Chapter 10

"Well at least this is a sight better than the places we've stayed in." Dean couldn't help but make the comment. More to ease the tension.

Angela gave him a wry smile and replied, "Please, the abandoned house where we had fun with Crowley was much neater." She gave him a grin to show that she was trying just as he was. Sometimes you had to take the bad memories and make light of them. She sobered a little and looked around the place.

Sam came up behind her and asked softly, "What is this place?"

Angela turned to answer but Greg spoke first, "It's the one place that both sides can be in the same room and they can't kill each other. It's call the estate. Not original, I know but there was no point in naming something that both sides hoped to not need."

Sam looked at Greg and took a step forward, "So, this is like a safe zone?"

Greg shrugged, "Pretty much. Like I said, both sides can't fight in here."

In the meantime, Angela walked through the rooms, running her hand on the paneling. Her eyes narrowed as she took a look around. When she had been shown the neutral stretch of land, Christian also mentioned this sort of farmhouse estate. He explained what it was originally built for and at the time she thought it was almost funny and ridiculous because there had been no tensions really. Now that it was evident that there was a need for the place, she could appreciate the wisdom of those that started all this.

She paused to look at the warding that was fairly obvious on the wall but it had been made to look like a part of the décor. It was a specific warding to prevent the affected parties or anyone from physically assaulting each other. And that included abilities and magic. If she remembered right it was throughout the entire property that this was in effect. So you couldn't take it outside and settle differences and that wasn't the purpose of this place either.

Thinking about it, she wished there were more places like this. It would save a lot of heartache and pain. It certainly would have come in handy with the Irish rebellion and few other conflicts that could have done without the bloodshed. Of course Mac told her that it was sometimes necessary for bloodshed in order to change things. Of course his ancestors fought to keep his family grounds a haven for supernatural beings that just wanted to live and didn't want to hurt people. He even claimed that he had family that fought with William Wallace, which was probably true. The point was that he had a history of conflict, she lived it and they understood but didn't always see eye to eye. And yet they were linked as brothers in arms.

"Well Mac, looks like another battle. What would you do if you were here?" She muttered more to herself than to ask a question. She shook her head thinking about what she had as part of 'nighttime discussion' in the dream realm. She didn't see Sam but she could smell him and let him come up from behind. She said, "I take it that the group is behaving?"

Sam paused, at first wondering how she knew it was him but brushed it off since he knew that her sense of smell was like that of the dogs and maybe better. He replied, "Yeah. Lot of glares and snorts and Dean looks ready to punch someone and Liam is…" He rolled his eyes slightly.

Angela turned to look at Sam and caught the look he was giving at the mention of the werewolf. She smirked slightly as she shifted on her feet, "What is it with you and Liam?"

Sam realized he had been caught and looked at her. "Um… "

Angela advanced and put her hands on his biceps, gently rubbing them, "Sam… there is no one but you. Liam is… just a friend and nothing more."

Sam knew that but he felt a little insecure about it. Some of the people they had met and were friends with were probably ten times better than he was as a person and they understood her in a way that he couldn't since they were like her. "I know just… you deserve the best and… I'm not that."

"Then it's exactly what I deserve," she replied with a slight smile. "A flawed being that is perfect in ways that can't be seen. Flawed like me." She stood on tip toe to give him a gentle kiss. "And I need you and Dean to back me more than ever because of this."

"You always have it from me," Sam replied, "Dean too."

Angela smiled. She knew that. She just needed to hear it. It was always nice to hear it once in a while. She reached up and raked her fingers gently through Sam's hair, smoothing it out and just finding it soothing to her. She knew it made Sam feel good having seen his reaction before and the fact that he was looking at her with a look that told her he was warring with the lustful urge he was getting with the seriousness of the situation. She replied softly, "I know."

Sam hummed at that since he was liking her fingers running through his hair. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Being jealous." Sam looked at her and studied her. He gently traced his fingers along her cheek. He kept his eyes locked on hers. "As Dean says, a bigger bitch than usual."

Angela hummed at his comment as she kept his gaze, "Hmm. Only because you care and I'm yours as you are mine." She stared pointedly at Sam as if to determine if she were wrong or not.

To Sam's mind, she wasn't wrong in that assertion. She was his and he was hers. It sounded weird but it felt right. He hummed his response low in his throat as he bent forward and captured her lips. He drew her in as he suckled her lower lip before breaking the kiss. As much as he wanted to continue, making out while they had two sides that were close to killing each other and he knew that Angela was going to make use of them one way or another and probably in a manner that they wouldn't even realize it.

Angela hummed as she pulled back and said, "Thanks. I needed that."

