Chapter 4

"So let me get this straight," Haley looked at the man with a pointed look. It took some convincing but they continued their conversation in the room since she felt better with Aaron being his usual bodyguard self. "You want me to stop Angela from doing what she thinks is the right thing and that is saving Dean's life? You have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

Faisal knew that he was going to be met with a lot of resistance to what he was trying to do. It would be hard for them to understand and he didn't expect them to. Such a thing did require lengthy lifespans like his to understand. He replied, "You must understand, it has to happen."

"If this is a spiel about destiny and how it's written, you know that goes right out the window in terms of free will," Haley replied. "Besides why should I stop her from trying to save one of the few people that means a whole lot to her?"

"Besides why should we trust the word of a vampire?" Aaron looked at Faisal with a suspicious eye. He knew the guy was a vampire the moment he walked in through the door. Which kind he was still was up for debate since there were three kinds.

Faisal was impressed with the boy. There were few who could detect anything past the carefully built façade of an elderly vampire. There were ways to make them blend in and not attract too much attention especially if there happened to be blood drainings nearby. He replied, "You shouldn't but I suspect that you already trust the word of one… well half vampire."

Haley was eyeing the vampire with a scrutinizing eye. She could tell that he was very old. The movements were very fast and smooth and in some instances he was trying to be deliberately slow. Sometimes fast movements startled people. The fact that he knew a lot about Angela told her one of two things. One was that he must have come across her some time in the distant past or that he had heard of her and was out for something and the motive she couldn't pick up on yet. She replied, "So you know what she is. Do you know who she is?"

"The who is not important. What's important is that she not be allowed to go through with her plans."

"You keep saying that but I don't think you understand what I'm saying," Haley replied, "Angie is going to do what she can because he means something to her. Unless you give me a good reason to drop everything and go after her, you are stuck." She crossed her arms to indicate that she meant what she said.

Faisal nodded in acquiescence. It was clear that even the daughter of a renowned witch doctor needed things spilled out. It never occurred to him that it was possible she knew what was going on but she would rather forgo the flowery stuff that she had been brought up on. It made things easier in the long run. He replied, "If Absolution goes after Lilith, there is a strong possibility that she will die."

"That is usually the risk when someone fights the big baddie," Haley countered. She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Absolution cannot be allowed to die."

Haley knew what Faisal was saying was true. She saw it in her vision walk. Angela chased the demon and paid the price both spiritually and physically and that was if she continued on the path that she was on. "People say that and we've all read the prophecies and stories about Absolution."

Faisal felt he was losing his patience. Back in his day, the youth respected that which was older than they were. They didn't question what was being told of them. He could respect the inquisitive mind however since he had lived through the ages. This though, it seemed as if the girl was being deliberately vague about what he was talking about. "Then you know the role that Absolution plays in the future."

Haley had enough. She replied, "Yeah I know and I know that Angie would say fuck off to that. She knows why she was saddled with Absolution but she does things her way."

"And that is going to get her killed. Lilith knows that she's after her."

"And so does everyone who pays attention to the grapevine," Haley countered. She knew that line. That was how she found out that Angela was chasing the demon. At first she thought it was the original demon that made the deal but then the rumors of death hits on her head cropped up, Haley kept an eye on it.

She had made a couple of calls to Dean but she always got his voice mail and she would leave a message for him to call her back. He did a couple of times and other times he didn't. She figured that they were low points in the whole deal thing that he was dealing with. She didn't know that one time she called was when he and Sam were dealing with Angela's 'death' and that whole rollercoaster that led to them bringing her back.

"Then you should know that the grapevine does have some modicum of truth," Faisal replied. He had to admit that this girl was clever when it came to revealing her hand. She had practice and she wasn't stupid. "Some of those rumors were started by Absolution herself."

Haley didn't reveal her response on her face. The grapevine was what it was. There was some truth to the stories that were told but they were highly shrouded in lies and half-truths and often were used as a means of flushing out the suckers to pick them off. Some worked better than others and the stories about Angela were the proof in that.

Aaron had heard these same stories himself. Being what he was, he spent most of his life living off the grid. He learned about the supernatural from various hunters, never staying on one place long enough. That was how he learned the stories about the warrior princess who tangled with demons and sent spirits to the other side or whatever the embellishment was. Some stories he heard twice and they grew. That was until he chanced upon the Celtic warriors. He had been afraid they would attempt to kill him once they found out but they let him stay. Then he was asked to watch out for Haley.

