Death in the Mountains

The Supernatural and Sharyn McCrumb story elements are not mine.

Thanks to Anon & Clonesofconfusion for taking the time to comment!


Sam drifted back into consciousness slowly, free of pain. At first he didn’t want to open his eyes, afraid of seeing the accusing stares of Jessica and whoever had died that night because of him. Eventually he gave in, realizing he couldn’t put it off forever.

He was surprised to see he was in his room back on the farm, staring up at the shadow patterns on the ceiling that the trees outside the windows made. From the angle of the sun it must be early afternoon. Was he still alive? Sam touched his face, amazed to feel smooth skin, and then noticed that his left hand was whole. This couldn’t be possible. He had to be dead. Then another thought chilled him. Was he a ghost? Was he ‘walking’ because of his guilt? “Oh, God,” he prayed, “please let Dean find me and salt and burn my bones. Dear God, don’t let me become one of the monsters we hunt. Please don’t let anyone else die because of me. I’ll gladly go to Hell, just don’t let anyone else die.” The past few days had confirmed Sam’s wavering faith.

Sam felt something on the top of his head; he reached up, touching fur and almost cried. Star, was she dead, too? Trapped here with him because she was his familiar? He lifted the little white-and-grey kitten and placed her on his chest. She was still unconscious and limp, but breathing. After few shallow, jerky breaths Sam got the courage to look around him.

The furniture had been moved around the room a bit, but he was relieved to see Nora, sitting next to the bed. He was sure she could see and speak with him even if he were dead. She was smiling at him with tears on her cheeks, but she looked jubilant, not grieving.

“Nora.” Sam breathed, begging for answers. Nora just smiled more widely and sobbed softly, trying to speak.

“Sammy, child, you’re alive. Praise the Good Lord, you’re alive.”

Sam touched his chest, his cock and balls, too stunned to be embarrassed. A gentle stroke felt good; he was relieved. He carefully sat up and put Starlight back on his pillow. He doubled over on himself, crying as if his whole being was breaking. The entire bed shook as sobs ripped from his tall frame. He felt Nora wrap her arms around him in a comforting embrace, firm and strong for such an old woman.

Everything felt so intense. He could feel every thread in the sheet he was sitting on, he could feel the hairs touching his forehead. The soft linen of Nora’s dress caressed his bare back and shoulders. The thing that felt best to Sam, though, was Nora’s warm hand stroking his bare back and the gentle breeze coming in from the window on his chest. He could feel the life in Nora’s hands, feel her relief and joy, her worries lifting from her, how deep and rich her inner life was, despite spending so much of her life in isolation in her mountain home. Sam could feel her love for this place, for this land. The wind blew, the leaves on the trees outside the window rustled, birds sang.

Sam felt as if his heart would burst and something was breaking inside of him. A hard veil of grief cracked, the walls he built around himself to lock away his abilities and his emotions were crumbling.

Suddenly Griffin was there, rubbing against the chest and shoulders, trilling, purring and pawing at the hands covering his face. He looked up at his brother’s familiar, a moment of dread gripping him. Where was Dean?

“It’s all right, Sammy. Dean is alive; everyone made it through the night. No one else died. Dean’s slowed down a bit, but he’s on his way.” Before Sam could do more than straighten up Dean came limping into the room. Nora moved away from Sam and sat down again.

* * *

Dean limped into the room; between the drugs and the situation he’d been on edge all day. He wrapped his arm around his cracked ribs, trying to hold back sobs; he didn't want to upset his brother. Being told Sam was going to be okay and actually seeing him sitting up and being held by Nora were two very different things. Griffin had shot into the room before him and was trying to comfort Sam. He was rubbing all over Sam as if he was trying to stroke every square inch of him with his fur.

Sam looked up, hazel brown eyes wide in confusion. “Dean?” he asked, shaking slightly. The expression on Sam’s face seemed desperate, and he reached a hand out to his brother.

Dean took his hand, shakily plastering on his trademark smirk. “Dude, welcome back to the land of the conscious; at least this time I didn't have to tie you up while you got over a psychic moment.”

Memories flooded over from last night. Sam asking him to kill him, Sam wanted to leave him last night; he’d wanted to give up after everything. Suddenly he couldn’t hold back his anger. “You little shit, how could you have asked me to kill you last night? How could you even think of leaving me? Especially now!”

Fresh tears over spilled Sam’s eyes as Nora retreated, letting the brothers hash things out on their own. Sam’s voice dropped to a trembling whisper. “Dean, I - I thought other people - Vera - are we really alive?”

Dean was trying and failing to reign in his anger. “Do I have to kick your stupid ass to convince you?”

Sam touched his face. It was obvious he still didn’t really understand. “But - but - Dean, - how Dean?”

Dean sat on the bed next to Sam, groaning. "Watch the ribs, got broke again."

“You’re hurt? What about Vera and Jay? Nora said they both lived?”

Dean looked away, upset, tired of trying to control his own wild and desperate emotions. “Do you really think even a demon can shut Vera up? It tossed her into the altar but she’s going to be okay. She’s downstairs playing Sleeping Beauty again. Jay's over there. I think he fell down every hill he could find; probably trying to impress you.”

