The Guard Changed at Dawn

Chapter 22

It was eight-thirty in the morning and Joshua knew he was going to have to leave, and he was worried about how the boy would take his absence.

He'd spoken with Maska Etsitty about what to do, and she had suggested using a surrogate until he returned. They'd attempted to insert different people into the Joshua and child dynamic over the course of the night. The only person the boy seemed to respond to was the stoic and somewhat intimating Doctor Tamaya Collins. Joshua was surprised. However, during the early morning hours, he'd left the child with Doctor Collins while he went out and got some coffee. When he returned, the boy had grabbed his hand but watched Doctor Collins, who was jumping a teddy up and down on the bed. Later, Joshua was gone for nearly half an hour for a shower. This time when he returned, the boy smiled, but turned his attention back to the story Doctor Collins was reading.

Now it was almost time. Leaning over, Joshua said, "I need to go."

The child stared, his eyes wide.

"Doctor Collins will be with you. I'll be back, okay?" Joshua smiled, pointing to his chest and the door, then to himself and back to the chair in which he was sitting. "I'll … be … back," he stressed.

The boy stared at Joshua, then looked at the door. He glanced up at Doctor Collins, who smiled and nodded, then he pointed to Joshua and the chair, his brows raised in question.

Joshua hoped the child understood. Dean said he thought the boy understood more than he gave him credit for. Joshua pointed again to the door and said, "Joshua," he pointed to his chest, "go," he pointed to the door. "You," he pointed at the boy, and then he closed his eyes and made a snoring sound. He opened his eyes when a welcome giggle sounded. He smiled and said, "Joshua," he pointed to his chest, "come back," and he mimed his fingers walking to the bed and he pointed to the chair.

The child seemed to understand, because he nodded slowly and leaned back against Doctor Collins.

.

Dean drove into the Yakama clinic parking lot at eight-forty-five in the morning. He hadn't slept well last night, and had risen before seven. After taking a quick shower, he got dressed and walked across the street for a very large cup of coffee. Of course, Judy was inside and insisted he have some breakfast to go with his coffee lest his stomach lining erode.

"Hasn't eroded yet," Dean grumbled.

"Only by the grace of God," Judy stated, putting down a plate of toast with his coffee. "Now you sit right here while I bring you some pancakes. Best in the state, and your stomach will thank me."

She was right, Dean thought, as he walked into the clinic and faced the young woman at the reception desk. "Doctor Etsitty," he said.

"One moment," the girl said, and got on the phone.

A minute later the tall woman Dean had met the night before walked through the door. Her Yakama heritage was undeniable in her straight, blunt cut hair, sharp cheekbones and a narrow chin. Accompanied by sharp black eyes meant to intimidate, and this woman could set anyone in their place. Fortunately, Dean Winchester didn't intimidate, and he refused to be put anywhere. Stepping forward, he held out his hand. "Dean Winchester. We met last night. Doctor Collins, right?"

"Yes." The woman took Dean's hand briefly. While she had been introduced to the man the night before, in the clear light of day she found it hard to believe Maska Etsitty would allow this scruffy man anywhere near those vulnerable children. "Doctor Etsitty hasn't come in yet this morning."

Dean nodded and walked past her to the door leading to the children and waited for Doctor Collins to open it and lead him down the hallway.

The doctor stood there for a moment, then nodded to the receptionist, who buzzed them into the hall beyond.

Together they walked in silence. When they got to the ward, Dean stood and waited for the doctor to put her code into the digital lock. Finally, he sighed and said, "Look, you can stand out here all day if you want, but I'm going inside. Doctor Etsitty introduced us last night, so why don't you cut the Doctor Jekyll routine and open the door."

Tamaya Collins sighed and put her code in the door and opened it.

Dean walked inside and headed over to where Joshua sat by the child. The boy looked up and saw Dean. He smiled and held out the teddy Dean had played with the day before.

Smiling, Dean sat on the edge of the bed and took the offered stuffed bear. Giving him a thorough examination, he smiled at the boy and said, "Wow, you took very good care of Ted. He looks great." Then he had Ted say, "I like being here."

The child smiled and held up his own teddy, and Dean had his teddy give the boy's another hug.

"We like those, don't we?" Dean said. "You got one for me?" he asked, opening his arms.

The child immediately crawled over and gave Dean a hug.

Joshua's mouth dropped open.

"Thank you," Dean whispered into the boy's ear. "I love that."

His boys were long past the age of giving their father spontaneous hugs, and Dean hadn't realized how much he missed it until Ben had kids. The first time his grandson had toddled over and given Dean a sloppy hug had been an eye-opener. He loved getting hugs.

After a long moment he broke away and let the boy settle back on the bed. Pointing to Joshua, he said, "Can I take him with me?" He pointed to his chest and then the door.

The boy looked from Dean to Joshua, and then over to the door. After a moment he looked up at Doctor Collins, who moved to his side and sat down on the bed.

"I'll be back," Joshua said, pointing to the door and making the walking movement with his fingers again and then pointed to the chair.

Slowly, the boy looked at Dean and nodded.

Dean smiled and held up his teddy. "Will you watch him again?"

The boy reached for the bear and nodded again, holding him in his lap with his other teddy.

"Thank you." Dean leaned forward and placed his hand on the boy's cheek again. The child leaned into it, and Dean stood and kissed the boy on the forehead again. "I'll be back," he said.

The boy smiled and nodded.

Joshua stood and watched as Dean walked to the door. The man was a constant source of surprise. Turning back to the boy, he smiled and said, "I'll be back too, all right?"

The child nodded and pulled the teddies to his chest.

Joshua leaned over and gave both of the bears a light pat, then opened his arms. The child quickly got to his knees and threw himself into the older man's arms. "It's going to be fine," Joshua whispered. "I'm coming back."

Caleb rolled onto his side and smiled. Onida was lying next to him. It was early, just after six in the morning. They'd talked until the deep hours of the night, then fallen asleep on her bed. They hadn't slept together in the obvious sense; Caleb didn't want the distraction, and he wouldn't want to sleep with Onida for the first time with half a mind on her, and half on the hunt. Dean's caution early on to keep his head in the game had made him equally angry and remorseful. His attraction to Onida had taken him by surprise; he hadn't been prepared. Now, so close to the end of the hunt, he needed to keep focused.

"What are you thinking about?"

Caleb's gaze sharpened on Onida, whose eyes were open. Smiling, he said, "Just thinking about ending this hunt and getting on with life."

Onida smiled. "Hopefully getting on won't be exclusive."

"I don't think that's about to happen," Caleb murmured, shifting closer. "When this is over, do you want to stay here?"

Onida blinked. "What?"

Caleb gulped. His heart was racing. He'd never made a suggestion like this before, and he was excited and scared. "I mean, do you plan on staying here in this house, or do you want to travel? Like to Louisville … with me."

"Caleb, we don't know one another very well. Jumping into something might be a big mistake."

Caleb moved into a semi-sitting position. "Maybe. I'm not going to lie; I've been with a lot of women through the years. But when I ask you to come with me, know it's the first time I've made the offer."

Onida smiled. "I haven't been with many people. There has been the occasional tribe member, but most men I meet are too intimidated by what I do to want much to do with me."

Caleb understood. That's why he told no one what he did. Of course, Onida didn't have that luxury. The entire Yakama Nation knew her as the Yaotlapializtli, their guardian against the monsters in the forest. There wasn't any place for her to be anonymous. "I'm not a youngster anymore, and I haven't had any long-term relationships with women, romantically, anyway. You're right; we haven't known one another a long time, and the circumstances now have been extraordinary by normal standards. But you looked for me for five years, you've been in my dreams; I've been in your head. I don't live in a normal world, but I do know myself and I know what I want."

"I do not live a normal life either."

Caleb nodded. "When we first met, I told you I couldn't risk passing on my genetics. But you need to know my story, so you understand my life." Just as Dean had told Juliet all about his life, down to the minutest detail so she knew what she was getting in to, so Caleb wanted to make an equal confession. Onida knew about witches, but there was so much more out there, including angels and demons, the latter two hopefully in the past. She needed to know the life he was asking her to share. Pulling in a deep, steadying breath, he took the plunge. Never had he felt like so much was at stake. "Before we go any further, let me tell you everything."

