Chapter 9

Small towns were something that Angela liked about this country. The land was so big that it was enough to have small towns. You could hide in one of them and hide from the things that haunted you. It could restore balance in all things. She sort of did that when she lived at Karnak after her third stint in hell and later when she stayed with the Harvelles for some time. There was also a problem to that.

Small towns were notorious for their secrets. Everyone knew everything but they were suspicious of outsiders. They would tell you part of the truth. Just enough to satisfy questions but not enough to give a decent picture and if you got in trouble, they could turn against you. Unless they were an anomaly like Calisto, Texas where even if there was sufficient evidence, juries sided with their own. It was a maddening thing but it made sense now that they knew what they were looking for.

Angela had never encountered a medium and didn't know much about them. Kesset knew a little more but it wasn't enough to get an accurate picture of what they were looking for. It wasn't like it was one of those monsters that had a really ugly face like a siren. They were human and could blend in. But there had to be a way to find out if there was a quirk or something that could be detected.

Scent was a good thing. The problem was that Dean was burnt out from it. He wasn't used to being able to tune things in and out and now his nose was overloaded, and he felt like he wanted to puke. Kesset was with him at the room. Sam could probably do it since birds of prey were unique in sensing out food, but it was more visual. He wasn't a carrion shifter. And she wasn't anxious to get him agitated if he got stuck again.

The only option was to go to the local library and do what Sam could do best and what she could do in this state: research. Well, she could do it when she was normal. She didn't brush it off since she did believe that the more you knew something the better prepared you were when you went up against the thing you were hunting. Besides, planning and contingency was what she did best, and Mac certainly appreciated it. She knew a couple of other people that appreciated it at the time.

The local library was pretty well stocked. It had what libraries generally had but what Angela and Sam needed, it was something that needed to be handled discretely. She didn't fail to notice that the stern-faced librarian was the type that thought that anything that wasn't of God was of the devil so any fantasy books the kids checked out, she had a perpetual grumpy face. Angela was familiar with that look having received it before herself. It was almost a universal look which could be countered with a polite smile and a logical reason. Also, a nice snow job didn't hurt especially if it was designed to make it look like the library was talking to someone with a similar viewpoint.

"I thought I was smooth with the talking."

Angela looked up from the book she was skimming through and was met with Sam giving her a teasing grin. She snorted, "Well it should be a walk down memory lane for you. I remember that charity benefit and that nice old lady…"

"Did you have to bring that up?" Sam pouted a little at that.

"All's fair in love and war." Angela smirked a little. "And it was pretty funny. You're cute enough to make old ladies feel young. Including me."

"You're not old."

Angela raised her brow while she was still grinning. She knew that Sam was setting himself up and he knew it too, but he often said profound things during those moments. Things that was usually hard for him to voice out where his feelings were concerned. She decided to push, "I'm over five hundred years old, Sam."

"And I'm stuck in a body that's a hundred." Sam shrugged as he flipped the page that he was looking at. He looked at her. "Never mattered to me unless I was making a point to Dean about your capabilities."

Angela smiled warmly at Sam. "Always from the heart. Perfect flattery."

"Honest truth," Sam asserted. He didn't smile but caught her gaze and stared into her eyes. He was aware he did it more often but sometimes he felt compelled to do it. Like something deep within was telling him that it was the moment to say something to his mate that needed to be said. And he was becoming more comfortable referring to her as that, mostly in thought or when he was certain the person he was talking to wasn't going to flip out and currently it was Bobby, Kesset and Akira and Christian. Haley seemed to be in tuned with it and often would blush and laugh at times, usually when she caught him being affectionate. It was annoying but a relief from his brother's heckling about everything else.

Angela was well aware that something drove Sam to stare at her like an alpha asserting dominance. This wasn't the case though, but there was something being said through that stare. Sam never tried to boss her around since he knew she could basically put him over her knee and let him have it. This message was stating that the little things didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered was that she was his and he was damned proud of her. She doubted he fully understood what it meant but he understood it on some level since she gave a slight nod and Sam gave one in return. Moment over, she probed, "Anything in that one?"

Sam blinked and shook his head slightly. He was aware of what went on, but it was also like one of those moments where he spaced out completely. He looked down at the book he had been looking through and struggled to find his place, "Uh… not much. Pretty much the same thing we knew before that mediums are super rare and they can call and command ghosts to manifest. Sounds like a necromancer, Angie."

