Chronicles of Absolution: The French Solution

Chapter 1

Then

…"Well now I didn't expect our first meeting to be like this." The angel turned and looked at her…

… "Balthazar."

… Lucifer chuckled as he paced beside her and behind her. "You can't get rid of me. You need me."

"I don't need you."

"Don't deny it," Lucifer came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. He smirked when she shrugged to try and shake him off. "If it wasn't me, it was one of the gang behind you every step of the way, pushing you to come to me."

… "I feel a connection with her. I admire who she is which is a warrior but what ticks in her heart and soul; it's a beautiful thing…"

… In the beginning

We were born

Together then

This I could've sworn

Then you were gone

And sent on your way

To wander alone

To wander each day…

…"It's about the souls," Death offered as his only hint. "You'll understand when you need to. As will she."

… We've met before

And we call our names

Call each other's name…

… "The mate bond is powerful, but it is as I said. It's about the souls. Some that are too good to be true."

… Some souls are too good to be true…

Now

The rain was falling hard. The drops were pelting against the surface as the wind blew. It was enough to send a chill down the spine. To add to the effect was the occasional clash of lightning. It was enough to look like a scary movie as Angela stood in the sitting room she had been shown into. She glanced at Moira who was looking a little out of sorts and she didn't blame her. There was something off about everything.

It had barely been a week or so since the whole thing with Chalikar and it turned once again into walking on eggshells around each other. Mostly that was her fault and she admitted it. She was still trying to understand what Death meant about souls since he didn't like her answer when they last spoke. So she started her own research. Mostly when everyone else was asleep. It had Sam and Dean thinking she couldn't sleep again even though she said she had been 'cured' of the hallucinations.

Bobby was more inclined to believe her but she saw the worried looks. She didn't want to hurt him anymore and came to him with what she had been told. The grizzled hunter had been more than willing to help her out. He seemed… relieved that she came to him instead of doing things on her own. It made her realize how much she pushed all the men in her life away, convincing herself that it was for their own good. He was still worried but better receptive and understanding.

It was Bobby that suggested she talk to Jodi about feminine things. It was hilarious when he suggested it, but it was well intentioned. She wasn't going to do it since she didn't know the sheriff as well as the boys and Bobby and she was well aware how women viewed things when it came to territory and stuff like that. She may not have had a lot of feminine influences in her life, but she had enough to know a few things.

In the end, she drove to Jodi Mills' home in the middle of a storm because she ended up blowing up at Sam. She felt bad afterwards and knew she hurt him. She felt it. She was just agitated that the universe seemed to be screwing with her life over and over. She had just figured out what Death had meant when he told her about some souls being too good to be true. She looked it up with help from Bobby and what she learned.

It had her starting to doubt things. She had when it had been mentioned about the whole thing with cupid and their orders and the like. She lost her doubt when the cupid told her that no one had orders about her and Sam, that she was a natural. Now the doubts were creeping back in. From what she learned, she wondered if this was one whole lie. She hated thinking that and took out her frustration on Sam.

She left the house after telling them she was going out. Dean thought she was nuts for going out in the middle of the storm. Sam quietly said that Moira would go with her. She couldn't forget the look on his face as he said it. It was a tone that wouldn't brook her interpretation of what he said. If she was being honest, it made her melt inside. His assertiveness always turned her on. She didn't want this to be a get angry and make up sex thing, so she left, taking Moira with her.

She took the Camaro and drove towards town without a particular destination in mind. She just needed to clear her head and figure out how to play this. It certainly brought back to mind Gabriel's apologies about not being there to help. She really wished that he was there or anyone who might be able to help her understand.

It was enough to have Castiel pop into the car. Unlike Dean who would freak out, she barely flinched when she heard the telltale flap of wings. She glanced over and saw Castiel looking at her with concern. Moira was sitting in the back and hadn't whined or flinched when the angel arrived. It was a testament to how much they trusted him.

"What is wrong, Angela?"

"Really? I throw a temper tantrum and you come running?"

"I felt your anguish. Yours. Not Sam's."

"Great. You know too."

"That you and Sam mated, yes."

From there, it was a sort of heart to heart, but Angela didn't go into what really had her upset. It helped a little but Castiel was hardly the type to really get down to the meat and potatoes of an issue. Like Kesset, he didn't understand why humans made things complicated all the time and that there wasn't always a simple fix o a problem. The fact that he tried endeared him to her and she tried to be nice about it.

