Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter. I've been super busy with work, so not had much chance to reply but I have been reading. Here's the next one. Five chapters to go...

Chapter 14

"So we have our plan," Wyatt nodded, "This is gonna work."

"It will work, Wyatt," Pru nodded with a small smile, "We're not letting anything happen to Little Bit, or Emily and Sarah."

Wyatt just nodded with a frown. As much as he was grateful for his family getting involved, and Bobby driving all the way from Sioux Falls to help them, he hated feeling helpless. He was a dad now, and was supposed to protect his baby girl. Instead, that baby girl was somewhere in Indiana and was set up to be a sacrifice. He didn't even know if this Lilith was even looking after the five-month-old. What if she didn't feed her? Yes, Emily was there with her but the seven-year-old wouldn't be able to cope with everything.

No, Wyatt had to stop thinking about it. His daughter would be fine. They would get her tomorrow and save her. He had to believe that, otherwise there was the chance he would lose his mind completely.

"Wyatt, I'm not letting anything happen to my niece," Chris spoke up, watching his brother carefully, "This plan will work. We have the Power of Three back, the Colt, that demon-killing knife and an arsenal in the back of Dean's car. Not to mention all of Mel's potions."

Wyatt nodded his head again. They would do this.

"I suggest we all get some sleep," Dana spoke now, looking at everyone in the room, "We'll have a long day tomorrow and a tough night. Getting sleep now will be good for everyone."

Most didn't disagree with it. Wyatt went home with Bianca, Hen left to stay at his parents' home since he still couldn't face going back home after Kaley's death. It ended up with Sam left in the sun room drinking with his brother, Mel and Poppy.

"Are you sure we should be letting her drink?" Sam looked at Mel with a frown, "I'm sure Phoebe will kill us."

"What my mom doesn't know, won't hurt her." Poppy grinned at Sam, holding the beer up and then taking a mouthful.

"This isn't her first beer," Mel laughed, "I swear she started drinking younger than I did."

Dean raised his eyebrows at his girlfriend, laughing. That couldn't possibly be the case. He'd heard about Mel's escapades as a teenager—from the girl herself as well as Riley. Poppy just winked at Sam, drinking another mouthful of her beer.

"You know, Wyatt doesn't really like this plan of yours, Sam." Mel broke the silence.

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't think. I know," Mel shook her head, "I know my brother. Wyatt likes to be in control. He likes to know exactly what is going on—what everyone is doing. He hates someone else taking control and coming up with the plan. He probably hates the fact that you and Riley went to check out Lilith's hiding place and not him."

"Well, he was here..."

"There's no need to get defensive," Mel smiled, "I'm just pointing it out."

"If Wyatt tries to take over, you know why." Poppy threw in her two cents.

After their beers, Dean and Melinda had decided to call it a night. Poppy just smirked at them knowingly, before saying something about 'watching their hands'. Sam didn't even need to guess what she was talking about, but didn't understand the context of it. He didn't want to know the context of it.

"So, how does a 16 year old get into drinking beers on a night?"

"I prefer the harder stuff, but you guys had these out," Poppy smirked, "I'm the baby of the family, the rebel. Mel taught me her ways and I just perfected them."

With a wink, Poppy opened another bottle of beer and drank from it. Sam couldn't help but laugh at the half-cupid. She was one crazy girl. Actually, he could see her being perfect for Dean when he was in high school—and if he wasn't dating Melinda. Thinking about Mel and Dean...

"Hey, you're half-cupid, right?"

"Uh-huh." Poppy just nodded at him, wondering where this was going.

"So, you can sense love between two people?"

"Are you asking how Mel and Dean feel about each other?" Poppy asked with a knowing smile, "You don't need cupid powers to know how those two feel about each other."

"How did you know I was thinking about them?"

"Who else would you want to know about?" Poppy laughed, "Unless you were wondering if there was someone in this family who likes you."

"Whoa! No, no, no, no, no," Sam shook his head with a smile. He did want to know about his brother. More importantly, he wanted to know if his brother was going to get his heart broken, "So, you think they love each other?"

"Don't tell anyone I'm telling you this, okay?" Poppy decided to let him into a little secret, "Patience is useless at keeping secrets and she told me."

"It sounds like you're useless too."

