Hold the High Ground

by Swordstress

Brotherhood AU: The year is 2042, and Dean receives a mysterious letter from the past, one that warns of danger in the offing. Now, as events escalate and Brotherhood hunters are attacked, the current and future Triads must work fast to keep ahead of the falling dominos before they are all lost.

27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Onida stood in the doorway of hers and Caleb's bedroom watching two boys sleep with frowns on their faces and dark circle under their eyes. Caleb had been gone for three days, and hadn't called for a full day. Though Tristan and Kaven were feeling the separation, no one felt it more than Onida. The light, the connection she had with Caleb was gone.

Yesterday she had been making dinner for the boys when her world had suddenly gone dark. Startled, she had reached out searching for the aura she loved the most. Instead of the warm, bright white light that was Caleb, a hole of darkness was all she'd found.

"Tristan, come stir the spaghetti, will you? Stir it slowly, and I'll be right back."

Once the twelve-year-old was slowly stirring, Onida ran into the dining room for her phone. After hearing Caleb's voicemail for the fifth time, she felt her legs wobble. Dropping into a chair, she thought, Oh, Caleb. I can't do this by myself. Please, don't leave me behind.

"Mama?"

Turning, she saw Kaven standing in the doorway, watching her. Suddenly she realized muddy blue-gray energy was leaking from her very core. Sadness, terror, loss, bone-deep sorrow. After years of captivity with witches who used energy as a weapon, Kaven and likely Tristan were feeling the sorrow she felt. Pulling her emotions back together, she rose and held open her arms. Kaven hesitated a moment, before hurrying over.

"Tristan," Kaven murmured softly.

"Yes, let's get Tristan." Onida hurried into the kitchen, and her heart plummeted. Tristan was dutifully stirring the spaghetti, his face wet with tears. "Ah, Baby," she cried. Turning off the stove, she moved the spaghetti off the burner and pulled Tristan into her arms, where he sobbed into her shoulder. When his and Kaven's tears had waned a bit, she said, "Come on, let's go sit down and talk." At just that moment her phone rang. Grabbing both boys, she pulled them back into the dining room and snatched up her phone. Foolishly, she cried, "Caleb!" as soon as she answered.

"Onida," Joshua said quietly.

"Sorry," Onida murmured, sliding down to the floor and pulling Tristan and Kaven close. "Sorry. I know he's gone."

"No, he's not. Let me explain."

Onida listened as Joshua relayed information about the spell and its intent to switch Caleb with his younger self to save the Sinks from being blown up. How the spell had gone in another direction, and Dean, Sam and Caleb were gone.

"So" Onida said slowly. "He's somewhere in time."

"Yes. I want you to know I wrote the spell very carefully," Joshua assured Onida. "I don't know how it could have gone wrong, except that it didn't."

"You mean magic works with the intent rather than the expressed, written purpose," Onida said, knowing quite a lot about the workings of energy and magic from her training with the Yakama people and her time as guardian over the owl witch prison near the reservation.

"Yes." Joshua closed his eyes, feeling the weight of having performed the spell, and the intense desire for his Triad to return. "He isn't dead, only left our time for a bit. When the spell's intent has been fulfilled, he'll be back; they will all be back."

Sagging in both terror at where Caleb was, and relief that he wasn't dead, she said, "Thank you for calling. Let me know the moment he returns."

"No doubt you'll know before I do," Joshua said with a smile, and he hung up.

"Bye," Onida said to the quiet line. Setting down the phone, she looked at her boys, who were watching her with wide-eyed fear. Smiling, she said, "Daddy's fine. He just got stuck someplace where he can't call in. But he's fine, he's okay."

"Bad lady?" Kaven whispered.

"No, Sweetie." Onida said, pulling both boys close to her side. "He's working to stop some bad people from hurting others. We'll need to be patient until he gets home or can call."

Tristan looked up, his face translucently pale. "Come back?"

"Yes, Daddy's coming back," Onida declared firmly, hoping she wasn't telling a whopper. "Now," she said, extricating herself from the two boys and getting to her feet. "How about we finish that spaghetti and make some garlic bread?" She reached out and took the boys' hands. "Then we'll have a great dinner and maybe some ice cream after."

Together, the three went back into the kitchen and finished the dinner. Now, the boys were asleep early. They'd been too tired and drained from their emotions to watch a movie, and both had refused to sleep in their own beds. Too young to hide their distress, it showed on their faces in sleep. A ring sounded, and though reluctant to leave the boys, Onida walked back to the dining room and her phone. Seeing the caller ID, she sighed and picked it up. "Carolyn."

"Oh, Onida," Carolyn said immediately. "How are you holding up?"

Closing her eyes, Onida suppressed a sigh. "As long as he comes back, I'll be fine."

"He'll be back, I know it."

"How do you know?"

Carolyn smiled. "Because after seeing these men, this Triad, in action for over thirty years, I know they can do just about anything."

The tight knot in Onida's chest lightened just a little. "Thank you."

"How about we go over to Juliet's tomorrow?"

"It's a school day," Onida reminded her.

"I don't think anyone would mind if we strayed from the standard mid-week school plan. We'll run the barbeque and have hot dogs and follow that with ice cream, let the children play on the tire swings. Let's take comfort in one another for the afternoon."

Onida didn't speak for a moment before she asked, "Does Juliet know that Caleb, Dean and Sam are gone?"

"No," Carolyn said. "Of course, she knows Dean's on a hunt, but she chose years ago to be supportive of the Brotherhood but remain on the outside."

"I don't understand how that works when the headquarters of the Brotherhood is in her very home," Onida said.

"Oh, I'm sure she knows much more than even she realizes," Carolyn speculated. "But it's not a world in which she participates."

Onida nodded slowly to herself. "Will she be okay with us going over?"

"I believe so. With Joshua, Caleb, Dean and Adam gone as well as the boys, we'll all find solace in being with one another."

Onida smiled. "All right."

"I'll call Juliet tomorrow morning and make the arrangements. And Onida? Caleb will be back soon."

"Thanks," Onida said pensively. "Good night."

Closing the cell, she laid it back onto the table. After a moment, she turned and headed back to her boys, whispering, "Caleb, my love. Please, come back to us soon."

---

It was mid-week, and Mahira Sachdev had done the unthinkable, at least in her own eyes. She'd taken the day off. Aside from scheduled family vacations, she'd never taken a day off during the week, and was feeling a dual sense of low-level anxiety and heady freedom. Unfortunately, both emotions were colliding uncomfortably inside as she drove carefully up the long road to the vintage style farmhouse.

It was just after the noon hour, and she wondered if coming to Juliet's had been wise. Over the last couple days she'd attempted to contact Sam numerous times, wanting to talk about the amazing, unbelievable things she had discovered in her research. When she hadn't received a reply, she'd called his department head and found out he'd taken a week's sabbatical. With a sense of unease growing inside, she'd gone by his home twice, to no avail. Worried and without recourse, she decided to visit Juliet. Of course, that decision had been made in Louisville. Now that she was driving up to the house in New Haven, she was reconsidering this course of action.

Parking in front of Juliet's house, she shut off the engine and climbed out of her sedan, eyes trying to take in everything at once. It wasn't a working farm in the traditional sense, though there were several apple trees on the property that she could see. Enough for the boys to have fresh apples and for Juliet to make apple pie if she were so inclined. She didn't know that Dean and Juliet gave much of the apple crop to Marlene at the Dinner Bell in exchange for fresh apple pies. Walking up to the porch with its idyllic porch swing, she nearly turned back to the car when the front door opened, screen door heralding the action with loud creaks. Turning, she saw Juliet smiling from the doorway.

"Mahira," Juliet said with a smile. "Welcome to the farm."

Relaxing slightly, Mahira felt again the rapport she and Juliet had established in Louisville. "I'm sorry to barge in, but I haven't heard from Sam."

Head tilted slightly in mild confusion, Juliet asked, "Did you want to? I thought you were taking some time off from one another."

"I … You know I've been doing a lot of research on what Sam told me about hunting."

Juliet nodded. Motioning to the porch swing, they both sat down.

"As you might imagine, I've been amazed, confounded, astonished…" Mahira shook her head. "Every sort of emotion I am capable of feeling."

"Yes, I understand."

"Of course you do," Mahira said with a smile. "There are so many questions I wanted to ask. So I tried to get hold him, but haven't been able to."

Juliet hesitated for only a moment before revealing, "I haven't heard from Dean in over a day, which is unusual. They're on a complicated trip, and it happens sometimes. Most times they're only gone for a day or so. Occasionally the trips are longer."

"You call them trips, not hunts," Mahira observed.

"It's easier for me, I suppose," Juliet replied with a small shrug. "I know what they do, but I choose not to be personally involved other than bandaging wounds or washing dirt and mud from their clothes," she finished, conveniently omitting the washing out of blood.

"You can't stay completely unaware," Mahira objected. "You live in the same house, Dean and your boys are involved."

"It's what they do, it's who Dean is," Juliet said. "I love him for every inch of who he is; the amazing father, the grouch when he doesn't get his coffee, the TV remote control hog, the determined hamburger eater though I try to get him to eat healthier…"

Mahira laughed.

"He does most of the time," Juliet confided with a grin. "But mostly, I love him for the heroic, compassionate man that he is. Yes, I know about hunting, I know about what they do. And for every second of the blessed life I've lived, I'd choose Dean and this life every time. Regardless of whether I actively participate in hunting, as Dean says, it's the family business."

