Chapter 2

"So let me get this straight: You decide to jump in with your friend here with no idea how to get out?" Sacha studied the odd looking pair in front of him. Angela had her head on the diner table with a glass of ice water to her head.

Haley looked at the vampire with the slightest hint of a French accent but had that European cultured accent tinged with it. He almost sounded very sexy even if he was trying to stick with pop culture. She then turned to her old friend who looked like she had been through hell herself… well technically she had.

Haley wasn't sure of what to say. Being in the pit as long as she had, it seemed like years rather than months, she had seen things. The best equivalent was Dante's Inferno. Of course what that book didn't tell you was that there were levels within levels and they held things that were… unspeakable. That was where she was fighting to get to Dean.

There was a lot to tell but Haley got the distinct impression that Angela had a pretty good idea what was going on. When she and Aaron were blasted out she saw her friend tackling a demon but not in any manner she had seen before. Her old friend had her hand stretched out and she was pulling the demon essence out.

The meat that the demon was occupying looking like he was throwing up bile as it was clutching his stomach. The eerie glow of Angela's eyes was disturbing too since they weren't the familiar glowing orbs. It was like they darkened to a whiskey amber look. There was fire and warmth but something else; like she was straddling two different personalities. Then how she disposed of the demon was creepy and interesting enough.

Haley figured that Angela had learned a few new tricks during the time she had been gone. She studied her friend and replied, "The gate was closing. Someone needed to go through or it would have been for nothing."

Angela listened to the response. She had long ago forgiven Haley for that. She was only sorry that she hadn't seen it completely before. Then again she wasn't the best judge on relationships since she had never been in one and the one time she had feelings was for a man that was just too good to be true. Haley had done it because of Dean; she loved her little bulldog and it partially explained why she wasn't so beaten down from her experiences.

"So you didn't want the work to be wasted?"

Angela finally lifted her head and replied, "Leave it alone Sach." She looked at Haley and the girl looked back and they shared a look of understanding. Angela wasn't going to push on the details but she knew something was up. "Besides it worked out best since Hale had Aaron. I had only myself and they probably would have eaten me alive… Worse than the Old Man."

Haley wasn't sure who Angela was referring to as the Old Man but she was grateful for the save. It wasn't easy to talk about it but if she stopped to think about it, she would have done it again in a heartbeat. Down in the pit, right when it seemed like the siege was going to go south, she realized the full extent of her feelings. She did love Dean Winchester and she hoped that he could sense that when they finally made it in.

"You mean that vampire that kept coming to Hale the night…" Aaron realized that he may have said something he wasn't supposed to and clammed up.

"Don't worry about spilling beans, Aaron," Angela replied. "That Old Man will get what is coming to him eventually. He's pissed off quite a bit. Right, Sach?"

Sacha nodded still taking in the fact that the two seated in front of him had chosen to go to the pit. He had heard stories and he knew where the freaks went to after they died. He figured that the world did world in mysterious ways. "Well he certainly made an enemy of you."

Angela made a slight hum as she smiled. She looked at the pair. They looked exhausted; like they had been in a major battle. She could just imagine. "So Hale, were you able to…"

Haley nodded, "He's out. They got him out and we helped."

Angela let out a sigh. So that was what this was about. With Haley and Aaron out, that meant that Dean was out. He was alive and back from the pit. She didn't have to search anymore for a natural hot spot. She had given up on making it since she remembered the big boom and the effort to stabilize the energy. Natural ones or the ones made like the Morton House were what she was looking for. It was something she tried to bring up with Sam once but he seemed reluctant to talk about it so she never did again. Now she didn't have to and she was filled with the desire to head back but they were a couple of days away from where they planted Dean and there was Haley and Aaron. She had a responsibility as a healer to take care of them.

Haley knew exactly what her friend was feeling yet she knew that Angela wouldn't do anything until she was sure that she and Aaron were okay. It was a healer thing. She said, "I know you have a job to do Angie so I guess we better get to it."

Angela gave a slight nod. They could go to the safe house she managed to acquire after her last escape attempt and modified as a nice hideout. It would be the perfect place to check them both out and away from Sacha's prying nature, she could talk to Haley.

It was easier than she thought. After checking out Aaron and said that he was more fit than some of his fellow Nephilim, she checked out Haley. She had a nasty abrasion on her arm and Angela felt better if she cleaned and patched it up. She kept her eyes on the injury and pursed her lips.

"You know you could come out and ask," Haley replied. She marveled at the skill Angela had with healing. The stuff she used would hardly leave a scar. She noticed though that Angela was quiet about asking and she figured it was because of the whole experience and the hell thing that was the sticking point. "I understand why you say people shouldn't be there."

