Death in the Mountains

I don't own the Supernatural or Ballad novels story elements.

Thanks to PurpleFigment for taking the time to comment!

Thanks also to Jelliclefreak for being our beta!

Pascal was driving through Hamelin after picking up groceries and other supplies in Johnson City. There were so many Comacines rotating through the area that their needs were putting a strain on the small, family-owned businesses in Wake County. They would buy out almost all of their stock, not leaving any groceries for their regular customers. The van was packed full of groceries, hygiene and medical supplies as well as drugs. Jay was going to love that. Ben and Mike preferred Jay lightly sedated ‘for his own good.’

He blinked through a vision, pulled into the first available parking spot in front of Hamelin's only movie theatre, with its only one screen, and saw that according to the poster on the door The Da Vinci Code was showing that evening. Pascal rolled his eyes, if they only knew. Dan Brown was a hack. He was sure the whole thing was another Priory prank. No one had ever laid eyes on ‘Dan Brown’ and a suspected Priory shell corporation published the book. No doubt they were laughing all the way to the bank.

He got out and wandered down the sidewalk, needing time to think about the implications of his vision. Sam was going to run off to the Priory and for some reason Zip was going with him. It was going to be the first mission involving Dean’s entire team. Atin and the rest of his superiors would be furious if it succeeded because the Comacines would lose face with the Conclave. This mission was a disaster enough anyways; all they were really doing now was damage control.

The young Seer could stop all of it though. He could make a single phone call and all the farm’s residents would be put on a total lockdown; separated from one another, isolated and under a constant guard. Pascal’s finger hovered over the speed dial on his cell phone, but he had mixed feelings. His devotion to the Winchesters and Kestersons because of his past life as a Bonesteel Guardian warred with his present loyalty to the Comacine Order.

Zip. It was obvious he was going with Sam willingly. Pascal could sympathize with his reasons for running. Their Order had ignored Zip for most of his life since he was not considered a psychic, and now they were over-indulging him. With a few exceptions, Order members were paying attention to him for his ability, not because of him as a person. It did not help that they had recently discovered he was actually 16 or 17 years old, not 19. His age was estimated when he was Found since Zip had no idea. They never found his birth certificate, his parents were illegal immigrants and according to neighbors, he was born at home.

It was decision time. Should he call and let Atin know or stay silent and risk being in even more trouble than he already was?

He was already taking the fall for this mission being a disaster. If the Winchesters pulled this off, it would go a long way to re-establishing their confidence. You would have to be a total idiot not to see how demoralized they were.

The longer he was around Jay, the more the Comacines regulations against magic made no sense. He could not explain why he put his cot in the magic room. He slept better. Maybe it was the magic or maybe it was because it reminded him of a church with all the altars, but it felt like a sanctuary to him. His Order had destroyed the sanctity of the farm and he felt that he needed to restore the balance. Pascal shut his cell phone with a snap.

Having made his decision he turned around abruptly to start walking back to the van and almost bowled over Ruby. He staggered back a few steps, both from the force of her walking into him and in emotional shock. He remembered her so clearly, wanted to get to know her so badly in this lifetime. Atin considered her a bad influence and forbade him from seeing her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him as if she was being sure he was not growing an extra head.

"I, uh, oh hi Ruby," Pascal saw the drug store behind her, "I forgot to pick up something in Johnson City, good to see you again, I gotta run now." He darted into the drug store, hoping she would not follow. He was attracted to her, but he could not deal with those emotions on top of everything else.

Pascal was in the ‘feminine needs’ aisle when he suddenly saw himself standing in the front hall of the farm. A strange shadow leapt towards him …

Pascal blinked. Ben's face hovered over his looking stressed and tired. Why had he not noticed that before? Why was he on the floor? "What happened?" he asked, looking around confused.

"What did you see?" demanded Ben, fear making his tone abrupt.

Pascal looked from Ben to LaShonda and then Ruby confused. "Did I have a vision?" How long had he been laying here? LaShonda and Ben exchanged looks, if their Seer blocked out what he saw so completely then things were about to go pear-shaped very soon.


***

Joe had dropped by the farm to check in with Dean and get some lunch, frustrated that he had no opportunity to speak with Dean alone for any length of time. The funeral for Martha was tomorrow and law enforcement from all over the region would be attending.

The official story was that Martha and Old Rattler were searching for the bodies of missing hikers when the serial killer butchered them. LeDonne had arrived on the scene too late to save them, he fired at the killer but he escaped. Then the killer captured Kathy Wyler, tortured her, and was holding Sam Winchester hostage. During the search, Vera had fallen down a hill and injured her back, while Dean ended up with broken ribs fighting the killer. LeDonne was credited with shooting the killer but the body washed away in the storm. So close to the truth, yet miles away.

Old Rattler was tough and brave. Joe considered himself Rattler’s successor in some ways, the old man died partly for him, and he was not going to let his death be for nothing. He may not have been born here, but he loved Wake County from the moment he set foot here all those years ago.

