Chapter 7
Angela lounged in the backseat of the Impala. After gassing up, Bobby stole her keys and pushed her towards the Impala stating that Dean had been complaining about Cerebus' dog smell. She didn't buy it but a look at Dean told her that he missed her company even though he seemed to have a good time with Cerebus. Her boys were weenies when it came to her leaving them alone.
Sitting in the back seat was pretty much her place unless injury or needed sleep was up next. The funny thing was that was pretty much how she relegated her own life. She stayed in the backseat, in the shadows; apart from everyone else. Some people would say that she was in serious need of a very thorough psychoanalysis on that part. Well they could stuff it on that because in the end she was never really made to be in the backseat with the boys.
"Sorry for tearing you away from your baby Angie," Dean said after taking a look at her in the rearview mirror. "It just didn't seem right without you there."
"Admit it Dean, you really wanted an excuse to have Cerebus ride with Bobby," Angela replied with a slight smile. "Like me and Sam you find it funny that an old man in a trucker hat driving a classic Camaro with modifications for racing is pretty funny."
Dean chuckled softly as he looked at Sam who was deep in thought but listening to the conversation. "We always think on the same page don't we Angie?"
"More than should be possible. I find it positively weird and terrifying," Angela countered as she shifted in her seat to lean back and look at her chakram. Absolution was resting on the floor at an angle to be grabbed at a moment's notice. "It's like we're related or something."
Sam snickered at that statement. They were not related and yet they were family. Bobby was right in that family didn't end with blood. She had earned it long ago and it just took his and Dean's sweet time to realize that. "Maybe the long lost sister we never knew," he teased trying to be cheerful. It still bothered him that he and Dean were still keeping a secret the fact that Angela did have a family but he understood why.
"Yeah a five hundred year old broad," Angela replied with a smirk on her face. She didn't mind poking fun at her age since occasionally it was funny to talk about. Mostly it was because Dean and Bobby tried to be the authority with her when it was clear that she was older.
Dean laughed, "Angie you play that card way too often."
"Just as much as you try the big brother card."
Sam smiled at that. It was always entertaining to watch Bobby or Dean try to boss her around. He noticed though that it was mostly with things like injuries and things that involved her sarcasm. Other things she let Dean have his way and when she was in recovery that didn't count. Still he noticed though that there were some things she went to his brother with like he did and judging by the conversation and request Dean made of him, he could put two and two together.
Sam thought about what he and Angela talked about. Granted it was a talk about what was going on with their plans but there were some things that stuck out to him. He probably was making a mountain out of a molehill but knowing that she was willing to go as far as it took for Dean just like he was, he couldn't help it. He knew that he and Dean were both guilty of saying they could do it but not her.
The thing about making hard choices, and something I learned the hard way, is that someone has to do it. And you're not going to please everybody so I take the choice that seems the best fit.
For some reason, that thought came up in his mind and he couldn't help but mull over it. It was like she was trying to tell him something important but couldn't or wouldn't and for whatever reason she cooked up. He looked over at his brother Dean who was chewing on another dog biscuit much to Angela's amusement. Briefly he wondered what it would be like without Dean there and it was just him and Angela.
"Hey Angie, looks like Bobby is having too much fun with your baby," Dean was saying.
"Deanna likes Bobby. She and Lonelle Chevelle like to share."
Sam gave a slight smile. It was hard to imagine that if this didn't go through, Dean would be gone. There were a lot of things that he hadn't said to Dean and he felt that he owed it to him in the very least. "Hey Dean? If this doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know…"
"No, no, no, no. You're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech." Dean glanced at Sam who looked like he was ready to pout and continued, "I mean if this is my last night on Earth I don't want it to be socially awkward. Hell if I wanted a chick flick moment I would have asked the Fiddler on the Roof here to play for me."
"And here I thought you didn't like musicals," Angela countered, not at all put out by the dig at her skill with a violin. She then leaned forward and whispered in Dean's ear, "Then again chicks do dig that romantic crap."
Dean twitched his lips slightly at that. That was sage advice coming from someone who hadn't been in a relationship before and was a complete baby with the feelings associated with them. Then again she always seemed to know how chicks felt and actually once or twice was able to snag him a tough one to have fun with. He was gonna miss her.
To cover up the awkwardness, he went with the only thing that seemed to put everyone on the same page even if his choice annoyed Sam. "You know what I do want?" He flipped on the radio of the Impala and whether it was coincidence or not, Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" was playing.
