Chapter 6
"Okay so what are we dealing with?"
That was the obvious question and one no one really had an answer for. Sam looked at his brother and shrugged after loosening his tie and feeling like someone was going to come and probably arrest them. After finding Angela, they tried to leave but the cops showed up and he and Angela had to answer questions since witnesses pointed them out. It had been nerve wracking but the authorities bought it that they were on vacation and he was a Fed and he called for backup. It was a snow job but Sam worried that it may bite them in the ass.
Dean looked at Sam and got nothing. Haley had gone back to where she was staying for some input. As much as he would have liked to go, there was the implication that the woman she was staying with might not like him. It wasn't the first time and certainly not the last and he wasn't about to play the Angie card even though it did come in handy on occasion. He turned to look at Angela who was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed and in bare feet.
Angela was well aware that Dean was looking for an answer but she didn't have one to give. She herself was confused by the events that happened that night and had her trying to think of a time if she ever came across this phenomenon before. Nothing came to mind except the obvious and that was dealing with spirits since the classic signs were there but the behavior was very off and that was the vexing part. Knowing that she had to say something she voiced softly, "I have no idea."
Dean normally would be annoyed but his question had been asked more to clarify what the hell was going on. "I get that but really? Is it ghost possession or what?"
"Looks like it," Sam ventured, "The signs were there; there were cold spots and the two actors shot each other but didn't go down right away."
Angela hummed at that as she thought about it. She let Sam and Dean talk it out while she mulled in her own thoughts trying to piece it together. She did know that she was going to have to pay Eva a visit as well as talk to Lulu and possibly Henry. She really didn't want to but since she really did know them, she was concerned about them and for the troupe. This kind of thing was damaging and she wanted to make sure things were going to be okay. Absently she reached down and started rubbing Xander's ears since he took position by her and rested his head on her knee. She couldn't help but make a small smile.
The discussion was going nowhere and it was agreed upon that they take the night sleep on it and in the morning they would start asking questions. It was how Sam ended up escorting Angela to her room even though it was next door. It wasn't that she wasn't capable of getting from point A to point B; he just wanted to be with her and attempt to salvage the evening somewhat. "Sorry that everything didn't go the way you wanted it."
"It's not your fault Sam," Angela replied with a slight sigh before looking off at nothing in particular. "Seems that every time I try to take some time off…" She shook her head at that. It made her sound selfish and whiney.
Sam didn't see it that way. He didn't like that they got stuck with a case when all she wanted was a night off to enjoy something that she obviously had a passion for. And he thought it unfair that the world decided she just needed to have crap thrown at her, his included. He voiced his thoughts out loud, aware that it sounded childish, "It's not fair."
Angela couldn't help but twist her lips into a slight smile. She shifted to look back at him, aware that his declaration was simple like a child's but it put to voice her general thoughts. She chuckled as she replied, "I could say that about a lot of things and not all of them about me." She patted Sam's arm in reassurance and held onto it. "It's okay, Sam."
"No it isn't."
Angela looked up at the sharp tone Sam's voice had taken. She knew it wasn't directed at her but the sharpness of the tone pulled her up short. She looked up at him and frowned slightly, not sure of what to say.
Sam was aware that he sounded harsh and shifted on his feet. He adjusted his tone to a more gentler one, "What I mean is that it's not okay. You deserve time off just as much as anybody."
"Maybe so but it doesn't always end up that way," Angela replied softly. "But I do appreciate the thought."
"And you don't always have to be so selfless. It's okay to be a little selfish," Sam countered. He held her hands in his and looked at her, his thumbs stroking the top. He liked touching her hands and liked having an excuse to touch them. It was a guilty pleasure that he would rather be tortured than have someone like Dean know about it. "There is nothing wrong with wanting something for yourself you know."
"In my experience it is a dangerous road." Angela didn't mean for it to sound harsh but it was how things ended up happening when she tried to reach for that one thing that she wanted for herself. She didn't want anything to happen to Sam or Dean. "But… it has changed." She cleared her throat nervously and looked at her door.
"Like I said, there is nothing wrong with wanting something for yourself and you are the person most deserving of it," Sam repeated as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Truly."
Angela had her eyes closed the moment Sam kissed her forehead. He honestly believed that and it was something good to hold onto. She hummed as she smiled before looking back up at him teasing, "Well at least you know how to show a lady a good time."
