went off on his own. He died because of what he was involved with and she was only sorry because she hadn't been in a position to help him.
He died doing the right thing though. He put himself in the line of fire and took a bullet for her. Well it wasn't a bullet but he did sacrifice his life for hers. He did it in an attempt to redeem his past actions and earn forgiveness from her. The truth was that he had it the moment he said he was sorry and started to make things right. His sacrifice, he did for himself.
Angela stared at the headstone. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere but not too far from where they were staying. She took a couple of breaths and watched as it created plumes of smoke in the air. It reminded her of that night when… She really couldn't remember but it had to do with Mary and the night she made the deal.
On the way to the Rugaru case, Dean had mentioned his blast to the past. She listened as he described his mother. The funny thing was that it was exactly how she would describe Mary. They had been a pair then. They had been happy.
"A little late for you to be paying a visit, isn't it?"
Angela gave a slight smile and looked up, "And here I was thinking you were angry with me. I called Gabe."
Gabriel joined Angela at the headstone and replied, "I'm not mad at you, Cat. I just thought that you were angry with me. I remember the last time."
"It's not your fault Gabe. Things happened and we're here now," Angela replied giving a slight smile. She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders as her breath fogged the night sky. "I got two months in the clink and then two months running and now I'm a lean, mean fighting machine."
Gabriel studied his Cat. She was thinner than when he last saw her but it was pure muscle. She was still beautiful though. Her face was a little thinner but it accentuated the delicate arches of her face. Her hair was longer but still the dark color that accentuated the bronze look of her skin. He teased her, "Skinny but pretty."
"Oh and what was I before? Plump?"
"Fat." Gabriel overemphasized with his arms while smiling at Angela. He was rewarded with a punch to the arm. He feigned hurt, "Hey I bruise easy."
"You do not," Angela contradicted while giggling at Gabriel's pouting. She sighed as she smiled. She felt better than she had the whole day. "I know what you are Gabe."
"Sure you do Cat," Gabriel replied with a knowing look. He took a step forward until he was toe to toe with her. "You're so good that you know exactly what I'm going to do next." He raised his brow with a smirk on his face.
Angela gave a similar smirk as she raised her brow in a challenging way. She looked up into the hazel eyes that were all Gabriel and stared. She was ready for the quick move he attempted and batted his hands away using the moves that she had learned from him. "See? I know you Gabe."
Gabriel gave a full smile as he dropped his fighting stance. "You know enough Cat."
"Just as you know enough about me," Angela replied as she softened her voice.
"Well I did learn something new."
"If you mean the fact that I can manipulate the spirit realm much more easily then you'd be correct," Angela replied. There wasn't much that she couldn't hide from Gabriel. He knew her better than she knew herself at times and never failed to point it out when she needed a hand. "I suppose you know about what I can do with demons?"
"I always knew you could do that. It was just a matter of when," Gabriel replied. At the look she gave him, he added, "Cat, I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you when you were a little girl and I'm not talking about the other stuff that came later. I mean what's in there." He pointed at her chest where her heart was. "That's always been the key."
Angela looked down at where Gabriel was pointing at. She knew Gabriel didn't bullshit when it came to the important stuff. "My heart?"
"Heart and soul, sweetie," Gabriel replied as he lowered his hand. He peered at her and held her gaze. He gave a gentle smile. "Heart and soul."
Angela gave a slight hum as she smiled, "You always did know the way to a girl's heart Gabe." She put her hand on his shoulder in that familial gesture they always had. "Thanks."
"Hey, you're my girl, Cat. Just because I don't call doesn't mean that I'm not watching."
"Oh now I feel like I'm being watched by a perv," Angela teased.
Gabriel took the hand that was on his shoulder and held it in his hands. He rubbed his fingers over her hand feeling the calluses on her palm, the lines and contours of her hands. They were the same slenderness and prettiness and yet he could see the deadly capacity within them. Her nails were neatly trimmed and filed and only accentuated the slender fingers that were curled in his hands. "You've taken care of your hands."
"You wouldn't be saying that a few days ago. I was in training," Angela replied as she watched Gabriel run his hands over her hands.
"You still take good care of them," Gabriel replied as he gave a last appraisal. He couldn't help it and gave a kiss to the top of her hand, right on the knuckle. He gently released her hand and smiled at her. "Feel better?"
Angela smiled, "Yeah."
