Death in the Mountains

Vera could feel and hear movement around her. She struggled to open her eyes, to speak, call out to whoever was there. She felt disconnected, like she was fighting to stay in some sort of tenuous contact with her body. Vera was trying to remember what happened, figure out where she could be. She thought she had seen Dean, but she couldn’t tell if it was a few seconds or years ago. She kept thinking she had woke up, and seen and spoken with people, but then suddenly she’d find herself back here, feeling like she was buried in soft but heavy cotton. She even thought she’d seen one of her old students, but Vera didn’t know if she was dreaming or hallucinating. The confused teacher and priestess thought that couldn’t be right. It must have been another heartbreaking hallucination.

The thing she remembered most clearly was a lightning strike and then snatches of Griffin and a strange woman, she could still see her pale face, her lips moving so slowly when she spoke to her. Then Jay was crying, and another man was there, his face angry, his hands stiff against her stomach.

Ravenmocker, he was there with her, just briefly. If she couldn’t wake up, she wanted so badly to go back to that river. Anything was better than this, wherever she was. Maybe she should try; she couldn’t wake up so she willed herself back to the river, to that sweet clarity and richness of being, only to feel hands roughly shoving her back.

Words of pain and denial formed in her throat and she tried for force them out. It seemed to be a Herculean effort, but she actually made a sound. Slowly she dragged her eyelids open to blink at a crumbling plaster ceiling. The Guardian felt sticky and itchy, dull pain in various parts of her body. Vera tried to sit up, to move. She couldn’t. Then she realized that she couldn’t feel most of her body. The realization left her gasping. She rolled her eyes around desperately, trying to get some hint of where she was and how long she’d been like this.

Hard, dry but warm and wonderfully live fingers touched her hand. A dark, broad face came into view, but Vera caught more impressions of him than sight. A man, balanced in some way that reminded her of Jay. Prideful, arrogant, spiteful, but also very dedicated with his own strange brand of compassion and pain. She caught an agonized prickle of guilt from him. How strange.

“Who? Where? I mean, who are you?” The ability to actually speak left her delirious for a moment.

“Shhhh.” His touch on her temple was soft and gentle as he brushed back a muddy strand of hair from her face. “Take it easy, don't try to move, your spine isn't stabilized yet.” The man’s dark brown eyes held hers for a moment; why was he thinking about Jay? “My name is Mike. Do you remember how you were hurt?”

Lord and Lady, he would have to ask her such a hard question. “I was in the Circle, the demon, I heard Jay...” Vera’s thoughts stumbled to a stop.

Mike nodded while gently stroking her forehead. Normally she’d be irritated with a stranger touching her so intimately; but it felt good. Until she realized she couldn’t feel much below her chest. “You were knocked into the altar by the demon,” he told her gently. He was talking slowly, being sure she could see his face as he spoke. “Your back is broken, it is very important you stay still while it heals.”

Stay still? Sounded like that was what she’d be doing for most of the rest of her life. Damn it all, why the hell was she still alive! Vera sucked in a breath; she could not live like this. She’d made it clear under what circumstances she wanted ‘the plug’ pulled. “Why does it matter? Why am I still alive?” Was Jay and her coven really selfish enough to keep her here, like this? Was her nephew even still alive? Her eyes widened in horror at the thought of Jay dead.

The doctor, or whatever he was, must have read her mind somehow, because his response was blunt and brutal. “Because your nephew needs you.”

For a moment Vera couldn’t breathe. “He's okay?”

The harsh features above her shifted into a slight smile. “Everyone is fine, even Sam. I healed him already.”

She was so relieved that she didn’t catch the implications of what he said. “Sam's okay, he's going to make it?”

“Sam is doing great, better than most of us here.” The doctor smiled again softly and caressed her forehead.

Exhaustion was pulling at her again, but she didn’t want to go back to the nightmare of cotton-wrapped hallucinations. There were things she needed to know. “Where am I? Doesn’t look like a hospital?”

“You couldn't be moved so we brought in medical equipment.”

“But where am I? I can't see...I can't turn my head.”

