I am so sorry! My brain was stopped up, I had a serious case of writers block! Shonda Rhimes and HannonsPen helped get me unstuck! Thanks for all the follows and reviews, hope you enjoy...we are in the home stretch!

Chapter 38

"What is this Fa?" Big Foster asked

"What must be done Son" Foster V answered "The ones who love you most are calling you to circle"

Walking forward slowly, Big Foster approached Elon. He silently prayed he would be able to touch the boy, he wanted nothing more than to replace the memory of holding his lifeless body. Dropping to his knees in front on the boy, he said "Elon? Son?"

"It's me Fa" Elon said

Tears flowed from Big Fosters eyes at the sound of his son's voice. Reaching out, he touched the boys face before pulling him into fierce embrace. The others looked on, startled by the emotion of the reunion.

"I'm sorry Elon" Big Foster sobbed "I'm so sorry son!"

Elon held his father and patiently assured him "I'm alright Fa. Its okay, I'm helping save the mountain. It's okay Fa"

Through his tears, Big Foster looked at his parents and grandmother "Why'd you take my boy? Whatever I done, he didn't have no part of it!"

A aged woman emerged from the shadows, her energy so powerful see seemed to glow.

"We did not take your child Foster Farrell VI" the woman answered "You failed to protect him. You sacrificed him and his spirit landed here."

Indignant, Big Foster stood "I would never…." He started

"You had a choice when you found he'd stowed away on your foolish folly" She interrupted "continue or return home. You selfishly chose to stay your path with the child present, despite the danger. You sacrificed him in your quest for power."

She stood at the center of his family and held her hand out, Elon walked forward and placed his hand in hers.

"Who the hell are you?" Foster VI demanded

"Cead-Bren'in" she responded explained " I am Neila Shay, First Bren'in of the Clans of Shay Mountain"

Wade sat impatiently in the reception area of the One Planet offices. Just as he was about to tell the receptionist he'd be back with a warrant, Arnie Wilkes walked out to meet him.

"Sheriff" Arnie greeted, extending his hand "Didn't expect to see you back so soon"

"Didn't expect to have to come back this soon" Wade advised, shaking his hand "But I need to talk to you about some information that just came in"

"Lets head to my office" Arnie replied, gesturing toward the door

As Wade settled into one of the guest chairs in front of the desk, Arnie offered him a drink.

"No, thanks" Wade replied, looking around "I see you started packing up. Get your new post?"

Arnie shook his head "Not yet, just being proactive. What can I do for you Sheriff?"

"You know what ANFO is?" Wade asked

"Sure, it's a very common mining explosive" Arnie responded, careful to keep the dread he was feeling from showing "One Planet uses it, part of my responsibilities is to ensure its appropriately inventoried and secured."

"And is it?" Wade asked

"Pardon?" Arnie replied, feigning confusion

Locking eyes with Arnie, Wade elaborated "Is One Planet's ANFO appropriately inventoried and secured?"

"Absolutely!" Arnie answered emphatically, continuing "What's this about Sheriff?"

"We found traces of ANFO on the rim of Matt Meyers tire" Wade replied "That's likely what made his car run off the road"

"And you think that it was our ANFO?" Arnie replied with faux outrage "Sheriff, I can assure you…"

Wade interrupted "You wanna assure me, let me see them records on your supply and inspect the storage"

"You know I can't do that Sheriff" Arnie responded "I let you view company material without a warrant and my ass is out on the street."

"Way things are heading, that might be a blessing" Wade replied cryptically

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arnie demanded

Wade hadn't meant to go down this road, but he was sick of tiptoeing around these bastards. "Means One Planet is neck deep in every shitty thing that's happened to my county in the last six months. Means I'm coming for One Planet and anybody with a part in this is better pray to be out on the street, cause the other two options are behind bars or dead. Kinda like your buddy Meyers. By the way, who'd he piss off?"

"I think we're done here" Arnie said firmly, standing and moving toward the door "You're welcome to return with a warrant….and only with a warrant."

Standing, Wade replied "Count on it."

The group on the mountain had finished supper and were gathered to hear the plan for departing the next morning

"We'll head out tomorrow at 0500" Dru said "that should get us down the mountain and to Louisville by noon"

"We aren't going back to Blackburg?" Sally Ann replied

"Not yet. Our contact from DOJ will be arriving in Louisville tomorrow morning" he explained "He'll need to conduct local interviews prior to going before the Grand Jury on Friday. That's why Stubby and G'win are coming down with us."