The only good thing about these Comacines was that they were patching up Sam and Vera and were providing help patrolling the county for a few days. Joe flexed his arm under the bandage. He remembered the horror in the cave and delivering the killing blow to the first demon. He would not consider letting Mike heal his arm for the world. He wanted those scars; he was not really a religious man, but those scars were sacred. He would bear them proudly in the memory of Martha, Rattler and his first hunt.

He looked up as Sam and Mike walked in, breaking his train of thought. Sam barely acknowledged him. Sam still had not forgiven Joe for beating the crap out of his brother when he thought he was the serial killer. Considering the Comacines had beaten Jay even worse did not seem to register with Sam. It was as if he had selective memory loss. The Comacines, Mike in particular, did not even acknowledge him at all. If you were not a psychic, you did not even register on their radar. That suited LeDonne just fine.

"How's Jay? Not too tired I hope?" Mike seemed to be the soul of concern. Joe restrained a sneer. Interesting how protective the Comacines were about Jay now that the kid had something they wanted.

"He's resting; I guess the boosting takes a lot out of him." Sam said his voice and manner a little conflicted.

Mike poured himself some coffee ignoring Joe as if he were one of the cats. "He's pretty amazing, the amount of range I have when I work with him is incredible. I don't think Vera would still be alive without him."

Sam's response was lukewarm. He obviously did not trust Mike that much. "That's great. When will she be able to sit up do you think?"

Joe translated the Sam speak, ‘How soon can we get rid of you?'

"I'm really not sure. This is the really amazing part; she is beginning to feed me energy as I heal her." He shook his head, "both of them. It is just a shame that Vera has stayed hidden for so long. At least we can help Jay."

"She is? That's good; it means she's getting her strength back. What do you mean about helping Jay?" Sam asked suspiciously. 'Good,' Joe thought. He hoped Sam would not put his trust in these people even if they had healed him.

"We'll help him find his niche, someplace where he can be safe, happy and productive. Poor kid's been knocked around a lot ‘trying’ to be a Guardian." Joe’s sharp ears caught the subtle emphasis on ‘trying’.

Sam’s eyebrows drew together and his eyes seemed to intensify, "Are you saying Jay isn't cut out to be a Guardian? What else is he supposed to do?"

"Being a Guardian in a remote mountain area with his ability?" Mike scoffed, "He is one of only five boosters in the world right now. He might be hurt and exhausted, but he can still triple my healing. I'm looking forward to what he can do when he's feeling well. No, he is wasting his talents here."

Joe chewed his sandwich furiously. Sam was clueless sometimes. It was obvious the Comacines wanted to use Jay and Vera but were concentrating on Jay since he was younger and more easily influenced.

Sam shot Joe a confused look as if he felt some of Joe's anger. "But who would take care of the area? You think Vera can do it by herself?"

"She's hurt Sam," Mike said gently, "and this was her first crisis in the area. You and Dean ... I mean, she can help, teach, assist the Order with her ability, but...none of us want to see her hurt again."

"So you are not going to let either of them come back here? Is that it?" Sam bristled, "What about Dean and me? Where does that leave us?"

'And the rest of us' Joe wondered, glad that Dean was in charge and not Sam. It was obvious Sam's psychic abilities were more of a liability that a help right now. He could not see how Mike was playing him.

"No! They can still come back if they want. You just need some training and then you will be fine. Your abilities are very flexible, Dean is a good ground, and the two of you will do well together. It is just that Jay and Vera's abilities are very specialized. They can accomplish so much more working with other psychics than here by themselves."

"Well they have been teaching other psychics and I imagine they will want to continue to do that." Sam mused.

"Certainly, we will be talking to Vera about training Zip and some others, but their abilities really are not geared towards an isolated territory. They will only get hurt out here. They will be better off with the Orders, where people can take care of them and they can be useful. With their abilities they'll be able to help a lot of people; healing and doing other work to support Lines."

Sam looked doubtful. "Well maybe, but I know how much Jay loves this place. He is happier when he can get outside."

"He won't be cooped up inside for much longer. He'll have a lot more freedom in Hawaii, and after he turns 21, he can still spend part of the year here. It would make a good retreat home for him."

Sam looked even more doubtful, "So you think he will agree to spend part of the year with you in Hawaii? I can't see that happening."

Mike shrugged, "He doesn't have to work just with me, and he can do a lot of good with medical telekinetics, remote seers, and time controllers. There's so much good he could do working with other psychics. Think about it Sam, he'd be wasted out here."

"So you are saying there is a place for Jay and Vera with your Order, if that is what they want?"

"They have a place with any Order, not just the Comacines."

Sam had this "oh" look. Obviously, he was considering the benefits of Vera and Jay aligning with a large enough Order that could protect them versus just him and Dean. "You have a point."

