Chapter 2

"Look out!"

Angela ducked as she skirted by the flying knife as it hurtled towards her. She came about and swung her arm to catch her fall. She landed with a skid but on her feet. She had bent her knees to absorb the impact of her fall. She looked at the spirit that was hell bent on trying to stop them. She put weight into calves to push off.

The spirit looked at her, stunned that she was charging into attack. It recovered and disappeared but that didn't stop Angela's momentum. She charged towards where the spirit disappeared. It was then that she heard the faintest of whispers. She closed her eyes and shook her head to block it out. That was then the ghost reappeared flanking her.

Angela's eyes opened at that and her pupils retracted the moment she heard her name being called and she twisted her body and made a sweeping gesture, revealing her chakram in her hand. She gritted her teeth and growled as she gave a decisive swipe, causing it to disappear in a whiff of smoke. She landed on her feet with her hands up ready to fight.

As she shifted she felt a twinge on her neck that felt like someone was trying to stick something in her neck. She whirled around and saw the spirit had their hands on Sam. Dean was knocked to the side when they had gotten close to the buried remains of the spirit they were trying to put to rest. It had just been her and Sam and she volunteered to keep it busy while Sam finished the job. Now it seemed that the ghost was onto them.

Even in hell, Angela had managed to keep her head even when she had been forced to watch Sam and Adam being tortured. Now that she was out, she had been noticing things that never bothered her were now irritants. Mostly it had to do with anything happening to Sam that was indicative of some sort of pain.

It was easy to ignore the accidents but it was grating. The more serious stuff had her all over the place in her reaction. One thing was clear though, it triggered the desire to protect and then to punish. They always went in tandem and she didn't stop until she was satisfied or placated enough that she would seek out a hapless tree or bush to take her pent up energy on. She vaguely acknowledged that Sam reacted in a similar manner if the same were to happen to her but more often she was in the heat of the moment and was going with what she knew.

Seeing the angry spirit wailing on Sam and actually hitting him on the shoulders… Angela tried to keep it under control. She sprinted forward and swung with her arm to dissipate the spirit once more. She growled like an angry bear and looking around for it to appear again when she was tackled from behind. She felt herself flying forward until she was hit from the front and cold and clammy hands grabbed her shoulders. Her back slammed against a tree and she was pinned while glaring at the ghost that was pinning her.

Trying, she couldn't lift her arm to use her chakram. It was frustrating since she did have physical strength that was more than meets the eye; most assumed she was a normal human woman. In this case though, the ghost was using every means to keep her pinned. And it was starting to piss her off. She could only hope that Sam was back on his feet to finish the job. She continued to fight the angry spirit to the point that her eyes were vamping out and at one point she let out something akin to a growl or a roar.

The spirit seemed to react to that and paused to stare at her. Angela still struggled against the hold but it was futile at best. She glared at the spirit as if to dare it to try something. The last time she felt like this was when a demon actually had her pinned against the wall. It was before she learned she could counter it but she remembered the sensations of being pressed into the hard surface. She glowered at the spirit and muttered something that came to mind.

What she said halted the spirit. It looked at her and leaned in to peer closer before asking, "What are you?"

To Angela it seemed like a dumb question and she wondered what the hell Sam was doing. He should have thrown in the flame to set the remains on fire already. It was like time had stood still or something as she looked at the spirit and replied, "I'm alive and you're dead. Let's not confuse things."

Normally that would have worked. And that was if the person restraining her was human. In this case it was a dead person and one who had died a violent death and was extracting revenge. Now with Angela in its grasp, it seemed to have stopped what it couldn't help itself doing and was staring at her and looking a little puzzled. Angela didn't care and struggled against the binding and didn't care how her response sounded. It did caught her attention that the spirit wasn't acting like normal so she focused her attention on the spirit. It was starting to feel like an eternity being suspended there and watching a vengeful spirit look at her and not even sure if the thing was going to follow through and kill her like the others.

The spirit looked at Angela as if to study her. Angela narrowed her eyes and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

The spirit looked at Angela and leaned forward as if to sniff her or it wanted to kiss her. Angela pursed her lips and tried to lean back but it was futile since she was up against a tree. The last time she was this close to something that was scary and bordering on repulsive was when she actually was in a fight against a werewolf, a Lupei to be precise, and a long time ago. She was long over being scared but she wasn't stupid. She just had to wait until an opportunity happened.

The spirit moved until its head was next to hers. Angela thought she felt the hints of someone sniffing her. She growled in response, more as a warning. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have been surprised that she was making that sound. As it were, she was focused on the spirit and what her next move was going to be.