Sam made a slight face as he asked, "Bon Jovi?"
"Bon Jovi rocks on occasion," Angela replied looking at Sam as if he were nuts.
"Says the eclectic," Dean added smirking. "Angie you would find your Bach rocking for the occasion."
"Don't diss a great one."
"The Great One is Wayne Gretzsky."
"Only if you're into testosterone on ice," Angela muttered grinning.
Dean was still grinning when he busted out singing, "When I walk these streets…" He knew he was probably the most tone deaf man walking but this was how it was going to be. It was his way and he didn't care. He continued singing a little off of the actual song but still feeling the mood. He tapped Sam and said, "Come on."
Sam knew that Dean wanted him to sing along. He glanced at Angela who was just listening with her eyes closed and her head bobbing to the music. He remembered what she said about getting him to sing for her. He conveniently forgot the part that she said it would be when Dean wasn't around. He made a slight face at the both of them. He didn't think she did that on purpose since she wouldn't know what a particular station was going to play. That was stupid but it was up there with the kind of pranks she would play.
Dean was singing and waiting for Sam to come in. Sam entered in with the backup and realized that Angela was singing with him. Her voice took on a rich timbre that blended with the tune as she sang, "Oh yeah," with him.
Dean was belting the lyrics out without regard for tune like a regular rock star. He did hear Angela though as she matched her tone to Sam's timbre. She was good with the music thing. She kept the tune and added her own funk to it. He glanced at Sam and noticed him smiling as they sang together softly.
Angela placed her arms on the seat back as she leaned forward so she was between the boys. She was watched as Dean belted out the lyrics to Bon Jovi and remembered the times when he would beat the rhythm out on the steering wheel, deliberately pick something that would irritate Sam and his groaning in agony when it was her turn to drive. Those were happy times for them. Sure they were long hours in the car going from place to place but it was… home.
Sure she had been living off the grid for centuries and she loved the idea of waking up in a new town out in the middle of nowhere and just going where the day took you. That was a freedom of sorts even if they seemed to blend together for her. Glancing at Dean, she knew that the final hours were on his mind but the last moments didn't need to be gloom and doom. She got that. Also going out with your boots on was important. Wear out, don't rust out. She had a whole bunch of them but they virtually said the same thing: you die as you lived.
"Cause I'm a cowboy," Sam and Dean were singing in unison. Angela added a slight balance. It didn't matter if they were on key, off key or even upside down. As long it was a good time… that was what was important.
"Cause I'm wanted," Dean belted out.
"Wanted," Sam and Angela belted out in the echo.
"Dead or alive," all three sang together.
Being trained in musical education, it was habit for Angela to analyze everything and she did it subconsciously. With songs like the one you were listening to, sometimes you couldn't help but wonder if it was meant for you to hear it at that moment. She mused about the main lyric. All three of them were wanted dead or alive in the grand scheme of things. That was a sad fact.
Glancing at Dean, Angela noticed that Dean had stopped singing and was staring at the road ahead. He still was smiling a little but she could tell that he was thinking about the good times that he was not going to have if they didn't stop Lilith and the hellhounds. She was still humming while Sam was singing and she had to admit that he had a nice voice in that regard.
She smiled slightly as she slowly wrapped her arm around Dean's shoulders so as not to disturb his driving. That was kind of silly since Dean seemed to have the ability to do just about anything while driving and still maintain control but she knew that he was not the kind of man to show that much affection at times unless they threatened to boil over.
She gave a squeeze with her arm to indicate that it was a hug of some sorts. She was still humming as she gave Dean a kiss to his right cheek before looking ahead. She knew he understood what she meant by that since he gave a slight bump to her shoulder. She smiled and moved away while giving a slight hair ruffle. She then continued singing along with Sam as they finished Bon Jovi, each were belting out the lyrics like a pair of drunken idiots.
Dean glanced over and watched as Sam and Angela sang with that goofy happy look that meant that at least Sam was doing good. Angela was probably thinking about things like he was. That was her though but at least he could see her happy and with a happy Sam. That sounded stupid in his head but it was the truth.
He told Sam to watch out for her. Granted that he made it sound like it was a big brother duty thing and in most respects it was, he was hoping that it would give Sam the time to see her like she saw him. Crap I'm sounding like a freaking poet. Now I know I'm dying.
