Chapter 4

"So you're saying that me and you are… bonded?" Sam looked at Angela with a raised brow, trying to make sense of what she had just told him.

"Yes."

"And all because we had sex?"

"It's what you did during sex."

Sam looked Angela and noted how she kept using the plural you rather than we. It sort of helped to make the distinction that she was not the real Angela. Just trying to make sense of it was trying on the mind. "You mean we."

"If it makes you feel better then yes, we. Just remember I am Angie but the part that belongs to you so I am her but not her." Angela gave an apologetic smile at that.

Sam gave a slight eye roll at that and muttered about it being like her playing with semantics. Sighing he ran a hand through his locks, noting that he was not in too much pain. That was new. "Okay so what we did during sex…" He made a gesture trying to figure out what it was.

Angela sighed and turned to expose the left side of her neck. She tapped the area where he had kissed her so many times. "Remember now?"

Sam watched and it then came back in a flash. He hated that it did that since it hurt his head when that happened. Even if it was a good memory, it still hurt. Yet it wasn't painful enough for him not to focus on what was being hinted at. He remembered feeling her teeth puncture the skin and then he reared up and… "You're talking about when I bit you?"

"Points for Sammy," she replied with a smile before adding, "And when I bit you."

Sam had to frown at that, "You mean a bond was formed when we bit each other?"

"It just wasn't a simple bite, Sam." Angela looked for a seat and sat on the edge of the cot in the room. She rested her forearms on her knees as she looked up at him. "It was… a turning point and I don't think the real me understands it or knows at all."

"I don't think I understand it," Sam pointed out a bit heated. He looked at Angela and took a breath to calm down. "Look, I don't want to fight but can you please just give it straight. It will make things go… a lot smoother. At least how I'm trying to process this." He tried to keep his voice tempered since he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"You don't have to be nice when you're frustrated, Sam," Angela replied with a gentle smile. "I just wasn't sure how to explain it since I doubt the real me could understand. After all I don't know about me and I think you weren't supposed to know about me yet."

"What do you mean yet?"

Angela looked at Sam and made a call. She knew that it was going to cause awkwardness later but she knew that Sam was discrete about things and he would more than likely keep it to himself until it became an issue. Still it was a moot point now. They would understand eventually. "What you are… it's a wonderful thing, Sam. Don't ever doubt us."

"I don't," Sam affirmed firmly as he tried to make sense of everything. "Always and forever, Angie." He kneeled to be eye to eye with her and pressed his forehead against hers. "Always and forever."

Angela smiled and reached up to rub his hair through her fingers. She took a breath and replied, "What I meant about knowing about me, this me… I am the me that belongs to you, that part of your soul. Whatever you remember if and when we get out, remember that."

Sam pulled back to look at her in the eye. He saw the seriousness and sincerity in her eyes. "I don't understand."

"Just remember I am the part of your soul that belongs to you."

Sam knew he wasn't going to get anything more from that. He was just going to have to do what she asked and remember what she said. He didn't see any reason or means of them getting out of hell. He was prepared for the long run but… he would humor her. "Okay," he replied.

Angela smiled at him as she looked at him and the sincerity in his eyes. She could continue with the explanation that she owed him. She just hoped his other half would be able to help her. She nodded and took a breath and continued, "Sam, when you and the real me had sex, yes that created a bond as intimate things do but what I'm talking about was the bite."

"Okay." Sam watched her and saw that she was trying to figure out the best way to say what she wanted. "What about me biting you and you biting me?"

"Do you remember sharing blood in that bite?"

Sam thought about it. "No," he replied with a slight frown. "I remember… tasting your blood. I knew it was yours because…" He went quiet since he remembered and still felt guilty for what he had done to her.

Angela smiled at Sam and said, "And what did other me tell you about that?"

Sam looked at her. He nodded but it still didn't alleviate the guilt. This was a punishment for that along with everything else. "I knew it was yours because of the taste." He then frowned as he thought about it and asked, "Why didn't I… why didn't my powers kick in?"

"There it is," Angela pointed out. She stood up to meet Sam's gaze since he had straightened up and started pacing a little. She waited until he was looking at her before continuing, "No intent there but there was a little more to it. You shed your own blood too."

Sam was puzzled, "But I…"

"In simple terms when you bit each other, you cut yourself in the process and blood mingled. That created the bond between you and what I think made you aware of me." Angela paused to see if Sam was understanding what she was saying.

"I don't…"

"You must have Sam cause otherwise, why would you have that?" She pushed aside his shirt gently to reveal a scar.

