Chapter 16

"Need a hand?"

Angela looked at Haley in surprise. She hadn't started yet because Gabriel hadn't shown up and he was never late. She got the feeling that something bad happened and was trying to thwart her. It wouldn't be the first time. Azazel did that to her and she became a near suicidal mess over that and now here she was again in a mess she caused and she did the unthinkable. She used her talents against Sam.

It would have just been easier for her to tell him the truth and there was the chance that he might have helped her. Then again if he knew the details of what it took, he would have probably hogtied her and locked her in the trunk of the Impala until the idea drained out of her brain. There was also the possibility that he would have rounded in on Bobby too.

She knew that Bobby would have told him eventually. It was no coincidence that she spotted the vehicle Bobby got from somewhere in the rearview mirror as she left. Besides she couldn't just knock out Sam and Cerebus wouldn't attack her since she was his alpha. She used the stunning version and it would keep Sam busy trying to get out of it. By then it would be done and she would be in the pit and Bobby would have explained things.

It hurt that she did that to Sam. It hurt worse than the barely healing cut on her palm. He was nothing but nice to her and occasionally she pissed him off when she made her blunders. He defended her virtue more voraciously than he should have and always managed to put her at ease when faced with difficult situations.

She had used her offensive abilities only once and that was to quiet the memory of a childhood fear. He thanked her for that and repaid her by just being there during difficult times. He was the first to call her family and then Dean got on board. In one action she threw it back in his face. She would wholly deserve it if he never spoke to her again or told her to get lost.

She studied Haley for a moment and realized something. She replied, "You want to help me?"

Haley gave a slight look, "Hell yeah." She relented a little at the slight flinch the half vampire gave her. Maybe her enthusiasm was a little too much. Looking at Angela, she could see that she looked like hell. She tried a different note, "Look, I know that it's not just for Dean the fact that you think no one like him deserves hell."

"Got that right," Angela replied. She gave up waiting for Gabriel. Something happened but she didn't have much time. She was going to see this through and all she had to do was pray. He would find her. Gabe always did. She started using her foot to draw what she needed in the ground and was comforted that Haley seemed to know which items to pick up to lay at the various points. "My bulldog doesn't deserve it and I need to fix this."

"It's not just about Dean is it?" Haley kept up the casual conversation like it was nothing. She knew spell and sigil work like the back of her hand and could carry a conversation while her body worked on automatic. "It's about Sam."

Angela made a slight movement with her head. "I need to fix this and give him his brother back."

Haley wasn't fooled by that statement one bit. She could see that it wasn't just for Dean. She was doing it for Sam. "Why you then? Couldn't anyone just go?"

"Because I damned him Hale," Angela replied as she finished the last of the etching. Now she needed to generate the energy and create a hot spot. Then step two would be to open the gate and then jump in. She would be put right in the corner where Dean would be and the only thing would be to fight back and call for backup. "I wasn't able to take the deal for my own and then that stupid condition made in a fit of rage… This will make it right."

Haley wasn't sure what Angela was babbling about but she was guessing that it had to do with when Dean made his deal. From the way she sounding, it was like she had been there. She could understand guilty feelings about that but this seemed more… deep seated and it transposed onto the current situation.

Haley glanced over at Aaron who was mercifully being like someone taking a stroll and then back at Angela who was looking up at the sky for no reason. She frowned and then looked back and saw a rather beat up old junker pull up. Before the car stopped the front passenger was already open and Sam was getting out. One look told her that he wasn't pissed… at least he didn't look like it.

Angela was not paying attention to Haley. The star she was looking for was right where it should be. It had nothing to do with the spell but it made her feel better about the whole thing as she toyed with her necklace. Looking back down she took a breath and started reciting the incantation to create the hot spot. It was a very old technique that required precise pronunciation otherwise the whole thing would literally blow up in her face and that would get them nowhere.

