The Guard Changed at Dawn

Chapter 21

It was five-thirty and everyone except Joshua was gathered in the banquet and meeting room of the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building. Caleb had returned to White Swan a little before four with his SUV loaded down with shadily-purchased pyrite, galena and tektite, and the rest of the ingredients needed to make pyrite bullets, shotgun shells and grenades. He, Ryker and Samuel had unloaded the car and were in the corner of the banquet hall, organizing the boxes.

JT, James and Max were gathered around the table, eating the buffet Sam had ordered from the diner; chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, beans and biscuits.

Dean stood at the windows looking out over the paved building front and into the forest beyond. He hoped that in the next day or two, this would all be finished and he could go home. He missed Juliet. He'd been tempted to call her again, but he usually didn't call when he was on a hunt, and he didn't want to worry her.

He glanced down at his new phone. Onida still hadn't called. After he'd told her his plan, he knew she'd gone to consult with Samuel. He glanced over at the tribal chief. The man hadn't said anything about their discussion when he arrived, and that made him tense. He hoped Samuel had counseled her to accept his plan. In truth, though he'd thought about it all afternoon, he hadn't come up with a better one. He knew this would work; it was why Pastor Jim had sent them.

"Dean?"

Dean smiled, and without turning, he said, "Hey, Sam."

"You need to eat something."

"I just had a burger a couple hours ago."

Sam nodded, though Dean wasn't looking. "We're not going back in tonight, are we."

Dean shook his head. Breathing out a soft sigh, he turned to lean against the window sill. "No. We need the rest after last night. These witches are clever and strong; I don't want us going in tired. When we do go in the again, it'll be for the last time."

"You have a plan," Sam stated.

Dean nodded. "I'll tell everyone if Onida agrees. If not…" he shrugged. "We'll have to think of something else."

"Onida has to agree for your plan to work?"

"Well, no. But I wouldn't go through with it by force. Onida has defended the Yakama people and surrounding towns for decades. I wouldn't disrespect her work by going around her. If she doesn't agree … well, we'll figure it out."

Sam nodded.

"In the meantime, we need to make more pyrite tipped bullets, shotgun shells and grenades. If we can, we need to pry Joshua away from the boy that's holding him hostage," Dean said wryly, "so he can make more of his potions. From what Caleb and Ryker said, they were very effective."

Sam nodded, though he didn't know the plan. He would find out when Onida agreed; and he had no doubt she would. "JT and Jimmy found the records of the boy who escaped from the witches. It happened in nineteen-eighteen. He was about thirteen. We speculated that his escape is what caused the Tah-tah-kle'-ah to focus on kidnapping younger children, children who were too young and frightened to run."

Dean shook his head. He hated it when children became collateral damage for supernatural creepies. If it were possible, it made him despise the baddies even more.

"Now we're looking at the medical journals of the time to see how he was treated when he returned," Sam continued. "Hopefully that will give Adam, Joseph and Joshua a clue as to where to begin helping the kids."

"And the teenagers?"

"We don't know," Sam sighed. "If we could get a blood sample and do some tests, we could see the anomalies in their systems and hopefully counteract it."

Dean nodded. Looking at Sam, he said, "JT said there was a girl at the barrier trying to get out."

"I think Joshua saw the same girl. He said she was mystified by the barrier and wanted to get out. She had enough sense of self to remember her name; Sarah."

"Do you think she'll be back at the wall tonight?" Dean asked, a gleam in his eye.

"You want to get a blood sample."

"If she's been able to retain knowledge of her name and she could communicate somewhat with JT and Josh, then maybe she'll be aware enough to give a blood sample."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "JT needs to do the asking, then. He's the one she connected with the most."

Dean's eyes went to his son. "Helps that he's so good looking, right?"

Sam snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, he's so handsome. Come on, I want some mashed potatoes before they're devoured by your offspring."

Dean watched his brother walk away. "It's not only my kids at that table," he grumbled, following.

Once he got to the conference table, the smell from the down-home bounty stirred his hunger and Dean filled his plate. He'd just taken a large bite of chicken when his phone rang. Quickly he chewed as he pulled out his cell and mumbled, "ello?"

There was silence, then Onida said, "Hello?"

Dean swallowed quickly and said, "Hey, Onida." Standing, he walked back to the window. "Well…?"

Again there was silence, and Dean looked at the phone face, thinking the call might have dropped.

"I'm not comfortable with your plan."

Dean waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he said simply, "Okay."

"That's it? Okay?"

Dean stiffened at her tone and irritation flared. This had already been a long hunt, and he didn't have the patience to play footsie with Onida. "What were you expecting?"

Onida didn't respond.

Dean waited. As the silence lengthened and she didn't continue, he realized he didn't have anything to say either. "Have a good night."

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it."

Dean gave an exasperated sigh. "Onida, I'm really not up for a session of decipher-what-I'm-trying-to-say. Either you agree or you don't. Pick one."

Onida felt her hackles rise. "Listen here, Dean. I've been guardian of the Yakama people for more than forty…"

"Can we drop all the credential touting?" Dean interrupted. "I respect the years you've invested in training for your position, the losses you've suffered and the years you've spent protecting your people." If anyone understood Onida's life, it was Dean. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have presented my plan to you or asked for your support. I don't mean to be insensitive here, but at this time all I'm really looking for is a yes or a no so I can finish this thing."

There was more silence on the line before Onida said, "Yes."

Dean sighed. "Thank you."

They each hung on the line without talking before Dean heard a chuckle from the other end.

"You son of a bitch," Onida said with a laugh.

Dean smiled. "Not disagreeing."

"Okay, so how is this going to work?"

"I'll lay out the plan for the team as I told you. We'll fine tune everything tonight, and get ready tomorrow. Then, it ends. I'll have Caleb come over there later, give you the final lowdown. You can pick where you want to fight."

"Fight?"

