Chapter 5
The party was in full swing and it appeared that the mysterious sponsor had arrived. Korbin watched with rapt fascination as the woman entered with her, he was assuming, husband on her arm. She just had to walk in and the whole room just stopped and stared. It was a marvel that she didn't let it bother her as she went and greeted Eva like she knew her. Korbin figured it was a means of easing the feeling one got when a new person entered the room and they were famous.
He watched as the elderly Lulu approached and the familiarity that was demonstrated. It had him curious about that relationship. He didn't go up right aware but decided to observe the couple for a while and then make introductions. He wanted to know all about the benefactor that essentially saved the production.
It was no secret to the troupe and the people involved that the production didn't garner enough funds to last the projected time frame. There were too many incidents tied up with this troupe but none of them were confirmed. There was no hard evidence though to support it but the rumors where still there. And rumors tended to kill things that were seemingly innocent but that night though you could hardly tell and they did a good job covering up the unflattering parts.
Korbin watched as the woman and her companion circulated and greeted the other patrons. She was so at ease with people and her companion… There was something about him that Korbin couldn't put his finger on it. The posture and the stance was familiar, like he had seen it before. He then noticed the way how he looked at her. It had him thinking and feeling a bit sentimental about the whole thing.
Deciding that he was done observing, Korbin made his way over to the couple with a glass of champagne and made his introduction, "Well hello. It's nice to meet the one who essentially saved our production."
Angela had been making rounds with Eva introducing her to the other patrons. She really didn't like interacting with snobs and she had to do that on occasion. That and she had experience of being a part of that class; growing up, her family was pretty well off and one of the more respected in Italy. She knew that Sam was a little uncomfortable about it too. She didn't have to ask, she sensed it and they were polite to them but she knew that they were only being polite to him because he was with her. She hated the pretentiousness that they carried. It was enough to make her want to start hitting things. But as Sam liked to point out, she was a lady.
Their current conversation was with a pretentious bitch who made it obvious that she was interested in Sam but more like he was a novelty item. She made it clear that she knew he wasn't of a higher class and did whatever she could to make it obvious. It made Angela's blood boil and she disliked the fact that she was being drawn into this game.
"My dear, I simply don't know how it is you manage to keep up with the things of cultural value with all the traveling you do."
Angela gave a polite smile as she replied, "Traveling puts one in touch with things of cultural value and often that are better than the pyrite in places like this." She then signaled Sam to start moving.
"You really have a way with people," Sam said as they ended up in a corner. He looked over where the broad that was hitting on him was staring at her like she didn't know what just happened.
Angela had been glancing at the biddy as she replied, "All part of the grand game. You learn how to say one thing but think another and often say exactly what you think but in a different way." She looked at Sam with apology in her eyes, "And I'm sorry."
"What for? You've always done what you wanted because it's what you wanted to do and on a job, because it's right." At the look he was getting, Sam explained, "I pay attention and… I know when a broad is trying to play me."
"And you think I'm a broad?"
Sam made a slight face even though he saw that she was teasing him. It turned into a slight smile as he looked down at her. "No. You're… you're beautiful."
Angela watched the slight blush form on his cheeks and felt her own flush. She could only smile when he took her by the hand and held them. She couldn't help but smile in return and reply, "Flatterer."
"Honest truth."
Angela couldn't help but smile at Sam's assessment. She teased, "Keep that up and I might start to take you seriously."
"Then it'll be my lucky day." Sam couldn't help but smile back at her. He knew that she took him seriously on all matters. This was one of those rare times that she gave a clear line of what she meant, and it gave him courage to keep going. Plus he had gotten the impression that she liked it when he took initiative on things.
Before Angela could reply, they heard, "Ah finally I get to meet you."
Turning they saw a well-dressed man standing there with a glass of champagne and holding it out to her. Angela looked at him with a raised brow and accepted the glass. It didn't mean she was going to drink it. Being polite as ever, she replied, "Please to meet you Mr.…"
"Korbin. James Korbin," Korbin replied holding out his hand.
Angela looked at the man getting the sense that there was something off about him but she had nothing to go on. She took the proffered hand and felt a firm shake. "Angela," she replied and gestured at Sam, "And this is…"
"Sam," Sam introduced himself and offered his hand while moving in front of Angela. He looked at Korbin, not liking what he seeing but knowing that he had to keep a cool head. He knew that he usually didn't like the people, specifically guys, that Angela got friendly with.