“This is your house.” That was said as if it was supposed to be comforting. Vera struggled to keep her eyes open. “You are in the downstairs bedroom. You can’t move your head because of a neck brace.” She was so glad the man, probably a doctor, knew to enunciate clearly so she could understand him.

Downstairs bedroom? That was Sahba’s room. “Sahba? Where is she? How long?”

“You were injured Monday night.”

Vera struggled to stay awake when the doctor tapped her forehead hard, causing her eyes to pop back open. He looked sternly down at her, his face settling back into harsh lines. “It is Tuesday evening now. None of your roommates are back yet.”

Wow, that man packed a punch. Using her third eye to keep her in the moment and not go back to drifting. “Dean? Is he…?”

The doctor smiled again, his features amazingly fluid considering how stony he looked. “He's okay, sprained ankle, but fine.”

“Sam, how bad is he...scarred? Does he…?” She couldn’t think of how to ask her questions. Sam had been tortured, broken in many ways when they’d found him.

“He's up and around, do you want to talk to him?” Up and around? How could that be? She was sure his anus would need stitches and they’d probably had to castrate him because of the injuries to his testicles. How in the world could he be walking?

At least he would be able to walk eventually, Vera thought with a surge of bitterness. She checked herself; Sam would have his own obstacles to overcome. “First, how bad am I?” She had to know what her outlook was, if she was going to live then she had to help prepare Jay, Sam and Dean, and to know what to say when her coven came home.

Mike looked serious, like he was trying to make her understand something. “You are going to live. I am a healer Vera. I am with a large Hunter group, called the Order of the Comacine Masters. I'll get you back to full health, but I won't lie, it will take weeks, months maybe.”

Why was he lying to her? “What do you mean full health?”

“Just that,” he said softly. “You will be restored to complete health and wellness. Just like you were before last night.”

Now she was getting angry. Vera knew there were people with some healing ability, but this? Slow down bleeding, mumble away warts, help cuts and burns heal a little faster, but repair spinal injuries? “You don't have to lie to me; I can't kill myself if I can't move.”

The so-called healer looked understanding, damn him. “With your nephew boosting energy to me, it can be done.”

“Boosting? What the hell do you mean?” Vera’s anger was giving her some energy, clearing her mind.

“What did he call it?” Mike looked thoughtful for a moment, his face clearing a bit. “Is it channeling?”

“Channel energy?”

“That's it, he channels energy to me, and I can use it to heal you.”

The priestess gasped then gritted her teeth in anger. How could he play with her nephew like that, give him false hope? “Oh, that's just cruel. Lying to me is bad enough, but Jay...” For the first time since she woke she was choking back tears, not an easy thing to do when flat on your back.

Mike sighed, "All right I'll get Sam, and maybe you'll believe me when you see him." The healer moved out of her range of sight and she could hear a door open. He spoke to someone who had a young male voice with a familiar-sounding accent. She tried to place it and then gave up. It was still too hard to think.

:::

Mike was smiling widely as he met Sam and Dean in the hallway outside Vera’s sick room. “She’s doing much better than I thought.” The healer greeted them. “I’ve never worked with a booster before so I must have accomplished more than I realized.”

Dean held back both a snarl and a smirk. “Don’t wrench your shoulder trying to pat yourself on the back.” The ass was the main reason she was hurt and Will had healed her as well. If Vera was awake before they expected, maybe they could get her up and around sooner and get out from under the Com’s thumb.

“Dean!” Sam muttered in an under breath.

Dean just grinned, loving the sound of Sam being annoyed with him. “We'd like to speak to Vera alone.”

“That’s fine. I’ll be in the kitchen it you need me. Billy Ray is on duty until LaShonda comes back. I’ll have him wait out here.” Dean wished he could slap the self-satisfied look off the erstwhile Comacine team leader’s face. “I’ll have to talk to Jay about working with me on a more permanent basis.” Mike continued happily, ignoring the fact that he’d almost killed Vera and Jay’s resentment of the Comacines in general. “Smells like Mrs. Arrowood and Mrs. Bonesteel are working on dinner. I’ll talk to the two of you later about Vera’s recovery and transporting her to our main medical facility.”

:::

“Dean? Dean?” Vera had apparently heard Dean speaking and her voice was weak but panicked. Dean dashed into the room, not wanting Vera to stress herself in her anxiety. Sam watched him circle Vera’s bed and lean over her so she could see him clearly.

