Chapter 10

"I don't like this Sam."

Sam was quiet as they walked into the theatre where the incident happened. It was empty now that the troupe to a new location but they figured that the one doing this would want to stay in a place and not risk getting caught. It also would allow the bastard to keep tormenting the ghosts and no one would be for the wiser. And he suspected that possessed Angela would be there and he had to try. "I don't either but… We have to try and help Angie."

"And I get that but I'm not sure about all this. I mean that trickster… can we trust him?"

Sam looked around the place. It was strange not to see all the workings of a theatre crew working. His hand gripped the demon-killing knife just in case something happened. "He didn't try to screw with us. If anything, he was more scared at the prospect that it was his brother."

"About that? Like I said, how do we know it's for real?"

Sam could see where this was going and he saw that too. They really didn't know Joker all that well and their experience with tricksters in general wasn't a good one. Truth be told, he wasn't too sure about this either. "Hale wouldn't lie about what she saw and… Angie wouldn't go dark side… not unless there wasn't a choice."

"But she would put up a fight."

"She did Dean. She saved Hale."

Dean paused and stared at his brother. Sam was right. He had seen Angela's capabilities and he knew that if she wanted to she could kill someone with her thoughts alone. He also knew that she would use that same fierceness to defend not just the innocent but those she really cared about. "I know that Sam. But…"

"She's fighting it. Just in her own way."

Dean paused as Sam turned to continue looking around. "I know that Sam," he countered, "After everything, you don't think I know that?"

Sam paused and looked at his brother before looking downward at nothing in particular. He knew that Dena knew that and was only pointing out the situation as it stood. Maybe he was being a stubborn ass about it or even donning the crown of the two lands and taking a pleasure cruise up the river of denial but… he knew Angela. At least he was certain he did and his reasoning… well… "I know that Dean."

Dean studied his brother before saying, "Well good. So why don't find her and exorcise the asshat?"

"She's not a demon."

"Says it enough."

"Only to make her point on why certain things can cross species so to speak. It's a common element meaning to say that it isn't impossible."

Dean looked at Sam and asked, "Did you just listen to everything she said and catalogued it in that college brain of yours?"

Sam made a slight look and snorted, "Just payed attention."

"And that's not all," Dean muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

Sam frowned at that but didn't say anything. Now wasn't the time to be getting into a fight over the usual. Saying nothing, he followed Dean as they started to inspect the building until they made it to backstage. Dean led the way with Sam watching his back as they made their way slowly through the place. It was a lot more creepy than some of the haunted houses and abandoned buildings that they had encountered. Sam looked around not liking the look of things. It looked and felt different from when he was there earlier.

Dean didn't like it either. There was something off about the place. It was then he felt the slight chill in the air. He paused and looked around warily. He looked around and thought he caught sight of something in the shadows. It was useless to pull a gun but it made him feel better and he didn't know if it was friend or foe. He dreaded the thought that it was Angela and if he hit her…

Something crossed his left in the peripheral vision and Dean made a slight sound as he turned and pointed his gun in the direction he had seen the movement. He gritted his teeth and inched his way forward, looking around. He rounded a corner when the shadow occurred again but this time to his right and he whirled to face…

"You just had to come here without backup."

"Sonofabitch. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Dean checked his weapon as he scowled at Joker.

Joker buffed his nails on his jacket as he leaned against the wall he was near and grinned, "Well I might be concerned if you had the right materials to kill me." He gestured at Dean's gun and continued, "That would only produce a nasty sting and if I were like my brother, the reaction would be rather… well you get the idea." He then sobered and looked at Dean. "But I'm not my brother and I would have thought that you two would wait until I got back from checking to see if she was at the other venue."

Dean grumbled under his breath as he lowered his weapon. It was true since the plan was to first try and find Angela and then do what they could to bind her and try to get the ghost out. And if that didn't work they would look for other means. They really didn't think that far since they wanted to know if their girl was okay. "We can handle it."

"Are you sure you know how to handle a dead alchemist?" Joker raised his brow in a questioning manner. "Strictly speaking one that is possessing your friend and one I managed to find out was the one who saved the troupe with techniques that they won't speak about in detail except to say that all hunters know we're off limits."

"Me and Sam can handle anything." Dean glared at Joker. "At least we ask first before shooting."

Joker hummed at that, "We?"