Korbin took the hand and got a firm handshake. He looked at Sam and noted the way he was posturing in front of Angela. There was something about the way he stood, and it had him intrigued. He decided to play with it a little, "Nice grip there. Always nice to have a man that knows how to shake."
Angela couldn't help but grin that turned into a choked laugh. She realized what Korbin was doing and it made her evening. She sat back and watched to see how Sam would react to the situation. He didn't disappoint when he stopped what he was doing to realize what was happening. He always had a little tell and she found it cute and endearing.
Sam, for his part, played off it well once he figured out what just happened. It had him wondering about whether or not if this was what Angela went through when it was obvious a woman was hitting on her. He looked at Korbin and replied, "I work out."
Angela couldn't help but giggle at the response. "You have no idea," she murmured loud enough for Sam to hear.
"Nice to see think so highly of me," Sam replied in response but he couldn't help but give a wry grin at her. He turned and looked back at Korbin and added, "It's nice to meet you Korbin."
"A pleasure. I am pleased that you decided to attend tonight."
"Well I only wanted to see the play. It's a favorite of mine," Angela offered as she steeled her mouth into a smile. She had her fun but if she got additional fun it would be a bonus. She took hold of Sam's hand and gave it a squeeze.
Korbin notice the movement of her hand and nodded, "Well still… your donation was most welcome and you seem to know the troupe very well."
Angela continued smiling. She knew a fishing expedition when she smelled one or rather when it was executed a bit poorly in front of her. Then again she knew a couple of undercovers who used that routine and it got them more than subterfuge worthy of snobs playing the game. She knew that Sam would have figured out by now that this wasn't the first time she had seen a production by this troupe.
Over the years, she took interest in things outside of hunting and it was mostly to stay sane but also because she used to enjoy them when she was a girl. She loved the arts and was one of the few things that she liked about her education as a lady. Her 'watercolors' were praised by the society ladies and were often the starting point to potential suitors and of course her skills at piano held everyone's interest, which was why the Host loved using that card when she came to him.
Looking at Korbin, Angela gave a polite smile and replied, "I've attended a few productions and made acquaintance with a few of the cast members. We shared similar interests."
Korbin looked at her and returned the smile. "Then I suppose you know about the rumors?"
Angela kept the smile on her face. She knew that she had been out of the loop on a few things mostly because she insisted upon that to protect them. They usually tried to keep in contact with her at their insistence and was the one luxury she allowed herself. She didn't know everything so this was a bit of a shock. She kept up the look and replied, "No rumors I know of unless you are talking about the fact that one of the oldest troupe members is playing the role of the one that marries Christine. And that is a role often cast by someone like Sam."
Korbin studied the pair. He noted the sudden look that Sam gave Angela that was more out of surprise than anything else. Then he looked at her and noted how well she kept her composure. "Indeed. You really have to hand it to the makeup department."
"Indeed," Angela replied as she took a sip of champagne. It was perfect timing though since the announcement was made that the theatre was open to the public and the other guests were starting to filter in. "I guess that's our cue. I am looking forward to the performance."
Korbin smiled as he cleared the way for Angela and Sam to leave. "I am myself. Please."
Angela led the way and out of the room. As soon as they were clear, she relaxed her features and heaved a sigh, "Glad that's over."
"You really don't like parties do you?" Sam knew it was rhetorical but he felt the need to ask. To him it was obvious even though he thought she was a natural and belonged.
"I like good parties. I have more fun in Times Square on New Year's than I do at parties with pretentious snobs." Angela smiled as a passerby so no one would grow suspicious. "And I'm still wondering why I agreed to go to the party."
"Because you're a nice person," Sam replied with smile that was serious enough to show that he meant it. He paused at the base of the stairs that led to the boxes. "You are a good person."
Angela paused and looked at Sam. She gave a genuine smile and clasped his hand with hers. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
"I wanted to come and it was an excuse to see you in a dress." Sam grinned at her to remind her about her thing against wearing anything with a skirt. He liked it and she certainly was beautiful in her dress. "You look nice in them."
"You would think otherwise if you saw me when I was fifteen." Angela chuckled at that since she was so glad that fashion changed as it did. "The whole thing with corsets… not what you see in the movies." She grinned and started up the stairs.
Sam blinked at what she said and the unbidden thought of Angela in a corset invaded his thoughts. He wondered if she did it on purpose but he knew that she was not coy and saying things like that for sexual torture was not her at all even though she could be seductive with her words but only for purposes of a job. He watched as she ascended the stairs and got a good look of her bared shoulders and her tattoo showed through. It wasn't her chakra tattoo but it held his interest all the same.