Dean took her hand gently. "We're here Vera, take it easy. Everyone is fine." Shade chirped at him in a friendly manner, which surprised Sam.

Something had happened between those two. They were close before when Sam had accidentally injured Vera. Dean had spent a lot of time reading Art of War sitting by her bedside. Now it was like his brother was clinging to Vera in relief, fearful of her dying and leaving him to carry the burden alone. He reached up to pet Star who liked to cling to his shoulder. Star gnawed his finger in sympathy. It was strange to see Dean care so deeply for someone outside of their family.

Even though Dean had warned him, seeing all the medical equipment crowded in the room stunned him. He thought he was ready for this, ready to see Vera, but his gut twisted with searing, hot guilt. He didn’t want to face her, see her anger at him for causing her to be like this, still and afraid in a hospital bed, clutching Dean’s hand with what feeble strength she had left. She looked so vulnerable, so diminished somehow. Sam could hear the desperation in her voice as she was asking Dean about her nephew and him. Dean glanced up at him sharply, warning him not to upset Vera.

With his lower lip caught between his teeth, the inexperienced psychic reinforced his shields and moved to Vera’s bedside. Her eyes rolled around the room a moment before finding his face. “Sam? Why? How long...?”

Sam smiled bravely; he guessed she wanted to know why he wasn’t scarred and how long she’d been like this. He didn’t know how to explain Mike to her, considering the healer tried to kill her last night, so he decided to skirt around that question. "It's Tuesday night, you've been out for about 24 hours."

“No,” Vera moaned, surprising Sam. “Not again...I thought I was awake...” Her voice trailed off and her bruised and pale face seemed to collapse in on itself as she began crying softly. Smudged and bruised eyelids closed over her bloodshot green eyes. It looked like she was giving up somehow. Sam felt like someone had punched him in the chest and he understood why Dean decided to take care of Jay.

“Shhh,” Dean leaned closer over her, his eyes intense as Vera finally opened hers and looked up at him. His brother could always show so much with his eyes. Sam almost lost it himself when Dean gently brushed tears away for her. “Sam is fine, Jay is fine, and you got us all through it Ashera.” Sam was confused, why was he calling her Ashera?

“Everyone?” Vera asked thickly and her eyes flicked back to him. “But how - Sam?”

Sam felt conflicted. "I was healed by psychic healers Vera, one of them healed me physically and the other emotionally."

“He said he was a healer...” Vera mumbled, but it was obvious that she was fighting falling back to sleep. “But you said 24 hours...”

His gaze snapped up to Dean when he grunted, his face showing a flash of anger before he buried it again. “You were talking to Mike, he is a healer. It's damned unnatural but he healed Sam in about an hour." Both the Winchesters were surprised when Vera began crying again.

“Way to go Dean,” Sam's anxiety made him snap at his brother. While he didn't know exactly what Dean said that had upset Vera his empathy was still ultra-sensitive and he felt Vera's fear. She couldn’t hide much of anything from them right now. For some reason she wasn't trusting what she was hearing or seeing. It took him a moment to realize it wasn’t that Vera thought they were lying; it was more like she thought they were illusions.

Then it hit him; her shields were down; she was feeling more than she was used to, she was drugged and injured. Vera could not tell what was real and what was not. Which were feelings were hers and which she was actually feeling from other people. Seeing Sam without scars or even a scratch confused and frightened her. Sam wanted to try and shield her, but he barely had a grasp on his own shaky abilities.

Sam gently took her other hand and touched her cheek, getting her attention and holding her eyes with his. “This is real Vera, you aren't dreaming. The people here really can heal you. Mike is one of the very few people around the world who can.”

Much to Sam’s surprise, Dean actually caught why he was telling Vera this. “Come on Sleeping Beauty, you're awake now, what do I have to do to convince you? Kiss you?”

Vera snorted, sounding like she was trying to laugh but then choked. Sam quickly grabbed a tissue and helped her blow her nose. “No, but a bath would be nice. Jay?”