All of a sudden Angela found herself lowered. She dropped to the ground with a softened thud. The whole thing caused her to frown as she looked at the ghost. She remained in a hunched position like she was going to attack or defend herself as she stared back. She wondered what was going on and she shifted her head to indicate that she was curious to what the spirit was going to do next.

"Thrown into fight and the world trembles beneath your feet, the ripples pulsing outwards."

Angela's eyes widened at that and she gasped, "What?"

"The veil has been lifted."

Angela opened her mouth to say something but at that moment the ghost flamed out. She blinked and shifted to see Sam standing over the open grave. She could make out the flames flickering in the hole and Dean was starting to regain consciousness. She swallowed slightly as she shifted to look back at where the vengeful spirit had been. She opened her mouth slightly and closed it. That was when she noticed her chakram on the ground. When did she drop it?

"Nice timing, Sam."

"Dean."

Angela looked at the Winchesters and took a couple of deep breaths. She gave a slight smile and said, "It was a little slow there, Sam." She picked up her chakram and put it on her belt. She walked towards them asking, "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Sam replied, trying not to be short with everyone. His eyes locked on Angela and his expression softened. "You?"

Angela rubbed her neck. It was feeling tingling a little but nothing serious. She brushed it off, "I'm okay. Nothing worth worrying about." She rotated her shoulders knowing that Sam was probably going to press her later and not always asking. Not that it mattered.

Sam looked at her with a raised brow and for good reason. After the Bristol job, she collapsed like he did. She came to a full thirty seconds after he did and she shrugged off any sense of headaches or anything that would have indicated pain, but he wasn't an idiot. There was something else going on and he figured it was because she had been in hell.

Angela knew that Sam was probing and she looked at him and repeat, "I'm okay. Really."

"Well, all I can say," Dean replied picking up their gear, "Is that you've got some kind of mojo going on. Never saw a spirit do that."

Angela felt the slight bit of panic at Dean revealing that he had seen her in the spirit's clutches but didn't try to kill her. She replied, "I have no idea why that is. Usually one of a thousand things that I have no clue about." She gave a shrug of her shoulders and a lopsided smile.

Dean looked at her with the same look Sam did but decided to let it go for now, "Alright then. We can go over it in detail later. Now… let's get out of here." He started walking towards the car, bellowing at Moira and Zeppelin to get over there and fill the hole.

Angela sighed knowing that her not saying anything about what was going on was going to bite her in the ass. She just didn't want to bring more worry since Dean was already worried about what happened to Sam after Bristol. She was worried herself since one minute he was fine and the next his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fell forward. She managed to catch him but it was like everything faded and she saw black and then… She looked at Sam and he was looking at her with the look she would give when she wasn't sure of what to think or feel. She said, "I really don't know about this."

"Okay."

"Sam." Angela looked at Sam with a raised brow of her own. She knew that he wasn't going to let it go.

Sam made a slight face at that. He pursed his lips. "I get that you don't know but… I know something isn't right."

"Of course not," Angela replied gently, "It's only been a few weeks. Getting over being in hell doesn't go away that fast." She grabbed his hand and gave a squeeze. "I'm working on it but… I'm worried about you."

"You don't have…"

"Sam."

Sam knew that it would be futile to argue that one. She had a right to since she knew the score about the wall in his head but she was also supportive of his desire to make things right for all the things he had done when he was soulless. And he really wanted to make it up to her when he found out that he had essentially cheated on her. He felt horrible for that and would have gone through drastic measures that would have been disastrous if Haley hadn't filled him in on a few things. It didn't make things better in his opinion. Well maybe a little but he was really beating himself over this since he swore to himself not to hurt her again.

"You're thoughts are loud," Angela said softly as she held his hand. She studied him and added, "It'll be okay, Sam. One step at a time as long as you're with me. Always and forever." She gave a soft smile.

Sam looked at her and gave a slight one. He couldn't believe that she was that accepting of this or taking it so well. It made him nervous and yet he was comforted by it. She wasn't shouting at him or ragging on him about it. Still the fact that she was willing to be by his side through the good, the bad and the ugly… it said a lot. "Always and forever," he replied softly.

Angela squeezed his hand and turned to check the grave that had been dug up. The dogs had covered it up in record time which was nothing new or surprising. Their sire had been quick to dig them and had on one occasion dug a pit for Bobby in the yard because he needed it. Everything looked okay for an old burial site. She gave a whistle and the dogs started heading for the car with her and Sam following.

