Chapter 3

Angela finished drawing the sigils. It was something to do and it calmed her nerves but there was only so much that could do. At least she was putting her energy to use putting up protection wards and other things to ward off things that could kill you.

She had never done anything like that before and it disturbed her. It was also taxing. She knew that since she did feel the blood coming out of her nose but she didn't want to stop what she was doing. She wanted to make Ruby suffer for everything. She wanted to kill her with the voices she conjured from Ruby's past and she didn't care. She was past that point of caring for anything regarding Ruby. She was at the point of letting herself suffer permanent damage.

It was Sam though that stopped her. He could have shouted at her but instead he used a quiet voice of appeal. It was enough to bring her to her senses and she stopped what she was doing. She stopped and she could effectively see that she had terrified Ruby and the demon was also pissed that Dean managed to snake the knife from her.

Finished, Angela saw that she needed something else to do. Perhaps a minor training exercise would help. She looked around and then muttering a few choice words, she gave the whistle. It was instantaneous for Cerebus to show up. Ever since that success in that town in Ohio, the mutt's response time had increased. He didn't even need the medallion to activate it anymore.

Cerebus was there in a flash and was panting in that happy puppy way of his. Angela couldn't help but smile and she patted him on the shoulder. He was in his usual hellhound look meaning that he was not visible but she could see him. "Getting there pretty fast boy. Can you do that visible trick thing you do?"

Cerebus gave a sort of growl as he did that trick he did before. He appeared in his huge Rottweiler look and was still panting like a puppy. He barked like a dog and gave a slight bounce on his feet.

Angela chuckled. She still couldn't get how Cerebus was able to do what he could do but she could guess that it had to do with his uniqueness. He was bred differently from other hellhounds. This was going to be a trial and error thing with him. She patted Cerebus' shoulder and said, "You want to do a small jaunt boy?"

Cerebus bounced and barked. Jaunts he liked to do and he could sense that his alpha was not in a good mood. He could sense her distress when he was called and decided to do what he could to try and make her happy. It did confuse him as to why her alpha wasn't doing his job in that area but it was nice to feel wanted.

Angela laughed a little, feeling better already. "Alright boy. Just a small one around the place. We need to stretch your legs and I think we might have a job for you." She started on a light jog and smiled when Cerebus started jogging with her.

It took two laps before she felt sufficient to go in and prepare for going after Lilith. It was barely a sweat for Cerebus but it was enough to get the both of them into the mode for hunting. Angela said nothing much as she went back into the house and the boys were loading their guns. Apparently they had been in some sort of discussion about Ruby. It wasn't exactly the kind of conversation that she would want to overhear but she knew Sam and he wasn't the kind to just let go especially if someone threw him a bone like what Ruby did.

The truth was, Angela knew that Sam could be capable of taking out Lilith with those abilities if they were allowed to surface. The problem was that in order for that to occur, it would require that he go down a path that literally is the path to perdition. Sure there was such a thing as good intentions but sometimes those intentions got twisted.

As a natural born demon, if you get the gist, there was no problem with her using them but there was that little thing called her human half. She knew the war that raged within and that it was a delicate balance between what humans called morality and the blank senselessness and primal instinct. The creatures of the supernatural did have rational thought but they had a tendency to go with their natures.

Maybe that was what Angela feared and she did think about it. She worried that one day she might just give in and never come back. It would be a step up from a Fallen but in her mind it was the same thing. Hell she was ready to let it take over and make Ruby suffer and she wanted to kill her. The boys knew what she was capable of and Ruby was right; all they saw were the parlor tricks that were easiest to keep in mind.

As she packed her bags and laid aside Absolution and her chakram for the upcoming battle, she listened to the conversation between the brothers. She knew that they knew she was there and listening to every word but she wasn't going to interfere. There were still some things that could only be discussed between brothers even though she was a part of their family.

"We go in smart or we don't go in at all," Sam was saying.

"This ain't smart." Dean clearly didn't want to continue this discussion. He spotted Angela and she was examining her chakram. The hell mutt was at her feet and at least he was presentable. He figured she must have been experimenting with his trick. Whatever rocked her boat to get over what happened down there.

"We got just one shot Dean. So if there's a sure fire way, then maybe we should just talk about it," Sam was pleading.

"Sam, we are not gonna make the same mistake all over again. Hell I'm not even going to let Angie do that and she is more than capable of working with that psychic mojo. I can't let you or her do that."

