Chapter 2

Dean chomped on one of the cream filled doughnuts that Sam managed to get without too much trouble as Angela filled him in on a potential job. She had that Pickwick Paper thing as well as a local paper spread out on the table in his and Sam's room. He took a sip of coffee as he studied Angela.

She certainly seemed to be in a better mood than she was last night. Hell she told Sam to piss off and after he had asked her a simple question. Dean knew the reason for it though. It had to do with a way to break his deal. After that job with the seven deadly sins, she came to him and told him that she may have one way that didn't go through official channels such as appealing to higher authority. Dean listened as she explained and at first he said no because of what it involved.

Of course she had to use Angie logic which was eerily similar to Sam logic. Dean didn't want her to do it because the image of the look she had when she killed Jake kept popping up. He also knew that she had been practicing with her powers. Hell he caught her doing that shooting thing when the guy called 'pull'. Only this time she was sending things flying with her own mind and shooting, letting them fly different distances. Other times she spent plain physical training as well as training with the hell mutt.

In the end, she convinced him and he reluctantly agreed. He gave the condition though that Sam wasn't to know about her extracurricular activities regarding that. His reasoning was that if Sam found out, he would want to help and as far as Dean could tell, what she wanted to do would be dangerous and maybe bring out the dark part that she herself was still afraid of even though she acknowledged it. Dean didn't want Sam to see that… at least not yet. He had the sense to realize that eventually it would come out but he wanted Sam to be ready.

Dean had been surprised when she said that she had it in mind in the first place. Her reason though was because she didn't want to raise Sam's hopes only to have them dashed in his face. Dean realized that it wasn't for her sake but for Sam's that she wasn't going to say anything. He gave a slight nod and held out his hand. He motioned for her to take his hand and when she gave her hand over, he took it by the wrist like Dad did. He did some reading and found that kind of grip was given between two warriors giving each other respect. He modified it though by putting his other hand on her shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze. It was his way of saying that while he thought it was futile since she had been there when the terms had been set but this was Angela. Like Sam, she would try to find a loophole and he felt some measure of hope, the kind that she warned about but he couldn't help it.

That demon last night, Dean figured was someone that Angela knew previously… maybe from a time that she would find some day to tell him and Sam. Last night though he knew that she had been pissed off by that demon even though he didn't understand a word the thing had been saying. She did though and she replied in the same language. It was a threat she gave and Dean knew threats well. The demon left before they could take the fugly down but she was still pissed.

Sam of course had to ask questions and she told him to piss off before taking a hike to walk it off. Dean couldn't resist teasing his brother about pissing off a woman. That earned him the bitch face but it gave sufficient time for Angela to burn off some steam which ended up being five or six miles down the road. It was enough for them to get to a motel and she politely said good night.

Now she was sitting there in his and Sam's room pointing over a potential case. He could tell she pulled a late night since she had slight dark circles under her eyes but the coffee she drank seemed to wake her up. "So what does Pickwick say?"

Angela ran her finger under the lines of the open cases that had cropped up. She pointed at the regular paper and replied, "Well it appears that there have been a series of deaths near the canal of this town called Lakota somewhere in Nebraska."

"Anything special about them," Dean replied chewing his second bite of his doughnut. He talked with his mouth full knowing that it would annoy Sam.

Sam was studying the paper while Angela replied, "All the victims were men and they were drowned."

"Nothing special about that," Dean replied.

"The latest victim actually got away. A kid named Ryan Harrison on break from college said that he had been taken to a popular spot with a beautiful woman where he was attacked by a very large horse," Sam replied as he read the paper.

Dean frowned, "A horse?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah."

"Sam the only way that someone gets attacked by a horse is if they spook it or something. Maybe the kid was off his rocker."

"Maybe not," Angela replied as she took a sip of her coffee. She frowned slightly when she realized that she drank the cup dry. She peered into it to check shrugged her shoulders and tossed it behind her where it landed in the wastebasket. She pointed at the line she had been reading where she had marked the paper to reveal the actual job opening. "According to Pickwick, there has been suspicious activity. It's suspected to be a witch maybe since the victims were found with strange markings."

"Dammit. I hate witches," Dean replied as he read the translation Angela provided. "So how is being chased by a giant horse fit into this?"

Angela shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed a plain glazed doughnut and looked at it as if it were a strange thing. She took a bite and chewed and swallowed before answering. "Something to find out I guess."