In the end, Castiel told her that Sam didn't blame her. He was just worried. They all were. They were still trying to understand how she went from seeing hallucinations to being seemingly back to normal. She could get that. It was like Sam looking like he bounced back when Death put the wall inside his head. But she could see the tightrope act with it. Sam falling unconscious after Bristol and not breathing… yeah there was reason to be worried.

The talk actually helped, and Angela found that she had driven herself to Jodi Mills' home. She blinked as she stared at the house, the vehicle in the driveway indicating that she was home. She looked at Castiel and the angel merely shrugged at her and pointed out that she had been the one driving. It was her choice to drive there. The funny thing was that she didn't remember making the turns to get here. She turned yes but it was like she blanked out on her direction.

In the end she worked up the courage to give a knock after Castiel left her saying that he had to work on a battle plan against Rafael. Dean had told her about that when she badgered him about what happened the year and half she had been in hell. Since finding out about it, nothing. It was like Castiel was keeping her out of any business related to his dealings with Rafael. She also suspected that there was a lot more to it than she was being told, but she wasn't going to press.

Angela had met Jodi once before. It was the rising of the dead, when Death had a message for Bobby. It was also how she met Karen, his wife. In the end, what turned out to be a blessing ended up being a curse. The dead turned rabid and then… Sam was the one that put down Jodi's dead son. Angela had been there, and something happened.

Angela had lost people before. It was always hardest when it came to children, but she couldn't compare because none of them were her own. Own in the sense she carried them and gave birth. Yet, Jodi responded to her. They shared grief and understanding. Angela suspected it was because it was a woman thing and they tended to be more reasonable and practical about things. She didn't ask more out of a fear of jinxing things.

Jodi was home and she had been surprised to her. Angela ended up stammering at first and finally asked if she could have a talk. She felt like a young girl when that happened and maybe Bobby was right about a few things before she took off. She rubbed Moira's ears before wandering back to the chair she had been offered just as Jodi came back with a tray with tea. Angela said, "You didn't have to make tea."

"You see the weather outside?" Jodi gestured at the window. Her eyes were wide in surprise that Angela even made there. "I'm surprised you drove through that."

"You'd be surprised at what you can do when you need something bad enough." Angela accepted the cup that Jodi handed her. She thought that it would be coffee, but it seemed Jodi had other ideas. She held the mug and smelled the tea.

"And it must be for you to come here." Jodi sat on the chair and looked at Angela, holding her mug. "So… what is it? What has you coming to see me?"

Angela stared at her and ran her finger on the lip. She asked herself what she was there for and she wasn't sure of her answer. At least one that sounded reasonable. "Well… um…" She looked downward and squirmed a little. "I… I… I don't really know?" She looked up at Jodi with a confused look.

Jodi looked at Angela with a stare. It was similar to the ones she gave when staring down a suspect. Probably not the best thing to use, but she didn't really know what to use. She only met Angela one and yet they had a connection. Granted it had been a sad time and one that caused unbelief… it happened. She decided to start with something easy, "So how's everything with you? You're with Sam and Dean, right?"

"Yes." Angela took a nervous sip.

"And?"

Angela looked up. "And what?"

Jodi made a gesture with her hand. "And what's been going on? You know I know about your world. What you and the boys and Bobby do. I had to help him out a while back."

Angela blinked at that. She knew that. Bobby mentioned it to fill in a few holes when she badgered Dean about what happened when Sam was running around soulless. She replied, "I… just wasn't sure."

Jodi realized that Angela wanted help but wasn't sure how or what to ask. She thought about when they first met. She remembered a few things. She tried, "I noticed that you and Sam were together. Are you… together?"

It was an opening and Angela took it, "Yes."

"That's a start," Jodi nodded. She noticed Angela's position and sighed. "Angie, can I call you that?"

Angela nodded. She couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to talk when she had a need to. It was confusing and obviously frustrating to others. She didn't realize it was her inclination to protect that what mattered and part of it was telling but not revealing. She knew Jodi was a friend. It was just hard, yet she managed to say, "You can call me that. I couldn't stop Dean and… I like it."

It was a start and prompted Jodi to continue, "So are you dating?"

"We're mated."

It had been uttered so matter of fact that Jodi had to blink. She wasn't sure she heard right and asked, "I'm sorry… mated?"