The vampire seemed to know about the way how the grapevine worked. He even seemed to know which stories were total bullshit and which ones bore some semblance of truth. Aaron said, "And some were started by others and they kept adding to it the more times they repeated it."

"That is usually the case with stories but I do know that Absolution, the warrior princess, was forged in battle and weaned on siege under the very guidance of the Nile river gods Satet and Hapi," Faisal replied. He adjusted his coat since it had started to hang at an awkward angle. "She wields the sword known as Absolution with kindness and justice in her heart."

"Well I don't know if she would agree to that last part but the part about her being trained by the god and goddess is correct," Haley replied. So the vampire knew a thing or two. It was a matter of deciding if he was friend or foe. "So we can agree on what the truth is on her stories. What is it that you want?"

"Like I said before, Absolution must not be allowed to chase the demon," Faisal replied.

Haley widened her eyes slightly. That was the phrase she used when she was warning Dean about Angela's activities. How would he know about that? It was fishy even to her. "So you mean to stop her from helping her friends?" It was easier to beat around the bush on this one since she wasn't sure of what he completely knew.

"Your friend is chasing the demon with something that is unique to them. She can't break it otherwise the consequences would be disastrous." Faisal knew he was probably overdramatizing everything but his point needed to be made clear. Absolution could not be allowed to steal the contract; not if she wanted to keep the younger brother alive.

"Life and death serious?"

Faisal had to hand it to the girl for getting right to the point. She knew her duty but she preferred doing it her way and so far it seemed that she was doing what she did best. Maybe he could get her on board. He replied, "Yes and it involves a certain stipulation of a contract made by one Dean Winchester."

Haley took in the revelation with little emotion. She suspected this guy knew things. You didn't get far in the hunting game without learning how to know a few things. "You know at this point I should be asking you how you know this."

"And I should be asking you how it is you managed to know Dean Winchester, the Slayer of Demons?" Faisal countered. He crossed his arms and raised his brow. He liked a good challenge every now and then.

"A twist of fate that he came to town where I was hiding," Haley supplied. Her instincts were telling her that this guy was not like a demon. His motives didn't seem completely pure but they weren't designed to bring permanent harm like death. "He and his brother happened to chance upon a case there. Surely you have heard of Club Albion?"

"Ah yes, the retro club. I always did like the swinging twenties and into the thirties and forties. The fifties were too…" Faisal went down memory lane a bit but only to make a point. "I did hear rumor though that it was destroyed by a power outage and flooding."

"That was what I heard too. Of course I was being rescued since I was kidnapped," Haley replied. There were some lines she wouldn't cross and that was the whole thing regarding the Rose. They needed to be protected by her just as much as her parents seemed to think she needed protection that was given by Aaron.

"Unlikely story but I will buy that for now. It is clear that you know Dean Winchester and I know that you know that he made a certain contract with his soul as the currency." Faisal didn't need her to respond since he could see it in her eyes. He did have to admit that she had a good poker face in this game.

"And if I did, do you think he would tell me the details?"

"Look, I know you aren't stupid. You know that the clock is ticking and you know that he travels with Absolution."

"Friends do that," Haley replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Faisal realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with this line of questioning. He got serious, "I understand your need to protect your friends but this is a life or death situation. If Absolution goes for the contract she most certainly will die."

Haley figured that out from her little vision thing. It was nice that they were on the same page now. "Glad to see we're on the same page. For your information, I have a feeling that Dean will figure it out and I was going to talk to him about it."

That was a relief to Faisal. It occurred to him that the girl knew all along and was just being difficult on purpose. It certainly made sense considering that she had held him with a wary eye ever since he showed up. "That's good but you must act now. Physically stop her."

"No one makes Absolution do anything," Haley recited from an old piece of testimony. "The best thing to do is ask."

"Then ask her to stop."

"Like I said, Dean would have figured it out and did it already." Haley looked at the vampire with a look that clearly indicated that he was being a senile old fool. "They have a system and they don't need me. If anything the most drastic thing she would try is to go into hell to get him back and frankly I don't see anything that would stop her from doing that."

Faisal paused a moment. That was rather interesting. He replied, "You're saying that she would go to the pit just for one human?"

