Chapter 7
Angela shuffled slightly in bed while trying not to wake the boys. For some strange reason they decided to share the bed and she found it weird. Dean didn't even bother with one of his flirting comments but she did spy the penknife that he had kept in his backpack and she spotted a similar one in Sam's hand. She saw that they aimed to protect her. She protested and for some reason, they started to cry so she agreed.
Of course little bodies tired out quickly and they fell asleep. It was weird because their minds were adult sized and it just seemed wrong. Maybe if they were in their normal sized bodies it wouldn't have been so bad because the boys would have been sitting in those uncomfortable chairs. Feeling a little sore in her shoulder, she rotated it gently. It was definitely going to heal slowly.
"Must be a pain in the ass to be trapped in too small a body and hit by one of the few things that could kill you."
Angela grabbed the penknife that had fallen out of Sam's hand and held it up. She saw that the boys hadn't woken up from her sudden movement. She then felt that familiar feeling. She looked up at her visitor and said, "Very clever for paying a visit to my dreams Crowley. Now go away since I have nothing to say to you."
Crowley couldn't help but give a slight hurt look. "You wound me love. We had such a lot of fun with our conversations. In fact I was sure that you were going to call the moment you found me out."
"Sorry to disappoint," Angela replied as she narrowed her eyes, "The thing is, I don't want any part of your deals to break Dean's deal."
"Now don't go brushing me off completely."
"I just did. I know the score Crowley." Angela did a slight shuffle to get out of the bed. She hated feeling at a disadvantage even if it was just a dream. "I could trade places with Dean and you and both know that I would gladly do it."
Crowley looked at Angela's figure. She may have been placed back in a prepubescent body but she did have a nice look for someone that young. It was amusing to see her in the hospital gown too. "Nice outfit love. I especially like the whole IV in the arm. It completes the look." He gave a slight smile at her to tease her.
Angela gave a wry look as she pulled the IV out. It was a dream so it didn't matter. She continued as if she hadn't finished, "However since I am not willing to hurt people that mean a great deal to me by doing that and send Dean on a guilt trip, that option is out. Plus it seems that even you are afraid of me. To what reason, I have yet to find out."
"I'm not afraid of you love," Crowley replied. It was true that he wasn't… at least not at her current state. However he knew what she was and her potential and he knew the score. "However those below me are and they have every right to be since they know what you are capable of."
"Glad to see that we are on the same level," Angela replied, "As to the second option, that would be to willingly let myself become hell's bitch. Basically stoop to the level of Theron."
Crowley smiled, "You see, there was a reason why I like you so much love. I am especially pleased that you haven't persisted in me calling you otherwise."
"A petty thing. Azazel couldn't give it up so there really is no point in it."
"And it would have been such fun to get under your skin with that," Crowley countered. "Now while you are right, I can see that you are in a bit of a bind. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that you have a witch problem."
"Gee, good eye Crowley," Angela replied in sarcasm. She would have crossed her arms but her left was already in a sling. She made adjustments by putting her free hand on her hip. "You got anything else to impress me with?"
Crowley had to admit that he really liked her. If she had it in her heart to be just like him, she would have made a perfect crossroads demon. He smiled at her and replied, "Well it seems to me that in your current state, you are bound to have more problems. After all you have to watch over miniature versions of the Winchesters and yourself and if I'm not mistaken you have been having trouble emotionally."
"We've been doing all right," Angela replied not wanting to give in to Crowley. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing any perceived weakness.
Crowley looked at her arm in the sling and replied, "Oh yes. I can see that you're handling it quite well. I can also see that you need a little help in fixing this." He walked around the room, observing it. "I might be willing to help reverse your condition."
"And the price would be me," Angela replied, "Sorry but no thanks. I may be a dealing devil but even I know when a bad deal comes my way." At that moment, Crowley had begun circling her so she followed suit, keeping him in front of her.
"I like how you refer to yourself by that archaic label for brokers. It tells me that you are more familiar with my kind than you care to admit. Tell me, how many deals have you made?"
"My secret to tell."
"Spoken like a true dealer. Now really, are you going to pass up an opportunity to go back the way you were?"
"Not if it means I have to sell myself to you," Angela replied. She gave a wry grin towards Crowley. "As much as I do like you, I wouldn't want to be in permanent proximity to you. So the answer is no."
Crowley gave a shrug of his shoulders. He had tried but he still had a few cards to play. He turned to leave but he wasn't going to go so easily. He replied, "Well I can't say I didn't try…" He waited until she could see his back and then added, "However I do know that there is a possible solution. I happen to know the master of this sort of spell."