Mahira nodded thoughtfully. Would she be able to say the same someday? The sound of an engine had her looking down the driveway to see two cars approaching. Standing quickly, she said, "Oh, you had plans. I'm so sorry I dropped in without warning."

Rising as well, Juliet said, "Oh, don't think you can get away now."

"W…hat?" Mahira stammered.

"Nearly every question that matters will be answered right now, and I'd like you to stay," Juliet said as Onida and Margaret's cars pulled in and parked beside Mahira's. In the distance, Carolyn's car turned into the far end of the drive. As the car doors opened and children piled out, she continued, "The two boys are Caleb's with his partner Onida. These two coming this way are Margaret's, Adam's wife. You haven't heard of him yet. Coming is Carolyn and Joshua's son Nicholas, and she's bringing back my daughter Clarissa. All these children are missing their fathers. We're having a picnic as a treat, so they can laugh and swing and play together." She held out a hand to Mahira. "Come inside and help me make lunch."

The children clattered onto the porch, hugging Juliet, shyly shaking Mahira's hand before they plowed through the front door.

Laughing a little, Mahira shook Margaret's hand, then Onida's and watched as they followed the horde into the house. "All right. Nobody ever said I didn't enjoy a challenge."

Smiling, Juliet motioned for the house, saying, "This is going to be one of the most rewarding challenges you've ever had."

---

New York City

Madeline Boone knocked on the door to the office of a harassed looking Alison Daughtery. "Can I come in?"

Instead of answering the question on the table, Alison asked bluntly. "Why are you here? You were up until nearly six this morning getting the medical equipment shipped from Boise to Wyoming. You should be getting some sleep."

"I've been working on a plan, and I want to run it by you," Madeline said, stepping inside the office though Alison didn't look particularly welcoming right then. No, she looked a lot like the rest of them: tired, harried and frazzled. Trying to equip the team in Wyoming for an all out battle in just a couple, three days was not the easiest task, and it was straining their personnel and their budget. "May I sit?"

"Of course," Alison sighed, putting aside her pen and invoices, she waved a hand at a comfortable high-backed chair near her desk. "What's on your mind?"

"Payback," Madeline said shortly.

Alison's brows rose in surprise. Leaning back in her chair, she said, "I believe I need to hear everything on your mind."

Madeline chuckled. Taking a seat, she marshaled her thoughts before saying, "This week has been tough for everyone here in the offices. Being confined to the building away from family and friends hasn't been easy, though everyone understands what's on the line. But the most difficult stress has been on Jadzia Wozniak and Shaw Buchanan."

"No one has been giving them a hard time, have they?"

"No, and not really," Madeline admitted. "Considering the result of their enthrallment has been a fake quarantine and everyone is confined, there's a little resentment in some quarters, though people understand. For some, there is the underlying fear that they would have succumbed to the succubus, while others are thinking if it had been them, they would have seen through the subterfuge. And then we have others wondering why the rings didn't save Jadzia and Shaw, and questioning whether working for the Brotherhood is wise, if they aren't safe."

Alison sighed. "I was hoping that wouldn't come up. Silly."

"The team knows of the supernatural world, but we live in a protected bubble here," Madeline said with a small shrug. "Hunts happen out there, not in here. The battles are in the field, not in our own building, not with our people. Everyone is feeling vulnerable and scared."

"So, what's your suggestion?"

"Take back our power," Madeline stated.

Alison blinked. With deliberation she leaned forward into her desk, her eyes boring into Madeline's. "Tell me you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting."

"If you think I'm suggesting that the office go out and bag us a succubus, then I'm suggesting exactly that," Madeline stated emphatically. Leaning forward, earnest intent in every fiber of her being, she said, "These people have been traumatized. Two of our own have been misled by a creature or creatures we were never supposed to meet. If we don't get our own back, this incident will forever live in the minds of the team that we failed. That the supernatural came to our door and we failed."

"But there was no way Shaw or Jadzia could have known the succubus or incubus found us," Alison argued. "We didn't know that! Even hunters have been enthralled!"

"That doesn't matter," Madeline said earnestly. "We were compromised. The Brotherhood Offices have never been compromised before. And even if it wasn't our fault…"

"The Offices were compromised under our watch," Alison interjected. "Under my watch."

"It wasn't your fault either," Madeline defended. "It wasn't anyone's fault. But if we don't - very carefully - get some payback, we'll never be as effective as we were again."

"You're saying we need revenge," Alison stated, eyeing her protégé. She knew about John Winchester's quest to avenge the death of Mary Winchester, and how that had affected the lives of Dean and Sam growing up. She also knew about Sam Winchester's dark turn down that thorny path. Other hunters had flirted with the desire for revenge, which was why Dean, Caleb and Sam insisted on a year of therapy before anyone even considered joining the Brotherhood. It was a dangerous thing, to tangle with revenge.

"I'm not talking about going all Braveheart here," Madeline said. "I'm talking about a well-constructed plan, with safeguards in place, where we can capture and interrogate the succubus or incubus for information that may help our teams in Wyoming."

"And who would lead this hunt?" Alison asked. "You?"

"No, though of course I'd be a very good Lieutenant Colonel," Madeline said cheekily. "Basically, I'm thinking you."

"Me?!"

"With the help of hunters, of course," Madeline said. "Though most hunters will be in Wyoming right now, Jackson Cull and Steve Walker won't engage in the battle due to their previous injuries. They were planning on staying to help out at the Med Tents, but I called to see if they'd be willing to come here instead."

"You already called?" Alison asked incredulously. She felt this conversation was getting out of hand very quickly.

"You've been so busy arranging the ammunition, EpiPens, weapons and gear as well as the tracking systems and wrangling for satellite surveillance," Madeline rushed to say. "You've been spearheading everything, and our teams have been pushed to the max to get the equipment needed into Wyoming to take on a battalion of enchantresses." Swallowing thickly and hoping she hadn't taken too much for granted, she finished, "I wanted a viable plan before I came to talk with you."

Alison regarded Madeline without saying anything. The truth was, she wished she'd thought of this herself. But in her way, she'd been feeling violated too. And her way of dealing with that was to throw herself into work, and she'd done that with gusto, hadn't she? She'd wanted to keep everyone busy doing their jobs so they wouldn't have to think about what had happened. But they were thinking about it. Sighing, she said, "I wish I would have thought of this myself."

"You have to leave something to the grunts, Wonder Woman," Madeline stated, heaving an internal sigh of relief.

Alison's lips quirked slightly. "So, are Jackson Cull and Steve Walker on their way to New York?"

"Not yet. I wanted to make sure you were in agreement before I sent them their reservations."

"Which means you already booked the tickets."

"Well, yes. But they're completely refundable if you'd said no," Madeline added quickly.

"You realize the star players in this little engagement will be Jadzia and Shaw. Have they agreed to help, and if so, how are you going to protect them from the succubus? I don't think Dean can get here in time to give them one of the new rings." In fact, Alison knew exactly what had happened to Dean, Caleb and Sam, and that had been her biggest worry over the last day. She needed her Triad back, and couldn't imagine running the Brotherhood Offices without them.

"When the idea first occurred to me, I asked Jadzia and Shaw what they thought of my plan. They're scared, but they also want the chance to get their power back, so to speak. They're willing."

Alison nodded, giving Madeline her patented stern gaze. Finally, she said, "Pour us some coffee and lay it all out for me."

---

Wyoming 1838

Caleb shook Dean's arm, prodding him awake.

"Humph," Dean grunted. Blinking upward, he murmured, "Damien…"

"Yeah. Come on. Samuel and Cole are back from visiting their friend Kajika. Hopefully there's a meeting tonight, and we can get this done and get home."

That got Dean wide awake, and he pushed himself up. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"About three hours," Caleb said, going to the door. "We'll talk during dinner and make a plan."

Nodding, Dean got to his feet. Watching as Caleb leaned against the doorjamb, he confessed, "I like them."

"Me too."

"I don't want them to…"

"Me either. But history happened," Caleb murmured under his breath. "We can't change that."

Sighing, Dean nodded. "I know." Walking to the door, he said, "It'll be good to get home. I hope tonight does it."

"Don't see why we'd stick around after."

Dean grinned over his shoulder. "No, me either. They're probably excited to get us out from under their feet."

"Very likely."

Sam poked his head around the hall wall up near the dining room and called, "Dinners on."

Once everyone was seated at the table and their plates were full of venison, potatoes, corn and bread, discussion of the upcoming hunt began in earnest.

"From what Kajika said, signs are the group has moved to a location more southeast than last time, which means it will take longer to get there," Samuel said.

"They may have had a run-in with the Kiowa," Cole stated. "That would be enough to make anyone cautious."

Samuel gave a small shrug. "Possibly. Kajika doesn't think they had an encounter, but probably heard that a raiding party was sweeping through the area. It made them cautious."

"Natural," Sam said. "I wonder how they let their customers know they've moved?"

"Perhaps in a manner similar in method to how Kajika tracks their movements."

"Was Kajika able to tender any information on the terrain?" Daniel asked.

"No," Cole said, disappointed. "He knows where they'll be, but is not familiar with that location."

"Then we go with our basic plan, and adapt when we reach the designated location," Daniel stated. "I'll need to be with Samuel to make the bubble."

"And I'm with you both," Cole said firmly.

Before Daniel could say anything, Caleb said, "And we'll take the buyers."

Cole gave Caleb a decisive nod while Daniel and Dean exchanged looks that plainly said, Knights.