This hot spot was using the aura that clung around Dean's remains and the fact that it was burial ground. It sounded sacrilegious but it was a death hot spot. The nice thing was hellhound stench clinging and Dean was dead and they were on a burial ground. The more she thought about it, it really sounded bad but there was no going back. She needed it to be one powered from death. Since when people died they went to one of two places and the place she wanted…

Angela focused on the incantation and at the last moment, she lit the match that she had from the box in her hand. She put it in the pot of herbs related to death and used when death occurred and it sparked. At first there was nothing and Angela thought that nothing happened. Then she felt it. It was like being in the Morton House all over as she felt the energy and it was like going on a power trip again. At least there were no side effects like that other thing.

Haley felt the power swirl and was surprised that Angela was able to do it. She was expecting just enough to fuel the opening of a door but this was huge. She could feel it and she couldn't help but look at Angela with a wide eyed expression. "Wow," was all that came out.

Angela stared at the sigil in the ground. She put her hand in her jacket pocket and cradled the vial in there. Now was the moment of truth. The hot spot will last as long as she needed it to but she had a narrow window to open the gate and once she did, it would burn out. "Hale can you stabilize the flow of energy?"

Haley snapped out of it and nodded. She would do that. "What are you gonna do?"

Angela walked over to where Absolution and her chakram had been set down. She put the chakram on her belt and slung the strap for Absolution over her shoulder. She looked at Haley with a determined look, "I'm gonna open a hell's gate."

"I get that but what about your friends? Sam?" Haley began moving her hands to channel the energy into a workable mass. She was the witch here and knew a thing about energy channeling.

"I… did what I had to do."

"Is that what you call it?"

Haley saw Angela's reaction and knew that Sam did too. She tried to play it off, "Sam! What a pleasant surprise."

Sam gave a slight look that said he wasn't in the mood and he apologized for being rude. Haley understood him and moved away content with doing whatever she was doing but not before telling Angela that she needed to get a move on. Sam waited until Haley moved away before facing Angela. To him she looked like a deer caught in a truck's headlights. He noticed her knuckles become white as she clenched her chakram.

On the way there, he debated on what to say. It was hard to digest that she made the decision to go to hell literally to rescue Dean. He didn't even think that was possible but Bobby explained the bare rudiments of what she was doing. What he didn't understand was why she felt the need not to say anything; not to tell him. It was one of the questions that he wanted answered but looking at her now, it surprised him how she looked. She looked scared of him.

Angela was surprised upon hearing Sam's voice. She didn't expect him to show and she cursed her sense of timing. When she saw him standing in front of her, she got scared and she never was that scared. For some odd reason she was expecting shouting and him to strike her. She didn't realize that she was gripping her chakram until she did a nervous tap and her knuckle felt stiff. She swallowed and said, "Hello Sam."

Sam didn't want to badger her but it was like she was leaving him little choice. He started slow, "Why did you do it? Why did you do that, whatever thing you did?"

Angela swallowed slightly and said, "You weren't supposed to know."

"Why then?"

"This is about going to hell Sam. The place where Dean is. To get there requires the creation of a hot spot and it has to be done right otherwise it blows up in your face literally."

Sam frowned slightly as he tried to make sense of it, "So this is your idea of protecting me from a big blast? We've been through a lot more than that." He studied her and was relieved that her knuckles weren't white anymore.

"Not from the gate thing… from me," Angela replied. She looked over at Haley and did a brief check. She was doing good with the energy channeling thing. She was very impressed with African juju. She then looked at Sam and added, "You may try to convince me all you want that this isn't my doing but… Sam I made the stipulation and I didn't do my job as a broker on Dean's behalf. I should have made myself clear before but everything good that comes my way and I touch gets ruined or dies. First your mom, then dad, then Ash died, you died and now Dean."

"That doesn't mean that you're bad," Sam replied. He felt that he might as well be preaching to the choir on this one. Yet he could understand. He thought it was his fault that his mom died and Jess died and that his death made Dean make the deal and now Dean was gone.

"That's sweet of you to say but there is a saying you know. You can't get a leopard to change its spots. Probably a better parable is the scorpion and the frog," Angela replied. "You've seen what I can do Sam and one of the products of that was me killing myself."

"So? That only means that you're you and you have abilities that…" Sam stopped. This was getting them nowhere. She was determined to make him see her as a monster. She was more than that to him and to Dean. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped."