"Can you think of a better reason why she is called Absolution?"

Sam cast a glance at his brother who had this slight curl of a smile on his lip. In fact he had that look ever since they booked and started down the highway towards New Harmony, Indiana. Well that was after she gave Dean a kiss and he noticed his brother's ears turn visibly red from the action. Even in the darkest hour, she managed to find something to keep spirits up.

"You keep looking at me like that, I'm gonna have to slug you and then she's gonna bitch about ruining your pretty face."

Sam gave a slight look and replied, "No she won't."

"A pack of lies Sam," Dean replied smirking at his brother. A glance in the rearview told him she was still on his tail. At one point he thought he lost her but she appeared in front of him as a warning. She was good. "I know because a few of those accidents I caused with the hell mutt here were done on purpose."

"You caused yourself injury just to get sympathy from her after she scolded you?" Sam couldn't believe what his brother was saying. "You really are low, jerk."

"And she saw right through it bitch," Dean replied. He stared at the road. "She can sniff out bullshit better than I can and I still got pie." He grinned at the memory.

He decided to try making one of the more difficult concoctions that she was running low on and hadn't had time to make. She had told him she would get to it but he wanted to surprise her. Now Dean Winchester wasn't a man to cook but he was pretty good at handling a stove when the occasion called for it so he pulled out the book and tried his hand. Of course he misread a few things and he ended up in a situation that had Sam laughing and Angela getting that schoolmarm look before she forgave him and a piece of fresh peach cobbler.

Sam smiled showing his teeth. Leave it to Dean to remember times like that. It made what they were about to do not sound so grim. "Dude, she would serve you pie no matter what."

"Just like she would serve you your girly salads."

"You know the few times she's cooked at Bobby's she served you healthy food."

"Because I'm smart Sammy. I know that it's best to not mess with someone that can not only kick my ass royally but could also make me dance in the middle of the street butt naked and I wouldn't know it." Dean sighed a bit in good humor refusing to let the memory of what happened in the basement to cloud the absurdity of the statement she made when describing her abilities. "She did manage to convince hell on four legs here to steal my stuff."

Cerebus had been lounging in the back seat. He had been asked by his alpha to watch out for Dean, the beta and he would do it. His alpha's alpha seemed to be in a better mood than from before. Whatever they were doing he would be ready and he would protect them both. Upon hearing one of the references Dean had for him, he stuck his head between his and Sam's and lolled his tongue in that happy puppy mode.

"Eww I didn't mean for you to get your ass up," Dean spluttered. He was lucky he didn't jerk the wheel too much especially when the mutt gave him a lick on the cheek. "Hell on four legs, that's what ya are."

"I think he took it as a compliment," Sam replied as he reached up and rubbed one of Cerebus' ears. He had always wanted a dog when they were kids but with the life they led, it was near impossible. Now they actually had one that was going to stay and granted it wasn't the normal type of dog one would have, it was good. It just wasn't his fault that Cerebus and Setna seemed fit to pick on Dean though his brother seemed to have a preference to cats.

Cerebus growled in pleasure after leaving a big glob of drool on Dean's shoulder. He liked both brothers but it was always easier to pick on the elder brother. He turned his attention to Sam and put his head down on the younger hunter's shoulder.

Dean was giving mock disgust at having been drooled on. Leave it to Sam to get the bigger end of the stick when it came to animals. At least the damn fur ball didn't try anything. "Could you be a little less disgusting?" He started wiping the drool off.

Sam chuckled as he continued to pet Cerebus and rub his ears. "I think he's trying to say that he likes you Dean."

"The hell he is," Dean replied. He reached into his jacket pocket. He really didn't want to share since he figured he only had enough to last the trip to Indiana but hell the mutt had to learn discipline. He had to learn that when it came to the Impala, he was the boss. Pulling out what he wanted, he broke it in half and tossed the other half into the backseat. "Take that you overgrown hell mutt and rule number one, you keep your ass in that seat until the car stops."

"Like he's gonna listen to that," Sam replied as he watched Cerebus sniff out whatever it was that Dean threw into the back. He looked at his brother who was holding something and took a bite out of it. "Dude, what is it with you and dog biscuits?"

"They're good."

"Yeah if you're a dog," Sam replied with a look that said his brother was defying weird. "Why do you like those things?"