Sam frowned slightly at her response. At least she wasn't pissed anymore. Heck before Dean woke up she was joking with him as she read her paper. Then again she was just being a connoisseur with the fricking doughnuts. Ever since she took over Bobby's kitchen she made everything from full meals to snacks and desserts. They weren't that bad either… well they were just awesome. He and Dean were plain spoiled especially with her snacks that she would stash in the car when they left Bobby's and she would even restock in various towns.

He watched as she took a bite of her chosen doughnut and made a face that said it wasn't bad. She was just being a connoisseur which meant that she wasn't paying too much attention to the question being asked. He gave a slight smirk at her and added, "Might be some strange witch mojo. It wouldn't hurt to check it out."

Dean glanced over at Angela who was appearing thoughtful as she was slowly chewing her doughnut. He could tell that she was not completely listening to the conversation. He knew she was really tasting the doughnut and the reason for it was something that completely stupid as well as random. It was actually a game to him and she did it to amuse him since she was the only other person who could pack away as much food as he could.

Watching her, he got the impression that she was tasting for the ingredients and possibly thinking of some way to either make something similar at Bobby's or making a mental note to never eat from that particular place again. He suspected it was a means of staying awake and he turned to Sam and replied, "Well if it is a witch I guess we better check it out. Unless you think it's one of your friendly witches Angie."

"No. When do we leave?" Angela finished her doughnut having figured out a few things. She actually used her tasting for the ingredients as a cover to think about the plan she was working on for Dean. Even though she was tired from last night, she was coming up with means of being more careful about her outbursts.

She had been following the whole discussion and she had an idea about what was going on. However she wanted to see a few things and it was a case. Maybe working it would give some ideas for her problem. She looked at the boys expectantly.

Dean looked at Sam and then said, "Well one less witch bitch the better. Sam?"

"Fine with me."

"Great. Twenty minutes work for you Angie?" He gave a smirk, "I know ladies like to take their time in the morning."

"Only if it is worth the effort," Angela replied with a smirk. She collected the papers and said, "See you in twenty." Then she left leaving the brothers to pack their gear up.

"Sam you want to explain why we have stopped in the middle of nowhere when we have a case waiting for us in Lakota?"

Dean's question was rhetorical but it served to vent his lack of patience at the moment. They were a little more than halfway to Lakota when Angela asked him to stop. Dean thought it was a restroom break or something like that but they had been waiting for nearly half an hour and she still hadn't come back. Dean thought she was not being serious about the case. He paced outside the car feeling annoyed.

Sam sighed as Dean paced. He replied, "Dean I don't have any clue. This is Angie… well I think it is."

Dean raised his brow. Was Sam getting suspicious? That couldn't be good. "What's that supposed to mean?

Sam shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing really. It's… does it seem like she's different?"

"You would be too if you had freaky powers that come easier than before," Dean replied. "Leave it alone Sam." He saw the bitch face form and added, "Sam it worries me too…"

"You sure do a good job of showing it," Sam retorted before started to walk off in a direction.

Dean made a face as he followed his brother. He caught up with his brother and said, "Sam, quit being a bitch. Angie has things to work out inside that mind of hers." Dean could see that he was hardly being convincing to his brother. Angela would probably hate his guts if he said anything. Well maybe Sam should know. "Sam, it's…"

Dean didn't get to finish what he was saying when suddenly out popped a band of people, mostly women and a few men. They were dressed like hunters. Some were pointing guns at the brothers while others had other weapons at the ready. The leader was a woman wearing a short brown jacket over a shirt and jeans and knee high boots. She had blue eyes and dark hair and a scrutinizing expression. Dean thought she was a hot chick.

The woman advanced towards the brothers and said, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Trespassers milady."

The woman looked at the brothers. She replied, "It seems so." She looked at Dean and said, "This land is sacred to us. We don't take kindly to intruders."

"Here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Dean," Sam glanced at his brother. Maybe Dean didn't care that they had guns pointed at them but he did. It was also strange that there were no cops, nobody.

"Police are of no concern if they don't see anything," the woman said. "Now you both can come along quietly while we decide what to do with you trespassers." She motioned with eyes.

Dean waited until the guy made a move on his brother before striking. No one messed with Sam. He just got his brother back and he was feeling in an ass kicking mood. He held up his own until he was hit from behind. That got Sam into the fray and the both of them started the brawl. Fists started to fly and the guns were forgotten.

The woman watched on amused. She could take on the smaller one easily. He was a good fighter and a bit of a flirt. She had seen the look he had given her when she approached them. The other, the bigger one was something else. There was something different about him and she wanted to test her skills against him. As soon as he had been knocked free by one of her men, she walked up and said, "You're brave. Care to test your strength against me?"