"And if I mentioned it in front of you and Dean, would you have been as receptive of it considering that I would have given you all the details?" Angela gave a watery look as she spoke in a low voice.

Sam made a slight movement with his head. He finally replied, "We probably would have said no and left it at that."

"See?" Angela gave a slight smile. "I know you two pretty well."

"Whatever happened to you being careful?"

"I am. That hasn't changed." Angela sighed as she put her hand back into her jacket pocket to touch the vial. "I don't expect you to understand completely but this is something for me. It's one of those things that I feel I have to do to make things right. I guess you could say that I feel the need to fix it."

Sam studied Angela and took in her appearance. She was ready to go and fight her way through to get to Dean. He didn't understand her motivation but he started putting pieces together. "Is this what you mean when you said someone has to do it and not everyone is happy?"

"And Sammy wins again," Angela replied in a slight joke. "Sam, people know me because I was always the one who chose to walk the difficult road. The adulation comes from the success and the hatred from the failures." She paused and glanced at her watch. She had to start now. "Let me make this a success. I only have a short time before the energy burns out."

Sam studied her. He felt the desire to wish that she didn't have to be the one; that maybe someone else could do it. Deep down though, he knew that she was the only one who could go there and bring Dean back. That didn't mean that he wanted her to. He could support her though and he wasn't angry at her for doing what she did to him. If it had been reverse and it was Dean, she would have done the same thing. "Can I help?"

Angela paused a moment. There was no reason for her to deny him now. He was there.

"I'm not mad at what you did."

Angela looked down at the ground and twisted her lips. She replied in a very low whisper, "You should." Louder she asked, "How good is your Latin?" She then looked at Sam so that their eyes met.

Sam looked her in the eye. When this was over, they would have a long talk. For now, they would bring Dean back. "Pretty good since I've done a few exorcisms."

"I should hope so."

Sam gave a slight chuckle and followed Angela to where he saw the sigil that she had drawn into the ground. He looked at her and asked, "This is it?"

"It's where the energy is drawn. Now we only have a short time so," Angela fished out the incantation. Her pronunciation was perfect but she had to make sure the wording was right. She pointed at one line. "When I get here, I need you to repeat this line three times."

"And you were going to do this by yourself?"

"It is possible. This just keeps it open a little longer and uses a bit more juice," Angela replied with a slight shrug. She stood at the edge of the sigil and began to say the incantation.

The incantation was just like an exorcism; the thing was in Latin but further research revealed that it had been translated from a much older version of Latin or possibly something like a dead language. It was probably something she could have read but she made sure that she had an accurate version of the common Latin. It could easily have been done by one person but Angela anticipated at least Bobby helping, who was mercifully staying the same distance away and striking a conversation with Aaron, so she had two versions of the same thing. She decided on the two-man version since Sam was there and Haley could channel energy as naturally as breathing.

Sam listened as he stood a distance away from Angela. He listened as her voice took on a firm timbre as she recited the Latin incantation. He noticed that the weather began to change and wondered if this was what she didn't want him to see. When she came to his part, he recited his part as she said to and waited and watched as Haley did whatever she was doing to keep the energy of the hot spot going. The last thing he saw was Angela pulling something out of her pocket and recognized it as a tiny vial full of liquid. He swallowed as he guessed that it was the concoction that he saw her make before she came here. Definitely he and Dean would have put a stop to it but there was no going back now.

There was a slight rumble as the ground quaked a little but it wasn't enough for anyone to lose their balance. The wind whirled up as the gate slowly began to open. The black cloud that arose was an awful reminder of the demons in Monument. It swirled along the ground tracing the lines of sigil, opening it up and revealed the pit. Lightning crashed as Angela stared down and the loosened locks were billowing. Literally jumping into the pit was the key.

Sam watched from a distance as the clouds swirled. He saw the ground open. His mouth hung open at the look of determination that was on Angela's face. She really was going to do it; she was going to leave him to get Dean. As if she knew what he was thinking, she looked at him and gave a slight smile and said, "It'll be all right."