"Yep." Angela took another sip of tea. She had drawn her legs up and assumed a fetal position. It was comfortable and let her feel safe to talk. "I'm… a vampire. Half."

Jodi blinked at that. "And Sam and Dean…"

"They know." Angela nodded as she rocked in her seat. She took a breath. "Known for years. Sam said it didn't matter." She gave a small smile.

Jodi started seeing between the lines. She realized that it was a big step and Angela clearly was lacking in a female shoulder to cry on. It was like talking to a teenager. "And that's good right? I mean… you're mated."

"And we didn't really know it." Angela gave a wry chuckle. It was becoming easier to open up. She looked at Jodi, "Mating for vampires… it's like being married. Just not in a legal sense."

"So, you got married? When?"

"Before I went to hell with Sam. We had sex."

It sounded like the most bizarre conversation to have. The bluntness was refreshing and yet Jodi had to struggle to find words to respond to that. "Ok. You had sex."

"It's how to complete it. It generally involves marking the other." Angela stared at Jodi and nodding in her explanation, aware that she was behaving like Sam did when they lied their way into the mental hospital for the reaver. "Sam bit me."

Jodi was well aware of the acts that could happen during sex. The matter of fact tone that she was hearing was really throwing her for a loop. Most people were embarrassed about it. They would try to go around it. Angela just seemed to tell it like to lay down the bare facts. "He… bit you?"

"Yeah. And I bit him." Angela nodded and looked at Jodi. She took a sip of her tea. "And now we are mated. He can sense thoughts and feelings and vice versa. But it's special circumstances. I think." She frowned as she looked away to think about it.

Jodi blinked at what she was hearing. She was thinking this was a lover's spat. This was more like a life story and the confused teen was sitting in front of her. She tried to process it and ended up asking, "And now you… feel bad?"

"I felt bad that I took away a choice. Still do." Angela took another sip of tea. She looked at Jodi. "Sam doesn't see it that way but… every decision I make, I feel like I am damning him and Dean. And to some extent, Bobby."

The conversation started to flow more naturally, and Jodi listened to Angela tell her thoughts and feelings about everything that had happened recently. First thoughts were that Jodi thought that Angela should be talking to someone like her, but it became clear that she needed someone that was closer towards a mother figure.

In the end, they were talking freely and while Jodi still had questions about Angela and her kind and her relationship with Sam, it was a start. She let Angela go with the warning that she needed to call her on a regular basis and gave her phone number. It was rewarded with a hug that was a comfortable tight and it surprised Jodi at how warm the woman was.

Angela felt better after her conversation. She was no closer to solving her problem of making things up to Sam and Dean; there was just way too much baggage and she wasn't going to bog down Jodi with all of that. She wasn't sure about regular conversations. Jodi seemed insistent despite the fact that Angela knew she wasn't the best at keeping in touch. Ellen had scolded her enough on it and Angela regretted not doing better.

She got into the Camaro with Moira and began the trek back to Bobby's. The weather seemed to have gotten worse. Almost ominous. It certainly was when her way out of town was blocked because of flooding from the rain. Angela was ready to take it as a sign that the universe wanted her to wait and collect her thoughts. Like it knew her so well. So, she parked and was prepared to wait it out, curled with Moira on the front seat. She wasn't to get rest though.

It was barely five minutes when she began to fell uneasy. It wasn't queasy, like nauseous or sick. This felt different. Like a sense of urgency and maybe confusion. It churned her stomach making her feel nauseous and had her curl on her side with Moira whining at her. She was trying to make sense of it when she heard a knock on the window, followed by, "Princess. It's urgent."

It was hard to ignore the queasy feeling, but Angela sat up and got out to greet Kesset. The Avian was standing in the rain like it was nothing. She knew pointing it out would just have him look at her wondering why she was making a fuss out of it. Instead, she got right to it and asked, "What is so urgent, Kess?"

"The celestials are making their move."

"Cas?"

"His adversary."

Angela felt her eyes widened at the mention of Rafael. She knew he was an archangel and thus a bit more powerful that Castiel. He was also one of the more ruthless. A bit like Michael. How she knew that, she had no clue, but she knew it. She did know that Rafael kicked Castiel's ass; the angel admitted it to her since it seemed that the men in her life say that it was hard to tell a lie to her. Dean claimed constantly that she could sniff out bullshit and call them on it.