Over an hour later both were lying on their backs in silence. Onida hadn't said much after Caleb told her about the demon whose genetics were intertwined with his own. He'd laid out in detail all about his life, finding out the truth of his patronage, how the demon had killed his father and mother, and how that same demon had killed Dean and Sam's mom. He told her about Pastor Jim Murphy and John Winchester, how Dean saved Sam's life by trading his own. He told her about the dark time when he'd used the amulet to try and save Dean; about when Dean had died and gone to hell, and how he and Sam had barely survived those tumultuous months until Dean - his little brother in every way - had been returned to them by an angel. He wanted everything out on the table so Onida knew exactly who he was, warts and all.

Caleb lay there as the silence continued, and when he couldn't stand it any longer he rolled into a sitting position and reached for his shoes. It was too much; he'd known it would be. "Well, we've got a long day ahead of us," he said, "so I should get going."

"Wait," Onida urged, grabbing a hold of Caleb's shirt.

Caleb didn't turn around. "Hey, it's fine. That story scares even me, and I lived through it," he gave a small humorless chuckle. "It's getting late and I need to meet up with Dean and Sam at the Records Hall."

Onida tugged at his shirt until Caleb turned around. "You lived a surprising life. I'm not shocked that demons and angels interact with this world, for better or worse." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I got lost in thinking about my own pride, and how that kept me from knowing such an extraordinary man for so long." Seeing Caleb's startled expression, she continued, "My stubborn pride kept me searching for another Yaotlapializtli instead of finding a way to end the problem. You see, I take pride in having learned and excelled at all the difficult lessons Álxayx drilled into me, pride in learning all the methods of keeping the canvas secure. I'm good at what I do, and I'm proud of my skills. I wanted to pass on all the knowledge and training I'd learned to the next guardian. I wanted to teach someone those unique skills, so I waited." Smiling at Caleb, she continued, "If I hadn't, we might have met years ago."

Caleb felt a flutter in his chest. "So, what are you saying?"

"Yes."

"You heard what I told you," Caleb said, not wanting there to be any misunderstanding regarding his past. "I've not been so noble through the years, and my lineage isn't stellar. Are you sure?"

Onida crawled up into a cross-legged position seated on the bed and facing Caleb. "What I'm saying, is that when I loved the first time, it was built on a foundation on friendship nurtured through years of shared memories, attraction and the innocence of youth. When I love for the last time, it is built on the foundation of shared trauma, difficult and lonely years, scarred pasts and yet, still hope for the future. What I'm saying, Caleb Reeves, if that wherever you go, I'm going. Wherever you live, I'm living; those you love, I'll love, and those you loath will earn my most devoted hatred. Let's share the remainder of our lives together, never to be alone again."

Maybe for the first time ever, except in a few solitary moments, Caleb's eyes filled with tears. "Are you sure…" he whispered again.

Onida nodded. "More than I can say."

Airport at McAllister Field, Yakima City, WA.

Adam stepped outside the airport's private terminal doors and waited as Odette wheeled out their loaded cart. He hadn't bothered to try and wheel it himself; Odette wouldn't have allowed it. It had taken five and half hours to fly from Virginia to Seattle, Washington. There they had a lay-over of two hours, waiting for an open runway for the short hour-long flight to Yakima. It was now close to seven in the morning, and he was tired and hungry. He shaded his eyes and scanned the departure lanes until he saw a young Native American man holding a sign saying Adam Langston.

Adam walked forward. "I'm Adam Langston."

The young man dropped the sign and held out a hand. "Cheyton. Chief Adcox, Tribal Leader of the Yakama Reservation sends his welcome and the car to bring you to the reservation clinic."

Adam nodded and shook the young man's hand. "Thank you. Will we meet Chief Adcox at the clinic?"

"Not right away," Cheyton said, moving to the rear of the SUV and opening the back hatch. "He's helping with another project, but he will be available early this afternoon." He started loading the boxes from the cart into the vehicle.

"And Joshua Sawyer?"

"Also helping with another project."

Adam opened the back door and put his and Odette's luggage inside.

When the boxes were loaded, Cheyton opened the passenger's side back door to let Odette inside, then he returned the cart before climbing behind the wheel. Looking over to Adam, who sat in the passenger's seat, he said, "It's a forty-five minute drive from the airport to White Swan. When we arrive, I'll take you to the Takawáakusn Inn, which is in English means the Dark Horse Inn. That's where the rest of your team is being housed. Arrangements for your rooms have already been made. Have you had something to eat yet this morning?"

"Not yet," Adam said.

Cheyton nodded. "After you get settled and freshen up, there's a very good diner across the street if you want typical American roadside fare. If that doesn't appeal, the Gode Spiser serves both Native American and Norwegian food. Lastly, we can drive directly onto the reservation and get you something at I-Saplíl Xláam, The Bread Basket. It is all Yakama foods and is terrific." He tossed Adam a grin.

Adam glanced back at Odette, who nodded. "We'll get something at I-Saplíl Xláam, thank you."

Cheyton smiled. "You pronounced that very well. You're either Native American or have studied the culture."

"I'm Mattaponi, on my mother's side."

Cheyton glanced in the backseat at Odette, his brows raised in question. She averted her eyes and stared out the window. Cheyton shrugged. "Once we eat, we'll head to the clinic."

"Can you tell us anything about the cases?"

Cheyton shook his head. "I don't know anything about the medical cases." His eyes slid to Adam and went back to the road. "When you arrive, you'll get briefed by Chief Adcox or Doctor Etsitty."

Nodding, Adam looked out the window and studied the scenery. It was going to be a very interesting trip.

Joshua glanced over at Dean as they drove away from the clinic. "You surprised me."

Dean checked his mirrors and said, "Yeah?"

"You like the boy."

Dean frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

Shrugging, Joshua smiled as he looked out his side window. "I just didn't expect it."

Dean looked offended. "I raised three kids, you know. Four if you include Max. I'm good with kids. I even like them," he finished sarcastically.

"You didn't raise Max," Joshua stated, a discussion he had often with Dean and Caleb. They both took credit for many of Maxim's stellar qualities, as though he'd had no hand in raising his own son.

Dean covered his smile. He loved teasing Joshua about raising Max. However, instead of needling the older man further – though Joshua had started it all by insulting his relationship with kids – he turned the conversation to the medicine bags. "How long will it take to make enough medicine pouches to replace the old ones?"

Joshua shifted in his seat. "In the quantities we'll need? Probably three hours."

"What about making it transparent?"

"I'll need to go over the measurements again, figure out where we miscalculated." They drove in silence for another few minutes before Joshua asked, "You said that you could tell there was something missing from the formula."

Dean nodded. "It just felt … incomplete."

Joshua nodded slowly. "All right. Do you think you could find the missing piece?"

"Me? I'm not a potion master."

"But you are an alchemist," Joshua stated.

Dean frowned and glanced over at Joshua. "I can do one alchemy thing. That doesn't make me an alchemist."

"Have you ever tried to do anything else?" When Dean didn't answer, Joshua continued, "Pastor Jim was a talented alchemist. I used to think that was because he'd studied the art and worked on it over the years. When I was young, I'd watch him break down a compound to its base elements almost as fast as I or my mother could. And while he probably did study chemical compounds and potions, I think his knack for dissecting mixtures came from his Guardian gift."

Dean didn't say anything for several minutes, not until they pulled into the lot of the Yakama Records Building. Shutting down the engine, he sat for another moment before he said, "Okay, I don't know if I can figure out what's missing from the potion. I really think that's more your gig than mine." He looked over at Joshua. "But I'm willing to try."

When they walked inside, Joseph was arranging the spell pouches and ingredients in the order they would be added. Joshua immediately went over to help.

On the long conference table were platters of muffins and breads along with coffee and juice. Sam and the boys were sitting near the bounty, eating.

Dean walked over. "Where's Caleb?"

"On his way," James mumbled through a mouthful of food. Swallowing, he smiled. "Sorry. On his way. He's coming from Onida's."

Sam stood and walked over to his brother, saying softly, "Caleb called this morning. He said they were talking all night, so he stayed and slept; fully clothed, he emphasized. Nothing happened."

Dean felt that tiny bit of tension drop away. "Thanks. How much did you accomplish here last night?"

Sam smiled. Of course his brother would know he hadn't stayed at the motel after dropping off the boys. "James and I found records from the medicine man of the early twentieth century that we believe cover treating the escaped boy. We've nearly finished going through the entries. While we're in the field hanging the new pouches, Joseph can go through our research, see whether anything helped the child or not."