"But they are different." Angela pointed it out as she bent to look through the book she had selected. It was in Latinate, Old Latinate, of which she was fluent in. She pointed at an entry, "Mediums can see the dead and communicate with them to the point that most people think they are talking to themselves. Makes me wonder how many crazy people really aren't crazy."

"Yeah."

Angela hummed, not looking at Sam and continued to read, "However, there are some mediums who are capable of making a spirit visible. They have control over their appearance in the physical realm, meaning that they can keep them there as long as they want."

"Sounds a bit like tethering a reaper or a ghost and that kind of thing can bite you in the ass," Sam commented, remembering the two times he had witnessed that on a job.

"Thing about power, it can corrupt." Angela thought about it a little. "But I doubt our medium is of the malicious kind."

"True."

Angela stared at the page and rested her head on her hand. "I don't know though. There is something about all this that just nags a little." She frowned a little. She didn't like it when she couldn't find the answer to what she was looking for but even she was aware that not everything was available to peruse. Some things were only passed down through teachings, word of mouth. Or maybe it was really that rare and no one really knew about mediums. "But I do know that she is probably freaked out of her mind."

"She?"

"Well Dean did sniff out a girl and given that she was being chased, sure bet that she is our medium," Angela replied with a knowing look that turned into a grin. "So maybe we need to figure out who it was that was after her."

"I think I can help with that," Sam said as he pulled his laptop towards him and started tapping on the keys. "I was able to get into the security cameras on campus so… maybe we can see who we are dealing with." He finished what he was doing and turned it so they could both see.

It took a few moments but they found what they were looking for. Angela couldn't see much but Sam was able to spot something on the lapel of the leader. She blinked in amazement as he zoomed in on it and got her a still. She gave him and appreciative pat on the shoulder and went to work looking up what the symbol was on the lapel pin. That took even more time but they couldn't come up with anything and Sam made the suggestion, "Maybe we should call Bobby."

Angela held the door open for him as they left the library. She had one of the books tucked under her arm which had been lent out by a very generous librarian. "I really don't want to bother him with this. I mean, he's got enough on his plate with that tome…"

"Angie, he has a better library than this," Sam gestured at the library as he adjusted the bag with his laptop on his shoulder. "Some of those books were from your collection you know."

"Yeah but he is already doing a lot," Angela replied as she led the way to the road that would take them to the motel. "Mother of All put on the back burner to fix us."

"We've hit a wall though and we are running out of options and unless our medium literally drops in our arms…"

Sam would have finished but at that moment there was a crash and the yelp of a woman. Angela blinked and looked at Sam before running in the direction of the yelp. She reached to where she had put the knife that she had tucked into the jacket she fixed for Sam a while back. She heard more yelping and shrieks telling whoever it was to stop or a call for help. She almost paused when she heard the squawk of a hawk and looked up.

She didn't know whether or not to curse or praise when she recognized Sam in shifted form soaring above. She tracked his movements like she used to when she learned falconry. Her eyesight may be more human but she had the experience. They switched bodies, not knowledge. She watched as Sam darted forward and downward in a violent strike and let out a screech. She heard grunts and ran in that direction.

Rounding a corner, she saw a girl on the ground looking terrified and Sam swooping and striking with his talons at a young man that was trying to fend him off. She would have stopped to grin since it was different but completely Sam but she was distracted when she caught sight of a second attacker. She brought her arms off to deflect the blow and countered with a kick.

It wasn't enough to knock the guy down and keep him down. Angela was used to knocking people, humans namely, out with a punch. She still had a significant amount of power since she was in a male body but the disparity was disconcerting but she made do, calling on what she had spent years training in. She wasn't afraid to deliver pain on those that deserve it.

"Get off!"

There was the squawk from Sam and he dove in again with his talons drawn. Angela thought he was stuck again but she couldn't worry about it at the moment. She had to take care of this guy that just didn't seem to want to go down. Even with well-placed and hard punches, it was like he was one of those guys on drugs and she was getting exhausted. She wanted to avoid killing if she could since it was a small town and they were outsiders. So she went with the one thing she knew she could do.