Sam peered at it. It was a scar but not like any other. It was actually a design of sorts. It was in the same place where Lucifer had been pressing down on and causing him pain. "What is that?"

Angela looked at Sam as he looked like he was panicking while looking at the source of all the pain that Lucifer had put him through. She explained calmly, "That… is your mate mark."

"My… what?" Sam shifted to look at Angela with a frown. "What?"

"Mate mark."

"Mate mark?" Sam wasn't sure he heard this right. He was hoping that there was some sort of logical explanation of what was going on. This was starting to sound a little too weird even for him and it wasn't any easier with this version of Angela.

"You know… marking territory." Angela gave a slight knowing shrug. "The other me, the real me, marked you as hers and if I am not mistaken… She has something similar meaning you marked her." A bemused expression crossed her face as she watched Sam's expression. "Makes for a whole new meaning for marking what's yours."

Sam shot Angela a look and saw the look on her face. That piece of news was a little hard to believe. Yeah, he could honestly admit that he had been possessive of Angela for a long time. He was willing to throw punches to keep her to himself. Before jumping this, he ended up claiming her so, it did make sense a little. But it was…

Angela sighed as she watched Sam process everything. She reached out to caress his locks, pausing when he hesitated slightly but then relaxed. "Sam, it's okay. I doubt the real me knew this."

"And you know?"

"Yes."

"Then…"

"I was locked away. The same as the other you."

"Other me?"

At that moment, Sam remembered his more persistent nightmare of late. It was the one where he saw himself killing Angela. Mostly it was suffocating her but the one that hit the hardest was when he broke her neck and she was a child. That… it had him hesitant but he moved forward anyway. Now it sounded like his nightmare was going to play out for real and he started moving around looking for an exit. "Then I gotta stop…"

"Sam, calm down."

"I can't, Angie." Sam turned to look at Angela. "You're in trouble. I didn't want…"

"Sam," Angela interrupted firmly. She grasped his hand to get him to stand still. She looked him in the eye and continued, "It's not like that. The other you I am talking about is like me. That's the you that belongs to the real me." She looked away since she saw that he wasn't buying it at the moment. She then turned to look back at him and said the one thing that was always on Sam's mind whether it was a conscious or subconscious thought, "That other you is the one that protects the real me no matter what."

Sam calmed down a little once he saw that look in her eye. It was like the one she gave him when she reassured him that she forgave him no matter what when he took her blood without consent. He took a breath and closed his eyes. It was a relief but it still was enough to send blood pressure skyrocketing. He opened his eyes and looked at her and nodded, "Thanks… Angie."

"It's a lot to take I know. The only reason I know and the other you knows is because it has happened before. We remember even when the real ones don't." Angela gave an apologetic smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Just know that it is what connects us and why Lucifer is exploiting it."

"But I thought… he was pissed at us… you know."

"Only because he knows deep down what exists and you know better than anyone people get angry over what they can't have or what never will be theirs." Angela looked at Sam as he processed the information he was getting. "Right now, this… this is what happened when Lucifer got heavy handed. You are familiar with this right?"

Sam looked around. It looked like what he had been seeing ever since he had been trapped in hell. But it was different. She was here but of course it really wasn't her, or to quote her, she is the part of her that belongs to him. Then something sharp went down his spine and he winced as the memory came through.

There are tricks to telling the difference between wakefulness to dreaming. The biggest hint is how it feels, like that sixth sense or as Dean would say, your gut instinct…

Sam opened his eyes and looked around. He focused on the area and knew that it wasn't real per se but… He focused on the door of his cell. He blinked when it swung open like it was nothing. He nodded knowing now for sure that it was the dream world. He walked towards the cell door and went through it, testing to make sure. When he was certain that nothing was going to happen, yet, he headed towards the main door.

"Where are you going?"

Sam turned to see Angela still standing in the cell. She was looking at him with that piercing look she gave when searching for bullshit. He looked at nothing in particular before looking at her and replied, "Going to find… you."

"Do you even know how?"

Sam paused at that. He really didn't have a clue as to what he was doing but he was still going. "No… but I'm still looking." He turned to head out. He opened the door and peered out.

"Then I'll go with you. Well… not much chance of you ditching me," Angela replied with a chuckled.

Sam turned to look at her. He really didn't have a clue what he was doing and if he was going to find her… might as well use what was in front of him. Granted he still wasn't sure about all of this and he could entertain that this was a ploy of Lucifer's to torment him and to get to her. He had to make a move and he was willing to give a little. He gave a nod, "Alright. Let's go."