Before she jumped in, Sam watched as she was flung off her feet and she hit a tree and landed hard on the ground. Sam whirled and saw someone he remembered full well and had wanted to kill because of what he did to her. He attempted to take a swing and was given a backhand and he landed hard on his back and felt winded. He looked up at his attacker and said, "I thought you disappeared."

"Did you think that it was over after that?" The hooded stranger looked at Sam with amusement even though it couldn't be seen. He paused when he felt something and looked to see Haley holding her hand ready with the little fire trick she threatened Gabriel once and glaring at him. He retaliated at once and sent her sprawling back and she landed on the ground. "Pitiful for a witch of Lwazi."

Sam propped himself on his elbows and started to get to his feet, "And you are a pain in the ass. What the hell do you want? "

"Finishing a job for Lilith."

"Not if I can help it."

Sam watched as the guy he had met only once before come after the stranger with a nice right cross. It made a dent in the stranger but it only served to piss him off. They duked it out for some time, exchanging blows. Sam got to his feet and tried to help especially when the stranger gave a hard punch to the guy that he remembered was called Aaron and the guy went down. For his troubles, Sam got another hard blow that put him flat on the ground. He grunted from the pain.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. You should know by now that I don't like sneak attacks," the stranger mocked.

Sam grunted and replied, "Yeah well someone needs to gank your ass."

"And it won't be you." The stranger put his hand out.

Sam felt pressure around his midsection. It was like a huge hand was pushing him harder into the ground and making it harder for him to breathe. He felt his lungs gasping but very little air was flowing in. It also felt like his ribs were being crushed.

The stranger was getting a perverse pleasure at watching Sam writhe on the ground. With no Dean to protect him and Absolution pretty well stunned, it was clear paving to finish Sam off. He knew that Lilith had been scared that nothing happened to Sam. He suspected that part of it was Absolution's doing but there was something else regarding Sam. He didn't see the old man in the trucker cap come up from behind and stick him in the shoulder with a pig sticker.

Bobby may have been stunned but he was on his feet and ready to help Sam. He couldn't even see his girl and figured that the new badass gave a harder punch because he knew what she was. The main concern was Sam who was wriggling on the ground in pain. He grabbed the knife he had and looked at Cerebus, who was lying on the ground whining in pain, poor mutt, and ran forward and shoved it in the back of the guy's shoulder.

The stranger stopped torturing Sam but left him pinned to turn to face the old man. In a similar manner as before, he reached up and pulled the knife out of his shoulder and looked at it. He then looked at Bobby and said, "I'm curious, after sticking me, what is it you plan on doing next?"

Bobby knew that he was dealing with something that he hadn't come across yet. He took a couple of steps back, not sure of what to do. It was decided when Cerebus managed to clamp onto the arm of the stranger and pull. It was for his pains literally as the stranger flung the mutt at Bobby and the two of them hit the dirt. Bobby was effectively winded and had a hard time moving. In short the stranger ended up pinning him too.

Meanwhile the attention was turned back to Sam. "Now where were we?" The stranger put out his hand and upped the ante.

Sam couldn't help but scream out loud in pain. The pressure was harder and he was certain that it cracked a few of his ribs. Suddenly the pressure was gone and he was taking in gasps of air like it was a lifeline and it was. Taking deep breaths, he rolled to his side just in time to see a pair of legs walk by and he looked up to see…

Angela hadn't expected the blow. She was about ready to jump in and something flung her to the side. She landed fairly deep into the forest after hitting a couple of trees. She ended up with some bruised and cracked ribs when she landed and it took her a moment to get up. Whoever it was knew how to land a punch.

She was finally able to get up and start jogging back to Dean's burial site. When she got there, she saw Bobby on the ground with Cerebus, Haley and Aaron were struggling to gains some sense of orientation and Sam was on the ground screaming in pain and standing over him was…

She was aware of the same feelings she had when Lilith tried to kill her. She swore she didn't want to feel that again but this was too much. Racing forward, she reached out with the first offensive thing she could do unaware that she was tapping into the hot spot energy. The opened gate was ignored for now. She sent a burst at the stranger and knocked him back off his feet and glanced at Sam who was starting to breathe easy again.

