Chronicles of Absolution: The Winding Road

Chapter 1

Then

… Angela stood there. She had heard it before and took the sudden punch that came at her. She had moved enough to avoid what would be considered a death blow but it was enough to knock her down. She countered by sticking out her leg but Lucifer grabbed it and brought his elbow down on her thigh and she grunted out before he flung her leg aside and moving her body along the ground…

… "Too bad because I will make Sammy suffer your death at his hands. I know about you." Lucifer whispered the last bit…

… There are three great things in life my little bambina. You are capable of all three but the greatest comes from your heart and soul.

It's your greatest weapon Cat.

Nothing means anything if you can't forgive yourself…

… When she landed, there was nothing in sight. She was in a canyon of sorts but at least she wasn't alone. Cerebus had come with her as was planned. She looked down at the hell mutt and rubbed his head, gently brushing the fur and rubbing his ears. She had asked this of him when she made the preparations with her blood for Sam and he agreed.

It is only right the alpha fights for her mate.

… It was like the old days when she literally was the definition of a drifter. She had wandered from place to place, never making friends but helping out whenever there was trouble. It wasn't always about the supernatural then but she did come across it when it popped out. She was on the road and on foot and making her way through a cavern with a hell hound. It was hardly like the old days in that it seemed like every few turns she was attacked by something or she was confronted by things she had done in the past.

"Well, we are in Lucifer's playpen. Michael may be in here with him but ultimately…" Angela looked around to make sure that nothing else was around…

… Michael got to his feet and followed Lucifer but kept out of reach. "And you think the mind games are any better?"

"Oh they are. She's far too strong to take mere physical toll" Lucifer grinned in admiration before turning to look at Michael. "You forget, you left her in hell for nearly a year topside. It had to take our troublesome brother Gabriel to get her out and that was after the miscreant worms helped her to escape."

"She got out. That is all you need to know," Michael insisted. "And physical pain is just as good."

Lucifer chuckled at that. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why don't we put that to the test like we have since she got here?" He turned and walked away and reached out to grab something in the shadows. "After all there is only one reason that she is here." He pulled it out into the shadows…

… "What I want is for you to tell me who you are a machination of and where is Sam Winchester?"

"Who?"

"Sam Winchester. You are covered in his scent."

… … Angela had always felt for the humans. Even though she was no longer completely human, she cared about them… Living as long as she had, she could appreciate life and saw how fragile it was…

… Isis smiled in return. "She is special on many levels. To me it is like that of a mother and daughter. Her abilities while special are nothing compared to her nature."

… It was enough and to be honest fighting wasn't going to get them anywhere. It was a coldhearted thing to think of but in all honesty… she was tired of the fighting and everything else. The angel looked at her and released his fist even though Dean was goading him and knocked him out. Of course, their problem were added when it was discovered that Adam was missing. On top of that… Adam gave her location away and they nabbed her. Fun overall.

"That's the sound I want to hear."

She was pissed. Scared was there but pissed outweighed everything else. When Zachariah started hurting Adam, she reacted and used her powers against the angel. It actually stunned the dick face angel when she made a dent in the wall and took up a protective stance in front of Adam and warned, "You back off now."

"Very impressive. Seems time with a rakshasa convinced you to give what we need from you," Zachariah replied while dusting himself off. "Now we just need you to drop the act that you care for anything about the Winchesters. All of them."

… Sam and Dean made it out but the door shut on Adam leaving her and him trapped inside. She was looking up and watching for Michael while Adam pounded on the door for Dean. She could hear Dean shouting that they were going to get her and Adam out but she knew there was no way out. At least she would go down fighting and really tell Michael where to stick it. She held her angel blade up as she put a protective hand over Adam as she looked. It got brighter and the voice got louder…

… Sam felt his throat convulse slightly at that. He knew that she took it to heart that Adam was gone and in the clutches of Michael and that was after she was willing to fight for him. Or rather she did fight and she was left behind. She never did take failure well and he liked to think she had improved over the years but he could be mistaken…

… The last time Angela fully let loose her power was when she was on that hunt and had been given a whiff of pheromones from the siren. She had taken on the nest of vamps and she had a make out session with Ruby. She really hated that but she remembered what it felt like. There was another time but that had been aided by immortality and Sam's blood and it was something she was still paying back for. This time it was all her and she wasn't going to throw punches…

… You must go on ahead.