Angela felt her chest constrict as she looked at Azazel. She looked at Morpheus, not sure of what she was hearing. She looked at the god of dreams since he was the one she could trust and asked, "What is the demon talking about?"

Morpheus glanced at Azazel and then looked at Angela. He knew that she needed to know things but the risk came in the revelation. Too much, too soon could be just as dangerous as too little, too late. He knew he had to be careful but this was a dangerous thing. He replied, "You are not just a dhampir, Angela. You are… unique."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Yes," Azazel said, "Tell her exactly what that means." He then assumed a mocking stance and added, "Oh but the decision comes out what to tell and how to tell it. After all it is a lot to take in and we don't want a mess."

Angela looked at Azazel when he spoke. She then looked at Morpheus who was glaring at the hallucination of the demon that had tormented her and, in a sense, started all of this. She then realized that it was a ploy to get her upset. No doubt Lucifer would want that. She turned towards the god who was being mocked by Lucifer's illusion of a demon and started to say, "You…"

"It's your soul," Morpheus said as he continued to stare at the demon. "It involves your soul, Angela," he repeated in a gentle tone. "It is why you are here."

Angela looked at the god of dreams and then at the demon. She turned and looked at the god and asked, "My soul?"

"Oh come on Morpheus," Azazel taunted, "You gotta do better than that. Tell the whole truth."

"Shut up," Angela countered as she raised her hand. It was an automatic reaction and she sent the demon flying backwards. She stared hard at the demon as he looked shocked that she had been able to do that. She barked, "Leave."

Azazel got to his feet. He looked shocked but his expression turned into a sneer, "Nice trick."

"Leave," Angela repeated but in a much firmer voice. It wasn't loud but it was powerful enough and it sort of created a sort of echo in the area. She narrowed her eyes to make her point and to warn the demon that she would do worse if he didn't leave.

Azazel nodded as he straightened out. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "So the queen has finally let it loose after all this time. And here I thought Cold Oak was the time. Seems I was wrong." He turned to go, "I'll leave you alone but don't think that you are free. Even Morpheus knows that the world of dreams is where anything goes. Like I said, all your nightmares will come true."

Angela didn't say anything as the demon disappeared. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Lucifer tried something else. And she wasn't going to forget that her memories could be used against her in this place. How many times had she gone through them herself? Sighing she turned towards the god of dreams who was looking at her with an almost sort of saddened expression. She said, "Morpheus…"

"I knew that you had improved over the last few years. I just didn't quite see it," Morpheus said as he stared at her. "And you don't even know half of what is going on."

"Why don't you tell me?" Angela took an inquisitive step forward. She knew a few ways and means of getting the god to talk. He had taught her as well as every god and goddess she had encountered. She learned the modes of communication and she never fully utilized it unless she wanted the whole story to be spilled to her. She saw that Morpheus was hesitant and she pressed, "Morpheus… tell me what you meant about my soul."

Morpheus looked at her with a saddened expression. He could tell her but that would only send doubts and things that he didn't want to happen. Everything was in a fragile state as it now stood. Slowly he replied, "I can't tell you the details but know that it is why you are unique and why you are in a trance state and here in my realm." He paused and took a breath before continuing, "And it all has to do with the fact that you are mated to Sam Winchester."

Angela was used to surprises being sprung on her so it was rare to get her into a state of shock, at least as far as the supernatural beings were concerned. With humans, they surprised her. Sam and Dean did on occasion. So for Morpheus to tell her something like that… "What do you mean mated?"

"You do know that by the gesture you gave him that was the invitation for something more serious," Morpheus countered. He gave a pointed look like a parent would to a child who should know that fire is hot and they shouldn't have touched it.

"Yeah and that was to mean more like what is called going steady," Angela countered with a wide-eyed expression. "That…"

"And did you also forget that it was the invitation to a more permanent thing?"

Angela was speechless as she absorbed the words. She filtered back to what she had learned about vampires in general when they took a mate. She went through it and frowned. She looked up and countered, "No. It was just sex. Nothing more."

"Are you sure?" Morpheus took a couple of steps forward. He didn't mean to be an ass but she needed to understand what was at stake at the moment. She had to understand what was happening to her and why Lucifer was doing this. "What do you remember about your first night together?"

