Sergeant Ford, much like the many other local law they'd met on hunts, met them with a mixture of hostility and relief. "You suits certainly took your time to get here." In this case with six missing persons some of whom were children, the relief was a bit more apparent than usual.

They flashed the fake badges in an impressive synchronized motion. Dean watched from the corner of his eye to make sure Cas didn't have any troubles like last time. But not so much as a hair was out of place, so that was a relief. He put his own badge back into his pocket and replied before Sam took point. "We'll be sure to pass your concerns on to our director."

He heard Sam's exasperated sigh but didn't particularly care. Teasing the cops was one of the few perks of the job.

Ford looked like he was currently battling an intense round of indigestion, and Dean considered it the sign of a job well done. Back to work. "So, what do you have?"

When Ford grimaced again Dean could tell that this interview would be the shortest of the day. "We have one witness, but his statement is… a little confused."

What regular police saw as confused statements could be goldmines for them. Dean nodded to Sam.

"We would still like to speak with the witness." Sam flipped open his little notebook. It made everything much more official when there was a notebook involved, and if someone wasn't being helpful before the notebook usually did the trick.

Ford's eye flicked between the three 'FBI agents' in front of him. "I don't know what else you can possibly get from Johnny Miller. He and Frank Patterson were out alone at the wrong time."

"They were allowed to play in the forest?" Sam's voice rose with disbelief. Dean had to agree. What sort of parents would allow their children alone in a place that five other people, including some children, had gone missing?

His rising anger was cut short when the Sergeant shook his head. "They were on their way to school. It seems that Frankie was taken just steps away from his front lawn."

Dean, Cas and Sam looked at each other silently as Ford retrieved Johnny Miller's address for them. The pattern had been broken and that meant no one was safe.

**

"He's been like that ever since it happened." Alicia Miller stood at the window of her kitchen and stared at the figure of her son as he sat motionless on the swing set. Her eyes, which barely flicked to them before again settling on her son, were darkly shadowed and red rimmed.

"Can you tell us what he told you?" Dean let Sam take the lead on this one. Being a comfort was much more Sam's area of expertise. Dean was well aware he on the other hand exceeded in instigation and antagonism.

"He… he said she was beautiful." Unsteadily, Alicia raked her fingers through tangled and greasy blonde hair. Dean could clearly see her hands shaking as she spoke. "He asked me why-" She pressed her hands to her mouth tightly, eyes welling up.

"Please, we're sorry but it could be important." Sam gently prodded.

The woman wiped harshly at her eyes, shooting them a glare before focusing on her eight year old son again. "He asked me why she didn't take him too!" She hiccuped, holding back sobs even as the tears ran down her face.

Shit. There was just nothing you could say to that. And explaining to this poor woman that her son doesn't really mean he wants to be kidnapped, that he'd just been mind whammied by fairies. It didn't take a genius to know that would not go well.

They stood there in uncomfortable silence, unsure of how to proceed. Finally Sam stepped up. "Would it be possible for my partner to speak with your son?"

She was already shaking her head. "I don't think-"

"Agent Morrison has an affinity for children that I have rarely seen." Cas interrupted, pressing the issue. Dean could barely keep himself from swallowing his own tongue, luckily Alicia was so out of it she didn't notice.

She hesitated, obviously struggling to come to a decision. Finally she nodded. "If you can get through to him…" Her lips trembled. "He won't even speak to me." This seemed to break her resolve, and she began to truly cry, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

"Mrs. Miller, come with me." Sam gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Why don't we go sit down?"

"But-" She froze, head snapping up to look again to where her son sat unmoving.

"My partners will watch your son." Sam gently urged her into the living room. With a small nod, the woman allowed herself to be led from the kitchen.

Dean was patient enough to wait for Sam to take Alicia out of earshot before turning to Cas. "Dude, an 'affinity for children'? What the hell?" Dean eyed Cas warily and wondered just where that BS came from. Sure, it had worked but that kind of malarkey was pure Sammy.

Cas looked away, toward the small boy alone in the yard. "I was not incorrect Dean. You are able to connect with children easily." The angel gave him a sideways glance and Dean swore those blue eyes twinkled. "It must be because you are just an overgrown boy."

Snorting, Dean shook his head, then realized Cas had just teased him. He looked back and saw just a hint of nervousness on the angel's face. Clapping a hand on Cas's shoulder, Dean gave him an approving grin. "Nice one, Cas." He had to shake his head in wonder. He'd never imagined he's see the day that Cas would be cracking jokes. About him no less. They weren't fantastic jokes, but it was the effort he appreciated.