Angela paused but at least Crowley couldn't see her face. What he said was a cause for pause. The witch did mention that she learned her spells from another. Was Crowley implying that he knew the one who could reverse it? The part that knew better said that she should just walk away. Anything involving Crowley would surely end up in a deal that she wouldn't be able to get out of. However there was a part of her that found it to be tantalizing in terms of getting things back to normal.
Looking up, Angela saw that Crowley hadn't even made an attempt to leave. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe she could find a means of getting what she needed. She replied, "And I suppose you came by to tell me out of the goodness of your little black heart?"
Crowley smiled as he turned around. "I would tell you but you just seem to not want to deal with the likes of me."
"I did say that I like you," Angela replied as she walked forward. Her voice became sultry as she spoke, "After all I do admire someone who has the ability to manipulate a situation to their own liking as well as looking after their own interests." She got close enough to use her free hand to touch the demon's shoulder. When he put his hand on her own shoulder, she didn't flinch. She hadn't forgotten the last time he touched her on the shoulder.
"You are magnificent," Crowley replied looking at her. Even in that ridiculous hospital gown she was a beauty. She was full of strength, poise and intelligence. They were qualities that were attractive to him and something else lured him to her. He let his hand run down her face. He could see her as how he met her even though she was stuck in a younger body.
Angela tolerated Crowley touching her face. She felt dirty about it since her body didn't react as it did when Lenya touched her. She closed her eyes when he touched her face and ran his fingers down. She replied, "Many have said that but not with the same… finesse as you."
Crowley smiled and gave a hum as he finished stroking her face. "Well you do have good taste love when it comes to keeping your enemies closer than your friends. I have told you the truth. There is a master witch who could help you. As to the name, I will leave that for you to figure out."
Angela wouldn't expect anything less. She watched as Crowley withdrew from her and turned to go. She replied, "I suspect that it is for your entertainment?"
"Well I can't be giving you all the answers. Wasn't it one of your masters that said that knowledge must be sought and not given otherwise it wasn't worth anything?" Crowley peered at Angela.
Angela gave a slight nod of agreement. "You are right and I wouldn't expect anything less from you." She was aware that she sounded sad as she said that. For all her talk with Sam about choices and to be careful when he dealt with Ruby, she certainly wasn't the best example to follow considering that she was pretty much conversing and manipulating Crowley.
"You shouldn't expect anything else love," Crowley replied. He couldn't help but smile. "Stay as you are love and I'll be seeing you."
"Don't count on it. My answer is still no," Angela replied, feeling the retorts rise again.
"Aww. Well I'll come around just to try and convince you. At least I am not as annoying as the bitch princess of hell," Crowley replied. "Sweet dreams love." He smiled once again to let her know that he would still be around. He gave a slight wave of his hand giving a slight chuckle and then he was gone as quickly as he came.
Angela continued to stare at the area he vacated. She knew that as long as Dean was still under the terms of the original deal, Crowley would continue to plague her into trying to accept a deal to reverse it. She figured that he was picking up where Azazel left off in testing her resolve. She could sense though that he was at a loss as to what she was in his world.
The fact that Crowley mentioned a master witch who could fix this was one of those things that sounded too good to be true. Conventional wisdom said that demons lie. However Crowley never really lied to her. He may fail to mention things in the talks that he engaged in but he never told an outright lie. Angela knew that Dean would think there was no difference and she would agree. It was something to think about and she had plenty of time for that. She closed her eyes.
Angela opened her eyes to find herself leaning on the pillows of the upraised bed. She looked around to find Dean sitting on one of the plastic chairs and his head and arms resting on her bed. Bobby was sitting in a chair and he was leaning against the walls catching a few Z's. Sam was on her bed and was actually leaning against her. She knew that she was not dreaming and she leaned back to think about her midnight conversation with Crowley along with dealing with the guilty feelings of hiding her conversations with him.
"You really believe the rambling of the witch that did this to the three of ya; that there is a master witch who knows how to reverse this?"
"Please stop yelling at me," Angela replied as she put her good arm up to her eyes. She was getting a headache and it wasn't related to the concussion that she had gotten. It was good to be home and out of the hospital but she was beginning to think that she made the mistake of bringing up the possibility of a witch who could reverse the spell.
"I ain't yelling at ya," Bobby replied as he opened up another one of his books. "All I'm saying is that you should know better than to trust the word of a witch."
"So you're saying that you don't trust me then?" Angela managed to look up. The headache was getting worse and she felt getting angry but for no reason at all. "I've been at this a lot longer than you Bobby. I know a thing or two about most things we hunt."
"This is a witch we are talking about Angie and one that laid a curse on you and the boys."
"You weren't there Bobby. You didn't hear her talk. Hell I got us in this mess so it is my fault. I should have done like Dean said and gank the bitch instead of yapping with her." Angela felt her temper rising and her head was pounding. Tears were starting to form and she felt powerless to stop them. "So go ahead and yell at me cause I certainly have put up with a lot of it lately. After all it is my fault."