Dean frowned and then looked around. It was then that he noticed that Sam wasn't around. "Sam?"

Joker didn't mean to sound like a jerk at that but he wanted to get a point across. The truth was he doubted the Winchesters knew anything about what they were getting into. Hell he wasn't sure but they were his best bet of getting things back to normal. He couldn't help it and asked, "Lost something?"

Dean glared at Joker and started walking through the area where he was certain Sam was with him, calling for his brother. He entertained the thought that the trickster was just jerking their chains. He cursed himself as he wheeled upon Joker and growled, "Alright, what is your game here? Where is Sam?"

"I didn't take him," Joker replied affronted.

"Right."

Joker made a sound at the accusation. "You are an idiot." He sighed in a frustrated manner. "There is no reason for me to lead you to a trap. I am trying to help my friends, my family."

"Well excuse me that your manner doesn't exactly inspire confidence," Dean countered as he looked at Joker with one of his more venomous looks. "Now what have you done with my brother, Sam?"

"What are you yelling for, Dean?"

It was almost comical as Dean and Joker looked away from each other to look at Sam standing there looking at them with a puzzled look. It was worthy of making Angela laugh at the whole thing and that was if she were here. They looked at Sam but it was Dean that demanded, "Where the hell have you been?"

Sam frowned at his brother and gestured behind him, "Looking around. I thought I saw something over by the dressing rooms. I went to take a look." He looked at the pair with a frown, not sure what was going on. "Why are you both shouting at each other?"

"Don't ever wander off," Dean warned.

"Don't boss me, Dean." Sam gave a look that clearly said that he knew what the hell he was doing and he didn't need someone bossing him around. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought I saw something and I had to check it out."

Dean really couldn't get mad at that. After all they had a job to do. But he was worried and it was coming out in the only way that it could. "Alright but don't do that again. We really don't know what we are dealing with and with Angie…" He made a slight motion with his head, not wanting to bring up anything in front of Joker.

"I know that she's your friend so you don't have to be so secretive," Joker entered looking bored at the conversation. "And could you stop talking like a bunch of girls with a secret about who is dating who. It's like listening to the ballet de corps chitter."

Dean growled at that, "You calling me a girl?"

"I said you sounded like a girl," Joker retorted as he reacted to Dean's outburst. He sighed in exasperation, "Seriously, the way you guys bicker it makes me wonder if I was wrong about you two." He gave a pointed look mostly at Sam as he started to move. "It is probably best that we leave now. There is nothing here."

Dean, however, wasn't paying attention and rounded in on the young trickster. He grabbed his shoulder and replied angrily, "Hey. Since when do you have the right to say how we do our job? You're a fricking actor."

Joker looked at Dean and was going to say something when his eye caught movement. He pushed Dean out of the way just in time to avoid a blow and countered with his powers, sending Sam across the floor skidding and crashing into some pallets. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, surprised that he had managed to do that. It was short lived when Dean punched him across the face and making him drop to his knee. He looked up to find the business end of a gun pointed at him. "Seriously?"

"Just confirming my suspicions asshole."

Before Dean could pull the trigger, his gun arm was grabbed and flung aside. He then found himself in the choking grasp of his brother. The action forced him to put both his hands on his brother's wrist as he looked at his brother. "S…Sam. Stop."

Sam's face was impassive as he looked at Dean. His hand squeezed harder until Joker calling out to him grabbed his attention and he got a piece of plywood to the face. It forced him to let Dean go and turn on Joker who was prepared to use his powers. Dean took the opportunity to jump on top of his brother and try to wrestle him to the ground. Then he would worry about an exorcism after he was restrained.

Joker groaned when Dean jumped on his brother. This was not going to work but maybe… All he had were trickster tricks up his sleeves and mostly designed like those of the youkai or Japanese trickster demons. And his kind were messengers anyway. The best he could do to escape was take on his escape form. He did have one and he prayed that he wasn't going to be scolded or sent to hell for it and he prepared to do it.

"Enough!"

Dean had landed on the floor from his brother flipping him onto his back and the move winded him. He looked up as his brother looked up and followed his gaze. He blinked at seeing the old woman from earlier with Savannah and Haley. They looked ready to kill and he called, "Watch out. Sam's possessed."