Joe glowered for a moment, trying to get Sam’s attention and failing.

Mike continued, still acting as if Joe did not exist. "I know it will be hard for them, they are both very independent. They'll be better off for it once they adjust. Considering their abilities and their injuries, not to mention Jay being arrested, well, I just think that says it all. They are brave, but sometimes that is just not enough."

Joe choked back on blossoming rage. He had his own doubts about the Kestersons the night of the storm, but both of them had done well. They may have fallen a few times, but they picked themselves up with single-minded determination. Jay had hidden Clayt and Kathy from the demons on the way home. Vera, the woman had channeled lightning in that cave. Both of them were tough and had heart. They were both healthy and not afraid of pain or hard work. Training would take care of the rest. Joe knew that from experience.

Joe also recognized when someone was trying to undermine a team. Making people doubt their teammates and buddies would do it quicker then anything. It was time to hunt down Dean and let him know the Comacines were sabotaging his team.

***

Dean rubbed sweaty palms on his jeans and looked at the group of people clustered around Joe’s living room. He told Atin he was taking off with Joe for a while to take care of some things for the sheriff’s office. The Comacines did not seem concerned. They just asked that he kept his cell on in case they had problems with Sam or Jay. He hated leaving his brother and the fragile Guardian alone with them, but he had to get out from under the Com’s noses to discuss his plans.

Damn it, he was used to working with just Dad and Sammy, but here he was facing a room full of near strangers without his Dad giving orders and his brother having his back. Joe was slumped in an easy chair, his dark hair showing signs of sweat from his earlier patrols; the events of the past week obviously catching up to him. Every now and then, he would suddenly go still and stiff. Dean did not know why and did not ask.

Ruby Wyler looked angry; her cousin Maryanne had a strange, far off look in her eye. Maybe she was some sort of psychic. Shit, she was only 17; he made a fervent vow to keep her away from the Comacines and every other Order. He was hoping she was a ground; he desperately needed another one.

Betsy Rice sat primly on the edge of the couch, next to Zek Phillips, both of them looking stern and outraged. Ruby insisted they be there when she heard about the team meeting, insisting that the entire community would probably have to be involved to pull off any sort of plot against the Comacines.

Nora was there, a quiet but palpable presence. She was calmly knitting, as if this were nothing more than a church social. Her silence and lack of outrage over the actions of the Comacines made Dean nervous. What did the old psychic know that he did not? Scratch that. She probably knew more than he wanted to know.

Dean stood and began to pace and the room grew silent. When he was satisfied he had all their attention, he remained standing until the younger ones began to fidget. His ex-marine father drummed enough discipline into him. He knew if he did not take control of the situation now, they would never follow his orders or trust him. He was sure that Joe and the Wyler girls were going to do well, but they did not have the experience that he did. With a twinge, he realized he was following the advice of Sun Tzu more than his father's example these days.

“We have two situations here,” he said slowly and deliberately. “One is known and the other unknown. According to Jay, something evil is coming and it is bad. My guess is more demons and that means all we can do is reinforce our protections here.” He gave Ruby a warning glare not to interrupt.

“So what we can do is take the initiative with the first situation. The Comacines are splitting us up, some are going to Hawaii and the rest are staying here. The good news is the Priory is taking over here, so at least you three,” Dean pointed at Joe, Ruby and Maryanne, “will have good backup. The Priory practice both magic and psychic abilities so they can handle any situation that comes up. Will is putting Nathan in charge; his team should be here in the morning. Will is also sending some trainers to bring you three up to speed on the usual creatures that frequent this area.”

Dean paused to look over at Nora to see if she had anything to add. Then he asked them if they had any questions. Dean put LeDonne in charge of the group staying behind. Joe was not thrilled by that news, but at least he had backup in the form of the Priory.

“Now the Comacines want Sam, Vera and Jay in their greedy clutches in Hawaii. Jay’s underage and Sam’s rogue so they can hang on to them as long as they like. They are making all the right noises about letting us go to the Conclave in December, but we know they want to hang on to us, or at least Jay. It has to be either Sam or me to represent our petition for the right to be a Line at the Conclave. Maybe the Coms will let us go, maybe not. I’m not taking any chances. Sam will not be going with us to Hawaii.”

Dean waved down the uproar of questions. “Now the problem is we need a distraction so Sam can escape. According to their laws, if Sam can get to Priory Headquarters he can ask for sanctuary. The Coms will not be able to touch him if the Priory grants it, which I’m sure they will. However, the Priory cannot help Sam escape. That would touch off a war between the Orders. The Coms will not let Sam leave the property without Ben being his leash. The roads are too well watched and they will notice any of the cars gone from the farm. Any ideas?”

“You are right” Maryanne said slowly, “Sam needs to leave. I think we need to get more people involved. The Coms can watch the roads, but what do they know about the Appalachian Trail, the county or farming?”