Gabriel looked down at the headstone. He had been there when she buried the kid. Granted she didn't see him, he was still there. He knew the kid and what happened and like a loving parent, she took care of him when he died. "He was a good kid Cat."
"He was," Angela replied as she looked down. She knew that history could repeat itself but it was up to her to take the step and make the little changes. She nodded as she reassured herself. "Let them take a leap and it is only then that they learn they can fly."
"Good advice," Gabriel replied, pleased that his girl made up her mind about a few things. "You'll be okay?"
"As well as always Gabe. Don't be afraid to call," Angela replied as she gave a sisterly pat to Gabriel's arm.
"Don't worry. I'll always watch out for you." Gabriel said it and meant it but it didn't mean that he was going to hound her steps. It was just like the advice he gave her a long time ago and she repeated to him just now. She knew what he meant and he didn't have to explain himself. He gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. "See ya later Cat and go kick ass."
Angela had been smiling and looking at nothing in particular when the familiar fluttering of wings filled her ears. She gave a sigh and kneeled to touch the headstone. She said, "Thanks AD. You were forgiven by me. I hope you were able to forgive yourself." She then stood up and turned to head down the road.
It wasn't a long walk in her view but long enough from where she had buried AD to the motel where they were staying the night. She walked at a leisurely pace and was surprised that Sam was waiting outside for her. She gave a slight smile as she said, "A little late for you to be out."
"I could say the same to you," Sam replied as he gave a slight intake of breath. He had been waiting for her ever since he told Dean that he was going out for a walk.
"I said I would be a while. It was a private errand to attend to," Angela replied as she adjusted the wool coat she had been wearing since it was unusually cold. She took in Sam's choice of coat and noticed that he was at least wearing layers. She couldn't help it though and added, "You decided to tempt my wrath?" She pointed at his coat and gave a slight chuckle when Sam gave her a confused frown.
"I have layers on," Sam replied sounding like a petulant child.
"Just be grateful that I'm not making you look like a tick about to pop." Angela smiled to let Sam know that she was teasing. She became serious when she asked, "So really why are you out here in this near freezing weather?"
"Just felt like it," Sam replied. The truth was he wanted to talk to her about the whole demon blood thing and what Azazel did to him. He also wanted to apologize for putting her in the middle like he did.
"Sam, you don't tempt weather that makes me feel like I'm in a field on a spring day just because you feel like it," Angela countered. She studied him for a moment before asking, "Seriously, what's on your mind?"
Sam made a slight face before saying, "Well… I wanted to apologize. About what I said; the last case… I shouldn't have pulled you in like that. It wasn't fair."
"Well I hardly think comparing me to you is fair since there are differences on that level," Angela replied.
"Angie, I'm being serious."
"I know Sam. I get why and to be honest maybe it's a good thing." She peered at Sam a little to look at his expression. "Let's face it, we've never really discussed something like this though I am not sure if I should wait for daylight on this type of conversation."
"Why would you wait for daylight?"
"First rule about Indian fighting," she replied with a straight face. She was being serious though since there were certain conversations that you had to have a god sense of timing about. She figured this was one of them but she was willing if Sam wanted to pursue that line of thought.
"What does this conversation have to do with Indian fighting?" Sam was thoroughly puzzled by her choice of words.
Angela studied Sam before getting a smile that was a cross between amusement and other things that she wouldn't dare tell him about. "I'll explain but let's just walk. I wouldn't want you to freeze your butt off. Dean won't forgive me if you caught a cold." She slipped her arm around his and gave a tug to get him to move. She gave a slight look when he didn't move and added, "You really want to just stand there?"
Sam couldn't help but smile. She was right in that Dean would probably raise holy hell if he got sick because he was stupid about bundling up. "Fine but please explain what you mean."
Angela led the way to nowhere in particular but it would be within range of the motel. She began, "Indian fighting, the phrase, well, I did do a bit of that but it is an expression I use. Mostly it is for certain types of conversations that I learned are avoided in certain settings and you just have to time it right. Politics and religion are two."
"I get it," Sam replied as it dawned on him. "Angie, I do mean it that it wasn't fair. Dean and I, we both accept that there are things that you can do that may freak us out in the beginning but… I guess what I want to say is that you're different from me."
"I can agree that we are different in that you are male and I am female but really I see little difference with the other thing." Angela looked at Sam. She had time to think about it and it was apparent that he had too.
"I think there is. Azazel bled into my mouth when I was six months and now I have demon blood in me," Sam countered. "You… you were born that way and you did say that the monsters and demons came from the same stock. In a way it is… more acceptable." Sam frowned at his choice of words. Even that didn't sound right; like he was giving her a free pass to be a monster when she wasn't.