"You and Jimmy want to continue work on that while we get started on the bullets?"

Sam nodded. "That would be great. We'll be back on weapons duty this afternoon." He walked away and spoke with James before leaving the banquet room. A few minutes later James chucked his paper plate and napkin in the trash, waved to Dean and followed.

Ryker and Max rose and went over to the boxes Caleb had brought in from Yakima the day before. They started opening them and unloading the contents, placing the ingredients on the end of the conference table.

Dean perused the edible offerings. Though he'd already had breakfast, he still picked up a muffin with purplish fruit. Pouring himself some coffee, he sat down beside JT. Taking a bite, he squinted at the fruit.

"I think its huckleberries," JT said with a smile.

"Yeah?" Dean shrugged and took another bite. "Tastes good." After a moment, he said, "You sleep all right?"

"Pretty good," JT said. "I couldn't stop thinking about Sarah out there in the forest wanting to get out and go to those kids."

Dean froze. "Do you think she'll be at the barrier wall when we take it down?"

JT's eyes went wide. "I don't know. If she is…"

"She'll get out." Dean put his muffin down, his appetite gone. He was irritated he hadn't thought of Sarah before. But she was, after all, a new development.

"I don't think she'll be destructive," JT said. "She won't attack people."

"We don't know that. Someone needs to be there to capture her."

"She isn't a threat." JT declared.

"We don't know that," Dean insisted, leaning in close and giving his son a sympathetic look. "We need to take precautions. If she really wants those children, who knows what she'll do or where she'll go to find them." He left out the obvious or who she might hurt.

JT struggled with his emotions for a moment, before nodding in resignation. "Okay, we'll have someone there. But it can't be me."

"No, it can't." Dean knew the answer as he looked over at Joshua.

"He's leading the rescue of for possible captive children," JT said softly.

"I know. Now someone else will have to. He's the only other person she's interacted with. He's the only other person she'll trust. It has to be Joshua."

"Then who's going to lead the rescue in the caves?"

"I don't know," Dean said, frowning. "I'll need to revise the plan. I'll check in with Alison; maybe someone's on a hunt nearby who can help." Joshua and Joseph stood up and were conversing with Ryker and Max. Joshua looked up and met his eye. Dean nodded and rose. "I need to give Josh a hand with something. Can you contact Alison?"

JT nodded. "If Ms. Alison gets back to me with someone nearby, I'll give them a call too."

Dean gripped his son's shoulder, then walked over to Joshua.

"We'll put all the ingredients we have into a line here and start mixing," Joshua said. "As we start, you just watch, tell us if we're mixing too much or not enough."

Dean looked appalled. "I don't…"

"You do," Joshua stated. "Don't think about it, just watch and trust your instincts."

"Trust your instincts about what?" Caleb asked, walking over.

"Dean's going to help us figure out the correct alchemic composition of the medicine pouches so the barrier will be transparent."

"Oh, like Pastor Jim?"

Dean whipped around. "What do you mean, like Pastor Jim?"

Caleb shrugged. "Pastor Jim dedicated himself to rounding up dangerous artifacts, cursed objects, possessed trinkets and getting them out of the hands of normal people. For many he'd break the curse or neutralize the object so it wouldn't do any more damage."

"How did you know that? I never saw him doing that," Dean remarked.

"I didn't know either until the Safner hunt when you were twenty-three."

Dean frowned. "The Safner hunt?"

"You got cut by Luanne Safner's cursed gold trinket box. Jim dismantled the curse and made you the remedy. You got better really fast after that."

Dean frowned. "I don't remember that."

Caleb shrugged and looked to Joshua. "You think that the Guardian's abilities are greater than just the silver."

"If Jim is the measure," Joshua stated, "then yes."

"Give it a shot, Deuce. You can do it, I know you can."

Dean sighed and nodded. "Okay. But I'm not guaranteeing anything."

"Just focus on the ingredients and how we're mixing them, and go with your gut," Joshua said. "You know how to do that," he snarked.

"Cut it with the attitude," Dean growled.

"I was merely trying to motivate you," Joshua stated, hiding a smirk. "Questioning your abilities always makes you try harder."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean muttered.

Caleb smiled. "I'll get Ryker and Max started on weapons duty." He walked over to the other two and began helping to organize the equipment.

Dean watched them for a moment, then turned back to Joshua and said, "All right. Where do you want me?"

Joshua pointed to a nearby chair. "Joseph and I will make a small batch, like before. Once the compounds are in the correct order, we'll make a bigger batch and start filling the pouches."

Dean dropped into the chair and prepared to be bored.

"You have to at least try," Joshua murmured as he sat.

Dean resigned himself to the task and nodded.

Joshua and Joseph started assembling the ingredients, working slowly in order to give Dean the time he needed to detect if anything was wrong.

Dean gave an internal sigh and watched the ingredients being mixed together. After awhile, he realized it was rather interesting. Dark reds mingled with black dust and blue compounds, sparkling and moving together as one unit; almost like a dance. It was intriguing how these base elements could combine to be something completely different. He wasn't even aware when the room around him faded away and all he saw was the powders and granules flowing together.

Joshua watched Dean and noted his phasing away. "Move slower," he murmured to Joseph.

Sharp notes tickled his nose and tangy elements wafted past him as Dean watched. Time had no meaning until a dark green powder was lifted and about to be poured into the mixture. "Stop."

Joseph's hand hovered over the bowl.

"Dean?" Joshua leaned over.

"That one, it's wrong," Dean said.

Joseph frowned and looked to Joshua. "It was in the original recipe," he whispered.

Joshua nodded. Turning to Dean, who was still staring at the mixture, he asked, "What should we use instead?"

Dean's eyes swept over the bowls of ingredients. Slowly he pointed to a shimmering silver powder.

"It's gallium," Joseph said excitedly. "It's in the same Boron 13 grouping as thallium."

"Mix in gallium, in the same quantity as you would have the thallium" Joshua said.

Joseph did so, and the mixture glimmered translucent in the bowl.

Joshua nodded, and whispered, "Let's finish."

By this time Caleb, Ryker, Max and JT were all standing around the table, watching in tense silence.

Joshua and Joseph worked for another five minutes, slowly adding ingredients, waiting a moment each time one went into the mixture to see if Dean would tell them to stop. It was only when they got to the last one that Dean frowned.

"What is it?" Joshua asked.

Dean cocked his head to the side, staring at the compound and the measured amount of powder in Joseph's cup. Finally he murmured, "Only half. And add that one," he pointed to a faintly pink powder.

Carefully Joseph poured out a measured half of the element in his cup and added the rest. Then he moved on to ingredient Dean had said to add; rose quartz. From his experience, he guessed the mixture wouldn't require a large quantity of the quartz. He picked up a small silver spoon, filled it and let the spoon hover over the mixture. When Dean didn't stop him, he allowed the spoonful of powder to flow into the bowl.

Dean watched in stillness for another minute, then he blinked and sat back.

Joshua gave his shoulder a squeeze and said, "Well done."

Together Joshua and Joseph poured the compound into two bags.

"Let's check this out, shall we?" Joseph said, moving to the far side of the room.

Caleb came over to Dean, grinning like a proud parent. "That was amazing," he said, dropping into Joseph's vacated chair.

"Wow, Dad," JT said with a smile.

Dean frowned. "I don't think I contributed much."

"Hopefully you helped us make the right compound," Joshua said. Setting the pouch against the nearby wall, he said, "If we can walk through it, then the compound works."

After placing his bag against the far wall, Joseph returned to the center and began murmuring the same chant he'd used before in the Yakama language. Suddenly a silver-blue barrier rose to the ceiling, then gradually faded, becoming clear.

Caleb got up and went to the barrier, and walked right through it. Turning, he grinned. "That's it, boys. We've got our barrier. Now, let's make it Triad strong."

Cheyton stepped into the clinic followed by Adam and Odette. He walked up to the reception desk and said, "Hey, Mary. Could you call Doctor Etsitty and tell her Adam Langston and Odette Harris are here?"

Mary nodded, picked up the phone and relayed the information.

Within moments, the door opened and Doctor Etsitty walked through, holding out her hand and smiling. "Hello. I'm Doctor Etsitty. Joshua has wonderful things to say about you," she looked to Odette, "about you both. Please, follow me."

Mary buzzed them through and Maska Etsitty led them down the hallway. "I'll let you see the children, but I think it's more important to go through the blood results. Sam and James Winchester, two of the men who helped rescue these children, have found some very promising leads to helping them in our historic records. Between medicine, psychotherapy and holistic remedies, I hope we can help them and return them to their parents."