"It will be dusk in an hour," said Daniel. "We'll leave then. Rest your bodies," he urged Sam, Dean and Caleb. "It won't be an easy night."

"Great," Dean mumbled. "Another night in the saddle."

Sam elbowed his brother playfully. "We'll survive."

"Don't threaten me."

Cole chuckled while Caleb laughed outright.

Dean eyed Daniel, and simultaneously they both rose with Daniel saying, "Come, Dean. I have something to show you in the library."

"Excellent," Dean stated, quickly following his fellow Guardian from the room.

Cole, Caleb, Samuel and Sam eyed one another.

"Guess we're stuck clearing the table," Samuel said. When Cole looked like he was going to rise, he ordered, "Don't even think about it."

"I was merely picking up the potatoes," Cole protested innocently. Picking up the bowl along with another, he walked into the kitchen, muttering, "Mad as hops."

Samuel glared as he got to his feet, picked up a few bowls and followed Cole from the room.

"Mad as hops?" Sam said questioningly to Caleb.

"I don't even try understanding anyone anymore," Caleb remarked, picking up his, Dean's and Sam's empty plates and heading into the kitchen.

.

Three hours later Dean was heartily wishing he was walking rather than riding. His backside hadn't recovered from their last long ride, and now here he was on another. Sore didn't cover the ache. Even Sam was looking less than comfortable as they rode through the darkened evening.

"How much longer, do you think?" Sam asked.

Dean smiled. How was he supposed to know that? Samuel was the one leading their party, not him. But it was such a Sammy question that he couldn't help an inner chuckle. "Hopefully not much longer," he said encouragingly. After all, Sam had unsaddled his horse yesterday and toweled her off. He was owed some payback.

However, not much longer turned out to be another hour and a half before Samuel slowed and climbed off his horse near a lightly forested area. The promise of thicker vegetation in the offing became apparent in the darkened shadows beyond their small enclave.

"I don't think I can walk," Dean grumbled, trying to lift his right leg over the neck of the horse so he could get down. When he finally succeeded, he slid slowly to the ground.

Sam staggered over, and though his own backside was aching as well, he held Dean upright until his brother had his land-legs back again. When Dean tapped him on the arm, he let go and went to work out the kinks in his own legs.

"We'll tether the horses here and walk in," Samuel said to Sam.

Sam suppressed an inward grimace. "How far is the walk?"

"A couple miles, maybe less," Samuel said. "Then we should get our first look at the meeting place."

Sam glanced around at the landscape crowded with bushes, thickets and trees. "That will take nearly an hour."

Daniel and Dean moved over and stood listening.

"Likely," Samuel nodded. "Though we'll take more care as we close in on the site."

"It was close to midnight when the group met the last time," Dean said. "We'll be getting there a lot earlier."

"Not by much," Samuel said, "And the time will be well spent restoring our energy after the long ride and walk."

Caleb, who had joined the group with Cole, said, "When they arrive, we should wait until after the sellers get into the field before you three work your way around behind. We can't be sure from what direction they'll come."

"Agreed," Cole said. "Hopefully the field won't be too large."

"Let's get started," Daniel said. "Samuel, would you take the lead again?"

Samuel nodded. After loosely tying their mounts to a few supple saplings so the horses could graze, the group walked through the young growth area and further into the dense forest.

As it grew darker and the vegetation thicker, the going became more labored. On this trip they escaped the ups and downs of ravines and low hillsides, but the thick brambles, bushes and heavy trees proved a more than challenging environment to traverse.

Caleb kept his senses on low alert for anyone in the area, sellers, buyers, or a Kiowa raiding party. So far he sensed nothing, which he thought was odd. Rubbing at the ache in his temple, he started to refocus his senses when he saw Sam, who was walking directly in front of him, list slightly to the side. "Sam?"

The vision was on Sam in a flash. A small field, thick with thigh-high grass, swam across his vision. Bursts of muzzle fire lit up the field like Dean's impromptu fireworks display when he was thirteen. Shadowy figures, highlighted in the flashes, ducked, ran and pummeled one another. And then he saw the reason for the vision: Dean and Caleb were fighting four large men and holding their own when a flare of light shot out from one of the men straight toward Dean. In a sort of slow motion horror story, Caleb rushed in and pushed Dean aside, taking the gunshot right in the chest. Eyes wide, he slid sideways, disappearing into the stampeded grass and from sight. Gasping, Sam opened his eyes and dropped to his knees.

"Sam!" Caleb exclaimed softly, rushing forward.

With the instincts of an older brother, Dean had already turned around and was rushing back toward Sam.

"Are you all right?" Cole asked, hurrying to Sam's side along with Caleb.

Sam nodded, though he was second guessing his "adult" decision to face up to and use his abilities. Of course, as recently as Washington he'd had visions alerting him to danger. And that was the crux of what Caleb had been trying to make him see for years, wasn't it? His abilities were a part of him. They would exhibit themselves when needed, regardless of his turning a blind eye. And if the situation was dire enough for his abilities to force themselves upon him, how many times could they have helped in a hunt if he'd been willing to use them? The last couple years his visions had been a warning. A warning of how the hunt could go if he didn't react. Well, he was done with acting the child, and he was going to do his damndest to make sure Caleb didn't get shot. "I'm fine," he said, rubbing lightly at his forehead.

The commotion had Samuel and Daniel pulling up short and turning back around.

"Sammy?" Dean leaned in to get a better look at his brother's face. Pale and sweaty, he knew the vision didn't bode good news. They never did.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked. "Is he ill?"

"There are more people coming tonight," Sam stated. "A lot more. I couldn't tell if they were buyers or sellers, but if we don't contain the situation, there will be a lot of gunfire and people dying."

"How do you know this?" Cole demanded.

"We explained that he was psychic," Caleb stated impatiently.

"Actually, you didn't explain anything," Cole retorted. "All you said was the choking of the Kiowa was Sam."

"Let's not get into a squabble about Scholar abilities," Daniel interjected. "I assume you had a vision of some sort. Please, tell us the details."

Cole looked disgruntled, but set aside his questions in order to listen.

Explaining about the vision, Sam tried to be as detailed as he could about the fighting and the shooting while leaving out the part where Caleb was shot.

"So, it appears our buyers may not be prepared to pay the price the sellers are asking," Daniel mused.

"Is there a way to contain a gunfight?" Sam asked.

"Once we shut down the boxes, the buyers are going to be furious," Cole stated. "Then anything can happen on either side, with each believing they've been cheated out of their prize."

"Could you see how many more people there were?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "I could tell there were a lot more than nine. But it was too dark, and there was too much activity to see more."

"Last time the sellers were in the field first, waiting for the buyers," Dean said.

"Taking up a position of authority," Daniel commented.

Dean nodded. "If everything plays out the same this time, they'll be there waiting again. We'll need to shut down the boxes fast, surprise everyone."

"Then when the buyers get aggressive," Cole said, "the sellers can back slang it."

"Would you speak English!?" Caleb exclaimed irritably.

Cole looked startled. "What?"

"What is back slang it?" Caleb demanded.

"Go out the back way," Cole explained, his expression saying clearly, I already explained this! Doesn't everyone know that?

Dean laughed. "We'd say skedaddle."

Caleb snorted. They wouldn't say that either.

"If we're to prevent bloodshed," Daniel stated, "We'd better continue on."

Samuel stepped back into the lead, Daniel at his side.

Dean fell into place beside Sam as Caleb and Cole took up the rear positions. After a moment, he said in a low tone, "Tell me what you left out."

"What do you mean?" Sam equivocated. He wasn't sure what Dean would do when he found out Caleb was shot saving his life. He didn't want his brother doing anything reckless.

"Come on, Sam. You think I can't tell when you're leaving out the good stuff?"

"Someone got shot, but I couldn't see clearly who it was so I didn't mention it. I won't be responsible for anybody second guessing their punches because someone might get shot."

Dean eyed his brother, knowing he still wasn't getting the truth. But if Sam was lying, there could be only one reason: he was the one getting shot. "All right," he said slowly. "Let me know if anything changes." Lengthening his stride a bit, he caught up with Daniel.

Sam grimaced. He hated lying to his brother, especially when Dean knew he was doing it. Damn older brothers who'd raised you since you were a baby. They could see everything.

A moment later Caleb stepped forward and asked, "What else was there?"

Feeling like he was going to yell in frustration, Sam hissed in aggravation, "I couldn't see anything clearly." Two older brothers who'd raised him from a baby were worse than one.

"Fine. Tell me when you're ready." Glancing back at Cole, he continued, "I'm not getting much activity in the area, so I'm going to open up to a wide scan, see if I can sense our sellers and buyers."

"I got your back," Sam murmured in relief.

Closing his eyes briefly, Caleb opened up his abilities, giving the area a quick sweep before pulling his senses back. Glancing at Sam, he murmured, "If this is a sales party, there are a lot more buyers this time." Checking to make sure neither Cole nor Daniel were too close, he continued, "A party of three coming in from the northwest."

"The sellers," Sam nodded.

"Last time the group of buyers was nine. Now there are eighteen, in two groups."

"They're planning an ambush."

"Like you said," Caleb nodded. "Buyers unhappy with the price and deciding to relieve the sellers of their property."

"Where are the two groups?"

"The smaller group of eight is going directly forward. The larger group is angling north and slightly west."

"What are you two talking about?" Cole asked, stepping up. He'd noted their conversation and had given them some space. But if they were talking about the hunt, he needed to know.