Dean was waiting at the Impala and complaining that they were taking their sweet time. It was the same but Angela wasn't too sure. She really didn't know why the spirit did what it did. And she really, really didn't like it when she started hearing the whispers that plagued her. It was a lot to take in and she wasn't sure if she should even touch it. It wasn't the first time someone said or did something that drudged up the past. Right now her focus was making sure that Sam's wall was okay.

"I thought you said it wasn't serious."

Angela made a slight face as she finished taking off her shirt. She was used to stripping in front of Sam and once she did it when the three of them shared a room making Dean rant about indecent exposure. So she didn't think twice about it when she and Sam were alone in her room. Rather, she was focused on the fact that Sam saw the bruises starting to form on her back. She replied, "It isn't. I've had worse than this."

"That's not the point."

Angela sighed at that. Sam was going into full on protective mode and there was no way she was going to convince him otherwise. "Sam, it's not that bad. It looks worse than what it feels."

Sam stared at her with a look and crossed his arms over his chest. "Angie."

Angela sighed and relented, "You're right. I probably should have said something but I really was fine with it." She turned to look at him full on. "That's the honest truth."

Sam stared at her for a bit before relenting a little himself. He let out the breath he had been holding and went to where the bags were stashed and started rummaging for what he wanted. "I know you can take hits but… it's not always nice to see." He looked at her as he pulled out a jar of the yam concoction she had made.

"Old habit. I was alone for a long time," Angela admitted as she straddled the chair, turning her back towards him while resting her forearms on the back of it. She rested her chin on her forearms and breathed deeply to relax. "Had to make do with being on my own even when I had a partner."

"But you're not alone," Sam replied softly as he began to apply the yam and rub it into her skin. "And it doesn't hurt to let someone look after you."

Angela hummed at that, knowing that Sam was right on that note. She had been learning to depend on both of them and turned to them when she needed them. Some things were done out of force of habit. The bruises forming on her back… they really weren't much. She had worse and in all honesty she wasn't feeling them much. Still, she could do as Sam asked and let them worry about her and other little things.

Sam applied the yam. It really wasn't that bad. In fact they were starting to fade. That meant it wasn't too bad. Worse bruises took longer to fade. He was just concerned and sometimes it felt like she was testing his peace of mind but she had good reason. He just didn't like seeing her hurt. Now that he had voiced his concerns, he was a bit more relaxed and finished quickly with the yam but he couldn't resist touching her skin and traced his fingers along her spine.

Angela frowned slightly when the rhythm of Sam's hands changed on her back. She felt his fingers tracing her spine, gently touching the scars that she had shown him a while back. She felt pleasure ripple up her spine at his touch. She gave a throaty rumble when she felt his finger hook under her bra strap and snapped it gently. She turned her head to look at him and found his eyes clouded over slightly as he stared back at her with the dare written on his face. She raised her brow to silently ask the question.

Sam stared at her. The desire was there but he was also hesitant. He knew she had been hurt despite the fact that he knew she was okay physically. He had always been determined to be the grownup as it stood simply because this was brand new territory to her and to him. He was in a committed relationship that most beings like her would recognize as the equivalent of being married and it was because of that she balked like a scared deer at times.

Once they got on the road again, he noticed that she had been a bit hesitant with any form of intimacy and it was always accompanied by her rubbing the left side of her neck. It took some time but she managed to tell him about the scar on his neck and what it meant. She had been miserable about it and apologizing for taking away his choice. That was what she had almost been in tears about; it had been important to her and she admitted feeling like she had taken advantage of him.

Sam never saw it like that. He didn't hesitate to remind her that everything they shared so far since that night, what he remembered, was his own free will. It was his choice and no one was jerking his chain. True that it was a little complicated since there were consequences with some being extremely sensitive to the other person's pain if someone happened to brush the marks and in particular he found himself being a little more affectionate, and that was putting it mildly. Some were his wanting to react when she was affectionate in public that sent clear signals of territory and assertion; it turned him on.

It was going to take some time and for Sam it was better than waiting for the next possible seizure or whatever it was he had in Bristol. He wanted to make amends and live. He loved Angela and seeing her like he did… He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers while putting his hand on her bared back and started gently massaging just below her shoulder blades. He shifted his head to press a kiss to her temple.

Angela closed her eyes when she felt Sam press his head to hers and start to gently massage her back. She had his answer. The second gentle peck was a gentle reminder that she didn't have to be afraid; that everything was okay. It relaxed her and allowed her to follow him and capture his lips in a kiss of her own which he deepened and all the while continuing to massage her back and occasionally teasing her around her bra. "Alright, Sam."

