Chapter 6

The rain was drumming against the windows and surprisingly the lightning came with some thunder. It was almost reflective of her mood. Angela was still pissed about what happened to Sam and on her watch but technically she was doing what had been requested which was to not interfere… it was a tightrope act with that one. She was pissed at the hunters that tried to gang up on her Sam and it was actually borderline angry.

Honestly she wanted to tear those four hunters literally a new one but she didn't. Part of it was because she knew where she stood on her morality. She was not a cold blooded killer but even she knew that there were some beings that needed killing and she killed the monsters that went bump in the night. Besides the worst punishment for someone who wanted to die was to let them live. It was clichéd but true and she had done that with the express purpose of being cruel like that. But she let them go with a warning and they knew she wasn't a normal human. There was always the possibility that they would track her but she was ready for that.

Now she had the task of taking care of Sam. He had couple of nasty hits to the head and some abrasions. Plus he was soaked to the bone. That was going to be difficult but she wasn't going to let him sleep in wet clothes. At that moment he was asleep on her bed in her rundown apartment and she was basically playing triage nurse.

She made sure that everything was secure before she stole down the hall to the apartment that she wanted. She knocked on the door and waited. It was an ungodly hour but this was an emergency so to speak and not the kind that could wait for more decent hours.

The wait wasn't too long and the door opened to reveal a slightly sleep eyed Skip. He looked at her and said, "Dumpster diving again?"

"Cheeky little bastard," Angela replied as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "Sorry about the wakeup call, Skip. I know that you have a test in the morning but I need some help."

"You wanna work on Bud now?" Skip teased her a bit since she was always doing it to him. It made things fun in a way even though the situation was serious. "I've heard about gearheads but you…"

"I'll blow your head gasket if you finish that," she said with a slight smile. She sobered and continued, "Seriously I need some help. Do you have any men's clothes?"

If Skip thought the question to be inappropriate or strange, he didn't say. He blinked at her and asked to clarify, "Men's clothes?"

"Yeah. Clothes for a man about 6' 4"." Angela was well aware that it was the most bizarre conversation she ever had with Skip and there was the vague hint that it bordered possibly on inappropriateness but was there really any room for being politically correct or whatever the hell they called it these days? She didn't care at that moment. "Or better yet… Can you do something?"

"Get clothes or a new assignment?"

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly at Skip. She gave a slight twitch of her lip. "You really are on a roll tonight."

"Living in the same building with you… kind of the logical progression. And a good one too," Skip replied with a grin.

"Cheeky bastard," Angela replied with a smile and a slight shake of her head. "Can you keep an eye on things in my apartment?"

Skip raised his brow at that. He wanted to ask questions especially when she said to bring his schoolwork and a change of clothes just in case. He didn't though and was rewards when he brought his stuff down to Angela's apartment. He took a look at the body on the bed and then looked at Angela and asked, "You want me to babysit?"

"Keep an eye on him. He may not wake up but he might and he might need something like water and check that slice to make sure that it is clean and dry…" Angela shrugged her shoulders hoping not to say anything more. She already looked like a stalker and the kid found that out early on.

Skip looked at the body and then at Angela and her reaction. It certainly answered a few questions that he had about a few things. "You care about this guy don't you?"

"Please." Angela didn't look at Skip but turned away impatiently and anxious to go.

"Yeah," Skip replied with a slight frown to indicate she was being ridiculous. "I'll keep an eye on him. Go and do whatever you need to do. Get him some clothes since I am assuming that shirt and jacket are drenched."

"Don't think with the downstairs brain."

"Hey, just pointing out an observation. I'm sure you're doing that propriety thing you insist on," Skip replied as he went over to the battered sofa and tossed his bag on it. He pulled out his textbook for school and sat on the couch and propped it open. "Go on. I'll keep an eye out and I promise not to open the door to anyone."

Angela looked at Skip and gave a warning finger, "You better not open that door to anyone who doesn't have a key."

Skip caught the sense of urgency in her voice. He looked to see the serious expression and it told him that something was going on and that was the reason why she was taking precautions and had him pack a bag. He took in her expression and nodded. He replied in a quiet voice, "Yes ma'am."

Angela gave a nod and left her apartment. She paused to lock the door and she muttered something as she ran her finger down the door. The handle glowed a little bit and an etching appeared on it. It would do while she went to get what she needed for Sam. It was risky but his stuff was there and virtually all that he owned.

