Chapter 10

Jo looked at Dean and then Sam. Dean was frowning at her in bewilderment. Sam looked like a kicked puppy and a red haired woman was scowling in anger. Luckily for her it was Dean who spoke, "What are you doing here Jo?"

Jo was actually speechless, trying to come up with the right words to say. "Um… I was just…"

"You were trying to steal Angie?" Sam's voice cut through and it sounded almost hurt.

"It's not like that. You see she asked me to get her body back…"

Don't try to explain to them. Not now.

Jo was at a loss for words. The redhead said, "You know this woman? Then this only proves that you have no intention of respecting our laws. We will go through the ritual immediately."

Dean said, "Now wait a minute…"

The redhead was going to talk but the blind girl spoke, "Vera there is probably a good reason for this…"

Vera cut through, "Save is Gus. There is a reason why we can't trust men, especially hunters. They use their women to mock us." She turned to glare at Jo. "Take the bitch away to the holding cell. We'll deal with her later. Make sure Absolution is presentable."

"Vera, you are being unreasonable…"

Jo watched as Vera backhanded the one she called Gus. The girl took the strike and looked at Vera. Jo could swear that if the girl could see, the look would be even more intimidating. It didn't help that Dean decided to play the gentleman and said, "Bitch." He tried to swing at Vera but was effectively stopped for his troubles.

In the end it didn't matter. Jo was shunted off to another hut and virtually put under lock and key. As for Sam and Dean, they were brought to where the pyre was being set and held firmly in place even though they were struggling. Dean was pissed at the old biddy Grace for letting it happen. He didn't buy the crap that she was only following the law. She didn't even listen to Augusta. He was even more pissed at that Vera bitch for hitting her.

Sam for his end was equally pissed. Being a giant of a man, it was taking at least three to hold him steady whereas Dean found himself in a sort of chokehold grip by one strong bitch. Dean nearly went out of control when one of the bitches pulled a knife on Sam and told him to hold still. Dean was threatened with a knife applying pressure to his lower back and he glanced at Bobby.

Bobby was standing there figuring that he would not fight them. It had been a surprise to see Jo being led out and taken away. That in his mind said that something was up. He would bide his time and then give his boys the opportunity to get away. At least he had some insurance in his pockets and it made him wonder if this order was as big on security as they claimed to be.

It was nerve wracking to watch the pyre be built up in the clearing to Sam and Dean as they glared full on at Vera. Vera was looking pleased with herself as the wood was added. These outsiders would learn to respect that which they were given a privilege to see. She would deal with Augusta later. In her hands, she had Absolution and the chakram and as the box with the remains was wheeled past her, she placed them on the lid.

Dean tried not to struggle since the point of the knife kept poking him. He was surprised at the amount of control his captor was exhibiting and the slow application of pressure was torturous. Sam on the other hand had a blade to his neck and he was looking extremely pissed. In his mind he couldn't believe Jo was trying to steal her body. It hurt that she said that Angela told her to do it. That was just wrong. His anger though was directed at Vera who had looked pleased that she had found a way to get what she wanted. He wanted to give her a good ass kicking.

As much as he wanted to do so, Sam's attention was directed towards the coffin being put on the wood. There were women singing some sort of song that was irritating to his ears. Damn it Angie. They're gonna burn your body. He struggled some more in protest and called for them to stop.

Vera took delight in tormenting Sam. She had tried to be nice to him and he refused. She was beginning to suspect that he could read people just as well as Absolution could or he was that pissed off at her. It didn't matter. She won. She walked up to him and gripped his chin and said, "Now you will see how we honor our dead." She then turned towards the pyre. She then gave the command and the torches were laid on the wood.

Grace watched the scene. As the leader of the order, she was bound to uphold the laws. She was willing to follow Augusta's lead but the incident regarding the girl trying to steal the body forced her hand. In a way they forfeited their say over the remains. The order would take over and prepare the body to go to the other side. She felt bad for both young hunters. They had feelings for her especially the taller of the two and it looked like he was ready to make the world burn for the fact that she was taken from him. It didn't help that Vera egged him on and it scared her since she had never seen anything like this before.

Grace knew that as hunters, the boys knew the importance of protecting the body from the things out there that could defile it. She couldn't understand why they didn't want it burned like it was supposed to. The most adamant protests came from the one called Sam. That she could understand but his brother's support was something else. She had pegged Dean as a voice of reason. She certainly didn't expect this.