* * *

Sam flinched, ignoring his brothers’ jokes. He could feel Dean's fear and anger as if he was touching him; he could tell Dean was being evasive. Sam gathered up his courage and asked, “How bad?”

Dean shook head. "Vera looks worse than she is. Jay’s beat up pretty bad but nothing that won’t heal in a week.”

Sam crumpled in on himself, flooded with a bitter guilt. Ravenmocker said people would die or get hurt. “All of you were hurt because of me.”

Sam could feel Dean's anger subside as he tried to comfort him. "Did Nora tell you how you got better so fast?"

Sam tried to sift through all of Dean's emotions; he couldn't understand how he was feeling him so strongly he replied disjointedly. “A healer - oh! That guy last night.” Sam frowned in confusion; he remembered seeing that man before, but from where? “He said he was fast enough to save me this time, but - I know him from someplace. I can't –“

Dean nodded, “There is a group of Hunters that took over the farm. They have a healer, Sam I never saw anything like it. He just put his hands on you and you were healed. I swear I thought I was in the twilight zone again.”

Sam was quiet for a long while processing his miraculous healing, the emotions slamming into him from Dean, his concern for Starlight and the mystery of where he saw this healer before. Nora packed up a sweater she was knitting and quietly left. “Native American dude, short hair?” Sam asked.

“Yeah," Dean nodded, "He seemed to know me, but I don't remember him before last night.”

Sam’s gaze became intense. “Is he still here?”

* * *

Dean snorted, then gripped his ribs and winced in pain. "Try to get rid of them. There must be 15 people downstairs, most of them from this Comacine Order. Clayt and his family are here because some other Order called the Knights tried to kidnap Kelly and Kayla this morning."

His brother looked at him blankly, like he didn't quite comprehend what he was saying. “I want to see Jay.” Sam got up abruptly from the bed, put on some clothes and walked over to the corner where Jay lay unconscious.

Dean groaned, knowing his own reaction to seeing Jay. Sam could only be worse. “Dude”, Dean warned, “he’s in pretty rough shape, but nothing that won’t heal.”

Sam’s expression was terrifyingly stiff as he gazed down a Jay for a long moment. Dean could feel Sam’s mental shift and it wasn’t good. He struggled to get to his feet and get to Sam; Dean had learned quickly the fastest way to calm Sam down was through touch. Dean limped the few steps to him and grabbed Sam’s arm.

Dean could feel so many conflicting emotions in his brother; fear, outrage, deep affection, confusion, sexual attraction and an almost feral protectiveness. The last one was so intense it frightened him. Sam reached out one hand and ghosted it along one side of Jay’s bruised and swollen face then ran his fingers gently through his short, dark hair. “Calm down Sam, losing it now will only hurt Jay and Star.”

Sam’s voice was soft and so low Dean had to strain to hear it, but was glad to feel him begin to get himself under a little more control. “I want to know what happened to Jay.” Shit, Sam’s emotions were going very cold, even if he was no longer in a rage. Dean swallowed, still gripping Sam’s arm. “It was pretty rough last night; I know he fell a few times when we were out looking for you. We found Kathy first and he took her to the hospital while Vera, Joe and I kept looking for you. He might have fallen a few more times.” Sam said nothing but stared at what were obviously handcuff injuries on his wrist. Sam’s touched one gently with his finger tips, and Dean could feel his realizations that those had not come from falling down a hill.

“I want whoever did this, Dean. I want them!” Sam said venomously.

Dean took a deep breath; he had to get Sam to control himself. He continued to downplay the incident. “It was just a kid Sam, relax!”

Sam looked confused again. “A kid?”

“He doesn't look any older than 15 or so. I don't think he was supposed to be involved last night; he helped save Vera somehow.”

Sam turned on him and looked angry for a moment because he was defending whoever had beaten Jay. Then Dean could see and feel Sam begin to crumble, his face going pale and a flare of emotional pain from him. “I don't understand Dean - I can't I just - I can't - everything, all at once, I can't...” The dresser began to shake ominously.

“Sammy! Oh shit, don’t go Carrie on me.” Dean tensed up, ready to throw himself onto Sam. Where was Nora?

Suddenly Sam’s face went blank for a moment and then he calmed. He was still angry, upset and a little scared, but no longer on the edge of going rogue. Ben, Atin and Mike quickly appeared at the door.

“Hey Sam,” Ben’s voice was soft and reassuring as he entered the room. “We’re glad to see you’re awake.”

Sam stared at him for a moment. “I remember you from last night. You..." Sam broke off, confused again.

“Made you feel better?” Ben supplied.

Sam looked relieved that Ben had explained it for him. “Yeah, uh, thanks.”

Ben just smiled. “You are most welcome. Why don’t you sit down? You’ve been through a lot.”

Sam began to scowl again. “You hurt Jay.”

Ben didn’t deny it. “Yes, but we didn’t understand that he was helping you and Dean. Some of his injuries were from helping the girl, but we hurt him too. We are going to take care of him until he’s better.”

Dean could still feel Sam’s anger, but it was no longer a blind fury. Ben had done something to Sam and Dean watched him suspiciously. He wondered how they appeared so quickly. Now was not the time to confront Ben, not with Sam acting so oddly.