"Then it'll be over and we can go home?" She asked

"You can go home, but this is far from over." Dru responded

"If we get the indictments, and I believe we will, that's just the first step in the next phase" Ellis explained

"We're taking on the state government and a very powerful corporation" Joyce noted "If they decide to fight, the court battle will be brutal."

"And the media scrutiny will be intense." Claire added "So once you do get home, you'll need to lay low"

"Lets get through the trip down the mountain" Dru advised "then we can start planning our next steps. We've got to jump on a call with the team in Louisville. You guys are welcome to sit in….."

Hasil took Sally Ann's hand "If y'all don't need us to, I think we're gonna go pack up"

"We should be good. Teddy and Erica are with Ledda at Millie's. I'll radio that you're on the way." Dru responded "They'll watch for your arrival"

Sally Ann and Hasil walked in silence to his parents cabin, each absorbed in worries about the future.

Sally Ann moved silently as she starting packing for the departure in the morning. Hasil watched her, knowing she was anxious and feeling the same way himself. He sat down on the bed and grabbed her hand. They locked eyes for a moment, then both started to speak at the same time

"What are you worried about….." they said in unison, followed by a burst of laughter

Still smiling, Sally Ann sat down next to Hasil "You first….."

Hasil quickly became somber "If this thing ain't over yet, I still need to try to help my family. And we still need to be able to keep up on what we need. I ain't in no condition to fight to get us money. How do I help them and how we gonna make due til I can….."

Sally Ann interrupted him with a kiss "We're okay, with the money we'd saved and what you got from the last fight, we'll be okay for 8 or 9 months if we're careful. Longer if we decide to move into my old place."

"But the doctor's bills…?" He asked

"I have insurance now, remember?" Sally Ann reminded him. "That'll help a lot with that. We'll be alright - I promise, okay?

Hasil held her eyes, searching to make sure she wasn't just trying to ease his mind. "Alright, then why're you worried?"

Sally Ann exhaled, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I guess I thought we'd come up here and everything would get fixed and that would be it. But until they get done with the court stuff…..it's just scary to think about."

"You ain't gotta worry about me. I'm being more careful" Hasil assured her "When we went after Joyce I stayed back just like I promised."

Sally Ann rolled her eyes "Really? Are you forgetting that 5 minutes before that you got punched in your stitches by Cousin Big Psycho?"

"Well….I mean….. I'm trying to be more careful" Hasil conceded. "I really am, I want to be around for our family. It's just hard to help right now without…" he paused, struggling for words "I just want to do right by all my family….."

"I know Babe" Sally Ann interrupted "The way you look at family is part of what makes you so easy to love. I want you to help your family, but it's still scary….these people are dangerous"

He put his arm around her as she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. "We got really good folks helping us now. We'll get through this and get back to getting ready for Declan.

"I've been thinking about that too" Sally Ann replied "I appreciate what James did and all, but I'm not sure I want us to move into my old place."

"Why not?" Hasil asked "You was saying we could use a bigger place when the baby was born"

Sighing, she responded "Yeah, and we'd save money too, but….."

"But what?" He asked

"Just a lot of bad memories…I spent most of the last few years scared. Scared when he was yelling at me or hitting me, scared he was going to yell at me or hit me when he wasn't, or scared that someone would find out….just scared all the time" Sally Ann explained "I know it was him and not the place, but…I feel safe at our place, I don't think I want to live in a place where I don't feel safe again."

Hasil's blood boiled at the thought of Sally Ann being hurt. "Never again. We'll stay put and find another place when the times right."

"Thank you Babe, but we can't really afford to be picky" she replied "maybe we can rent it or something. If not then we should….."

"We ain't living nowhere you don't feel good safe" Hasil interrupted, kissing her forehead "right now let's just get down the hill and get this done."

Sally Ann agreed, standing "You're right, one problem at a time. Let's just get finish packing up and get some rest"

Gripping her hand, Hasil responded "I ain't sure when I'll get back up here, so I'd like to go see my folks before we go. I ain't been real good about paying my respects the last few years, so I wanna go while I got the chance"

"Sure" she replied, sitting back down "Can I go with you?"

"You wanna?" he asked

Nodding, she responded "Of course Baby, if it's okay. "

"I'd like that" Hasil said "They're over in the other Baile near my place, maybe we can ride over with Dru when he goes to fetch G'win."

Sally Ann leaned forward to kiss Hasil "I'll finish packing so we can get going."