It was more of a plea not to hurt Sam too bad. He knew that Haley would follow through. The others he didn't. He looked up at his brother looking at the trio and then down at him. There was a look on Sam's face that Dean hoped never to see again. He watched as Sam's hand came down on his neck and twisted to see the three women react along with Joker. He was certain that something came out of his mouth when all of a sudden the pressure was gone.

Dean didn't want to look since he assumed that something had been done to his brother. He coughed since he had nearly been strangled and sat up to find that everyone seemed to be knocked out and lying on the ground. Even Sam was lying on the ground and unconscious. Dean looked around and it was then that he saw her. "Angie?"

It was Angela's body, there was no mistaken that. Yet, one look told Dean that it wasn't Angela that had done whatever it was that she had done. He could say for certain that she looked scary with that blazing look in her eyes. He had forgotten that they snapped like embers when she was seriously pissed. Slowly he got to his feet with his hands out to show that he wasn't a threat. "Angie. Come on. It's me."

Her face looked at him and then she moved to where Sam was. She picked him up with ease and slung him over her shoulder. Dean watched wide-eyed thinking about all the times they joked about this and now it was real… He started forward when she started leaving, "Wait."

Dean felt the pressure on his body and he halted. It wasn't violent but just enough to make him pause. She looked at him and he could see her glowing orbs as she put her hand on the door. She then said, "This will be over soon. Just let it finish."

"Let what finish?"

"Let it finish," she repeated.

Dean was going to retort but paused. For a brief moment he saw something flicker in her eyes. He could have fought his way over but didn't. He didn't want to risk hurting Sam. Instead he let her walk out with his possessed brother. What the hell was he going to do now?

"I have to admit that was an interesting sight."

Dean looked at Savannah and the old woman from the theatre as they sat in chairs sipping tea. "Interesting? My brother and my girl are possessed by ghosts and as far as I could tell you were ready to hurt him."

"We weren't going to do anything of the sort," Savannah countered as she sipped her tea. "Only stun him. He would have had a killer headache but no longer possessed."

"Well that's considerably better than what I probably would have done. And I would have kissed this world good bye." Joker shrugged his shoulders as he pressed a finger to his forehead. He had sustained a cut to his head but it was nothing to him. It was minor and a good thing too since if he had been human he would probably end up dead. "Good thing I noticed something was off. Thought you were the observant hunter, Dean," he teased with a smirk.

Dean narrowed his eyes and would have punched the guy out if Haley hadn't grabbed him by the arm. She spoke his name and caught his gaze and shook her head slightly. He resisted slightly since he wanted to do something and usually that meant hitting something since it made him feel better. He finally took her suggestion and relaxed before looking at the young trickster and countered, "And what did you call what you did? Baiting?"

Joker knew the elder Winchester was upset and he shouldn't goad him. He relented slightly since he was in the presence of two juju witches and one old bat that knew a thing or two about making your insides churn and it wasn't a pretty picture. Still he had plenty of right to be upset and retorted, "I was trying not to make it obvious that I figured out your brother is not home anymore. And it's not like I maimed him. Just gave him a bump on the head."

The punch should have been expected but Joker didn't expect it and the left hook across the chin had him holding and maneuvering his chin but not before he got off a retaliatory move by sending Dean sliding across the wooden floor on his behind. It would have gotten out of hand if Haley hadn't stepped in between them and let her power flare, easily making her the scariest thing in the room and people more than willing to listen to what she had to say, "Enough."

"Oh I've had enough Hale. I'm gone," Dean replied getting to his feet and heading towards the door. He whistled for the dogs since they accompanied Haley to the theatre.

"And what do you aim to do?" Joker persisted even though he received a warning sound from Lulu. He raised his brow at the still rigid back that was facing him. "Cause like I said, it's a curse. It has your brother and has his girl. It's going to go to completion whether you like it or not."

Dean took a deep breath and closed the door before marching up towards Joker. "No it's not going to go through. Not while there is still a chance. And I aim to find it."

"Like the alternative for a larger problem aka the Apocalypse?"

Dean felt the muscle in his cheek quiver slightly. At this point all they were looking for were alternatives. They were hitting up every shaman, voodoo, hoodoo and any other thing out there that might have a clue to putting Lucifer back in his cage. He was determined to not let this thing go through but he was steadily losing faith in the whole thing. "Working on it," was all he got out.

"And how is that going?"

Dean growled and was going to deliver another punch but Haley called out, "Dean. Stop."

"I'm not putting up with this Hale."