Stopping outside the door, she said, "I only let one new person in at a time. Too many new faces stresses the children. Who's going in?"

Adam stepped forward. "I am. Can you show Ms. Harris where to take our equipment and provide her with a cart?"

Maska Etsitty's eyes widened a moment before she collected herself and nodded. As a doctor, she didn't have much experience with people treating her like a bellhop, but she could keep her cool. Stepping inside the ward, she said, "Nurse Wilson, would you please get a cart for Ms. Harris and see to it that all their supplies are brought in?"

Nurse Wilson nodded and walked out.

Doctor Etsitty stepped aside and let Adam into the ward. She went through the history of the kidnapped children and explained their responses since being in the clinic. Adam walked around the room, watching the children; the two dark-headed children playing with blocks, the brown-haired girl sitting on Mrs. Etsitty's lap and playing with a doll, and a tow-headed boy laying back as another woman read him a story, two teddy bears clutched to his chest.

"None have spoken?" Adam asked.

Doctor Etsitty shook her head. "But they've only been here a day and a half. I believe the older boy understands some of what people say to him. He's quite attached to Joshua."

Adam nodded again. After a moment, he turned and said, "Do you have a place where Odette and I can work?"

Maska nodded. "Uh, yes. Please, follow me."

She led Adam out of the ward and into a room two doors down. There were several tables loaded with various medical equipment. "I see Nurse Wilson has already brought some of your tools inside."

The door opened and Cheyton wheeled in a small cart piled with boxes. Looking up, he smiled. "Oh, hey Doc!" Turning to Adam, he said, "This is the last load." Putting the cart in a corner, he saluted Doctor Etsitty and walked out.

Doctor Etsitty watched Adam for a moment, then said, "I'll have all the information we've collected thus far forwarded to you if you'll provide an email address to Nurse Wilson. There's a copy machine on the left wall if you want to print any of the logs. You can do all your analysis in here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts."

Turning, she was almost out the door when she heard Adam say, "Thank you, Doctor Etsitty."

Holding the door, she leaned back in and said, "Thank you for coming."

Adam shook his head as he stared around the room at all the boxes. He realized he'd been short with the doctor. He hadn't meant to be rude; he was just overwhelmed with the plight of the children. He wanted to help them badly, and he sincerely hoped he could. Pulling out his phone, he hit Joshua's number.

"Adam," Joshua said, smiling. "You've arrived, I take it?"

Adam smiled. "I'm at the clinic. I just met Doctor Etsitty and saw the kids."

"Is the boy all right?"

"The blond? He's fine. He was listening to a story and holding two bears."

Joshua chuckled. "One bear is his, the other is Dean's."

Adam's eyes widened in surprise. "Dean Winchester?"

"Yes. He asked the boy to watch over it for him. The child takes his job seriously."

"I guess he does. Doctor Etsitty is going to forward me the information they've collected so far. I won't be much help on the medical end, but she said Sam Winchester had found some information in the Yakama records that could help. Could I see that?"

"Yes. Sam and James are working on it now. Joseph, the Yakama Reservation medicine man, will go over the information this afternoon at the Tribal Hall and Records Building. Why don't you come down and we'll all go over it together."

"Sounds good. How will I get there?"

"I'll ask Chief Adcox to send someone to bring you. I can take you back when we're finished."

"Good, I'll see you then." Adam hung up and looked around the room again. Where to start? Odette opened the door and immediately went to one of the boxes, opened it and started unloading herbs and minerals. Okay, that was a good place.

"There," Joshua said, sealing the last of the medicine pouches. "That's it. We're done."

Everyone sat back and regarded the piles of bags lying across the table.

"We did it," JT said, smiling.

"Well, that was a chore," Dean remarked.

Caleb laughed, shaking his head.

"How many bags did we make?" Ryker asked, looking around. "I lost count."

"Twenty-nine," Joseph said. "Twenty-one for this afternoon, and the other eight for the ridge tomorrow."

"Each team will hang three bags," Caleb said. Looking at Joshua, he asked, "How long to make fourteen masking spell bags?"

Joshua ran a hand over his face. "Um, half an hour with Joseph's help."

"I'll help too, Dad," Max said.

Samuel opened the door to the meeting and banquet hall and walked in followed by five men and two women. He motioned for the seven to go get some of the plastic wrapped food that remained on the table, and walked over to where Joshua, Joseph and everyone else were sitting. "How long till we leave?"

"Half an hour," Caleb said, rising. "We just need the masking potions and we're heading out."

"Our weapons?" Dean asked.

"We were able to make enough bullets and grenades for this mission," Caleb said. "We'll make the remainder this afternoon."

Dean nodded to the men and women sitting at the table. To Samuel, he asked, "You know us and your people. Do you have any suggestions on who should go with who?"

"Lonan, Poloma and Etenia are the youngest. They should go with the older hunters," Samuel said. "Andrew, William, Hinto and Cheyton can all go with the younger men."

"You told them what they were getting in to?" Caleb asked.

Samuel nodded. "I told them where they were going and why. They volunteered."

Caleb nodded and walked over to the group. "Hi. I'm Caleb Reeves. Thank you for helping us on this mission. As Chief Adcox told you already, we're going into the forest to hang new medicine pouches. Everyone will be wearing masking spell bags so as to disguise our presence from the witches. Each of you will be paired with an experienced fighter. But I won't lie to you; this will be a dangerous excursion. I wouldn't blame anyone if they chose to stay behind."

None of the young people said anything.

After a long moment, Caleb nodded. "Thank you." Turning to Max, he said, "Can you go get Sam and Jimmy?"

Max nodded and left the room.

Moving over to stand beside Samuel, he said, "You want to get the introductions started?"

Samuel smiled and said, "Andrew?"

A young man about twenty-five raised his hand.

Caleb nodded and said, "You're with Ryker here."

Samuel called, "Hinto?"

"You're with Johnny," Caleb said.

Samuel touched a young man's shoulder and said, "Lonan."

Caleb smiled at the nervous youngster and said, "You'll be with Dean."

The young man stood and went over to Dean and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

Dean smiled. "You too."

Caleb continued. "I'll go with Etenia?" A girl with sun-streaked brown hair nodded, "and…" The door opened and Max returned with Sam and James. "Here's the rest of the team."

William was paired with Max, Cheyton with James, and Poloma with Sam.

Caleb surveyed the teams. "Take some time, get to know each other. You'll be trusting each other with your safety over the next couple of hours."

The teams sat down and started talking and introducing themselves, some in pairs, others in groups while Joshua, Joseph and Samuel worked together on the masking potions. Soon the task was complete, and each person was handed a spell pouch, which they placed around their necks.

Caleb leaned over the map on the table. "We need to enter from these points." He looked at Samuel. "Everyone knows where to go and which trees need the bags?"

Samuel nodded. "We went over the map last night. You can trust them; they know what to do."

Caleb looked over at Dean. "Then I say it's time to go."

An hour later Dean drove up to the southern edge of the forest and parked. Looking over at the young man sitting in the passenger's seat, he said, "You ready for this?"

Lonan swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm ready."

Dean smiled. He remembered seeing that determined terror on JT and James faces when they were young. He and Sam had probably looked the same, once upon a time. "It's going to be fine," he said.

Lonan looked over, and after a moment, smiled. "I know. I want them gone, I want my little brother and sister to be safe."

Dean felt his heart clench. He wished he didn't know that Lonan had a little brother and sister. Somehow it made the stakes even higher. Nodding, he said, "I want them safe too. So let's get this done."

They both exited the car and Dean pulled his gun. Turning to Lonan, he said, "Take me to the first tree."

.

Caleb walked quietly with Etenia, using his eyes and abilities to scan the area, making sure there were no witches. He had great faith in Joshua's spell pouches to mask their presence, but he didn't plan on taking any chances.

Etenia walked silently in her moccasins, placing her feet carefully, toying nervously with her masking pouch. She consulted a compass and looked at her map. The coordinates were correct. Looking back at Caleb, she pointed to the tree just ahead of them. Caleb nodded and swung his backpack off his shoulders. Silently he pulled a medicine pouch from the bag and handed it over.

Tucking the pouch down into her jacket, Etenia looked overhead to the lowest branch. It was high. She glanced back at Caleb, who nodded. Raising her arms, she let Caleb lift her to the branch. Then she used her gymnast skills to swing over the limb and climb higher.