Reluctantly, he turned his attention back to the small boy on the swing. "But even if I am the world's answer to Peter Pan, how am I gonna get through to the kid? He's been totally mind whammied."

The only thing he knew that worked against fairies would be fire... and he wasn't about to burn the kid alive to dispel some lingering magic. Fairies. He stubbornly used that term, even if Sam had discovered through his super geeking that the correct expression was 'faery' or 'fae'. Dean much preferred 'fairy' because picturing Tinkerbelle made the things seem much less intimidating and much less likely to kick his ass.

There had to be something else they could do. He frowned and looked to where the Impala waited, parked in the driveway. All the herbs and different mojo breakers and blockers they had to best any monster he could think of, but none of it could help this poor kid. Salt, holy water, silver, Goofer dust, iron-

"Yes!" Dean snapped his fingers and jogged to the Impala, feeling hopeful again. He could tell Cas was behind him, watching silently, and he shot him an excited grin as he opened the trunk. "In the stories, fairies are vulnerable to iron." He dug through the various compartments until he found the small box he was looking for. He picked out a small round iron ball and rolled it in his palm before closing his fingers tightly and closing the trunk. "It might be what we need to snap the kid out of it."

Castiel didn't even question it. And that was equal parts flattering and disturbing. "I will wait here by the house." Cas took a step back. "You need to make the child comfortable and I still am not adept at being human."

"Oh you're not so bad." Even if sometimes he was. "But you're right, this probably will go easier without an audience." Dean tossed the ball into the air and caught it in his hand before taking off toward the swing set.

The wind kicked up as he approached the little boy, the empty swing began to sway with the breeze like Johnny had an invisible playmate. Dean suppressed a shiver. He'd seen the reality of far too many invisible 'playmates' in his life to be comfortable with the concept.

The whole scene was screaming wrong at him, and Dean had to swallow past the lump of unease in his throat. He could suffer through the heebie jeebies later, right now he had work to do. Catching the swing, Dean carefully eased himself down onto the seat of curved plastic.

Figuring it for a lost cause, Dean still decided to give talking a shot. "Hey, Johnny." There was nothing. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment. "Your mom is kinda upset you're sitting out here so long. Why don't we go inside?"

"No." Johnny Miller's voice was dull and lifeless. He sounded like a small robot. But even a negative response was a response and much more than Dean had expected. Dean rolled the bullet between his fingers.

"Why not?"

The boy's eyes blinked very slowly; Dean doubted that whatever Johnny was seeing was anything he could see too. "She will come back. I must be ready."

Dean went on high alert. The kid hadn't just been left behind by some twist of fate, but left in reserve for later pickup. Not on his watch. Dean forced himself to sound calmer than he felt. "When is she coming for you?"

"Soon."

That was enough for Dean. He didn't need to hear anymore of that lifeless little voice. Carefully, he picked up the boy's left hand, frowning when there wasn't even a hint of resistance. "Hold this for me." He dropped the iron ball into the center of Johnny's palm.

The reaction was instantaneous. Johnny Miller's fist closed on the small ball of iron, his eyes widening momentarily before they squeezed shut tightly. The boy's small body bent double as he gasped for air.

Dean fell to his knees in the ground, helping Johnny down from the swing. Slowly, Johnny seemed to become more aware. The little boy looked up at him, brown eyes wide and scared, "Who are you?"

"It's OK, Johnny. My name is Dean, and I'm here to help you." He was his most honest when dealing with kids. They tended to spot bullshit. At least when they hadn't been mind whammied.

Johnny shook his head quickly. "I don't need your help! Frank does!" He grabbed Dean's shirt, small hands pulling insistently. "The cold lady took him! He said he wanted to go, but I don't think so." The tugging became more frantic as the story went on. Dean recognized that Johnny was just frantic and clutching at someone to listen to him. "You have to help him!"

Dean caught Johnny's thin shoulders and held him away a bit, bending to look the boy in the eye. "Hey. I promise." Dean could never deny a little kid. Especially not with a scrunched up face and snot dribbling from his nose. It reminded him too much of Sammy. "In your hand is a special charm. Can you feel it?" The one small thing he could be thankful for was that at this age magic and charms were something a kid could believe in.