"And I'm not saying that you should." Haley moved to stand toe to toe with Dean. She knew he was on edge and just seeing what he saw… it didn't inspire confidence. She gave a warning glance at Joker before looking Dean head on and continuing, "But you going out there without a plan… that's being foolish and close to stupid. I don't know about you but I know that there are some people that do not cater to stupidity."

Dean opened his mouth slightly but then shut it. He looked down and couldn't help the ghost of a smile that appeared. He knew at least one person that would say that and mean it. And it would be accompanied by the worst form of torture that Alistair couldn't beat and that was the loss of his beloved pie and maybe the implied threats to his baby. He sobered quickly and replied softly, "You're right, Hale. And it won't matter who was involved. I'll be blamed for it."

You're the oldest you idiot. Meaning you're supposed to set an example.

Haley normally would have protested at that but something in Dean's tone told her that it was something that it was something between him and Angela and it was a commonplace thing. She gave a slight nod, pleased that he at least calmed down. Sometimes he became too brash when something was wrong especially with Sam and Angela.

"Okay kiss and make up so we can get started on a plan? This is making me sick."

Dean grounded his teeth together, trying to keep from getting violent with the trickster. He managed to grit out, "Why don't you go screw yourself?"

"Not really my thing though I'd certainly do it with the right company." Joker gave a suggestive waggle of his brow and moved away laughing at the rage that Dean was overcome with. He was barely held back by Haley as he growled incomprehensible language. Joker chuckled as he watched the scene. "Come on. You go off the deep end at that? How do you expect to fix this with an attitude like that?"

"By ripping your lungs out and shoving it up your ass," Dean countered. Now he understood why Sam couldn't stand Nick but then again the only reason Sam didn't like him was because the guy hit on Angela and she wasn't repulsed by it. It was funny at one point but now he was just plain mad.

"Um… trickster. Not gonna work."

It would have gone on a little longer but it was stopped when a clap sounded and all was quiet. It was followed by Joker and Dean being knocked off their feet and landing in a pile of junk. Haley merely stood there blinking at what just happened and turned to see the old woman with Savannah walking towards them and she wore a look that could melt lead. It had Haley wonder if that was a universal look since she had seen that look on Angela once or twice.

"Enough the both of you. This childish display is no going to help you," Lulu said feeling agitated that she had to do her bag of tricks again. She sighed in exasperation as she looked at the two men on the ground. "And you should know better than to insult the one willing to help the one who will get us out of this."

"Aww it was a bit of fun Lulu," Joker replied as he slowly got up but a bit warily. He noticed that she had her walking stick and he wanted to be out of hitting distance. "You know he's like a puppy." He gestured at Dean who was getting to his feet.

"Why you…"

Before Dean could say anything more, he went silent at the look Lulu was giving him and it was reinforced by Haley shaking her head at him. He relaxed a little and took a slight step back. Controlling his voice, he looked at Lulu and said, "What are you talking about? Did you speak to Angie? What did she say?"

Lulu raised her brow at his query. "You assume much, boy."

"Please, I know Angie. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that she knows you like pretty much anyone we've crossed from her past. And she's too nice, too giving. So what did she say?"

Lulu smirked slightly with the raised brow and handed the scrap of paper to Dean and watched as he snatched it and read it. It was a bit funny when he frowned at it and looked like he wanted to curse. All that came out was, "Okay so she is okay and that's it."

"I'm sorry."

"Well that means that at least she fought long enough to say it and she didn't hurt me," Haley put in since she noticed the look on Dean's face.

"Yeah but… oh crap." Dean felt a buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the caller ID. He made a slight face as he opened it, "Hey Kess. No… um… well… maybe. Kess…"

It was rather sudden that Kesset appeared and right in front of Dean holding his cell phone. He was staring at Dean with an intense look and said, "Could you tell me why I received a phone call that sounded like the princess but wasn't her?"

It would have been easy to beat around the bush but Dean had been around the Avian long enough to know that when it concerned serious matters, you didn't play around. "Short story is she's possessed. Part of a curse. A lover's curse."

"And Sam?"

"Got him too."

Kesset was quiet for a moment and turned to look around. Now he understood. "I know what needs to be done." He looked at Lulu and added, "And your knowledge is needed."

A/N: Now Sam is taken and Dean and Joker just can't get along. Typical. Look like Kess knows what is going on. Stay tuned for next time on Message of the Crow...