Gentle fingers brushed still muddy hair away from her face; it always surprised Sam how Dean’s callused and potentially deadly hands could be so caring at times. “He’s just tired. He sprained his back last night, but he’ll be fine.”

"Jay? Is he...how's his back?" she asked desperately, "the other Hunters, the people shooting at us?"

Sam was beginning to recognize people's auras; he knew Atin came in the room without looking.

Dean looked up when he heard the door opening. There was another flash of anger in his eyes, which he hid and turned back to Vera. "I'm going to check on Jay, see if he's awake yet. I'll be back Vera.” Dean left quickly, dragging Atin with him.

"Don't worry about the Hunters Vera. It's all been taken care of." Sam reassured her, wondering what had annoyed Dean.

"Why is Dean so angry? What happened?" Vera's eyes tried to follow his brother.

"Oh, you know Dean. He'll blow up but then he'll be fine," Sam answered lightly, "He hasn't slept much since you got hurt." Sam tried to throttle down the pain and guilt he was feeling. Vera didn't need to feel his emotions on top of everything else she had to deal with, so he did his best to reinforce his shields.

Vera looked like she was fighting drifting off to sleep. "Am I really awake this time?"

Sam touched her face with his fingers. "Feel that? It's real Vera. You're going to get better, just like I did." This time he projected his confidence that she would be well and healthy again.

Vera struggled to stay awake fearful of going back to sleep. "Stay with me," she pleaded, "keep me awake."

Sam swallowed, "I'll be right here. The healing makes you sleepy, I slept a lot today."

"I don't want to go back to the hallucinations, the dreams. I dreamed the strangest things," she mumbled, losing the battle to stay awake.

Sam stroked her hair. "I'll talk to the nurses, maybe it’s the medication." He felt a surge of hot anger; he recognized it as Dean's feelings. Sam resisted the urge to go run and see what was going on. He'd hear soon enough what Atin said to piss Dean off so badly.

Vera must have felt the anger. Her eyes widened but then closed again, she just mumbled. Shade trilled and pawed her hand.

"Shade is right here with you, she hasn't left your side." Sam tried to reassure her and Vera fell into an uneasy sleep. He reached up to pet Star who was still clinging to his shoulder, relaxing a little when her purrs comforted him. As grateful as he was for Ben’s help, he hated feeling dependent on Dean and the Comacines to keep him from lashing out with his abilities. Maybe Jay could teach him a little while Vera recovered so he could do it on his own.

:::

Dean managed to get to the back porch before rounding on the Comacine team leader. “Did you stick something in her head too?”

There was no question who Dean was talking about. “Yes, I put a tag in her.”

"What other secrets are you keeping from me?” Dean knew he was almost screaming, but couldn’t help it. “This is only my team dammit!! At least that’s what everyone keeps telling me."

Atin watched him carefully for a moment. “It’s not a secret, I didn't think about telling you. You've been hunting so long that I sometimes forget what you don't know.”

“Come on Atin.” Dean managed to grunt through gritted teeth. “Vera isn't a rogue, what possible reason did you need to stick a, whatever it is you call it, in her head?”

“Dean, you know her shields are down. Think about that for a second.” Dean hated it when Atin took that tone with him. So calm, so reasonable, like he was doing him a favor by telling him anything.

The hunt leader was far past being appeased by Atin’s gentle tone. "Don't make me play twenty questions.” He could feel his anger buzzing under his skin before he shoved Atin halfway across the porch. They almost killed Vera, beat Jay, did something to Sam’s head and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

Before he said or did anything else he might regret, Dean limped off the porch and into the deepening dusk. Atin didn’t follow or call after him.

The late summer darkness slid over his mind, not calming his anger, but giving him space to control it. With Sam the way he was, he couldn’t afford to lose it anymore.

:::

He walked off some of his frustration and anger in the back yard. He didn’t want to hurt Vera by inflicting his emotions on her. It was a given that Sam would worry about him and then nag him into talking later. As he came closer to the barn he heard people talking. He recognized their voices as Cheryl and Pascal but they were speaking in French.

Pascal was already on his way out by the time Dean appeared in the doorway. He gave Dean a weak smile and continued to the house. Cheryl seemed surprised to see Dean and checked her watch.