Sam continued to glare at Ben, glancing at Atin and Mike as if he was evaluating all of them. The three Comacines were calm, but Dean could tell they were ready to act if needed. Ben was almost serene, talking slowly and in simple sentences. Dean didn’t get the feeling that Ben was talking down to him. It was more like he had a lot of respect for Sammy and knew he was having problems. He quickly introduced himself, Mike and Atin.

Sam moved suddenly toward the bed and Dean, still gripping Sam's arm, took an involuntary step on his sprained ankle. He quickly released his hold on Sam's arm but he was off balance and tried to overcorrect. The movement caused Dean to gasp in pain and grab his ribs. His stomach spasmed and his vision began to grey out.

The next thing he knew Mike was helping him lie down while Sam hovered, eyes wide. Ben was reassuring Sam that Dean had just tried doing too much, too soon. Dean looked at Ben while shaking from pain and stress, "I'll take the codeine you offered." He had to get some control over the pain or he'd be no help to his team. Dean almost laughed through his pain; his team. He’d gone from being a wandering supernatural fighter to the head of a growing team of psychics and warriors, trying to get a secret society to leave a territory that now ‘belonged’ to him. Griffin broke off from grooming Star and began nuzzling his face, cheeping anxiously.

He saw Ben standing over him, looking upset. “I'll be right back.”

Sam was looking twitchy again. “Dude, I'm sorry - your ribs...”

Atin put a hand on Sam’s back, between his shoulder blades. “Calm down Sam, you’ve scared your brother and Hunt leader enough over the past few days. Don’t let yourself feel guilty over it; he’d have had to go after the demons even if you weren’t taken.” Sam jerked like he’d been slapped. Dean was torn between feeling justified and mad that Atin was busting on Sammy.

The only problem was that Mike was still lingering over him and frowning. Suddenly Dean’s ribs began to itch and burn like hell. Dean's fingers fumbled at the buttons on his shirt, what was happening to him?

Mike looked up to Atin. “Get Fawn to come up, would you?”

Dean moved irritably, trying to sit up to see what was going on with his ribs, the itching and burning sensation had stopped but he was still in a lot of pain. Mike put a hand on his chest holding him down and scowling at him. “Wait a bit. I'm working on you.”

Dean looked at Mike confused, "What?" He could hear someone running up the stairs. The little girl Dean had seen with Mike earlier ran into the room, excited and her eyes glittering.

“I get to heal someone?!” she asked breathlessly. Ben was on her heels; he took in the situation, smiled and quietly went away, dragging Atin with him.

Mike smiled indulgently, the lines in his harsh face softening. “Yes, but you have to listen to me, okay? His ribs are cracked.” He gently opened up Dean’s unbuttoned shirt exposing his chest. “Dean, this is going to hurt a little.”

Dean already was in too much pain to respond, he lay there taking shallow breaths. Mike took the girl's hands and placed them on his ribcage. He flinched at the slight pressure of her hands.

“Feel his ribs?" Mike instructed, "Do you feel those hot spots? Okay, that's where I want you to work.”

Dean closed his eyes and groaned. He just wanted the pain to stop. Sam hovered behind Mike and the girl, watching, his eyes intent under his shaggy hair. “Just like on your brother's puppy,” Mike encouraged.

Dean felt the itching and burning sensation again but slowly the pain receded until it was totally gone. He gasped in relief. He felt a bone deep exhaustion and he struggled to stay awake. Griffin was purring in his ear, a soothing sound.

“Good job Fawn!” Mike’s voice was warm with approval and affection.

Dean found himself wondering at the guy. He was pretty nasty to Pascal downstairs, but now he sounded like the father of the year. “You did great! Didn't she, Dean?”

Dean decided that he’d fallen down another rabbit hole. He gave Fawn a surreal smile, "Just great." Dean barely got the words out before he slipped into a deep and exhausted sleep with the purrs of his familiar in his ear.

* * *

Sam could see the healing power Mike and Fawn had used on Dean, but why was Dean asleep if he was better? Fawn looked upset. She echoed his thoughts, "Was he supposed to do that?"

Mike reassured Fawn and Sam, "Healing uses a lot of energy, both his and yours. He's really tired, but he's better."

Sam wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself. Now he understood why Dean said he felt like he was in the twilight zone when Dean saw him being healed. "You did to him what you did to me," Sam said in a slightly awestruck voice. He knew Dean was fine since Griffin didn't look unhappy with what happened to his human. In fact, the young cat looked absolutely delighted. He was bright-eyed and occasionally chirped at Mike.

Mike nodded; his face seemed lined with exhaustion, "Yes, as Hunt leader we need him up and around."

Sam looked hopefully at Fawn who still looked like she had lots of energy. "Did you say you healed a puppy? Do you think you could do my kitten?"

Fawn looked at the cute little kitten still curled up on the pillow, she begged, "Can I Mike! Please?"

Mike regarded her thoughtfully, "How do you feel, are you tired?"

Fawn was bouncing up and down. "No! Please let me heal the kitten, please!"

Mike smiled in amusement. "Go ahead."

Sam watched in keen interest as Fawn cradled Starlight in her hands and closed her eyes. She stroked the small kitten, and Sam could see the same green and silver energy around Star that had surrounded Dean earlier. Star suddenly perked up and squawked, reaching for Sam. Griffin trilled through his purrs and tried to get to Star.