"I figure after all the years, you'd want some payback."

"You figured right," Onida said. "Tell Caleb I'll expect him."

Dean ended the connection and stood, staring at the phone. She'd agreed. Nodding, he heaved a sigh of relief. There was an end in sight and they could get this done.

"It was Onida."

Dean looked around and saw Samuel standing behind him. He nodded.

Samuel smiled. "I can see from your posture that her decision was the correct one. Come, you need to finish your meal."

Dean huffed out a short laugh. "The Sam's to the rescue."

"Come again?" Samuel said with a smile.

Dean shook his head and started for the table. "I do have a plate that needs getting back to."

"Then I'll join you."

Dean took his seat again and began cutting into his chicken fried steak.

"What did Onida have to say?" Sam asked.

"She's on board," Dean said, eating a mouthful of chicken. After he swallowed, he said, "We'll go over the plan tonight, get everything ready tomorrow, then get to bed early and be early to rise."

"Quoting Benjamin Franklin," Caleb stated as he sat down across from the brothers. "I'm so proud."

Dean rolled his eyes but forewent a reply in favor of eating his dinner.

"Alison called today," Sam said to Caleb. "We handed over everything we'd researched so far, except for Joseph's ledgers and papers. Those belong to the tribe and stay with the tribe."

"Good. She'll be sending over names and pictures of every missing child, starting with the most recent and going backwards. That way we'll hopefully get names for the kids. Maybe that will help them remember their lives before the witches."

"Great idea." Sam nodded.

Caleb looked to Dean. "We going over the plan tonight?"

Dean eyed his friend. "You spoke with Onida?"

"Briefly. She said something about your plan, but didn't tell me anything about it."

"Yeah, we'll go over everything, kill the witches and go home."

Sam smiled. "Missing Juliet?"

"A bit," Dean admitted, with a smile.

"How about we meet back in the records room?" Sam suggested.

"That's fine." Dean looked at his watch; it was close to seven. "I'd like to go over everything and be back in my hotel room by ten or eleven."

"Why so late?" Sam asked.

"Got a stop for me and JT."

James walked over and dropped into the chair next to Dean. "Since Ms. Alison has taken over, are we done with the research portion of this hunt?"

"For the most part," Dean answered, scooping the last of his mashed potatoes into his mouth. He put his fork down and said, "You get enough to eat?"

James smiled and nodded. "We're good."

"Why don't you and JT get some coffee together and take it into the records room. We'll go over the plan and get some sleep."

James glanced at his watch. "So early?"

"After I borrow JT for awhile, you two can watch movies in your room," Dean smiled, rising.

Sam and Caleb rose and started clearing the table.

Ryker and Max were conversing at the end of the table, but when they noticed the movement at Dean's end they came over and started helping.

Twenty minutes later everyone was gathered in the records room. Mary had been in there, working through Joseph's collection of papers. When the team started to gather, she picked up her research and went to get something to eat. Joshua was the only one team member missing, as he was still at the clinic.

"I'll talk to dad after I leave," Max said.

Dean shook his head. "I'm heading over to the clinic, so I'll take care of that. I want to see the kids anyway. Sam, can you take Ryker, Max and James back to the hotel? I'll take JT with me, and Caleb can check in on Onida, get her up to speed."

Sam nodded, "Yeah."

"Where are you going with JT?" Max asked, frowning.

"To get a blood sample," Dean said, smiling. He didn't elaborate, so Max didn't pursue it further, though he didn't like JT going anywhere on this crazy hunt without him.

"So," Dean said carefully. "Witches..."

Joseph smiled at the dark haired boy, and patted his hand before moving away from the game area where the two youngest children were playing.

"They're doing much better," Maska said.

Joseph looked back at the two, and nodded. "Much better. It looks like their remembering toys. The boy was making engine noises with his car."

"They were probably abducted only a year or so ago, so the memories of their homes and families would be the strongest."

"Were you able to take blood?"

"While they were asleep. I happen to be very good at taking blood without causing pain," Maska commented with a smile. "They didn't feel a thing."

"Any results yet?"

"Too soon, I'm afraid. I put a rush on it, but when using aliases, we need to be even more discreet."

Joseph looked over to where Joshua was asleep in the recliner, the blond haired boy lying across his chest. "That one isn't letting go of Joshua any time soon."

Maska nodded, though she didn't smile. "I'm a bit worried about that. Not that Joshua minds, but I'm concerned the child hasn't let go even once."

"It's been one day," Joseph said. "If he is seven or eight, then he's been in a continual state of trauma for at least three, maybe four years. Separation anxiety is one of the strongest symptoms of trauma."

"But separation from parents, not a stranger."

"At his level of captivity, he probably doesn't remember his parents," Joseph stated. "You know this."

Maska sighed. "Yes, I do know. I'm just worried because I know Joshua has a job to do here and hopefully more children to rescue. What's going to happen when he has to leave? It could cause even more trauma to such a tender psyche."

"I don't know," Joseph said softly. "We may have to sedate him while Joshua's gone. All I know is that right now, that boy has found an anchor in his torment, and we can't deny him that." He looked over to the girl they guessed at being six years old. "How's she doing?"

"Not good. When she's awake, she's hysterical. Crying, unable to eat. We're keeping her under mild sedation, but that isn't a course of action we can continue. I hope once she's able to focus and see the other children accepting our help, that maybe she will too."

Joseph walked over to her bed and ran his hand gently over her head. "Maybe we should take a page out of Joshua's book," he said. "She was held captive by female witches. Would she feel more comfortable with a female adult, or a male?"

Maska frowned. "Well, considering the level of trauma and her age, even though she was held captive by females, I would still bet a girl child would be more comforted by an older female."

Joseph nodded. "When the boy became hysterical, Joshua talked to him in a soothing manner over and over again until he'd calmed down. I think the child hearing a human speak, even if he couldn't understand the words, had a calming effect. Know anyone who is discreet and has some free time on their hands?"