Dean noticed Nora’s slow smile and a quickening of her hands while knitting. The old Guardian did know something but was letting him figure this out on his own.

Ruby's face was fierce and intent. “Do you think Sam can stay on a horse?” She asked eagerly.

“My new Range Rover can cover a lot of rough ground,” Zek mused, grinning. It was a frightening expression on the old lawyer's face. It looked like he did not smile often.

“Who knows when another one of those Orders might show up and try to snatch another kid? We'll need the help of the entire community, and I happen to be the assistant football coach for the high school.” Joe’s voice was low and angry, while his eyes sparkled in grim anticipation.

The new Hunt leader grinned in relief; it looked like a plan was coming together.

***

Emma groaned as her flight finally touched down at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was going to have to rent a car to get home. Originally, Vera was supposed to come pick her up when she came home. She was going to kill her once she recovered.

With a grunt, she pulled her carry on off the overhead storage rack. Demons, secret societies and uncontrolled psychics; she should have known not to leave Vera alone; the woman was a trouble magnet. Emma blinked back tears. She expected to come home to an overgrown garden and a house needing cleaning but not one of her friends and coven mate almost dead and paralyzed, her nephew under house arrest and strangers invading her home.

Her luggage arrived quickly, praise the Gods for small miracles. She just hoped she would be graced with some larger ones. The coven needed every one they could get.


***


Jay felt like a caged animal, he had not been outside for days and it was driving him nuts. He wanted to slip outside but the exits were too well guarded. It was hard to find a spot to be alone. The only room they avoided was the altar room, so Jay tended to spend a lot of time in there. For some reason though, Pascal did not avoid the room. In fact, he had set up his cot and slept there; causing the other Coms to look at him strangely. Usually the room was empty during the day while Pascal was running errands or helping Mrs. Arrowood in the kitchen.

Earlier Pascal had a whopper of a vision, which had all the Coms on edge. The vision had triggered a migraine and Pascal was resting on his cot. Jay turned the door handle; he knew Pascal was awake when he felt a light psychic probe. It was the equivalent of a handshake, it helped other psychics identify who was nearby if they were familiar enough with each other's auras.

Thunder brushed by Jay’s legs and went into the darkened room ahead of him. He trotted over to where Pascal was lying and put his head on Pascal’s chest. Pascal patted Thunder’s head, he had his other arm over his eyes blocking out the light. “Hi Jay,” he whispered, obviously still in pain.

“Hi,” Jay responded quietly. He puttered around the altar room trying not to make much noise. Pascal lay unmoving on the cot dressed only in his boxers. Being a Canuck, he found the heat oppressive.

After about 20 minutes, Jay realized what Thunder was doing he was shielding Pascal. Jay walked up to Pascal’s cot, and used magic to reveal Pascal’s shields and aura. He was horrified. He softly explained to Pascal what he was seeing. A magical hook was causing his shields to slip. Someone who practiced magic had put it there to disrupt his protections and leave him open to psychic and spiritual attack.

Pascal lowered the arm over his eyes. “The only other magician I saw was last year…” Pascal’s voice trailed off as he looked fearfully at Jay and whispered, “Light Feather.”

Jay saw red for a moment, how he hated that guy. A whine from Thunder drew his attention back to Pascal who was actually trembling with fear. Light Feather had messed up Pascal pretty good from what he could tell; just saying his name had Pascal terrified. Who knows what subliminal messages Light Feather may have embedded into Pascal’s psyche while he was messing with his shields.

“Shh,” Jay soothed, feeling very protective of Pascal, “I can take it out, don’t worry I won't leave that in you.” Jay could feel the spike in Pascal’s anxiety level he was shaking hard. It looked like he was slipping into shock. Jay quickly put one hand on Pascal’s cheek and the other on his neck. Magically he grabbed the hook, it actually looked like a barbed fish hook and pulled. It tore a hole in Pascal’s shields as it came out, but it quickly began to heal over, although Pascal would still be vulnerable for a few days while he recovered.

Pascal gasped in relief, “Oh, that’s better.”

“Why didn’t anyone notice?” Jay asked, confused.

“We don’t know magic or what to look for.” Pascal rolled over onto his side and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He looked at Jay, a furtive look fleeting across his face. “Teach me,” he pleaded.

The young magician looked up into Pascal’s face from where he was still kneeling on the floor. “You want me to teach you?” Jay swallowed. “I would, but Aunt Vera forbade me to teach right now.”

“Before or after she was hurt?” Pascal’s voice was low and intense.

“Before” Jay whispered, realizing what he meant. Aunt Vera was in no condition to give him permission, and things had changed a lot in the past few days. He had to make his own decision.

Abruptly Jay stood up, strode over to an altar, and picked something up. Returning, he pressed a large rough stone into Pascal’s hand. It felt almost like plastic, but it warmed in his hand quickly, feeling almost alive.