Fawn grinned, but she looked tired.

"Wow, thank you Fawn. That's quite the gift you have there." He gently took Starlight from her hands, gave her a kiss and cuddle and put her on the bed next to Griffin who was desperate to get to her. Sam sat down on the bed, happy that Dean and Star were healthy and alive, hovering over them and Griffin protectively.

Mike smiled fondly at the little girl. "Yes, it is a very rare gift. We’re the only two known healers alive right now."

"Thank you for healing Dean." Sam looked down at Dean still sleeping soundly. "Will he sleep for long?"

"No, I'll be back soon to wake him up," answered Mike, "he needs to eat and so do you. Fawn you need to eat and then find Lin Yao. She's going to take care of you until I get home."

The little girl pouted at the reminder she was going to leave without Mike, but she must have been hungry since she left without arguing.

Sam regarded Mike thoughtfully, "I remember you now; I must have been four or five? It was a cold night."

Mike sat in the chair next to the bed, a bittersweet smile on his face. "Yes, it was in Colorado. Your father almost shot me."

Sam shook his head; his father had a consuming fear of losing his boys. "He was always worried we would get kidnapped. He beat that lesson into us enough."

Mike looked sad, "I'm sorry Sam. A lot of us were very concerned about you. People offered him a place to live, a place for you and Dean. I'm just sorry. No one wanted to kidnap you; we just wished your father would accept some help. We tried to get him to work with other Hunter lines."

Sam shrugged, "Not your fault. He had a lot of issues. Dean won't hear a word against him. But dad and I parted on bad terms. I got a scholarship to Stanford and he told me if I left to stay gone. I never saw him after that." Sam wished things could have been different, but at least he still had Dean. Sam felt a wave of possessiveness and protectiveness wash over him. He touched Dean's ribs as if to confirm that they were actually healed.

Mike regarded him quietly for a few moments, "Dean, well, we see that sometimes. It can hurt not to have the chance to tell someone goodbye."

Sam shrugged again thinking about finding their father's truck abandoned on the highway where the Lady in White haunted. The journal was still in the truck and beer bottles were on the floor. Sam wasn't overly surprised but Dean had been in total shock thinking his father had been taken out by a simple ghost; it was like his hero's wings had fallen off. "Dad and I never had a good relationship. Dean was more of a father to me than dad was." Sam looked at Mike and grinned, "But I'll deny it if you repeat that."

Mike laughed softly, his eyes crinkling, "Yes, there are things I'd never admit to Ben."

Sam looked at Mike in surprise, "Is he your brother? One of you was adopted?"

The healer laughed again and his harsh features transformed, "Technically, I was."

Sam looked down at Dean fondly. "He can be such a pain in the ass." But he wouldn't trade him for anyone. Sam was happy that everyone was alive and the pressure of his psychic abilities had been lifted off of him, even temporarily.

Mike's eyes twinkled, "I think that's true of all brothers. Ben is a few years older than I am. He was so protective of me, even when I first joined his family when I was four."

Sam smiled, "Guess that's the job of big brothers. Our job as little brothers is to piss them off."

Mike's eyes lit up in mischief, "I know I still annoy Ben."

Sam glanced up and saw Jay lying in the corner and bit his lip, guilty that he had asked for Star to be healed and not Jay. “Could you-“

Mike shook his head and raised a hand to stop him. “No, I’m sorry Sam. There is only so much either Fawn or I can do. Vera needs me far more than he does, and Fawn; well, I shouldn’t have allowed her heal Star. Vera could die or be paralyzed and Dean is the Hunt leader here. Jay is a junior Guardian and has no life threatening or potentially disabling injuries. I’m very sorry we added to his injuries, but we’ll take care of him until he heals. There were several misunderstandings last night and we have a lot to make up for. I know Pascal and Zip plan on apologizing to him, as will most of the members of the team.” Mike had a far away look in his eyes. “I’m not sure if anyone told you, but we almost killed Vera last night. Another unforgivable mistake, but we didn’t cause her injuries, and we will take care of her as well until she recovers.”

Sam stared at him a moment, and he could feel his anger building. Almost killed Vera? Then again, they’d healed him, healed Dean and Star. Ben was helping him even now, keeping his mind calm. Jay was hurt, Vera was apparently injured badly, but Mike said the Comacines would take care of them until they were better. Sam’s eyebrows knitted as he looked at Mike. He wasn’t sure what to think now.

:::

Sam was relieved Mike had left, leaving him alone with Dean and Jay, even though both of them were still asleep. It gave him time to think. He was conflicted, confused and afraid. Dean tried to hide from Sam his worry and fear of the situation and the Comacines but it was useless. Sam didn't even need to touch Dean to know, his empathic ability was hypersensitive. It comforted him to be able to feel Dean all the time now. Before, it was like Dean was always just out of reach.

Dean was like a cactus, he had a prickly personality on the outside but inside he was a big mushy sap where family was concerned. Sam leaned over to touch Dean's neck. Dean's feelings were muted in his sleep but he could still feel Dean's fear. Sam wasn't sure what had Dean so afraid of the Comacine Order; they said they knew they were wrong and were trying to fix things.