But…

It was never about all of us getting out. It was about you. You don't belong here. We do because we made that choice.

I can still get at least you out.

No little light. This is one journey that I can't make.

Angela took a deep breath as she remembered when they were almost out of the bowels. The hell hounds were closing in. They had already lost most of what originally escaped and they were willing to stand up to the onslaught of hellhounds. She had been pushed through and the door slammed. She could hear the cries of pain still as she stood there…

… Hell just wasn't a place that held those who were damned. It was meant to torture. It was meant to make you relive the moments that led you to damnation. That was the case with most. In the end the soul became so consumed with guilt that they gave away to not deal with the pain anymore. Then they became the demons that possessed and tormented the mortals topside. It was a fate that sounded terrible but most who became demons lost their memories of being human or they remembered and they just didn't care…

… "He is someone I know," Angela replied, "But I am not sure that he is who I see him as."

"Why? I mean he knows you."

Angela closed her eyes as she released Tsura's wrist. She hummed slightly before explaining, "Because he's been dead since 1780."

… Hawkins watched as she growled and shouted something in a language he had never heard before. It certainly had an effect on Michael as his eyes widened in fear. He shielded his eyes as a bright light started to grow but he couldn't do that for long. At the same time a high pitched sound started to fill the air and it began to hurt his ears. He put his hands over them trying to block it out but it hurt too much and he couldn't help but cry out. He also heard a scream and managed to see the girl from earlier holding her ears. He could see blood coming out where her ears were and there was no doubt it was doing the same to his.

"I command you to leave this vessel at once!"

… "You say free will is an illusion but in truth… it isn't. It is the sum of the most basic of principles in existence." She panted as she delivered the last blow and drew blood.

Michael staggered back and wiped his mouth. He gritted his teeth and glared daggers. He struck back and made a couple in but most were deflected. He grew frustrated with her while in the meantime Angela continued, "It is the culmination of one simple truth. That nothing is certain and everything is permitted." She drew back and focused on her final attack.

"Nonsense. Now give me back my vessel." Michael charged forward and prepared to beat it out of her.

Angela narrowed her eyes as she straightened up. She curled her free hand up into a fist. She didn't want it to come to this but she had warned Michael. Now he was going to learn the truth. Whether or not he understood it… that was up to him. She eyed Michael as he charged straight at her and with the intent to kill. She just stood there and prepared to meet him…

… "So what next?"

Angela stared at the horizon and felt the wind touch her skin. She glanced at the three looking at her with a pensive look, "I'm going to find Sam and get us out of hell."

Now

The day looked like a pretty normal day. The sky was clear and the breeze was gentle as it rolled along the grass. It was the perfect setting for something simple and enjoyable like a picnic. But there were hardly the sounds of picnicking. Instead it was the sounds of battle and whimpers as a group of thugs were getting what was coming to them.

Angela hummed as she gave a boot to the rear of a thug and watched him scamper off. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, not put out when another was sent flying in the same direction. "I'd call that a seven."

"That was a nine at most. You're cruel Lady Scarlett." Hawkins moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with her. He looked down at the ground at the others that were groaning on the ground. A couple were crawling away.

Angela looked at them and then at Hawkins. With a slight grin she replied, "Definitely a seven. You did better on your boat."

"The Quicksilver is not a boat." Hawkins crossed his arms and assumed a pout. He glared slightly at Angela as she stood there grinning at him. "She is the fastest ship to ever sail the seas. She outran that bucket you came in on at Port au Prince."

"What the hell are you two talking about?"

Angela shifted to see Adam walking towards them with Cerebus in tow. He looked at her and Hawkins with a wide eyed look. She hummed and gave a slight smile and replied, "Just an old joke between me and this old sea dog. Can't seem to lose old habits." She crossed her arms over her chest looking like she had one a grand prize.

Adam blinked as he joined them. "And somehow I am still stuck with you."

"I told you what I was doing," Angela countered smoothly. "You have the choice to wander here alone and find your own way or you can stick with me. Either way, I am finding Sam and getting out of hell one way or another."