Etenia was seventeen, the youngest of the team and had grown up on the reservation. Her older brother had gone missing when she was only three years old. If he was out there in the forest, she was going to make damn sure he either came home, or that the bitches paid for taking him away.

.

Ryker watched Andrew climb the tree like he'd taken lessons from a monkey. Scanning the woods, he didn't let his guard down for one second. It was his job to watch out for Andrew and get him out safely.

In two minutes Andrew had dropped silently to the forest ground and nodded. The bag was tucked out of sight near the top-most branches.

His family had lived on the reservation going back generations. When he was in high school, his parents had wanted him to go to Central Washington University in Yakima, close to home. But instead, he'd decided to apprentice with the best baker on the reservation. The Yakima people meant everything to him, and he wanted to help protect them. Nodding to Ryker, he checked his compass, then motioned for them to continue on to the second tree.

.

Sam moved carefully through the underbrush. His section of the forest was particularly dense; lots of bushes, shrubs, and the forest floor thick with leaves. It made progress through the woods a test of his hunting skills. While keeping an eye on his steps, he kept his senses on scanning the area for witches. He wouldn't let one within a foot of the young girl under his protection.

His partner moved silently beside him, a compass in her hand. She was wearing moccasins, and he was beginning to appreciate the way they softened her steps as she carefully maneuvered her way through the mulch and woodland debris.

Poloma was tense and frightened, more so than she'd ever been in her life. A botany major at the University of Washington, she'd always been fascinated by the forest. As a child, she'd spent many hours walking the perimeter of this very forest looking for leaves and interesting plants. At that time, she knew there was danger inside, but now realized how much jeopardy she'd actually been in. She was incredibly lucky to have escaped being kidnapped or worse. She wanted to help all the children that hadn't been as lucky as she'd been, so she'd volunteered.

"Only two more," Sam whispered.

Poloma nodded. She would be strong.

.

Max prowled the base of their second tree, waiting for William to finish and come back down. He hadn't seen anyone in the forest, but the silence was getting on his nerves. Just like when he and JT had gotten close to the witches caves, all the birds, crickets, and woodland creatures seemed to have deserted the area for greener pastures.

William slipped through the branches of the tree as though he were moving through water. Coming from one of the poorest families on the reservation, he'd grown up supplementing his family's food supplies by hunting. He'd been in the forest many times, and was lucky to have never been taken. Of course, as a child, hunger was a great motivator to taking chances. Through years of practice and motivation against starvation, he'd grown into one of the best trackers on the reservation. He was silent, he was careful, he could move with the breeze.

A tap on his shoulder had Max whirling around. William was standing behind him. Cursing, Max glared at William's grinning face. He'd let himself get distracted by the silence, and that wouldn't happen again. Of course, William had already warned him about his prowess in the field, and now he was witness to the man's utter silence in the woods. Those damned moccasins. He held up one finger.

William nodded, one more bag. Together, they moved silently on.

.

JT glanced up. Hinto had climbed the tree and disappeared into the branches above. He was taking longer on this third tree than the other two. It didn't look any higher, but maybe the limbs were more densely clustered. He scanned the forest, watching for any movement. So when he saw a flicker of shadow, he immediately swung his gun in that direction.

Sarah peeked out from behind a tree.

JT was shocked. He started to lower his weapon when his eyes widened and he whirled around, searching for the witches. He didn't see anyone moving in his direction. When he looked back at Sarah, she was still standing by the tree. She shook her head and pointed to her chest. JT took that to mean she was the only one there.

He didn't look up as heard sounds from above. That meant Hinto was descending. Lifting a finger to his lips, he gave Sarah the universal sign of silence and hoped she understood. Sarah cocked her head to the side for a moment, then nodded and repeated his movement. Turning, she disappeared into the forest when Hinto reached the ground.

JT blew out a silent breath. Turning, he headed back out of the forest with the young Yakama man, but his heart was hammering in his chest. Sarah knew they'd been there. Would she tell the witches, or would she keep her silence.

.

James felt the longing to be free again, and stared into the forest. Unlike Sam or Caleb, he couldn't readily tell if the witches were close or far away when feeling their longings. Forcing his mind to calm, he opened himself up a little more, trusting Joshua's masking spell to protect him. The yearning to be free, to be out of the forest came through loud and clear, and he knew that at least one witch was in the general vicinity.

Cheyton hung suspended in the air from the lower limb of the tree for a moment, then dropped silently to the ground. He saw the look on James' face, and quickly stared around searching the shadows.

James held up a hand and waited for a moment as he listened to the silence for any movement; a twig, a brush of fabric on a leaf, a branch not moving with the breeze. There was nothing. Still not trusting that a witch wasn't near, he looked to Cheyton and held a finger to his lips.

Together, the two moved silently back through the woods in the most direct line Cheyton could mark to the boundary of the trap. James hoped they would make it.

.

Dean stepped out of the barrier and heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced over at Lonan and noted that the young man's face was pale, but that he stood tall. Nodding in the direction of the SUV, they walked as quietly as they had when they'd come.

It wasn't until they were in the car and driving away that Dean relaxed enough say, "You good?"

Lonan nodded. "Yeah, good. Glad to be out of there."

"I hear that," Dean said. He stopped the car after he'd put a couple miles between them and the forest, and pulled out his cell. There were no text messages yet. Linking everyone together into a group, he texted simply: Dean out. After taking the phone off silent, he put the car in gear and drove back to the Yakama Records Hall. "Thank you, for today."

Lonan chuckled. "I've never been more scared in my life, and never more proud that I've done something to help my people."

"You should be," Dean said. A ping had him glancing down at his cell. JT out.

"Who's out?"

"JT and Hinto," Dean said, hoping he remembered who had gone in with his son. Another ping signaled that Caleb and Etenia were out of the forest.

"We tried to talk Etenia out of doing this," Lonan said. "She's only seventeen."

"What?" Dean exclaimed. If he'd known that, he wouldn't have allowed her to go.

Lonan looked over at the older man. "Her brother went missing when she was only three years old. She thinks he may have been taken by the witches, but we don't really know. Taking part in ending them, no matter how small, was important to her."

"This wasn't small," Dean stated. "Going into that forest, placing those medicine pouches was huge." He glanced over at the young man. "Every one of you was very brave to come."

They drove in silence from then on, each waiting to hear when everyone else would be out of the forest. Dean was starting to get anxious when another ping sounded. He handed his phone to Lonan.

"James out," Lonan read. "He was with Cheyton."

Dean nodded. He pulled into the parking lot of the Yakima Records Hall and shut down the engine. Together the pair stayed in the car, listening and waiting until another ping sounded.

"Max out," Lonan read.

Lonan tried to hand Dean's phone back to him, but Dean shook his head. He couldn't handle the phone right now. Ryker and Sammy were still in the forest. He glanced over at Lonan, who was staring at the face of the cell as though wishing would make words appear across the face.

A car pulled up beside them, and Dean glanced over to see JT and Hinto exiting a 1984 Mustang SVO.

"Nice car," Dean said absently.

"It's Hinto's pride and joy," Lonan said.

The pair came over and climbed in the backseat.

Lonan looked back at the other two and said, "Etenia is out," he looked over at Dean.

"Caleb," Dean said.

Lonan nodded and continued, "Cheyton and James are out. Also William and…"

"Max," JT supplied.

The front doors of the Records Hall opened and Samuel walked out, quickly making his way over to the small group assembled in the lot. JT was filling him in when an SUV barreled into the parking lot and Caleb jumped from the front seat. Grasping Etenia's hand, they jogged over to Dean's car. Etenia climbed in back with Hinto and gave him a hug, then took Lonan's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Dean looked at Caleb. "Still waiting for Sam and Poloma, and Ryker and…"

"Andrew," Caleb supplied.

The next ping startled everyone, and Lonan read, "Ryker out."

The second SUV Caleb rented turned into the parking lot carrying Max and William. The pair hurried over to join the rest of them in waiting on the last text message signaling that everyone had gotten out safely.

Samuel gave William a clap on the back.

Caleb's gaze locked with Dean's and he nodded; his psychic link with Sam was strong.

Dean sighed. Even though his ring would signal if Sam was in danger, it was still good to know Caleb's spidey senses weren't tingling.