Witchcraft was a learned thing but there were some who were naturals for the craft. They were born with special powers. One of those whole Force is in all of us things. Angela learned the basics of spellcraft and knew about hex bags and other things associate with it. She could execute a spell with the right amount of focus. Often she didn't since she used her own abilities, but now she needed to dig into her bag of tricks.

Focusing like she had been taught, she looked at the guy that was getting up for the umpteenth time and said the incantation before issuing the spell command, "Sciopero!"

She ignored the shriek from the girl as she watched the attacker fly backwards into a pile of garbage. She turned when she heard the other attacker yell and start running at her, screaming obscenities. He had his hand raised with a knife, intending to strike. He didn't though and was lifted into the air. Angela saw the flap of wings as the guy was lifted and then dropped with force into the same garbage heap as his partner. She turned to see Sam, back in humanoid form coming to touch down. She raised her brow at him, impressed that he managed to shift without getting stuck. She said, "Nice job with the aerial attack."

Sam shook his wings like he was dusting off his shoulders before tucking them back in, "Figured you would be able to see me since you said you did falconry in your younger years."

Angela snorted playfully before turning to the girl. She asked, "You okay?"

"Stay back!" The girl shrieked in terror.

"It's okay…"

"No!"

It came as a surprise but knowing what to look for once it suddenly got cold, Angela and Sam were ready for the sudden appearance of the ghost. Sam managed to distract it by swiping at it with the knife while Angela continued to approach the girl. She had an annoyed look on her face that showed she was short on patience. Ignoring the screaming, she pressed her first two fingers to the girl's forehead and caught her before she fell.

The ghost disappeared and Sam looked around, ready to fight if it came back. He turned to see Angela holding the girl in a princess carry though he probably would have thrown the girl over his shoulder. He looked at her and said, "I think we found our medium."

"No shit."


It's not safe for you to be out there alone.

I just need a breath of fresh air, Gigi.

Sarah…

I need to think!

Sarah winced as she felt the first hints of wakefulness along with hearing whispered voices. She slowly opened her eyes to find that she was in a room and judging from the paint job, a motel room. She turned her head to look around, not willing to lift it just yet since it was throbbing. She looked at the décor and it confirmed her observations that she was in a motel room. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember what happened before she ended up in that room. She took in a small breath as she recalled the last thing she remembered.

Aunt Gigi had explained to her what she was. It was not like when she explained their family heritage but something different. She knew her aunt meant well but it was a lot to take in. She needed time to process the information and left the house. She said she needed air but she was going home to her place, the apartment she moved into when she started going to college. She didn't have to but she wanted to be ready when she transferred to a university out of state.

She was walking through the places she liked to take a walk through when she was younger. They were places of adventure of for just perusing her thoughts. It was there that she met Trip again and he wasn't alone. He came after her, telling her that she was going to get what was coming to her for killing his men and all those other people. He was done with being nice and came after her with the intent to kill her and he had a partner.

She remembered trying to plead as she ran. She tried to convince Trip not to do it but they pursued her. She remembered Trip almost had her when he attempted to grab her. It caused her to fall and she yelped. They caught up to her and were going to kill her when… she saw a bird?

"What are you going to do?"

"Ask her questions for one."

"Dean, she doesn't know what's going on."

Sarah frowned. The voice that answered to "Dean" was clearly feminine. The other… She lifted her head and sat up to see who it was that was talking. She saw a woman with dark hair and a compelling set of eyes look at her. She seemed to have a perpetual frown as she stared back. Sarah started to say something when the other person, the man turned to look at her. She couldn't help but gasp. She remembered.

It was a bird that swooped down. She saw it attack Trip with its talons and a screech of attack. But it wasn't really a bird. She watched when it changed into a man with wings to tackle Trip and knock him out. Then he swooped down to take out the other one that had been beaten by the other man. She remembered that the other man wasn't freaked out by the bird man but she… Sarah let out a high pitched screech. With a leap, she was off the bed and bolting for the door but was stopped when she saw a pair of dogs that looked fierce and she screamed.

"Stop!"

Sarah whirled to see the woman with her hands over her ears but her eyes widened when the bird man got in front of her saying, "Calm down. We're…"

Sarah reacted and swung her hand out in a slap. She made contact and started to screech for help. All of a sudden she was grabbed from behind and let out an even louder screech. She also managed to head butt her captor and she heard a grunt. Another guy and he released her, allowing her to make a run for the door when a shadow filled it.