"You said that before, but what does that mean?"

Dean looked at his little brother with a pleading expression. This was not how he wanted things to go down. "Don't you see a pattern? Dad's deal, my deal, now this. I mean every time one of us is up the creek, the other's just begging to sell their soul." He noticed that Angela had left with her bag. She was just loading up. He decided to tell Sam the truth, "I mean even Angie was and probably is still willing to give up her vamp half to save me."

"What?"

"You remember when we were made to play that maze game? That was pure Angie. I mean no superpowers, no nothing. She was completely human and that was so she could get consideration for a hearing." Dean paused as he watched the realization dawn on his brother's features. "Yeah Sam. She did that and you saw the end result after that. Ruby's just jerking your chain with this. You know what that road is paved with."

It was a bit of a shock to hear about what Angela tried to do for Dean and Sam took a moment to think about his next words. Maybe there was some truth to what Dean said about the pattern. The thing was she would do the same for either of them but that was beside the point. The fact that she was willing to give up her longevity… that said something. Still there were questions to be answered. "What are you afraid is going to happen? This is me, I can handle it." He was willing to do the same she was willing to do. "And if it'll save you…"

"Why even risk it? You saw what happened in there with Angie and don't tell me you didn't feel that surge of power." Dean looked at Sam. His brother was going to be persistent in this and he was hoping that Sam would remember seeing what he saw in the basement.

Sam gave the answer that was so simple in his mind, "Because you're my brother. Because you did the same thing for me. Angie thinks the same way."

"Sam, she was pissed at Ruby. She wanted to do it and didn't care what it was doing to her," Dean replied. He had seen the look in her eyes.

"But she cares about you Dean. She loves you like you were her brother and we are all that she has since she hasn't figured it out about… you know. I don't think there is nothing she wouldn't do for either of us, for Bobby…"

"And that's what scares me and should worry you too. She could turn into someone that is not the person we know. Look at how my actions turned out." Dean looked down at the gun he was holding. "All I'm saying… Sammy, all I'm saying is that you're my weak spot. You are as well as Angie and I'm yours and we're both Angie's weak spot."

"No, you don't mean that. We're family. All three of us," Sam replied looking at Dean with a firm look.

"I know," Dean replied with a knowing look, "And those evil sons of bitches know it too. I mean what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go. They're using it against us… all three of us. That last thing with the ugly broad Tiamat and the other times? They knew she would come for us just like we came for her."

"So we just stop looking out for each other?"

Dean looked at Sam and was about to respond when Angela's voice cut in softly, "No, we stop being martyrs. It was why Dean had me promise not to go trading in my superpowers for his life. We stop spreading it for these demons. Granted it's the human side of things to react spontaneously but…" She nodded as if that would make her point get across. "The point is we don't stop looking after each other; we just do it smarter."

Dean couldn't help but smile at her. Her shameless eavesdropping and timing with the advice was an art form. Maybe he did wrong by telling Sam about what she did earlier to get a hearing but it didn't seem to matter anymore. He picked up Ruby's knife and looked at Sam and said, "That's right and we're gonna take this knife and Angie takes Absolution and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to and the way you taught us Angie; that whole thing about honor. And if we go down…"

"Then we go down swinging," Angela affirmed. Cerebus barked in agreement as he came around to nudge Dean on his knee.

Dean couldn't help but pet the hell mutt. The thing had been helpful taking out Tiamat and following a few other leads after Doc Benton. He fished in his pocket and found one of those dog biscuits that Angela made and held it out to the mutt. He then looked at Sam, "What do you think?"

Sam couldn't help it, "I think you should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger."

"Oh bite me," Dean scoffed as he stood up. "You know I totally rehearsed that speech you know."

Angela just started laughing. It was moments like these that helped lighten the mood. That didn't mean that the job wasn't to be taken seriously. She coughed a little to get a hold of herself but she couldn't stop.

Sam was chuckling too. Angela's laughter was contagious once she got going. When she sobered he did too. He knew they were both right and he could guess that Angela knew that road that Ruby was jerking his chain down. He wasn't stupid and he saw what she was capable of. She implied as much when she said the Centurion did a force test on her. It was no wonder she would rather eat crap than do anything for them. Sighing he went back to the job, "So, Indiana, huh?"

"Yeah, where Lilith is on shore leave," Dean replied. He glanced at Angela who was making a slight face at that. That told him she had a pretty good idea what that meant. He looked at her and said, "Tell me something Angie… What the hell does a demon do for fun?"