Looking back on it now, Grace figured that they were suffering extreme grief. If they let her go by viewing the ritual, they would be at peace. However she would have to talk to Vera about her methods. If the girl expected to lead the order in the future, she would do well to learn more in the realm of compassion for all. While she didn't approve of the fact that force was being held as necessary to keep the hunters from interfering, she recognized the necessity. She could only ask for their forgiveness later.

Jo let the guards take her into the holding hut. She wasn't going to get Sam and Dean into any more trouble but she sure felt that she had screwed up in her retrieval plan. Well she could still do it. She would just have to do things a little differently.

Once she was certain that the guards weren't paying attention, she turned her attention to the hut's walls. She could easily sneak out through the walls and get to where the pyre was going to be set up. She also had to signal Nick or knowing that he at least left the mutt nearby, he would have gone back to the meeting point. She wasn't going to expect too much help from him.

Give Nick some credit. He knows the consequences of his powers.

"You really got to stop doing that," Jo muttered as she felt along the walls. She found a weak spot and pushed on it to get a sense for the weakness of it. "It's like mind raping."

Mind raping is me invading for specific information and frankly being inside your head is scary.

Jo rolled her eyes as she pushed on the wall. She could break out through here. "Yeah well whose fault is that with teaching me those moves and such and filling my head with stories?"

How was I supposed to keep a twelve year old girl entertained?

"Point taken," Jo replied as she removed the last of the wood. She had a sufficient escape and she took it. "Looks like I have a way out. Now to get to that pyre."

I hope you have a plan.

"Isn't that what you are here for?" Jo teased her friend. She peered around. The lack of guards meant that they were all at the pyre for the ritual. She didn't even have to think about what they were doing to Sam and Dean. Knowing them, they were struggling all the way.

Cheeky little girl.

"Ice Bitch," Jo teased as she slunk between the huts.

I see that you remember. I hope I have changed enough to void the use of that name.

"To me you were never that. You were and are a friend and sister. You taught me what I know along with Mom and Dad. I'm glad to know you."

I'm glad to know you too Jo. Now let's go kick some ass and get my body back.

Jo grinned as she ran to where she could hear the most noise. "What about Sam and Dean and Bobby?"

Working on it. Primary is to get my body back and get the phoenix. When I'm back I can smooth things over.

"You have a lot of confidence in your ability to talk things out. Maybe I should use you to talk to Mom about a potential hunt that came my way." Jo looked around. She just needed to get a good view. She ran around a corner and came across a good view. She saw the flames and Sam and Dean struggling. "Oh no. We're too late."

Jo watched as the flames started getting bigger. She had no idea what she was going to do. She would have to be a superhero or something in order to put the flames out. Water wouldn't do anything. She wondered what she was going to do.

Hang on.

"What?"

Jo didn't get her answer. Suddenly she felt a familiar warmth fill her limbs and she started moving forward. She had the sense to realize that Angela had taken over her limbs. She knew that she had no choice but to go with it. It certainly was a wild ride especially when she felt her body grab a nearby rope and lift in a leap/flip and she was on top of the box that had Angela's body.

Jo knew that she had exposed herself by being on top of the coffin. She kicked the taller bits of wood away in order to keep the flames away. She felt her legs swing out in a kick when one of the women from the order tried to stop her. It allowed her to tie one end of the rope to the coffin. She picked up Absolution and the chakram and stood up.

Jo knew that she had no clue as to how to throw the chakram. Yet she found herself throwing it with precision at one of the support beams at one of the huts. She then found her mouth puckering up to form a whistle and the hell hound appeared. Jo looked shocked as she caught the chakram when it came back and put it on her belt. She was still holding the rest of the rope and Absolution in her free hand. The next thing she knew was that she was flipping through the air and giving a weird cry. It was more of a shock that she landed on Cerebus and wrapped the rope around his neck.

It was Jo though that told Cerebus, "Come ya hell mutt. Get moving."

Cerebus certainly was a handy beast and huge. He was able to sustain Jo's weight and pull the coffin out of the pyre and started dragging it along the ground. While he may have a certain weight that his size would allow to be pulled, he would do everything including use his hell hound abilities to get his mistress free. He didn't even flinch when he felt the added weight of the Winchesters jump on the coffin.

Sam and Dean thought it was all over when the flames started climbing higher. The longer they were there, the less chance to get the coffin free. It was hard to do anything though when you had knives pointed at you and women who could probably break your limbs or kill you with their bare hands. They had a chance though when Jo suddenly burst through and leapt onto the burning pyre. It stunned everyone except that Vera bitch who ordered warriors to go after Jo.

