Thank you so much Leann Nickerson, Secretwrittenword, Long Live BRUCAS, Kathy, Blue Diamunds and Blondie 20000 for all the support and feedback!

Okay so finally we meet Eabha in this chapter. I hope people like her. Again fair warning I'm making this Druids stuff up.

Author's note at the end.

Chapter 13

Sam watched as his father paced back and forth in front of the living room windows. He smiled when he saw Dean get up from where he was playing and began imitating his father.

"Hey Dad, you have a shadow."

"What?" John said as he stop short and felt a certain little toddler bumped into him.

"Owie Daddy," Dean cried as he fell backwards on his bottom.

"Sorry Ace," John said as knelt beside his son and helped him up. He smiled when Dean wrapped his arms around John neck and he hugged him. "Better?"

Instead of pulling away he felt Dean tightened his grip. John kissed him on the top of his head as he stood up and Dean wrapped his legs around his waist.

"What's this all about?" He asked the child in his arms.

"Owie need xta hug," Dean said as he rested his head on his father's shoulder. John went over to the rocking chair in the corner and sat down, settling Dean on his lap. "Owie better now?"

"Unhun," Dean murmured as he played with the buttons on John's shirt.

Sam smiled as he watched his father with his brother. "Dad, you don't think he knows?"

John looked up at his other son and shook his head, "nah, he probable is just picking up on our stress."

"Right," Sam agreed.

Both men looked up when they heard Caleb's truck pulled into the driveway. "Okay Ace, why don't you play with your cars and Wolfie." John said as he placed Dean on the floor by his play rug.

He smiled sadly as the child picked up one of his cars and began running it along the roads while he and Sam stood next to each other as the door opened and the person who could change their life walked into the room.

SPNSPNSPN

John eyes widened when Caleb walked into the room with Eabha. He had never met a Druid before but this woman wasn't what he expected.

He expected a woman in long robs with flowing hair. Not a striking woman in her mid forties wearing a tailored business suit and her auburn hair cut into a bob that was about as business sensible as her suit that stood before them.

"Eabha, this is John and his son Sam," Caleb said as the woman held her hand out as he made the introductions. "John, Sam this is Eabha."

"Hello," she said as she shook both men's hands. "I'm sorry we had to meet this way."

"Nice to meet you," John said.

"I made some tea; would you like a cup?" Sam asked as Caleb took the coat she handed him and her briefcase.

"Oh that would be grand," she told him as she graced him with a smile. "I was in meetings all morning and drank too much coffee,"

"Meeting?" John asked as he offered her a seat on the couch.

Eabha smiled at the elder Winchester and explained, "I'm an antique dealer for a private auction house. An estate was referred to us about forty miles from here and I decided it was a perfect opportunity for me to come over and meet Dean."

"An estate in Minnesota was referred to an auction house in Ireland?" Sam asked as he placed Jim's tea service that he had carried in on a tray down on the table in front of the couch.

"We're an international auction house and you would be surprised where you'd find valuable antiques. I came across a Fabergé snuff box of Nicholas the 2nd in Tulsa Oklahoma. Seems the woman's great, great grandmother was servant at the Alexander Palace before the revolution and shall we say she had 'sticky fingers' and took advantage of a very dark period of history." She told the men.

"That must have been a hefty commission," Sam said in awe.

"Actually I returned it to the Russian department of antiquities." She told him.

"Eabha has returned several pieces of stolen art works she's discovered to the rightful governments or families." Caleb told them.

"Sadly, it's more common place than you think. Especially after World War II. I've had the honor of returning a few pieces of art that was stolen from a family by the Nazis last year." She said as she accepted the cup of tea Sam.

"That must have been rewarding," John said.

"It was…very rewarding," she admitted.

"Daddy," Dean said as he ran over to the couch. "Go to play now? Swing?" He ask hopefully.

John, Sam and Caleb all turned towards the woman when they heard the sharp intake of breath when she looked at Dean. She quickly placed a smile on her face when the child turned towards her too.

"Hello Dean," she said as she gazed into his eyes.

"Dean say hello," Sam told his brother.

"Hello," he said before he turned, climbed back on John's lap and buried his face in his father's chest.