Sam was only fighting because Dean decided to be stupid and take a swing. They were outnumbered and they had guns but that didn't seem to matter at this point since he and Dean were getting their asses handed to them even though they were holding their own. Now the leader was looking at him with a speculative eye. She asked him if he wanted to fight her. He really didn't but at this point there was little choice.

Sam held his fists up and was unprepared for the sudden strikes of the women. He was on his back quickly and she was in the process of trying to strangle him. Dean was no help since he was getting beat up by the others and he felt his air getting constricted. The woman said to him, "A pity. I thought you were stronger. For your brother's mistake, you'll pay trespasser."

Suddenly there was an undulating cry and the woman was knocked off of him. Sam gasped as he took deep breaths. He rolled over to see Angela giving a smile at the woman but it was a calculating smile. It was the kind that spoke of a love of battle. He watched as Angela brought her hands up and stood back in a ready stance.

The wait was interminable and Angela was beginning to think that they were being rude on purpose or something wrong had happened. She checked to make sure that she had done everything right in the summoning. It was unnecessary because she knew that she had done everything correctly so something was up. Dean's going to be pissed.

They had been on their way to Lakota when she saw they were driving by a familiar sight. She thought it was a good idea to ask them about what they knew of Lakota since it was primarily of their people's territory. They would know if there was witch activity and the like. So she asked Dean to pull over and to wait for her.

Now she was standing there looking like a fool. It was not like her to ignore a summons. Suddenly something ticked in her mind. She felt her eyes turn into glowing orbs and then it was gone. She looked around but that nagging feeling was still going strong. Her boys were in trouble. How or why she didn't know but she was certain they were in trouble. She left the area after grabbing the medallion she had used for the summoning. She only had one and they were extremely hard to come by.

She ran through the fields heading back towards the car. It was then she caught sight of a fight that was going badly for the boys. She watched Dean get taken on by five of them and then Sam was pummeled by another. She could see that his air was getting choked out of him. Oh no. That wasn't going to happen. No one messed with those boys.

Angela put a spurt of energy into her legs as she took off running. She felt a surge of pleasure as she let out the war cry that came as natural as breathing and she made contact with the woman that had been choking Sam. She assumed a basic fighting position as she grinned at the woman. She said, "You picked the wrong hunters to mess with."

"And ye should have taught them respect." The woman then launched into and attack with her own cry.

Angela reacted with a block and counter strike. She had her teeth gritted but she was smirking in pleasure as her limbs made contact. She didn't even flinch when a kick caught her across the face. It just spurred her on. She flipped over the woman to where Dean was having trouble and grabbed one of the men that had been gaining up on him and threw him with force at the woman.

The others tried to take her on and she used things there. She found one of the assailant's guns on the ground. Using the toe of her boot she lifted it up and with a spinning back kick she sent it flying until it hit one of them in the chest. By that time, Dean was on his feet but he didn't see someone come up from behind with a sword raised to him on the back of the head. Angela reacted by a running started and she put her hands on Dean's shoulders and flipped over them to land in front of Dean's attacker and gave a quick punch that had the guy land on his rear.

Dean turned to look. "Damn Angie."

He was then bent over as Angela pushed on his shoulder and she swung her lower body around with a kick. Dean felt himself dragged by his jacket until he was next to Sam who was rubbing his neck and trying to get up. She stood herself between them and the guys that he decided to throw a punch at. She had her hands up ready to get the next one. Dean watched as they closed in on them. They were outnumbered.

"Enough."

Angela didn't back down. After all some of the others weren't backing down. She narrowed her eyes at the woman before a slow smile crept on her face. It became a smirk as she lowered her hands and relaxed her fighting stance. She then said, "Realized it was a stalemate didn't ya Philly?"

The woman gave a smile even as one of her men asked, "You know them milady?"

The woman replied, "They are the Winchesters and this is Absolution."

"I wield Absolution," Angela replied as she walked towards the woman. She gripped her wrist in the warrior grasp. "It's been a very long time Philadelphia."

Philadelphia returned the grip equally firm. "Too long. I apologize for not responding but when it was detected that there were trespassers, we had to respond. I'm afraid your friends strayed off the safety zone through no fault of their own."

"So that's why you decided to ambush us?"

"Dean," Sam rasped.

Philadelphia walked forward until she was looking at Dean, "If I recall, I said for you to come with us and your fate would be decided. You were the one that threw the first punch. So to be like children, you started it."