"Well that's a minor difference again," Angela replied seeing the trouble he was having in putting it into words. "We're the same in that there are things about us that are strange and unusual and we're trying to take something considered dark and use it for good. You said that, not me."
Sam wasn't sure. "Then why didn't the angels tell Dean to stop you from using your abilities but they did for me?"
"Feathered dicks," Angela muttered. She had a good reason why but she wanted to see how much Sam had done on his research. "How far have you gotten on your challenge?"
Most people would have thought her question was beside the point yet Sam and Dean both knew that when she said certain things, there was a purpose to it. In this case, it was the challenge she had presented him a while back. Sam gave a short clearing of his throat since he did find out a few things and he was a bit more confused than ever. He replied, "Well you told me what malachi meant and that it means messenger. The clue you gave about the Bible pointed me to the fact that messenger and angel are synonymous."
Sam paused and Angela looked at him expectantly. He didn't say anything so she prompted, "Anything else?"
"Angie, to put it another way, Malachi of Absolution would be the Angel of Absolution. It doesn't make much sense considering…" Sam paused, not wanting to sound insulting.
"Strange I know. I like to think of it as an excuse to account for the fact that there is a dhampir running around with healer abilities," Angela replied to save Sam from feeling like he was going to be put in the doghouse. "I know I'm no angel but then again I gave up arguing with what is written."
"So there is more?"
"What did you think?" Angela chuckled. "Oh Sam, the things that are out there… There is stuff out there that is not even the crap I spread." She looked at Sam and added, "I was serious about it being your challenge and I would point you in the right direction. Did you learn anything else?"
"Well Dean talked to Castiel while you were in a cage and he said that he found you and talked to you. Something about always being able to find you." Sam looked at her with a puzzled look.
Angela thought about it. That Sam wasn't going to figure out quite easily. She might need to dip into her giving hints pile. The other part… "So you know that malachi is synonymous with messenger and angel. I suggest you continue on that track and you might have to get down and dirty."
"You really are enjoying this aren't you? Why not just come out and say it?"
"You know the answer to that Sam," Angel replied to his query with a soft tone.
"There's a method to your madness," Sam replied in a half exasperated and half teasing tone. He should have known that what he wanted to talk about would fall back onto his research project. He half regretted accepting the challenge but it did provide more answers than what had been presented so far.
"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding," Angela replied as she quoted from Proverbs.
Sam gave a slight hum and smiled a bit. "Thanks Angie."
Angela released Sam's arm to get a better look as they continued to walk, "For what?"
"Just… listening."
"Hey, I'm not one to judge on this. Just bear in mind what I said about handle with care. You have choices in your life and the only way you know if they are right is if you take that leap off the cliff. You think I lasted this long playing it safe?"
Sam gave a thoughtful toss of his head. She had said that multiple times and he was under the impression that she was trying to talk herself into playing nice with Ruby. They certainly seemed to agree to disagree and it was sort of like a truce between them but not quite that resumed when she and Dean walked in on them when he was practicing. "You know I decided I was done with it."
"And that's fine. Like I said, I'm not judging."
Sam was about to say more when he was hit by something on the back of his shoulder. He couldn't reach it and ended up taking a step and the ground fell away beneath him. He felt his arm being jerked as a hand clasped around his wrist and he looked up to see Angela gritted her teeth as she held on with one hand. That she could was a testament to her abilities.
It was rather more of like watching an action movie while Sam watched Angela use her free hand and her feet to kick at what was unmistakably a demon. It was totally a surprise when she pulled him up, let go and then caught him with her other hand so she could give a kick and a punch to the demon that was hounding her.
It was over the moment Angela gave a kick and then used her powers to send the demon flying. Sam couldn't see but he assumed it was gone since Angela started to slowly pull him up and get a better grip with her other hand. It was short lived when the ground beneath her feet gave way and she fell in still holding on. Sam thought they were going to land in a heap at the bottom when their momentum stopped. Looking up, he saw that she had grabbed a thick root and was holding on.
Angela looked up at her hand gripping the root and then down at Sam. She then said in a fit of humor, "Well I always did want to just hang around."
A/N: And 3.03 kicks off with memories and thoughts as well as a long overdue conversation with Gabe. Looks like Sam and Angie got in trouble again. Stay tuned for more on The Failed Demon...