Hasil moved his hands to the back of her head, keeping her close and prolonging the kiss. "I love you Sally Ann Lewis" he whispered as they moved apart

"I love you too Hasil Farrell" she replied softly

Arnie Wilkes lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. It'd been 12 years since he'd last smoked, but under the circumstances he felt entitled to indulge. He just picked up his voicemail, the message was from a source in West Virginia.

"Hey Arnie – Its Shane. Feds raided the county offices here, rumor is they're after Roscoe and Bud. Could be a coincidence, them boys are into all kinds of dirt, but I thought you'd want to know. I'll keep my ear to the ground and holler if I hear any more."

Arnie did not believe in coincidence. After the Sheriffs less than cordial visit, it wasn't a stretch to think Feds are getting close. It was a good run, but all good things must come to an end. And Arnie was prepared. Putting out his cigarette, he got into his car and dialed his brother Wes.

"Hey Arnie….." Wes answered

"We're compromised" Arnie interrupted

"Are you sure?" Wes asked, his heart pounding

"The Feds just executed a raid in West Virginia" he replied

"That doesn't necessarily mean….." Wes answered

"Wes! My gut tells me we are compromised, this is it!" Arnie shouted. He took a deep breath before continuing "If I'm right, we got until Monday – Tuesday at the outside. Is the server secure?"

"Its secure" Wes replied "I did everything you asked"

"Good" Arnie answered, relieved "We have more than enough to cut a deal. We need to keep 2 steps ahead to keep you out of jail"

"Are you going to tell Don?" Wes asked

"I'm sticking to the plan" Arnie replied "Family first"

"You should run Arnie. Take off now, you can disappear before…." Wes pleaded

"No, I'm staying right here. I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life running" Arnie said "Trust me okay? I'll call the lawyer and let him know we may have a situation next week, and once things start rolling – we'll get in there and cut deals before One Planet knows what hit them. I can do 5 years standing on my head, and I doubt I'll even get that much time. They'll want Foushee and the Lt. Governor, and I'm going to serve them up on a silver platter"

Dru, Claire, Ellis, and Joyce gathered around for the update call.

Kat voice greeted them as they dialed in "Good evening, who just joined?"

"Hey Kat – It's me" Dru responded "and I have Joyce, Claire, and Ellis with me"

"Hey guys" she responded "Lena's here with me and Taeson and Wade are on the line as well. Tae you have the mic"

"Thanks Kat. Evening everyone, on behalf of the Department of Justice I would like to start by thanking you for your efforts" Taeson said "The citizens impacted by the crimes we're investigating need guidance on their rights and the justice process. Thank you for stepping up. The purpose of this call is to gather information. Anything relevant to the case that has happened in the last 24 hours. Sheriff, can we start with you?"

"Ah, yeah – sure" Wade responded, caught off guard by being called on first "We got some tests back today. The forensic evidence on the table in Haylie's room shows the hair caught in the shattered glass matches hers. The testing on her neck shows DNA other than hers. It's not in any database, but I think it belongs to Matt Meyers. Next step is to get a DNA sample from his body."

"Is that something you'll need me to request a warrant for?" Taeson asked

"Yeah, I don't quite have motive – but we do have opportunity." Wade replied "His body is the morgue in Louisville. I'm waiting for the official report, but I been told his tire rim tested positive for traces of ANFO. If an investigation is opened into his murder, then we may have a loophole to get a quick DNA sample."

"ANFO?" Claire asked "Who has access to that grade of explosive?"

"One Planet. The civilian grade is used in mining" Wade replied "I paid Arnie Wilkes a visit and asked real polite for a look at his records, but couldn't seem to persuade him"

"Well that ties nicely into what I found out from West Virginia" Tae said "Contaminants in the soil there match the contaminants in the soil from Shay Mountain. There are two common denominators here – One Planet and Matt Meyers. There is a particular component of the contaminant that can be traced to Mexico. And as you all know from Haylie's email, One Planet has a factory in Mexico that manufactures some of the nasty chemicals used in fracking."

"There's your motive Wade" Dru said

"Exactly" Taeson agreed "The soil samples she brought down could be linked to the contaminants in West Virginia and traced to Mexico. She had a smoking gun, and he killed her for it."

"But why would One Planet kill him if Haylie was out of the picture?" Kat asked

"Because he got sloppy, and they knew it." Clair said

"Plus he'd fold like a cheap suit under the threat of prison" Wade said "That's why he was running"

"We're working with authorities in Mexico to coordinate a raid on the factory with serving warrants here." Taeson said "We will be sure to seize the ANFO inventory and records as part of our raid on One Planet. So do we have the cooperation of our citizens from Shay Mountain?"