Ever since Sam woke up he could feel something in his mind. It was not quite a presence, not an entity but a connection. He gingerly probed the connection but there was no reaction. He didn't feel threatened by it and he knew it was connected to Ben, it was like a pressure relief valve, and it made him feel more comfortable. It was a relief to know he didn’t have to try controlling his psychic abilities right now. Dean, Vera and Jay had rescued him and the Comacines healed him. Sam felt that he owed all of them a great deal. He was still angry with the Coms for hurting Jay, but they said they’d make him better. They’d made him better and healed Dean, too. Sam trusted them, but he knew Dean didn’t. Sam was sure it was just a misunderstanding and he could help them work it out.

Sam heard Jay groan and stir on the mattress, he slowly and quietly moved over to Jay's bedside. The young Guardian sat up in a wide, glassy eyed panic. “Aunt Vera?!”

Sam jumped a little and flinched back, his voice was hoarse and tight. “Jay?”

Jay looked at Sam, wild-eyed and pale; confused and frightened. Sam could tell he was just as startled by Sam’s healing as Sam had been when he woke up. “Sam? Is that you?”

Sam reached out to touch Jay's arm. “Yeah, it's me. You okay?”

Jay’s face went slack with relief, but he looked confused again and burst into tears. "They killed Aunt Vera."

“No, no,” Sam tried to reassure him. “She’s still alive, it was a mistake, and they didn’t kill her. Nora said she was hurt but still alive, so did Dean.” Sam took Jay gingerly into his arms.

Jay clung to him, sobbing. "But I heard them talking, they plan to kill Aunt Vera and take us to Hawaii."

Sam felt his stomach flip and his anger built again as sobs racked Jay’s body. Jay shouldn’t be crying, he had to take care of him; fix things for him. He wasn’t going to let anyone make Jay cry.

Sam could feel a startled echo from Dean, who was apparently feeling Sam’s distress and anger even in his sleep. Sam tried to control his anger; he could take care of Jay. Dean needed to sleep and get better, too.

“Just before they drugged me this morning. They..." Jay was sobbing too hard to finish speaking. Sam hugged him harder, trying to push Jay’s emotional pain out.

Dean got out of bed; it was obvious he was still half asleep. He shook his head groggily, “What's going on?”

Sam tried shushing Jay. “They didn’t kill her, they won’t either. I won’t let them.” Sam was quiet, he didn’t think Mike and Ben would kill her; he just wanted to make Jay feel better, protected. Vera was hurt because of him so he had to take care of Jay while she recovered.

Dean limped over to them and put a hand on Sam's neck, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "She's alive, she's downstairs," he said projecting that he was absolutely sure she was alive.

Sam was relieved for Dean’s touch; he could feel himself trying to spin out of control, being triggered by Jay’s agony. He could still feel the gentle touch of Ben’s ‘safety valve’, but it was no replacement for his brother.

As if Sam’s thoughts summoned him, Ben all but ran into the room. “What happened?”

Jay suddenly screamed and tried backing away. Sam felt Dean’s anger and suspicion flare.

"What the hell did you people do to him?" growled Dean.

Ben seemed to wilt in on himself. Sam could feel Ben’s sharp regret, his blue eyes clouding. “It was bad last night; but Jay's going to heal. We need to work on him. Jay's been traumatized pretty badly. Dean, could you calm both of them down? I'll be down the hallway until you do. We don't want to sedate him again.” Jay tried to recoil, but Sam held him and wouldn’t let go.

Dean put his other hand on Jay's neck. "Focus you two. Come on work with me here. I'm not gonna to let them do anything else to you Jay. They know I’m Hunt leader now.” He glared at Ben who left the room but Sam could tell he was lurking outside the door.

Sam could feel the ‘safety valve’ working, he could still feel Jay’s grief and fear and Dean’s fury, but he was no longer on the edge of going rouge. He sighed in relief. Sam could feel his brother's flare of concern, but the Hunt leader turned his attention to Jay.

Dean shook the young Guardian gently. “Jay, tell me what's going on? What happened after I saw that little guy take you down last night?”

Jay’s eyes were still glassy from the sedatives he’d been forced to take. “They, they - that guy was Zip. He dragged me back to the downstairs bathroom, wouldn't let me leave until that Canadian guy came and got us. He’d brought Aunt Vera in -- people were yelling at him about it -- I could hear them. One of the guys didn't want to help her, and then all of a sudden they were dragging me in to channel energy to this Native American dude. He said he was healing her, but I didn't see any change. They just left her lying there after they took you and Sam upstairs. They tried to get me to take some pills and when I wouldn't they gave me a shot.”

Dean nodded. “I saw him this morning, his name is Pascal, and the healer is Mike. He is working on Vera; they have her in the downstairs bedroom. I saw her a little while ago; they brought in all this medical equipment for her.”

Jay sagged with relief in Sam’s arms. “Can I see her?”

He rubbed Jay’s back around Sam’s arms. “Yes, eventually. But you got to get under control first. All of Vera's shields are down and if you freak, you can hurt her.” Jay laid his head on Sam's shoulder and shuddered.

“What else did they do to you? I know they sedated you twice, what happened this morning before we woke up?”

