Chapter 11
"Can somebody please tell me why we have to do this group style?" Dean asked no one in particular since he didn't really expect and answer. He leaned over to sniff the contents of a container filled with herbs. Curiosity tempted him to touch it.
Someone grabbed his hand and said, "You don't want to touch that."
It was reaction for Dean to retort, "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Nick looked down at the hunter giving him a defiant look. It certainly had been a trying morning when he arrived. Even though he had passed Bobby Singer's tests the day before, the grizzled hunter insisted on quizzing him again. Then came down to the business of actually working out the exact spell and Bobby wasn't too forthcoming.
Nick suspected that he was testing him when he handed him the concoction that had been used. For Nick this was kid's stuff but he did have to admit that the compound itself was unusual. So like the good researcher he could be, he started to break it down. He had to admit that he was impressed. The basics were still there but they were elaborated quite well.
It took him about an hour but he stretched it to two. He was confident in his abilities but given that he suspected he knew the witch that did this, he was not going to take any chances. He spent time comparing much to Dean's ribbing about him being a master witch. Sam was absorbed with looking up the ingredients as he identified them and making lists of properties.
After identifying what was in it, Nick said that he had a pretty good idea of what to use to counter it. At that time, Bobby deciphered the witch's journal and gave it over to confirm what was written. Nick knew it was stupid to take his time but it gave him time to observe the three affected by the spell. He knew that it was a partially completed spell since they still had their adult minds. He personally thought they were lucky.
Now they were buying stuff to counter it. They were in the herb shop from before since there were a few things that they didn't have that he needed. Well he did have them but not in the quantity that he was sure was necessary. Getting there though was a bit of a problem since the three males were insistent that Angela stay holed up at the house. Now that he knew why, he was inclined to agree with them however she protested and that led to an argument that luckily didn't involve flying objects hitting people. Surprisingly it had been Sam who was the voice of reason and suggested that they all go together.
To Nick that was interesting since he figured six year old emotions to be more volatile than a ten year old. It was another observation to add to his list and it had him thinking. Velasca what have you been dabbling in? He kept his thoughts to himself as he kept an eye on the boys. He stopped Dean from sticking his hand into a substance and was now faced with a very defiant…
Nick stared down at Dean and replied, "Just trying to save you from burning your hand. That stuff is used to make sumac oil which can cause a burning sensation in the eyes and cause blindness."
"Okay Mr. Know it All," Dean replied. He was intent on being hostile with Nick even though he was a good enough guy. Maybe he was a little jealous but that was absurd. He didn't think of Angela in that light. "So what else do we need?"
Nick studied Dean and replied, "Copal. Lots of it."
"That smelly shit that Angie was interested in? I thought that was a purification thing."
Nick was surprised that the boy knew as much as he did. He then figured that maybe he was the type to hide his intelligence. "It is. In this case though I think it was used as a purifying agent for the whole thing."
Dean looked at Nick and shrugged his shoulder. "Okay, whatever."
Nick went back to scouring the shelves and pulled a few more things off. "Why don't you like me?"
"What?"
"Why don't you like me?" Nick repeated his question.
"Simple. You're a witch and I really hate them," Dean replied.
Nick raised his brow. No doubt Dean had a couple of run ins with some witches and that left a few scars. Surely he knew that there was such a thing as good witches. He replied, "You know we're not all bad."
"I know," Dean replied. "Hale isn't bad."
"So you know a witch."
"She's a guardian… a guardian that happens to be a witch," Dean replied. He pulled one more thing off the shelves that was at his height. "She's cool."
Nick nodded, "I see. That doesn't explain why you don't like me."
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Dean replied as he picked up the last of the items. He carried it over with Nick to the cashier. "I reserve judgment," he added in a serious tone.
The cashier looked at Dean in his seriousness as he looked up at Nick. "So cute and so smart to have such a large vocabulary."
Dean turned towards the cashier. She was giving him a smile and she was hot. He raised his brows and waggled them in his usual flirting tone. "Hey gorgeous."
Of course it didn't work since the cashier just laughed at him and called him a sweet boy. Dean made a slight face as he leaned against the counter. He couldn't wait to be normal size. He waited until he was walking outside down the sidewalk with Nick before saying, "You must be enjoying this."
"Enjoying what?"
"Enjoying the fact that you have the power to fix this and can torment us with it," Dean replied.
"I don't get what you mean," Nick replied trying to figure out where this was going.