She had no idea where her knowledge on Rafael was coming from, but she knew that it was bad if the archangel was making his move. She looked at Kesset and asked, "Okay, on who and where?"

"They were going after the celestial that decided to play guardian to Dean's princess."

"Balthazar?"

"Yes. Something about weapons."

It was brief and most people would have been annoyed at the lack of detail. Kesset did give enough. He was just to the point and succinct with it. She learned how to interpret so to speak. Now she had no idea what Kesset meant by the weapons part unless it was a stockpile of angel blades. That wasn't important. "Okay, so does he need help?"

"He went to see Sam and Dean."

What?"

"He went to see them. For what, I don't know but it will lead the celestials after him there." Kesset stared at her with a piercing stare.

It was a lot to process, but she kept it together. She was curious about one thing and asked, "And how did you know about this?"

Kesset shuffled on his feet a bit nervous as he replied, "I… decided to follow him. Ever since the last few times this celestial has encountered Sam and Dean, it has not always been pleasant. He is what you say… duplicitous. Worse than your former guardian."

Angela blinked at that. She knew that Kesset had been left behind when she went to hell with Sam. She did leave a standing order that if anything were to happen to her, he was to look after the brothers. Part of that was because of what happened when she had been kidnapped. If Sam hadn't taken the lead and given him commands, then things would have been worse for the Avian. It was security and she knew Kesset would keep his word and look after the brothers and Bobby. The other part of that was she had intended him to be guardian of this world. She had no illusions about coming back when she made the choice to follow Sam to hell. She needed someone to watch the world and she asked it of Kesset.

The result seemed to give the Avian confidence to be a bit more liberal about interpreting his orders or his duties. She already knew that he was a soldier and a spy; they trained the guard for that. She knew that he stayed in the crowd and didn't make waves all because of sins of the father. So, it was a surprise that he took the initiative to do this. It made her proud in a way. Right now she had to focus on the fact that Balthazar was up to something and it wasn't any good. "What is going on, Kess?"

"He has been moving around and heading straight to Elder Singer's residence."

Most people would be annoyed by the matter of fact tone from Kesset, but it was better than anything. Angela felt her eyes widen as she stepped forward. "And what is he doing?"

"Interfering."

Angela turned to see a woman standing there and looking very annoyed. She raised her brow at her but didn't cower. Maybe it was foolish since she knew it was an angel, but she had fought them before. Uriel wasn't the worst she encountered and she encountered quite a few. She looked at the angel and replied, "Well all things considered…" She shrugged.

"And I'm surprised that you were not invited. You are a formidable opponent, Malachi."

Angela stared blandly at the angel. "I've had practice with angels. Including archangels… Rafael."

"So you know."

"Not hard. I got filled in even if I was kept out." Angela was so matter of fact about it.

"Then you know what I'm after."

"Nope." Angela shrugged. She didn't know what the archangel was after and she didn't care. Unless it concerned Sam and Dean. "Not a damn clue."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not." Angela looked at Rafael and was amused at the female meat suit. "Just because Cas and I still share a guardian-charge bond… it doesn't mean I'm into whatever he's doing."

Rafael seemed to scrutinize her a little bit. "So you don't really know."

"No."

"Oh this will make it all the sweeter." Rafael straightened up and looked at Angela with a knowing look. "Then be prepared. Virgil is after the Winchesters and there is nothing you can do to stop it. But I can…" Rafael blinked at the fact that Angela was no longer there. She looked around with a murderous look.

Angela blinked finding herself in the salvage yard. She turned to see that Kesset was there looking pleased with himself and Moira was there, looking at her with a confused expression. She raised her brow, "Kess?"

"The Winchesters need your help, princess."

Angela would have said more but there was a loud crash. She turned to see two men looking like they had been literally thrown through the window. She heard them moan and one of them said in a familiar voice, "What the… where did the rain come from?"

She looked at them and her brow raised as she saw them lift their faces towards her. One said, "Uh… towel please."

She looked at Kesset and he looked at her shrugging. She looked back at them. "I don't cater to stupid or feigned helplessness," she said, wondering why they were looking at her like she was pissing them off. "You know this, Sam and Dean."

A/N: Angie has a nice chat with Jodi but comes home to find that who she thinks is Sam and Dean really isn't. Stay tuned for more of The French Solution...