Hope everyone has a nice and safe Halloween! (Don't forget your salt!)

And thanks to Kathy and my Guest reviewer! Glad you're enjoying this story. Thanks again in advance, if you comment on this chapter too :)

Part Two

Dean saw Sam go down and then watched, helpless, as the faeries ganged up on his brother and Eileen.

"Sam!" he cried, turning and pushing through the frantic hikers to go to their aid, but a hand clamped on his shoulder and hauled him back.

"Dean we have to go!" Cas shouted in his ear as the noise of the shouting faeries and the barking dogs only increased.

"We can't leave them!" Dean protested, straining against his friend's grip but Cas simply grabbed his other arm and started to haul him back.

"If we stay we'll all be captured, as well as these innocent people, is that what you want?"

Dean swallowed hard, but knew Cas was right. He gritted his teeth, spat a curse and then let the angel haul him toward the cave entrance where they hurried out, pushing the group of hikers along with them.

There was a slight popping sensation as they went through the veil and then they were out in the woods again. The normal woods. Dean heaved a sigh of relief for that at least.

The hikers were stumbling around, panting, looking like they weren't sure what they had just witnessed.

"Come on," Dean said, snapping back to some rational thinking. "We need to keep going. There's no guarantee that they won't follow us."

He and Cas led the rescued hikers down the trail and finally made it to the trail head where Dean called the local ranger to see about transporting them back to town so they could get checked out at a hospital.

Dean kept casting glances over his shoulder, getting more and more anxious at the thought of leaving Sam and Eileen stuck in fairyland having who-knows-what done to them. He shuddered as the thought of his own 'abduction' years back and didn't want to entertain too many notions about what those bastards were doing to his brother and the Irish hunter right now.

"Dean, as soon as we get these people seen to we'll think of a way to get Sam and Eileen back," Cas said quietly at his shoulder as they stood by, watching the rangers load the people into a van.

"You coming back with us?" the ranger called to Dean and Cas as he moved to the driver's seat.

"Not yet, we have some stuff to finish up here," Dean told him vaguely. "We'll be back to brief the sheriff soon." Or not.

Once the van drove off down the road, Dean glanced at the sky and checked the time. "Dammit, it's already almost sundown." He bit his lip and looked worriedly off in the trees.

Cas settled a hand on his shoulder. "I think it might be prudent to head back to town and regroup. We know where the faeries are now, what we need is a plan to get Sam and Eileen out of there."

"Whatever we do isn't going to have any better results than with the hikers," Dean said grimly as he and Cas headed over to the Impala. "Plus they'll be expecting us now. If we go in there again, we're screwed."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Dean hated this plan, but he knew it was the best one they had. "Well, I figure it this way. Bottom line, the faeries are going to be pissed we took their sacrifice. Now that they have Sam and Eileen, though…"

Cas exhaled slowly. "They'll likely use them as surrogates."

Dean nodded, sick to his stomach at the thought. "Exactly. Which means we at least have until tomorrow night to figure out how to stop the hunt or rescue Sam and Eileen in some other way."

Cas nodded firmly. "Then I guess we have more research to do."

"Ah, look what we have here. Hunters."

Sam and Eileen were shoved forward toward what Sam suspected was the leader of the faeries. He was tall, and thin, with long dark hair tied back at the nape of his neck, looking a little like an elf extra from Lord of the Rings but with a more modern style of outfit. Sam had noticed that aside from the leather, the faeries pretty much looked like they were wearing normal combat gear. They just had more medieval weapons. This one did not look happy at all, however.

"Search them for weapons," he said to the guards who were holding Sam and Eileen captive and they were roughly searched until their guns and blades were gingerly removed and tossed to one side. Then they were both shoved unceremoniously to their knees.

The faery leader strode forward now, looking at them with some interest, but mostly just annoyance.

"I truly hate your kind, you know," he said. "You're always barging in and trying to destroy us."

"You have no right to kidnap people," Eileen told him firmly.

"Don't I?" the faery asked, almost sounding affronted. "My people have been doing it for centuries. It's how things are. It's how they've always been."

"And there's always been hunters to stop you," Sam added.

"Yes, but now I'm in a predicament," the faery leader said. "You see, I need a quarry for the Hunt, and now you have let all my tithes go, so were does that leave me?"

"Maybe you should just go back home to Ireland," Eileen told him.