Angela raised her brow. "You're kidding right?"

"Just asking since you've you know…" Dean shrugged his shoulders in his typical fashion. It was something to ask and there was the slightest hint of curiosity about the whole thing. Hell he knew what she liked to do for fun.

Angela made a puzzled frown at that thinking that it was completely out of left field. "Well I don't think you want to know regarding Lilith. I know Lenya likes her games playing around with mythology." She made a slight face. "You know…" She made a noise and walked away not noticing the stupid grin on Dean's face.

Sam did and said, "You really are a jerk, Dean."

"Hey, I was curious. Besides did you see the look on her face? It's hard getting that look," Dean replied feeling better already. He caught the look that Angela shot him and saw her reach into her pocket. There was the biscuit flying and he caught it with his mouth.

Sam made a slight look of disgust, "Dude, seriously? You're still eating the dog's biscuits?"

"Just a reward for getting the jump on her," Dean replied as he chewed on it. He was going to miss these. He looked down at Cerebus who was giving him the look and he gave a small piece to the mutt.

Sam couldn't help the incredulous look on his face. He looked at Angela who was just smiling as she was putting her chakram on her belt. She then started tying on her gauntlets. He could tell that she was going to go through with what Dean said; it was their way and if they went down, it was going down swinging. He caught her eye and she mouthed, 'bulldog.'

Sam couldn't help but chuckle. Dean probably wouldn't see the connection between her pet name for his brother and the fact that he liked to snack on dog biscuits that she made originally for the hell mutt. He finished packing his gear and started loading up with her. He took the opportunity to ask, "So, you doing okay? You know?" He motioned with his finger.

"I'm fine. You know I have some extra adamantium silver clips if you want them," Angela offered. She opened her duffle in the trunk and fished a clip out.

"No I think the iron rounds will work," Sam replied. He looked at the lid of the trunk and took a breath and bit the bullet, "Angie, what Ruby said about you…"

"What do you want me to say, Sam? Yes she told me the same thing and she did give me a few ideas. One was the idea of bringing Lilith to us instead of chasing after her. The others were going down a path that she knew I would have to be at the end of a rope, down to a thread before I would agree to it," Angela replied as she put the clips back and zipped up the duffle.

"And the whole thing about what you said…"

"What it would take to activate dormant psychic crap? I have a very good idea what she was getting at but I didn't get the cigar," Angela replied. "I don't want to get into a fight over it Sam but can I ask that you trust me on this one? The means I think she wanted to use, I have seen the result of them with… someone I once knew. Trust me, it's perdition straight through."

Sam nodded. "And about what happened?"

"Rage." Angela sighed as she rubbed her head. "I hadn't felt that in a long time and I was just getting started."

"I remember what you told me about the testing thing."

"Yep and I'm not doing that again. I think I'll just stick to tossing people around."

Sam said nothing after that but helped her load the Impala while Dean played with Cerebus. He knew that she would rather not talk about it but she did let him know that she was better. She asked patience of him once and he did go back on that a few times. Since then he was willing to give it another shot.

"Family don't end with blood, boy," Bobby was saying with a fierce glare at Dean. "Ya think ya would have learned that with Angie tagging along."

"Thanks for making me feel wanted Bobby," Angela replied in slight sarcasm.

"Ya know what I mean ya idjit girl," Bobby retorted. He then looked back at Dean and added, "Besides, ya need me. You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

Dean looked at Sam who was looking confused and noticed Angela crossing her arms like she was preparing to scold him. She knew too. That was just perfect. He looked at Bobby and asked, "How'd you know?"

"Because that's what happens when you got hellhounds on your butt. And I'm betting someone else knew from the get go too." Bobby cast a pointed look in Angela's direction. "And that someone owns a hellhound."

Angela had her arms crossed and had three pairs of eyes looking at her. She raised her brow and saw Bobby trying to be the parent, Dean was more or less surprised and Sam had his confused puppy look. She replied, "Alright, yes I knew Dean started having hallucinations and a nightmare or two. It's not that hard to observe."

"And having a hell mutt does nothing to that?" Dean had to ask. It was uncharted territory with what had happened to her this past year.

"Please. I can see them just like I can sniff out a demon. It's just a quirk. The only reason I am familiar with this is because…"

"You know someone who knew someone who made a deal," Dean interrupted, "I get it." He really didn't want to have Bobby get involved with this but the grizzled hunter made a point that he and Sam made to each other. Family didn't end with blood. Hell Angela wasn't their blood sister but they countered her as one and she did the same for them.