It was like those movies where the big bad guy came in with a shadow to match. Except this time though it wasn't big and bad. She was met with a very tall and handsome man who was looking at the scene like they were unruly children. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him, recognizing him as the man that sent Trip's partner flying back and… She shrieked, "You knocked me out!"

The man stared at her with a look like he didn't understand what she was saying. Sarah couldn't stop staring at him. He was handsome but there was something that was off. She couldn't put her finger on it but it wasn't bad. It was… attractive. It did stop her from getting hysterical at the fact that she was in a motel room with three strange men and a woman, two whom she knew for certain were not normal in that sense of the word.

The tall man in front of her finally spoke, "Everything alright?"

"Hell no," the woman replied angrily, rubbing her ears with her palms. "Nearly blew my ear drums out."

The tall man held out his hand to calm the woman down but his eyes never left Sarah. It left her feeling a little disconcerted but she couldn't find it in her to break the gaze. She liked his eyes. They held warmth, gentleness as well as a burning desire to do right. That last part she was taking a guess at but that didn't matter. She started to say something but was stopped by the man in front of her.

"Are you going to speak normally or scream?"

Sarah shut her mouth as her featured contorted into indignation. A sound came out as she stared at tall and handsome. He was not at all moved by the look and she was pretty certain that she looked like a petulant teenager. She tried again and stammered while staring at the handsome man, "Why… why shouldn't I scream? I mean I'm in some motel room with strange people."

Tall and handsome shrugged in manner that was just sexually appealing and replied, "You could but I'm more concerned with unexpected and unwanted visitors. Not that they could appear but I really don't want a ghost that's at your beck and call to show up."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah automatically replied. Tall and handsome seemed nice but after what happened with Trip, she wasn't going to make herself a target even if they may have saved her life.

Tall and handsome looked amused even when the woman grumbled, "Yeah right."

Sarah blinked at the fact that tall and handsome wasn't acting like a normal person about this. He was merely smiling at her like she had just said something funny. She looked at him and said firmly, "It's the truth. I don't know what you're talking about. Now let me go."

"We can't do that," tall and handsome said.

"If you don't, I'll scream. I know the sheriff…"

Sarah would have continued to speak but she found that she couldn't when a masculine finger pressed against her lips with such gentleness that it rendered her speechless. Tall and handsome was looking at her and said firmly, "Please don't do that."

"Or what?" Sarah couldn't help but retort. She had been tempted to bite the finger but didn't and she wanted to run but tall and handsome was blocking the way.

"We don't want to hurt you," a new voice entered.

Sarah turned to see the one who had the wings looking at her. He was trying to show that they didn't mean her any harm. It was gentle like tall and handsome. She looked back at the man in the doorway and then tried to step through. She was surprised when he stepped aside and let her pass and it hurt as well.

Tall and handsome looked at her and said, "We aren't your jailers. We just wished to help you."

"There is nothing wrong," Sarah insisted.

"As you say, little witch."

Sarah had turned to go and would have taken off but she stopped when tall and handsome called her a witch. It wasn't meant in the name calling and derogatory manner. It was a knowing one and it effectively stopped her in her tracks. She looked at tall and handsome who was leaning against the doorframe, looking at her with that piercing and knowing look. She couldn't hide it but she couldn't voice it either.

Tall and handsome looked at Sarah like she was going to see right through her. He watched her and then said, "I know that something is chasing you and it's not because of you being a witch."

Sarah swallowed and her eyes widened in fear. She was free to run but she felt rooted to the spot she had stopped at. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Instead, she took a step forward towards tall and handsome. She took another step, and another step. She continued until she was within speaking distance and she stared into his eyes.

Tall and handsome gave a slow smile and asked in a near teasing tone, "I can trust that we won't have a repeat of what just happened?"

Sarah blinked as she looked at tall and handsome. She had no idea what she was getting into but looking into his eyes, she was certain that nothing would happen. Or at least she could tell him about what was happening. It just didn't help that she passed out again from fear.


A/N: Sam and Angie go and do research on mediums and the one they are looking for drops right in their laps. Stay tuned for next time on Freaky Friday...