It was disturbing but he hoped that Sam would see his attraction to her and attempt at being happy. She was good for him and Sam was always the patient one except for maybe those few times when the boat got seriously rocked. In Dean's mind though that only showed that Sam had feelings that extended beyond the brother-sister thing.
He kept his thoughts to himself as he continued to drive through the night. This was his last night on earth and he wanted to remember one last good time with his baby brother and the girl that he loved to pieces. That was what it was about. He could understand a bit better how Angela viewed life and death. This past year had him appreciate the time he had and he seriously could see his own mortality as well as Sam's especially after getting his ass kicked by Lupei.
As they were driving through the highway, they enjoyed each other's company with the bad jokes and teasing that was typical of a free night. It was Angela who noticed the cop car first. She hoped that it was nothing and that they could continue on their merry way.
It wasn't going to be that way and the cop followed them and turned on the lights. Sam noticed Dean slowing down and asked, "We getting pulled over?"
"I told you to fix that busted taillight," Angela said looking at Dean as she shrunk back into the shadows of the car and quietly rolled the window down. Something was pricking at her spine about this.
"It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing," Dean replied as he pulled over. He rolled his window down and looked at the officer as he approached the window, "Problem officer?"
"License and registration, please." The officer took the items and looked at them while saying, "You know you got a taillight out right?"
Dean decided to play it off with his usual politeness, "Uh yes sir." It was then something caught his eye and he looked at the officer. "I've been meaning to fix that. As a matter of fact…"
It was lightning quick as Dean opened his door violently into the officer and knocked him over. At the same time Angela made herself known by squeezing her body out the window in a launch at the officer. Dean was too much into the fray to pay attention and he wouldn't have been perturbed anyway since this was the girl that leap and rode on the roof of his baby and got in the passenger seat while it was moving after sprinting after it and that was when she was injured.
Angela grabbed the officer and held her hand over his mouth and muttered something. Dean lunged forward with Ruby's knife and stabbed the guy in the neck. The sparks and sizzling revealed that it was a demon. Angela held onto the guy until she was sure that it was dead and dropped him. It was then that she took a breath and looked at Dean and said, "Nice shot."
"Same to you, Gumby girl."
Angela gave a slight look and muttered, "Please."
"What the hell happened?" Bobby's voice pierced the night as the sound of the Camaro came to a halt. It was a wonder he hadn't tried jumping out of the car while it was still moving as he jogged up to where his three idjits were looking at a corpse.
"Dean just killed a demon," Sam sputtered still in shock that he just witnessed his brother kill a demon and that Angela just flew out of the window without any trouble. He looked at his brother who was staring down at the demon with Angela, "How did you know?"
Dean was still freaked out by what he saw. Now he seriously could appreciate the fact that Angela was determined that it was a good thing that people not be able to see the true face of a hell hound. He replied, "I just knew. I saw his real face under that one."
"I figured," Angela replied. "Never a pretty sight."
"What are you talking about? I know you can smell a demon a mile away," Bobby countered.
"Don't ask," Angela replied as she hoisted the body up and wrinkled her nose in the process. She went over to put it on the passenger side of the cop car and drove it to the side to hide it. She made a slight face as she did since the stench of dead demon was just as nasty as a live one.
Her actions sparked the others into movement and they began to help her hide the cop car. She could put in a call to Austin and he could relay it to them. He was more circumspect than what others gave him credit for. She said nothing as she tore tree branches off like they were nothing and began arranging them over the car. She barely acknowledged Cerebus who gave a slight moan but she made up for it by giving him a rub on the head.
"Ya know it's not all that crazy that you could see a demon, Dean," Bobby was saying.
"Whaddaya mean?"
"Well you've got just over five hours to go? You're piercing the veil Dean. Glimpsing the B-side," Bobby explained.
Dean looked ready to punch someone. He still wasn't over the fact that he could see the true face of a demon. He looked over at Angela who was finishing ripping off one more branch with her He-Man strength. He looked back at Bobby and replied, "A little less new-agey, please."
"You're almost hell's bitch," Bobby and Angela said at the same time. Bobby finished, "So ya can see hell's other bitches."
Dean took a moment to let that sink in as he sarcastically thanked Bobby. If that cop was one ugly bitch, he could only imagine what that Tiamat bitch looked like. It was like Angela knew what he was thinking and she murmured, "Oh you wouldn't want to see her in this state. That picture you saw of her doesn't even begin to justify it."
Dean looked at her. "I don't even think I want to ask how you know that. Somehow I'm getting the impression that you can see more than just the hell side of Cerebus. I see it and man a three headed hell mutt? I'm beginning to prefer Hollywood's version."