Sam almost made a face but he realized she was teasing him. He had picked up it was her way of saying she appreciated it but that she was unsure of how to express it. He chuckled in response and replied, "I don't make a habit of taking them to possessed plays."
"Technically it's a musical," Angela corrected, "but still…" She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "It was a good night until then. We should do it again." She smiled at him. She did enjoy what she had managed to see of the night.
Sam couldn't help but make a smile and he chuckled at that. She would try to find something positive out of the whole thing. And 'dates' with her certainly were interesting. "We probably should." He looked at her door and gestured at it. "Well… here's your door."
"Yep." Angela wasn't sure of what to say. Their conversation had turned into that slightly awkward silence that occurred when neither party was sure of what to say next even though they had something to say. She felt her cheeks grow heated as she cleared her throat. "Well… um… night Sam."
Sam had cleared his throat the moment she did. There were a few things he wanted to say including the one thing that burned on the tip of his tongue but each time he didn't. He was certain of a few things from her end and he trusted that she was serious but… He watched as she opened her door and made to go in. Being bold, he reached out and grabbed her gently by the arm to stop her and stared at her when she turned to look at him.
Angela looked up at Sam staring at her so intently. She wasn't alarmed since she was familiar with certain expressions of his and her natural instincts weren't telling her to be afraid. Rather she was curious as he stared at her and she couldn't help but stare back. She was never one to back down from a challenge and this was a sort of challenge but not quite. Still she couldn't look away and just kept staring, like she was mesmerized.
Sam stared at her, aware that he was probably making her curious and wonder about what he was doing. He held her gaze, noting that she wasn't breaking it like it was a challenge. He didn't break his gaze either but stared a bit longer before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips and gently but firmly coaxed her to open her mouth and deepen the kiss.
Angela was surprised at the intensity of the kiss and it caught her off guard. Yet she wasn't repulsed by it but rather liked it. She let him deepen it and opened her mouth at his prompting. It encouraged him to keep going and she let him. She became aware that she was starting to growl at the back of her throat and was sorry that it ended when he broke the kiss, pushed her into her room and closed the door. It left her wondering what had just happened but it also left a good feeling that lasted the entire night.
For Sam, he knew he had to 'be the grown up' and he reluctantly broke the kiss before it got too far. As much as he liked hearing that purr growl she did when she was happy, he didn't want to put her in a position she wasn't ready for and didn't want her to regret. So he broke the kiss and saw her inside her room and closed the door before turning back to his and Dean's room. He only paused to lean against the wall and run a hand through his locks and take a breath and smile. He went to his room not noticing that someone had been watching the whole thing.
"I don't know what we're gonna do. We were really counting on this production."
Angela smiled sympathetically as she patted Eva on the shoulder. She had made the decision to go on her own that morning back to the theatre and ask around. She knew that Lulu would talk to her as well as few others that would know by now that she was the one who made the last minute donation and went to opening night. She was going to bank on that rapport and because she understood the dynamics of the troupe.
The group was like a circus; they were family and very close knit. They wouldn't talk to outsiders easily and they didn't trust local law enforcement. Angela knew that it was a cover that Sam and Dean used with regularity and it worked since people did have a tendency to believe in law enforcement. In this case, it wasn't going to fly. She knew that she was risking some heated words later but she knew that if they were going to get any answers apart from what the police gathered, she stood the best chance.
There were some obstacles since time did change things. People left or died and new ones came in their place. Angela wasn't lying when she said that she was familiar with the troupe. And she knew a few secrets that very few outsiders were privy to. Hell she remembered the last time she had to risk a lot to keep the troupe from becoming the target of hunters.
Looking at Eva, Angela said soothingly, "It'll be okay. I'm sure it was something that could be attributed to a lover's spat or an equivalent."
"Please. Those two disliked each other and if they wanted to kill each other, they would have done it in a fight. Not reciting Shakespeare," Eva retorted as she looked all around the stage. Her eyes lighted on the crime tape where the bodies had lain. There was still blood on the ground. "Or rather a variation of the performance."
"I did find that odd which was why I suggested lover's spat," Angela replied as she did her own survey. She let her eyes flare briefly as she did, enhancing her vision slightly and her nostrils flared. There wasn't a whole lot of time before Eva turned around and her eyes flared to normal and she added, "My apologies if I made an error."