"Sam has been trying to find out more on the groups involved tonight," Caleb said, tapping his forehead.

Sam sighed. Though he understood it, he hated Caleb putting him on the spot like this, a mouthpiece for his own abilities. "I sensed the sellers coming in from the northwest. For the buyers, last time there were nine. From a short scan I sense more like eighteen now, coming in two groups. One going directly to the meet point, the other more north."

"Flanking the sellers," Cole stated. Shaking his head, he continued, "Hasn't it occurred to the buyers that people capable of making the boxes would be more than able to protect themselves?"

"Maybe they've got their own crafter," Sam said.

"Crafter?" Cole asked. "What's that?"

"Sorry," Sam said, shaking his head. "Someone who does magic."

"Mystic," Cole sighed. "Caleb, I'm going forward to tell Daniel. The flank is yours."

Caleb nodded and watched as Cole stepped up to his Guardian and they began to talk.

"Would you quit throwing me under the bus for your abilities?" Sam whispered vehemently.

"You think I should tell them I'm psychic, and that my ancestor is going to use a stolen amulet that was under their protection to call up Yellow Eyes, and burn down a church, killing everyone inside?"

"No," Sam sighed. Caleb was complicating the situation, though he didn't blame the man for his distrust of telling hunters about his psychic skills. Plus, they were working with the Triad that would one day in the future tangle with Noah Seaver. History was a bitch to overcome, as he well knew.

"We're going to get back home," Caleb stated. "And I'm counting on our shutting down the boxes tonight as being our send off."

.

After close to an hour on their feet, Samuel slowed to a stop. Motioning for everyone to stay where they were, he walked through a small thicket of trees up ahead and disappeared from view. Cole immediately followed, staying within easy reach of his Scholar.

"The trees are thinning up ahead," Dean murmured quietly to Caleb.

"Doesn't look like there'll be a large meadow," Caleb replied. "I'm thinking a small clearing, not much more." Glancing at Sam, he said, "From your vision we know there'll be tall grass, so it's likely not a large space."

Sam nodded, looking thoughtful. "If the grass is taller, animals aren't using it for grazing. I wonder why?"

Caleb gave a slight shrug. "Think there's an Indian village nearby? That could explain the lack of larger animals using the clearing as a food supply."

"If there was a tribe around here, they'd use it for grazing their livestock or as additional living space," Sam stated. Deciding on giving his abilities another go, he lowered his blocks and surveyed what he could see of the landscape through the darkness. Immediately he felt inkiness and magic crawl up his arms and back. Shivering, he murmured, "Magic. Can you sense it?"

Caleb lowered his own blocks more and felt the oily blackness Sam had felt. "I was sensing something off, but attributed it to the sellers possibly bringing in something new. But this…" he shook his head while repressing a shiver. "We usually don't feel widespread darkness like this in our time. This is black magic, and it's been used regularly in this area."

"It's left a mark on the landscape." Sam eyed Caleb. It wasn't like the other man to have missed such a distinctive psychic phenomenon.

"I know," Caleb confided, knowing what Sam was thinking. "My abilities haven't been too on point here. I'm not sure if it's because I'm here before the incident with Noah Seaver, or whether the time-travel angle has knocked me for a loop. But I don't feel quite right." He rubbed at his forehead.

"Does your head hurt?"

"I've had a low-level headache since we woke up," Caleb confessed. "Nothing I can't work through, but constantly there." Glancing over at Sam, he asked, "You?"

Sam shook his head. "Not since I drank the tea Samuel made."

"I'm glad," Caleb murmured. "At least you're at full strength." Turning his attention over to where Dean and Daniel were talking quietly, he suppressed a sigh. "It's going to be hard tonight."

"Especially if we leave," Sam stated.

Caleb nodded. They all liked these men, and he felt immensely privileged to have met them. But the temptation to intervene was felt by them all, and they needed to return to their own time as soon as possible. Shifting his attention to where Samuel and Cole had disappeared, he slapped Sam lightly on the shoulder and pointed when he saw the pair walking carefully back through the foliage just beyond. "Come on."

Caleb and Sam came up alongside Dean and Daniel as Samuel and Cole approached.

"There's a small clearing, about forty by fifty yards," Samuel said. "Tall grass like you saw in your vision," he nodded in Sam's direction, "and some small saplings, a few bushes."

"Within two years the clearing won't be there any longer," Cole predicted.

"The strange thing is that there are no animals around at all," Samuel said. "No squirrels, voles, muskrats, foxes, nor any kind of bird. It's like they've all been driven or scared away."

Sam refused to look over at Caleb.

"We should start moving north," Daniel stated. "We need to be in place." Turning to Sam, he asked, "Are you able to sense where the sellers are more clearly now that we're closer? We need to avoid their path."

"I'll try," Sam said. Giving Caleb only a cursory glance, he closed his eyes and lowered his blocks.

It's all right, came Caleb's voice in his head. We'll do this together.

Sam followed Caleb's lead and let his abilities stretch out across the landscape. Trees, the moon, the brush and crackle of branches and leaves in the breeze all wafted over his senses. He hadn't stretched his abilities like this before, having mainly watched Caleb's back when Caleb did the surveying. There was sense of heightened interest, and he knew Caleb had spotted something. And the moment he thought that, he sensed it too. Three people walking toward the clearing. Several lengths back their horses were tethered, awaiting the return of their masters.

Switching his focus, Caleb directed Sam in the other direction, and he sensed two groups of people. A larger party of ten was a short distance from the clearing in the northeast, with the smaller group approaching from the south.

Do you have a fix on their location? Caleb asked Sam

Yes.

Then we're done.

Sam opened his eyes and felt a sense of dizzying groundedness.

"Sam?" Dean asked, his eyes going from his brother to Caleb, who gave him a short nod.

"I'm fine," Sam said, but he couldn't help wiping a hand over his face.

"Well?" Cole asked.

"The sellers are coming in from the west, while the group of ten with the buyers is angling up toward the northeastern side of the clearing. They're maybe…." Sam refused to look over at Caleb, but he was desperate for an estimate. Caleb was used to doing this stuff; he wasn't.

Thirty yards, maybe twenty minutes.

"Twenty minutes or so from the clearing," Sam said. "A group of about eight buyers are coming from the south…"

Fifteen out

"…about fifteen minutes out," Sam finished.

Daniel nodded. "Then Samuel and I need to get up behind the sellers. Cole, you should go with Sam. Dean and Caleb can make it around the eastern edge of the clearing if they run."

"Oh, thanks for that," Dean grumbled. Where were the horses when you needed them?

"I'm with you," Cole stated, his eyes on Daniel. A Knight's main duty was the protection of the Guardian.

"You can't be, not on this one," Daniel countered. "We've got three groups coming in, and by providence there are six of us. Three groups of two to end this."

That Cole looked uncomfortable was an understatement. Caleb would be in the same position. He felt the pull to protect his own. But the logic of Daniel's strategy was unassailable.

Wondering if Cole was dissatisfied that Caleb would be going with him while his own Guardian would be on his own, Dean said to Cole, "I'll go with Sam, and you go with Caleb. That way our strongest fighters will take on the largest group coming in from the north."

Sam couldn't help an internal sigh. Dean wouldn't be with Caleb, therefore Caleb wouldn't get shot saving Dean's life.

"And you won't have to run around the clearing," Caleb sniped, not at all happy with the suggestion.

"Bonus," Dean quipped.

"No," Cole sighed. "We'll stick with original plan."

"We'll go with the reset," Caleb stated grudgingly. He knew why Dean had made the suggestion, and considering his best friend was just as strong a fighter as he was, the flatteringly tendered strongest fighters comment wasn't missed. "It makes sense. Who has a better chance of taking on ten ruffians than two Knights of the Brotherhood?"

Dean glared. "I think we've just been dissed."

Daniel frowned. "Dissed?"

"Short for disrespected," Sam explained.

Nodding, Daniel said, "We need to move. Time is short, and Cole and Caleb have a ways to go." Turning to Sam, he said, "Can you give clear instructions on their path and destination?"

"Yes," Sam said, finding it awkward to be doing so to the person who had found the group in the first place.

Caleb nodded and smiled. After listening to Sam reiterate what they'd seen together, he said, "All right, we're off. Meet you in the clearing in fifteen," and he took off through the trees running alongside Cole, disappearing rapidly into the darkness.

"Samuel?" Daniel said, gesturing for the Scholar to lead the way.

Samuel nodded to Dean and Sam, and took off, also jogging through the vegetation, Daniel on his heels.

"You know where to go?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Caleb showed me where the smaller group will be. This way," he said, leading the way through the trees and bushes, trying to make as little sound as possible.

.

Caleb tried to follow exactly in Cole's footsteps, counting on the other man to do all he could to keep their progress as quiet as possible. They were jogging at a pace that didn't tax his lungs, and he was free to monitor both Daniel and Samuel's progress, as well as Dean and Sam's. When Cole slowed, he fell into step with the other Knight and murmured, "Sense anything?"

"Damfino," Cole said with a shrug, "but we've covered enough ground that if the group is in range, our footsteps may be heard."

"Damfino?" Caleb echoed, then shook his head. "Never mind." Reaching out with his abilities, he searched for the second buyer group and found them some fifty feet away to their northwest. "You're probably right."

Cole started walking in a more northerly direction, while Caleb gently angled them slightly to the west.

"You're psychic, aren't you?" Cole asked abruptly.

"What?" Caleb suppressed his surprise and gave a slight chuckle. "Sam's the gifted one in the group."