That was what she had said the first day and that was when she was barely standing and bleeding. They had been on the road the last couple of days heading in one direction. Adam saw the scenery change like crazy. One moment they were in the fields of Kansas and another they were in some forested place that looked like it belonged in some place like New Zealand or something. It was a shit load of crazy but the explanation that they were in hell was plausible. It certainly explained why Hawkins and Tsura were dressed as they were; that they were walking out of a history book.

Angela was well aware that things the past week or so was strange to Adam. She didn't blame him at all since he was dragged into this when the angels brought him back from the dead. She did have to admit that he was taking this better than she thought. Most people would just think she was crazy and would try to strike out on their own. Here Adam seemed to figure that his chances increased sticking with her. That may be the case but she wasn't going to say that it was so. She looked at Adam and asked, "You sure you want to stick with me?"

Adam shrugged his shoulder, "I know you. At least that you wouldn't lie to me." He looked at her poignantly, using it to check on her.

After the last fight with Michael, it took a lot out of Angela. It actually had Adam feel squeamish at the amount of blood that was on her arms. Not to mention that she had been stabbed in her side and she looked exhausted from fighting. She healed fast but it had only been about a week and he could see that she still was feeling the results of that attack and it showed.

"Keep staring and I'll start to think you're interested."

Adam looked up to find that Angela had caught him looking at her. He stammered slightly as he tried to find an excuse, "Um…"

"Of course he's interested. In me," Hawkins replied grinning.

Adam stammered more before pitting out, "It's not like that."

"Then why you're blushing?" Hawkins leaned forward as if to dare Adam to really answer that question.

Angela gave a smack to Hawkins and told him to leave him alone. The past week Hawkins never missed an opportunity to tease Adam. Even when they were fighting off a bunch of thugs or bandits that were working for Michael, her old friend heckled Adam. It was a sign that he liked him but she could see that it came off heavy handed sometimes and she strove to stop it before it got that far. "Leave him alone, Hawkins." She gave her friend a firm look.

It was very effective and the party started down the road again. That was another thing that was odd to Adam. There only seemed to be one road. If they did come to a crossroad, it only ended up with them doubting themselves if there was ever another road. It was another reason for Adam to believe that he was in hell along with the fact that he did remember a few things.

The fun was over and they traveled onward in the direction that Angela determined was the right way. It would have been easy to question her judgment and ask how she knew that it was the right way but no one did. Adam did at first and the answer he got was that it was a feeling and she could smell Sam's scent. It sounded a little weird at first but then Adam noticed that she was rubbing the left side of her neck when she said that and figured that there was more to it.

It was later when they were on a break that Adam went to talk with Angela alone. He found her sitting on a flattened boulder and looking at the landscape that included the road they were taking. He knew she was keeping watch but also mulling on her thoughts. He had no idea of what except for maybe what she had done to set him free from Michael and what she did to send him away. He had never seen anything like that before even when he had been Molotov cocktailed with holy fire.

"Are you okay?"

Adam looked up to find that she had been looking at him, studying him. He knew she was referring to earlier with Hawkins' heckling. At least Tsura hadn't jumped in. That would have been ten times worse. He replied with a slight shrug, "It's teasing and I should be over it but…"

"Hawkins always was a bit of a bastard with the teasing. Had a talent for picking out what would really bother someone and go at it with a vengeance," Angela replied giving a gentle smile. "And yet he is very loyal. Was the only person I could rely on then."

"When was that?"

"I believe the 1700s. He was a privateer turned pirate. Not that I was any better." Angela chuckled as she said that, recalling how they had met and the circumstances. "But it worked out. We teamed up and took care of things that only the annals of his order record. Stuff not in the history books."

Adam couldn't help but hum at that. Even though he had spent a short time with his half-brothers and her, he figured that the things they did were not the kind of thing that was considered normal. "Figures."

"Seriously, are you okay?"

Adam looked at her and realized she was asking for more. There were some things that he wanted answered. He just wasn't sure how to bring it up. Now she was giving him a chance. He shrugged and replied, "Just wondering… why?"

"Why what?"

The question wasn't meant to be coy or mean. Adam learned quickly that she would ask to clarify what the person wanted. He replied, "Why did you fight so hard to free me and keep Michael away from me?"