Dean stopped and looked at Nick as if he were blind and dumb. He replied, "Yes you do. You probably figured out what was in that goo way faster than you pretended to." Dean studied Nick carefully and narrowed his eyes. "I'm betting that the kid disguise is your doing too. So I'm betting that there is a reason you want to drag this out."
Nick was surprised. He expected Angela to figure it out already but then again he got the feeling that she was the kind to keep things to herself and reveal them at the moment of her choosing. To hear it from Dean was something he didn't count on. Then again he assumed most hunters couldn't tell the difference. He replied, "What makes you think that?"
"I saw you eyeing Angie's rack. I'm not stupid. Plus you don't seem to like hunters very much," Dean replied. Since Angela was somewhere with Sam and Bobby, he could mention things that at this moment in time was emotionally sensitive to Angela without her becoming a cry baby and that image was disturbing just thinking about it.
"Can you blame me? I've been on the run for a long time," Nick replied.
"Same song, different verse for Angie," Dean said. He started walking towards where everyone agreed to meet. He wasn't all that keen about talking with Nick but hell he was stuck with the guy and one of the things that was a benefit about being ten again was that adults tend to ignore you. That allowed him to observe the warlock and he noticed the furtive glances he cast Angela's way as well as how he would look at things but not see thing. Dean suspected that he knew what the majority of the stuff was and was just buying time.
Nick looked at the little hunter and wondered if he was getting lax or if he really was that transparent. He had no idea to he replied, "Am I that transparent?"
"I'll admit that being small again sucks but the benefit is that people tend to ignore you. They forget that kids have eyes and ears. Sam picked up on the assassin and I picked up on you though it does surprise me that Sam isn't more… into this."
"Very astute in your observations," Nick allowed. "I do admit that your friend is intriguing. As to your observation of your brother… I suspect that maybe he's just more in control of everything. He may have figured out the trick."
"That's Sammy for ya. He always makes connections where people don't see them," Dean spoke with pride. "He figured out that the assassin used the fight to cover for his attempt."
Nick listened. He heard the pride in Dean's voice when he spoke of his brother's abilities. They were a pair and then the way in which Dean grew protective over Angela. He was certain that the relationship was more like a family. That was an interesting concept since he had long abandoned the idea of having one himself. He replied, "Sounds like you two make quite a team."
"Yeah well Angie is the real brains but she doesn't lord it over us and she watches our backs as much as we watch hers." Dean looked up at Nick with a challenge in his eye. He wanted to see what the warlock had to say about that.
"I could see that," Nick allowed. He didn't miss the challenge so he was going to play nice with it.
Dean was going to reply when he noticed a strange look overcome Nick. He looked and saw something sticking out of his neck. Was the assassin back? Dean reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the penknife and held it ready. He looked to see Nick trying to hold himself upright when he was grabbed from behind and a hand went over his mouth. Then he found his head encased in black as he struggled. "Sonofabitch!"
"Excuse me," Angela said and she pointed at the sign on the door. This day was just going to make things worse all around if her two bulldogs kept insisting on tailing her everywhere. Dean was being a pest to Nick since she figured that he was going through a jealousy phase.
Sam stared up at Angela. He knew what was on the sign. That didn't mean that there wasn't the possibility of the assassin douche using some means to set a trap. He may be six but he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. Not if he could help it and he had Bobby to back him up… well not in this case. He replied, "I see it."
"You do know what it means?" Angela stared down at Sam.
"Yes," Sam answered with a calm expression. The habits he picked up from her were great for teasing Dean but he was aware that pulling that same act on her at this stage would probably be more of a problem.
"And that means you stay out here while I go in there," Angela replied pointing to emphasize her point. While it was sweet of Sam to watch out for her, this was getting ridiculous. She was seriously going to have to remind Sam of their conversation about double standards.
"He could be in there."
"And you should know by now that I know how to take out someone. I've been doing it longer than you."
"But he wants to kill you Angie." Sam spoke the last part in a whisper since he didn't want to make too much of an issue and people were nosy if something caught their interest.
"Who doesn't, Sam," Angela replied in an equally low voice. She sighed and then added, "Look, I am taking this seriously and I would like a little privacy. Remember what we talked about double standards and the like." She studied Sam's expression and figured he was trying the same thing she used on people.
Damn she's good, Sam mused. She certainly had experience and a good memory. He remembered too but he had been hoping that she would forget. "Fine but I'm not moving from this spot."
