Chapter 5

The alpha shouldn't be alone.

Angela patted the dog. She knew that he didn't like that he couldn't follow her under normal means. "I know but… this is where the trail goes. I sense it."

The master of the pups senses it too. The alpha shouldn't be alone.

Angela sighed at that. Either something was really bad up there or the dog was turning into the canine version of Sam. It was endearing and yet not really suited to the cause as of now. She looked up the stairs that led to the attic. She could hear something and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes flickering briefly for a moment.

Standing up, she signaled for Cerebus to stay put, "Stay there. Keep anyone not Sam or Dean away."

She knew what she was asking of the hell mutt and she didn't need to clarify. Cerebus knew who they were and wouldn't be fooled by the appearance. She slowly ascended the stairs to the attic, carefully twitching her nose to take a sniff. It wasn't like she was sniffing for demon blood or anything like that. The funny thing was that something did affect her nose when it came to EMF stuff. Mostly she could feel it on her skin and sense it like the Morton house.

The attic was dark and full of cobwebs and dust; it was pretty much a stereotypical attic. She crawled through the crawlspace to get in and slowly stood up to take a look around. She didn't bother pulling out her flashlight since her eyes could see everything. It was like wearing night vision goggles; a quirk of vampires and their werewolf frienimies.

Taking slow breaths Angela stretched her hands out and moved them around, much like when Augusta was learning how to see without her eyes. Her fingers wriggled slightly as they feathered through the air and she swung them back and forth in front of her in a sweeping motion. She let herself tap into her abilities and the quirks that had come naturally to her since she was a little girl.

The first brush had her pause as she turned to look around. She could feel the touch of the spirits in the air as she looked around. She turned towards a corner because she felt drawn towards it. She walked towards it slowly and with a determined step; like there was nothing there to harm her. She couldn't explain why she felt like that but she did and she might get some answers. She only turned to look when she heard something that didn't sound like the scurry of rats and she doubted the hotel had that kind of problem.

"My mommy loves me."

Angela turned towards the source. At the same time her eyes flared as she took in the sight of a little boy sitting on the floor. She stared at him as he looked up at her. "Your mommy?"

"My mommy loves me," the boy repeated as he sat holding his head.

Angela stared at him and took a couple of tentative steps forward. When she was within a too close for comfort range for Sam, she squatted to be at eye level and peered at the boy. She knew he was a ghost but he wasn't a malicious type of ghost. He didn't show the same kind of energy or pull that seriously pissed off ghosts had. She peered at the boy and asked, "Is your mommy hurting people?"

"My mommy loves me," the boy said.

Angela nodded a bit. "Okay." She peered at the boy and saw something that prodded her to ask, "Can you tell me who did that to you?" She reached out to point at where the boy's hands covered his head.

Normally ghosts could be scary and she could admit that on her first salt and burn, she had run out of the building screaming. Since then, she learned to tell the difference. Most ghosts that remained were troubled spirits. They couldn't cross over because of the nature of their deaths. But there were some that did have a nasty end but it didn't end that way. And some chose to remain behind because they wanted to.

This boy, she sensed wasn't a pissed off spirit. Rather he was the victim of a violent death. That much she could tell from the look she got of his head. She wasn't threatened by him and while there was the potential that she could be a victim of the ghost itself, she wasn't afraid. She looked at the boy and asked, "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

"My mommy loves me this much!" The boy opened his arms to reveal the wound on his head.

Angela merely blinked and replied, "And I understand that. I am guessing that your mommy did what she could to save you. Protect you. I want to know who hurt you. I want to help her." It was a gamble saying that but she was going to go with it.

The boy looked at her and seemed to be stunned that she wasn't afraid. The only thing she was truly scared of were her own feelings and losing Sam. And that was something that was a work in progress. Anything else could startle her and make her be surprised. Seeing that she was being sincere he looked at her. "You need to see."

Angela continued to stare at the boy. "See what?"

"See why my mommy loves me." The boy held out his hand after he stood up.

Angela stood up the same time as the boy did. She looked down at him and the outstretched hand. She wasn't sure if this was all in her head or if it was something that was real. Yes, she knew that ghosts were real but she was getting the idea that the boy was going to actually show her what had happened. That kind of thing was risky business in of itself.