"Angie…"
Before Bobby could say anything more, Angela had turned on her heel to leave. At the same time several stacks of books went flying. It was like they were reacting to the direction she was turning in. They smacked the floor and the walls with a loud thump as she left the room. Bobby could hear the portraits on the walls rattle.
"Bobby?" Dean poked his head around the corner just as the door to the kitchen slammed shut. Sam in turn peeked around the corner, around Dean.
"Nothing boys. Just a bit of misunderstanding," Bobby replied as he flipped open another book after examining the concoction the witch used. When he looked up, he tried not to laugh as he found that the boys looking at him with a look that told him not to treat them like children. He added, "Angie suggested that there may be another witch, a master witch that could undo the spell."
"And you said that it was stupid right?" Dean eyed Bobby with an accusatory look. "The witch bitch did mention someone taught her the mojo."
"Don't ya think that she was just saying that to jerk you around while she worked the spell?"
"She had nothing to gain Bobby," Sam replied, feeling annoyed that Bobby was doubting Angela. "If anything she was probably counting on the fact that we would be too distracted to bother to remember her saying that."
"That's a bit farfetched Sam."
"Angie has never been wrong about stuff like this before. The girl has good memory," Dean replied. "Anyway it would be something for me, Sam and Angie to do." Dean caught the look that Sam shot him. He gave a slight look and continued, "Look Sam, you and I both know that to keep Angie pent up is like sitting on a time bomb or something."
"Dean, someone is trying to kill her," Sam argued, "And she just got out of the hospital."
"I didn't mean right now Sam. Don't be stupid."
"Don't call me stupid," Sam retorted, "Jerk. Angie taking a risk with her life is one thing but when we do that… it's wrong."
"Like I said, I didn't mean now. Besides Angie's a master of disguise."
"No."
Dean rolled his eyes. Sam was going to be stubborn on this even though he admitted that she was good with the disguises. "Sam, think about it. Do you really thing that I would just say it and that's it. I intended to ask her. I always ask."
"Sure you do," Sam muttered as he crossed his arms. He didn't like what Dean suggested though he knew that his brother was right. Dean always did ask when it came to Angela taking the risk and even she weighed all the pros and cons. Sometimes it was done on impulse but it was like she had told him, she did try to take into consideration that she wasn't working alone anymore.
"Whatever… bitch," Dean replied. He then looked at Bobby, "So are you doubting Angie or is this master witch something worth looking at?" He noticed that Sam gave a slight eye roll and turned and walked away. He figured that he was going to talk to Angela and gave a slight grin. Even with their emotions out of control like little kids, Sam was still oblivious to the fact that he was attracted to Angela. It was a bit weird since they weren't normal size but still funny as hell to him. He turned to focus his attention on Bobby.
Bobby had watched the entire exchange and now had Dean looking at him. Apparently they were, or rather Dean was, stuck on the idea of looking for this witch. It was a possibility but Bobby was inclined to stick to what he knew was the sure fire way. It wasn't that he didn't trust Angela but he was like Sam; he was more concerned with the fact that someone was after Angela and with something that could kill her slowly and painfully. He replied, "I don't doubt Angie, Dean. It just seems so odd."
"Bobby, ever since Sam and me hooked up with her, we've seen odd things." Dean wandered over to a cabinet that had been commandeered for weapons storage. He opened it up and pulled out the Orion blade. It was heavy and he had to use two hands. He said the words to activate it and the dull blade came to life. "Not to diss everything you and Dad taught us but we learned a lot of new things from her."
It was hard work holding the active blade upright without tottering over. Dean was sure he looked ridiculous but it made him realize how much he took his adult size for granted. He held it up and looked at the blade. It was no longer dull but rather had a sheen like Absolution did. Dean wondered if Orion was like Absolution as he said the words to return the blade to its dull sheen. He looked at Bobby and said, "Some of the things we've seen are odd. I mean what are the odds that we are friends with a good witch?"
Bobby watched Dean handle the blade. It was one of the few times he was able to take a picture on Dean's cell phone and he made sure to send a copy to Sam and Angela's phone. Dean did have a point though. Even he learned more things than what he had when he first started as a hunter. Angela taught him things that he had never heard of before. He replied, "I get ya Dean and maybe it is a possibility but is it wise to pin everything on the master witch?"
"And that's why we still do what we've been doing… well what you've been doing," Dean countered as he put away the blade and closed the door. "Well I better go make sure that Sam didn't stumble onto one of Angie's backyard surprises. Kid thinks that because he was named champion of the tournament, he thinks he's invincible." He turned and headed out the back door towards the yard.