The tension was mounting when Cheyton drove into the lot in the rental he'd used that morning to pick up Adam and Odette. James rushed from the passenger seat, not even bothering to close the door. Cheyton walked over and gave Samuel a quick hug before giving William, Hinto, Etenia, and finally Lonan a quick hand shake or squeeze.

Etenia gave him the lowdown on who they were still waiting for, and everyone paced the lot, waiting for word on Sam and Poloma.

Dean felt like the tension was going to strangle him when finally, a ping sounded on his phone.

Lonan gave a huge sigh and read loudly, "Sam out." He grinned back at Etenia and Hinto, then Cheyton and William through the windows.

Caleb gave a sharp nod and walked a couple steps away, hands on his hips and head down. Max whooped and punched the air while. JT and James gave one another hearty backslaps.

Another car pulled into the parking lot and Ryker and Andrew got out. Ryker jogged toward the SUV calling, "Everyone out?" before he even got half way to where the group was standing.

Dean climbed from the SUV and smiled. "Everyone's out and safe."

Samuel said, "Why don't we head inside. There's plenty of food for everyone. We need a bit of decompression time."

The Yakama youth headed inside, all chattering and laughing now that they knew Poloma was safe and headed their way.

JT stood off to the side talking with Max. After a few tense words, Max nodded and walked over to James and Ryker, and together they went into the Hall.

JT approached Caleb and Dean and said, "Something happened when Hinto and I were placing the pouches." He looked his dad in the eye and said, "I saw Sarah."

Caleb swore softly and paced away, running a hand through his hair.

"What's your take?" Dean asked.

"I don't think she'll tell," JT stated. "When I saw her, I immediately searched for witches. When I looked back, she pointed to her chest, as if to say it was only her." Caleb had turned back and was listening. "I did this," JT put a finger to his mouth in a shhhh gesture. "I don't know if she understood, but she made the same gesture back to me, then ran off." He glanced from his father to Caleb, and back again. "We were placing our third bag. After Hinto came down and all the way back to the barrier, I kept a close eye out for the witches, half certain one would come. No one did."

Dean ran a hand over his face and nodded. "Do we know if the witches can take down the bags if they haven't been activated yet?"

Caleb shook his head. "It's something we'll have to find out from Josh or Onida."

Dean heaved out a measured breath. "Okay, all right. Caleb, why don't you give Onida a call, see if she's able to connect with the new medicine pouches even with the Triad element. Hopefully that will tell us if all the bags are still active." Looking to JT, he said, "Let's go talk with Josh."

Inside the Hall there was an air of jubilation for a job well done and the knowledge that they were a step closer to ending the threat to the children and people of the Yakama and surrounding towns.

Dean headed over to Joshua, and together they walked to a corner of the banquet room. Dean told him what had happened. "Can the witches remove the bags if they haven't been activated?"

"I would think yes," Joshua said. "In their present state, they're merely a mix of herbs, minerals and elements. The power they will have has yet to be infused into the compound."

Dean sighed and nodded. He scanned the area for Caleb, but didn't see the Knight. "Caleb's calling Onida to see if she can connect with the bags, make sure they're all there."

"No!" Joshua exclaimed. "The witches are psychic. They know the barrier exists, know that Onida strengthens it and keeps it from breaking down. That's why they attacked her all those years ago. They know that entrapment inside and out. If Onida touches on the new pouches, there's a very good chance she'll only highlight their existence to the witches."

Dean caught sight of Caleb when he stepped through the door.

Caleb scanned the room. When he spotted Dean and Joshua, he started in their direction. He was only a few feet away when he began shaking his head. "Onida says no go. If she touches on them, that'll alert the witches that new pouches are in town."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Josh just said the same thing."

"She did suggest that I might be able to search for them by focusing on the Triad element of the pouches, with Sam watching my back." Caleb shook his head. "But I don't know. My abilities work with people, not objects. That was Mac's side of the psychic gig."

"Since they're also psychic, wouldn't your searching for the bags be a risk?" Joshua asked.

"Not if Sam watches my back. But I think we need to bring James in on this."

"James is clairvoyant and clairaudient. Isn't that different from psychic?" Dean asked.

"They are elements of the psychic pantheon," Joshua stated.

"A Clairvoyant has the ability to gain information about an object, person, or location via their senses," Caleb explained. "James can hone his abilities to look for the witches' presence rather than just their feelings. And if need be, he might be the one who can connect with the pouches."

Dean frowned. "If honing is a teachable thing, is now the right time to learn it?"

"It isn't ideal, but he'll be fine. If I can't connect with the medicine pouches, James may be the only one here who can." Caleb clapped Dean on the back. "He'll be fine," and walked off to consult with Sam and James.

"Glad he's sure," Dean remarked.

Joshua smiled. "While Caleb may appear overly confident, there's no one I trust more in matters of the psychic than him."

Dean gave the other man a sly smile. "So, does Caleb know you're in his fan club?"

"Please," Joshua snarked. "Like the man needs anyone else giving him a big head," and he walked to the table to get some lunch.

Dean shook his head, grinning, and followed Joshua to get a bite to eat.

Nurse Wilson pulled up in front of the Yakama Records Hall and said, "Everyone's inside having lunch. When you go through the front doors, there are double wooden doors on your left. That's the banquet and meeting room. They'll be in there."

Adam nodded and climbed out of the vehicle. "Will you be able to arrange lunch for Ms. Harris?"

"I've already spoke with Doctor Etsitty, and she's having lunch brought for Ms. Harris when the children's lunches are delivered."

"Thank you," Adam said, closing the door. Slowly he walked up to the front doors, pulled one open and headed inside. He could hear talk and laughter from his left, and followed the sounds inside a large room.

More than a dozen people were sitting around a long conference table, eating, talking and laughing. It was difficult to focus for a moment, as so many heads were bobbing and people were getting up and down for food or beverage refills. He'd just seen Joshua when he heard another voice.

"Dad!"

Adam smiled when he spotted Ryker rising from the back side of the table and jogging in his direction. The young man gave him a huge hug before stepping back.

"Thank you for coming," Ryker said, with his more usual reserve.

"That's quite the spread they've laid out for you," Adam stated, his lips quirking slightly in a small smile.

"Come on," Ryker said. "Parrain is sitting over there."

Together they walked over to where Joshua was seated, and Ryker went off to fill Adam a plate of food.

Joshua rose and held out his hand. "Adam. Thank you for coming." He indicated a chair to his right, and Adam took it. "You get settled at the clinic?"

Adam nodded. "Odette and I have unloaded our supplies. Doctor Etsitty has forwarded all the medical information they have so far."

"That won't be as helpful as the research Sam and James have done."

"They've been going through the medicine men journals," Adam stated.

Nodding, Joshua said, "They've done a good job deciphering ancient words. Sam has more knowledge of herbs than I realized, and he's made some interesting discoveries."

Ryker returned and sat a plate of food in front of his father along with a beverage glass. "This is Tiswin. It's a fruit beer," he explained. Leaning down, he confided, "It's mostly juice."

Adam smiled and nodded his thanks as Ryker went back to his own plate.

"When can we go over their research?"

"After lunch," Joshua said. "Sam will give us an overview, then leave us to it. The rest of the group will work on the armaments they'll need to kill the witches."

"They're formidable?"

"Extremely." Joshua took a sip of his Tiswin beer. "Taller than human normal, stronger, faster. They're impervious to human weapons. Your son and mine came up with a grenade that helps in killing them." Joshua outlined the ingredients involved in the grenade.

"Clever," Adam remarked taking a bite of his sandwich. Chewing, he lifted the bread and looked inside. There were very thin slices of meat, some sort of spread, and kale. He examined the bread.

"It's acorn bread," Joshua explained. "That's highly seasoned buffalo meat with a radish and pickle relish and a type of aioli made with egg."

Adam hummed and took another bite.

Joshua smiled and focused again on his meal.

A short time later Caleb got up and came over. He nodded at Adam, but spoke to Joshua. "I'm going to call Onida, and Sam and James are going to help me check for the pouches, make sure they're still there. Do you have a bit of the ingredients left?"

"Just what's in the bottom of the bowl," Joshua said, rising.

"That will be enough," Caleb stated, following Joshua to retrieve the mixing bowl.

"Where are you going to do this?"

"Samuel said there was a quiet room on the east side of the building," Caleb said. "We'll go there."

Adam watched Caleb walk away. When Joshua returned to the table, he asked, "What's up?"