"Oh trust me, Huntress, if I could, I would. But my people have been cast out, thanks to that jumped-up organization of overzealous Englishmen who call themselves the Men of Letters," the faery scoffed. "Perhaps once they were the scholars they say they are, but in the last couple decades they have become nothing better than the 'monsters' they claim to hunt."

Sam's stomach clenched at the faery's words. He was almost inclined to agree after what Toni Bevel had done to him before he'd even gotten a chance to talk things over with her.

"Look, we don't care much for the Brits either," Sam tried to appeal. "And I'm sure we don't know the half of what you and you're people have gone through…"

"No you don't!" the faery snapped, stepping up to Sam and glowering harshly into his face. "My people have been slaughtered by the Men of Letters! And we finally relocate, try to get back to our old ways, and then more hunters barge in and decide they know better how to run the show." He shook his head, sneering in disgust. "My people used to be strong, immortal, but now we have no power, because our tithes are weak, and our realm has all but been destroyed. I, Kallan, am the last of the faery princes, and even I cannot truly do what I need to to keep my people safe."

Sam shared a look with Eileen. He wasn't exactly ready to sympathize with a being who hunted down humans, but he could at least understand where this Kallan was coming from. "Look, I know it's gotta be rough, but we're trying to do what's best for our people just like you," Sam said, trying to appeal to the faery prince. "It's our job to protect people from supernatural creatures."

"And I can respect that," Kallan said. "I too am a warrior and I have fought many battles for my people. Which is why I am willing to offer you a choice." He narrowed his eyes shrewdly at Sam and Eileen. "You two are hunters, you likely understand the thrill of the hunt—but I guarantee you that you have never been on a hunt like the Wild Hunt. It would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, pure adrenaline, and nothing but the base pleasure of chasing down your quarry. You will never experience anything like it. I am offering you an invitation to join me. Help me find another quarry and you can join in on the hunt. If you do, I will give you untold riches."

Sam's jaw twitched as he shook his head. "We're not going to join you, or help you find another sacrifice."

Kallan's face colored in rage. "You would actually turn down my offer?" he gave a short laugh. "You obviously do not understand how precious that invitation was, human; I will not give another, and soon you will wish you had taken it."

"We don't hunt for pleasure," Eileen told him. "We do it to save people."

"Then you are weak," Kallan scoffed. "But perhaps you don't truly understand what the hunt means. But I guarantee you that by the end of tomorrow at midnight, you will."

Sam felt dread in his stomach, but he already knew where this was going.

"If you will not help me find a new sacrifice, then you will have to take that place," Kallan said. "And I promise you, you're not going to like to be the prey when this Hunt starts to chase you down. There will be no mercy for you."

Sam swallowed hard. "Then do it. We're not going to change our minds."

"So be it," Kallan said and nodded to his guards. "Take them and keep them locked up well. I don't want them slipping away before the Hunt."

"Yes, your majesty," said the guards who had kept their hold on Sam and Eileen as they dragged them to their feet again and hauled them down a corridor to a small room. It was dark and wet, and they threw Sam and Eileen inside and slammed the door shut.

Sam hit the ground with a grunt, unable to catch himself with his hands bound, and Eileen made a sound of protest as well.

It was too dark for her to read his lips but Sam found Eileen's hand in the dark and squeezed in reassurance, trying to convey that everything would be alright. Dean and Cas wouldn't leave them here to be cut down by a faery army.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Eileen said.

"Hey," Sam said, squeezing her hand again, then bit his lip and pressed his hand into the flat of her palm, trying to sign 'not your fault'.

Eileen exhaled. "We'll get out of this." She said surely, and Sam felt her hand on his palm, making a new sign, pressing against his hand insistently. "It will be okay," she told him.

Sam had to smile a bit and made the sign back, to let her know he had under stood, then linked his fingers around hers again, not wanting her to be completely cut off in the dark.

Eileen squeezed back and they sat shoulder to shoulder in the darkness, just waiting for the moment they would have to run for their lives.

Several hours to midnight, Dean and Cas had done copious amounts of research and acquired all they could possibly find as far as faery protection and repellent went. They'd both dressed in red shirts (Dean was not thinking of the Star Trek correlation there) and turned their coats inside out again. They'd also found sprigs of rowan, tucking them into their pockets, which was supposed to be another concealer/deterrent to the fae.

"All of this just seems ridiculous," Dean said as he loaded more wrought iron rounds into his gun and handed Cas one of his spare pistols.

"Well, according to the lore and Lillian O'Grady's journal, it does work," Cas said.