"I know," Angela replied as she finished. "I don't need details Hale and you don't have to say anything."

"I think you would have been able to handle it. It's a lot different when you're in control of the situation… even when you have to watch out for the other things," Haley replied. She tested her arm and marveled at the bandage work. She looked at Angela as she was putting things away and noted the sort of lost look. "I'm sorry about jumping in."

"You don't have to apologize, Hale," Angela replied looking up. There was so much to say but did she really want to know everything? "I understand why you did it and don't tell me it was to prevent me from feeling the work had been wasted; I already beat myself over that after I woke up at the Old Man's compound." Angela gave a slight smile. "I know you love Dean. I was just… I had a hint of it but never really connected the dots. Shows you that I would suck at that kind of relationship."

"You mean Sam, don't you," Haley replied as she put her hands in her lap. She could agree with Angela that hell was what it was and she was prepared to live with the nightmares. Right now though she had a friend that was, as Dean once put it, a baby with newfound emotions and they were focused heavily on Sam. Granted Dean told her that in confidence Haley wasn't blind either. The tournament said plenty about it and that was before they realized it.

"I know I'm that obvious. I just can't help but feel that he is disappointed in me. We never really had a chance to talk about what I did to him that night and I think he feels I left him," Angela replied. "He said that he knew that I would never do that willingly but when the Old Man caught up to me…"

Haley stopped her friend with a touch to her arm. "I don't think Sam would ever think of that with you. From what I hear, you would rather put yourself in harm's way before leaving those two alone in trouble."

"Glad to see my rep is still intact," Angela replied with a slight chuckle. "But I think something is going on. I don't know. Maybe my imprisonment…"

"You're remembering the pit aren't you?"

Angela shot a look at Haley. She had forgotten how astute the girl was about things. She had been thinking about the pit all the time the Old Man was doing his thing with her. She replied, "I've been a prisoner of hell and of the Old Man and both situations were similar. The Old Man didn't torture me but my free will was taken. It sort of blends."

"I don't blame you," Haley replied as she took a drink of water. "I know that you probably keep your time in the pit to yourself but…"

"Hale, you're a good friend," Angela replied in a knowing voice. "Don't worry about me. I'll get over it. Now that the Old Man isn't on my tail anymore…" She gave a slight smile. "Things will be okay. They work out in the end." She stood up to pick up her supplies and load them up in her bag.

Haley watched as Angela went about her business. Something was different about her. She was more like Dean. She wasn't willing to wear her emotions on her sleeve and she seemed a bit more confident in her carriage. Well she was confident before but Haley detected that she was less timid about certain things. If that demon expulsion was anything to go by, she would have sworn her friend learned a few things and probably not by choice either. She herself had learned a few things in the pit too.

"You and Aaron are welcome to stay here for a while. The place is pretty much safe guarded against the usual and the not so usual," Angela said as she stood up and looked around. The place was really a dump… sort of, but it was in good repair. She kept it looking like it was so that it didn't stand out and most people thought that it was haunted and abandoned and the warding spells kept the curious away. It was a win-win in her book. "I know that it's not like Hakim's spread but it is clean and dry and well…"

"Don't worry about it, Angie," Haley replied smiling a little. "Maybe it's time to stop running and go back home?"

Angela looked at Haley. If anything Haley should be going back home after what she had been through. "Who said I was running?"

Haley gave a look, "Angie. Why are you hanging around here aside from doing your healer obligations?" Haley knew that her experiences would make people running for the hills but she was fine and she was intending on going home to Lakota. Aaron was going home to his girl. "Go home."

It sounded weird being told to go home. There wasn't any doubt though. She had always considered the ramshackle house and salvage yard home. That had been the truth since she showed up on Bobby's doorstep and asking for yard space to camp out. The grizzled hunter took her in and she never found it in her to leave him. Angela replied with a slight smile, "Did you become my mother while you were rescuing my bulldog, Hale?"

Haley replied with a smile, "I think you're the Mom and the kids need you." She knew that Angela was the one that was the mother of the boys in terms of what she did for them. She did hear Sam tease her once and call her that. "I'm going home to Lakota. Aaron is going home. You need to go home. With Dean out, who better to watch out if this Old Man tries something again?"

Angela gave a slight smile. Haley was right about Dean when it came to something like that. Come to think of it, Sam would be the same way too though she wasn't sure if she deserved that. "My little bulldog doesn't miss a beat." She sighed, "Alright. I'll go home and you watch yourself too."