Slowing down to a walk, she walked past Sam to face down the stranger. The blow had been hard enough to knock the hood off his head and reveal jet black hair that was styled like mullet rock. He had that Caucasian look but the eyes were like looking into her own, except they were more amber-like; not quite whiskey and the mouth was twisted into a sneer at her. He said, "Very good Absolution."

Angela pulled out Absolution and held it out. She would kill this bastard if she had to. That Absolution could kill him, she didn't doubt. She had no idea why he was here unless it was to do Lilith's bidding but that bitch was scared that even her own mojo couldn't kill Sam or her so she let out the only thing that made sense, "Why?"

"Easy. You see the worse kind of punishment for you is to make sure that you fail in your endeavors," the stranger replied. He fixed the hood sine he rather liked it but left it so his face was showing. Now that she had seen him, it would be fixed in her memory. "I'm sure you are aware that you can tap into energy and that put a serious drain on your little plan here."

Angela didn't look at the gate. She would believe that. That meant her time was cut even shorter and she had to get this guy out of here. "You people are all the same."

"Yes we are," the stranger mocked. "The thing is you plan to go where fires burn colder and hotter. Do you really have what it takes to walk those roads and all for one soul?"

"You'd be surprised," Angela replied. She was ready for the strike that came when the stranger flew at her. She had Absolution out but she had to maneuver for a clean strike. She knew that he was drawing it out. She could feel the energy peter out and without Haley stabilizing it, it could go boom and that would be the end.

It was a hard battle that had Angela remember the last time. She got a backhand that started her nose bleeding but she didn't give up. She managed to get in a cut with Absolution and watched as the stranger recoil in pain. He looked at her and said, "It appears that I may been mistaken. Certainly your feathered friend wasn't and he was so easy to catch just like Sammy here."

Before Angela could react she was thrown back. The last thing she heard was, "You are brave Absolution but you aren't ready and you don't have the motivation you need to make it. Enjoy your failure before you begun."

Angela rolled over to find that the stranger was gone. The hell's gate started rumbling. It was going to close so it was now or never. She glanced back at Sam who was, moaning and trying to get to his feet. This was good-bye then. She got to her feet and started running towards it. She was almost there when she saw Haley standing near the edge with Aaron. What the…?

"Sorry," Haley said as she and Aaron jumped in.

Angela charged forward hoping to go in after them. The gate was unstable though. Too much energy was spent and the cloud swirled in on itself and then blasted outwards. Angela was caught in the blast and blown backwards off her feet. It was like getting blasted by a wave of powerful bad breath. She landed hard on the ground with the back of her head smacking the ground and saw black.

Sam saw Angela running towards the gate. She really was going and he wished her luck. He started getting to his feet when he saw Haley and her friend nearby. He then realized what was happening and started getting to his feet. Then there was the explosion and he fell backwards and covered his head.

When he lowered his arms, there was dust flying everywhere and he coughed. He was also disoriented and there was a dull ring to his ears. Looking around he saw Bobby and the hell mutt relatively unharmed but then he turned to where Angela was.

She was lying on the ground and not moving. Panic gripped him but his head was pounding and he smelled really bad burn smells. He tried getting to his feet but being disoriented his legs buckled underneath. He took a deep breath and that was when he heard it. They were footsteps.

Looking up he saw someone walking towards Angela. He was tall and dark brown with black hair. Sam watched as the guy kneeled next to her and say, "Nice try but it is time for you to grow up." He then picked her up like it was nothing.

Sam tried to get to his feet and hoarsely shouted at the guy. The guy looked at him with a pointed regard. Sam then found himself on the ground as if he had been pushed and the guy walked right behind him carrying a limp Angela. He only heard, "Don't tempt Fate, boy."

Sam watched as the demon Cary appeared and took them both with him. Sam wanted to curse at Cary but couldn't. He was left with the harsh reality that in her trying to save Dean, he let his brother down by not watching out for her. He lost both of them. I'm sorry Dean.

A/N: And there you have it folks. The gate was opened but it looks like someone else took the plunge and someone just kidnapped Angie leaving Sam alone. What is is store for next season? You'll find out next season in Chronicles of Absolution 3.01 Absolution Rises...