"Oh, I didn't expect you out here," she said frowning slightly in confusion. They had agreed to meet later in the carriage house and she was still on duty.

"I had to get out of the house, I was getting too steamed at Atin, I almost slugged him," Dean replied, surprised he was being so open with her. Of all the Comacines, Cheryl seemed to have the least attitude.

She smiled at Dean, making him forget his tension for a moment, "Good idea that you came out here. What was it?"

Dean stretched, rolling his neck; his anger had knotted up his neck and shoulder muscles. "Vera's awake, but that's not why I got mad; I found out he put something in Vera's head."

"Vera's awake already? That's wonderful news, hey sit here," Cheryl motioned for him to sit on a hay bale, and then started massaging his shoulders. "I'm still on duty so don't get any ideas."

Dean mock sighed, relaxing into her touch. She was really good at this. "Atin probably put a tag in Vera, it's just temporary. As skilled as she is she'll probably remove it herself before too long."

"A tag? Why would someone in a coma need any type of mind control device?" Dean was irritated but no longer angry, the soft female touch working on a very stiff knot on his left shoulder helping him relax physically and emotionally.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I've only been with the Order for about three years now, but whenever anyone is injured that severely, an empath will put a tag in them, for at least a few days. They keep track of the patient's emotional wellbeing as they heal and come to terms with their injuries."

"But what does this tag thing do? Ben uses it to control Sam, keep him from blowing up."

Cheryl paused, considering his question. "I've seen four Hunters injured as badly as Vera and they all wanted to suicide. Strong psychics can sometimes will themselves to death."

Dean was shocked, "You think Vera will want to suicide? Why?"

"She is paralyzed from the chest down; she probably thinks her life is over. Heck, she doesn't know about Healers, how could she think different? Until we Found Fawn, Mike was the only one. What would you do if you woke up like that?"

Dean was silent for a minute as Cheryl fingers soothed the tension from his muscles. "Honestly, I don't know. I always thought I'd get killed by a rawhead or something."

"Atin put a tag in her to stop her from willing herself to death. She's a strong enough psychic to do that."

Cheryl stopped the massage when she felt his muscles had relaxed somewhat and moved to sit next to him on the hay bale. Dean was frowning slightly, thinking. "He can do that?" he asked at last.

"Yes, the tag not only monitors but if she tried to turn her abilities in on herself, Atin could stop her. He is also helping to relieve the emotional trauma somewhat."

Dean shook his head, "Then why didn't he tell me? Why does he play these games? It's like he's trying to piss me off."

A slender finger tapped her chin as she thought, "Atin isn't one for games. It's more like he forgets that you only recently became a Hunt leader. Since you are so famous, he assumes you know things that he takes for granted. Annoying, I know, I'm still finding things out after three years."

Dean smirked to hide his surprise, "I'm famous am I?"

Cheryl looked startled then laughed. It was a hearty laugh, warm and full of life. "Hell yes, nobody told you your family is almost legendary? Your dad almost killed Mike about 20 years ago and slugged Miriam in a rest stop! A lot of Order members have Winchester stories, about times they ran across your family."

Dean's eyebrows creased as he wondered whether this is a good thing or not, and if he could use it to his advantage. He pushed those thoughts aside and said instead, "I had no idea. But about Atin, what else has he done? Anyone else tagged?"

Cheryl shook her head, "No, just Vera and Sam, but to be honest Atin would love to put one in Jay. No offense, but that boy is going to be difficult. He's had a hard time."

Dean wondered at that. "How come Jay wasn't tagged?"

Cheryl grimaced, "About half the team is afraid of him. He has some very powerful abilities, some we've never even heard of. They're afraid of what might happen to anyone who tried probing him too deeply."

That didn't make much sense to Dean; Vera was the scarier of the two. "I don't get it. They are more afraid of a half-trained apprentice than Vera who can make bullet-proof shields and exorcize demons?"

"Oh they're afraid of her, too, but she's so badly injured she's doing well to blink."

Dean nodded, "Guess I better go see Atin now that I'm calmed down. Thanks for the massage." He grinned and Cheryl gave him a smile full of promise, "Tonight?"

Dean wanted to shout out 'Score!' Instead he said, "See you at 10 in the carriage house."