Angela felt her cheeks flush since the god of dreams was basically asking her to talk about her sex life. As much as she could joke with sexual innuendo, she was still remarkably prudish when it came to her own affairs and Sam reacted in a similar manner though he seemed ready to punch out Dean when he went too far. It was a bit of a paradox for her but she understood the urgency. She had to get over it but… That was something special between her and Sam.

Taking a breath, Angela looked downward and recalled what happened the first night that they had sex. She managed to say, "It was sex. I mean I did bite him." She cleared her throat at that since it made her sound kinky. She only did it because Sam said it was okay and to let it happen.

"And?"

"He bit me." Angela shrugged at that. It was no big deal since she healed fast but Sam had insisted on checking since he broke the skin. It left a red mark that turned purple from bruising but other than that, nothing bad happened. She looked at the god of dreams with a frown, not sure of what he was getting at. "What is this about, Morpheus?"

Morpheus realized she had little to no clue what was going on. Maybe that would have been a blessing in another universe. Here it was a curse and it seemed that Lucifer was going to exploit it to the fullest if only to punish her. He explained, "You are a mated pair."

"You said that and I don't think that means anything."

Morpheus sighed as he approached her. He gave a wave of his hand and a mirror appeared. "Don't get all prudish with me," he warned as he pulled on her shirt to reveal her left shoulder. "Look closely."

Angela looked at Morpheus like he was being a pervert for being so forward but indulged. She peered at her shoulder in the mirror. At first she didn't see anything because it was so faint but when she looked closer, she recognized the familiar lines of scarring. It looked like the cicatrization marks she had seen mostly from African tribes. The design though was not like that. Rather it was a bit similar to her tattoo but there was a blend of Enochian and Egyptian as well and she recognized the mark that was unmistakably what would have been Sam's cartouche. "What…?"

"Courtesy of Sam Winchester, my dear," Morpheus answered as he watched the understanding start to develop. "He bit you and more than likely exchanged blood with you thus created that mark. He made you his and I have no doubt you did the same."

Angela blinked as she stared at the marking. There was no way. That meant. "No. I would never do that. Not to him."

"It appears that you did," Morpheus pointed out. He didn't want to be too forceful with her but desperate times and he was prepared to give her a hard shake like he would a naughty pup. "You made him your own and he did the same to you. So in simpler terms… you are for all intents and purposes married."

"No."

"Can't cheat it, love."

Angela glared at the god standing before her. There was no way that she had done that to Sam. That was like the equivalent of taking away his choice. She basically took and didn't ask. She vowed never to do that and especially to him. She started huffing a little until it started sounding like she was going to hyperventilate.

Morpheus saw what was happening and gripped her by the shoulders and laid it out, "It's done and you can't change it. And you seem to forget that he did it to you. That mark on your shoulder is his."

"He's not going to understand. Hell, I didn't know…"

"It's done," Morpheus repeated in a firm tone to indicate that she needed to stop and focus. "The point is that because of that, it's why you are in this state. It's the feedback effect."

Angela still wasn't convinced and panicked that she had done something that could make Sam hate her if they ever got out of this. She was aware though that Morpheus was trying to tell her something important and instead focused on that. She could deal with Sam's reaction when she saw him. She turned towards him and asked, "Feedback effect?"

"Why do you think that I asked you what you knew about bonds in general?" Morpheus was pleased she was focusing. This would make things much easier. "You and Sam are bonded now. What he feels, you do and vice versa."

Angela thought about it for a moment. She recalled when she felt the throbbing and the chills down her spine. It made sense now and it also made her realize that Lucifer was using all sorts of means to torment her and hurt Sam in the process. That made her pissed. She looked at Morpheus and replied, "And Lucifer is aware of this, meaning that he's hurting us both."

"Anyone other than the owner of the mark that touches the mark, it produces extreme pain and you can imagine how you'd react or better yet how Sam would if I did this." Morpheus pressed down on the mark and watched as she cried out in pain.

The effect though made the point. It hurt but Angela was aware that there was a rumbling that sounded like anger. She looked around and watched the effects that occurred in the dream realm. She recognized the reaction and merely said, "Sam."

"The last bout must have been painful enough to basically knock you out and one or both of you brought each other here. Like a protection thing."

Angela listened to the explanation. It made sense now since she was familiar with head trauma. But that also meant trouble here. She looked at Morpheus and said, "Then we better get a move on and get out of here before we both end up dead in the dream realm."

A/N: Sam and Angie learn the beginnings of what they are and looks like it'll be n interesting journey. Stay tuned for next time on Over the Edge...