Angel thought of nothing but the man in black all day. Who was he? Why was he following her? Maybe he was a demon. She couldn't be sure, but now it was all she could focus on. She remembered him clearly. One blue eye and one brown eye. A very symmetrical face, and a strong jawline. All day she kept remembering him; he was the centre of her focus.

It had gotten dark so Angel and Dean were staking out Hunter's Point. There was a shrill scream, and Dean readied his gun. They found the werewolf dragging a hooker across the ground. "Hey!" Dean yelled as he aimed his gun at the werewolf. The werewolf was, in fact, Madison's neighbour Glen. As he looked up to see Dean, he fired his weapon, planting three silver bullets into the werewolf's chest.

He fell to the ground, the hooker wheezing hysterically as she scrambled to her feet. She looked to Dean and Angel before taking off in the other direction. "Hey, don't mention it!" Dean shouted at her. They approached Glen as he choked on his own blood. Within seconds his fangs retracted and the blue in his eyes returned to dark brown.

"It happened... again," he muttered. "Where am I?" He looked up to Dean and Angel. "H-help me. Oh god. Oh my god."

"Alright, easy, Glen," Angel spoke softly. "Just take it easy." All they could do was watch Glen die, his eyes glazing over and staring into nothingness.

~

"It was sorta sad, actually," Dean said to Sam as they sat in the Impala the next morning, Angel in the back. "Glen had no clue what was going on."

Angel thought of something. "Hey, why do you think he turned Madison instead of just killing her in the first place?"

"I don't know. I mean, he kind of seemed to have a thing for her." Sam pointed out.

"Maybe his primal instinct did, too. Maybe he was looking for a little, uh, hot breeding action," Dean grinned.

"Yeah. Something like that."

After a beat, Dean spoke again. "So?"

Sam looked at him. "So what?"

"Speaking of Madison...."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me, man, you liked her. Maybe, uh-"

"Dean, she thought I was a stark-raving lunatic."

Angel cut in. "Ya know, Sam, women are practically slaves to that sense of excitement and danger. All that adrenaline rushing through her veins, one thing leads to another, and, well...."

"Not to mention you saved her life," Dean added.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that."

Madison peered in through the car window. "You know, for a stakeout, your car's a bit suspicious. What are you still doing here?"

Dean replied, "Honestly? Uh, we're pretty sure you're not gonna turn tonight, but we've gotta be a hundred percent, so... you know, we're lurking."

"I know this sounds crazy."

"Sure does," Madison concurred. "Well, if we're gonna wait it out, we might as well do it together."

They went inside, Madison closing the door behind them. "You were telling the truth, weren't you? About everything. What you did -- it was to help me."

"Yeah," Sam replied.

"I did all of those horrible things... when I turned."

"You didn't know."

After a pause, she spoke again. "So, when will we know for sure? Moonrise?"

"No, I don't think so. You turned middle of the night last night. I think we've gotta hang in until sunup."

"Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a few hours to kill," Dean smirked. "Poker, anyone?"

Angel returned the smirk. "Sure if you want me to hand you your ass on a gold platter."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you think you've got some moves?"

"Oh, I've got moves like you wouldn't believe."

Many hands later, after Angel called all four of Dean's bluffs, and he didn't notice any of hers, she reigned supreme. "Call me Bob Saget, 'cause I've got myself a full house." She laid out her cards victoriously, leaving Dean dumbfounded.

"Unbelievable. You gotta be hiding cards somewhere."

"Nope. I'm just better than you, dude."

He scoffed in disbelief. "What master of poker taught you so well?"

She remembered him well. "Old friend. Haven't seen him much since... Never mind, it doesn't matter." But it did matter. He might've been dead and she had no idea.

"I'm glad we weren't playing for money. I'd be more broke than I already am," Dean chuckled. He noticed Angel's faraway look. "Hey, you okay?"

She snapped back to reality. "Oh, yeah, just a bit tired, that's all."

"How long's it been since you slept?"

She remembered telling him about her less than outstanding sleep schedule. "Oh, only... six days."

"Oh is that all?" He remarked sarcastically. "What could be keeping you up for six days?"

"It's... nothing. Insomnia or whatever I guess." Full bluff.

He nodded. "You know, for such a good poker player, you kinda suck at bluffing in the real world."

She rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Really."

"If it's really nothing, you should get some sleep."

She didn't reply, she only stared down at her hands as they lay on the table. She knew it wasn't healthy to be this sleepless, but she'd grown used to the fatigue and weary eyes. She wanted to cry every minute of the day, but the way she and Rachel were fighting, how could she not?

Speak of the devil, her phone rang, and she knew it was Rachel. She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly why she was calling.

"I should take this outside." She approached the door, answering the phone on the way out. "Oh, hey Rachel! Make it quick, I'm out hooking up with some sleazy bimbo!" She spat sarcastically as she slammed the door.

They spent at least twelve minutes fighting, Angel trying to keep it quiet, but every time she whispered, Rachel thought it meant she was with someone. She was being impossible these days; it was as if Angel couldn't leave the house without Rachel thinking she was cheating. So yet again they rehashed the same old fight, which was all they ever did. Angel tried to explain to her that it was for work, but when Rachel asked what kind of work, she found it difficult to elaborate, which lead to even more yelling.