He had touched her tattoo only once and that was when he got a good look at it when she was applying his anti-possession tattoo. He was fascinated by the design since it was a Celtic knot but he could see symbols interwoven in the design. He never got a good look at it but he believed her when she told him it prevented most possessions. Since then he had wondered about it on occasion and wanted to know more about it.
"You coming?"
Sam looked up to see Angela looking at him with a raised brow. He really needed to get it together. He replied, "Yeah," and started up the stairs to join her. He joined her on the landing and paused to look at her since she was staring at him. "Ready?" He held his arm out.
Angela took the proffered arm and smiled, "I'm wondering if you are. I've seen this one."
"Call it taking an interest and… I really want to see it," Sam replied, slightly leaning over to murmur them. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before leading them to where their seats were.
Angela blinked at the kiss. It had been gentle and sincere, she couldn't help but smile, and it made her look like she was on cloud nine. It allowed her to be nice to other patrons they passed on their way to the main box. She couldn't help but say, "I love old theatres. Mostly for the acoustics."
"Or is it because you are nostalgic for places and things like this. And you like anything involving art," Sam posed as he took his seat after helping her into hers. "And I like it."
Angela didn't have much time to say anything but the compliment pleased her all the same and she let it show when she squeezed his hand just as the lights signaled the start. True she had seen this particular play dozens of times but it never failed to make her feel content. Maybe she was drawn to the time period. She never really said it but even though she didn't always agree with the social norms, there were still some things that she missed.
Sam took a moment to watch Angela as she watched below. He couldn't help get a smile small at the way her face just seemed to light up with rapture. True she admitted that she had seen it before and from the sound of things, numerous times before, but she looked like she was seeing it for the first time ever. It reminded him of when she was her four-year-old self and how she looked at the things that fascinated her and how she would insist that he and Dean join in the adventure. It was a side he liked seeing and wished that she would show more often.
Before she could turn and catch him staring, he turned his attention to the play. They were on the second number and Sam swore he could hear her humming the tune as it was being sung and turned his attention to below. He studied the people below and he could pick out the individuals that he had been forced to meet before the show. It was the one thing he didn't overly enjoy but he did get amusement at Angela's reaction at the elderly woman teasing her. Again the question came down to who didn't know her.
The show proceeded without much trouble, not that Sam expected any. It was one of those rare moments that there was nothing that was related to hunting or their current task of trying to find a way to stop the Apocalypse and eventually rescue his younger brother Adam. They were rare and precious and Sam knew that Angela would insist that they take them, but that didn't necessarily include her. At least this time she was going to take a small break and she still didn't leave them with nothing to work with. Sam knew he was privileged to know someone like her and it was the main reason he liked about her.
"Something's not right."
Sam blinked as he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to anything that was going on except watching her. He shifted and looked at what was going on below. He had never seen this before but because Angela did, he looked at her and relied on her judgement. He asked, "What do you mean?"
Angela continued to stare at the stage below. She noted that some of the audience was looking around wondering what was going on. She noted that something was off the moment the first few lines went off script. Having seen the production numerous times, she knew the lines well and she was well aware that some directors took artistic license with things. This wasn't artistic license though. "This is not how this scene is supposed to play out.
Sam looked down and noticed that the audience was looking confused and then looked on stage. He watched as the main protagonist, the Phantom, and the other guy were on the stage but it was clear that the dialogue wasn't what it was supposed to be. "What is going on?"
"Don't know but…" Angela looked around to see if anything was out of the ordinary. It was then that she felt it as she shifted to look towards the wings. It was the chill down the spine and then her breath came out in a warm puff. She turned to look at Sam.
Sam felt the cold spot the moment he started looking around. He saw his breath come out in puffs and turned to look at Angela as she began looking around. He turned towards the stage and noticed the lead male starting to act strangely and it wasn't the bad acting he had been subjected to. He stood up and looked around for anything that was made of iron or something.
"Possession," Angela murmured as she turned to exit their box. She could have jumped from their floor but she didn't want to ruin her dress or shoes. If there was one thing she could be vain about, it was probably shoes. Clothes were a close second especially if they cost what she paid for the dress.
Sam took to following her since he heard her mutter something about possession. He trotted after her as she hopped to remove her shoes and jog down the stairs as she tucked her shoes under her arm. His breath was still coming out in in puffs and the chill was coming down his spine. Something was definitely going on here and more likely it was a major pissed off spirit or something.