They'd also found out that faeries couldn't cross running water, and had found a place on the trail map that they could hopefully use as their escape rout should they be able to rescue Sam and Eileen at the spot they were hoping to. After discovering that the Hunt would likely follow the most prominent ley line in the area, they had been able to make a more educated guess as to the path of the hunt. Hopefully, it would be accurate. If not, then…well, Dean didn't know what they were going to do, but hopefully go down fighting.

"Six hours to midnight," Cas said.

Dean glanced at his watch, and closed the trunk of the Impala. "Let's get a head start then."

The angel nodded and they climbed into the car, as Dean started the engine.

All Dean could think about on the drive there was that he could not lose another person right now. Even though he knew Mom was still out there and well, the pain of anyone else leaving him right now would be too much.

He was going to save Sam and Eileen that night if it was the last thing he did.

The door to their cell opened, casting sharp light over Sam and Eileen, causing them to blink in the sudden change. More fae guards came in and unceremoniously hauled them to their feet, dragging them out of the cell and all the way outside the cave.

Sam saw Prince Kallan sitting on a black horse, dressed in that leather armor, a long spear held at his side and surrounded by a group of his warriors, some also on horses, others on foot. There were also a bunch of strange white dogs with red-tipped ears, sniffing restlessly around.

"We have the tithes, my lord," one of the guards said to Kallan.

"Good, now cut their bonds," Kallan instructed.

The guards cut the ropes from Sam and Eileen's hands and Sam winced and instantly began rubbing life back into his numb appendages.

"Now take off their jackets. There will be no trickery tonight, and the dogs will need something to scent."

Their still inside-out jackets were yanked roughly from their shoulders and tossed to one of the dog handlers. He balled them up and threw them into the group of dogs, who instantly began snarling and snapping at the scent. Sam swallowed hard.

"Now," Kallan said, turning to Sam and Eileen. "To give us a little more sport, we're going to give you a head start. So I would suggest you start running now."

Sam glanced at Eileen, and they didn't need any more coaxing. There was the blast of a warning horn and they surged forward, careening down the path ahead of them, through the moonlit trees.

Sam was pretty positive that they were royally screwed.

"Sam," Eileen called as they ran. "We'll make it. Just stay together."

Sam reached out and squeezed her hand, and then they put on another burst of speed as they heard a second hunting horn, and the sound of baying hounds in the distance.

Dean hated being in the woods at night, especially when he was waiting for something evil—which was pretty much the only reason he ever hung out in the woods at night. It reminded him too much of Purgatory. He glanced over at Cas who was crouched beside him, wondering if the angel was getting the same vibes. Dean checked his watch again. It was ten minutes to midnight. He glanced down the path again.

"What if we're wrong about the path?" he asked Cas.

Cas pressed his lips into a thoughtful line. "This was the only major ley line that ran through the area. I'm sure it's the path the faeries will take. Besides, there's a river only a quarter mile from here. This is the perfect point to make the rescue."

"Yeah, if Sam and Eileen make it this far," Dean said grimly.

"The Hunt is partly ceremonial too, Dean," Cas said, obviously trying to be reassuring, but not doing so great in Dean's opinion. "The faeries aren't just going to bring them down in the first few seconds of the Hunt. They will run the course of the path and finish it then. A sacrifice means nothing if it is too easy to take down."

Dean's stomach roiled but he had to admit it made sense—in a horrible, twisted way. "Okay. But come on, Cas, we escape the faeries by standing in the middle of the road?" That had been another thing they'd come across in their research. It said that anyone caught in a faery raid only had to stand directly in the middle of the road and somehow, the faeries wouldn't notice them. "With nothing but some twigs and some inside out clothes? I mean, even for normal hunting hoodoo this seems really weak."

"The middle of a road is a safe place, like a crossroads, almost," Cas explained. "It's neither here nor there, one thing or another; therefor it's neither of our world or the faery world."

"Oh yeah, that makes so much sense," Dean rolled his eyes, but it wasn't like that had any more options. He just hoped it was enough to keep them alive.

He could feel it when midnight hit. It was like the whole forest, which hadn't been exactly loud before, fell into a stupor. Even the breeze in the trees stopped and the silence was deafening.

"Cas…" he murmured.

"I feel it too," the angel said, a haunted note to his voice. "It's starting."

Then came the sound of a faint horn blast in the distance and all the hair stood up on the back of Dean's neck.

"Well, here we go," he muttered to Cas, instinctively shifting his grip on his gun and the iron knife.