"Since when are you shy," John said as he encouraged Dean to turn around. "Maybe we can go to the playground in a little bit but Eabha is Caleb's friend who came to visit."

"Talk funny," Dean said as he crawled up onto John's lap.

"Ah that's my brogue," she explained to the child as Artie ran over and pawed at Dean's little leg to get his friends attention. "What's your dog's name?"

"Artie," Dean said as he slipped off his father's lap and hugged the dog.

"Hello Artie," she said as she reached over and scratched the dog behind the ear.

"Dean, you want me to put Scooby on for you?" Sam offered.

Dean nodded his head, "yes please." He said as he grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him with all his might.

"Okay," he said with a chuckle as he let Dean pull him towards the television. Soon him and Artie were sitting on the floor together.

Eabha watched Dean, something that didn't go unnoticed by the men. Finally she turned towards the others. "He is a very happy child."

John frowned as he observed the was she was sitting. "You're done aren't you? You already know if you can cast another spell?"

"John she spent less than a minute…" Caleb started to argue.

"I knew the second I saw him," Eabha confessed.

"What? How?" Sam asked.

Eabha took a deep breath before she began to explain. "All magic leaves a trace around the subject. One of the reasons I'm a high priestess is because like my mother and my grandmothers before me I can see these traces."

Sam looked over at his brother, "and you can see this trace surrounding Dean?"

Eabha nodded her head, "yes. I've never seen such a strong link of magic to a spell. This witch actually added safe guards to our blessing. Usually the trace is like a shimmer surrounding the person or object the spell is cast upon. This shimmer has far reaching tentacles that are like safe guards that if a counter spell is cast it will trigger a "trap" and alter the spell. It could harm he in ways that I can't even begin to imagine."

John stood up and called over to his son, "Come on Ace, grabbed your coat and I'll bring you to the playground."

The others watched as John went over to the front door and quickly helped the toddler into his outerwear and leave without another word.

"I'm sorry," Sam started to apologize for his father brash behavior.

"Nothing to apologize for," Eabha assured him. "I should be the one apologizing. I never should have given you and your father false hope."

"I shouldn't have said anything," Caleb said. "I'm sorry Sam."

Sam gave his friend a small smile, "it's just as much as Dad had accepted this and I believe he's loving this time more than he can say. I think he misses Dean. As hard as it was for him to make the decision a part of him wanted our Dean back."

"I know, I do too," Caleb told him truthfully.

Sam nodded his head, "me too."

"I understand," Eabha told them softly. "I think I would like to stretch my legs and get a little fresh air."

"I can take you back to the inn your staying at," Caleb offered.

"Thank you," she said as she slipped her coat on. "I'm not ready to leave just yet but I would appreciate it later on. I'll be back in a few."

Eabha took a deep breath. She had to admitted she loved the crisp November weather in Minnesota. She turned when she heard Dean giggle and shouting 'wee' from her left and realized they were in the church playground.

She crossed over the garden path that joined the home to the church and saw the small playground tucked in the back. She watched at the elder Winchester pushed Dean in the baby swing. She slowly made her way over and stood next to him, not surprised when he didn't acknowledge her presents. "You shouldn't feel guilty," she told him simple.

John snorted, "you don't think I should feel guilty because the knot that's been in my gut since I made the decision to let you cast another spell to change the timeframe is gone. That I'm relieved we aren't going to do it. That I shouldn't feel guilty that..." John shook his head.

"That he's getting a chance to know how deeply he is loved," she said.

John gave her a sideways glance and frowned as something finally occurred to him and asked, "he's in there isn't he? He's aware of what's going on?"

She nodded her head slightly, "yes. This blessing is meant to help a person heal. It's part of the healing process."

"Why hasn't he told us?"

"Your son subconscious is aware and he will remember this time but he truly is the child you have been caring for." She explained.

"I…are you saying that he'll remember everything?"

"They'll be memories but they won't be as sharp. He's still just a toddler so they will be faint. It will be more like the anxieties he has won't be as intense." She explained.

John looked at Dean and swallowed. Anxieties…fears. He wasn't an idiot contrary to what Sam and the others thought. He knew Dean was always a bit more clingy than most children, especially when him and Mary were separated.

This progress from him clinging tightly to Mary and John before the fire to smothering Sam with all his attention after the fire. Not only Sam but him…tending to his wounds…helping him into bed when he was drunk. All of it was Dean's anxiety at being abandoned by the people who he loved.