:::

Sam sat at Vera’s bedside for a while after she fell back to sleep, gently holding her hand. Having to see his teacher like this was agony; he was the reason she was here, like this. Cold and pale and afraid, trying desperately to cling to hope and consciousness to avoid nightmarish hallucinations from drugs and her abilities. If he hadn’t given himself up, if he had been here to explain things to the Comacines so much of this could have been avoided. But then he would have had to let Kathy Wyler die. He released Vera’s hand, not wanting her to feel his grief. His mouth quirked up at one corner; Dean would say he was brooding. But everyone was alive, all of them. As conflicted as he was about the Comacines, he knew that they would heal Vera, she was tough, she wouldn’t complain about her injuries. Jay. Sam bit his lip, all this had screwed him up in ways that weren’t so easy to fix. The longer he was away from Jay, the more he realized that the young Guardian was seriously unbalanced by everything that happened and would probably only get worse in the foreseeable future.

Speaking of getting worse, had Dean told Jay about the danger he was in? About how the Comacines were basically keeping him captive for his own protection? Sam shuddered, thinking about how he’d feel in Jay’s situation. According to Will and Dean, the Comacines could keep him for almost two years. Both Kestersons were high strung, stubborn, unpredictable, and extremely passionate about causes they believed in. They treasured their secrets like other people treasured their life savings or family heirlooms.

It was better if Jay heard this from someone he knew. He really didn’t want to see the fireworks if one of the Coms told him, or worse, stop him as he was leaving to go out to the barns. Sam held Vera’s hand again for just a moment before leaving to find Jay.

After a bit of looking, Sam found the young Guardian in his bedroom, looking at something on the internet with a creased brow and a desperate hunch to his shoulders. He winced in sympathy, Jay was hurting, and he’d apparently hadn’t taken any medication in a while. Sam shook his shaggy head; he was surprised LaShonda let him get away with it, she’d been on him for most the day, but was apparently out for a while.

“Hey, what you looking up?” He looked over Jay’s shoulder and saw he was reading the website of a law firm.

"Dude, I got to find a lawyer, next week is my court hearing."

Sam felt like he’d been smacked upside the head. “Crap! I forgot about that. Why don't you call your dad and find out if he'll pay for it?”

A bitter snort was the only response Sam got. “They kicked me out of the house Sam, or did you forget? I called my lawyer and she told me she was no longer on my case, my parents stopped paying her.”

“Is the hearing in Chattanooga?” Sam found himself chewing his lip again as he stood over Jay. How much could they screw up his life? He put a comforting hand on Jay’s shoulder. Jay could have given them up to the cops; he knew where they were staying. It probably would have gotten him out of a lot of trouble, but he’d refused to tell them anything. Jay moved his head a little, like he wanted to stroke his cheek against Sam’s hand but stopped.

“Why don’t you ask for a public defender?” Jay considered it for a moment, rubbing his face wearily. “That’s not my only problem. There might be an arrest warrant out for me since my parents threw me out. I think they can ask for my bail to be revoked since they paid it.”

Damn it, he had to tell him it was about to get worse. The Comacine Order probably wouldn’t let him out of the house to go to his court date. Sam gently gripped Jay’s other shoulder; what would they do if someone came here to arrest Jay? He’d talk to Dean, maybe the Comacines would help?

“Well,” Sam began tentatively, “I need to tell you something.”

“What?” Jay started under his hand, and then whimpered slightly as his back spasmed. “Is Aunt Vera okay?”

“Vera? She's fine! Oh!” Sam smacked his forehead. “She woke up for a little while when you were asleep. Dean and I talked to her a little.”

Jay’s mouth was hanging open as he stood and turned to Sam. "Why didn't anyone get me?"

Sam’s gut clenched, he’d been so selfish running in to see Vera he hadn’t even thought of getting Jay. Little white lie time. “She passed back out again in less then a minute. She kept asking about you.” Forcing his voice to sound reassuring, Sam added, “you’ll see her soon, I promise.”

"What did she say?" Sam was surprised he was actually pouting a little, like a spoiled kid. He could tell that tears were lurking in Jay’s bloodshot green eyes

“Dude, she was scared, most of her shields are down. She was confused about me being healed, she kept asking about you, she didn't want to go back to sleep, but she was just too tired.”