Joshua tidied his lunch area and said, "We had an encounter in the woods this morning, and need to make sure the medicine pouches we placed haven't been moved. Caleb, Sam and James are going to check."

"Check, how?"

Joshua smiled. "Psychically."

In five minutes Caleb, Joshua, Sam and James were all gathered in a quiet, carpeted room.

"I'm not sure what to do here," James said nervously.

"You're going to watch my back as I try and locate the pouches in the woods."

"How do I do that?" James asked.

"Close your eyes," Caleb said.

After a moment of confusion over the seemingly random instruction, James complied.

Caleb raised his hand and moved it closer to James' face. When he was about a foot away, James raised his hand and grabbed Caleb's.

Opening his eyes, James demanded, "What was that all about?"

"You're clairvoyant," Caleb said. "You couldn't see my hand, but you sensed it coming closer. Not only that, but you knew exactly where it was and grabbed it." He smiled. "In your training, you've focused mainly on your clairaudient abilities because those are of the most obvious use in our line of work. You see and hear ghosts, spirits, poltergeists. But you're more than clairaudient; you're clairvoyant. You have clear vision of what you can't see. Focus on the witches; feel their presence as they come close just like you felt my hand. And when they get too close, instead of grabbing them, picture a bat and hit them with it."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Or create a wall and block them."

"Or that," Caleb stated. "We need to see if the medicine pouches are still in place. But Sam and I, we both get death visions, visions of people in trouble. We may not be able to see the pouches to check. If we can't, you'll have to do it."

James gave a Caleb a startled look. "I haven't done that before either."

"No, you haven't, but you can." Caleb stated. "But Sam and I will try first, okay?"

James nodded slowly.

Caleb nodded and called Onida. When she answered, he said, "Hi. We're ready."

"Everyone ready to watch your back?" Onida asked.

Caleb met first Sam's eyes, then James'. "Yeah, they're ready."

"Okay, first, focus on the potion; see if you can see it in your mind."

Caleb looked to Joshua, who handed him the bowl. Caleb looked down at the remnants of the potion and tried to get a feeling for it. After a long moment, he sighed and picked back up the phone. "I don't see anything."

"Okay, don't worry," Onida said. "You said Joshua added Triad power to the potion. Can you focus on that?"

Caleb closed his eyes and concentrated on sensing the Triad magic within the potion, and from the potion to the medicine bags. Finally, he shook his head. Lifting the cell, he said, "No. I can feel the Triad magic, but can't see anything. My abilities just don't work that way." He handed the bowl to Sam. "Sam's going to try."

Sam closed his eyes and focused on the bowl. Frowning, he tried to bring up an image, but finally he shook his head. "No, sorry."

"You couldn't see the Triad magic?" Caleb asked.

Sam shook his head. "I could feel it, but couldn't see the aura of it."

Caleb nodded, "Yeah, me too." He turned to look at James.

"Whoa," James said, his hands raised. "I don't see auras either."

"But you are clairvoyant…"

"We covered that," James snapped.

Caleb ignored the insubordination. "A clairvoyant has the ability to gain information about an object, person or location. The medicine bags are objects. Hopefully, you'll be able to see them and gain the information about whether they're still in place."

James looked unconvinced.

"Just try it," Caleb said, holding out the bowl.

James knew this was important, but in truth, he was afraid; afraid of feeling any more the freak than he already did.

"I understand," Sam said, reading James' expression. "But we are who we are, and your abilities will be an important part of the Brotherhood, just as are Caleb's and my abilities, Max and Ryker's crafter background. Even your dad never wanted to be any different than plain old human, as he would say. But he is, and he's learned to embrace that. Don't run from who you are; it'll catch up with you, trust me."

James studied Sam for a minute, then nodded. Taking Caleb's phone, he said, "Hey Onida. Tell me what to do." After listening for a moment, he nodded and said, "Yeah, okay." He set the phone down and picked up the bowl. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the bowl, on sensing the medicine bags as a whole. After a few minutes, a gentle light warmed his mind. Frowning, he probed deeper, and in the middle was a shining blue core. Triad magic!

James eyes popped open and he grabbed up the phone. "I think I saw it! I think that was it!"

Onida smiled. "Tell me what you saw."

James glanced around the room, uncomfortable with Caleb, Sam and Joshua's eyes riveted on him. "Um…" Sam nodded, and James relaxed. "I saw a glow, all white and golden, and in the center was a blue light."

Onida smiled. "The white and gold was the medicine bag, so the blue center must be your Triad magic. Good work!"

James flushed.

"Okay, I want you to focus on the blue center," Onida said. "When I focus on the barrier as a whole, I see spots of white light in a circle around the forest. For you, I want you to ignore the white and gold light. You don't want to highlight the medicine bags for the witches. Focus only on the blue; the Triad portion of the bags. Okay?"

James licked his lips nervously. "Yeah, okay."

"As you concentrate on the Triad magic, a circle of blue lights should appear in your mind. Don't focus on it for long, and don't try to count the bags. The longer you're in, there's more chance the witches will catch on. Chief Adcox did a good job in planning a circular route for the pouches, and you guys laid them where he chose. All I want you to do is to look for an unbroken circle, and get out. Okay?"

James nodded. "Okay." He handed the phone to Caleb.

"I'll call you when it's done," Caleb said.

"Good luck," Onida said, and hung up.

Caleb looked at Sam and James, and nodded. He and Sam closed their eyes and focused on protecting James.

James glanced at Joshua, who smiled and nodded, then closed his own eyes and reached out, Triad power strong in his mind.

He pictured the forest instead of the bags themselves. If the witches were paying attention, he didn't want them to sense what he was looking for. Blue light, intertwined circles, Triad magic. He lost track of time as he concentrated on a powerful core of blue. He was almost ready to concede defeat when suddenly a wink of blue popped up into his mind's eye. Holding his breath, he focused on that blue light, and a moment later the light ran in a ring and flashed. Smiling, he quickly pulled away.

Opening his eyes, he blew out a breath and looked immediately to Caleb and Sam who were both still sitting with their eyes closed. Sam frowned just as Caleb opened his eyes. A moment later so did Sam.

Caleb glanced at Sam and laughed. "That was hysterical."

Sam grinned and shrugged. Quickly he looked to James and asked, "We good?"

James nodded. "I did what Onida said, but I couldn't see anything at first. Then suddenly a blue light popped up. It just sat there. I concentrated some more, and a ring of lights appeared."

Sam nodded and smiled. "Well done."

Caleb looked at Sam, then burst out laughing again.

"So, we're good?" Joshua asked.

"The bags are still up and intact," James said.

Frowning, Joshua looked from Caleb to Sam. "The pouches are intact, and that's good. But what are you two laughing about?"

Sam snickered.

James looked intrigued. "What happened?" he asked. "Did the witches come?"

Sam nodded, the contagious smile still on his face. "Oh yeah, they came. They were expecting a lookout, but we gave them something to think about, didn't we?"

Caleb nodded and laughed.

Joshua was starting to look irritated.

"Sorry," Caleb said. "Almost as soon as James went in, the witches came snooping. They kept trying to get around me as I blocked them. Then suddenly one came from a different angle."

"She almost got through," Sam continued.

"What?" Joshua exclaimed.

"But Sam somehow conjures this huge…" Caleb choked on a laugh. "He conjures a bat and gave her one heck of a home run to her psychic face."

Sam grinned. "It was totally sweet. Dean would be proud."

Caleb shook his head and got to his feet. "I've got to tell Onida," and he walked outside.

Joshua shook his head at their childish behavior before turning his attention to James. "Well done, James. Very well done." Rising, he said, "I'm heading back over to the clinic. I'll be back later to make the potion bags."

Sam nodded and watched the older man leave the room.

James turned to Sam and said, "That was wild. I've never done anything like that before. Do you think I could do it again?"

"Caleb was right, in that your training has been focused on the clairaudient side of your gifts because those are handy in our line of work. But you've got another whole skill set that we've neglected. Consider yourself warmed: training starts when we get home."

James rolled his eyes. "Great."

Sam nodded toward the door. "Let's tell your dad everything is all right."

Adam and Joseph sat in the records room, looking through the notes from Sam and James.

"I never noticed this," Joseph said, reading Sam's speculations on running fever.

"Why would you?" Adam remarked, his eyes on the notes. "They followed a set of clues which led them to this discovery. You didn't follow the same path."

Joseph looked up. The delivery, so cold and matter-of-fact, was jarring. "It's a phenomenal piece of research," he stated.