"You would if someone needs to go in," Angela replied.
"You just like doing that on purpose," Sam gave a mock scowl.
"Just trying to help ya out," Angela replied smiling as she started to enter the restroom. "Stay." She gave motion with her hand before disappearing.
"I'm not a dog," Sam muttered as he turned to face outwards. He crossed his arms and stood there determined to stay there however long it took in there. He looked over to where Bobby was pretending to be interested in some sort of junk and saw that the elder hunter was looking at him with a bemused smile. He asked, "What?"
Bobby wasn't sure what to say. He had witnessed the entire exchange between Sam and Angela and thought it to be rather funny. Normally Sam would have been able to look her in the eye only this time he was looking up and still acting like he was his usual frame. He also heard every single word of the conversation and it was comical that she had to resort to using simple commands that a dog would follow. He replied, "You do realize that no matter what size ya are, she's gonna get the better of ya every time?"
Sam didn't release his posture. "Don't remind me Bobby. It's that she always lets us in when it's something like the job and to some degree Dean's thing but when it comes to the personal… she shuts us out."
"Years of old habits Sam. You know this isn't the first time something's been after her."
"The thing is Lenya likes to torment her. She doesn't want her dead," Sam replied, taking care not to speak too loudly. "Most demons seemed fixed on that."
"Did it ever occur to ya that maybe that someone out to physically kill her is a relief?" Bobby asked the question knowing that it was a poor choice of words. He was agreeable to Sam's suggestion of staying in a group and at least two stay with Angela, much to her chagrin, but after some time thinking, Bobby realized that she was probably pushing them away because she was planning to take care of it herself and she was doing what she did best and that was to protect them.
Bobby didn't know her whole past but he had observed that her actions regarding the boys, him, Ellen and Jo, Ash… anyone that meant something to her, they were designed to protect them while she handled it. It was no wonder that she was brilliant when it came to creating plans and how she was able to look for the little things. As she told him, when she first started, she learned the hard way about diligence and observation as well as anticipation.
Bobby also knew that the demons, the ones that were not pea brained, knew that the best way to make her suffer was to hurt those closest to her. Bobby noticed that physical pain, while it hurt was nothing compared to emotional hurts. He remembered how she was willing to let Dean kill her and that was because she thought that if her death could take away pain and anger, she would do it. In a twisted way, this was a relief and it was something she could control. Anything that Lenya or whatever other demon that knew her threw at her, she needed time to force herself not to react. That much he gathered when she stayed with him. He wondered if the boys saw that.
Sam studied Bobby without moving. What Bobby was suggesting sounded like the creepiest thing he could think of. As far as he knew, Angela didn't like to fight but then again once she got going, she seemed to enjoy it. It was a high that was irresistible. It didn't occur to him that the physical fighting was not as painful as the emotional and mental tolls should something happen to him or Dean which was why she took a different attitude at times when confronted with her own mortality. He replied, "How could it be a relief Bobby?"
Bobby shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe it was a poor choice of words but think about it Sam. This guy wants to take her out. It is a physical thing and in case ya haven't noticed, that kind of thing she doesn't consider it at the same level she would if it was emotional. Ya get what I'm saying?"
"So you're saying that she is taking this serious but this is something more like her idea of a vacation?" Sam posed the question unaware that Bobby may not understand what he meant. It was more for the benefit of making sense in his mind. As far as he could tell, when Angela decided to act on the fly like she did in Brazil, it ended up with near heart stopping moments and yet she took it like it was nothing. Though he did have to admit that she had been more careful in her choices lately since he mentioned it and she acknowledged it.
Bobby had a pretty good idea what Sam meant and was able to agree, "I think so."
Sam looked down and gave a slight nod. Maybe they were taking the protection detail too far and she did tell him that there have been others. He and Dean couldn't do it forever but they could be there to help if she asked. "I get it. Thanks Bobby."
Bobby gave a nod and looked at his watch. Dean and the warlock Nick should have been here by now. It wouldn't take that long to get the stuff for that goo even with Dean working the guy over like he was Angela's big brother. That was always a source of amusement for Bobby since Dean kept trying to assert his authority and it was usually shot down or she complied but halfheartedly.
He looked towards the front of the shop not noticing the tall dark guy sidling up to Sam. When he turned, he saw a tall fellow with dark hair and eyes looking at him with a warning look as he had a hand on Sam's shoulder near his neck. It was too close for comfort since the guy could strangle Sam. The other hand was on Sam's head and Bobby could see that Sam was getting pissed as well as a little scared.