Sniffling, the boy carefully opened his hand. Sure enough, the bullet was still there. He looked back at Dean, face screwed up in confusion.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but it can keep the cold lady from making you want to go with her too." Dean hoped he wasn't lying. "Do you remember wanting to go with her?"

Nodding slowly, Johnny wiped his nose again. "More than anything."

Dean closed the boy's fingers around the bullet. "You keep this with you at all times for now. In your pocket should be OK. Just don't lose it." He nodded in approval when Johnny immediately slipped the bullet into his pocket. "You probably shouldn't let your mom see it either. They don't tend to believe in important stuff like magic charms."

Johnny froze, his eyes overflowing again with tears. "Mom!" He shook with new sobs. "I said bad things- she's gonna be so mad!"

"Hey now." Dean ruffled Johnny's hair. "It will be OK. You've got the charm now. Your mom's gonna be so happy the cold lady doesn't have you- she won't care what you said."

"Really?" The boy's voice rose in hope as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

Dean was pretty sure that Alicia wouldn't be asking too many questions now that her boy was back. "Really." Standing, Dean helped the boy onto his feet. Hesitating only a moment, he scooped Johnny up into his arms and carried him to the house. Cas joined them on the way, silently watching his back.

They slipped through the back door into the kitchen and Dean paused a moment to listen for voices. He could hear Sam's voice coming from the living room joined by Alicia's hushed voice. Before Dean could cross the room, Johnny perked up at the sound of his mother's voice. "Mommy?"

There was a crash of breaking glass in the living room before a frantic Alicia Miller burst through the door at a run. "Baby!"

Dean quickly let the boy down onto the tile floor and smiled as the pair met in a fierce hug. This was one they'd been able to save and it made him feel warm with satisfaction, He could feel Cas's presence beside him and he turned to share a smile with his angel. This was what it was all about, helping innocent people. He nodded to Sam when his brother came to join them in the kitchen. So far so good.

They let mother and son take all the time they needed to reassure each other that everything was OK. Eventually Alicia looked up. "I don't know how you-" She shook her head. "Thank you."

Dean just shook his head. "No thanks are necessary. We are just happy he's fine." Sam cleared his throat and Dean's smile turned to a thoughtful frown. "Is there any place you can stay tonight? There is a chance they might be coming here for Johnny."

"Coming here?" Alicia clutched her son closer. "Yes... my parents' home."

"How far away are they? Perhaps the further the better." Sam looked from the pair to the clock and then to Dean. Yeah, Dean got the point. Time was passing quickly. Maybe a long reunion hadn't been the best idea.

"Out of state." She began looking at them in quick succession and Dean could see she was growing concerned.

"We are going to wait here for them to show." Dean tried to sound more confident than he really felt about this. "If they show tonight we'll catch them."

Alicia was already back on her feet, Johnny slung over her hip. "We can be on the road in ten minutes." She was up the stairs before they could reply.

The moment she was out of earshot they began to plan. "The kid said they'd be coming for him soon." Dean frowned and surveyed the small house. It was really not the kind of place he'd choose for any showdown. "How long has it been since Frank was taken?"

Sam consulted the notebook. "Two, almost three days." He tapped his finger against the paper. "Do you think..." No one wanted to suggest they may have almost been too late.

"Three is a powerful number." Cas agreed. "As is seven."

"Shit." Dean took a deep steadying breath. There was no way to be sure, but Johnny may have been the intended seventh victim. And his three days were almost up. Dean was too paranoid to not assume a failure to save him would have been disastrous.

Pounding footsteps distracted him from that dark possibility. He looked up and saw Alicia. Pale faced and breathing heavily, her eyes burned with a determination he recognized easily. No one was laying a hand on her son.

Dean nodded approvingly at the small travel bag slung over her shoulder. "You should get going."

"You should take care on the roads." Cas laid a hand on Alicia's shoulder for a moment, and then stepped back. But if he did any mojo, Alicia didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you." She looked at all three of them in quick succession before hurrying out the door and into her car. Johnny peered sleepily over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up to Dean as the door closed behind them.

Dean returned the gesture until they were out of sight. "So when exactly is the three days up?"

"Tomorrow morning at 8:00." Sam frowned and looked at the clock. Not enough time. "They were on their way to school, but it's no guarantee they won't come earlier."

It just kept getting better and better.

Cas moved to the fireplace and grabbed the poker, shifting it in his hand until the balance was right. "We have very little time."