After they hung up -- or to be more precise, Rachel hung up on her -- Angel threw down her phone, sitting against the wall trying not to cry. She loved Rachel, but it was so difficult for her. There was a time when Rachel trusted her with her life, but now she couldn't talk on the phone with someone without Rachel getting jealous. Loving that girl was exhausting.

As she hugged her knees to her chest, the door opened, Sam stepping out. "Hey. Um... couldn't help but notice a little tension." He closed the door, sitting in front of it to see her at eye level.

"It's nothing." Angel brushed it off.

"Didn't... sound like nothing."

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Tears brimmed her eyelids, threatening to fall. Her throat burned as she fought not to cry.

"Who's Rachel?"

She looked at him with reddening eyes. "My girlfriend. We've been fighting, that's all. She thinks I'm cheating."

He nodded. "Right. Well, I'm pretty sure saying you're hooking up with a... 'sleazy bimbo' doesn't exactly help your case."

She scoffed, looking away from him. "I love her but she's acting like a total psycho. I'm always leaving on cases, but she gets suspicious. I try to tell her it's for work but... then she asks questions I just don't know how to answer."

"Look, I get it. I had a girlfriend who didn't know about my... hunting life. Back when I decided to quit and go to college."

She raised an eyebrow. "You quit hunting? Seriously? Well, I see that worked out splendidly for you."

He grinned at the sarcasm. "Yeah. Dean dragged me back in when our dad went missing. And... well, my girlfriend Jessica was killed by a demon."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I... I've lost someone like that once. I don't really like to talk about it." She especially didn't care for the topic around other hunters, but that was for a different reason.

"Anyway, if Rachel is that jealous, there doesn't seem to be much trust in the relationship. I mean, I don't wanna seem like I'm trying to pry but there needs to be a foundation of trust in any relationship."

She knew he was right. She just didn't wanna admit it. "I love her. A lot. I just wish I could tell her everything."

"How long have you been fighting?"

"Depends; could you remind me what century it is?" She sighed, sarcasm being her only escape from the drama of reality. "Too long, few weeks I think. Four or twelve or something. I lost count."

"Sounds rough."

She looked at him incredulously. "Really? 'Sounds rough'? That's the best you got? I'm...," she lost her train of thought amongst the fog of sleep deprivation. "What was I saying?" She rubbed her face, yearning for a cup of coffee at that particular moment.

"You're exhausted, you should sleep."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm fine," she murmured as she held her head in her hands, eyes wanting badly to close. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine."

She looked to him with tears blotting her sight. "I'm fine," she managed before the tears leaked from her eyes. She didn't want to become emotional, but with her mental state, it was only a matter of time before she broke down. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm - I'm fine," she sniffed, wiping tears from her reddened cheeks.

Suddenly Angel's thoughts were pulled to the man in black who had seemingly been following her. What if he was an illusion caused by her lack of sleep? This was, of course, plausible. Maybe she'd been getting herself worked up over nothing. Although, he was quite detailed for an illusion. It was difficult to say, but one thing was certain; his aura was positively glowing and radiant.

Sam began to speak, bringing her focus back to him. "Look, I know you're proud or something, but you're exhausted and you need to sleep."

"Why d'you care? You don't know me."

"I know you well enough. I know you're going through a hard time but you need to sleep."

She scoffed, her eyes feeling like concrete. "Fine. I'll go in there, I'll... but I'm not gonna sleep. I'm gonna just... sit there."

They went inside, Angel sitting on the couch. "Still not sleeping," she mumbled to herself. She crossed her arms and sat there stubbornly, feeling herself getting heavier every second. "Nope. Not sleeping."

She was unsure of the reason she refused to sleep at this point. Either way, she wouldn't do it, or so she thought. She soon fell over on her side, sleep taking her over almost instantly.

~

She was in the dark of the woods, a heavy fog filling the air around her. She stood in front of a river, seeing a man's figure across the way. It was the man in black, his one blue eye sparkling in the moonlight.

"Who are you?" Angel asked. "What do you want?"

"My apologies," he spoke with a soft English accent. "We haven't been properly introduced. My name shall remain unspoken. After all, there is much power in names. And what I want -- what I need -- is simple; you."

She didn't understand. "Me? What do you want with me?"

"Your unwavering loyalty. Your trust."

She scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, 'cause you being shady is sure to win my trust."

"Yes, I realize I have not exactly been... straightforward with you. But I assure you, my intentions are pure. You are far more powerful than you realize, my dear. With my help, you can unleash your full potential."

"Ha. Yeah. Sure. You're insane. I'm not that powerful, dude. I'm just your standard psychic with basic powers up my sleeve. Not exactly exciting unless you're a muggle."

He gave her a curious look, clearly not understanding the reference. "Your powers are only basic because you are sheltering yourself. You can do so much more. And I can teach you."

"Why are you here now? You could've chosen any moment to show up, but you chose now. Why?"

He paused for a moment. "There is a danger. Far beyond the time of now, but it does loom. I cannot divulge the details here, but I promise you, this is far beyond anything you've faced before."

"Gee, Gladys, could you be more vague? I'm gonna call you Gladys just because I can and you won't tell me your name. Which is, by the way, extremely shady."

He looked around before looking back to her. "My time here has run out. If you should wish to see me again, check your left pocket."

She scoffed. "Why would I want to-"

She jumped awake, the sunrise peering through the windows. Strange dream.

(A/N: yo I haven't been writing this one for a while but I'll try to write more often hopefully so yeah sorry.)