Black Swan

By: Tidia

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to others. The Brotherhood and Legacy stuff, that belongs to people I know.

Notes: First, this has taken awhile to write. Life is in general, busy. On the other hand, the show is blah, and I am disappointed that in my opinion Dean seems not to have a storyline. Again. Thank you to Ridley for encouraging this story. It's JT's turn to have a story, and here it is.

"Once you have seen a black swan-it becomes easier to imagine another on the horizon." Malcolm Gladwell

Part 1

He couldn't remember having so much fun. His small town boasted one bar, and it was his usual hangout on a Friday and Saturday night, unless he planned on making the drive to the city. But the city could not offer all this; booze, women and did he mention women?

He didn't know when it started, but he had some great new friends now. His friend was passing him another beer. He loved beer and the woman in his arms. She was familiar, from the town, but new, too.

His friend pulled him away, and wanted him to follow. The others were waiting outside on their motorcycles. He was the passenger, no helmet, but it didn't matter because it wasn't that cold. He felt warm. They were driving into woods. The trees were dancing, moving, undulating.

The men made a fire, which looked like it was going to touch the night sky. They continued drinking and dancing. There was never enough. There was a drum beat in his head. They all seemed to hear it, twisting their bodies and pounding their feet in time.

He was being pushed around, moved by each of the men until the drums stopped.

"We need a sacrifice!"

The call was answered by a roar of agreement.

**********************The Brotherhood * Legacy ***************************

JT

JT had known since his senior year in high school he was going to be the next Guardian.

He didn't know if it was a hindrance in him getting his ring, a ring he wanted badly. His father wanted him to concentrate on school and baseball, to push hunting to the side until winter break. He pressed to get on the hunting roster on long weekends, but they were easy salt and burns. So when a hunt found him, one that was more complicated than a salt and burn, he dove into it to prove to everyone he was worthy of being a hunter of The Brotherhood.

Finn, a fellow freshman on his floor was concerned about a missing cousin disappearing. It was unlike the cousin. Finn had spoken to the police in the town, and they were not investigating. The police reported Finn's cousin had gone off with some people who had passed through. JT thought normal teens would have dismissed it, but not him. JT was able to do research between classes and training, focusing on proving himself in all facets of his life. Over the next few months he became aware of a pattern - small towns missing men and women. No investigation of the circumstances, as if the town had no memory, no concern for the missing citizenry. The disappearance also happened on the week of the full moon only.

After finals, Max picked him up and they headed to the farm where he was going to present his potential hunt after dinner. His mother did not like hunting discussed at the table, or at least potential hunts were not allowed. He arranged to speak to his father, Uncle Caleb and Max in the Tomb after dinner, feeling a growing nervousness at sharing what he compiled. He had double checked his information in his head as they ate their chicken dinner.

James followed the others into The Tomb with Porthos. JT hoped his brother could keep his sly comments to himself just once. JT laid out his research on the table; Max patted him on the back. JT gave the same explanation he had given to Max and Ryker when he had asked them for some help with the potential supernatural occurrence.

"Over the last six months, and it might be longer, there have been people that are missing from small towns, like under 5,000 people," JT pointed to the sheet of paper with the names of the towns and their demographics.

"I'd run away from these towns, too," Uncle Caleb shook his head, "And they cannot be explained?"

"The police have the reports filed, and there is evidence that something happened." JT brought everyone's attention to a folder marked, 'POLICE REPORTS.'

His father picked it up and began rifling through it, "What's the evidence?"

"We've got a couple of things- blood stains, tire tracks, and this," JT looked for the important proof, a grainy image from a cell phone. "It's one of the perpetrators, I think. It was some random phone picture and no one in the victim's family or friends knew the person."

James turned the picture around, "That's thin, JT. It looks like a picture someone would take if they were drunk." James cleared his throat. "Not that I would know anything about that- being drunk, I mean-"

Max placed a hand over James's mouth. "Dude, stop. It's embarrassing."

JT ignored his brother, but saw that maybe the others doubted there was a hunt. JT had a feeling there was a supernatural involvement. It needed to be investigated so other people did not die. Finn had been close to his cousin, like brothers, like him and Max, him and Ben and James.

"I've got more. All these people go missing the week of the full moon. No one's returned, and there's a group of people involved, not just that one guy." He directed that part to James. "We think we found an area set up for a sacrifice." He gestured with his chin to his best friend, "Max and I did the recon."

They had gone to the small Mississippi town, and saw an area that was reminiscent of coven activity. However, he had never seen the covens use that much blood for their spell work. There were also the tire tracks, the evidence of general debauchery. Granted, the coven knew how to party, but not to that level.

"You did what?" His father's attention was no longer on the papers, but on him and Max.