Maska smiled. "I'm calling my mother."

Dean looked down the table at all the familiar faces. "This is a complicated hunt, more so now that children are involved. With Onida being the last Yakama guardian, we have no choice but to end the witches now. To do that, we're letting the witches out of the caves."

"What?" Max exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"You want all the witches on the forest grounds," James said quietly, staring at his father, "at the same time."

Sam and Caleb didn't speak. They knew Dean and knew he was a brilliant strategist in warfare. His plans were usually eclectic and nontraditional, but they worked. They waited to hear him out.

"Every witch," Dean confirmed. "To make that happen, we're taking down the Yakama barrier and replacing it with one of our own."

Caleb smiled. "A Triad barrier."

Dean nodded. "When the entrapment was first created, the Yakama were able to make is strong enough to trap three witches in the caves, but not all five; two witches from each coven could roam free within a confined space. The Triad barrier will allow all witches out onto the playing field while keeping them contained within a space less than half the size of the old area, but much stronger."

Sam frowned. "That means we'll have to go into the forest to place the new bags in a tighter circle."

Dean nodded. "One Yakama tribal member paired with one of us will place the bags. With three, possibly four witches already dead, there should be minimal danger if each person wears Joshua's masking potion."

"One man from the tribe?" Caleb asked.

"Or woman," Dean added. "I've spoken with Onida, and she says there are a few men and women who know the forest as well as possible when most are reluctant to go in. Samuel, Joseph and Onida will create a map marking the new containment area. We'll divide the forest into seven pies; each team will take a pie wedge and place the bags. When it's time to fight, JT, Max, James and Ryker will be on the west side of the containment area; me, Caleb and Sam on the east. At the right time, I'll collapse the old containment by taking over the canvas. Then Ryker and Joshua will work the Triad spell bringing up the new, tighter containment area using Triad magic."

"You want to collapse the Yakama trap before we raise the Triad barrier?" Caleb asked, frowning. "That means the witches inside the caves will have a chance to escape."

"Possible," Dean said, "but not likely. They've been trapped in those caves for more than a hundred years. When the old barrier goes down, I expect there will be confusion about what's happening. We'll take advantage of that confusion to raise the Triad barrier, which should go up in a matter of seconds from when the old barrier collapses."

"Won't they just try to get back into the caves? We've been successful in killing them," Ryker stated. "The caves are a protected and defensible position."

"They might," Dean said with a smile. "If there are children in those caves, we can't allow the witches to use it for a retreat, and we can't allow them to use the children as shields. That's why Samuel will have some young men from the tribe on the ridges above the caves to drop Triad medicine pouches down in front of the caves. That will prevent the witches from getting back in, but allow us inside to search for survivors."

"So, once the Yakama containment is down, the witches come out of the caves to see what's going on," Caleb said. "Then we erected the Triad barrier, and the men from the tribe drop a Triad wall, or sorts, in front of the caves so the witches can't retreat."

Dean smirked and nodded. "JT, Max, James and Ryker come in from the West, we come in from the East, and the witches are dead."

"You said when you take over the canvas," Sam said. "What does that mean?"

"Onida has agreed to relinquish her position as guardian, and this Guardian is taking over," Dean stated.

"You're what?" Sam asked, his confusion evident.

"Taking over," Dean stated again. "Onida became guardian by channeling her energy into the canvas. That changed the guardianship from Aly… Alya…"

"Álxayx," Sam supplied.

"Right," Dean pointed to his brother, "from her to Onida. I'll use the silver to change her guardianship to me. That will connect me to the Triad barrier."

Caleb frowned, "Connect you, how? And why?"

Dean winced slightly. "I'm not totally sure. I've never done this before. In theory, I should be able to strengthen the Triad barrier through use of the silver."

Sam and Caleb looked at one another.

"Look," Dean stated. "I don't know what will happen when I connect with the canvas. But I do know that losing the Yakama barrier gets the witches out into the open, and away from any children who might be in those caves. Then the Triad barrier will keep them contained until we kill them."

"We move in pairs, like before," Caleb stated.

Dean nodded. "One psychic on each team. From the west; James and Ryker, JT and Max. From the east; me and Sam, you and Onida."

Caleb's brows rose. "Onida's coming?"

Dean nodded. "She deserves payback. She fought off two witches singlehandedly before. She could be an asset in the field."

Caleb didn't look convinced, but dropped the topic. Onida had fought those witches when she was twenty-four years old. Since then she hadn't been in the field.

"After Joshua works his magic and we activate the Triad barrier, where will he be? On the ridge again?" asked Sam.

Dean shook his head. "Josh along with Samuel and Joseph will lead a group of tribal members into the caves to rescue the children. If there are children in the caves, Josh is going to need all the help he can get tending to them and bringing them out. If they're hard to manage, he'll need to use his sleeping potion again."

There was silence while everyone thought over the plan. Finally, Caleb said, "So tomorrow we make bullets, shells and grenades."

"Yes, but not until the afternoon. I want the new medicine bags in place by noon, one at the latest. Depending on how early Josh and Joseph can start making them, we'll meet here at the Hall and head over to the forest." Looking at Samuel, he said, "Does that work for you?"

Samuel nodded. "I'll have the team ready."

"We'll come back here after placing the medicine bags. We'll eat, then prep the weapons. Everyone needs to be on weapons duty tomorrow, since we all need the new ammunition. Onida said the witches are at their most vulnerable when a new sun rises." Dean looked from person to person. "At dawn the day after tomorrow, the guard changes. A new Guardian takes over, we go in and the witches die."

Sam dropped Max, James and Ryker off at the hotel, but didn't feel like resting. Turning the car around, he pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed back to the Records Hall. If he couldn't rest, he could at least help Mary with the medicine men and women's journals and papers. With Dean and JT heading back to the barrier, Caleb off to see Onida, and Joshua at the clinic, he just wasn't ready to settle down for the night. The children were on his mind.