"It wasn't like you knew," Eva offered with a slight smile before gesturing for Angela to follow. "I know you only come once a year and always in a different town with a different production." She smiled again as she grinned and admitted, "I remember the stories my parents told me. It's how I knew it was you at the party."
Angela gave a slight shrug and an apologetic smile. She remembered meeting the girl when she was five or rather had a fleeting vision of her. She saw her run and hide when she spotted her while she was talking to her parents. At least it was one thing that wasn't ruined because she showed her face… somewhat. "Like you said, once a year."
Eva smiled at Angela. She thought she was gorgeous in her evening gown but she was definitely beautiful in regular clothes. Even with the faint scar that accentuated her eyebrow radiated her beauty. She remembered being amazed by it when she was a girl. There was like a glow around her and it was still there after all this time but it seemed brighter than before. She had met a lot of people, patrons, growing up in the theatre and she had never met someone that just… glowed. She was surprised that others didn't see it but she did see how people had reacted to Angela at the party so maybe… She replied, "You glowed."
Angela blinked at that. She had been accused of a lot of things but that was a little different. "Excuse me?"
"Sorry." Eva cleared her throat as she led the way to where Lulu was. She knocked on the door. "Just something I remember when I was a kid. Must have gotten it confused." She opened the door when Lulu said to come in and ushered Angela in.
Angela was going to ask what Eva meant but the girl disappeared before she could ask. She frowned at that and turned towards Lulu and asked, "Is it something I said?"
"More like something she said," Lulu replied as she made a waving motion with her hand. The door to her room shut without any aid. "Angie, you have to believe me that no one has been messing with the craft to do what you saw."
"Anna Marie," Angela replied, using the elderly woman's real name, or the name that she had been told was her real name, "I know that the coven hasn't caused trouble. You guys don't have a bad bone in your body."
"And you risked everything to keep those hunters off our backs. Now it's happening all over again." Lulu sighed and cradled her head. "I love the theatre and so does the coven. We use our powers for the effects…" She shook her head and buried it in her hands and started to sob.
Angela took a breath, feeling the despair that the witch before her was feeling. She didn't think it was important to mention that she had noticed that the troupe had took on a few other species that were hunted. It didn't matter since as long as they followed the rules they were safe. She only came to see them, not check up on them. Unless it was something they should be aware of. She felt bad that this was happening.
Taking a breath, she approached the old woman and wrapped her arms around her. On instinct and against her self-imposed rules, she allowed her empathy to work its magic and send soothing feelings to the old woman as she hugged her. She closed her eyes and gave a gentle squeeze and couldn't help but chuckle when the witch said, "You really should use your powers more often. There are tons of people who would appreciate it."
Releasing the woman, Angela stepped back and chuckled a bit at that. "I highly doubt it but you're welcome Anna Marie."
"I wish you would call me Lulu."
"You have no idea how many Lulus and Henrys I know." Angela gave a grin. It reminded her to call and check up on her godson. He was supposed to be fighting. Title match if she remembered correctly. She wondered if it would be livestreamed. She would have to ask or spring the extra buck for the pay per view in the motel of choice. "One of them is well versed in voodoo and the other is a boxing expert."
"Oh I remember you telling me about that. So you actually were a boxer?"
"No. I learned the finer points and turned it into an art form," Angela corrected with a smile. She put her hands on her hips. "I'll call you Lulu in front of the others but when I'm working as I am now…"
"I know, I know," the witch replied waving her arm as she stood up. She walked over to Angela and put her hands on her shoulders. "I am sorry this happened. I wanted the performance to be perfect for you. I know this is your favorite."
"I do love Gaston Leroux," Angela admitted. She paused a moment before adding, "The moment something happened, I knew I was going to be involved. I don't want you guys to be in trouble anymore."
"Trouble follows us and I don't mean this all the time. Sometimes when we get a rowdy one…"
"Like the jokester or the werewolf you casted for a more heavy lifting role?" Angela tapped her nose to indicate how she knew to the woman. She grinned as she said it.
"Or esteemed guest and friend who found herself a boyfriend and one of them no less." The witch grinned in a teasing manner. "I never thought you would date a hunter."
Angela looked at the witch with a bemused expression. She really wasn't surprised and she had picked up that people assumed Sam was hers mostly because of the way how he presented himself. "And will that be a problem?"
The witch smiled, "Not in the least. As long as he's good to you." She turned to work on the project she was working on. "You know as long as nothing drastic happens like what happened in that church in Ilchester."