"So Sam didn't say anything did he?" Angela studied Dean's expression and got her answer. She then said, "I can see things most people don't see and that's a quirk from my healing abilities and what happened in Monument and Morton House… you know."
"So you can see that fugly's mug?"
"Only because you can. Hellhounds are an exception." Angela turned to pick up a stick that fell.
"You that might actually come in pretty handy actually, right along with Angie's sense of smell and Cerebus," Sam was saying. He hadn't heard a word of the conversation between Dean and Angela and if he did, he would have gotten a slight tongue lashing from Dean.
"Well I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something," Dean dead panned. "We've got a good arsenal with three demon sniffing team members."
"Damn right it is," Bobby replied. He studied how Angela was shuffling her feet and toeing the ground as she hovered near Dean. He focused though on what the implications were now that Dean could see the B-side. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here then we're dead before we've started."
"Thanks for the ray of sunshine Bobby," Angela replied before turning away and tapping her ear. She had heard her phone vibrating and put the hands free set in her ear.
"She's right. This is a terrific plan. I'm glad to be a part of it," Dean added in agitation. They already had the battle going against them and they hadn't even started. Oh this was peachy. "Can we go, please?"
Sam saw that Dean was still agitated about the whole thing and said nothing on the walk back to the cars. He noticed that Cerebus was staying close to Dean. Apparently the order still stood that wherever Dean was if he wasn't with Angela, the mutt would be there. He had to give a slight smile when Dean reached down and patted the mutt's head. He knew Dean was scared about this whole plan. Hell he was scared too and couldn't imagine how Angela felt. He noticed she had been quiet throughout the whole hiding the body thing.
He still couldn't believe that she just jumped out of the car like that. He could hardly believe she was able to squeeze her frame out of the open window in a launch flying type manner and tackle the demon. Dean didn't bat an eye and Sam wondered if it was one of those things that his brother and Angela shared. The thought that event occurred while he had been a corpse in Cold Oak crossed his mind.
The Gumby girl comment was out of place since that had been Dean's reference to Lisa and their thing. Sam figured that it was just the stress of the moment or he was just teasing Angela to annoy her. Either way the whole event was baffling as he glanced at Angela who was obviously talking to someone on the phone and finishing a conversation since she tapped near her ear. He was caught off guard by Dean's phone ringing.
Dean didn't expect the call coming in and paused. Checking the caller ID, he debated on whether or not to answer it. He really hadn't had a good last conversation with Haley. He was at the end of his rope and he felt screwed after the whole thing about Bela. She did call a couple of times after that but she left voicemail messages and each one was asking him to call her back after saying she wanted to see if he was okay.
They had some time left and they weren't that far from town. Cerebus nudged his leg and gave a soft whine. Dean made the mistake of looking down and got the look that Sam would give him. That was just plain creepy. Sighing he answered, "Hello?"
Hi Dean.
"Hale, it's… it's nice to hear your voice," Dean replied as he stalked away from the group. "Ah… It's really good actually. Um I'm really sorry I haven't returned your calls…" He knew he was rambling but he felt the need to explain himself to Haley. He never really could pinpoint how he felt about her. They had good times, good sex but it was nothing like his sexcapades… It was like they understood one another.
It's okay Dean. I know you've been having a hard time about the whole deal thing. I knew that you needed time.
"You always understood me Hale," Dean replied as he gave a slight smile. "Still I shouldn't have said the things I said."
Dean, please don't grovel your apologies to me. I care about you enough to put up with your shit and offer help if I find it.
"I love it when you talk dirty," Dean teased her half-heartedly. "So Hale, why the late call? Where you able to find something?" He knew that she was the right down to business type and she hated being spun out.
About what a friend of ours intends to do about your deal; the one chasing the demon.
Dean understood what that meant. "I know that she wants to catch the demon and take the football." He had no idea why he was speaking in code with Haley but it just seemed right and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea for anyone else but it wasn't like the others didn't know the possible conversation.
Nice metaphor but Dean, this is important. You mustn't let her get the deal. It can be considered welching and I know how you feel about that.
Dean listened but didn't betray his feelings. He sensed there was more to that. "Anything else?"
Well that maybe our friend's plan has been anticipated. Lilith may be expecting it.
A/N: A nice moment with the trio and the realization that Dean is almost Hell's bitch. More to come on No Rest for the Weary...