"As are you. Tonight Sam had the information, but was uncomfortable relaying the news. You encouraged him when he was on the right course. I believe you told him psychically what he needed to tell us." Cole eyed Caleb. "I do not doubt Sam's vision, thus I would contend you are both psychic. Unusual, for a Triad."

Caleb sighed. Denying it at this point wasn't practical. Cole was too astute in his observations. His initial reason for not telling Cole, Daniel and Samuel was distrust. Maybe he was letting the distrust he'd experience from other hunters growing up color his interactions with everyone now. A thought to shelve and explore later. "Yes. I was born with psychic abilities. I didn't understand them when I was a child. My adoptive father helped me learn how to deal with them, how to control them. He was the Scholar of the Brotherhood in the Triad preceding ours."

"You were adopted?"

"My parents died when I was small. After their deaths I lived with my grandmother for awhile, but when she passed I got into trouble, not understanding my abilities, letting them control me. That's when Mac found and rescued me." He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Seeing Mac last year for a magical, unexpected hour during a hunt had been a phenomenal experience. But it had also renewed the sense of loss at his passing. But what a cherished, achingly sorrowful wonder it had been.

"My mother died when I was five," Cole confided softly.

Caleb almost said I know, but stopped himself just in time. "I'm sorry."

"It seems as though the Brotherhood adopts the lonely and lost into its fold and gives us a family."

Smiling, Caleb nodded, thinking of his, Dean's and Sam's childhoods. Though Dean and Sam had their father, they were so often left on their own. And he'd been adrift until Mac had rescued him from a possible lifetime of being committed to a mental institution, or death. "I believe so. Maybe we're the best ones to understand the value of life and family, and to fight to protect it."

"Possibly," Cole agreed. "I found a new home with my Uncle Wade, but a family in Daniel and Samuel."

The confession had Caleb clenching his jaws until they ached. He wanted to shout out that they needed to get away from Malachi Harris as soon as possible, that Cole needed to stay away from Seaver and his wife, that they needed to surround themselves with trustworthy members of the Brotherhood. Instead, he forced himself into silence until he sensed movement nearby. Stopping suddenly, he looked to his left.

"Something?" Cole whispered.

"Group of ten approaching, moving quietly; about twenty feet, there," Caleb murmured, pointing to the left.

"What is our strategy for tackling ten on our own?"

"Wait until their focus is on what's happening in the clearing," Caleb stated.

"Then we remove the ones at the back…"

"And tackle the rest when Dean and Sam move in."

"By hook or crook."

Caleb gave a soft snort of amusement. "Rules of fair play are only a suggestion."

Giving his fellow Knight a fierce grin, Cole stated, "Agreed."

.

Dean and Sam crouched down behind a large thicket of berries, waiting and watching for the approaching group of buyers. Casually Dean picked blackberries and popped them into his mouth as they waited.

"Would you stop that?" Sam snapped.

"These are wild blackberries, free to anyone," Dean replied, tossing another into his mouth and chewing.

"We're on a hunt!"

"So that means I can't eat berries? We're waiting and the berries are right here." Pulling a couple off their stems, he offered them to Sam. "Come on, they're great."

Trying to decide on whether to push the issue or not, Sam finally sighed and took the berries. Strangely enough, as he ate, his shoulders relaxed and the tension of the hunt lessoned. How Dean knew it would ease his nerves was beyond him, but his brother was a bottomless fount of instinctual wisdom. Or maybe he was just contrary that way. "Think the others are in place?"

"Why don't you reach out and touch someone?" Dean quipped, eating another few berries.

Rolling his eyes, Sam focused on Caleb. You ready?

In place with the Wild West Lacrosse team.

What?

The shadow of laughter crossed Sam and Caleb's connection. Ready and waiting. Samuel and Daniel are almost in place. The sellers are about fifteen yards out from their position. They'll bubble the potion as soon as your group enters the clearing.

Okay, thanks.

Stay tuned, Runt.

Sam opened his eyes and relayed the information to Dean.

"Our buyers are ready and rarin' to go," Dean murmured, pointing to where eight people were striding purposefully through the thick vegetation toward the clearing.

The small cluster of people weren't bothering to muffle their footsteps. Leaves and branches crackled and snapped as they walked. Sam could make out several men and one woman. Just before they reached the clearing, the woman held up a hand and the entire group stopped. For a few minutes they conversed while Dean and Sam looked on.

"Can you listen in on what they're saying?" Dean whispered.

Sam grimaced. "I'm not as good at getting that close to someone's mind without letting them know I'm there," he confessed. "Besides, we don't know if anyone in the group is psychic."

Dean merely nodded, watching them with an eagle eye. "We at least know they're planning on stabbing the sellers in the back."

"But why?" Sam hissed softly in frustration. "Cole said it; they know the ones selling the boxes are powerful. The only reason to think they'd win…" he broke off.

"…was if they had a more powerful weapon," Dean finished. Growling in frustration, he snapped, "They've got to have an ace up their sleeve. Damn it. We were so confident we had this in the bag, we rushed in."

"We didn't know the sellers were planning to steal the boxes," Sam protested. "We only realized that when we came."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean acknowledged grudgingly.

"But if the buyers have brought along a weapon that's stronger than the box," Sam asked, "Why would they want the box in the first place? And why bring extra soldiers?"

Dean frowned. Sam had a point: why bring extra men if you were holding the stronger hand. What was really going on here? The boxes represented power. Two parties were negotiating the price of wealth and power. If one had a superior weapon at your disposal, seventeen bruisers on the payroll was overkill. He had to break it all down.

Joshua's spell had sent them here for a reason, so there was an obvious connection between the events that were happening now, and the events unfolding during their time. Thus, there had to be a connection between the motives for getting the boxes. The siren wanted to wipe out soldiers, as she had called them. Why? Because she'd been hurt by soldiers in her past, and he and the hunters of the Brotherhood represented soldiers. But in this time, these rough men couldn't be thought of as soldiers by any stretch of the imagination. So why bring them here?

"It doesn't make sense," Dean murmured to himself.

"No," Sam agreed. "It doesn't."

Looking over at his brother, Dean continued his thoughts out loud. "If the woman has a weapon to use, why not just go in and take the box? Why pretend to buy it? And if her weapon isn't strong enough to allow her to take the box outright, then she's still at a disadvantage against the power of the boxes. More men aren't going to help. If they get attacked, all the sellers need to do is open the box and all bets are off."

"We're missing something," Sam stated.

"Something big," Dean agreed. "The woman wants the boxes because they represent power. She either doesn't have the money to buy it, or feels she's entitled to the box and wants to take it. She has some power, but not enough to take it on her own, so she brings a small fighter squadron to help."

"But they're not going to be of much help," Sam said, "because if the sellers feel threatened, they're going to open one of the boxes and incinerate everyone."

"If the woman is the siren, she doesn't care about the men, but she cares about herself," Dean mused. After a moment, he exclaimed softly, "She needs a talisman for protection. That's why she needs to get close."

"Can't she just sing and take the boxes?" Sam asked. "Sirens are powerful; they can make people do anything."

"Maybe she can't, or she's got laryngitis."

Sam gave Dean an incredulous look.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I don't know why she isn't singing to get the box. But she does get one because she uses it in our time."

"Except the one she uses in our time is much stronger."

"Maybe magic gets stronger as it ages," Dean said with a shrug. "Or she gets someone to help her make it stronger."

"You're back to Malachi Harris being in the thick of this," Sam said.

"The point is, we need to neutralize the box the moment the groups meet or this thing is going to get out of hand in a hurry."

Sam chewed on his lip a second before saying, "A siren doesn't need to actually sing to get her way. She has other attributes to control men. Why not ask for a demonstration, get protection then enchant the seller out of the box?"

"I don't know," Dean sighed, frustrated at the turn of events and the holes in their knowledge. "Maybe she's not the siren. Maybe she was tipped off that we were on her trail, so she accelerated her timetable."

"You're thinking about Harris coming to the ranch yesterday," Sam said.

"On a feeling," Dean stated, using air quotes, which caused Sam to smirk. "Something spooked her, and I'm thinking it was Harris."

"That's speculation."

"Yeah." Silence stretched out for a moment or two before Dean sighed. "But we're here now, and we're set to neutralize the boxes. All the rest we'll have to deal with as it comes." Glancing at Sam, he said, "Can you talk to Samuel?" he tapped his temple. "He needs to launch the bubble as soon as the sellers enter the clearing so it can go off the moment the buyers and sellers meet up."

"What?" Sam yelped. "I don't have any practice talking to anyone psychically except Caleb."

"Then tell Caleb and have him do it."

Sam refrained from pointing out that the Wild West Triad didn't know that Caleb was psychic. He simply connected with Caleb and relayed their new suspicions.

I'll take care of it.

"Done," Sam relayed to Dean.

"Good," Dean said, nodding toward the group of buyers they were tailing. The small group had just stepped into the clearing. "Because it's show time."

.

Samuel opened his eyes to find Daniel staring at him in anxious concern.

"Are you all right?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," Samuel said, running a hand over his head. "Um, Caleb told me we've got to get the potion launched as soon as possible."

"Caleb told you…" Daniel repeated, frowning.

"It appears that he is psychic too," Samuel said. Reaching down, he retrieved a long, curved piece of pipe he'd dropped in his surprise of having Caleb talking inside his head, and continued setting up his delivery devise.

"Truly? Why didn't they say?"