"Don't worry about me Angie," Haley replied smiling in return. She sobered and asked, "What about your new friend?"

Angela looked in the direction Sacha was. He had stuck by her the last couple of months. He even met Ellen and Jo and seemed to get a new lease on his freedom. "I don't know."

"Then you know what that means." Haley gave a knowing look as she went to check the bag of stuff she had been given for when she left.

Angela knew and left Haley to settle in and went to talk to Sacha who was talking to Aaron. They seemed to have bonded in some way since they were laughing over the bad joke that she had heard from the vampire before. Aaron noticed her and she nodded to indicate that they were ready to go if they wanted and he went to talk to Haley. Angela looked at Sacha and started, "Sach…"

Sacha looked at his companion. He knew that this moment was coming. She was the one that told him to stop running away now it was her turn. He interrupted, "Angelique, you don't have to mince words for me. You're going back and staying right?"

"I'm going home yes. Haley helped bring back Dean. The Old Man hasn't done anything really…" Angela gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I want to go home."

Sacha gave a slight smile of approval and nodded. He had wondered when she would be ready to admit that she was ready to go back to the friends and family she spoke of when they were at the compound. "Then go. You'll have your family again."

"And what about you? You helped me escape and you didn't have to. You've been a good friend Sach. I just want to make sure…"

"Hey we all have a place to call home. The family plot is mine," Sacha replied. He gave his signature grin. "I was thinking of going back to my old house and experimenting with a few things. Besides I don't want to place you in an awkward position, chéri. The first time, I was under the impression that Sammy didn't like me."

Well that's a relief. Goes to show that I'm not crazy. Angela gave a nod and she said, "Sam has always been overprotective of me. A defender of my virtue." She gave a slight chuckle.

Sacha wasn't fooled. He knew that Sam had feelings but he didn't see them yet. In fact he observed that Sam appeared distracted; like he was hiding something. He wasn't going to say anything about that though. Instead he said, "You do need it considering the trouble you and your friend Jo got into with that bar in Oklahoma." He then smiled and added, "Look, when you and your friends are comfortable being back on the road together, drop by the family plot. Nothing wrong with a vacation."

Angela gave a tentative smile. Sacha didn't fool her that much. He liked her too and they got along well. She was going to miss him but he needed to experiment with his freedom. She replied, "I think that will be considered. In the meantime, have fun being free."

"Go on and get out of here."

Angela smiled big. She was going home. She was going to see Dean again.

Being topside again was a strange feeling. The last thing Dean said he remembered was being a hellhound chew toy. Now he was topside and he didn't come back unscathed. He had a handprint that looked like it had been burned into his flesh.

Bobby didn't know what to make of it and Dean felt naked without his best girl there poking and prodding and then being the geek. He felt naked without his brother and his girl and that was the honest truth. Hell he half expected her to be with Bobby checking up on something when he walked in.

Cerebus was happy to see him and that mutt was a good judge of character. Of course Bobby did his thing about checking him and running him through the tests. He really couldn't blame the man since he had been shredded Dean when he died. Cerebus just gave a moan and went about making a fuss over him and he even brought over a biscuit to share. Gross but it was actually touching.

It was then Bobby explained about what happened since he asked about Angela and Sam. His heart nearly stopped when the older hunter told him that Angela had tried to open a hell's gate to gain entry into hell to go in and retrieve him but it didn't work out that way. He thought that Sam had stopped her but Bobby said that someone else went in but he was reluctant to say who but he did tell Dean that Sam saw someone take Angela and disappear.

Dean had asked, "Well did you at least try to find her?"

Bobby replied, "Don't give me attitude boy. That was the first thing we did and Sam was the most determined about it. He said something about fixing it and keeping his promise."

Dean had known right away that Sam was referring to the promise he made about keeping an eye on her. Granted he had meant in terms of dealing with new things like grief over a family member but it seemed that Sam took it to mean physically too. That was fine with Dean. He replied, "And?"

"We tried my locator, the same one we used to find Lilith but nothing. It was like she disappeared," Bobby replied. "Whoever took her was real good Dean. It was like they knew someone would try to find her and made it impossible to do so."

"Great Bobby. So what did Sam do?"

Bobby had looked a bit guilty when he admitted, "Well, he got real quiet about it and decided to continue looking for a way to bust you out. Don't get me wrong Dean, he wanted to keep looking but he seemed to think that she would want him to help you."

"She would Bobby. Sam always understood Angie better than anyone even when he was being a bonehead about a few things."