Jay haltingly told Dean about his experiences the night before and the questioning that morning. "After a while they decided they couldn't get me to talk; they tried attacking me psychically, but they couldn't get to me, couldn't feel me. Atin kept getting upset 'cause he said I was disappearing. Started threatening me if I didn't stop but that just made things worse; I couldn’t stop it. Oh, Gods, I couldn't control it, and I’ve never lost control like that."

Dean grunted and stopped touching both Sam and Jay. Sam knew he was afraid of broadcasting his anger to them not realizing that he could feel Dean all the time now. "I set Ben straight in the kitchen earlier, told him about the bones, they no longer suspect you. They certainly have a lot to answer for Jay. Just keep it together or they'll be running back in here with the big needles."

The younger man couldn’t stop gasping. “You don't understand; I couldn't control it, and then another guy came in, some sort of special interrogator. He was one scary looking dude. He kept asking what they'd done to me, where was Aunt Vera. He seemed seriously pissed. The blond guy, the one that was in here earlier, stopped him and threw him out. The guy was saying that nothing better happen to Aunt Vera.”

Dean blinked in surprise. “What the fuck? Do you know his name?”

“They called him Red Dog, but after he was gone, I heard them talking; one guy was saying that they should overdose her on morphine and take the rest of us to Hawaii. Something about not putting Mike and Zip in danger by staying here. Was saying Red Dog’s threat was probably a joke.” Jay tried pulling away from Sam but Sam wouldn’t let him go. Jay looked a little frightened for a moment; Sam knew he had to make him feel protected.

Dean looked frustrated and urgent. “They told me they found out this morning she was a Guardian,” said Dean giving Sam a strange look. "Sam, give Jay some space to deal here." Sam released his grip on Jay reluctantly, but stayed very close to him, holding one of his hands.

Jay shook his head. “I don't know, I never saw the guy, I just heard him. Last night they were going to kill her!”

“It must be one of the guys Atin was sending off to Hawaii.” Dean tried to reassure Jay. “Don't worry, nothing will happen to Vera. I'll make sure of that.”

“I'm scared,” Jay admitted, sounding ashamed of him self. Sam pulled him into his lap possessively, showing Jay by touching him that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

Dean’ face twisted as he tried to control his anger at the Comacines for Jay and Sam’s sake. “Dude, these idiots have a lot of shit to make up for." Dean turned his attention to Sam, "Sammy, chill. Jay's got enough to worry about without wondering what is up with you.” Sam frowned at the nickname but held Jay less fiercely. Jay didn’t move away, but Sam could feel he was relieved that he wasn’t restraining him any more.

Jay shook his bruised head. “No, it's okay Dean.”

Dean's lips tightened, something else was bothering him, and his gaze flickered to him. "Sam, something weird is going on here. Earlier you were getting angry and then you just mellowed out. You said Ben helped you. What's up with that?"

Sam shrugged. “I was freaking pretty badly last night. It was like I couldn't stand being touched. Then I could feel him in my mind and I started feeling better. People touching me didn't terrify me. I could think - I - I know I'm not totally with it yet, but I know I’ll get better.”

Dean seemed to consider it for a moment. "So how do you feel now? Does it bother you when I touch you?

Sam thought for a few seconds. “No, not you. Doesn't scare me, just don't want a lot of people to touch me.”

Dean grunted and then looked at Jay still captive in Sam's lap. "How are you feeling now, better?"

Jay looked reluctant and burrowed back into Sam a little. “Yeah.”

Dean's stomach gave a loud grumble. "Either of you getting hungry?"

“Yes!” Sam was surprised, he seemed to have more appetite then he’d had in a while.

Jay shrugged; “not really.”

Dean ruffled Jay’s hair. “I know you are worried about Vera, but don't let it get you run down. You need to eat, keep up your strength. I need my team fit and ready for action. I'll get us some food; the sheriff's mother is in the kitchen, so we know the food is safe.”

Sam wondered at that, why would Dean think the food wouldn’t be safe? “Okay,” he replied deciding to let it pass for now and snuggled Jay a little more. Jay closed his eyes and went limp and almost submissive in his arms. He smiled; good, Jay was beginning to understand that he'd take care of him.

:::

Dean limped off to get some food, hearing Sam telling Jay how he was healed. He didn’t trust any of the Coms not to doctor the food on the way from the kitchen to the bedroom. They sure loved their sedatives. He left Sam and Jay cuddling, relieved Sam was able to show affection after his traumatic experience.

Ben was lurking nearby and met Dean in the hall. “How are they?”

Dean barely restrained a snarl, remembering what Nora Bonesteel had said earlier about being careful. “Just leave them alone. They’re still calming down. I'm going to get us some food.” He continued limping down the hall.

Ben nodded. “How bad is Jay?”

"Sounds like you have a pretty good idea. What happened this morning?" Dean wondered how much Ben would admit.

"We needed answers and he woke up first," was Ben's pathetic answer.

Dean just gave Ben a cold look. It was such a lame response. He projected one thought really hard at Ben ‘asshole’.

Ben flinched a bit. "We were trying to protect the people of this community," he tried to justify.

Dean stopped before heading down the stairs and pointed a finger at Ben's chest. “You almost killed Vera, beat the crap out of Jay, drugged up both of us and took over the farm. Then you pushed Jay around trying to get him to talk and mind fucked him. Am I missing anything here?”