"They've been here all of a day. Considering surprise, distrust then collaboration, we haven't exactly spoken about psychics or abilities," Samuel offered.

Daniel gave a small, thoughtful shrug of agreement. Turning his gaze back to the field, he said, "The sellers have entered the clearing."

"And the buyers?"

Checking out the southern end of the small bramble-filled meadow, he said, "They have entered as well and are heading toward the sellers."

"I'll need that bubble now," Samuel said.

Daniel took his eyes off the field and looked back around. Nodding, he took a small flask from his inside jacket pocket, uncorked it and poured a small amount of water into his palm. Lowering his hand, he allowed a small portion of the water to dribble onto the leather scrap the potion was resting upon. Focusing, he watched as the water slid under the potion ingredients and surrounded them in a small, silver dome. Satisfied, he reached down and touched the silver, and it went transparent.

"You can see the potion," Samuel observed.

"Just a moment," Daniel murmured. After a second, the potion disappeared while the bubble still looked transparent.

Samuel smiled. "I'll never understand how you do that."

Daniel picked up the bubble and handed it to Samuel. "I don't know that I fully understand it either, but after watching Dean this afternoon, I think more practice is in order."

"I volunteer to watch." Setting the bubble onto an open, curved funnel, Samuel cocked the trigger. "Ready on your mark."

Nodding, Daniel kept his eyes on the group of buyers walking across the field.

.

"Dean suspects the woman in the group of buyers may have a weapon to take out the sellers," Caleb told Cole.

Cole frowned. "Why does he think that? And if she does, why the extra men?"

"I don't know. It seems our plan to neutralize the boxes and stop the sale has gotten more complicated."

"So, you're saying a fairly straightforward hunt has become more dubious."

"Yes, but not as formally," Caleb said with a smile.

Cole chuckled. Turning his attention back to the ten men spread around the northeastern edge of the field, he said, "I'll take the two men on the left when they start to move."

"And I'll take the three on the right," Caleb stated.

"You can handle three at once?"

Caleb tapped his temple.

Eyes widening, Cole said, "You choked the Kiowa warrior."

"Yes."

Nodding slowly, Cole moved past the revelation and said, "All right. We'll need to draw those in the rear away or the others will sense the attack."

"Use the choke hold move I showed you on the first one you take down," Caleb murmured. "Hand closed over the nose and mouth…"

"Other arm strong across the throat," Cole finished.

Caleb nodded. "As you put pressure on the throat, use the momentum to control his fall to the ground. His body hitting the leaves and twigs should be masked by the others' footsteps moving into the clearing."

"Then punch if necessary."

Caleb grinned. "The man in closest proximity would likely notice the move, but the others further ahead will be focused on the clearing and their task. So you can take down the second man quicker and with less focus on stealth."

Smiling wryly, Cole shook his head. The fighting he was used to was much more head on, full frontal. These new techniques were more covert, and he was interested in doing some additional exploration on these methods in the future. Sensing movement in the clearing, his gaze went to the western side. "Three sellers entering the field."

Nodding toward the south, Caleb responded, "And eight straight across the clearing." Reaching out, he touched on Samuel's mind, then said, "Samuel is ready."

Cole gave a sharp nod. In front of them the ten-man group they'd followed had shifted their stance. As the group of buyers from the south and the three buyers had entered the clearing, their posture radiated alert tension and controlled excitement. They were ready for battle

.

The trio of sellers stopped a short distance from the sparse edges of the clearing, the high grass lapping at their knees. One, a taller man with black hair, moved into the front while the other two remained a few feet back. Stoically he watched as the small group of eight potential buyers walked in their direction. One of the men in the back leaned forward and whispered something into his ear, and he nodded. With a quick flick of his hand, he twitched his coat back revealing a double-barreled revolver.

Dean watched the tableau unfolding and murmured, "They're nervous. They know something isn't right."

"How?" Sam whispered. "You think one of them is psychic?"

"No. They've just got good instincts."

The group of eight stopped about six feet from the three men. Smiling, the woman stepped forward, and the tall man standing at the apex triangle of sellers moved forward a couple feet, cautiously watching her and the men at her back. The pair spoke for a few minutes, the man making a couple of agitated gestures.

"They're arguing," Sam remarked.

"Yup," Dean murmured.

After a minute, the man turned to his other two companions and nodded. Each man reached into the pocket of their overcoats, pulling out one box apiece. The leader and the woman continued their conversation, with the woman sweeping a hand to the men behind her. A moment later, the black-haired man stuck a hand in his left pocket.

"He's getting the talismans," Sam murmured.

Dean nodded. "Don't want to burn up your buyers."

The leader placed some small objects into the woman's hand. But this time instead of turning and handing the talismans to the men at her back, the female buyer merely gestured to the black-haired man, indicating his other pocket. After what appeared to be an awkward moment, he slowly pulled a third box from his duster and held it aloft.

Dean frowned. His instincts were going haywire. There was so much wrong with this situation, he didn't know where to start. His instincts were telling him everything was about to descend into chaos. Damien, he thought. The shit is about to hit the fan.

Roger that.

.

On the west side of the clearing, crouched down behind several shrubs and bushes on the western side behind the sellers, Samuel and Daniel watched the proceedings.

"They know something isn't right," Daniel remarked.

Samuel frowned. "Why would she not act in good faith after meeting with the seller previously?"

"I don't know," Daniel mused. When the two men in the rear pulled out their boxes, he said, "Now."

Samuel lifted his devise, which looked like an open-topped rifle. Along the shoot sat the translucent bubble holding the potion. Flicking a match, he lit the fuse at near the handle. Quickly he touched a small rune carved into the side and murmured, "Tace." (Be Silent) Seconds later a flare of light propelled the bubble down the shoot and into the clearing.

.

Somehow, Dean felt it the moment Samuel shot the translucent bubble, and though he couldn't see it, he felt the silver orb spiral toward the sellers. Then, as usually happens in their line of work, chaos hit.

The silver potion bubble exploded, showering the entire area in shimmering silver light. Fear and confusion erupted from the groups in the clearing as they stared around at the glowing light. Guns were drawn and pointed in the direction of the sellers.

"What the hell?" the tall, black-haired man declared, pulling his own revolver.

"Damn it," Dean exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.

Sam followed suit, not needing to ask what was happening as his own spidey senses were flaring in alarm.

Hand raised to hold back her men, the woman leaned in to look at the box the tall seller was holding. Smiling, she murmured, "I'll take it," and she snatched the box from his hand. At the same time she clenched the fingers on her left hand, the one holding her men at bay, and yanked. The group of seven men staggered, with two falling to the ground in pain.

The tall man yanked his weapon upward and fired. The bullet hit the woman square in the chest. But instead of falling down dead, the wound healed within seconds. In astonishment, the man fired again and again, and each time the wound healed fully without harm to the woman. The men on the ground, however, were writhing in agony.

"She's not the damned siren." Dean exclaimed. "She's the Siphoner! The extra men are her damned batteries!"

Before Sam could say anything, Dean had breached the meager bush and sapling barrier behind which they were observing the happenings in the clearing and was running full out toward the two groups.

"Damn it," Sam declared, getting to his feet. Caleb!

Already on it, Caleb replied.

.

Smiling, the woman casually tucked the box she'd taken into her pocket. The tall seller dropped his revolver and punched the woman in the face. Stumbling back a foot, the woman kept the men at her back within her grasp while she reached out her free hand, clenched her fingers and yanked.

Gasping, the tall man reached up a hand to his chest, his eyes wide in horror. Rapidly his skin turned gray and his hair went white. The skin on his body shrank and clung to his frame before he dropped to the ground, dead.

Shaken to their core and frozen in terror, the remaining two sellers jerked up the lids on their boxes. Yet instead of blinding light, the energy inside drifted out and joined the silver light hovering them. Shocked, the two glanced at one another. Then instead of sticking around and tangling with a woman who couldn't die, they dropped their boxes and hightailed it back the way they'd come.

Smiling at the retreating men, the woman moved forward to collect the other two boxes when suddenly, she stiffened. Sensing Dean's approach, she whipped around, her eyes locking on the figure charging through the tall grass.

.

On the northeastern side of the clearing, the men hovering around the edges moved into action at the sounds of gun fire. Though they didn't understand why some of their team was on the ground, they rushed in to help.

Cole stepped up behind the back of the man closest to the rear of the group and reached an arm around his neck, jerking him back while simultaneously pinching his nose and mouth closed. The man thrashed slightly as Cole lowered him to the ground, tightening his arm and cutting off the man's oxygen supply. By the time Cole laid him on the ground, he was out.

On his left Caleb had done the same to his opponent, while giving one other his patented Darth Vader choke. Both fell to the ground.

Inside the clearing, the woman glared in Dean and Sam's direction. Reaching out a hand, her fingers clenched.

Already prepared, Dean lifted a damp palm and a large shield of silver erupted from his hand, effectively blocking her attempt to drain his energy.

Snarling, the Siphoner renewed her drain on the men behind her, dropping them all to the ground as she doubled her efforts on stopping Dean.

Using his left hand, Dean made another shield before changing the shield in his right hand into a silver throwing star. Taking aim, he lobbed it at the woman's shoulder.

The star sank deep into her flesh and turned to water the moment she reached up to yank it free. Grimacing in pain, she looked down at the wound that had yet to heal. Growling, she glared in Dean's direction. As the men from the north breached the tree line, she shouted, "He's attacked us! Kill him!"