"Happy to help," he replied grinning. He sobered and prompted, "Are you okay… with this?"

"Now you're going to tell him the truth right," the familiar tones of Lucifer filled Angela's ears as he appeared behind Sam.

Angela didn't react to the presence of Lucifer though she wished she was around to stab him in the face. Rather, she looked at Sam like she would when everything was fine and replied, "I'm okay as a person. With the whole situation… remains to be seen." She gave a slight sigh and looked around. "The last time I was caught in the middle… these things are like walking into a powder magazine and being careless with the torch."

"Ooo nice save," Lucifer taunted.

"That bad?"

"As with the vamp and wolf feud and any blood feud… they fester and often the people we work with don't even know why they were fighting in the first place."

Sam nodded at that. He hadn't failed to notice that Angela seemed distracted by something. There was no one in the room and he was getting the distinct feeling that she was seeing something that he couldn't. As much as he wanted to press, he wasn't since he knew that it was only going to make matters worse like her shutting him out. She wouldn't do that but she wouldn't willingly bring him in either. For all her speeches of getting help, she was the more reluctant of any of them and part of it was this persistent believe that it was her penance. He wasn't going to push but he would keep an eye out.

Angela knew she couldn't hide from Sam for long. He had always noticed when she was bothered. Dean did too but Sam always seemed to be more sensitive to it. In the end she would probably tell him that she spaced out because she kept seeing Lucifer when he decided to pop up out of nowhere and it startled her enough. For now, she would handle it. It usually worked if she ignored him anyway. She looked back at Sam and added, "We're caught in the middle and… it's not going to be pleasant."

"Because of you?"

"Pretty much. I have worked with both sides but I am not necessarily loyal in that sense of the word to either. But… my word is trusting." She walked towards to the door to head back downstairs since she sensed that Dean was at his wit's end. "It's why keeping my word has always been important."

Sam couldn't deny that. She didn't really lie. True she could play a mark like hustling for a game of pool or cards or even pretend to get information. She once told him how she acted undercover to protect a prince in some Middle Eastern country. But when push came to shove, she didn't mince words but told her honest assessment and never made a promise she couldn't keep. Well… it almost happened in Ruby Valley with that kid who had been bitten by a werewolf and she cured him. He could get it and this was one of those cases where the saying that the deeds spoke for themselves.

He followed her back down to the living room of the house. If it could be called that. It looked almost like the Centurion manor but it had a chateau or villa look to it. In any case there was plenty of room to make multiple leaders come in as necessary. Right now it seemed to dwarf them since they were a small group as they joined Greg, Liam and Cade along with Dean and the dogs. The moment he entered the room… he could feel the awkwardness.

The tension was thick to cut with a knife as Cade and Greg were glaring at each other, looking like they wanted to pull a knife out and start a fight but they didn't. Rather they tensed the moment Angela walked in and eyed her warily. Cade ended up glaring at everyone. Dean was looking ready to punch something. Greg was more receptive to her presence but also cautious. Liam was just sitting back like it was nothing. It was an odd picture and hardly the ideal situation for whatever Angela had in mind.

"So you planning on making everyone play nice here?" Cade slouched as he put a hand on his hip and gestured nonchalantly at the room.

Angela came in and looked at him and in the politest voice replied, "Yes. You should remember your history that this place was created as a neutral zone." She walked over to a wall and with a wave of her hand, she muttered an incantation. The markings on the wall appeared.

Sam watched as Greg blinked and nodded in agreement. Cade was more reluctant and Liam was still good natured about it. He and Dean were the only ones looking confused at the whole thing. Cade said, "Alright fine. Thing is, this is so far gone. How are you getting Marinos and Dragovich together without making it look like you are siding with either?"

Angela looked at the two Hunters. She knew they couldn't refuse once she revealed the markings. Thank you for tell me about is Fang boy. She gave a slight smile like she would when she was planning mischief to tease the Winchesters when she felt like it. She replied, "Easy. We assume the role of arbiters."

"What?" Cade raised his brow. "You want us to play diplomat? I'm a Hunter. I prefer hitting something."

"Yeah and look where that got you," Greg muttered, "Your family members are considered all brawn and no brains despite your reputation with a bow. Hell the Winchesters there have a better rep than you."

"You wanna say that again?"

Greg gave a sleepy look at Cade. "You heard me." He raised a hand in warning when Cade made to hit. "You don't want to do that. I'm sure we became bound by the rules the moment we set foot on the property." He looked at Angela and asked, "Right?"

"Yes," Angela replied, letting Cade and Greg settle it. "And it extends to outside the building. The whole property in fact. It is just like the Tournament of Souls." She gave a pointed look at Cade as he eyed Greg with a gimlet eye.