They managed to make it to the ground floor just as the first guy took a header off the balcony above. Sam blinked as the guy just landed and people were screaming from that but their attention was then directed to the stage. He looked to see the actors on stage. It was clear that they were possessed and he got the distinct feeling that it wasn't part of the performance. It certainly wasn't when one of the male actors pulled what was obviously a real weapon and fired it at the other.
The crowd shrieked when the real blood spilled forth. Sam gaped at the scene as he watched the shot actor look down at his chest and then looked at the other and said something before pulling out a gun and shooting back. Sam watched as red bloomed on the chests of both actors as they looked at each other and their faces turned ashen and their breaths came out in puffs before they collapsed on the stage.
The crowd was gasping at the bodies on the ground. Sam looked around for Angela but ended up coming face to face with his brother and Haley. He frowned, "Dean?"
"You okay Sam?" Dean put his hands on his brother's shoulders to make sure that he was okay.
"I'm fine. Where's Angie?" He looked around wildly while people were making noises and talking loudly, not sure of what to do. He managed to find her in all the chaos since she was the only one that wasn't panicking.
Angela had managed to get to the stage to check the bodies. She had seen enough gunshot wounds to know that there was no reviving them but she was compelled to check. She could be technical and say that it had to do the fact that she had taken the Hippocratic Oath and she was a doctor… several times over. Call it her nature.
She was on the stage quickly and set her shoes aside so they wouldn't get mussed. She knew she was going to have it later mostly from Dean since he was the one that took her dress and shoe shopping. She checked for pulses as she pulled out her cell phone. She gritted her teeth slightly since the last thing she wanted to do was to get involved with the local authorities. In fact it was like an unspoken rule in the realm of hunting: don't get caught. And it was something that she was proud to say that she had avoided in all her years. She couldn't say the same for the Winchesters since they did end up with their faces on most wanted.
Knowing that there was no choice, Angela dialed 911. When she got the operator, she gave succinct information regarding the address and what happened, and then hung up. It was just in time to see a suspicious shadow when she looked up around. She stood up and started walking but not before picking up her shoes.
She followed the shadow while managing to avoid people. She chased the shadow even though it was foolish since her breath was still coming in puffs. That meant it was a spirit… and she didn't have any salt rounds on her. Besides a gun would snag and create an unsightly bulge. It was a ridiculously vain thing but she could recall when she had to go undercover in a dress and it had been a lot easier when the fashion dictated a lot of frills and hoopskirts. She knew her clothing and materials… which she owed to her mother.
It certainly came in handy since she had picked a dress that showed her figure but also would prove easy to move in should the going get rough. And it was getting a little rough as she followed her quarry backstage and through the various things like lightning, set pieces… "Never thought I'd be chasing something through a theatre," she muttered to herself while she ducked under a rigging for spotlights. "And without the usual."
But you always have a weapon on you Cat. It's not necessarily a physical one.
Angela smirked at that since it was a fine time to remember something that Gabriel told her long ago. It was back when he tried getting her to use the abilities she only displayed at a minimum. It was a strange time for that to come out but then again she was chasing a spirit and without a means of fighting the thing except…
She paused by one of the racks that held up the rigging and sandbags. She raised her brow at it before sliding it out and held it ready to use like a police baton. It was made of iron so it should work. She twirled it in her hand and noted the weight and feel. It was damned good. She tucked it under her arm the moment she heard noise and moved forward to look for her quarry.
She made it and found herself near the back exit and her quarry looking like they were trying to get out. It was strange since ghosts could go through pretty much anything and the time that Sam and Dean did that to her when they did astral projection… it was really weird in terms of feeling. It was also weird because it was behavior not consistent with a ghost. It had her on the defensive and wanting to know what was going on.
She cornered the shadow at the door and shouted, "Stop right there!"
The shadow huddled by the door. As Angela approached, her breath came out in puffs and it was getting colder. It really was starting to sound like a pissed off spirit but… She approached holding the iron bar, her guard up. It was a good thing too since the shadowy figure lashed out and tried to strike her. She leaned back and brought up the iron rod to defend herself.
It was a very brief skirmish that ended with her getting knocked down and she sprawled on the ground. Lying on her stomach, she tried to push herself up but was suddenly grabbed and she felt a chill as her breath came out in puffy smoke. It was then she heard, "No one is a fit."
She would have given a good swing of the iron rod but the shadow was gone and she heard a thump from the door. She turned herself over and saw the open door and slowly got to her feet just as Sam and Dean joined her. She looked at them while panting and then at the door. So much for a free night.
A/N: Looks like something is going on and it ruined a good performance. Le sigh... well stay tuned for next time on The Message of the Crow...