“What is it?” He asked, looking at the chunk of yellowish-brown rock in confusion.

“Your bonding gift, it means I’ve accepted you as my student.”

“Thanks, but what is it?” Pascal asked again, holding up the strange, light rock, so large it covered his palm and he could barely close his fist around it.

“Raw amber. It's from the Baltic sea.”

Pascal tightened his grip around it. Amber, he had seen beautiful rosaries made from carved amber beads. What a strange but fitting gift.


***

After Joe dropped him off at the farm, Dean waited for the moment he could drag Sam back up to their room for a private talk. Sam’s response to his instructions should not have surprised him, but it did.

“Giving orders? You’re full of shit, Dean. I didn’t take them from Dad, what the hell makes you think I’ll take them from you?”

“Do you think I want to send you away?” Dean knotted one hand in his hair while hissing at his brother. “And pipe down. We don’t want them up here seeing what you’re being a bitch about.”

“I’m being a bitch because you’re not making any sense. You trust the Priory more than the Comacines. Dude, they put me back together again and they’re Vera’s only hope. My leaving will upset them, what if they retaliate and decide to not help Vera anymore?” Sam began pacing the room like a caged lion. Starlight mewled pitifully, not understanding why her human was so angry. He stopped, visibly calming himself before picking up the small kitten, her almost solid white coat standing out in a stark contrast to the jewel-toned quilt on their bed.

“Come on, lawyer boy, they have already acknowledged Vera as a Guardian so according to their own laws they have to help her. Not only that, Will threatened to go to war if they don’t put Vera back together again. Dude, the Coms are drooling over having Jay as their own personal Energizer bunny until he turns 21. You have to get to the Conclave in case they keep us in Hawaii. You can talk better then I can, argue our case so we can be voted in. Will has a sneaky, backdoor scheme to get Vera and Jay put in our Line so they’ll be safe.” Dean threw a worried glance at the window, it was rapidly becoming dark and it was as if the sun was trying to tell him how little time they had left. It seemed like every time Sam spent any time with Mike he was strongly influenced by him and Dean had to fight with his brother to get him to see what was really going on. Once again, Dean wondered how the Comacines were messing with Sam’s mind. Another reason to get him out of here; it looked like at least some of the bastards were trying to brainwash him.

“Why do you trust Will so much? He hasn’t done anything for us.” Dean’s heart froze when he saw the pissy tick in Sam’s cheek he always got when he was being stubborn. “What makes you think he’ll actually go along with me asking for sanctuary?”

“Sam, have you seen the way he looks when he talks about Vera? There’s some weird magic thing between them. He has helped her,” Dean glanced at the door and lowered his voice “he’s a healer too; just not as strong as Mike. That’s why she’s getting better faster and why he keeps insisting on coming to see her personally. Dude, he is the Head of his Order! You think he just drops by every time the Coms screw up?”

Sam stopped pacing, his face going still for a moment. Dean stared at him anxiously, hoping that Ben was not doing something to him through the tag. Sam’s face did not go entirely blank but he was frowning hard.

With a swallow, Dean decided to go in for the kill. “Remember what Old Rattler said one of the last times we saw him? I’m your Hunt leader and ground, not just your brother. I don’t want to do this dude; you’re just now getting your head straight. You’re getting to be you again, not some kind of psychic zombie. I won’t see you for months, but you’re the best chance we have.”

“What if the Coms taking Vera and Jay is the best thing for them?” Sam’s voice was reluctant, his speech slow. “They both got hurt, Vera’s almost dead…”

“You weren’t there,” Dean snapped, cutting off anything else Sam had to say. The Coms were messing with his head, but he had to get through to him. A dark fury scorched Dean’s throat and he just stopped himself from slamming Sam into a wall, remembering at the last moment Starlight cuddled against his brother’s chest. “Vera was doing just fine until the Coms started shooting at her while she was exorcising your sorry ass. She helped track you through a violent storm. Jay wasn't roughed up until Zip and Pascal started restraining him from trying to protect his aunt. You seemed pretty pissed about that yesterday, what’s different today?”

An ugly flush spread across Sam’s face. “They could do a lot more good if…”

“Stop it!” Dean cut Sam off again. “I know the line of bullshit Mike’s been feeding you. It doesn’t matter how much Mike wants to use them. It should be their choice what they do with their lives and ability, not Mike’s or anybody else’s. Nora and Rattler said they were Guardians, not lap dogs for some Freemasons with delusions of grandeur. They would only be helping people who actually make it to the Com’s hospital. Think about all the people they could keep from being damaged in the first place. You know Jay’s going to hit the road with us sometime, and we have Ruby, Maryanne and Joe to help, too.”