She had been subjected to high definition replays before. Sometimes when the vision gift decided to kick in, she got a full picture view and it wasn't exactly the prettiest or the best of things. Sometimes they were that real and you couldn't tell the difference. It was why she had asked Sam if what she was seeing was real. The drugs Carter had given her fucked with her sense of sight and it was her sense of smell that enabled her to know that Sam was Sam but she wasn't overly confident in other things.

It was a risk and after weighing in the consequences, she took the step forward. She extended her hand and placed it just above the boy's hand. She looked at him and asked, "Are you going to show me?"

The boy nodded, "Yes. You must see why my mommy loves me."

Sam and Dean are probably gonna kill me for this.

It wasn't the first time that she did an impulse leap and it wouldn't be the last. Yet ever since Sam asked it of her, she had tried to consider their feelings more. She tried to make choices that weren't designed for imminent death. Though killing herself on accident while saving a girl and attempting to save others was not the best move either and that one had been made from first instinct. Her first instinct was always to protect no matter way. In this case, there was a building full of people that were poking at something that they think isn't real. The wry thought that she was saving them from stupidity was a constant invader but in the end, it was all about life.

Taking a breath, she put her hand in the palm of the boy. She felt his little fingers curl around her hand and she felt that familiar sensation when the vision mojo kicked in. Her skin also prickled into goose bumps along her spine. She felt a rush of air and it was like being thrust back into time.

It was the same attic but it was different. It was from a different time. Angela looked around and noted the changes. She was good at recognizing time periods. Hell she lived five centuries and pretty much could name the fashions on the back of her hand. It didn't take her long to realize that she was in the building but it wasn't a hotel. She looked at the boy.

"This was home. My mommy was in charge."

Angela looked at the bow as her brow rose into a frown. She nodded and said, "Okay. Well lead the way. Show me what happened to you."

The boy started walking and Angela didn't know if it was a ghost thing or she did it herself but she found herself in a room and there were four little boys in there. They were playing and she recognized the boy that was holding her hand. She asked, "What is this place?"

The boy pointed to the sign that was nearby and read "Gore Orphanage'. She looked at the boy for confirmation and got the silent look. It was clear that this place was once an orphanage and this boy had lived there. She looked around and saw the same furnishings and everything else that she had seen when she first entered the place. Judging from the time period, she guessed it to be the beginning of the twentieth century, Victorian era.

And Dean says Sam is the college freak.

The early part of the twentieth century was not one of her favorite time periods. Then again any period where she was told she couldn't do anything because she was a girl irked her. It had been that way since she was a little girl and she sure showed those boys. There were some high points though so she couldn't discount it completely and her ideas were the kind that would equate her to be a nerd like Sam.

She walked through the room to take a look around. She recognized it a little and turned when she heard the sound of children laughing. She saw a group of four little boys running through the orphanage, one of them the little boy that brought her here. She turned to look at the boy and he nodded. Taking that as a cue, she started walking forward.

She followed the boys down to a room where they were playing. They were doing the things that little boys did and were scuffling and playing around. They reminded her of puppies and figured that there was some logic to that old phrase of boys being made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails. Of course it was nonsense about girls.

"I'm bored. I want to do something fun."

"Miss Gore won't let us have any fun."

Angela watched the scene play out of three boys. They were talking about being bored and that they wanted to have some real fun. She stared at them as she studied them and got the sense that they were not just going to have a typical children's play thing going on. She stayed where she was and only glanced away when she felt a little hand slip into hers. She looked to find the boy that had been scalped holding onto her hand almost like a child would appeal to their mother. She studied the boy and and gave the barest of nods. There was no harm and no foul.

The 'story' she was being shown continued and she followed as the boys came up with an idea to play cowboys and Indians. They got bored before someone decided to escalate it. That was when they called for the little boy. At that moment, Angela got a bad feeling about what was going to happen. A part of her wanted to end the whole thing and she wanted to tell the ghost to stop but mostly she wanted to see… and not because of morbid curiosity.

The 'game' ended back in the attic with three of the boys playing Indians and the one holding her hand was probably the cowboy. Her throat convulsed the moment she saw the knife and then… She made a slight face as she watched and heard the screams. She looked at her companion and asked, "That bad huh?"

"But my mommy loves me," the boy merely said.

It certainly was that when Leticia Gore herself came out and then… It was gruesome. It was bad enough that children had died but Angela realized that there was something wrong with those boys. The sad thing was that the things that could affect the mind weren't really developed then. She shook her head and said, "Now I understand." She looked at the boy. "Your mother keeps the others in line."