Bobby couldn't help but smile. It seemed that the boys were getting better at keeping their emotions in check though they were still acting like kids on occasion and over little things. It certainly was interesting having a ten year old Dean and a six year old Sam running around the house again even though their minds were that of their twenty and some odd years self. However he knew that they couldn't stay that way forever and went to trying to decipher the ingredients in that hex potion or whatever it was.
Meanwhile Dean had followed Sam's trail and it was as he suspected. The footsteps went all the way to the place that they had spent nearly three months in on and off. He paused when he heard something whistle through the air. The sound was very familiar and he had heard it several times before and it was when she threw it in a certain manner.
He rounded the corner and saw Sam watching Angela. She was holding her chakram and looking off in the distance. She threw the thing and then gave a shrill whistle that was different than what she used to call for the hell mutt. Even though Dean couldn't see him, he could tell that Cerebus was charging forward and he saw the chakram get caught in midair. It was certainly weird to see it float in midair back to its owner. He came out and said, "I thought you said that thing wasn't a toy."
Angela took the chakram out of Cerebus' mouth and replied with a grin, "I did say that but we aren't playing. Right, Sam?" She gave a slight wink as she handed it to him.
Sam leaned against the junker and accepted the chakram. He replied, "No. You are teaching Cerebus to catch it and retrieve it."
"Sounds like playing to me," Dean replied as he came out to stand where Sam had been standing. His brother moved forward holding the chakram and stood where Angela had stood moments ago. "That thing looks big enough to go over your head Sam."
Sam threw a bitch face and replied, "And it would look like a necklace on you." He got ready to throw it but waited while Cerebus came back to his starting position.
Dean watched his brother as he adjusted his small hands on the weapon. Sam's palm barely closed over the weapon however it was clenched like a hand that had undergone long bouts of practice. He asked, "You still have the know how in your melon, Sammy?"
"I remember a bit. It's like knowing theory but it's putting theory into practice that is difficult," Sam replied as he moved his hands to find a comfortable position. He had no idea why Angela handed it to him but she did say that she had reasons to her methods of madness. Plus he did tell her what the god Hapi did.
"But it's like riding a bicycle or a horse. Once you learn the basics, even after years, it's still there," Angela replied as she leaned against the junker with a casual air. She rotated her shoulder. She could take off the sling but she didn't need three nags after her. Besides her shoulder was still healing and it was going to take some time.
"I see that," Dean replied, "I think."
Sam finally found a position that was comfortable in his grip. He couldn't explain very well how it felt like he was sorting through a catalogue or something as he rotated his hands to find a position from which he could throw the thing. This one he chose worked well since he had smaller hands and the position was something he could step into. He felt it was rough since it felt like he was following directions from a book.
He released the chakram and watched as it flew towards the pile of junk and clang off it. Sam gave a slight whistle and he heard Cerebus charge forward. He felt when the hell mutt knocked him over and he gave a scowl. He didn't stay on the ground but instead stood up and dusted himself off. By that time the hell mutt had bounced off the pile of junk and caught the chakram in midair and was coming back towards him.
Sam still found it creepy that one of hell's bitches was now a glorified lap dog. However the mutt did come in handy on certain things and was a good guard dog for Bobby though the old man would rather drink bad rotgut than admit it. At least he couldn't see the thing but he was sure that it was more torturous or amusing for Angela since she could see what the mutt looked like. Yet when he saw her throwing her chakram for the mutt when he came out, she was smiling. So…
Cerebus gave a slight whine as he held the chakram out to Sam. Sam took it and was surprised the mutt didn't try to play tug-of-war with it. Instead it went back to its starting position and got ready for the next throw. Since Angela made no move to take it back, Sam took it to mean that he was to throw it again. This time the position came much easier and he took aim this time at a different stack and threw much harder.
Cerebus took off after it but missed. It was a first for the mutt and it surprised everyone to the point that no one was watching where the chakram was heading. It continued to ricochet off the old beat up cars and it disappeared behind a stack. Sam apologized, "Sorry Angie."
"No harm, no foul," Angela replied. "You just have to get it." When Sam gave her a look she said, "You threw it, you lost it so it is only fair that you get it back. That's a pretty much unspoken rule where I come from."
"Fine," Sam replied as he turned to go in the general direction the lost chakram went towards. "Sort of like you break it you buy it."
"I wouldn't bother looking for your thing here."
Angela turned and she felt her eyes flash slightly. Dean had jumped as well and grabbed onto Cerebus who was growling low. She looked to see the kid that she met yesterday and he was holding her chakram. "What are you doing here?"
"I think I can help you with your problem."
A/N: A visit from Crowley and finally Nick introduces himself as a potential help. Stay tuned for next time on Witching Pains...
