Sean slowly walked up his mother's street. Deliberately taking his time, he admired the sunset; he didn't want to get there too early. It would take the hunters at least another ten minutes to get here. The house was not too far from the convention center. Syd would be the only one who could read it properly, thus ensuring that they'd bring her along as the directions would only appear piece by piece.

His mother's house was just a few houses away now. He stopped to admire it from a distance. His mother had really changed after falling for a human. Sean guessed that this particular house had been the man's idea. The Leanansidhe was a Fae, and they embraced nature over human comfort. However, the garden in the backyard was her idea. To a human it just seemed like a random collection of plants, but each of them carried a special meaning to his mother. The Blackthorne tree was her favorite, and a large one grew in the backyard and called to him.

It was still sinking in for Sean. She had been the one to teach him not to get too close to humans, how dangerous the human world could be for their kind, and how deadly it would be for them to fall in love. Now here she was, not listening to any of her advice. And here he was, in the middle of all of this mess.

Deciding that he had waited long enough, he walked up to the house. The hunters would be there soon, and they may need to flee if the cauldron caused any more bloodshed. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Twisting the doorknob, he found the front door to be unlocked. He could go inside. After all, he had been invited inside already, but he felt an odd sense of dread. Realizing that the hunters could be there at any moment, he quietly opened the door and closed it gently behind him as he entered. Everything was quiet, which put him on edge. He looked around the living room; nothing seemed to be disturbed. Sean let out a gasp as he noticed a man's bloody handprint on the wall.

Throwing on a glamour, he quickly ran through the house. The rooms were clean, pristine even, until he got to the bedroom. His mother was on the floor; blood had soaked through part of her shirt. She was gripping her side with one of her hands and wincing in pain. Sean ran to her and fell to the floor, ripping the sheet from the bed to wrap her wounds. The Leanansidhe gently put her other hand on his face with a heartbroken, teary eyed expression.

"The cauldron wasn't just talking to me," she whispered to him.

Grief gave way to rage as he realized what must have happened. His mother's musician stabbed her for the cauldron. Its promised riches were more important to him than the woman he loved. His mother's wound was still fresh; he couldn't have gotten far. Sean realized that there had been an additional car in the driveway. Music man was still here.

A creak from beyond the doorway alerted Sean to another presence, and Sean drew a knife from his boot. He wasn't going to die without a fight. As the footsteps neared the doorway, he heard the front door slam open.

"Sam! Dean! There's a guy covered in blood about to drive away!"

An engine roared from outside, and someone cursed and ran back outside as the other one quickly looked inside the room. He stood there in shock for a few seconds, and Sean saw Syd's face enter his view. Syd gasped and ran over to Sean's mother's side.

"Sam, go with Dean! I can help here."

Sam quickly nodded and ran to help Dean, and Syd turned to Sean.

"Did you call 911 yet? She needs a doctor."

"No!" exclaimed Sean. "A human doctor can't save her right now. There's a spell that might, but I don't have the ingredients."

"Can you get them?"

"Yes, but…"

"I'll stay here. I have basic first aid training, but I'm no miracle worker. I'll keep applying pressure. Go! Now!"

Sean watched Syd for a moment. Her small hands were firmly on the sheet holding it in place. Quickly, Sean ran outside to the backyard and looked around for what he needed. Knowing his mother, there'd be most, if not all, of the ingredients in the garden or in the supply shed. He found the pot marigolds first. Their deep orange color called out to him fiercely, and he used his knife to retrieve them.

The Echinacea were harder to find, but their pink petals soon gave them away. Sean whispered a quick apology to the plant before pulling it out of the ground and harvesting its roots. The rest of the ingredients became easier to find. The St. John's wort grew between the Ash and the Blackthorn trees. He grabbed the Aloe Vera plant off of the deck before he went inside the supply shed.

There had been a metal bowl in the supply shed, and Sean hoped it was at least somewhat heat resistant. He placed the ingredients into the bowl and raced back to his mother's side. His mother was looking paler, which worried him. As he quickly recounted the ingredients in his head, he realized with horror that he's forgotten one.

"What's wrong?"

"I need a four leaf clover, but I don't know if I can find one in time," Sean panicked and looked at Syd to see her going through a small bag tied around her neck. She pulled out a four leaf clover and handed it to him.

"What?" Syd asked in response to his shock. "It was part of a charm. To fight the fairies, you need to be able to see them."

Sean quickly thanked her before adding it to the bowl. He took the twigs from the Ash and Blackthorn trees and set them on fire before adding them to the bowl. He muttered a quick spell to quicken the process while cutting the Aloe Vera. As the plants became ash, Sean added in the aloe to cool the mixture.

His mother's eyes were closed, and she was clearly in pain. Sean quickly drew the runes while muttering the incantation. Nuin, he drew on her left hand, and on her right he drew Straif. On her forehead, he drew the sigil Fearn and completed the incantation. His mother drew a quick breath as the spell took hold. Letting out a sigh of relief, she opened her eyes to look at Sean then closed them to sleep. Sean took off the sheet to reveal a bright red wound, but the bleeding had stopped.

Sean lifted his mother and gently placed her on the bed. His eyes met Syd's to see a look of wonder and relief. Then her gaze shifted to the window, and she walked toward it. The Blackthorn and Ash trees were dying. Already they were losing their leaves. Sean regretted that it was necessary, but it was a small price to pay for his mother's life.

"Life comes with a price, I suppose," Syd mused.

Sean felt something odd as he briefly lost his self-control for a moment and enclosed Syd in a hug.