The Winchester Three (S3): The Aftermath

Ch 9 Section 5

Bobby, Sam and Dean all came around the corner and walked down the motel hallway together. Sam took out the key to the room as Bobby turned to him.

"So you did a little dream-weaving of your own in there, huh?"

"Yeah." Sam shrugged, "I just sort of concentrated and it happened, you know?"

"Didn't have anything to do with..." Dean cocked his eyebrow, "You know, your psychic stuff?"

Sam looked at him and then Bobby who was also waiting for an answer as they stopped walking.

"No." He quickly shook his head, "I mean, I don't think so."

"Good." Dean nodded with a smile, although it didn't reach his eyes, "Good."

Sam swallowed, looking a little worried as he and Bobby continued walking down the hallway with him slowly following after.

"The hell were you when all this went down?"

"Got caught in one of Angels freakin bug nightmares." Dean shuddered, "Trapped in a box with a bunch of roaches." He grumbled, "Horrible."

Back in the motel room...

Angel was on the phone with her back to the door. She hung up when she heard the boys come in and turned to them.

"Have any of you seen Bela?" She asked, "She's not in her room or answering her phone."

Sam closed the door, "She must've taken off or something."

"Don't you think it's a little weird she took off that abruptly?"

Bobby shrugged, "If you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place."

Dean frowned, "I thought you saved her life."

Confusion filled the older man's face, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The thing in Flagstaff."

"That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet." Bobby explained as the Winchesters each frowned, "I gave her a good deal, that's all."

Angels eyebrows knotted up in confusion as she put her hands on her hips. Dean got confused as well, closing his mouth. Sam turned around and looked at both of them, equally confused, before turning back to Bobby.

"You three better check your pockets." He rolled his eyes when the three of them indeed reached into their pockets, "Not literally."

Dean stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up at Sam and Angel before turning to the safe in the closet. Sam and Angel each follow his gaze and stiffen as well.

Dean hurriedly walked over to it, "No, no, no."

When he opened it, all of the blood drained from Angel's face at the realization that it was empty. She stumbled back and sat on the couch, body trembling, as she realized the last sliver of hope she had at not going to Hell jut slipped through her fingers.

"The Colt." Sam scoffed as Dean slammed the safe shut, "Bela stole the Colt."

Bobby reeled at that, "Damn it!"

Dean immediately went into hyper drive as he walked over to his bag on the couch, "Pack your crap."

"Why? Wh-" Angel struggled to keep the fear from her voice as she looked up at her little brother, "Where are we going?"

"We're gonna go hunt the bitch down."

A little while later the three of them were standing by the open trunk of the impala. Dean was zipping his bag closed as Sam put his own in there. After Angel put hers in next she sighed and looked up at them.

"Hey, I've been wondering something." She leaned on the side of the impala as she looked between them, "When you two were in my head, what did you see?"

"Well..." Dean shrugged, "I won't tease you about your bug thing anymore, that's for sure."

Angel grimaced as she immediately knew what nightmare he was referring to, "Coffin full of roaches?"

Dean shuddered, "It was horrible."

"Yeah. I know." She nodded with him before her eyes went to her youngest brother, "Sammy?"

"Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you guys. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess." Dean scoffed at that as Angel nodded slowly, "What about you? You never said."

"Nothing." She lied as she shook her head, "I was looking for you two the whole time."

Dean watched her closely as he took the keys out the lock to the trunk and closed it. Deciding to let it go he shrugged at Sam before the three of them got into the car.

A pained look crossed Angel's face as she settled into the backseat, "Boys..." Both of them turned around and eyed her worriedly at the emotion clear as day in her eyes, "I- I've been doing some thinking, and..." She cleared her throat and refused to let the tears that threatened to spill out fall, "I don't wanna die." Both of their expressions softened and saddened as they watched her struggle, "I don't wanna go to hell, boys."

Sam swallowed thickly as he and Dean looked at one another sadly. Neither answered right away but soon Sam broke the silence.

"Alright." He nodded his head softly, "Yeah."

"Hey..." Dean reached back and grabbed her hand to squeeze it in reassurance, "We're gonna find a way to save you, Ang."

Angel's jaw tensed as she looked between them and then away as she nodded, "Okay." She sniffled and cleared her throat of emotion before looking back at them with a small smile, her voice was still a little shaky, "Okay, good."

They each nod at her in reassurance before turning around. Dean turned the key in the impala as Angel frowned and looked out the window. The words from her dream-self still echoed menacingly in her head.

"You can't escape me, Angel. You're gonna die. And this? This is what you're gonna become!"