"Yes you do" Joyce answered "The Clan leaders are sending representatives to testify on the conditions here as well as address the civil rights violations committed against them."

"Outstanding!" Taeson replied "Okay team, this is what happens next. I conduct interviews tomorrow with the whistleblowers and the representatives from Shay Mountain. That is all I need to round out my case. On Friday I go before the grand jury and work to secure indictments, and Monday we will serve warrants and request an injunction halting all enforcement of prior judgments regarding the fate of Shay Mountain. As we analyze the evidence and interview suspects, I am sure there will be further arrests – so this is round one. Is everyone in for the long haul?"

"The ACLU will have boots on the ground as long as we're needed" Lena said "Both legal and investigative"

"We are prepared to go the distance" Joyce said "My family wants to be secure in their homes."

"And the folks in Blackburg want our town back" Wade add "and I want these Sons of Bitches out of my county"

"Good to hear" Taeson responded "Sons of Bitches removal is my specialty"

Big Foster stood, shocked. Neila Shay was the mother of the clans, she discovered Shay Mountain and led the clans here…..

This can't be real…

His eyes went to the faces around him…Fa…..Morai…..Ma…..Elon…..Asa

This can't be real….

"This ain't real" He said aloud, spinning around…..looking for a way out "This ain't real!"

He rushed toward the tunnel he'd used to enter the cave, only to see the entrance disappear before his eyes…..replaced by a solid wall. Panicked, he turned and drew his knife. Terrified, with his back against the wall, he faced his loved ones. "What do you want?! Why am I here?!" He shouted

He heard his own voice in return, filling the air with pain…anguished words he'd spoken aloud as he struggled with the demon in his soul…

"Everything I touch, blood and more blood" "So I became the demon. Me!" "We've tainted this mountain. I have, by what I done. I killed my mother, I killed our ways" "The darkness is gonna win" "And try as I might to change, I kill everything I touch"

The weight of his own words brought Foster VI to his knees. He knew why he was here. He knew what must be done. Bowing his head, he let the tears flow. He was here to be set free.

"You're safe now child" Neila Shay's voice whispered softly "Darkness can't live here"

Raising his head, he found himself face to face with his son Asa. "We're all here because we love you Foster. And just like you, we love our clan and this mountain. I love you Fa, and I forgive you."

Overwhelmed, Foster VI began to quietly sob. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Elon kneeling next to Asa. "I love you Fa, and I forgive you." Elon whispered, leaning in to kiss Foster's forehead.

He felt a familiar hand on his face, and turned to see his mother had joined his boys – kneeling with them she whispered with a tenderness he hadn't heard since he was a child "I love you Son, and I forgive you."

Foster VI closed his eyes and searched for words to describe what he was feeling.

"Peace" said his Morai "That fullness in your heart and stillness in your mind is Peace."

Nodding, Foster VI answered. "Yes ma'am, I think you're right."

Elon and Lady Ray moved back to join the family, leaving Foster VI alone with Asa. For a long minute, the men kneeled facing each other – eyes locked. Foster VI raised his hand and touched Asa's cheek. Nodding, he said quietly "I love you Son. I'm ready."

Asa nodded and stood. He moved back to join the rest of the family.

Neila Shay stepped forward and declared "The spirit of Foster Farrell VI shall join the spirits of our kin. He will be safe from his demons and take a rightful role as a Sentry of Shay Mountain. Wyleth-Clannin come forward."

Siobhan Shay, Declan Farrell, and Fiona Farrell moved into view from the shadows. Asa joined them and greeted them, touching foreheads and gripping arms with each. Turning he faced his father as the three transformed into wolves.

Foster VI, still on his knees, said "It's okay, I'm ready son" He watched Asa transform into the Red Wolf.

Foster Farrell VI smiled – he came here a broken man deserving of any consequence awaiting him – instead he was shown love. There was no trace of the demon that haunted his soul for so long. As the Wyeth-Clannin moved toward him, he raised his arms and bared his throat – grateful for the grace shown to him by those he'd hurt the most and ready to join their spirits in honoring and protecting Shay Mountain.

So what I was stuck on was the fate of Big Foster, they all kinda knew he was an jackass- but loved him and he was their jackass - so I really tried to let the characters lead. I remembered that Asa told him that he loved him and used that as my inspiration. Review or PM and let me know what you think!