"They're good, Sammy," Dean repeated through a mouthful of biscuit. "I know you like them." He shot Sam a knowing look. Oh yeah he caught Sam trying one of them out and kept it a secret for potential blackmail. He even once saw Bobby taste one and that was damn hilarious but even more so when Angela chewed one right in front of him.

"I was wondering what it was about them that had you gorging on them like you do pie," Sam defended himself.

"You know Angie eats these too so you know they gotta be good for humans as well as mutts," Dean replied still chewing while motioning with the uneaten portion. "That girl has recipes that just make you wonder when she found time for hunting."

"Probably rounding up her strays as poor test subjects," Sam deadpanned in a fit of humor. He paused a moment to consider the fact that he referred to the hunters she trained throughout the years as strays like she did. He gave a slight shake of his head thinking her habits were rubbing off on him.

"Maybe," Dean replied as he fished another biscuit out of his pocket. Being nice he broke it in half and tossed one half back at Cerebus who caught it in his mouth. He grinned remembering when Angela did the same to him. "You know she calls them strays in that strange affectionate way of hers?"

"Like she calls you a bulldog?"

"Hey it's because I'm the handsome one and you're just the cute shaggy puppy. I mean I bet she entertained the notion once to tie that unruly mop of yours with pink bows or something equally girly."

Sam shot a mild form of the bitch face at his brother. "Bite me, jerk."

Dean chuckled as he took a bite of his half of biscuit. It was easy to tease Sam about her going girly on him since his brother thought she was more tomboy than girly even though they both had seen her in a dress, which Sam turned into a drooling idiot and didn't know it. Also they had seen her more feminine skills like her cooking and of course that shirt she made Sam that fit his frame perfectly complete with embroidery. "Maybe the ribbons will be embroidered."

"Jerk."

"Hey she's got mean skills with a needle. I mean she fixed us up plenty of times and not so much as a scar." Dean paused a moment to study the road ahead. They were going to have to pull over soon to gas up if they were going to make it to Indiana before Lilith noticed something was up. "She's good about a lot of things Sam but there are some things she's still a baby in. Worse than you on some things."

Sam frowned a bit in puzzlement. He heard this before when they were in the desert in New Mexico. He replied, "You know she is capable of figuring things out for herself."

"Yeah I know Sam but… I'm just saying that if this doesn't work, it's gonna be just as hard on her as it will be for you."

"Dean, she's like the strongest person I know…"

"Oh yeah? And what about when she was faced with the fact that she probably wasn't going to see anymore? Sam, I could practically see it in the way she plastered that fake smile on and you could too."

Sam could admit that since he saw it. He could admit she didn't take failure very well if the walking off into the desert was any indication of that. "Dean, we can't just baby her. You know she'll put up a fight on that."

"I know," Dean replied a little forcefully. He sighed to calm down a little and then said, "Just… be nice. That's all I'm asking. I know that if you push, she'll push back or restrain herself from the temptation of slapping you."

"Yeah I know I was an ass then and several times over," Sam admitted. He was still punishing himself over that and had been trying to be nice about the pestering as Dean called it. The way he saw it though sometimes that was needed to get her to come out of her shell especially if something was really bothering her. "Seriously though, are you asking me to watch out for her?" He looked at his brother to see if he was being serious.

"That's what I'm asking," Dean replied. In the long run, that might help Sam realize how much she meant and not in the sister type of way. "Just be nice about a few things."

"Right and I suppose you told her to do the same for me?"

"She doesn't need me to tell her," Dean replied, "She already knows. It was one of the first things I taught her."

"I think she amended that rule," Sam replied, knowing what Dean meant. Even though he was not six years old anymore, Dean still had a set of rules that guided his actions. Number one was 'Look after Sammy,' and that hadn't changed since they were kids. "I think for her it's Number one: Keep Sam and Dean out of trouble."

"Whatever, bitch."

Sam grinned at his brother's reaction. "So did you two set a date with that kiss?"

Cerebus let out a low rumble as if he were curious about the answer. It made Sam chuckle especially when the mutt stuffed his head into the front for another head rub much to Dean's chagrin. In the end Dean got back at Sam by playing the radio and started singing Metallica and that led to Cerebus howling along.

A/N: The game is afoot Watson and Faisal is up to something. Sam and Dean share a moment in the car with Cerebus and onward to Indiana. More to come on No Rest for the Weary...