Angela made a slight face at that. "Well… um…"
"Relax Angie," the witch replied as she turned to face her. "I know Sam Winchester broke the last seal. Kind of on the grapevine of things but… considering that it was a demon… Let's just say that we know that demons have a way of manipulation. That and we know that you would never knowingly go along with something like that."
Angela wasn't too sure about that remark since she had made deals with the devil so to speak. It was something she wasn't overly proud of and the circumstances at the time… She cleared her throat slightly and replied, "You give me far too much credit Anna Marie."
"As well as we should," the witch replied standing up. She started walking and beckoned Angela to follow. "You knew what we were about and kept those hunters from making a mistake. Then there was the whole incident with Don Quixote…"
"That was more because the choice of venue had inhabitants that liked to dine on the attendees," Angela corrected as she followed. She knew that it was futile to do anything to change people's minds about her but she still made the effort to set the record straight. "As in this case, I think that there might be spirits possessing your actors and making them quote bad Shakespeare and offing each other."
"You may be right," the witch replied, not beating around the bush. "This isn't the first time this has happened."
Angela raised her brow at that. She figured something more was up and the witch wasn't telling. She didn't blame her but… "What do you mean?"
The witch led back to where the rest of the troupe was. They were going about their usual in terms of prepping for a performance. What else was there to do? Besides there was talk that Eva was working on a change of venue since this theatre was now a crime scene and they were in the spotlight. They had to keep up appearances since they didn't want to draw unwanted attention.
Angela glanced around and noted the rehearsals, the fittings and even some work on "special effects." One of the reasons she liked this group so much was the creative way they used their abilities and powers to bring forth the effects and costuming that was needed for the performance. She could recall a couple of instances where a shadow trick of Anna Marie's produced a pretty good look of the ghost in Hamlet. As far as she was concerned, if they weren't hurting anyone or using the dark stuff, they should be left alone and for the most part they didn't want to be involved in the whole witches and other things are evil crap. She recognized a few individuals she hadn't seen in a few years and she had been busy but she kept in touch as best as she could.
"Angie!"
Angela turned to see a girl of twelve run up and wrap her arms around her waist. She blinked a bit, not sure of what to do but she did notice that others were watching. Her nostrils flared as she recognized the scent, "Mona. Been awhile."
"But I knew you'd recognize me," Mona replied as she released Angela and looked up at her. "You always remember one way or another."
"Not always," Angela replied with a smile, knowing that it was hero worship and she was no stranger to that. "I see that you're big enough to play some of the more grownup roles."
"Ballet corps still," Mona replied with a slight pout. "Because I still have school."
Angela nodded understandingly as she patted the girl on the shoulder, "Well school is important. You gotta be able to read your lines and know what the stage manager and director want."
"But I learn that here."
"There is more in theatre. Ask Lulu," Angela replied with a mischievous grin in the direction of the witch. "It's why you should go to school."
Mona lost her pout as it turned into a giggle. She knew that school was important. She just liked having people argue their points, which was made clear by the chuckles and the sounds from everyone else working. She looked up at Angela and said, "Everyone was excited when they learned you bought a ticket."
"Well I wouldn't miss a performance by the greatest theatre troupe in existence," Angela replied jovially. "And yes, I do remember a few choice performances." She eyed the witch with a poignant look as she added, "Which is why I keep coming back for more."
There was a general murmur of approval, mostly from the older members, and it had Angela make a slight smile. She looked down at Mona and noted the solemn expression on her face. It was too solemn and she thought she noticed something and she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? I did remember that."
"Are you going to find the thing that killed them?"
Angela looked up and found that she was being stared at. It was nothing new to be stared at with eyes full of hope and concern and bunch of other emotions in the light of tragedy. It was how it ended up with her being lauded for her abilities and what she had done for people. And how she was hated too and yet… She looked at everyone. It was what she intended but she knew that a lot was riding on this; it was their livelihood. Looking at the girl she nodded and then looked up. "I am going to find out what is going on and stop it."
Angela was swamped with murmurs of approval and thanks. A few gave her hugs. She returned it as well as she could. It was a promise she intended to keep like everything else as she hugged the girl. She didn't notice that she was being watched by someone in the shadows.
A/N: So we have a job and it looks like someone is watching Sam and Angie. Keep watching for more next time on Message of the Crow...