He took the drive time to think over Dean's plan. It was simple and clever. He wouldn't have thought to take down the Yakama barrier and replace it with one created from Triad magic. Bringing in tribal members to place the bags made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to lose anyone to the witches, and they couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't be attacked during the day. But as he knew from all hunts, there were things they couldn't control.

Pulling into the parking lot of the Records Hall, he parked in front of the door and walked into the building. Once inside, he headed directly into the banquet room where Mary was still working, an empty plate and two glasses beside her.

"Can I take over so you can get some rest?" Sam asked. "You've been at this for hours."

Mary looked up and smiled. "I am tired. But I must also admit to being fascinated by reading these old journals." Getting slowly to her feet, she asked, "Do you want to stay here, or go back into the records room?"

"The records room," Sam said, leaning over to help gather up the ledgers. "I like it in there."

"I do as well," Mary agreed. "I always find it relaxing to sit amongst all those books."

Sam agreed. "I have far too many, or so my daughter says."

Together they walked back down the hallway.

"Where did everyone go?" Mary asked.

"Dean and JT went back to the barrier. They're going to see if they can get a blood sample from the girl who can't get out."

"Wow, does she understand well enough for that to happen?"

"I don't know, but Dean wanted to try. Caleb went to talk with Onida, Joshua's at the clinic, and the boys have gone back to the hotel."

Mary nodded as she opened the record's room door. "Joseph is at the clinic as well. He's very concerned about the children."

"I know. Thank you for working overtime on searching for a way to help them."

"They're my people. Even if they aren't from the reservation, they're from the area."

Sam nodded his understanding. "So, how far have you gotten in your research? Do I need to worry about translating the Yakama language?"

"No, by the time these ledgers were written, most of the Yakama were speaking English. There are some words that didn't translate well and are recorded in Penutian. If you come across them, here's a resource," she patted an old ledger.

Sam nodded. "Thank you."

Mary smiled. "No, thank you boys. These creatures have been a thorn in the Yakama side for far too long. It needs to end here."

Sam watched her leave, then sat down at the table. He knew the record of the boy escaping and returning to the Yakama was in nineteen-eighteen. Accounting for error in recording the events, he started where Mary left off and figured he research into the early nineteen-twenties.

Mary was right; an interesting litany of details regarding colds, headaches, stomach aches, wounds were dealt with. He'd been at it for almost forty-five minutes when he noticed an anomaly. There was reference to a young man with running fever. At first Sam had assumed the young man was running a fever. But the antidotes and remedies prescribed weren't always in keeping with an illness that resulted in fever. Frowning, he went back carefully through the records, looking for other instances of a male with running fever.

It was painstaking work, but he'd gone through the back logs of nineteen-nineteen and was starting nineteen-eighteen with the door opened.

"Need some help?"

Sam brows rose in surprise when James walked into the records room. "How did you get here?"

James sat down across from Sam. "I called Mary to see if she was still working. She said you were here and asked if I needed a ride so I could keep you company."

Sam chuckled. "Of course she did. You should be getting some rest."

"So should you, Uncle Sam," James said. "Aren't Ms. Alison and her team working on this?"

"Yeah, they are. But they don't have the historical documents. I'm only going to work for a couple hours, then I'm headed to bed."

"If I help, we can cover twice the ground in two hours." James looked at the open ledgers and the papers lying on the table. "Where should I start?"

"Here," Sam said, pushing a ledger in James' direction. "I've found oblique references to a young man with running fever."

"A running fever?"

Sam shook his head. "Just running fever."

"You're saying the reference isn't about a condition," James said.

"I'm thinking not. The remedies don't add up for someone with a cold or flu that results in fever. I caught on after the sixth entrance listed another form of treatment."

"So you think this reference to running fever may be about the boy who ran from the witches." James frowned. "But if this were about the boy, wouldn't Mary have found this? She's been at this all afternoon."

Sam gave a questioning shrug. "Maybe, or maybe she doesn't know the herbs as well as I do."

"Her husband is the medicine man," James countered. "I would think that after all their years together, she'd have at least a working knowledge of herbs and medicines."

Sam sighed. "I don't know. I didn't pick up on it until I'd come across it six or seven times. I picked up where Mary left off. It could be that in the sections she was reading, running fever isn't there, or was given more traditional remedies during those entries."

James nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"In the later entries I read, many of the ingredients used in to treat running fever remedy have to do with clearing a person's aura, boosting memory, or clarifying body systems. There are two avenues I'd like to tackle; one, compile a list of all ingredients used, in what quantities and combinations. Second, track all the instances of treating running fever going forward, to see when the treatments ended."

James eyed Sam. "To see if running fever died?"

"Even when the treatments end, we don't know if he died or was cured," Sam said. "Maybe the record will clarify it for us, one way or the other."

James nodded. "Okay, you know the ingredients better than I do. So I'll track the treatment dates."

Sam smiled. "Okay, let's see how much we can accomplish in two hours."

James grinned. "I'll race you."

Sam laughed and shook his head. But he picked up his pen a bit quicker than he would have otherwise. Competition was a good motivator to get the job done.

It was nine-thirty when Dean and JT walked into the reservation clinic and were met by Doctor Maska Etsitty.

"Welcome," Doctor Etsitty said, shaking Dean's hand. "And thanks for the numerous sleepless nights I'm going to have over the next several months."

"Don't mention it, Doc," Dean said humorously. "How are they?"

Doctor Etsitty buzzed open the door from the receptionist desk and led the two down the hallway. "Three of the children are better; one isn't, though we've taken steps to help with that."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, that my mom is taking a page out of Joshua's notebook. Come on," she said, stopping before a locked door. "I can only let one of you in. These children are very skittish, and too many new faces are a source of stress."