Sam hummed and grinned in approval. He knew that teasing her would get to relax and break down. Maybe it was heavy handed but it helped break through her hesitancy and she liked it when he was assertive. He did try not to do it too often since that was taking advantage of her. Of course she got back at him when she took the lead.

Continuing to kiss her, he moved his hands to wrap around her body to pick her up off the chair and hold her princess style. The look on her face was priceless since it was clear that she didn't expect that. It made for interesting things depending on how she reacted to the situation. He grinned when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. He pressed a kiss to her lips and carried her over to the bed. He didn't lower her since she gripped him tight and returned the kiss and a bit more firmly. It turned into a tug-o-war as they kissed each other until Sam finally put her down on the bed, pinned her and looked downwards at her.

Angela looked up at Sam, catching her breath as she stared up at him. She had pulled his shirt off in their back and forth and it allowed her to run her fingers on his skin. As she did so Sam's breath hitched slightly as she brushed along the contours of his abdomen and curled up under his arms and put her hands on his shoulder blades. Gently she pulled him down.

It was later that found her spooned against Sam, her back pressed against his chest and his arm wrapped around her waist. Angela stared out into the darkness basking in contentment as Sam's hand played with hers, stroking her fingers. She could feel his breath against her neck as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. She could tell that he was going to drift off to sleep soon and she would soon follow. She always fell asleep after he did. It was a reassurance of a sorts.

"What's on your mind?"

Angela shifted slightly to give a slight look back. She didn't think that Sam was that awake. She didn't want to hide things from him but there were some things she had to deal with. Her current thoughts though… She settled back into his embrace and sighed, "Just… that ghost. What it did… It had me confused."

"Same here," Sam admitted.

Angela gave a wry smile. She figured that it would be on his mind. "I think it's on everyone's mind."

Sam's arm adjusted on her waist as he replied, "Well I've never seen a ghost do that."

"Me neither," Angela admitted as she frowned. "I mean I've seen the disappearing act and what they do when you try to burn the remains but what it did to me…" She pursed her lips and adjusted her head on the pillow. She frowned as she trying to think about it.

"Maybe," Sam replied after pushing himself up and started moving her hair out of the way, playing with the dark locks gently, "it's one of those… quirks that happens. It did speak to you."

Angela closed her eyes as she felt Sam's finger run through her locks. It felt soothing even if was in the middle of the lock he was fingering. She then remembered and voiced, "It only talked to me after I said something. I think I was cursing or something. It came out…"

Sam's finger kept fingering the tress that he was fingering as he listened. "It's okay," he murmured after hearing the slight rise in her voice. "I've heard you curse before and it always turns a head."

"Because I sound like a sailor."

"No," Sam replied with a slight smile. When she turned to look at him he added, "Because it comes from your beautiful mouth. The mouth of a beautiful woman. And it sounds wrong because you're beautiful, elegant…" He lifted his hand to gently finger her mouth and chin. "And to me… perfect."

Angela looked at Sam and he traced her lips and chin. "Flatterer," she replied softly.

"Honest truth."

Angela smiled and reached up to touch his fingers with hers. "You always are honest with me," she replied. She played with his fingers more and watched as he moved them to touch hers. "But really, it was strange and what it said… It was something that I remember hearing from a long time ago."

"You remember from where?"

"Yeah… when we were in Objiwe. That old woman. It was… puzzling."

Sam traced her fingers with his. He vaguely remembered that. "I remember. Not a typical monster."

"Cause it was a Grigori."

Sam looked at her with a serious expression. "And the ghost…"

Angela shook her head. "I'm just as stumped as you. I really don't like what's going on and with… other things…"

Sam silenced her by pressing his finger on her lips. He took in her expression and explained, "It's weird I know but… It won't get fixed right now. Morning?"

Angela contemplated that. Maybe that was part of the reason why it took her longer to go to sleep at night apart from feeling relief that Sam was with her now. She nodded in agreement and turned back over to relax her bared back against his bare chest. She felt Sam's arm wrap around her waist and pull her close. His hand covered hers and he tucked his head into the nape of her neck. He whispered to her to sleep and that was what she aimed to do. She breathed out gently and let sleep come as she listened to Sam's breathing soothe her to sleep.

It was peaceful in the room. Moira looked at the bed where her hunter and his mate were sleeping, content that they were. Her ears twitched slightly at the sounds they made and she looked around the room before placing her head on her paws. Something wasn't right and she was determined to stay awake but sleep overtook her. Her eyes closed as she smelled something.

A/N: Looks like a routine salt and burn with a twist that has Angie a little puzzled and probably dreading it. Keep watching for more Sins of the Soul...