Max pushed James away from him. His brother was looking smug at someone else being in trouble. "We checked out the area, Sir." He gave a sidelong glance to JT. "We were very careful."

"We even salted the area so they couldn't come back," JT assured his father. They planned it so that they were in and out within two hours, spending the night in Natchez before Max returned JT to school.

His father narrowed his lips with distinct displeasure at JT and Max taking a risk without telling anyone. "Damien, have you heard about any cult activities?"

Caleb shook his head. "I haven't, but this looks like they've been keeping things on the down low." Cults were his uncle's hobby. "But, I've had my hands filled with Jimmy."

"It's not my fault," his brother quickly defended himself. He had been having the full attention of his uncle and father since James was the only Winchester at home. Jimmy couldn't act out at home so he did at school, reporting to JT how he was going to leave his own mark on the local learning institution. "Wait, what were you talking about?" As usual, James had not been listening.

"Pay attention," Caleb tapped James on the side of his head. "JT, there are too many towns that meet the same description. You have anything else?"

"All the towns have a drinking establishment, some sort of bar." Whatever was happening, they weren't dry towns, which a lot of the small towns were. It did narrow the list to those towns that allowed the sale of alcohol, but still there were too many. JT had thought of a solution already, "I've been talking to Ryker. He thinks he can help locate them." JT emptied an envelope. "We found a few things," he presented a stud from a motorcycle jacket, a keychain and a glove, "they should be enough to scry with."

JT saw the glance between his father and Uncle.

"The next full moon is after Christmas," his father replied. They were always aware of the lunar cycle, due to so many supernatural happenings at that time. "Feel like a birthday hunt, Damien?"

"No better way to spend it. JT's going to take the lead on this one, since he found it." Caleb nodded at JT. "Good work."

He felt his face color from the attention. He didn't think he would get to lead a hunt, especially without a ring.

"I'm in," James announced.

"You're not coming and neither is Max." Caleb studied one of the pictures. "Ryker's going with us. He's on break from the Citadel." Ryker was planning to accept a military commission upon completion of his degree. He liked the South Carolina school and its classic military system.

"What?" Max said loudly, a little too loudly and he knew it. "I mean, why, Sir?"

"Next full moon, you're supposed to go to some coven healing seminar with your dad. Ben is coming with you and James," Dad answered, calling the dog to his side with a tap on the side of his leg.

Caleb ignored him for a moment before adding, "And you're not supposed to question me, Private."

"Yes, Sir." Max was crestfallen.

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back," JT replied. He understood Uncle Caleb's changing up of the usual group. Max took every opportunity to shadow him, protecting him from any risks. It was unnerving because they both had the same training.

"The coven is mean to me." James pouted, stooping down to pat the dog.

JT's brother was also afraid of the witches, scared they would turn him into a frog. JT had seen his brother transform into a respectful teen when he was in the presence of coven members.

"No, I just warned them about you," Max added.

JT covered his smirk. The witches were always good to him, he assumed it was because he was the son of The Guardian, but it was more from being the best friend of Maxim Sawyer, son of Joshua Sawyer. Max and James had a bit of a rivalry, and Max used the coven connection to his favor. JT didn't condone it. He let Max have his fun, safe with the knowledge that no physical harm would come to James among the coven or with Max.

"I like Ryker," his father commented to his uncle. "It's always nice to have someone who will follow orders."

"That may be our cue to leave," Max mumbled to JT under his breath.

"We'll contact Ryker, bring him up to speed," JT said, backing slowly out of The Tomb with Max by his side.

His brother caught on, and called them out. "I'm coming, too. I'm tired of getting fed to the wolves."

"We'll talk later about insubordination," Uncle Caleb waved them off.

They took the reprieve, not often getting one, and hoped later meant never. JT would not bring it up again, and neither would James and Max. They could practice their evasive techniques.

"Dude, this is so cool," Max clapped JT on the back. "I haven't led my own hunt, yet, and I have a ring."

James rolled his eyes. Max was very proud of his silver band. "No, you're working on your cooking, Maxie. One day you'll make a great wife."

"I will kill you, Jimmy," Max elbowed James in the ribs. "And wasn't that you going in for second helpings last time I made pasta?"

JT maneuvered himself so he was between Max and his brother. "I'm going to need some help with research on this. Are you guys in?"

"I have some finals, but that shouldn't be a problem," James answered. JT would normally tap his brother on his head for not trying harder in school, but instead he just frowned at him. James ignored him, probably already making plans on where he was going to look first.

"I'll call Uncle Bobby. See if he has heard about something like this," Max replied. They'd be seeing their honorary uncle for the holidays, so if he had any texts, then he could bring them with him.

JT smiled, he had maneuvered his brother and best friend into peaceful coexistence once more without them being none the wiser. He shrugged his shoulders; he would let them go on assuming that he was not devious in his own way.

TBC