"Are you saying those anxieties will be gone?"

She smiled at the father before her. "No, we all have anxieties and it's completely normal. It's when we let them control our lives that is dangerous. No Dean's memories will be faint like normal childhood memories but some of his more uncontrollable anxieties won't be a driving force in his life."

John frowned as he nodded his head in understanding. He knew that wouldn't be a bad thing. Sam had told him about his and Dean's time together since they started hunting again and how Dean constantly put himself between Sam and what ever they were hunting to protect him, even if it could cost Dean his life.

He turned his attention back to his son when he called out, 'higher Daddy'. "Sorry Ace," he said as he began pushing him again. He swallowed as he asked, "you said that this spell has never been cast for such a long time frame. Will he be alright when this end?"

"Honestly I think he will but I would suggest when it happens that it's only you and your son Sam be with him. To give him time to adjust." She told him.

"Right," John nodded his head.

Eabha looked around the small playground before asking, "have you been here the whole duration?"

"Yeah, we thought it was best for Dean. Why?"

She smiled as she said, "I may not be able to help Dean the way we thought but I think I can help in another way. I need to make a few phone calls first and then I'll explain more." She told him before turning to head back towards the house to begin research her idea.

SPNSPNSPN

"A cloaking spell on the town?" Sam asked as they sat around the kitchen table eating turkey sandwiches.

"You three have been here the whole time. Dean goes to the nursery school. You and your father have begun working and people in the community know the three of you. When this spell ends how are you planning on explaining where the child everyone has seen you with suddenly disappears?"

"Never thought of that," John admitted.

"I spoke to several high priestesses and they agree we should be able to perform a cloaking spell that when Dean reverts back to an adult anyone who had contact with Dean will have only seen him as an adult…never as a child."

"So they won't have memories of a child that suddenly disappeared," Caleb said as looked over at his friend and asked, "would that go for all of us?"

Eabha smiled at the hunter, "anyone who is in the house when it's cast will not be impacted."

"What about people who have come in contact with him but maybe out of town?" John asked.

"As soon anyone who had contact with Dean crosses the town line they will only see him as an adult and believe they've only met the adult Dean."

"That would go for anyone? What about Bobby and Rufus?" Sam asked.

"They would need to be in the house at the time we perform the ritual." She told him.

John looked over at Dean, wondering how none of them even thought about the fallout when the spell ended. "How long would it last?"

"People memories are short when it comes to neighbors and children who are only in their lives a short period. Can you name any of the children Dean played with when he was a child?"

John thought about it and blushed slightly as he realized he couldn't remember the names and their faces were pretty hazy too. "No," he admitted.

"We believe that with our combined powers the cloak would last about ten years. Between that and memories naturally fading none of you will need to worry about outsiders questioning what happened to the child that was here." She told them.

"Why would these priestesses help us?" John asked warily.

"Same reason as I, this is a blessing we use to help someone who is lost. This witch bastardized it to suit her means. Someone…somewhere told her about it. Our spells aren't to be shared. One way or another Dean's our responsibility." She told the men.

"Thank you," Sam said. He could tell she was being sincere.

"When would you do it?"

She licked her lips as she told them, "the blood moon will be on August 28th. The waxing Gibbous moon will be on the 27th. That'll be our strongest link to this spell and to Dean."

"I've heard of a waxing moon but I didn't know it was powerful," Jim said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"The waning gibbous is a time to for calm and a gently release the unwanted energies or negative energies that have accumulated. This magic surrounding Dean is made up of negative energy." She explained.

"And you believe since the spell is linked to the blood moon, that this would be the strongest time to complete the ritual?" Caleb asked.

Eabha nodded her head, "yes, the third quarter and the waning crescent is a time to address the inappropriate and negative energies and physically cast them away."

"Is there anything we need to prepare for the ritual?" John asked.

The woman looked over at Dean. She smiled at the child as he ran a little matchbox car along the side of his plate. "Just continue letting him know how much he's loved."

TBC

A/N: Okay so I didn't want Dean to be switched back just yet but I wanted to address the fact that they have stayed in the same spot and what would they do when the spell ends.

Thanks again,

Val