Angela studied Adam as he looked at her. True they hadn't had much time to bond over things and to be able to understand one another. It made sense that he wouldn't understand it and it probably sounded strange to him. She answered, "Because I felt like I failed you when Michael took you and left me behind in Van Nuys."

"So you are making it up to me?"

"A little."

Adam hummed at that but it came out like a slight huff. "Figures." He shifted to look out at the landscape and put his hands in his jacket pocket. He didn't know what else to say.

"And that it wasn't your fault."

Adam turned to look back at her. "What do you mean?"

"The whole destiny thing."

Adam shook his head at that, "I agreed because they promised that I would get to see my mom again. What you're saying…"

"You had your reasons for saying yes. Just as I had mine." Angela stared at Adam before prompting, "Remember?"

Adam stared at her in the eye and that was when he remembered. He remembered how she stood in front of him to protect him and said that she would be the one to say yes. Dean also argued with her at that moment too. "What were yours?"

"So that brothers wouldn't have to fight each other."

It was a simple answer and yet it made sense somewhat. Adam didn't know Angela like Sam and Dean did but he did get the feeling that she wasn't the kind of person to let someone flounder if she had the means to help them. He couldn't help but ask, "Isn't that a little naïve?"

Angela smiled at that. She figured that question would come up at some point. A lot of her responses were overly simplistic for a complicated issue but in the end that was what it boiled down to. It was made complicated by the things that didn't always adhered to the rules. She looked at the youngest of the Winchesters and replied, "Maybe but… when you've lived as long as I have you learn to drop things that just… seem like dead weight." She looked out on the landscape. "Focus on the core of things, what is most important."

"You… consider me important?"

Angela glanced at Adam and replied with a slight smile, "I consider all of humanity important. But if you want the honest truth there are some that are more important than others and I will do anything to keep them safe. And when I can't…" She looked away and stared at the landscape and sighed softly.

Adam thought about what she had said. He watched as her expression became a little sad when she broke off her sentence. "But why me? You don't know me except that I am Sam and Dean's brother in blood. And I betrayed you guys to Zachariah…"

Adam was stopped when he felt a hand put on his head and his hair was ruffled. The last time he had that done was when he was a kid. Now it felt a little embarrassing but not enough for him to shrug it off. He did scowl and retorted, "Hey. Stop that."

Angela giggled at that as she removed her hand. She slouched as she shifted her position to dangle a leg off the edge. "Aww you're cute."

Adam scowled at her but noticed that she was smiling at her. His scowl turned into a grin and he relaxed a little. He thought she was a strange one but he rather liked her. "Seriously though…"

"You have my answer. Humanity is important to me. Some more than others. You are the more," Angela clarified. She turned a firm eye towards Adam. "You are family."

Adam made a slight sound at that. She didn't know him from Adam, pun intended, and yet she accepted him. It was baffling and he couldn't quite wrap it around his head. "But… You really accept just like that?"

"Not always. Believe me it took me a long time to actually not try to rip off Onigen's arm when he took care of me." Angela grinned as she said that and hummed like a cute little schoolgirl. "And that was at a bad point in my life where I left more destruction behind but somehow still managed to save people."

"I have a hard time believing that you just left destruction or anything but what I've seen." It was the honest truth and Adam meant it. He looked out at the landscape and then downward as he put his hands in his jacket pocket. "It will just take some time to get used to the idea that you accept just like that but… I do thank you for setting me free. I… I saw what he tried to do to you. Before we fell in."

Angela didn't say anything but absorbed Adam's words. That had been a gamble, the whole plan was since she agreed to Sam's terms and then… "The danger of the job."

Adam wasn't satisfied with that but he resisted the urge to press even more. He got the feeling that there was more to the whole story and if he was patient, he would get more of it. As it were, he knew that she was searching for Sam and a way out. He would go along with that and learn what he could. It was a relief when Cerebus came up and he had something to do by patting the hellhound on his head. It allowed him to venture, "So we still heading in the same direction."

"Just follow the nose."

A/N: Here we are with a new episode and we are still in the cage only this time Adam is with the group and they are trying to find Sam and getting used to each other. Stay tuned for next time on The Winding Road...