“Yeah, I could see where that would freak her out.” Jay shuddered at the memory, turning his face away.

“Jay,” Sam said softly, reaching out and slowly but firmly turning Jay’s face back towards him. “Just forget it. It's gone, past.”

Jay nodded slightly, looking a little spooked.

“She'll wake up again soon,” Sam promised him. “I'll do everything I can to be sure you get to see her next time.”

Jay just gave him a searching look, seeming surprised.

“Look, I have something I have to tell you, about the Coms.”

The young Guardian tensed with hate. He pulled away from Sam and snapped; "Now what do they want?"

“You know there are other Orders and Hunters out there, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Jay said impatiently. “The Priory was the other ones that interrogated me this morning. So what?"

How to tell him in a way he’d understand? “There are these laws that govern these Orders and Lines. And, since you're under 21, you're in a lot of danger.”

Jay glared. “Well I've been in danger ever since the Coms arrived here."

“This is,” Sam paused, “different. Since you're under 21, any of these Orders or Lines can legally take you and keep you until you turn 21.”

Jay's face became mask like. "Are you telling me the Coms are keeping me until I turn 21?"

Sam couldn’t help looking down and nodding his head. “Yeah, but it gets worse.”

"Worse! What can be worse than that?" He recognized the look on Jay’s face, it was the same one that Vera had when she was infuriated.

“Jay,” Sam said firmly, trying to calm him down. “Look, if our Line gets approved at this Hunter convention in December, they'll let you go. But there are other Orders, who if they get you, won't.”

Griffin, who had been on Jay’s desk during all of this suddenly leapt off the desk and ran out the door. He quickly reached out to his brother, but nothing was wrong with Dean. Sam braced for anything to happen, the problem must be with Jay; his heart double-thumped at the angry and confused look on Jay’s face.

“Convention? What are you talking about?”

“Every year, on the Winter solstice, they have this big convention. They vote on approving new Hunt and Guardian lines. If your Line is approved, all the kids are protected from what they call 'forcible recruitment'. They can take you and hold you until you're 21, and use that time to brainwash you. Another order, called the Knights, almost kidnapped the Stargills this morning.”

Jay looked outraged. Suddenly an alarm clock jumped off a bedside table and smashed into the wall on the other side of room, shattering completely on impact. Sam jumped and went into alert mode, but Jay kept raging, like nothing had happened. “The Coms are keeping me prisoner until December?!”

He evaluated Jay carefully, why wasn’t he reacting to the alarm clock’s self destruction? “More like protective custody so none of these other Orders can get you.” Sam furtively tried to get Dean's attention through their link.

“That's outrageous, that's a, a violation of human rights! How can you go along with this?" Jay looked betrayed, angry and afraid all at once. Sam felt like he was watching the young Guardian break into pieces right in front of him, his slender frame shaking and jerking from rage and pain. He glanced nervously at a bookcase, several crystals were rattling, realizing suddenly that Jay must be doing it.

“Dude, I know you're pissed, I am too, but I can't do anything about it! I'm just trying -- Jay, dude, calm down. Since when have you been able to move things?”

Sam was relieved to hear people running up the stairs. He didn’t care who it was, Dean or Mike, anyone, just someone to help him with Jay!

“I can't believe this!” Jay shouted, making him wince. How could someone put so much pain and hurt into their voice?

Then he realized it wasn’t Jay’s voice, he was actually feeling some of his pain and rage. Jay had lost empathic control.

“Jay, come on, calm down…” Sam begged. He didn’t want to think of what the Comacines would do to him if he lost it.

As the footsteps got closer he could see Jay fighting to regain control. He apparently did, but then burst into tears, sobbing. Sam couldn’t stand it any longer, and grabbed him up into a bear hug, trying to calm his hurt and panic. Sam berated himself as he felt Jay spasm in pain, but he only buried his face into his shoulder and continued to sob.

Sam was so relieved to see his brother rush into the room, Atin and Pascal right behind him. Dean laid a firm hand on the back of Jay’s neck and looked at him expectantly.