Ben swallowed, “Other than one of our junior members beating the hell out of him while trying to keep him restrained, no.”

Dean gritted his teeth. Ben was not going to admit he did something to Sam's mind or that another Order had been here this morning. The Coms still could not be trusted to tell the whole truth. “Is that so? Then who is Red Dog and why did you call him in?”

Ben looked very surprised. “He's a special investigator with another Order. We called him in to deal with Jay because he wouldn't give us any information. You should be proud of him, he never gave anyone anything.”

Dean was severely pissed and wasn’t trying to hide it any more, let them sedate him again. "You proud of your rubber hose routine? Just how far were you 'gonna go to get Jay to talk?"

Ben turned red. “Let's go downstairs; Sam and Jay don’t need to hear this conversation.”

Dean looked down the hall a moment; he didn't need Sam running out here wondering what got him so pissed and took down his anger a notch. He wheeled around and limped down the stairs, one step at a time.

Ben followed him and glanced nervously at the kitchen, obviously in fear of Jane Arrowood. “Living room?”

Dean noted Ben’s twitch and smirked; what did they call them, steel magnolias? “I'll meet you there; I need to speak to Mrs. Arrowood first.” Dean ducked into the kitchen a moment and saw Nora and Jane talking quietly. He asked Jane if she could put together a meal for him, Sammy and Jay. The older woman smiled and looked like she was delighted by the request. Dean was surprised at the sight of casserole dishes, plates of sliced ham and trays of baked goods crowded on almost all the counters of the kitchen.

Dean looked around in bewilderment, how long had he been asleep? "Mrs. Arrowood, you didn’t have to..."

Jane laughed. “Don’t worry Dean, I didn’t cook all this. Folks heard y’all were hurt rescuing Kathy so they started bringing over food. Some fellows came by and are working on the farm. You go take care of those Yankees.” Dean laughed and shook his head.

When Dean got back to the living room, Ben was sitting in one of the chairs, looking tired and sad, almost grieving. Ben looked up. “Why don't you prop your ankle up?”

‘Yeah,' Dean thought, 'I'd love to, right up your ass’ and wondered if Ben got the message. He sat down and put up his feet on the scarred and battered coffee table.

Ben took a deep breath and tried explaining himself. “We didn't torture Jay. Sedate him, and yes, we intimidated him, but we didn't hurt him during the interrogations.”

Dean stared coldly at Ben. "Did you tell him you were going to let Vera die if he didn’t talk?"

“No! We never did that," Ben said emphatically. "We told him that we needed to know what was going on, and we were very blunt with him that if she wasn't a Guardian we'd have to let her die.”

“Then what did you hold over Jay for refusing to talk?” Dean was very familiar with interrogation techniques, having at one point in time or another been questioned by everyone from the FBI to local deputies. He knew how intimidating the threats could get.

Ben twitched and looked down. “I didn't do the questioning, so I'm not sure exactly what was said, but we never threatened to withhold treatment. We did tell him that if he could give evidence that she was a Guardian it would help.”

Dean remained unconvinced. Ben was covering for Atin who he knew did question Jay. But there remained a nameless Com who had threatened Vera openly this morning in Jay's hearing. "One of your people threatened to overdose Vera on morphine, Jay heard that."

Ben grunted in disgust. “That was Greg. I shipped him out for even suggesting it. He's not in medical, but security. He never had the authority to order her…overdosed.”

Dean relaxed a little thinking he'd have to rip off Greg's arms for even suggesting it if he ever saw him. Ben flinched again. Dean mentally smiled, he was projecting loud and clear. Time to switch tactics; he needed more information on this other Order. “And what exactly is a special interrogator? Why did you need to bring in another Order?”

Ben made a sour face. “That was a mistake. We don't practice magic, and the Priory uses both psi abilities as well as magic. Since Jay and Vera use both as well, we were hoping they could find out what was going on here.”

“Did he beat on Jay, or try some sort of Vulcan mind meld?” Dean was alarmed. He wondered what in particular was the nature of this mistake.

Ben jerked. “No! We just thought he could better evaluate the situation here. Jay didn't seem to understand some of our questions. I know part of it was him playing dumb, but not all of it. It's almost like we were speaking two different languages. There are things we can do that scare him, and he has some very rare and powerful abilities, as well as some abilities we've never even heard of.”

Dean sat back and crossed his arms, evaluating Ben who was skillfully evading answering his questions. "What the hell did you people do to him to scare him so badly? If it wasn't torture or the threat of torture. What. Did. You. Do?”

He noticed that the Comacine in front of him looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t had any sleep in the past day or two. “Dean, he ran out of the house in the middle of a thunderstorm before we even knocked on the door. He disappeared for a while before jumping into one of our vans and scared the hell out of two of our younger members. One of them drew on him. They tried to keep him restrained but couldn't sedate him because of series of strange events. They cuffed him, but released him when it became obvious he was going to break his wrists to get out of them. If Jay would have stopped panicking he wouldn't have been hurt.”

Dean shook his head in disgust. Ben was trying to turn the blame around on Jay now; he wasn't going to get any answers from him. "You people are very good at lying and half truths. What are you not telling me here?"