Dean clenched his teeth against tears he could not stop. “Dude, you wanted a home, we have it now. I didn’t think I’d ever want one, but now that I have it, I do. I will kill any bastard who tries to take that away from us. From us, Sammy. Don’t let Mike or anyone else con you into throwing that away. Vera and Jay…they’ve already done so much, we have to try to keep them free, give ‘em a choice. You’re my brother, I don’t want to let you go, even for a day, but if they keep them, they can keep you.”

Just as Sam was nodding his head, his own eyes damp, the door opened abruptly. Pascal stood there, face pale in the deepening dusk; they had not turned the light on in their room. Both brothers tensed, knowing that the Comacine Seer could blow away their plans by simply raising his voice. Dean was also shocked to see him up after the migraine he had earlier in the day.

“Dean, the Wylers are here to see you, Maryanne and her parents, and Ruby.” Pascal’s voice softened when he said Ruby's name. Dean stared at him, wondering why he was not raising the alarm. He cursed inwardly; he did not want Maryanne around the Coms in case she was some kind of weird psychic and not a ground as he hoped. Pascal lowered his voice. “I didn’t hear anything, but be careful. There are other Orders in the area, and watch the streams, they are still flooding.”

Sam and Dean exchanged glances, stunned. Maybe they had a better chance of pulling this off than they thought.


***


The demon drew back with a hiss as it gazed down at Vera, hanging invisible over the nurse Billy Ray. The damned quilt was woven with so many protections put in place by so much faith it was impossible to touch the bitch directly. Little charms had been sewn into the batting, a tiny fairy cross, rowan twigs tied with red string, a waterproof packet of salt, a pinch of blessed tobacco, miniature crystals, small, rounded pieces of cold iron. Every stitch had a prayer whispered as it was put in, every scrap of fabric had Psalms reverently repeated over it as it was chosen, and hymns were sung into the batting. The very interlocking ring pattern was a powerful protection. It was a masterwork of a Guardian made with faith, hope and love. The old bitch Guardian had made it and passed it to Old Rattler, who had blessed it in his turn to send to the young bitch Guardian.

Maybe he could not kill her directly, by pinning her to the ceiling and releasing her intestines in a torrent of blood and set the old farmhouse on fire as he longed to, but he had another plan. Possess the nurse and use him to kill her. Have the Comacines murder the Guardian and set off a war with the Priory of Nyx and the Winchesters and the younger Kesterson would be right in the middle. With one death, he could cause thousands, the Orders fighting each other rather than battling the real darkness in the world.

This was going to be even better than blood, entrails and fire.


***

Zip sat quietly in the bedroom he had 'claimed'. It was in a quiet spot at the end of the hallway, next door to Jay's bedroom. This house was a gold mine of information. Being somewhat of a scholar, Zip loved to learn and right now, learning about magic was the top of his priority list.

He had spent many hours translating speeches at the Conclave and last year had sat in on some panel discussions. Many of the other Orders used magic. He was a known, rare psychic. Many Orders and Lines would not hesitate to kidnap him. Zip was going to protect himself in any way possible.

Zip was sitting on the floor so that the bed was between him and the door if anyone dropped by unexpectedly. He did not want his Order to know that he had borrowed a few magic books from the library downstairs.

He was practicing a spell that was in one of the books when the door flew open and Jay barged in looking more alarmed than angry. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

Zip quickly hid the book under the bed and gave his best mildly irritated and innocent look. "What?"

"Oh, come off it dude! I could feel the energy fluxes from downstairs. You’re messing around with something! Don't you know how badly you can screw up if you don't know what you're doing?"

A slow smile spread across Zip's face. "So I could cause trouble if I don't know what I'm doing?" Jay thought his smile was looking very shark-like. "Well, I intend to keep on trying to learn, but I would rather have a teacher. Are you offering to be my teacher?"

Jay's mouth hung open in surprise. The nerve of this kid, just what had he gotten his hands on? He had noticed some books missing from the library, but did not know which titles. He could yell for Ben or one of the other Coms and nail his sorry ass for stealing the books. Not that that would stop him, he had been trying something very advanced and harmful. A little knowledge was more dangerous than no knowledge.

"You're the one who stole the books out of the library," Jay stalled trying to think.

Zip shrugged, "I borrowed a few. Now that it has become common knowledge that I'm a booster, I'm going to be the number one name on the kidnapping list. Lots of Orders and Lines use magic, so I need an edge. Do you want to teach me or not?" he demanded.

"Why me?" moaned Jay. "Lord and Lady, why me? I'm teaching Sam and Pascal, so why the hell not."

Zip looking surprised, "You're teaching Pascal?"