Dean looked at JT, who nodded and stepped back.

"All right," Maska said, putting her code into the door lock. "Come on in."

Dean followed the doctor into the room. He stood for a moment, taking it all in. Two dark haired children were sitting together on one bed, playing with stuffed animals and large colorful blocks. A bed near Joshua was occupied by an older woman with gray-threaded hair. On her lap was a small brown-haired girl. The woman was rocking her back and forth, singing softly. The child blinked sluggishly up at the woman, apparently transfixed by her song. Dean looked back at Doctor Etsitty, and she nodded, slipping her phone into her pocket.

Moving into the room, Dean headed slowly over to Joshua. When he got closer, he saw that the older man was asleep with a small boy on his lap. The child, however, was awake and playing with a stuffed teddy bear. When Dean approached, he immediately leaned into Joshua's chest. Reflectively, Joshua ran a hand soothingly over the boy's back.

Kneeling down, he smiled and whispered, "Hi. I'm Dean," he pointed at his chest. Then he looked at the teddy bear, reached out and shook its little stuffed arm and said, "Hi, I'm Dean," and again, he pointed at his chest.

The boy looked down at the bear, then at Dean.

Dean smiled. Looking over at the bed, he slowly reached out and picked up the second teddy lying there. Holding it up and facing the child, he said in a high voice, "Hi! I'm Ted. What's your name?"

The boy didn't answer, but his eyes went wide.

"Okay," Dean continued. "It's all right not to talk." He lifted a stuffed teddy arm to his bear's mouth and covered the mouth with a bear paw. Leaning in a little, Dean whispered, "He likes to talk too much."

The boy looked at his own teddy, as if expecting it to speak as well. Slowly, he reached out and pulled the stuffed paw away from the mouth of Dean's teddy.

"Thank you," Dean made the teddy say. He slowly placed his own teddy by the child's, and had his teddy give the boy's teddy a hug. "I love hugs," Ted said. "Do you?"

The boy looked down at his teddy, then touched the toy's head and made him nod.

Dean's heart raced. It looked like the boy was starting to understand some language again. If that was the case, then it might be only a short jump to him speaking. Turning back to his bear, he had Ted say, "I thought so." Dean put his teddy against the child's again and gave him another hug. "Aren't they great?" Ted said. Then Dean put his teddy against his own chest to give him a hug. "I like them too," he confided to the boy. "Don't you?"

The child cocked his head to the side, then very slowly he opened his own arms. Dean leaned in close and gave the boy a huge hug. In the child's ear, he whispered, "It's all going to be all right. It's all right."

Dean stayed like that until his legs started to cramp, then he slowly disengaged from the child. Smiling, he said, "Can you watch Ted for me?" He held up his teddy bear.

The child took the teddy and hugged it to his chest along with his own.

"And watch over my friend, here," Dean said, pointing to Joshua. Giving the man's shoulder a squeeze, Dean pushed himself to his feet.

The boy watched, his eyes wide and his lips wobbling a little.

Smiling, Dean leaned back over and said, "You're going to be fine, little man. You are so brave." Carefully he placed his hand on the boy's cheek and brushed his thumb gently across the soft surface like he had with his own boys when they were small. Then he leaned over and placed a kiss on the boy's forehead before he turned and walked away, afraid that if he stayed even a moment longer, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

He was silent as he walked side by side with JT down the hall and out of the clinic. He wanted to help those children so badly, but knew his contribution to their welfare would be minimal. They had great people watching out for them now. And when Adam got there tomorrow, hopefully the kids would be able to get better and go back with their parents.

When they got in the SUV, JT looked at his dad. "I want to help them too."

"We are, we will. If we can get a blood sample from the girl tonight, that will help even more."

"Why do you think she'll be there?" JT asked.

"Because she interacted with Joshua and with you; she wanted outside that barrier. I think she wanted to be with those children."

"Uncle Joshua said she kept reaching for them," JT recalled.

Dean nodded. "Josh said she left when the other girl made a noise, or maybe called her. I think she went back to the caves. But when she could, she went to the nearest barrier and tried to get out again."

JT nodded. "You think she'll let me take a blood sample?"

"I don't know; maybe. She spoke the most with you."

"She didn't speak to me," JT said.

"She asked you to touch the wall, to go through it. Maybe she didn't use words, but she asked just the same."

"I guess she did."

They drove in silence for awhile before JT said, "You know it's a long shot that she'll be there again."

"Maybe," Dean shrugged. "But she wanted those children enough to sneak away from the cave and try to get out. I'm hoping she wants them enough to try again."

They turned onto the road leading to the forest, and after several minutes came to the familiar fork. Instead of going left this time, Dean turned right. After driving a few miles, he said, "You're going to need to guide me from here."

JT nodded. Several minutes later he said, "Turn left here. I think it's only a couple miles down. There's a small ranger station."

Dean nodded and drove slowly over the uneven dirt road. Eventually he saw the shadowed outline of a small building. Pulling up next to it, he parked and climbed out. Looking around, he gestured and said, "You went in over there?"

JT nodded.

"Let's go."

Together they walked to the barrier. When they got closer, Dean studied the area, looking for anyone hiding in the forest near the wall. "There's no one here."

JT moved closer to the wooded area, staying on the outside of the barrier, but looking for anyone lurking in the trees or bushes. Turning back, he said softly, "You want to stay awhile?"

Dean nodded. "It's important for those kids that we get a blood sample, or at least try."

"Then why don't you back to the SUV, sit inside. I'll sit out here near the barrier."

Dean frowned. "I'll stay with you; it's cold."

"If it's me she connected with, she'll be more comfortable showing herself if I'm alone." JT patted his pocket. "I have the vials. If it gets too cold, then I'll come get in the car."

Dean shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to JT. "Take this, then."

"Thanks." JT took the jacket and pulled it on over his own.