Sam was stunned as he watched Jo move. The expression on her face told him that it wasn't fear but bewilderment. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and he watched. He watched as Jo gave a few hard kicks to the women who tried to get to her. When she threw the chakram, he knew that it wasn't Jo doing all that. He looked over at Dean and called his brother by name. When he got the nod, Sam took advantage and struck his captors and got away.

He took a moment to help Dean and they took off after the runaway hell mutt and coffin. They paused when Bobby called out, "What are ya two idjits doing?"

Sam replied, "I don't have time to explain. Just trust us." He followed Dean as his brother leapt onto the coffin and they rode out.

They hung on as they heard shouts from the women. They figured that Bobby was giving them grief as a distraction to buy them some time. Sam though kept his attention on Jo and she guided the hell mutt through the brush. He didn't want to say anything yet and there would be time for questions when they finally stopped.

It was dark by the time Jo brought the hell mutt to a stop. She patted the hell hound on the shoulder as she jumped down and undid the rope. She scrunched her face when Cerebus gave her a slobbery lick. She was saved from embarrassment when Nick appeared saying, "I heard the noise through the brush and thought you were in trouble. I gave a nice little diversion. That should buy you a few hours to get where you need to go."

"Oh I ain't done with ya yet," Jo replied still reeling from the fact that Angela had taken control and she saw her body do those things that belonged to an acrobat. "You're needed for the second part."

"Um as much as I would like to know where this is going, I think an explanation is in order," Dean cut in before Nick could speak. "Nick, Jo, what are you doing here?"

Nick looked at Sam and Dean. At least Sam wasn't in the mood to kick his ass for whatever perceived wrong he may have felt. That was a start. After that last call in Darby Nick never really contacted Angela again. He didn't want to give the wrong impression to Sam and he certainly didn't want to tear them apart. Dean on the other hand didn't seem to mind his presence at all but was curious as to why they were there. He replied, "Well your little gal pal here calls me stating that Angela told her to call me and I find myself surround by a bunch of trigger happy harpies that would as soon as have me dead."

"She did tell me to call you Sparkle-fingers," Jo retorted.

"Sparkle-fingers?" Dean looked at the pair incredulously while ignoring the bitch face that Sam was throwing him.

Sam rolled his eyes, "What do you mean she told you, Jo?"

Jo looked at Sam and then Dean. She expected Dean to latch onto the name calling. Sometimes she thought the man was a big kid at times but he needed that humor. It was a coping mechanism with the life. Inwardly she thought that she was getting too much of Angela's wisdom and outlook of things because she was in her head.

Now that they weren't being chased by bitches with guns it was a good time to get into explanations. She closed her eyes and sighed before replying, "Angie's in my head. She's inside of me and she's…"

Jo, let me take over.

"What? Hell no I said…"

Jo found herself being pushed back. She had never been possessed before but after questioning Sam after his experience, she found that she didn't like it at all. She didn't want to be possessed by a demon and with Angela taking the wheel, she wasn't anxious to do it again. At least Angela had the nerve to apologize as she took the wheel from Jo and started driving the bus. Jo relaxed and let herself be pushed back. This was between her and Sam and Dean.

The first thought that Sam and Dean had was that Jo had been possessed when she went rigid and stiff. Sam took a risk and asked, "Angie?"

Jo's eyes turned towards Sam and her mouth opened and replied, "Yes Sam, Dean. It is me."

Any other person besides Sam or Dean would have either screamed in fright or fainted at the sudden change. Other hunters would have professed a demon possession. To Sam and Dean, they knew that the person inside of Jo's body was the one person that they thought was dead. At the moment they didn't know what to say.

Now that Angela was driving the Jo bus, she could see her boys clearly. She was sorry that she had done this to them. Well she was here now. She added, "I know that it is rather a shock but this is me and I am sorry that I did this to you." She walked forward and almost felt hurt when they slightly backed away in fear. She couldn't blame them for that. She then came up with an idea. It would seriously drain her but she knew they needed this. She then said, "Do you trust me?"

Sam looked at Dean and Dean looked at Sam. They shared an expression and looked back at Angela/Jo. Dean said, "You know we do Angie," while Sam said, "I trust you."

Angela nodded and replied, "Then close your eyes." She waited until they obeyed and closed their eyes. "Imagine how I look when we travel. Focus on that image, the details, everything you know about me."

It was like going through a psychic session or some weird mumbo jumbo to Dean but he knew that whatever was going on, it would help in seeing and believing that Angela was still there. He knew Sam was following suit and he was rather glad for this. Dean focused and remembered the first time they met. He had no idea that Sam was focusing on the last image he had seen of her and that was how Augusta dressed her.