The boy nodded at her. His eyes were wide eyed and solemn. "My mommy loves me. Just like you."

Angela raised her brow at that. "Me? I'm not a mother."

"You love people."

It was a simple phrase and yet Angela grasped the meaning behind it. She made a clicking sound with her tongue and nodded. She could get what the boy was trying to say and it wasn't the first time someone said that about her and to her.

The boy continued to look at her and added, "You love people. Even when they have done wrong. It is what you do."

"You mean protecting them?" Angela looked at the boy as he nodded. It was her job to the feathered dicks but it was a natural thing for her. Even before she became who she was now she protected those that couldn't do it or they were picked on. She had stood up for a couple of girls against a double standard. She beat up a bully who tormented her friend when she was a child; it was what she did.

Looking up, Angela looked at the sight of the dead bodies around. So the stories about the lady were not true. It was definitely something that she needed to tell the boys about. She turned towards the boy when something changed. She felt it and looked at the boy. Her gaze turned sharp when he flickered. "What's happening?"

"You must go."

"Wait."

"You go. Love the people."

Angela blinked and when her eyes opened, she found that she was no longer in the attic. She was in the hotel still. She was just somewhere and probably upstairs in one of the halls. It was then she sensed the cold and she slowed her breathing down. It was then she heard the sound of children's laughter. And it wasn't the kind that evoked the pleasant images of children laughing and playing. Her hand automatically reached for her chakram. It wouldn't do much but it made her feel better. What happened?

This is Angie. You know what to do.

"Angie, it's Sam. Give me a call." Sam cut the connection and paused as he held his phone in his hands. He was trying hard not to worry but it was extremely hard after everything. It would probably make him old and grey before this business was over but… He sighed and put his phone away. It could be that she was trying to avoid another bout of fan boys chasing after her.

"Any luck?"

"No."

Dean said nothing but hefted his bag higher and continued to follow the two guys they met that had managed to get a hold of an authentic map of the place and managed to locate the cemetery where Leticia Gore's bones were. His own anxiety was revealed when he reached down and rubbed Cerebus on the head and hugged the dog to his leg.

They had gone to the attic and found Cerebus waiting at the base and giving a high-pitched whine. They went up there and they found the boy that was Leticia's son and the picture wasn't pretty. From there Sam called the Historical Society while Dean tried calling Angela but got nothing. They figured out that she had gone up to the attic on her own doing whatever it was she did and from there… no idea and Cerebus couldn't find her either.

"Hey, Rufus, Bobby, would you hurry it up?"

Dean rolled his eyes as Sam asked him, "You all right?"

"I'm trying to be," Dean replied. He took a look at Sam and took in his brother's countenance. "What about you? You okay?"

"Yeah," Sam offered. He had to be. There was a job that needed to be done and if he thought about it, she would have told him the job came first. "I'm good."

Dean didn't respond to that but studied his brother. He would let it pass for now and made a note to have a serious talk with Angela. How much good it would do, he didn't know. Then again maybe they stopped sniffing butts long enough to talk. Either way, he couldn't worry about it now. They had a job to do. He could understand now his girl's urge to get vicious with Becky at least a little since he wasn't in love with Sam.

"Dr. Ellicott had just zapped your brain."

It was watching a horrible trip down memory lane as both brothers recalled that instance. It was never pleasant remembering the things you said in the heat of anger. To hear it from someone else and they attempted to sound like you… it made it worse. Both brothers knew that if Angela were there, she would have been either trying hard not to laugh or probably do something that would steer the conversation away from that particular moment. The best they could do was grin and bear with it. At least until Dean had enough.

Dean couldn't stand it and took matters into his own hands. He wasn't the nice one like his girl or even Sam. He had enough. "All right, you know what? That's it. That is it."

"What's wrong, Bobby?"

Dean wished he hadn't used Bobby's name but… "I'm not Bobby, okay? You're not Sam. You're not Dean. What is wrong with you? Why in the hell would you choose to be these guys?" He didn't get it since he knew what his life was like and it sucked.

"Because we're fans… Like you."

"No. I'm not a fan, okay?" Dean took a moment so it didn't look like he was going to strangle the two guys in front of him though he was certain Sam would stop him. "Not fans. In fact, I think that the Dean and Sam's story sucks. It is not fun. It's not entertaining. It is a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nuthouse. So you listen to me, their pain is not for your amusement. I mean, you think that they enjoy being treated like circus freaks?"