"Don't go inside the barrier," Dean warned. "They'll want you like they want me."

"I'll need to step inside to get her blood," JT said. "She can't come out."

"Okay, one foot inside. You move in any further and I'm coming in with you, got it?"

JT nodded. "Got it. Get in the car, Dad. You're shivering."

Dean snorted as he walked away. "I don't shiver," he muttered.

JT watched his father walk back to the SUV. "No," he whispered, a small smile curving his lips. "You're superman."

Caleb drove up to Onida's house and shut down the engine. Instead of getting out, he sat outside contemplating the decision she'd made and the ramifications for her. She'd taken a huge leap of faith by agreeing to hand the reins of her job over to Dean. Dean's plan was sound and Caleb knew it would work, but he'd been working with him for years. Onida didn't have that connection, so her giving up control hadn't been easy.

His phone rang. Caleb smiled as he picked it up.

"You planning on sitting out there all night?"

"No," Caleb opened the door and climbed out. "You all right?"

"I'm…" there was silence for a moment, before Onida continued, "scared, and relieved, and conflicted."

Caleb walked up the steps to the house. "I know the feeling. Sometimes when we're working on a tough hunt, I'm all of those things."

The front door opened and Onida stood just inside, the phone to her ear. "I don't believe you."

Stepping up onto the front porch area, Caleb closed the phone and stuck it in his pocket. "It's true. There are some hunts that I know so well, I just do the job and go home. Others, like this one, are complicated. I can trust my training, trust my instincts, trust my team, but in the end, sometimes you're just scared."

Onida held the door open and Caleb walked in.

Closing the door, Onida leaned back against it and faced Caleb. "It's just … this has been my whole life. Dean is asking me to turn everything over to him; to you."

Caleb frowned. "I thought you already made this decision. Are you changing your mind?"

Shaking her head, Onida walked slowly into the living room and dropped onto her couch. "No, not changing my mind, exactly. Just getting more afraid that I've made the wrong choice."

Caleb nodded slowly. "You consulted with your Tribal Chief today. What was the result of that discussion?"

"That the team you brought is highly skilled, effective, efficient, thorough and has already killed three, possibly four witches. You've rescued four children held captive by the witches, and have a viable plan to rescue any remaining children and kill the rest of the witches."

Caleb chuckled. "Okay, did you agree with Samuel's assessment?"

Onida gave Caleb a wry smile. "He didn't contribute all of that on his own."

Caleb nodded.

"I don't know why I'm feeling like I am," Onida complained. "I guess my biggest concern is the dismantling of a system that has kept the witches contained for over a hundred and forty years."

"The barrier that will replace it is just as strong; maybe stronger. I've seen it work on many supernatural creatures, like werewolves, vampires, demons…"

"What?" Onida exclaimed, startled.

Caleb shook his head. "That, is a very long and complicated story. What I'm getting at, is that I've seen the Yakama barrier, and I've seen the Triad barrier. You don't have to worry about it not being strong enough. We're not going into this half-assed. We'll make sure the witches don't get away."

"I know," Onida said softly. "I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't believe you could end this threat. It's just…"

"What do you do when you're job is finished?" Caleb said.

Onida studied Caleb's face for a moment, then nodded.

"I know exactly how you're feeling," Caleb confessed. "I've trained to be the Knight of the Brotherhood since I was thirteen years old. I worked as the Knight for ten, and have officially been the Knight for nearly thirty years. I love it. I love training young hunters to fight all kinds of evil, and I love training Max to become the next Knight. I love working with all the teams, being in the thick of it, calling the shots… But I can't do this forever. I'm slower than I used to be, I don't bounce back as quickly from injuries." He huffed out a laugh. "I have to be cleverer and trickier when I train Max, or he'll best me." Glancing down at Onida, he said, "While the student should surpass the teacher, I'm not ready for that to happen yet."

Onida nodded. "You don't want to move on."

"No, I don't. But I'll have to, and soon. The time is coming when I'll need to step aside and turn over the reins to the next generation."

"And you're scared."

Caleb chuckled. "I'm terrified. What will I do then?"

Onida sat up on the edge of the couch and looked at Caleb. "You'll teach. You'll train. And you'll pass on all the knowledge you've gathered through decades of training and work."

Caleb smiled. "Yes. I'll teach, and I'll train. And so will you. You have so much to teach the next generation. There are so many young people out there with similar gifts to yours, but they don't know how to use them. You can teach them."

Onida smiled. "Maybe I can." She leaned back into the couch and into Caleb's shoulder.

Several minutes went by without a word being spoken. In fact, Caleb thought that maybe Onida had fallen asleep when she stirred and said, "You want some coffee and huckleberry pie?"

"Huckleberry pie? I've never had that before."

Onida rose and held out her hand. "Then let me introduce you, and you can go over the battle strategy while we eat."

JT sat near the barrier in the middle of the trail, watching. Even wearing two jackets, he was starting to get cold. He'd been sitting here for around an hour and a half, so it had to be close to eleven-thirty. He looked over at the SUV. His dad was watching. He held up one finger, then made a little slashing movement with his hand. He was giving it another half hour before they called it quits. They were coming down to the wire and they all needed to be rested and ready to take down the witches.

A crack sounded softly behind him, and JT forced himself not to jerk around. Moving slowly, he swung around. Just two feet from him was the girl he'd seen yesterday. He smiled. Though he didn't rise, he turned carefully so he was facing the barrier. "Hi."

The girl was crouched on the ground, but she shuffled closer.

JT lifted a hand and waved a little. Pointing to himself, he said, "JT."

The girl cocked her head to the side, then pointed to herself. "Sa-rah."

JT smiled. "Sarah," he said, pointing at her. He watched to see if she understood. When she nodded and pointed to herself again, he nodded, pointing at her and saying again, "Sarah."

Sarah ran her hand over the barrier, then looked at him as if asking whether things remained the same.