"Oh no. I'm telling you because I think I can trust you with secrets and it's about your brother," the 16-year-old smirked, "Dean and Mel are madly in love with each other but refuse to tell each other. In fact, the cupid assigned to put them together is seriously fed up of their shit."

"Their shit?"

"The constant back and forth with feelings," Poppy nodded, "We don't see it. But inside, one minute they're all for moving their relationship onto the next stage and the next minute they back off from each other. Something tells me it's to do with the way they are so alike. Both have barriers and they don't want to look weak. Love is weakness...or it gives demons a weakness to exploit. Neither of them want to give evil that chance."

"You know a hell of a lot for a 16 year old."

"I'm nosy," Poppy shrugged her shoulders, "So I pay attention. And I listen when people really don't think I am."

"So, how did Patience find out this?"

"She has connections in the cupid world," Poppy explained, "She's always preferred her cupid half over her wiccan half, but we're the next set of Charmed Ones and she's had no choice but to be a witch. But she won't give up her cupid side, and she won't give up her cupid friends. She just happened to talk to the cupid in charge of putting Dean and Mel together."

"I bet they'll love to hear that a cupid has put them together." Sam said with a grin. He was learning more and more about this family and magic every day.

It was time. Time to face the music and get the girls back. They didn't have long. They didn't really know when the ritual was going to begin. Just that it had to be done on a full moon. The moon would rise soon, and it could start at any point by then.

"Everyone has someone who can teleport and all mortals have at least one person with powers with them," Sam pointed out and then turned his attention to the diagram that Riley had drawn after their return from Indiana, "Dean, Mel and Chris will be here. Riley, Wyatt and I will be over here..."

"You and I should switch, Sam." Dean looked at his brother.

"What? Why?" Sam shook his head, "I thought you'd want to be with Mel..."

"No, Dean's right," Mel shook her head, "Chris shouldn't be with me either. Riley or Sam should."

"Mel, this isn't the time for playing favorites." Chris glared at his sister.

"I'm not playing favorites," Mel shook her head, "If something happened to me, you, Wyatt and Dean...you'd all stop and you know it. Riley and Sam would keep going if there was no other choice."

Sam looked between his brother and Melinda. They'd clearly talked about this last night. They'd been on hunts together and knew each other's moves, but now they wanted to be separated and Sam understood exactly why, especially after what Poppy had told him last night.

"They're right," Bobby sighed, "This was why you agreed that Bianca and Wyatt wouldn't be in the same team."

Sam sighed. Yes, they had discussed that point earlier. He should have guessed that the same argument would be used for Dean and Mel. And now she was getting her brothers involved in this.

"Well, I've got to change all this," Sam sighed, "I just know I can't split up the Power of Three."

"Well, put Pru, Pay and Poppy with Wyatt. How about I go with Riley and you. Dean and Chris can team up with Holly, and that leaves Bianca, Hen and Haley there and then Bobby, Aunt Phoebs and Aunt Paige there."

"That works." Wyatt nodded. Let's get everyone in, make sure they're ready and get this bitch. I'm getting my daughter back.

With that, they made their way into the sun room. It was the biggest room to discuss the final plan for the ritual. Even then, the space was getting cramped, especially with the large whiteboard they had up for their plans.

"Be safe, okay?" Dean told Mel, kissing the top of her head. He knew that it was better they split up for this, but he didn't want to do it. He wanted to be there to make sure she was safe. But he knew that she was right.

"We shouldn't be on the same team tomorrow." Mel said as soon as she shut the bedroom door.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked with a frown.

"I've been thinking about tomorrow. The fight. We need to be on different teams," she repeated, "It would be better for my niece and Hen's daughters."

Dean shook his head with a frown. This was not something he could agree on. He needed to be there to protect Melinda, make sure that she was okay. But she had a different idea. Sitting him down on the bed, she looked into his eyes.

"If we're together and something happens to one of us, we'll stop to protect each other. You know that's true, Dean. If something happens to me, there is no way you would put Xandra, Emily and Sarah first. No way at all. And I don't think I could do it if it was the other way around."

Dean nodded his head, frowning deeply. She was right. If something happened to Mel, he'd get her out of there and make her stay away. Even just the slightest cut would make him stop. Hell, he'd put his own life at risk to protect her. The three girls wouldn't be full considerations for him. He started to hate himself right now. How could he possibly put his girlfriend before three innocent children? What type of person did that make him?