"Well I've been trying a few things. Hell I've even tried the old bloodhound trick and have Cerebus sniff her out but nothing worked." Bobby had looked lost. "As I said, it has been hard."

Dean figured that. He figured it must have been hard on Sam. His brother lost him to a hellhound and then someone came and took Angela and disappeared. He had to get to Sam and find out what he did to bring him back since it certainly wasn't Angela and his brother did admit to Bobby that he was going to find a way to bring him back.

"Of course she might have found a way out," Bobby had added.

That had Dean do a double take, "What makes you think that?"

It was then that Bobby revealed that he found both Deanna and Lonelle Chevelle had both undergone a spit and shine down to detailing. Dean knew that no one could do that for a classic beauty except Angela. He knew because that was how she took care of his baby during downtime on cases. She gave holy hell at car washes if the guys buffed her the wrong way. What bothered him was the fact that if Angela did escape from wherever she had been held, she hadn't hooked up with Sam. That would have been the first thing… unless she was in trouble and she was keeping away to protect Sam and Bobby. That he was sure of.

Waiting for Bobby, Dean sat on the step of the porch. At least he now knew where Sam was. The sticking point was Angela. It probably was too much to hope that she was with Sam and his brother wasn't saying anything in order to protect her. That would be what he would do. Hell he tried doing that when she was recovering from hypothermia and she asked him for help. He couldn't help but shake his head at that.

He had been hoping that at least while he was gone, Sam would get it through that thick skull that he was that attracted to Angela and that she had feelings for him. It seemed though that wasn't the case here. He looked out and was almost startled when Cerebus nuzzled his shoulder. He literally jumped when he felt the slight brushing of teeth and was ready to strike but he stopped.

Cerebus was happy to see his alpha's beta again. He knew that it was him the moment he came into the pack's home. Of course the elder had to make sure it was the beta. Cerebus didn't doubt and was happy to see Dean but he sensed that all was not right. When he nuzzled Dean, he jumped and Cerebus saw the look of fear. It was disconcerting and Cerebus couldn't help but give a pitiful whine.

Dean looked down at the hell mutt that was giving him the kicked puppy look. He felt bad at the sight of that look since it looked too much like Sam's pathetic puppy eyes. "Sorry boy. Just a little jumpy," he apologized as he rubbed the mutt's head.

From what Bobby told him, Cerebus preferred to be in his visible form and from Dean's standpoint that was preferable. Looking at the mutt, Dean marveled at the sheer size of the mutt but he had to admit that he was a perfect specimen for like one of them dog shows. There was no scarring from that injury from Lilith.

Cerebus nuzzled Dean's hand. He sensed something wasn't right with Dean. He felt it in the touch. It was like he was afraid of him.

"He's been missing ya," Bobby said as he came out holding the keys.

"I kind of figured," Dean replied as he pulled out a biscuit and broke it in half. He tentatively offered half to Cerebus who took it as gently as possible. Dean was under the impression that he knew the truth.

It wasn't the hell mutt's fault. He wasn't the one who came after him. Hell he was trying to protect him. Dean was certain Cerebus had given that hellhound a beating considering he had seen the three heads. "I missed the mutt too. Yes I missed ya." Dean rubbed Cerebus' head.

"Now that I think about it, he's been looking in the direction you came from for the last couple of days. It's like he knew."

Dean eyed Cerebus who was looking at him with that inquisitive look. It could be possible but then again the mutt had been topside the last four months and was surrounded by everybody's scents. He had noticed a couple of shirts he and Sam had left behind were tucked into the mutt's basket along with a blanket from Angela's room. Poor boy had been lonely. "You think?"

Bobby shrugged his shoulders as he led his way to Lonelle Chevelle. "Just a thought. Sam didn't even bother."

Dean frowned. That wasn't like Sam at all. His brother was the one that was overly enthusiastic that they had a dog even if it was a hellhound. He looked and saw the mutt was giving a look. Even though he was wary of the mutt's presence because of the hellhound stigma, he wanted another presence and in a strange way it was like having her. "Hmm. Hey you mind if he comes?"

"It's what he does. Clingy little bastard he is," Bobby replied as he opened the door and automatically Cerebus jumped in and clambered into the back seat.

Dean thought the same thing as he climbed in. At least he was going to see Sam. The strange thing was that Sam was in some place called Pontiac, Illinois and that wasn't far from where he had been buried. At least there would be some answers.

A/N: Angela gets a few answers from Haley and gets a dose of reality enough to decide to head home. Dean ponders over a few things as he goes to see Sam. More next time on Absolution Rises...