Cade grumbled, "Fine. I still think you're making a mistake, half-breed." He shot a look at Sam and Dean as if to taunt them to do something about the name calling since he directed it at Angela. "And it won't help since these two have no clue." He gestured at Sam and Dean.

"It will work," Angela asserted, "If anything, Marinos and Christian have been at pains to keep things from going into full scale war. We keep them from fighting while we find out who the real culprit is."

"Please. Dragovich started it," Cade sputtered.

"That's what you think stupid Hunter," another voice entered thoroughly startling everyone except Angela and Liam.

Angela grinned as she said, "Oh did I tell you that we have a few things going for us? I'd like you to meet Orion."

"Hey, you okay?"

Greg turned from where he was looking out over the valley. He looked at the youngest of the Winchesters and blinked at him. He wondered how this was going to work out. He didn't doubt Sam and Dean knew how to go on hunt but it seemed strange that they didn't know where they came from. Then again maybe it didn't matter. He did know that they were used to hearing strange things but even then they could be surprised. He replied bluntly, "No."

Sam was taken slightly aback by the bluntness. The last time he had that was from Angela when she was serious and wasn't joking. He brushed it off though since he figured that the guy was still upset about losing his partner and suspected that it was something more. He thought about it and asked, "You want to talk about her?"

Greg looked at Sam with a raised brow, "What makes you think I want to talk about the one woman who meant more to me than some petty hatred because she was different?"

Sam, shrugged, used to having that tone directed at him. "If it helps." He studied the look he was getting from Greg. Finally he said, "I know what it's like to lose someone that means so much to you that it feels like your heart was ripped out."

"What do you know about it?"

"Plenty." Sam put his hands on his hips as he took a breath that was meant to be calming. He studied Greg and indicated that he wasn't going to do anything to him.

Greg straightened up and looked at Sam before looking away and gestured at the valley, "No man's land. The strip of land that is keeping both sides from going into full out war. Goes back to the days when both sides would line up and fire. Only because they had muskets and blunderbusses." He shot a slight grin at Sam and snorted at it.

Sam was willing to go with it since it got the guy talking while they were waiting for Liam to get back from the Academy. He went back since he had the clearance to the Academy and Christian had a good head and not think him a traitor. To the Hunter side they sent Morgan's dog since that was a Hunter's dog and again, no reason to think traitor. Sam suspected that Angela wanted to keep an eye on Cade and Greg. Something was going on in her mind and she had a way to figure this out since she was adamant that it was someone else's doing.

Sam walked over to join Greg and look at the valley. "Looks nice. You'd hardly suspect what's going on." He gave a shrug of his shoulders.

Greg looked at Sam and nodded before looking back at the valley, "I grew up hearing stories about how the treaty was signed. There were some not too nice jibes at Roslyn and his band of freaks as they were called." He gave a wry grin and chuckle at that description. "Goes to show that it's passed down."

"I used to think that there was a fine line," Sam replied as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "That there was a difference."

"What changed?"

"I met her. Met Angie." Sam shrugged and blinked. He sighed slightly and continued, "And… we worked together and… I fell in love with her." He looked at Greg and decided to risk it. "Did you love her?"

Greg knew who Sam was talking about. He had wanted to avoid talking about it but he knew that wasn't going to be possible since he figured that Angela was with one of the Winchester brothers. He had observed them and figured it was the youngest. It was how they interacted; it was not too uncommon from how he and his Idalia interacted. "She was my mate," he replied.

Sam blinked at that, "Mate?"

"Don't play dumb," Greg replied as he snorted, "It's very unflattering for you, a Hunter."

"What do you mean?" Sam had an idea he knew what Greg meant. After all Angela was the one that broke it down to him after being reluctant to open up about it in the first place.

Greg rolled his eyes slightly and gestured at Sam's neck. "Not that hard to know what that means." He watched as Sam subconsciously covered it. "You do know what it means right?"

"Angie did explain it to me."

"And how do you feel about it?"

Sam shrugged. In his mind it didn't matter. He was staying by her side no matter what. He sensed though that there was more to it though and that was what Greg was getting at. He replied honestly, "It doesn't bother me, really. I understand why it would Angie. She believes in giving a person all the facts and making the choice and… I love her. I made the choice the moment I decided it was worth it… she was worth it."

Greg nodded in approval. "So you do know that she will be a bigger bitch than usual if she perceived something to be wrong."