Jay waved his hand distractedly, "Yes. He just asked me today."
Zip, looked thoughtful. "Okay, so how does this part work?" He took out the book he had been practicing from and pointed to the section he was working on.
"Dude, you can't start with this!" Jay reeled back in horror. "This'll eat you alive. It’s Enochian Calls! I don't even do stuff with this on my own and even Aunt Vera is careful with it. Just what other books did you steal?
Zip revealed books hidden all around the room on combat magic, chaos magic and summoning magic. "I need to learn this all quickly. How long will it take for me to learn?"
"A while," Jay replied, glaring at the arrogant young booster. He had no idea what he was messing with here. "Listen, I'm giving a lesson in my room. Just come sit in on it, okay?"
Zip grinned. "Thanks. What spell are you working on?"
"We don't start with spells. Don't call them that, its workings, not spells. You need to know the basics first, how magic works. You don't just jump into it. That's how you get messed up, and whatever you do, don't try to call the four archangels!" He snatched the book away from Zip that was open to that page. Thank the Gods this edition had the misprints and he would not actually summon anything.
"I'm a fast learner, and after channeling lightning with your Aunt Vera, it seems easy enough," was Zip's cocky reply.

Jay shook his head. This conceited kid was going to push him hard. "See you in 20 minutes."


***


The man and woman waiting in the dilapidated front hall had the unusual coloring of many people here in the mountains Dean thought as he made his way slowly down the stairs, gripping the handrail. The man was dark haired with startling blue eyes, similar to Nora Bonesteel and he was gripping an envelope. The woman, who Dean presumed to be his wife, had long, white-blond hair. It took only one glance to see that it was her natural color; hair that long and healthy didn’t get its color from Ms Clairol. They both looked fit, with the exception of Hank getting a little bit of a potbelly, and their hands looked rough. They obviously did a lot of hard, physical labor.

Their gaze made Dean uncomfortable, a look of respect mixed with sorrow. It was obvious they were here to thank him, which caused him to squirm a little. The only recognition he was used to receiving was a faint smile or a whispered ‘thank you’. Hunting was so intense, so private for him and Sam, tied up as it was in their family history. It was hard for him to accept any gratitude. He was relieved to see Ruby waiting quietly next to Maryanne, off to one side.

Then a sudden realization struck him. Seeing the two cousins in the company of their aunt and uncle and parents hit Dean in the gut. The couple’s daughter, Kathy, had been tortured by demons, and now their niece and other daughter had joined his Hunt group. He was responsible for the safety of someone’s daughters, their kin. He was going to be leading them into a war; for a moment, he felt both a crushing guilt and an almost paternal protectiveness towards the two young women.

He bit his lip. Damn it all, how could Dad have dragged him and Sammy into danger so often when they were just kids? He could barely deal with leading someone else’s family into danger.

“Son,” the father’s voice cut through his thoughts, “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Hank Wyler, and this here is my wife, Louise. We just wanted to come by and show our thanks.”

Dean could feel a slow blush spreading across his face and he looked away. “Hey, no problem. Was out there looking for my dumb - " Dean bit his lip again and changed what he was about to say, “my little brother anyways.”

Louise’s green eyes stared at him sharply. Dean wondered what it was about the women up here; he thought Southern women were supposed to be sweet doormats. Most the ones he had met were hard asses wrapped up in a thin candy shell that broke easily. “Son, everyone knows good and well you were after that…” her voice trailed off as she fought back tears. “You were going to search for our little Kathy, your brother taken or no.”

He curled his hands into his pockets, still a little embarrassed and saying nothing. Ruby broke the deadlock in the hall by walking towards the living room abruptly.

“Come on y’all, let’s go sit down.”

They sat in silence for a moment and Dean fidgeted. He realized with a thrill of guilt that he had not thought about Kathy in the past few days; so much had been going on. Abruptly, Hank thrust the envelope at Dean.

He took it reluctantly, afraid that it contained money. "You don’t have to..."

"Look at it." Ruby ordered her eyes unreadable.

Dean got a shock when he opened the envelope. It contained a birth certificate and social security card, along with a high school transcript and even tax forms. The name on all of it was Jimmy Dean Wyler.

"I heard you had some problems with your identity." Louise said after a moment. "Jimmy, our son, died a while back. After all you've done for our family, well, Jimmy don't need all them papers anymore, but we hear you can."

"You gave us Kathy back," said Hank, "and Jimmy's middle name was Dean, well it all just fits."

"We'd be right proud if you wanted to be a Wyler," Maryanne said softly.

Dean could not have looked more shocked, "But, everyone around here knows that I'm not your son Jimmy Dean."

"If anybody asked, they'd tell different," responded Hank as if that settled the matter.

"It's not a hurtin' anyone and Uncle Sam won't need to know," added Louise.

Dean was overwhelmed, "I don't know what to say. Huh, I guess that means Spencer will be able to hire me legit now." Dean looked in the envelope. The birth certificate read: Jimmy Dean Wyler born July 16, 1981. It was Dean's turn to laugh. "I'm three years younger too. Well that's okay."

Ruby laughed a little sadly as well. "I was having an awful time with the paperwork Deputy Winchester, or should I say Wyler? Sheriff Arrowood can't go around hiring a suspected murderer.”

A simple nod was the only response Dean could manage.