Immediately guns were aimed in Dean and Sam's direction. Seeing that Sam was nearly at his side, Dean shouted, "Duck!" Stepping in front of his brother, he widened his shield of silver and crouched down in the tall grass, praying and hoping the silver stopped bullets.

The report of period revolvers was so much louder than he was used to, but he didn't feel the hot piercing of a single bullet and said his silent thanks.

Simultaneously on the western side, Daniel and Samuel were racing toward the clearing when they saw the two fleeing sellers heading in their direction. Daniel gripped Samuel's arm and steered them both behind a cluster of bushes. Trying to control their breathing, they waited for the two to cross their path. Then Daniel rose quickly and took out one of the men with a roundhouse punch to the jaw while Samuel downed the second with a one-two punch combination. Pulling a thick leather strap from his boot, Samuel then bound the unconscious man's hands behind his back, while Daniel did the same for his man.

.

On the northern edge, Cole took out his second man and murmured, "Four down."

Caleb reached out and pulled another man back into the shadows as he was about to breech the tree line, giving him a solid one-two punch. The man, however, didn't go down. Instead, he gave Caleb a head-ringing punch of his own, smiling viciously. "Great," Caleb grumbled. Throwing yet another punch, he then delivered a spiral kick to the man's face, surprising him and knocking him to the ground. Yet the man scrambled back to his feet and adopted a pugilist stance, ready to take Caleb on.

"Would you quit playing to the gallery and put him down," Cole ordered, moving forward to the clearing's edge.

Caleb gave the other Knight a glare as he ducked a vicious punch. Doubling his focus, he gave the man a powerful punch to the nose, then another to his windpipe, causing the man to stagger back, eyes wide and gasping for air. Another couple of punches and the ruffian was down for the count. Rising, Caleb declared breathlessly, "Five."

"The shindy is on," Cole declared with a grin, nodding toward the clearing.

Ignoring the verbiage, Caleb hurried forward.

Five men were rushing toward the confused mess in the clearing, obviously not understanding what was happening. Instead, they focused their attention on Sam and Dean, whowere crouched behind a silver shield in the grass, and began firing their weapons.

"Let's join the fun," Caleb quipped.

Cole grinned. He and Caleb broke through the edges of the clearing in tandem, running toward the tableau in the clearing. The silver light from Daniel and Samuel's potion, though fading, still haloed the group in eerie light. Fear and indecision led to guns being aimed in all directions, and the five from the northern edge slowed their jog as they cautiously approached the others.

Rising out from behind the shield, Dean and Sam began to move cautiously toward the woman who was now having some trouble with her injured arm. Instead of maintaining her grip on the men lying on the ground, she dropped her hand and started for the two boxes the two sellers had dropped. However, she stopped short when she saw Daniel and Samuel approaching.

Growling in frustration, she ordered, "Halt!"

"They're neutralized," Samuel stated, indicating the boxes. "They don't work anymore."

Behind his back, Daniel poured a small amount of water into his palm. He'd seen Dean's shield and was ready to make one of his own should the woman try to harm them.

Glaring, angry that the entire situation had gone so wildly wrong, the woman cried out to the men in the clearing, "They killed our men!"

Guns were leveled in Daniel and Samuel's direction, and both dived for the ground as shots rang out. Daniel thought about protection, and a silver shield arced over them both, protecting them from the bullets.

"Stop this!" Dean shouted. "You're not getting what you want."

After a second's hesitation, the woman raised her hand and the firing ceased.

Caleb and Cole slowed their run after Dean's shout. Rather than make their presence known to the cluster of fighters, they dropped down into the grass, using the tall blades and stocks as cover to hide their position.

Dean stepped forward, Sam at his shoulder. "Why do you want the box? You have power of your own. You don't need it."

The woman's head cocked slightly as she studied him. After a considering moment, she answered, "It is not for me."

"Then why doesn't he or she come for it? Why send you?"

"It is my task."

Dean frowned. Something about the cadence of her words sounded familiar. "You have choices. You didn't have to do this."

Eyes widening slightly, the woman merely regarded Dean curiously.

Sighing, Dean asked, "You could have just bought the box. Why try to take it? You made a mess and you didn't have to."

The woman's face flushed slightly. "I do the task as I choose."

Nodding slightly, Dean acknowledged the truth of her words. They all did tasks as they chose to, in a sense. "Let these men go."

"No."

Dean sighed in frustration, his eyes going to her shoulder, which was still leaking blood. Silver was her Achilles' heel. She didn't heal so well from that. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Daniel's head come up out of the grass and he had an idea. Damien…

Here.

Tell Daniel to make a knife out of silver and bury the sucker in her body.

Will do.

"What are you going to do now?" Dean asked, waving a hand at the men standing around, listening to the conversation and waiting for their instructions. "Do you hate these guys so much you want to kill them?"

The men on their feet looked startled, and their eyes went to the few of their fellows still on the ground.

In the tall grass, Daniel blinked and rubbed at his forehead, deciding he didn't particularly like someone else talking in his head. Make a knife out of silver. Fine. But there were also the other boxes to get out of her way. Maybe they were neutralized for good; maybe she had the ability to re-energize them. Either way he wasn't taking any chances. "Samuel," he murmured. "Is there any wildlife at all in the area?"

Samuel frowned and focused on the clearing and the woods surrounding them. "Two field mice drawn by the white light are about thirty yards back."

"Have them come, get the boxes and bring them to us."

"What?" Samuel exclaimed under his breath.

"The Scholar has an affinity with all of nature," Daniel murmured. "If Dean can make a shield, and I can make a silver bubble, then you can command nature."

"What does that mean?" Samuel demanded in a harsh whisper. "I can't talk to animals!"

"You talk to the horses, you talk to the foxes."

"I don't talk to them," protested Samuel.

"You communicate," Daniel insisted. "Please, just try."

Samuel tried one last protest by saying, "I thought the boxes didn't work anymore."

"We believe that to be true, but I don't want them in her hands regardless," Daniel stated.

Resigned, Samuel thought about how to convey to two mice that he wanted them to bring him some boxes. He didn't speak mouse, so imagery was all he had. Focusing on the mice, he pictured the boxes and projected a yearning, like he projected calm when his mount was uneasy. While he didn't believe this would work, he would try nonetheless.

In the clearing, the woman smiled across the trampled grass and murmured in Dean's direction, "You will come with me."

Sam blinked and felt a tickle along his scalp. He wasn't in anyway tempted to go forward, but he knew she was attempting to lure them. "Succubus," he murmured to Dean.

Dean nodded as he noted that the men behind her looked even more intent on doing her will. Succubus and Siphoner. What a combination. Hoping to stall her until Daniel made his silver knife, he asked, "Why?"

The woman smiled at Dean's impertinent question. "There is boundless joy with me."

A few of the men on the ground had recovered and were sitting up, staring in her direction, expressions of rapture on their faces. The men standing at their backs were also watching, eagerness and desire in every inch of their bodies.

Samuel had his attention spilt between what was happening in the clearing and the mice, when suddenly his eyes widened in surprise. Two field mice scampered past him, moving toward the boxes. Sniffing carefully at one box, one of the mice bit at the edge. After a try or two, they were finally able to sink their tiny teeth into the edge of one box and started pulling it toward him and Daniel.

Daniel grinned. "Great job."

"So is that," Samuel said, nodding at the knife in Daniel's hand. "For the woman?"

"Yes." Daniel leaned upward and peaked over the tall grass. Dean's eyes shot briefly in his direction. Holding up one finger, Daniel lowered himself back down. "Once both boxes are here, I'll throw the knife."

Samuel nodded, his gaze going from the mice, to where he'd last spotted Cole and Caleb.

Hidden in the tall grass toward the north of the group, Cole leaned over to Caleb and whispered, "What is he doing?"

"Stalling," Caleb murmured. "It seems that while the succubus can heal from gunshot wounds, she doesn't heal so well from wounds caused by silver. Daniel is forming a knife to take her out. Dean's trying to keep her occupied until he finishes."

"She'll see through that," Cole remarked.

"Yes," Caleb agreed. "Not right away, but soon."

Cole nodded thoughtfully.

Sweeping a hand out at the couple of men still on the ground, Dean remarked, "Yeah, boundless joy. Like I want some of that."

"This was only a lesson," the woman declared. "They are alive and well."

"I don't think he's getting up anytime soon," Dean declared, his eyes on the husk that used to be the black-haired seller.

The woman shrugged. Opening her mouth to reply, she abruptly frowned in the direction where Daniel and Samuel were hidden in the grass.

Suddenly Cole was on his feet before Caleb could react. Stepping forward, he called out, "I want boundless joy!"

Jerking around in surprise, the woman stared at Cole's sudden appearance.

Her fighters, both those on the ground and standing around the fringes, whirled in Cole's direction, their guns aimed and ready to fire.

"Stop!" the woman commanded. Controlling her surprise, she smiled. "Then come."

Dean hissed under his breath. He had only to stall her for another second, and Daniel would have thrown the knife. Now Cole was in the mix.

Cole took a step forward. He wasn't about to let her get her sights on Daniel and Samuel. If he could add to the confusion, he would. Hoping the eager expression on his face was convincing, he said, "I want boundless joy. Where can I get that?"

"With me," the woman said, holding out her hand.

Caleb growled. He couldn't move forward because everyone would see the movement in the grass behind Cole. Cole needed to shift position if he were to be in play.

With the innate instincts of a Knight, Cole took a few steps to the west, causing the eyes of the men and the woman to shift away from where Caleb lay.