Sam choked on a chuckle. Normally he would be all over someone for insulting Angela but he knew that wasn't Greg's intentions and Dean accused him of being that way multiple times. "I know that too well. I'm the same. Though lately…"

Sam didn't notice the look of attentiveness that Greg got. Greg studied Sam and raised his brow. He had his suspicions but he wasn't sure and that would have to be done by asking. "What?" He prompted, "Started feeling primal urges like needing to get it out of your system. Sex becomes primal, animalistic like you chase her, she chases you… almost like hunting…"

Sam shot a look at Greg. "What…? How…?"

Greg tugged on his shirt to reveal a scar that was familiar to Sam on the spot where the Winchesters had their anti-possession tattoos. It was similar to Sam's in that it looked like cicatrization scars but well formed to create what was obviously a mark of possession. He replied, "Because Idalia is my mate."

Sam stared at the scar. He had seen his since Angela showed it to him using mirrors and he had seen where he had bitten her and the mark that formed there. He rubbed his own scar and cleared his throat slightly as he let Greg see it. He knew what Greg was hinting at but to actually see someone else with a similar mark… He then asked, "Um… I did notice that I could sense things more than usual. And sometimes I can hear her thoughts but that happened before she bit me."

"It's part of it. When a pair becomes mated, at least the one that is more human, they start to take on the traits of the other. Usually sense of smell, hearing… more physical." Greg shrugged his shoulders at that. "For me it was smell and an unusual hankering for a lot of red meat. Big change for someone more inclined to fruits and vegetables."

"And what about the other? Angie is still the same but… I can feel what she feels sometimes."

Greg raised his brow, "Sounds like a guardian charge thing. Why would that happen? She's not your guardian too is she?"

"No."

Greg pondered that. He had never really heard of that. He knew that guardians could sense their charges but it was mostly distress. That was the purpose of it. It really fed the concept of guardian angel. This was strange to him.

"I bit her. When she bit me."

The revelation had been uttered softly but Greg heard it loud and clear. His breath came out in a slight hiss. That was… He looked at Sam with a wide eyed expression. "You… you returned the bite?"

Sam got the feeling that his actions implied more than what he and Angela previously thought. As far as he knew, Angela didn't know too much about it and she felt guilty about it because she did something that she felt she should have known and informed him about so he had all the facts. The whole thing had her confused and it didn't help that she was still trying to move past being in hell. He looked at Greg and replied, "Yeah. Something wrong with that?"

"No," Greg answered a bit quickly. He paused as he tried to think of how to explain what Idalia had prevented him from doing. "Just that… I'm surprised you did something without knowing what you're doing. You hardly strike me as someone who would do something like that."

Sam blinked as he processed what he was being told. "What is so bad about it? It felt good and right."

"I'm not trying to scare you," Greg tried to be reassuring to Sam. "Just that it is a complicated thing when it comes to one of the mated pair being all human. They have a tendency to take on more substantially the traits of their mate and the connection between them… much more complicated. It is why my Idalia prevented me from biting her."

Sam looked at Greg, feeling like he may have walked into something that he was going to pay for. It wasn't Angela's fault though. She knew a bit about her kind but she was never raised amongst a family or clan to know all the intricacies. She was surprised about this as much as he was. He didn't want to tell her though because he knew that she would panic and say that it was her fault. He looked at Greg, "Is it a bad thing?"

"I honestly don't know," Greg admitted with a shrug. "Idalia implied that it would be difficult but…" He peered at Sam and thought about it. "There is something different about you. May I see it?"

Sam knew what Greg was asking and lowered his collar to reveal his mark. "Just don't touch it. It's sensitive."

"No doubt. If I were to mess with it, she would come after me and probably kill me."

"Why would I do that?"

Greg and Sam paused, both turning to see Angela standing there looking a little confused. Greg was the first to recover and replied, "Just doing this." He pressed on Sam's mark hard enough to elicit a reaction.

Sam batted Greg's hand away and wheeled in time to grab Angela by her waist before she could reach Greg. She growled and cursed at Greg in a tongue that he wasn't sure if it was Ancient Egyptian or one of the others she knew. It took a moment to realize that she was calling Greg a stupid fool since she was not trying to hurt him and she knew the boundaries of the estate. She was just angry. Hence why he was able to push her back. "Angie, don't. It was just…"

Angela stood there looking at him. That was when Sam noticed the puzzled look on her face. She asked, "What is going on? Why did I want to kick the crap out of him, which is stupid by the way?"

Sam looked at Greg who was looking puzzled at the whole thing himself. He didn't have anything to say but it was clear that he was going to learn more than he thought. And to top it off the possibility of war that would spell trouble for everyone… He made a slight face, not sure how this would play out.

A/N: Well neutral ground is found and it looks like Sam is going to learn a little bit more about his bite mark. More to come on Orion's Legacy...