Meanwhile Angela was focusing on the images that they were thinking of. It would produce an interesting picture but she was good at manipulating the spirit realm or was it dream realm? The boundaries seemed blurred at the moment as she was able to focus and pull forth the image with a little help from Hades. When she was satisfied, she said, "Now open them."

Dean was the first to open his eyes. What he saw was Angela dressed in a modified form of her suit for when she portrayed an FBI agent. It had that scrollwork embroidered on the cuffs of the jacket sleeves and the lapel had some scrollwork too. Her hair was down with a braid that acted as a headband instead of being up. It looked like a cross between two different looks but it was her especially the way she smiled at them and her tawny eyes. "You seeing this Sam?"

"It's her," Sam affirmed.

Angela smiled, pleased that they were satisfied with her work. She gave a sigh as she stepped forward to get closer to them. "I am sorry for this."

"It's not your fault Angie," Sam said. "You couldn't have known that Lilith would be there."

"That is kind of you to say Sam," Angela replied. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked him in the eye and added, "I heard your thoughts. I wasn't angry. If anything, I am the one who feels guilty. I screwed up but know that I won't ever leave you or Dean willingly. That is why I asked this of Jo."

"I should have listened though," Sam replied. He felt his throat convulsing with the emotions that threatened to spill out. The empty and sick feeling that he had been clamping down was beginning to die now that he knew that she wasn't completely gone.

Angela smiled as she moved her hand to Sam's face. She was aware that Jo was getting the full brunt of her feelings for Sam. She would deal with that later. Dean was right in that she could show it in little ways and by being herself. She could allow this one indulgence. Slowly she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I forgave you before it happened."

Leaving Sam to his thoughts, she moved on toward Dean. She looked at him with the look a warrior gave to the other; one of respect and pride. She also showed the love she had for him as a brother. "I guess that you won't be letting me live this down when we fix this?"

Dean gave a slight chuckle, "More likely a major scolding for getting yourself in this state. Damn Angie, you left us in a bad place. I thought…"

"I know Dean," Angela replied. "I heard your thoughts and it's not fair considering the crap we have left to fix and finish off the to-do list." She gave a slight smile.

"Always thinking about others before yourself," Dean countered. He felt tears prickle in his eyes. There was no way though that he was going to let Angela see that. It was a chick flick moment and if he showed it in front of everyone, she would never let him live it down. She still teased him on occasion about Tennessee. "You certainly have a way of doing things."

Angela knew that he was referring to putting him on the spot for a chick flick moment. It was rather endearing on her end because he was willing to indulge but only between the two of them except for the occasional public spectacle. "It's only because I love you my little bull dog," she replied with a smile while giving a slight pinch to the cheek.

"It's good to see you and know…"

Angela interrupted by moving her hand to Dean's shoulder. "Dean, don't try too hard. You know as well as I that I am here." She finished by giving a kiss to his cheek.

Dean responded by closing his eyes. He was tempted to kiss her back on the lips. Instead he put his lips to her forehead. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was Jo and she was looking a little puzzled but also very much aware of what was going on.

Jo had come back the moment Dean placed his lips on her forehead. She knew that Angela was being a bit sneaky but she also suspected that it cost a substantial bit of energy to do what she did for Sam and Dean. She couldn't deny that she liked the feel of the kiss but she knew that it wasn't for her. However she was aware of a touch that was in what she called a danger zone. She said, "Dean?"

Dean was becoming more in tuned with reality again and mumbled, "Hmm?"

"Get your hands off my butt."

It was then that Dean realized his hands had traveled to Jo's butt and were square on them. He felt embarrassment and took them off immediately before he got the receiving end of Jo's fist. He was more embarrassed over the fact that he was under the impression that it was Angela and he had subconsciously reached for her ass. That was one thing he didn't need and he was sure that Sam would have something to say. "Sorry Jo."

Sam didn't say anything. He knew that his brother and Angela were close though his brother hotly denied it. Maybe it was one of Dean's fantasies or something. That was a moot point and he cleared his throat. "Um okay, so now that we know that Angie is still around, can you tell us your plan? I don't think we have a lot of time."

Jo was getting over that embarrassing point when Sam asked his question. She replied, "Okay short story is we're going to bring her back. If you want the details we have to get to the mountain that the sun sets on fire. The plan is to hide the body on the river until we get what we need."

"And how to we get there?"

Jo pulled the map out. "This map will show us the way."

A/N: Full on possession of Jo and Angie manages to show Sam and Dean that she is the one who came up with the plan. Dean you little stinker putting your hands on Jo's butt. Now the Winchesters are on board and we find out more on Phoenix Rises...