"Actually I was going to say that Cerebus was on my ass and you know what happened there," Angela replied with a poker face. "You know that phrase of you've seen one and you've seen it all. That pretty much is my deal."

Bobby looked at Angela as she was standing there. Cerebus was sitting by her like an obedient dog. It looked like she was experimenting with his visibility trick. He noticed the new collar with the amulet she had made to summon him hanging on it like a dog tag. He then looked back at Dean, "I'm going." He held up the part he had removed from the Impala.

"Thanks for bringing Deanna, Bobby," Angela said.

"Baby drives like a dream."

"I just hope Lonelle Chevelle isn't jealous," Angela joked with a grin on her face

"Not after the treatment you promised her," Bobby replied. "She said that you had an oil change and radiator flush appointment for her."

Angela couldn't help but laugh. Ever since she restored that Chevelle to working order, Bobby always found something for her to do on it when she made a pit stop in Sioux Falls. Sometimes levity was a good thing. She looked at Dean and Sam and said, "What can I say? My skills are in demand."

"Very funny Angie," Dean replied with a slight smile. "So I take it you're driving Deanna?"

"Pretty much but don't think that I'm gonna leave you two alone," Angela replied. She had been toying with an idea that was pretty much a last minute thing and it could prove helpful. She also had something she wanted to run by Bobby but she didn't want Dean to be left in too vulnerable a state. He was seeing hallucinations now and it was only going to get worse the closer it got. He needed another ally besides Sam.

Dean narrowed his eyes slightly as he popped the hood to replace the part that Bobby stole out of the Impala. "I don't think I like the sound of that. What do you have in mind Sis?"

Angela gave a slight whistle and a motion. Cerebus barked and jumped into the backseat of the Impala through the open window. He made himself comfortable and gave a bark.

"Oh hell no. No dogs in the car Angie. If you want that kind of smell in Deanna be my guest," Dean protested as he put the part back in.

"I'm not arguing with you Dean," Angela replied, "I'm telling you. He's going." When Dean looked up and started to speak, she held up her hand warning him not to talk but to listen. "Good boy," she said when he complied. She could hear Sam snickering but ignored it as she explained, "Dean, consider this an insurance of sorts. Cerebus will watch both your backs and I think considering that with your hallucinations… They're only going to get worse Dean."

"And you think I need babysitting by the hell mutt?"

"An extra pair of eyes doesn't hurt," Angela replied. She knew this was hard enough on everyone. "Besides most people don't pay attention to him anyway when there are other things going on and he's pretty good at sniffing out the demons."

Dean looked at the mutt who was giving him the look. Great, there was one more thing that can give the puppy eyes that Sam mastered at the age of three, Angela probably mastered at the same age and the mutt on which it was disturbing to see since he was supposed to be a badass hellhound. He looked back at Angela who was giving him a look with her eyes. He knew that she was telling him that if she was busy, the mutt would watch his back and keep the hellhounds at bay if necessary while she was doing what she said she was going to do. "And who watches your back Angie? I know you're good with the whole slinking in the shadows thing and that thing you did in the basement…"

"Years of practice with that. How else was I supposed to keep an eye on two brothers who seemed to attract trouble like a magnet," Angela teased a little. She knew though that Dean was being serious. He was worried about her and her decision. If she thought about it, it was being a bit hypocritical on her end about being martyrs but the plan was going to be done her way like Dean said so… She looked at him and added, "We will look out for each other and I have a few ideas back in a certain time."

It was somewhat reassuring to Dean. He could tolerate the mutt and it wasn't like he wasn't going to chew the leather and he didn't smell that bad. "Okay, Angie but if he pees on the leather, you're cleaning it. Full detail."

"Impa will get a full spa treatment," Angela promised.

"Glad to see ya two finally finished. Now let's get going and don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either. Besides it's not like yer gonna lose us with Angie at the wheel," Bobby said.

Angela chuckled as she walked by Dean to pat his shoulder. She took the opportunity to lean in and whisper something in his ear under the pretense of giving him a kiss. She walked up to Bobby and took the keys saying, "I'm driving."

A/N: Brotherly talk and Dean reveals more about what Angie had been doing. Guess he wants to make Sam understand her more. Stay tuned for more No Rest for the Weary...