She went down to where her car was. It was still raining but not as hard. So that meant not too many cars would be on the road. It would make it easier to keep an eye out just in case something happened. She was in her car with a decisive move and looked around as she started up the engine. She pulled out and took off back to the town she had pulled Sam out of.

The drive was uneventful but she was fully alert. She wasn't going to push it and get pulled over by highway patrol even though she could but the town wasn't too far away by her standards. Maybe for normal humans it was unthinkable.

"Nice to see that you're still taking care of your baby."

Angela didn't flinch at her surprise visitor. Even though Castiel's branding and the one from the Guard made her invisible to all angels, it was easy to imagine that Gabriel would find a way to find her. She looked over and gave a slight grin and replied, "You know me. I've always had a thing for machines."

Gabriel looked at his Cat and gave a slight smile. "Well you knew a thing or two back in the day when you decided to become the Drifter." At the look she gave him he grinned, "Hey just because I have my personal witness protection doesn't mean that I don't pay attention. Even I was floored but also said when you blew her up."

"She was restored and Kasey bought her for me," Angela replied.

"You always were a generous person, Cat. After everything you still care about people. It… is encouraging and hopeful."

Angela gave a slight frown but she was smiling at the archangel. She almost laughed, "Gabe, this sentimentality really is a bit unusual for you. Didn't you sense Cas?"

"I did but… doesn't mean that I have to go back to being an ass," Gabriel replied. He studied his Cat and noted her expression and determination. "I know Cassy is doing what he has to do and I am surprised. But I am not here to talk about him."

"Really?"

"Cat, how are things going? You've been in a fluctuating state and it had me in debate to break my rule and actually show up even in front of your dumb and dumberer." Gabriel shot a look at her when she gave him a narrowed look. "Just because I'm happy about you admitting about Sammy doesn't mean that I'm going to say nice things."

"Haven't changed too much," Angela muttered. "Still cheeky bastard."

"You seem to be using that a lot lately," Gabriel pointed out, pleased that she was being her usual self when it came to her snappy comebacks. "So… nice to see that you haven't changed."

Angela gave a slight humming sound. She adjusted for the huge puddle in the middle of the highway. She was already halfway and there was still plenty of time before sunrise. She would make it up to Skip and she made sure to leave a note for his mother. They had come to an agreement when she offered to hire him as a gofer and she explained what he would be doing and she promised that he would stay on top of his studies.

She sighed and said, "Yeah nice in that I wasn't able to stop this and I nearly had my ass kicked by Zachariah."

Gabriel looked sharply at Angela, "Zach was there? What did he do to you?"

Angela glanced at Gabriel, "Just that he tried to be persuasive in making Dean say yes. Pissed me off and I pushed the on button. Then that is when I found out about Cas being alive again and… it's nice to know that I still have family at Karnak."

Gabriel calmed down a little. He would like to tear Zachariah a new one since he dared to hurt his Cat. He took a breath since when he got angry he could get a little too physical. He looked down at his hands as he thought about his last visit to Karnak and of course what he heard about what Set has done to save her from Lucifer's wrath. "They do love you Cat. I never regretted bringing you to them after hell and what happened after that."

"It did a lot… and some things mirror now."

"That why you're racing like a madman in the middle of the night?"

"Just have to check out and leave no trace." Angela stared straight ahead with a bland expression on her face. "Make it seem like no one was there."

"You are pretty good at that. Your Scottish friend said you were good."

"Mac works in a different world within our world," Angela replied softly, "But we are one in the same in that we have the job of saving people, hunting things, teaching them to defend themselves… the family business." She sighed, "That is the reality now and I… can't work until all is right."

"Can you tell me? You know I can find you since our bond is stronger and I know more," Gabriel adjusted his position in the car. "So…"

"I know and if I set foot in the sanctuaries you can find me," Angela replied as she adjusted her grip on the wheel. She looked down to think about what she was about to do. She looked up and sighed, "The world is broken Gabe and I know how that happened. The choices by the players caused a rift and I am trying to fix it even though I've been asked not to."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"It is hardly that," Angela replied though it was somewhat true. Even though she had heartache, she was happy being with the Winchesters. She was happier than she had been in a long time. "But… it is almost like when I used to tail them and they didn't know me, know me. But it is different. "

"You need any help?"

"No. I kind of want to do this by myself." Angela cleared her throat. "Sam and Dean separated and Sam is in trouble so… I am fixing it."