Melinda seemed to guess what he was thinking, and put her hands to his face. She forced him to look into her eyes.

"I'd do the same, Dean, I really would," Mel admitted, "And it's because...well...I love you. I didn't want to say it, especially not right now, but it occurred to me today. I might not get a chance to tell you. If Lilith..."

"I love you, too." Dean blurted out before he could stop himself. His heart was racing right now. From the moment she'd said those three simple words, his heartbeat seemed to double. His mind was racing with thoughts, but the only ones that mattered were his feelings for her.

Melinda was taken aback. She didn't expect Dean to take the admission well, let alone say it back to her.

"No, I don't think you understand, Dean. I'm in love with you. Truly, madly, deeply to quote the song."

"I do understand, Mel," Dean said, his voice quiet, "I'm in love with you, too. I don't know what you've done to me, gorgeous, but I'm not complaining. For the first time I actually feel like I belong somewhere and with someone. I'm not going into my feelings because you know me..." Mel laughed at that, "And I know you. But I'm in love with you. And you're right—I wasn't going to tell you, but Lilith might kill us. So..."

The two of them stared at each other for a while, until Mel broke the silence, "So, we can't be on the same team tomorrow."

"But we can be on the same team tonight, right?"

"Come back to me, Dean," Mel warned him, "If you don't, I'll bring your spirit back from the afterlife and kill you myself. I may even send you to Hell."

Dean grinned and kissed Melinda deeply. That was his way to telling her that he was coming back to her. And she was coming back to him. Nothing was going to stop them.

Castiel watched from the ring of holy fire. Lilith had taken over the body of a child, and was taunting the children in a cage across from them. One of the children was just an infant, and the angel had to guess that it was Wyatt Halliwell's daughter. There were two others that seemed close to this girl, and he guessed that they were Henry Mitchell Jnr.'s daughter. They were the ones that he had to make sure he got back. He had already made a promise to himself.

But right now he was stuck with 21 other angels in this ring of holy fire. The only thing that could keep angels trapped in one place.

"We need a plan," Balthazar said to him from behind, "The full moon is tonight. If this ritual is happening, this is when it is Castiel."

"I know," Castiel frowned deeply, "I know the Halliwells and Winchesters will have a plan."

"How could you possibly know that?" Gabriel now scoffed, disbelief in his eyes.

"Because their children are here. And you know how they are when it comes to family. Dean Winchester would rather sell his soul than let his brother die, and the Halliwells...Just look at the sacrifices they have all made over the years."

"I just hope you are right, Castiel," Balthazar said, glancing across at the children in the cage, "Otherwise, Lucifer will be out."

Just as they talked, Lilith turned to look at her angels.

"They won't reach me in time. The ritual is tonight and they still have no idea how to kill me."

"They will find a way." Castiel glared at the young form. He had to focus on the demon that was inside this poor innocent child. He would certainly have to if he ever came to the point of killing her himself.

Suddenly a demon ran into the basement of the house. He had taken the form of a mail man.

"They are here. Around the perimeter. All of them."

"Make sure your men are out there. They cannot disturb me until the ritual is complete."

For the first time, Castiel saw a hint of doubt in the eyes of the child. Was Lilith really that certain that the Halliwells and Winchesters wouldn't kill her?

"The neighbor over there and the milkman that looks eerily out of place are both demons." Riley told Sam and Mel. Both of them frowned at him.

"How do you know?" Sam now asked. He couldn't tell the difference but guessed the milkman was a demon. He did seem out of place at 10pm at night. But the neighbor?

"You can't see it?" Riley asked with a frown, "The face of the demon inside the guy?"

Both Sam and Mel looked back at the people and then at Riley, shaking their heads. Riley frowned and then thought carefully about it, "Huh. I guess it's my demon half. I've started to notice I can see the demonic faces and they are fugly sons of bitches."

"So, anyone else?"

Riley glanced around, using binoculars to see inside the houses. He quickly put them down and groaned, "This whole place is surrounded in them."

Some of this will now follow No Rest for the Wicked from Supernatural but Riley is able to see the demon faces not Dean :) I'd love to hear what you think, though. Please R&R