“I was just telling him about some of the laws,” - Sam explained - “He's telekinetic, too! He’s sending things flying in here; I thought we had a poltergeist for a second.”

Out of the corner of his eye Sam saw Atin move quietly closer to him, his face grave. He didn’t think that boded well for the young man sobbing against his shoulder. “Seems like Jay has as many secrets as his aunt,” Atin commented quietly.

Dean snarled. “This is a private moment, get out.”

Atin looked significantly at Jay. Something passed between the Comacine team leader and Dean. “Just try to get Jay calm enough to help Mike later.”

Dean glared at Atin as he backed out of the room and shut the door.

“Dude,” Sam burst out. “He's throwing things around here like it's nothing.”

“Stop listening at keyholes Atin!” Dean shouted abruptly, turning towards the door. Sam was surprised, how did Dean know he was still out there?

Then he heard footsteps creaking down the hall and sheepishly understood how Dean knew.

“So let me guess, you covered the under 21 part of the Laws with him?” Dean asked with a knowing nod.

“Yeah, meltdown time. Let's get him back to our room.” Jay hadn’t stopped crying almost hysterically the entire time. Sam and Dean just stared at each other for a moment, both knowing what the other was thinking. How were they going to help Jay through this?

:::

Nora was getting tired, it was late in the evening and she’d put away her knitting and was going through her nightly ritual before bed. The past few days had been exhausting, but despite the recent troubles, Nora was happier then she’d been in a long while. All the youngsters had come through alive, this Order was actually becoming a help rather then a hindrance. Oh, the Kestersons and the Winchesters were still butting heads with the Comacines, but they’d sort it all out on their own.

There were other bodies that needed to be found, hidden in caves and sinkholes in the area, but she’d let Jay do that. It would help his shaky confidence. She allowed herself a small smile at the thought of Spencer having to ask for Jay’s help. He was uncomfortable with all this, but with a strong and growing Guardian Line and a Hunt base located here, he needed to get used to it. Many Orders and Lines would want to send their youngsters to Vera for teaching. Spencer would be facing the shenanigans of teens with the Sight. Jay Kesterson was likely to be the first and probably the worst.

A knock on the door startled Nora. At this hour and no sound of a car outside that could mean only one thing. A spirit that was still walking needed to speak with her.

Even after all these years, spirits coming to her still caused her breath to catch in her throat, especially those who felt they had to come at night. As she slowly walked across her sitting room whoever it was knocked again, louder and more urgently. When she slowly opened the door, Nora was very surprised to see who was standing there.

“We-ll. Jonathan Winchester.” The spirit on her doorstep looked a little ashamed. Good.

John shifted slightly, but Nora didn’t sweep away the line of salt or invite him in. “My boys,” John said finally, “tell them it’s not over yet. They’ve been here too long, they need to get going.”

Nora simply looked at him a long moment. “You came all this way,” Nora said softly “because you wanted me to tell them to leave? They have a home now John.”

He grimaced. “Lived without a home since they were little, they have more important things to do. I didn’t raise them to be farm boys herding goats. And I didn’t raise them to consort with witches.”

The elderly Guardian appraised him with her calm, steely blue gaze. “No, John Winchester, it’s not over yet, but it will be before the year is out. I’ll let Sam and Dean know where you are.”

Surprise and astonishment flared in John’s eyes. “They don’t have time for that.”

“No, I think they do.” Nora contradicted him, with just a flash of heat. “They deserve to know how their daddy died and where to find his body. You really don’t want to lie in potter’s field in Fort Bragg out in California? I think they’d want to give you a proper send off and bring you home. Must have been a surprise to pass getting hit by a car on the roadside while you were drunk.”

John’s face contorted. “It's better this way, it helps them keep their focus.”

“Focus” Nora was unmoved. “John Winchester, you controlled your sons for most of their lives. You’re dead. Let go.”

John’s face twisted into something inhuman. “No, not until they finish it. Not until it’s gone.

The Seer didn’t blink, didn’t back down. “Go back to Fort Bragg John. Your sons will go to you when it’s over.”

John snarled again, flickered, and disappeared.

She closed the door firmly. It would be over by year’s end, for better or worse. The Winchesters, Kestersons, and Stargills all had travels to complete, but they’d all come home.