If there was one thing that Sam could appreciate it was that Dean had a way of summing things up in a nutshell. That is if you wanted it blunt as possible. Also it was better to let Dean rant on things though it was entertaining when Angela messed with him. The last time she made a face and said he needed a Tic Tac. That had him howling with laughter. Now… he could agree with Dean.

"Uh… I don't think they care because they're fictional characters," the guy that greeted Angela at the beginning said while looking at the Winchesters like they were insane.

"Oh they care. Believe me. And Absolution does too." Dean felt the need to include his girl since she seemed to be just as popular and it was all speculation to the fans. "They care a lot," he finished before starting forward again. He was sick of this. All he wanted to do was gank the bitch, have a drink and then leave.

Sam knew that a bit of damage control was needed. It was true that he and Dean didn't like that their lives were viewed as exciting by everyone. He understood what Angela meant when she said she didn't like what other people thought about her with the embellishments. "He uh… He takes the story really seriously," he offered. He then proceeded to follow Dean leaving the others to figure it out.

Nothing more was said as they made it to the cemetery. Dean watched Cerebus as the hell mutt trotted ahead and poked around, sniffing. "Find the bones, hell on four legs."

Both Winchesters were busy paying attention to the dog that they didn't notice the other two eyeing the situation like they stepped into a plate of weird. They were also trying to recall if Sam and Dean traveled with a dog since the nickname hell on four legs was used a couple of times in the books. They followed the real hunters as they followed the dog right to the grave of Leticia Gore.

Dean managed to find the graves of the four boys and notified Sam who replied, "And here's Leticia Gore."

Dean was going to say something when he noticed the other two looking around and couldn't help but ask, "What are you guys doing?"

"We're looking for bones, genius."

Dean knew that Angela would have been laughing out loud by now and probably issued a sarcastic remark right about now. He gave a shake of his head. Time to explain a little bit of reality. "Okay well general bones are in the ground."

It was amusing to Dean that the two guys were shocked that they really were on a real hunt. It felt a bit like payback and he enjoyed it but kept a straight face as he confirmed that he was serious as pie about digging up the bones. It would also be fun to show them what Cerebus could do but he wouldn't go too far to scare the 'civilians'. "Trust us. You wanna win the game, right?" Getting nothing he said, "Sam," and motioned to the dog.

Sam had the kit shovels out to dig but he got Dean's intention. He thought it was a little much but… He looked at Cerebus and said, "Go on boy. Dig."

It was actually amusing to see two guys watching the dog intently while the other two were looking like they had just joined up with a pair of weirdoes and their crazy dog. They had never seen a dog dig that fast before and enjoy doing it. Then again most dogs did like to dig holes but this one was digging up a grave and not even breaking a sweat. One couldn't help but comment, "I've never seen a dog dig that fast."

"That's because hell on four legs is a hell hound," Dean muttered as he jumped in to help the dog.

"Hell hound?"

Sam felt like it was the scene between Angela and Becky all over again since it was obvious that these guys didn't know that Cerebus was the real deal and probably the books failed to mention that they had a hell hound that followed Absolution and defended them with hell's fury.

Dean managed to get to the coffin and ordered the dog out to pry the lid open. That led to the other two guys freaking out and calling them nuts. At least that proved Dean's point about the nuthouse. At the same time Cerebus started growling low. The rumble was low but neither Sam nor Dean heard it since the other two were calling them insane. It became apparent when the dog started barking as Leticia Gore herself appeared saying, "Naughty, naughty, naughty."

All hell didn't break loose since they managed to get the bitch after it knocked Sam aside and then tried to kill one of the LARPers. Cerebus had charged forward and attempted to grab the ghost but he was kicked in the face and shrieked. Luckily Dean managed to get the bones salted and burned and the ghost flamed out.

Sam rolled over from where he had fallen to find Cerebus in his face looking him over and licking him in the face. He waved off the dog and got to his feet and gave him a pat. He walked over towards Dean as he looked at the other two and asked, "Real enough for you?"

It certainly was enough to warrant a drink in which Sam and Dean paid for and were ready to take their leave though first they had to find Angela. They couldn't resist stopping by Chuck and telling him 'screw you'. It felt good. That is until they found that the doors wouldn't open and every exit was sealed and Cerebus wouldn't stop whining. Then they heard the scream.

A/N: Angie has an interesting ride with the little boy and Sam and Dean give a couple of fans a little taste of reality. What's next? Stay tuned for next time for There a Hunter in the House?...