Gabriel wasn't going to press for details. He knew that she was going to make sure things were all right and protect her own. He felt sorry for the guys that pissed her off. He was able to put two and two together from what she had said. "Do what you have to Cat. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay and if you need me…"

"I'll call Gabe. Can you say hi to Wosret for me?"

"You assume quite a bit," Gabriel joked.

"I think I earned that since I figured out about our precious Jewel," Angela replied slightly indignant. "And I was the one…"

"Easy there Cat. I know and I'm eternally grateful for it and I know Wosret is too." Gabriel looked at Angela and caught her eye. He smiled and said, "Take care of yourself Cat." He was gone before she could say anything and left her to drive on in silence.

Silence could be unnerving. The most unnerving kind was when you knew that you had the enemy after you or there was an enemy out there and there was the possibility that they had the drop on you. There was also the fear that came especially when you knew that you were outnumbered and, tongue in cheek, outgunned. It was an unpleasant feeling but it also allowed for instinct to take hold.

The rain had stopped by the time Angela made it to the motel she knew that Sam had been staying in. She parked her car a distance away so as to hide the vehicle and she stuck to the shadows so as not to appear that she had driven it. It was an old habit she had learned and kept up in order to protect the getaway especially when she was running solo. Plus it also allowed her to set up her own surveillance on occasion.

It didn't take much to break into Sam's room much less find it. Even though he was out of the hunting game, he still adhered to the old habits and that was mostly for safety. It was like that saying about once the blinds having being lifted you couldn't lower them anymore. You couldn't just pretend that the supernatural didn't exist no matter how hard you tried. That thought had her wondering if that was what Mary thought when she wanted out and that led to other thoughts that were not productive and sounded mean in their cold way. So Angela brushed it aside as she looked around the area outside the door.

It was easy to pick the lock but she was impatient and used her mojo to do it. The feeling of unease quickened the moment she set foot in the room. She didn't waste any time collecting Sam's bags and laptop. She checked and made sure nothing was left behind once she had everything on her person. She then put the maid service tag on the door and walked out. Sam wasn't coming back here if she could help it.

She made it back to her car without trouble and it seemed like those hunters got the point that she would deal harsher repercussions if they bothered Sam again. Yet she got the feeling that she was being watched. It was hard to tell if it was her being overly paranoid or she was right and wasn't sure how to deal with it. Either way she wanted to go but had to make sure that she wasn't going to be followed and she had a plan to make that happen.

Little did she realize that she was being watched by two individuals. One was an actual two legged being with some sort of intent and the other was a being that was not human but had no intent. Angela did manage to find the one that had been tailing her. She caught him by surprise by making him think that she was taking her sweet time with loading her car and it gave her the opportunity to slip away and come around.

Angela came up on the flank and pounced on the confused tail and wrapped her arms in a bear grab. The expected reaction of an elbow to the gut happened and she was forced to let go. The tail turned and gave a full swing and ended up missing but was able to counter and give a hard punch that hit Angela in the chest. At that moment a knife was withdrawn by the tail and held out. Angela took the hit with a grunt and retaliated with a punch after hearing the tang of the blade being withdrawn. The responding grunt had her pause and she stopped after forcing the assailant to drop the knife.

The he was actually a she and she was sprawled on the ground trying to catch her breath. Angela looked at her but was tackled from behind and she fell forward and hit the pavement hard. She felt her forearms and elbows scrape as well as her palms. The weight on her back told her who it was and she retaliated by grabbing the arm of her attacker and pulling them forward.

It was expected and Angela felt herself being pushed into the ground with a hand. She made an adjustment and managed to get enough leverage to get back up and just in time to engage in hand to hand with her new attacker. It was like a little dance where every move was coordinated until Angela grabbed the limb of her attacker and twisted the arm behind their back to hold them fast. She demanded, "Who the hell are you?"

"Angie."

Angela looked up and saw the tail looking at her. She then looked at the assailant she was holding and noted the dark short curls and oil tones of the skin. She then noticed the tattoo on the side and back of the neck. Looking up she recognized who it was she was fighting and released her captor and advanced towards the other, "Is that Isaj?"

The woman nodded. Angela peered at her and asked, "Rada?"

Rada nodded, "Glad that you remembered."

Angela looked at the two once she took a step back. The boy Isaj was scowling that he had been almost beaten and looked physically fit for a fifteen year old. The woman Rada was now twenty-seven and Angela could make out the faint scar through her eye and down her cheek. She could also see the tattoo curling around her neck. She remembered how that scar appeared and swallowed, "I thought you were dead."