Angela suspected as much and she didn't want to get into an argument right now. She said, "What's done is done. I initiated the summoning rite when I spotted the marker. I thought it strange at first since last I heard the whole nation was in Britannia."

Philadelphia looked over at her men and then at Angela. She did owe this old friend an explanation but then again there were things that were not water under the bridge as the expression went. That was part of the reason why she didn't respond as fast as protocol demanded. It was related to the fact that there were too few of her tribe.

Still it was rude if no explanation given even if her old friend's companion started the fight. Philadelphia knew that she was still under obligation to answer whatever her old friend wanted to know until the words of farewell were spoken. There were also a few others who wanted to see her again and of course the elders wanted to as well. They would know about her being here by now.

Looking at the trio, she said, "Much has happened since you last passed through. I cannot say much here." She made a slight motion with her head. "The laws of the nation…"

"I understand," Angela replied. "May we have permission to enter your lands?"

Philadelphia nodded. "You have permission. You may bring your car to our settlement." She then barked an order to her men and started heading in.

Dean waited until they started moving before saying, "Another one of your friends Angie?"

Angela led the way back to the car after making sure the boys were okay. She gave a wry smile. "Old friends from long ago, Dean."

Sam rubbed his neck as he followed along. "How old?"

Angela gave a wry smile back towards Sam. "You really want to know?"

It was moments later they were in the Impala and Angela was driving down the path. At first Dean put up a fuss about off roading in the Impala. However when Angela started driving, it was discovered that the path was not as rough as it appeared to be. Angela was driving with a calm air about her while she waited for Dean to calm down. She said, "Don't worry Dean, I'll give her a spit and shine once we pull into Lakota."

"I'll hold you to that Angie and I'll be doing a close inspection when you're done," Dean replied with a slight pout on his face.

Angela grinned and replied, "Don't worry. Every last speck of dirt from this trail will be removed. And I might add something to sweeten the deal." She gave a slight chuckle to taunt Dean into guessing what she was going to add.

"Don't tell me you got pie stashed in my baby somewhere," Dean inquired. Since he was in the backseat, he had more freedom in searching the car. He started moving around and looking through the empty bags and the small bag that stayed there. "Please tell me it's pie."

Angela let out a laugh. She loved teasing Dean with her pie. She always managed to keep a few pieces stashed in the car. She knew that when Dean needed time to mellow out, pie was the answer. She always found a way to grab his attention with the pie. One backfired though when the piece she was going to tempt him with ended up on his face but it worked out since he enjoyed the pie anyway. "I might have a piece somewhere hidden along with my version of trail mix and dried fruit. Thing is I can't remember where each one is."

Dean gave a look and said, "You're doing that on purpose."

"When did you guess Dean?" Sam gave a chuckle as he watched his brother look for the pie that Angela kept to persuade Dean. The sorry thing was that Dean had no idea she was bribing him with pie whenever she wanted something. Or if he did know, then he was at the point where he didn't care.

"Shut up Sam. There's pie on the line and it's worth it even if we have to meet some crazy friends of Angie's." Dean stopped looking around the back seat for pie. If Angela had pie somewhere she was not going to hide it in obvious places. She would spring it on him when he least expected it and it was never the same kind twice in a row.

"They aren't crazy. Just a very old Celtic order of warriors," Angela replied as she turned the car into a clearing that was just outside the huts of the village. She gave a slight smile as she saw the familiar buildings. It seemed so out of place in the modern world but it brought back a sense of nostalgia mingled with a sense of apprehension. It had been a long time. She parked the car. "Well, we're here. They may be able to tell us about our witch problem." She got out.

Sam took the opportunity to turn and look at Dean. Dean looked back and gave a shrug of his shoulders. Sam took the opportunity to ask, "Well what do you think?"

Dean looked at the huts and the people coming out. Some were greeting Angela with hugs and pats and she was smiling in return. It had been some time since he had seen her smile like that. How could it hurt? She did save their asses once again. Then he saw something that decided it for him. He looked at Sam and replied, "I think I'm going to grab an early lunch." He got out of the car leaving Sam to shake his head in a tolerant manner as he got out of the car and was surrounded by a small group of children.

A/N: Didn't see that now did ya? Angie has a "Xena" moment and actually had fun with it. Seems that things are a bit off but the song is still the same: anyone who messes with the Winchesters mess with her. Now that Sam is surrounded by kids, what will happen next? Find out next time on Flight of the Song...