Light in the Box

He killed Mary.

It was an accident!

Angela knew what Jack did was an accident. He didn't mean to do what he did. She sensed his pain when he committed the act. He knew he did wrong and the lengths he went to in order to bring her back, spoke of guilt. She was willing to believe that not all was lost. She believed that there was something was still there.

Something that dangerous needs to be put down. If you don't see that, then you need to go back to school.

And you need to learn a new lesson.

She knew that she was treading a fine line and that she was making everyone in the room nervous. Strong emotions have always been her strength and weakness when it came to her abilities. And that was the point when she eyed other world Bobby in the eye like she did. It was going to be a lesson that she was going to have to repeat since she could see similar expressions on the other hunters' faces.

I'm going to get in touch with some of my people…

If you hurt him, then I will hurt you.

Is that a threat?

A warning. You will not touch him.

It was probably a mistake for her to flare like she did, but she was tired of handling with kid gloves. From day one since Jack walked into their lives, she accepted him, cared for him and it ventured into a mother's love for a child.

It didn't mean that she was blind to the potential danger. She was aware it was a possibility, but it was like any person she took under her wing. In the early days with the Winchesters, she knew Dean was the more dangerous of the two. She knew that when she guessed correctly that he killed Amy Pond and then lied about it to Sam.

As a person, Dean, she loved. He was a brother to her. He had looked out for her and been there when she needed it. They may disagree on things, but they always respected each other. She stood by him because she agreed with his thinking. His methods were something to be desired at times. Now… now it was different. She was laying down the gauntlet and giving a warning, just as she did to the remaining hunters.

This goes to all of you. You may search, but you shall not touch him. There will be hell to pay if it comes down to that.

She meant business and she knew that the boys were not approving of what she declared. This was not the first time she had enforced a 'decree.' They had forgotten what she uttered after they spent a stint in heaven. Or they preferred not to think about it. The problem with a lengthy lifespan and near immortality like her, you had a hard time forgetting things.

The other hunters understood her meaning and they nodded. She could see the fear in their eyes. She didn't like it, but that was the way the dice was going to roll on this. She had to do it previously a lifetime or so ago, if only so that the person that was suspect would get a fair shake. She disliked using people's fear of her and what she could do, but sometimes it worked better than the loyalty she hard earned. It also put her at odds with the boys.

It's been a long time since you used threats.

Cas, we need to find Jack before anyone else does.

I understand.

Angela hated going behind the Winchesters' backs, but she was well aware that they were in a bad place right now. Even though Dean was trying to be strong, she felt him ready to break and mourn and Sam… There was nothing new there. She and Sam always had the ability to sense each other's feelings even when they closed off to one another.

Castiel understood the need to find Jack. They were both in the mindset that while Jack's soul was an issue, they knew the boy wasn't a bad person. It was a matter of finding him and explaining things. She was a firm believer in asking questions before shooting. She gathered evidence before casting judgment. She knew better the consequences of getting the wrong person or not getting all of the facts. It was why she was so pissed at Bobby, but she was reasonable to take into account he was based off of life experiences from his world.

Castiel went to get help. She knew he would appeal to the other angels. There were very few being that could look for the essence of angel or sniff out their power. She was just polite about it. Some were good at hiding what they were, but they were always found out. She didn't trust the angels, but they were their best bet.

There is no spell for fixing his soul.

It was hard not to eavesdrop since her hearing was better than the average human. She could hear even the smallest of sounds if she wasn't careful. Dean had always wondered how she wasn't driven mad by it. It took discipline and self-control to learn to treat the little noises like white noise and ignore it. Conversations were much harder to ignore.

She felt bad, but she couldn't ignore the fact that Dean wanted to lie to Jack and put him into the box that they dragged home and keep him there for good. It wasn't the putting Jack in the box. It was the lying that had her pissed. She was angry, angry like when Crowley's interference nearly got Sam killed, but it was not quite like that. Close enough though.

You lied to him, Sam. You both lied to him. This is not the right way.

He's dangerous, Angie. We always knew that.

Then you must feel the same about me.

It was an unfair remark she made to Sam since she knew that he never thought of her like that. Unfair, but a point had to be made. It pained her to say it since Sam truly oved her, flaws and all. It pained her how cold she had been to her mate when they gave Mary the hunter's funeral. She wanted to curse her hearing then and she wanted to curse it now.

She once told Sam and Dean that they may not always agree, but she stood by them. This time though, she stood against them. Like Castiel, she was against keeping Jack locked up. She believed he could be taught right from wrong and as long as it was explained to him, it would be okay. What Dumah did, was unforgiveable; manipulation always had as stench to her.

Standing there in the bunker, the damage done to the box and Jack free… it was going to be a decision that would put her at odds. Maybe she was wrong, but she believed in that chance. She stood there, tense as two glowing orbs came into view. She knew who it was.

"Angie."

She heard Sam's voice in a low tone. She was aware that she had stepped forward. She understood that this is what both of her boys feared. Jack was the most powerful being they knew of. He was the son of Lucifer and a human woman. A being that was considered an abomination, that she defended because she was like him. Neither one nor the other of her kind. The boy she took in from day one and tried to teach and raise as she was her daughter.

Looking at the glowing orbs, she took a breath and channeled her power. She could feel her eyes flicker in response and no doubt they were flaring in response. No one alive had seen the full extent of her abilities. The Centurion had come close to force testing it out of her, but that was forced. Willing execution of them was still a mystery and with her lost grace running through her veins… she could see why the boys were wary about her. The other hunters were nervous.

She had been born and taught the ways men and creatures had discovered their unique gifts. She learned magic, alchemy magic, Enochian magic, the ways of the shaman warriors, the assassins and the lessons of Lord Shiva. Many things she had learned throughout her five plus centuries of life. All of it culminating into what she was.

She had known from the beginning that Jack had the potential to be dangerous. Any person had that. With his abilities that was amplified. She hoped to teach him enough to know right from wrong, that it wasn't what you are and what you have, but how you use it. She would do what it took to save Jack, but she would also do what she had been doing since the beginning, and that was protect. She looked at Jack as he advanced, standing between the boy and the Winchesters.

A/N: Angela knows that Jack is in trouble and makes the decision to stand against the Winchesters' decision but she still is a protector. Tag to Jack in the Box.