JT reached out to touch her hand.

Sarah didn't jerk away this time. She merely nodded and sat down on the trail, her hand against the barrier.

JT slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

The girl watched, her head tilted.

Touching the screen, light from the surface flared up.

The girl jumped in surprise and scampered back a couple feet.

JT held up a hand and wagged the phone in the air. "It's all right, it won't hurt you." He touched the phone, ran a hand over its surface, held it to his face and ear. "See?"

Slowly the girl crawled back to the barrier, though she didn't try and reach for the phone.

JT touched the surface again and turned it slowly so the girl could see the picture he had loaded. Doctor Etsitty had taken a picture of her mother holding the little brown-haired girl. The child's eyes were open, though her lips were turned down sadly. One hand was clinging Mrs. Etsitty's arm, and clutched to her chest with her left arm was a stuffed teddy bear.

It took a minute for the girl to realize what she was seeing. Then her eyes widened and she reached out for the girl in the picture, her hand smacking against the barrier. Frustrated, she smacked the wall.

"She's not here," JT said, running a finger over the picture. "See?" He ran his finger over the picture again, then ran his finger over his jeans and over his jacket, then again over the picture, showing the flat surface.

Sarah frowned, then held up her finger.

JT held his phone on her side of the barrier so she could run her finger over the phone. Then he turned the camera on himself, took a picture and showed it to Sarah.

Sarah stared and stared, her eyes going from JT to the picture and back. Finally, she smiled.

JT held up the phone and pointed to Sarah. The girl nodded, and JT took a picture. She was startled by the flash and covered her eyes. But when JT said, "Here," she looked and saw a picture of herself. JT should have expected the reaction, and was annoyed with himself that he hadn't.

Sarah stared and stared at the picture. Then she touched her face, which was covered in a fine layer of scales, and looked at her fingers. Looking at JT's hands, she held up her own again. Frowning, she touched her cheek, then made a motion for JT. He glanced back at his dad, then leaned through the barrier so she could touch his face. Frowning, she sat back as though contemplating the situation.

JT watched her for another minute, then said, "Sarah." He carefully took a vial from his pocket and held it up, waiting until she'd had a good look. Then he pulled a stick from his pocket.

When his dad had told him what he wanted JT to do, JT knew he wouldn't be able to use a knife to draw the blood. On the way over he'd taken the time to sharpen a stick to an ultra fine point so he could prick his finger.

JT poked his finger and showed the welling blood on his fingertip to Sarah. Then he held the blood over the vial and squeezed slightly, letting some blood slid down the glass tube. Then slowly he corked the blood and put in back in his pocket. All this time Sarah merely watched.

Finally, it was time. JT pulled another empty vial from his pocket and held it up. Motioning to her, he mimed poking her finger and putting the blood inside the glass vial.

Sarah looked down at her finger, then at the vial. It seemed like a long time before she nodded.

JT smiled and said, "Thank you." He held out a hand and waited until Sarah put hers in his. Then he held up the stick and again, waited for her to nod. When he poked her finger, she jerked slightly. "I'm sorry," JT said in a soothing tone. Slowly he held the glass vial beneath her hand and dripped some blood inside. When he'd gotten a small amount, he let her finger go. Corking the bottle, he put it in his pocket and pulled out a sanitary wipe. Carefully he held out his hand for her finger, then wiped it with the cloth. When he looked back up, she had tears in her eyes.

"I don't know if you can understand me," JT said softly. "But we're going to get you," he pointed to her, "out of there," and he pointed her coming to his side. "Okay? We're going to help."

Sarah eyes widened slightly at his words. Opening and closing her mouth a couple times, she finally uttered, "He..l…p. Hel…p."

JT smiled, though he felt sad the word she seemed to know was help; it was one she'd probably said a lot when she was taken so many years ago. He wondered if she remembered what it stood for.

Slowly he climbed to his feet. He hoped she understood that he would be coming back. Carefully he put his hand up, palm out. She stared at it a moment, then put hers against the barrier. JT met her palm with his own and said, "Help." He nodded. Pointing to himself, he repeated, "Help." Pulling his hand away, he turned and walked back to the car.

Yeager Airport - Charleston, WV

The vehicle pulled up in front of the airport's private departure terminal, and Adam climbed from the passenger side of the car. Reaching into the back seat, he retrieved his leather duffel.

Odette Harris exited the rear driver's side seat and walked around the car. She was a small woman, five foot, four inches with cocoa colored skin, high cheekbones and a wide mouth. Beautiful as a statue, she was saved from coldness only by her alert and curious dark brown eyes. She dropped her small suitcase near Adam's duffel and walked off to get a cart.

Adam leaned back in the front seat. "I don't think we'll be gone too long."

Margaret, his wife, smiled. "You take as long as you need. It sounds like these children need your help."

"Remember, tell no one what we're doing," Adam warned. "You and Odette are the only ones who know the entire story. I haven't given Nadine details. I told her we were helping Joshua with an epidemic in Washington." Adam trusted Nadine, but he also knew her. She wouldn't be above using a tragedy like this one to further connections with other covens or Native American tribes to gain crafting or potion making knowledge. Adam wouldn't allow her to use these children's trauma for coven gain. "She may try to pump you for details. Be ready."

"I am very familiar with how Nadine works," Margaret stated. "I won't give her any details other than a severe illness. She thinks I'm an airhead anyway."

"But we both know otherwise," Adam remarked.

"It's a carefully crafted persona that allows you work on projects with Joshua, ones you don't want Nadine to question you about." Margaret smiled. "I consider it my contribution to the good of mankind."

"Thank you," Adam said.

"Go, enjoy the time with Joshua."

"I just wish I liked the other company better," Adam commented dourly.

"They're good men," Margaret said sincerely. "You don't want to like them."

"Not true," he griped.