"We'll have to do this fast," Cas said, also readying his gun and angel blade. "We'll have to jump into the path and get into position as soon as we see Sam and Eileen."

Dean nodded, wetting his lips.

It was an eternity of waiting, but he knew when the Hunt was getting closer. A breeze picked up, icy cold even for this time of year and he shivered and pulled his jacket tighter around him. Even Cas seemed effected by the preternatural chill, shoulders hunched slightly.

And then he heard the cacophony; the hunting horns blowing dreadful peals and the hounds baying for blood. The ground shook with the thunder of the horses' hooves, and then, Dean could see the procession through the trees as the noise rolled toward them like a tidal wave.

And at the front, two lone figures tearing up the path as fast as they could with what looked like a hunting party from hell on their heels.

Sam's breath came in sharp pants, his chest and legs burned as he forced himself to keep going. Eileen looked just as exhausted beside him, but she was somehow managing to keep pace with his long legs, and neither of them dared slow down even for a second. He could practically feel the breath of the horses and the faery hounds at his back, the pounding of the Hunt shook the ground under their feet and they both knew that if they faltered, if they tripped, it would all be over, and there would be no mercy from the Hunt on their heels.

Sam nearly jumped out of his skin when two figures suddenly appeared in front of them on the path, grabbing Eileen's arm as he heard her gasp.

"Sammy!" came a cry, and he saw it was only Dean and Cas.

Relief flooded him, but it was short lived as he continued to pound toward his brother and best friend.

"Get out of the road!" he shouted. "Go!"

"No, Sammy, stop, listen to me, just stop!" Dean shouted past the thunder of the Hunt that was only getting closer.

"Are you insane?!" Sam demanded breathlessly as they approached them, but Dean reached out to snag a hand in Sam's shirt, jerking him to a halt.

"Just trust me," he said as Cas did the same to Eileen.

"They won't be able to detect us if we stand in the exact middle of the path," Cas explained, signing to Eileen to make sure she understood. "So everyone just stay still!"

"That's crazy!" Eileen protested.

"Crazy's usually all we got," Dean said as the Hunt got closer, just rounding the corner of the path and heading straight toward them.

Sam bit his lip, but, going against every instinct he had, he grabbed Eileen and pulled her close against him. Dean and Cas pressed in close as well, and the four of them stood there in the exact middle of the path, hands gripping each other's clothes in sheer terror as the Hunt pounded closer and closer until it was right on top of them.

There was a second Sam was sure they would simply be mown down, by the horses, or Kallan's spear, or torn apart by the hounds, but as if my some magic (and he supposed that's what it was) the Hunt simply parted around them as if they weren't there. They could feel the wind of their passing, as they huddled there, trying to be as small as possible, but nothing touched them.

Soon the hunt had passed and Sam gasped a breath of relief and shock, lifting his head to stare incredulously at his companions, three pairs of haunted and astonished eyes looked back at him.

"Holy crap," Dean breathed. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"We have to go," Cas urged. "It's only a matter of time before they figure out we tricked them."

"Where?" Sam demanded.

"To the river, follow us," Dean said and directed their party off the path.

Sam frowned but then remembered something from his research about faeries being unable to cross running water. He wished he had thought of that before.

They all stepped off the path.

He could almost feel the shift in the night. A malevolent wind cut through the trees and there was a shout and a horn blast from the Hunt. The dogs barked in confusion and Sam felt terror strike right through him.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, then, "Run!"

They did. Even as exhausted as Sam was, he pushed his legs into another sprint. "How far?" he panted to his brother.

"Quarter mile," Dean shot back. "Save your breath, let's go!"

But the faeries had already figured out that they had escaped. The Hunt was turning around and he could hear Kallan's furious shouts as he instructed his men on what to do.

The pounding started up again, and the four hunters pushed themselves forward even faster, crashing between trees and through the underbrush.

Then Eileen tripped over a branch and fell with a cry. Sam skidded to a halt and turned to haul her to her feet, but by then, they had already lost precious time.

Kallan, at the head of his warriors pounded toward them, and a group of the fae dogs tore ahead of the horses, looking ready to eat the human hunters alive.

"Sam!" Dean cried, spinning around and getting off several shots toward the coming army as Sam and Eileen staggered into a run again, but the faeries were on top of them.

A hound leapt and snagged the back of Sam's shirt in its teeth, jerking him to a halt. Several more did the same, nipping at flesh and bearing Sam to the ground. He fought, grabbed a stick and tore his shirt from their teeth as he struck out with his makeshift weapon, feeling claws rake his back and legs in the process.