“Dean,” Ben began, wondering what he could do to gain the Hunt leader's trust. “Jay saw the Circle last night. He saw how badly Sam was butchered and he saw Vera thrown by the demon and hitting the altar. We tried to keep him out of it. He went through hell last night, and most of it was our fault.”

Dean was disturbed. He cursed the Coms mentally for putting Jay through that. "Jay was there? He saw everything?"

Ben closed his eyes and for a moment Dean swore he was about to cry. “Yes. We tried to keep him out of it, but he stayed invisible, so it was difficult to keep up with him last night.”

Dean looked at Ben suspiciously and wondered just how hard they really tried to keep Jay out of things and why Ben was so emotional about it. "So you knew he saw all that last night, and yet you still went Gestapo on him this morning?"

“We didn't brutalize him this morning; we were just trying to get him to talk to us,” Ben pleaded with Dean to understand.

Dean snorted skeptically. "Jay freaked big time when he saw you; looks like you mind fucked him bad. Now tell me what you did to Sam."

Ben lifted his hands from the arms of the worn upholstery of the chair he was sitting in and let them drop again. “We healed him.”

Dean gritted his teeth. “What else?”

Ben shifted uncomfortably. “I did something so I could monitor his use of psychic abilities.”

Dean’s voice dropped to a quiet, dangerous tone. "It does more than monitor, stop bull shitting me and tell me what kind of control you have over Sam."

Ben closed his eyes. “The only thing I can do is calm him down and keep him from going rogue. Sam is still angry. I'm surprised he hasn’t come thundering down here to check on you yet.”

Dean was relieved, it seemed like the Coms didn't know he had a psychic bond with Sam. “Is that all you can do? Influence him to be calm?”

“Yes. I did it earlier when he first saw Jay. Sam will be -- a little off -- for a few days, but he'll slowly get better.”

Dean glared. “Quit the mind control crap you’re using on Sammy.”

Ben simply looked at Dean. “If you want us to keep him sedated because he’s continually going rogue, I will. After a day or two I'll be glad to put it back in. Vera isn’t up and around to deal with him and won't be for months.”

Dean felt his temper rising. “And is that the plan for Jay too? Keep him doped up? He's falling apart thanks to you people. Before you came in guns blazing Jay never lost control. Now he’s hiding behind Sam ‘cause he’s scared shitless.”

Ben rubbed a hand over his head wearily. “Actually, I want to do some work with him.”

'Like hell', thought Dean, 'you done enough fucking with his mind.' He spat out, “By work you mean more mind controlling techniques like you have on Sam.”

Ben bit back on some profanities. “No, Sam's not really controlled. He can leave, attack anyone here. I'm just ensuring he doesn't lose control of his emotions enough to go rogue. He’d be catatonic right now if I hadn't worked with him.”

Dean grunted and got up, disgusted with their good cop, bad cop attitude. "I think I've heard enough lies. I want to talk to someone that doesn’t know your secret handshake, like this Red Dog dude."

Ben sighed. “I'll talk to Atin and see if we can get him to come back. He’s in Gatlinburg, so he's close by.”

Dean was surprised and disappointed Ben agreed so quickly. Maybe Red Dog was on their payroll after all. Too much intrigue to figure out on an empty stomach. "Good, I got to feed my team." 'What's left of it', Dean thought grimly.

:::

Vera felt as if she had just risen to the surface of the water of a slow-moving river. She took a deep breath, enjoying the sweetness of the water and was almost blinded by the bright sun reflecting off the water. She struck out towards the eastern shore of the river and was surprised to find herself clothed in a long dress of deep rose as she walked up the bank. The woods around her showed the shading of late summer flowing into autumn, the colors ranging from deep green to yellow and red. The air held a pleasant coolness as she saw a man sitting on a large rock just up the hill from her. He looked familiar, and it took her a moment to place him.

Then the memories rushed back, the demons, the cave, and the spirit that had comforted her after the Circle. Sam butchered, Dean hurt; hearing Jay’s screams, people shooting at them. Her heart caught in her throat, but the dark-haired, copper-skinned man smiled.

Vera just looked at him. Was she dead? If she was, why wasn’t Albin here? She had missed him terribly these past few years. Her throat constricted with tears as she looked up and down the bank.

“No Little Sister.” Vera jumped, surprised by his echoing voice, even though she had seen him twice. “You have not passed yet, but it was very near. You might still slip to the Western bank.”

Vera regarded him seriously for a moment, cocking her head to one side. “Then why am I here? Why are you here with me?” Vera knew he was a higher order of benevolent spirit, but she couldn’t quite place what he was.

He smiled sadly. “My name is Ravenmocker. I wish I could do more for you, but I have pushed the boundaries too far already. I wish I could have introduced myself before now, but I have been involved with the Winchester brothers a great deal as of late.”

Vera couldn’t help but laugh, but then remembered Sam’s injuries and Dean crawling to reach her. “Sam, Dean, oh Gods, Jay, where are they? How are they?”

Ravenmocker shook his head sorrowfully. “I can not tell you, I can offer you no form of aid or comfort right now. I just ask that you keep fighting Ashera. Just keep fighting.”

She blinked in confusion, and then she was entrapped by her tortured flesh and the dark oblivion of her unconscious mind.