"Come here," Margaret said, leaning over so Adam could lean in and give her a kiss. "Take care of my son."

"Our son," Adam corrected, his lips quirking in a tiny smile.

"Our son," Margaret said softly.

Adam heard a clanking of well-used metal behind him and turned to see Odette dropping her suitcase on a long metal cart. Looking back to his wife, he said, "Go spend some time with Carolyn. She'll enjoy that. I'll call when we land."

Margaret raised a hand in farewell as Adam shut the door.

Moving to the rear of the SUV, Adam pulled open the rear door and began unloading boxes onto the cart. When it was piled high and the car was emptied, he closed the back hatch and clapped his hand on the roof a couple times.

Margaret's hand came out the front window in a short wave as she pulled away from the curb and headed out of the terminal.

Adam waited until the car was out of sight before he turned to Odette and said, "You ready for this?"

Odette nodded.

"We'll check in at the front desk, then head for gate seventeen in the private wing."

Again, Odette simply nodded. Turning, she grabbed the handrails of the cart and started pushing it toward the automated double doors into the airport.

Adam watched for a moment, then sighed. It was going to be a long, silent trip.

Dean dropped JT off at the hotel and drove back to the clinic to drop off the blood. He hoped Joshua was awake so he could make plans for the morning.

Doctor Etsitty met him at the front desk again and took the vial of blood with barely contained glee. Holding it up, she said, "It's not much, but this will give us a great start in discovering the anomalies in their bloodstream."

"You've found anomalies?" Dean asked.

"A few," Doctor Etsitty said. "More in the older children, less in the little ones. We're not sure if they're food related or something else. Right now we're waiting on a full workup." Giving Dean a huge smile, she said, "Tell your son, well done."

"I will." Following the doctor down the hall, he asked, "Is Joshua awake?"

"He is. Come." Etsitty entered her code into the lock and entered.

The two youngest children were in bed together, asleep. The young girl Etsitty's mother had been rocking was asleep as well, still in the older woman's arms.

Dean stepped forward and saw that the young boy with Joshua was also asleep in bed, Joshua holding his hand. He looked around when Dean approached.

"Well done getting the blood," Joshua said. His eyes were tired and his face pale.

"You need to get some sleep."

"I have slept some," Joshua said with a smile, his eyes going to the child.

Dean sat on the edge of the boy's bed. "We have work to do."

Sighing, Joshua nodded, "I know. I thought about bringing him to the Records Hall while we made the medicine bags, but the witches probably made potions. It might frighten him and cause him to regress, possibly irreparably."

"Has he been able to bond with anyone else?"

Joshua frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Dean said gently. "You've been glued to his side for the last full day and some change. Has he had a chance to bond with anyone else?"

Joshua looked offended. "This boy has been through a trauma equal to combat and being held prisoner of war. And he's eight! You're criticizing me for being there for him for a day?"

While Dean winced internally, he kept his face blank. "How did he seem when you woke up this evening?"

"Fine, playing with his teddy bears," Joshua stated.

"I was here earlier, played with him. He let me give him a hug. And when you woke up, he was fine."

Joshua stared. "I was here."

Dean nodded. "You were. I'm just pointing out that he didn't have a hard time with me either." When Joshua didn't reply, he said, "We're going to take down the Yakama trap. That will let all the witches out of the caves so they're away from any children and out into the open. We'll put up a more contained Triad barrier. For that to happen, I need you and Joseph to remake the medicine bags and reinforce them with Triad magic. We'll place them tomorrow with help from the tribe."

"The trap we recreated wasn't transparent," Joshua protested.

"It's missing something," Dean said, "I felt it when I touched the one you and Joseph recreated. You both need to find the missing piece, and in record time. At the next dawn, I'll take over Onida's canvas and collapse the old barrier, and you and Ryker will erect the Triad trap. Some Yakama tribe members will cut off the caves from the witches with another set of medicine bags, then I want you to lead Joseph, Samuel and the tribe members into the caves to rescue all the rest of the children that remain alive."

Joshua blinked.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Doctor Etsitty seemed to feel the tension between the men and kept busy elsewhere. When there was a knock on the door, she opened it to another woman in white. They conversed for a few minutes before Maska brought the other woman over to the two men.

"This is Doctor Collins," Maska said. "She's another member of the tribe, as are all the staff at the clinic, of course."

Dean stood and held out his hand to the tall, statuesque woman with darkly tanned skin and piercing black eyes. "Dean Winchester. Good to meet you, doc."

Joshua rolled his eyes at Dean's casual greeting. Nodding, he said, "Joshua Sawyer. Thank you for helping."

The woman nodded, her eyes sweeping the room and finally softening. "I can't believe they survived. I am dedicated to helping each and every one get well."

"You taking the night shift?" Dean asked.

Doctor Collins nodded. "Doctor Etsitty needs to get some rest. She'll be back in the morning." She gave each of them a nod before moving off with Doctor Etsitty, the later filling her in on the children's progress.

Dean watched them for a moment, then looked back at Joshua. "How are we moving forward?"

Joshua sighed and nodded. "We came here for a job; to kill the witches. Now we need to rescue the rest of the children." Looking up at Dean, he said, "I'll be at the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building at nine tomorrow morning. If you could let Joseph know, I would appreciate it."

Dean nodded and pushed off the bed. "Thank you." He glanced back at the sleeping boy and added, "I think he understands more of what you're saying than you give him credit for." His face pinked slightly when he said, "I told him I loved hugs, and asked if he did too. He nodded. He understood, Josh." Dean gave the boy's foot a light squeeze. "I think if you tell him you'll be back, that he'll understand and believe you."

"I hope so," Joshua said. When Dean moved off, he waited a moment before softly calling over his shoulder, "So, do you need a hug?"

Dean didn't bother to turn around. He just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, like I didn't walk right into that one. I'm going to be hearing about that for the next year."

TBC