"It's what happens when you break free at the last minute. I thought you were dead since that bastard almost had you and your men," Rada replied.

"Well War got his comeuppance not too long ago," Angela replied as she relaxed as little. She used her powers to pick up Rada's knife and handed it over. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Technically it was yours," Rada corrected.

"And I gave it to you in order to protect yourself and Isaj."

"And I am right here," Isaj said looking annoyed. He grumbled a bit and muttered, "Just like in Russia."

Angela felt her lip twitch and studied the two. They were probably the last of their clan of Lycans, full on lupine transformation and extremely huge, and that was partially hers and John's fault when they were in Russia. They were alive because she realized that they were being duped and saved them and they took them with them and then the finally showdown… that was why she thought they had died. She looked at Isaj and said, "Still remember you as a ten year old."

"I guess that's the problem with eternity right?" Rada crossed her arms over her chest and gave a slight toss of her dirt blonde locks.

"Usually is," Angela nodded in agreement. She looked at the two still not quite believing that they were there. "Did you happen to visit with Mac?"

"Heard he was in town but then fell off the radar," Isaj replied, "Something about being in one place and the next minute gone."

Angela nodded at that. That would have been when Gabriel sent him back to his unit. She was just curious because John had also been particularly vocal about rescuing them after the unit realized they had been duped by War. It was just a bad time and a lot of pain and bad memories.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about it now would you?" Rada peered at Angela with a pointed look.

Angela knew that it was best to be blunt, "Yes but I won't say what it was."

"Meaning that it was angels," Isaj replied. At the look Angela shot him, he raised his hands in surrender and explained, "Look after we thought you were dead we moved around and learned a few more things."

"We learned about the seals when one was broken in Pripyat of all places," Rada continued, "Then there was talk about a harridan from hell that killed a Grigori and the funny thing is we thought it was you."

"It was… and it wasn't pleasant," Angela replied as she remembered what that entailed. "So what are you two doing here if you knew it was me? Last we met you really didn't like me and it was typical."

Isaj looked at Rada who was giving Angela a hard look. It was like she was deciding whether or not to get into that. Rada had never been happy with Angela and part of it was the age old vamp-wolf feud. Where they were from feuds were taken very seriously. The other part was that Angela had accidentally killed Rada's younger sister Klara during that thing in Russia and it didn't sit well. He cleared his throat, "We came because of the Grigori and we heard a few things…"

"We're here because of the shit the world is in. Better to do something with our lives now," Rada interrupted. She kept her hands crossed over her chest and stared at Angela. The only movement were her eyes blinking.

"Rada…"

Angela studied the exchange. They were here for something and Isaj was not comfortable with it. She surmised that it had to be bad.

Rada said something in Russian, "Eto ne yeye zabota."

"To, chto ne moye delo?" Angela looked at Rada with a pointed look as she replied in Russian. It was rusty but she remembered it well. She looked at Isaj and asked, "Isaj?"

It was an interesting standoff since they all were creatures of the supernatural and they could literally tear each other's limbs off. Isaj looked at Rada and Angela and he got the impression that the rumors of the vengeful virago and the harridan of hell were true about the one who did save them. He didn't blame her or the humans that killed their clan once he learned the truth. It didn't hurt any less but… Finally he said, "We came to hunt."

"Zatknis'!" Rada hissed at Isaj.

Isaj ignored her and continued, "We know who broke the final seal and we were going to hunt him."

Angela studied the two. Her gaze darted back and forth. "So that is why you followed me."

"You entered the room and we didn't know if you were doing the same thing we were or…

Angela looked at the pair. No doubt this war would have people pay for their mistakes. "I know who you are seeking but I won't let you hunt him."

Isaj took a look and the strong stance she was taking and the look she was giving, it spoke of power. It was centuries of the wolf blood in his veins that recognized what all of the dog/wolf species recognized as alpha. Rada saw it too but she wasn't going to back down. "He broke the world. For that he pays."

"I'd like to see you try to get past me."

~0~0~

Russian Translations: Eto ne yeye zabota (It is not her concern); To, chto ne moye delo?" (What is not my concern?); Zatknis'! (Shut up)

A/N: Looks like Angie is going back for Sam's stuff and runs into a few people. Sounds like what Cary said earlier eh? This and more on the next Free and Torn Asunder...