"Yes, it is," Adam agreed. Then he looked up and saw Joseph's face. "I wasn't implying otherwise. I was merely saying you reading documents for historical insight and interest isn't the same as someone reading them with a research endgame in mind. So you shouldn't feel inadequate because you didn't see a reference to running fever spread out over three years of documents as an anomaly."

Joseph smiled. "Thank you."

Adam smiled. "It is a very oblique reference."

"Yes it is," Joseph agreed. He found Adam interesting and somewhat off-putting, and that wasn't something he was used to. He had a feeling the man had few friends, as most people wouldn't take the time to get to know such a stoic soul. He imagined that lack of social interaction isolated the man. Well, as a member of the Yakama people, he was used to stoic.

The door opened and Sam walked in. "I see you're already going through my notes."

"Yes," Joseph said. "They're very detailed. Tell me, how did you figure out running fever was a person and not a condition?"

"I didn't at first. It wasn't until I'd read running fever for the sixth or seventh time and saw that the remedies weren't matching someone with a fever, that I considered it might be a person rather than a condition."

"Intriguing," Adam said, his eyes still on the pages. "You looked up all these ingredients? That must have been time consuming."

Sam stared for a moment, insulted by the brush off. "No, I didn't look every one up. I…"

"So you guessed?"

Sam sighed. He wasn't used to his intellect being underestimated. But this was Adam, and Adam didn't like the Brotherhood or its members. Pushing aside his irritation, he focused on the children. "While Yarrow is used for reducing irritation and pain, and has some antibacterial qualities, it's of no use for fever. Also Cattail and Mint are used in digestive disorders. Sage, however, is used for cleansing the body of negative energies, Clove for purification, Comfrey healing, and Mugwort to open the mind, none of which would be of any use in tackling a fever. Would you like me to go on, or are you satisfied that I know what I'm talking about?"

Joseph chuckled.

Adam smiled and nodded. "I have confidence you know what you're talking about. The research is insightful and thorough, and will be of tremendous help in finding a way to help the children. Thank you."

Sam shook his head. "You could have just asked."

"I find irritation to be a greater motivator to truth, don't you?" Adam stated.

"Joshua must take a page from your book," Sam said.

"Or I from his," Adam countered wryly.

Sam didn't reply, just picked up a few pages from the end of the table. "James discovered the last references to running fever were in April of nineteen-twenty. He continued to look for an additional two years, but found nothing more." He flipped the pages to the last sheet. "The last recorded mention of running fever merely says further treatment un-needed." Handing the pages to Joseph, he said, "We don't know if that means the boy was cured, or he died. There was no mention of a burial, but I don't know if every patient's burial was recorded or not."

Joseph looked at James' work. "Cheveyo Oxendine was medicine man of the Yakama people from eighteen-ninety-nine to nineteen thirty-three. I'll double check, but I believe he recorded all Yakama deaths. If that proves true, we can surmise that the boy lived."

Adam nodded. "We would need to examine the treatments to see whether they're effectiveness was in the individual application, or was collectively built on one another."

Sam reached over to the stack of papers in front of Joseph and said, "Hang on…" after a moment he pulled out a thick sheaf of papers held together by a clip. Handing it to Adam, he said, "Happy Birthday."

Adam frowned. "It's not my…" then his eyes widened as he looked through the dozens of pages of ingredients, usage combinations and dates. Looking up, he gave Sam the very first full-on smile the hunter had ever seen on the laconic man's face. "Excellent."

Sam stood and said, "Well, I'll leave you gentlemen to it. I've got some grenades to make."

"So," Joseph said, smiling. "We're in a good position, research wise."

"Yes," Adam agreed, looking from the pages in his hand to Joseph. "In a very good position."

Following lunch, the Yakama youth left with Samuel to go about their daily activities. Dean and Caleb as well as the younger generation were in the banquet and meeting room working on making pyrite bullets, shotgun shells and the grenades Max and Ryker had created. Joshua had already left for the clinic, saying he would return later for a tutorial on making his very creative spell pouches.

Sam left Adam and Joseph in the records room and stopped in Samuel's office. He wanted to check his email, see how far Alison had come in identifying the missing children. When he logged in and opened his email, his face split into a huge grin. Quickly he opened the attachment to Alison's email, scanned it quickly and hit print. She had identified missing children from the last year and a half. Her zip file included pictures, birthdates, parents, and where the parents were currently living. It was amazing work to have been compiled in just a day. Snatching up the pile of papers, he raced from the small office, across the hall and into the banquet room.

"Dean!"

Dean turned around and went to met Sam half way. "What is it?"

Sam approached and held out a handful of papers. "Children who've gone missing back a year and a half."

"Already?" Dean said, shifting quickly through the faces.

"I know. Alison needs a raise."

"Or at least a bonus," Dean commented, still going through the stack.

"What's that?" Caleb asked, coming up beside the brothers.

"Alison has given us eighteen months of missing kids," Sam explained. He leaned over and started rifling through the pages in Dean's hand, nearly upsetting them in the process.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, trying to snag a couple pages that were threatening to fall.

"Sorry, sorry," Sam mumbled before pulling out two pages and holding them up so the other two could see.

"Hey, aren't those…" Dean said, leaning in and squinting.

"Amanda Sorensen and Erik Madson," Sam announced triumphantly. "The dark-haired twosome you said wouldn't leave each other's side. Both went missing last year, so they've been held captive for a year and change."

"That explains their connection," Caleb said. "Both would have been scared out of their minds and turned to one another for comfort."

Sam nodded. "I'm going to call Doctor Etsitty and give her the information."

"Nothing on the other two yet, huh?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head, knowing Dean really wanted to know about the boy.

"They're just getting started, Deuce," Caleb said. "We'll find out all their names."

"Yeah, we will. In the meantime," Dean gestured back at the guys making the grenades, "let's get ourselves armed for battle."

Caleb nodded and walked back to the table.

Dean looked up at Sam. "Thanks, Sammy. It's good news."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'm going to email all this to Joshua, then I'll be back to join the party."

"Can you see if Samuel can bring in some cookies too? And coffee?"

"You just had lunch!" Sam exclaimed, shaking his head.

"It's been two hours, Sammy," Dean called over his shoulder as he walked away. "I'm starving."

Sam rolled his eyes as he walked from to leave the room. "And he wonders where James gets his appetite," he muttered. "Pot, kettle." He stepped into the lobby and frowned. The large entry room was suddenly much darker than it had been. Looking up, he checked to see if the lights had gone out.

"Sam!"

Sam whipped around at the urgent tone of Dean's voice and jogged back into the banquet room, only to stop abruptly the moment he walked back in. "What the…?"

The room was almost completely dark.

"Can you get the lights Sammy?"

Sam searched the walls on both sides of the door, then hit the lights. When he looked back into the large room, he realized what was wrong. All the windows along the wall of the banquet room were black. Frowning, he stepped back out into the lobby and stared at the long glass walls bracketing the double glass front doors. They were all black.

"Sammy!"

Sam rolled his eyes and walked back into the banquet hall. "It's all black out here too."

Caleb moved away from the windows, jogged across the banquet room and disappeared into the lobby.

Ryker, Max and James were standing about ten feet from the windows while JT had moved closer.

Dean walked back to Sam. "What time is it?"

"About four o'clock," Sam replied.

"So I guess a very early sunset is out of the question."

Sam smiled. Dean could always defuse his tension.

"Deuce! Sam!"

"I do wish everyone would quit yelling," Sam declared, following Dean out into the lobby.

The pair walked slowly toward the front doors.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"Witches," Dean grumbled. He heard the banquet doors open again, and knew all the boys were probably now in the lobby.

"I thought it was a darkness spell," Caleb said, staring out the window. "But it's moving."

"What?" Sam exclaimed, coming closer. When he did, he said, "Oh, crap."

"Oh crap, what?" Dean asked, moving in beside his brother and friend. He felt the boys at his back.

"They're beetles," Caleb declared, his eyes moving up and down the door. "A whole crap ton of beetles."

"That's so … creepy," James declared, staring as he moved up beside Caleb.

"All those creepy little legs are moving," Max stated, shuddering. "I'm so not going out there."

"They just couldn't let us kill them in peace, could they?" Dean snarled in disgust. "Just had to get in another freakin' spell. Freakin' witches."

TBC

Author's Note:

I hope everyone is still hanging in there and enjoying the story!