Hank smiled, "It's settled then. Just don't try and claim the farm, you hear?"

Dean recovered, "No sir, I'm not a farmer, so you don't have to worry about that." After a moment, he asked mildly “Uh, Jimmy Dean? Isn’t that the name of a sausage?”

A bittersweet smile spread across Louise’s face. “I craved Jimmy Dean sausage the entire time I was carrying him.” Dean could not help but answer her smile with one of his own.

“We need to get going.” Maryanne reminded her parents in her soft voice. “Visiting hours for the hospital’s ICU will be over soon.”

“How, how is she?” Dean asked, feeling strangely timid.

“She’ll heal” Louise said quietly. “She seemed to get a lot better after that blond-haired fellow staying here went to see her today. Still don’t know how he got in there, him not being family and all. Said he was some kind ‘o psychiatrist or nerve doctor or something.”

Ben; it had to be. He must have done to Kathy what he had done to Sam. Damn it, just when he was comfortable thoroughly disliking these people they went and did something good.

After they stood, Hank shook his hand and Louise gave him a hard, almost crushing hug, almost as if she did not want to let him go. His ‘mom’ was tearing up and Dean could not help but tear up a little too. He was wanted here.

Ruby flopped gracelessly back down on the couch after her aunt, uncle and cousin left. “I drove myself, just figured I’d hang out for a while, just in case you needed anything.” Dean grinned; glad she was staying although he wondered if Pascal was the real reason.

Sam was upstairs learning the invisibility trick from Jay in the young Guardian’s room. Zip and Pascal were with them, watching in fascination. Zip seemed especially intense. Dean felt sorry for both the junior Coms; shit rolled down hill and the two of them were being buried. Ben wandered in and sat down. Dean was surprised to see him take out knitting needles and start knitting.

Noticing his look, Ben just smiled happily. “Ms. Bonesteel gave these to me. I haven’t knitted in years.” Dean just shook his head while Ruby regarded the Comacine with a mix of amusement, resentment and grudging gratitude. Dean wondered if his expression mirrored Ruby’s.

“What’s that?” Ben asked curiously, motioning to the envelope on the table.

Dean told him, causing Ben’s forehead to furrow.

“We were already working on a new identity for you. That one” he said nodding to the paperwork “might give you problems since a death certificate may have been…”

“It’s been taken care of!” Ruby snarled.

He gripped the birth certificate, this was so much more then just a new, legal identity. “No” Dean said faintly “I’m keeping this one.”

Ben blinked, but let it drop.

The three of them sat quietly for a moment before Ruby turned on the television; Dean was thankful Vera had satellite cable. After snickering through an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Dean remembered the Wyler ghost.

“Ruby, what happened with Katie Wyler? Why was she,” Dean paused a moment, groping for the term everyone seemed to use up here, "'walking'?”

“Why do you ask?” She regarded him for a moment, her expression closed.

“She helped us find Kathy, and then she disappeared in this light.” Dean shook his head, hearing that strange hymn echoing in his ears again. “Sam saw her a few times too.”

“Katie Wyler is my many times great aunt. She was kidnapped by Indians back about 1770 or so. Somehow she escaped and walked a good 200 miles through the woods by herself, no food, no clothes other then what she was wearing when all her family but her little brother had been killed. She was engaged to Rab Greer, a guy on a nearby farm, and by nearby I mean 10 miles. The Greers were one of the few families that were up here. It took her over a year to escape. The night she got back, she found her way to the Greer homestead, looking for her fiancée and little brother. She and Rab Greer went for a walk but he came home alone. They found her in the woods, strangled. Rab never said what happened, but we can guess.”

Dean stared at her, freaked. Katie had walked all that way only to be murdered by her fiancée when she got back.

“She was pregnant with Rab Greer’s baby when she got kidnapped. She either left the baby behind or killed it to get home.”

He was shocked. Katie Wyler had probably killed her own child. Her ghost was not after revenge, if the Greer family had many strange deaths he and Sam would have seen it in the Wake County newspaper obits. She was looking for redemption, not to cause more pain.

Moreover, by saving her great grand niece, Katie Wyler it had balanced the scales. Dean realized it was the first time he had laid a spirit to rest without salting and burning. It kinda felt good.

He walked Ruby to the door, it was getting late and she had to work tomorrow.


***

Vera gripped the handles of the walker tightly, taking tottering steps. She was exultant; she could stand on her own two feet again. Going to the bathroom unaided was a major triumph. Grinning, she looked up to see Atin and Dean smiling at her from a doorway. Dean, the smart ass, was clapping.

A sudden feeling of deep unease flashed through Vera, and she abruptly found herself staring at a water-stained plaster ceiling again, her heart breaking. Was it a vision or hallucination? She could not tell.

The nurse Bobby Ray, or whatever his name was, closed the door.

"Stupidity is a wonderful thing," he said, his voice full of menace.