He looked around frantically for Eileen and saw her fending off a fae warrior with only her bare hands. The butt of the faery's spear whipped around and struck her in the side of the head and she fell like a sack of rocks.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, and surged forward to barrel into the faery before he could stab Eileen with the spear. They both fell to the ground and Sam grappled with the warrior before the faery got his feet between them and kicked Sam hard in the chest. Sam felt ribs crack under the heavy boots and flew over the faery's head to land heavily next to Eileen, body singing with pain, fighting to get air back in his lungs.

But Eileen was stirring and she rolled to her knees, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up.

"Come on!" she cried.

Dean and Cas laid down more covering fire and Sam, with his arm over Eileen's shoulder, managed to make it back over to them. Cas and Dean handed them each an iron dagger. As they retreated, half running backwards toward the river, which was finally in sight.

"Only a little further," Dean shouted. "Just keep going!"

"Do not let them escape!" Kallan was shouting to his men. "Kill them!"

More dogs were rushing forward. One clawed at Cas, but he stabbed it with his angel blade, but Kallan himself was readying his spear to throw toward them, aiming directly at Sam.

Sam froze in the split second before the fae prince threw it, but the faery never got the chance to do more than aim. Eileen spun the dagger she held to grip the blade and then threw it.

It spun blade over hilt, glinting in the moonlight and took Prince Kallan right in the center of his chest. His eyes bugged out and he slid off his horse, falling in a heap on the ground and not getting up.

"Run!" Dean shouted, grabbing both Sam and Eileen by their arms and jerking them the last few yards toward the river.

The four of them splashed through the water and collapsed on the other side, gasping for breath.

Sam rolled over, watching the faeries as they stared in horror at their fallen leader, and glared across the river at them. The dogs barked angrily, sniffing at the opposite bank, but no one tried to cross.

Sam sank back against the cold, damp ground, his body singing with pain, listening to Eileen gasping beside him.

Dean slumped back as well, sprawling next to Sam with a groan. "I friggin' hate Halloween."

The next night they were back in the bunker. Sam for one was glad. They had left Portland as soon as they got out of the woods, not wanting to have to answer any questions from the local PD. They'd all been wet, and looked a little worse for wear, especially Sam and Eileen, bruises and abrasions covering their bodies. Sam had a couple cracked ribs on top of it, but they had survived the Wild Hunt, and not many people could say that. Cas had been able to heal them before they left anyway, and as soon as they had grabbed the rest of their stuff from the motel they had been off back to Kansas.

Sam was glad when they pulled into the garage. Even though they could probably boast the fact that they were the only hunters who had survived the Wild Hunt, he was just glad to be back home. After all, the Winchesters had managed the impossible multiple times before. In reality it was just another typical day in the life.

"Ugh," Dean groaned in relief as he threw his duffle bag onto the library table and sank into one of the chairs. "That's it. Next year I'm not leaving the bunker on Halloween. And if I see another faery I'm just gonna shoot first and ask questions never."

Eileen smiled as she sat down as well. "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it alone."

"Hey, you know you can always count on us," Sam told her with a smile, squeezing her shoulder. "Unless it's faeries."

She laughed and Sam smirked. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well, I'm hitting the shower and then bed."

"Yeah, me too," Sam said tiredly. "I'll show you the room you can stay in, Eileen," Sam said.

"Thanks," she replied. "I could use the rest too."

Sam showed Eileen to one of the empty rooms and grabbed her a fresh towel. "Hey, um, you can stay for as long as you like, you know."

Eileen gave him a smile. "I know. Thank you. But I have things I need to do back in Ireland. People to save, things to hunt."

Sam huffed a laugh, trying not to show how disappointed he was. "I get it. Just…you know you always have a place here, right? Whenever you want to stop by, the door's open."

Eileen nodded. "Thanks. I know."

"Good," Sam said, then added, "But probably shouldn't bring anymore faery cases. Dean would be pissed."

Eileen laughed. "Don't worry, I'll handle those on my own." She was silent a moment then said. "We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah, we do."

"Well, I guess I'll let you get some sleep," Eileen said.

"Yeah, you too, get some rest."

Sam left her room and went to grab fresh clothes to the shower, his body exhausted—he was getting too old for this crap. He was looking forward to nothing more than a hot shower and his comfy bed.

He thought he was beginning to agree with Dean about Halloween. Maybe he wouldn't even mind some of that candy after all.