"Are these men invited?" Cole asked, frowning.

"I am for you," the woman said.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed. "What about me?"

Below the grass on the west side, Samuel looked down at the box near his side. He couldn't believe the mice had understood and brought him it over. Suddenly he felt in his pocket, hoping for some food or something to give the little creatures in thanks. A tap on his shoulder had him looking around at Daniel, who was holding out a half piece of bread.

At Samuel's questioning expression, Daniel said, "I carry it to give to my mount as a treat."

"Sentimental," Samuel teased with a grin.

Daniel nodded as the mice returned with the second box. "Looks like we're on." Lifting his head a little, he gave Dean a nod.

The woman smiled as she gave Dean her attention. "There is room for…"

Daniel rose and hurled the knife across the grass, where it landed with a thud in the woman's chest.

The scream tore across the clearing, and the shooting started.

Dean flung himself onto Sam and dropped them both to the ground. Conjuring up another shield, he shoved it at his brother as he scrambled to his feet. Holding the second shield out before him, he ran directly at two men kneeling in the grass and firing revolvers in his direction. Colliding with both, they all fell back onto the ground.

Daniel rushed into the fray and was tackled by two men newly back on their feet after having been drained of energy. Knocking his fist into the face of the first, he pivoted slightly and delivered a punishing blow to the second. Both fell to the ground, unconscious.

Weeping, the woman pulled the silver blade from her body. Eyes glinting with tears and anger, she lifted the knife to throw at Daniel when it melted away in her hand.

Dean felt a surge of satisfaction. He hadn't known whether he would be able to turn Daniel's knife back into water. But as the woman had lifted the blade to heave it at Daniel's back, he had to try.

Eyes flicking over to Dean, the woman slowly turned toward him, her eyes on his face. Around her bullets zinged through the air and men were fighting. With her shoulder still weeping and blood from the knife wound running down her chest, she presented an oddly serene picture amidst the chaos reigning on every side; a calm center in the storm. Tendrils of hair drifted gently on the fingers of the breeze as she sighed. As though acknowledging the futility of the situation, she gracefully closed her eyes and gave Dean a low, courteous bow as she relinquished the field.

And abruptly he knew: Asuka.

Rising, the woman turned quickly on her heels and rushed for the forest with abnormal speed. Just before she disappeared into the trees, she glanced back, and Dean caught a glimpse of the slanted, almond shaped eyes before a bullet winged past his head.

"Dean!" Sam shouted.

"I'm fine!" Running forward, Dean punched another man in the nose, knocking him back and kicking him after he was down. After all, the ruffian had shot at an unarmed man; namely, him. "It's over!" he attempted to shout, but no one was listening. Daniel and Samuel were fighting two men while Sam knocked out another. Now the few that were left realized they'd been abandoned by their employer and were eyeing escape.

Caleb dodged to the side to avoid another bullet, choking out the gunslinger that fired the shot. Startled by the man gasping at his side, another man made a break for it and ran for the forest. Directly in his path Cole was fighting another man. After taking a fist to the jaw, Cole reached far back and used all the weight of his body to deliver a bruising punch, knocking the man to the ground. Breathing heavily, he turned just as the man making his escape ran directly into his path, and Caleb knew exactly what was going to happen. Running full out, he reached Cole and shoved him aside just as the frightened man raised his revolver and fired.

Shocked, Caleb felt the bullet plow into his body like fire. Suddenly, his legs lost any ability to keep him upright, and he dropped to the ground like a stone.

"Caleb!" Cole shouted, slamming a retaliatory fist into the man's face, knocking him back into the trampled grass.

Dean's head came up at Cole's shout. A fist knocked him off balance. Growling, he slammed his fist into the man's face. Before the man could retaliate, he growled fiercely, "Run."

Eyes widening to a comical level, the man hesitated only a fraction of a second before he turned and ran for the trees.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, already running through the thinning throng of fighters and rushing to where Cole could be seen kneeling in the grass.

Sam's heart clenched as guilt blossomed in his chest. Despite Dean coming with him, Caleb had been shot regardless. Slamming a fist into the chest of the man he'd been fighting, he turned to run full out in Caleb's direction.

Growling, the man climbed to his knees and aimed his gun at Sam's back. Suddenly, his body clenched with fire. Gasping for air, he was abruptly airborne and sent flying back across the field, where he slammed into a tree and dropped like a stone.

Without a backward glance at what he'd done, Sam rushed to Caleb's side and dropped to his knees opposite Dean. Shrugging out of the flannel, he held it out to Dean, who tossed away his own soaked shirt and grabbed onto Sam's. "Just hang on," Sam cried frantically. "This isn't bad. Just hang on."

Dean's face was completely white as he pressed Sam's shirt into Caleb's wound. "Damien, Damien."

Chest on fire, Caleb tried with all his might to take a breath. But he couldn't get any air. "Deuce…" he hissed breathlessly, staring into the green eyes of the child who'd saved him so many years ago. "Deuce…" And everything Dean had ever meant to him was encapsulated in that word: brother, best friend, partner, family.

"No, no, no, no," Dean murmured. Tears running down his cheeks, he leaned in desperately and pleaded, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

Samuel shoved a pouch into Sam's hand. "It's a potion to slow bleeding," he explained hurriedly.

Sam opened the pouch. Shoving aside the blood-drenched flannel, he poured bluish powder over the wound. Though the bleeding slowed, it continued as Caleb's breathing became more labored. A trickle of blood slipped from his mouth, and Sam knew a lung had been pierced. Pressing the cloth against the wound once more, he frantically tried to think of how they could get Caleb some help immediately. And then suddenly, Caleb's body went transparent, and he disappeared. "What the…" he stuttered, as the cloth in his hands vanished. Looking up at Dean, he was just able to murmur, "Home," before he vanished.

Glancing quickly up at Daniel, Samuel and Cole, his face wet with tears, Dean was just able to say, "It was a privile…" before he vanished as well.

Daniel, Cole and Samuel stared at the place where the three had been just seconds before, a profound sense of loss steeling over them. Bright red blood stained the grass, a lone testament that another Triad that had fought beside them that night. Somehow, within the space of two days, the three men from the future had become friends, and the very clearing felt emptier without their presence. They would be sorely missed.

After several moments, Cole broke the silence by drawling, "Just like those three to back slang it and leave us to clean up the mess."

Samuel stared at his fellow Triad member while Daniel shook his head and laughed.

"It has been strange days, but I will miss them," Daniel admitted.

Leaning down to pick up his potion pouch, Samuel thought about the boxes in his and Daniel's pockets, and about interacting with the mice. He'd been looking forward to discussing it with Sam. "I didn't get to tell Sam about the mice," he complained.

"The mice?" Cole asked curiously.

"I will explain later," Samuel stated with a smile.

Looking around at the men lying around the clearing, Daniel sighed. "What are we to do about them?"

"Dry gulch?" Cole suggested.

"Leave them here?" Samuel asked, mainly for clarification. Not even he understood all of Cole's slang.

"Turning them over to the law would prove difficult. What would we say?"

"I suppose," Daniel said. Though a few had run, there were still two tied up along the western edges of the clearing, nine bodies in the grass, and a few unconscious men along the northern edge of the clearing. That was a lot of bodies. But it was the energy-drained husk of the tall seller that provided the greatest incentive to leave. "Yes. We'll leave them here."

"Let's head back for the horses and go home," Samuel said. "We'll prepare something warm to eat, and talk about all of this until morning."

Nodding, Daniel said, "I believe that to be an excellent suggestion."

Together, the three men walked away from the bodies in the clearing, heading back in the direction of their horses.

"What about the two men we tied up?" Samuel asked.

"They should be able to free themselves of the leather thongs if they work together," Daniel said nonchalantly.

"Should we record this event in our journals?"

"No," Cole said immediately.

"No," Daniel agreed. "If record of this trip back through time was read by Triads in the years to come, it could result in the event not happening at all. And that would disrupt time."

"Possibly encourage other Triads or hunters to attempt time travel," Samuel nodded. "It would be dangerous."

They walked in silence for a short while before Cole said, "I hope Caleb is all right."

"Maybe there are medicines in the future that will help him heal," Samuel said hopefully.

"We will say a prayer for his recovery," Daniel stated, "and hope for the best."

.

After returning to the ranch, Daniel, Cole and Samuel ate a very late dinner and talked about the men from the future, discussing new battle techniques and uses for the silver, and mice carrying boxes through long blades of grass.

Dawn was cresting the horizon when Samuel stepped into his bedroom. They had talked for hours, rehashing the hunt, chuckling over misunderstandings, and humorous situations from the last couple of days. Now, he was exhausted and ready for a few hours sleep. However, there was one task that he needed to start right away before any more time lapsed.

Going to the desk, he pulled out a piece of parchment paper and dipped his quill into the ink pot. Fingering the talisman he'd picked up out of the grass, he thought it appropriate that such a small disc would now serve a new purpose, once he figured out how to create a spell to find someone through time. Smiling, he wrote carefully:

Guardian,

This letter has found you due to the warding placed on the enclosed talisman, which has been supernaturally engaged.

.

TBC

---

NOTES: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. Work was a bear this last week!

Caleb's Lacrosse reference: Lacrosse teams have 10 players.

Mad as hops is an old term for excitable.

Damfino is old slang for Damned if I know.

Playing to the Gallery: Showing off

Shindy: uproar, confusion

Dry Gulch: to abandon a body where it fell

Back slang it: to go out the back way