Bobby started towards the guy but was stopped by him saying, "I don't think you want to do that."
Bobby muttered, "Let the boy go."
"I don't think so. Now if you want nothing bad to happen to him, you will do as I say."
Bobby studied the guy. He was serious and a cursory glance told Bobby that he was a hunter since he moved like one. He could also make out subtleties that pointed out a distinctive past. One such was the tattoo on the forearm. It was distinctive but Bobby couldn't get a good look at all. He made a motion to say that he was going to comply. "I'll do what ya want. Just don't hurt the boy."
The guy smiled. "I like cooperation. Now you're going to move and start heading out of the store. Act like everything is normal. If you try anything, the boy will be turning blue and it won't be from a freezer. Got it old man?"
Bobby nodded and started out of the store. He knew he was being followed so he didn't try anything. He followed the whispered instructions until they made it to a deserted alley behind some stores. Bobby spotted a van and figured that they were going to have to get into it. He was right. When he opened the door, he found Dean sitting in there tied with his hands behind his back, his legs together and a gag in his mouth. As soon as Dean saw him, he started struggle and make curses. The next thing Bobby knew was that something hard hit him across the back of the head and he saw black.
Angela stood in the restroom and looked around. It was empty so an unexplained appearance was nothing to worry about. The downside was that she couldn't lock the door. So she was going to have to deal with it.
She really didn't like the fact that the three nags in her life decided she needed someone with her and two of them were too small to make a difference should she need help. She did make a good argument though that she would probably destroy the house if she was made to stay there. Not that she wouldn't try to escape in Deanna since she was being housed at Bobby's. However Bobby would have probably done a number of means to prevent her from using it.
Bobby was smart enough to realize that leaving her to get bored and then start finding ways to entertain herself could become disastrous if left to chance. She wouldn't really ruin Bobby's house but she planted the idea of being safe than sorry. The only regret was that she had a bodyguard service that insisted upon following her everywhere.
This whole restroom thing though was a welcome relief. The Winchesters were stubborn in their campaign to be her bodyguards but she had a few cards to play and she played her hand well. Another trick for them to learn a lesson from.
Standing in the restroom, Angela sighed and pulled out the small bag she prepped before they left. Dumping it in the sink, she pulled out the lighter she carried and ignited it while saying the words.
"Could you have at least picked a place where there were French fries?"
Angela turned to the newcomer with an annoyed look, "And risk having my head bitten off by the nag squad? Hardly."
Ruby looked around the bathroom. At least it was neat and clean for a public restroom. "So I take it you didn't mention what we talked about?"
"You really think telling them I got info from you will fly when I didn't even know the guy you brought to my attention?" Angela looked at Ruby incredulously.
"Sammy seemed to believe me when I told him I could help with Dean," Ruby replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
"And very wrong."
"Better he learn to take disappointments as they come. You just baby them too much," Ruby jibed at Angela.
Angela clenched her fists in temper. She dug her nails into her palms, feeling the pain. At least she didn't break the skin. That would have been something to explain to Bobby and the boys. Ruby got under her skin just like Crowley but hell sometimes you had to deal with the devil you knew. She released her fists before she broke the skin and replied, "I called you as we agreed upon and you said you would have something for me."
Ruby studied Angela. Even as a teenager, she was infuriatingly all business and no pleasure. It really sucked the life out of things. She replied, "Well I'm not going to let you use my knife again. You seem to handle yourself in making weapons out of crap."
"Improvisation usually works best in my line of work with just a touch of planning," Angela replied. "So give."
Ruby put a sour expression on. "Fine, the Venator has been at this for a few years. He started out like a normal hunter until he meets this guy named Payne. Now they target only things like you."
"Gordy mode," Angela muttered as she listened.
Ruby ignored it and continued, "So he will kill the usual but he seems very interested in Halflings."
Angela had been listening but she had also been listening to outside the bathroom. It was too quiet out there. She went to the door and peered out. Sam and Bobby were nowhere to be found. However on the ground was the shirt Sam had been wearing over his t-shirt. She bent and took a sniff as she touched it and her spine tingled. She was aware that her eyes were glowing orbs as she looked up. He had done this. He had taken them.
A/N: So they go back to town and Dean deals with Nick and Sam plays guard dog until the Venator decides to push buttons by taking them. What happens next? Find out on the next chapter of Witching Pains...