And now they were getting to the part Dean was good at. The part where they ganked monsters. Or at least ruined their day. "Right." He looked out the kitchen window and studied the yard. Like most places in suburbia, it was almost completely devoid of cover to say the least. It looked like their battleground was going to be just about the worst possible location for an ambush. Goody.

"Here's what we do." Dean turned from the window, plans already forming in his mind. "When the dicks show up, I'll create a distraction. Cas, you and Sam zap in once I have everyone's attention. You guys some in close to the 'cold lady' and get the drop on her. Soften her up for some negotiation with iron and fire." Even though he was laying out the plan with authority, there were still a lot of variables that he could not control and he knew it. What he did know was that this 'cold lady' Johnny described was their target.

Of course, Sam was protesting almost before he finished talking. "We're not going to let you go up against these things by yourself!" His brother's voice rose as he talked, obviously growing more irritated by the second. Any hope he had for support from his angel died when he saw Cas was nodding in agreement.

They didn't have time for this. Dean turned and moved to the door, pausing to glance back at them. "Look at it this way, I may be distracting the troops, but you two are going to head right for the leader." Dean hesitated, his hand on the doorknob. "I'm not happy about it either, but we have to get something on them to force them to return the people who'd been taken. Can you think of something better that can be arranged in the next few hours?"

He was answered with silence and while it was awkward, damn it he didn't know what else they could do with what they had and the time they had.

"Then let's get to work."

**

There was silence on the line. That was never a good sign. Dean shifted in place, not even needing to hear the words because he knew it was stupid and he knew he was in for it. And no one made him feel like a little boy in trouble more than bobby. Not even his father brought out that kind of guilt. So when he heard, "You boys are idjits." He was relieved.

Because, well, that wasn't so bad as he'd expected. Dean looked at their assembled armory and felt pretty good overall. They had iron buckshot shells for the shotgun, Cas and Sam had raided the area and came up with an iron fireplace poker and crowbar respectively. Cas wielded a mean poker. Dean thought it had something to do with the angelic thing for swords.

"So you got a few shotgun shells and two blunt instruments, and you're going to take on an unknown number of fairies in a shitty location?"

"We have a flamethrower too." Dean felt it important to mention.

"Well good! Are you gonna use the flamethrower to toast the leader on sight?"

"No."

"Then I ain't gonna count it as an asset! Shit boy, most likely by the time you realize just how much you need that fire, you'll be so busy getting your asses kicked you won't be able to use it!" Bobby was in rare form, and the last time he'd heard an argument like that, it had been directed at John. Dean did not like the implications.

And really, this negativity was just getting frustrating. He heard enough of this from Sam. Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. Not that he'd expected a pat on the head, but constructive criticism would be more appreciated. "So how do you suggest we get the other people back, Bobby? I'm fresh out of ideas."

There was another long silence on the phone before he heard Bobby exhale. "Good luck, boys." Bobby didn't know either. And he wouldn't suggest just giving up on a rescue. Because it wasn't in Bobby to just give up on people, just like it wasn't in Dean to just give up. Even when maybe they should.

"Thanks Bobby." Dean looked out over the yard to where the sun was setting. The bright orange sky looked beautiful, and he wondered if it would be their last. But then again, any sunset could be their last, and most likely the one that was their last- they weren't going to even note at all. So he was going to stop with this mopey bullshit and get to what he did best. Helpin' people and killin' evil sons of bitches. Well, except maybe no killing tonight. "I'll call you when we get them back."

"You'd better!" Without any other goodbye, Bobby hung up.

Dean snapped the phone shut, pressed his knuckles to his lips and took a steadying breath. He turned to face Sam and Cas's scrutiny. "Bobby says it should be a cake walk."

Other men, weaker men may have cowered under the 'bitch please' looks he received in stereo. But Dean was no ordinary man. "Bobby may have said that we're being idjits for not burning every last one of them the minute they show their faces. And we're supposed to call him when we're done."

Sam just rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Cas that Dean did not appreciate. "So, what you are telling me is that Bobby said we're crazy to be doing this and he thinks we're dead meat."

Dean crossed the room to their meager weapon stash and picked up the shotgun, testing the weight of it in his hands. It wasn't one he normally used, but he'd wanted the highest range possible for this. No need to get up close and personal if he didn't have to. Dean slung the shotgun over his shoulder and looked out the window at the slowly darkening sky.

Sometimes Sam was too perceptive. "Basically, yeah."

It was time to get into position. "Now Cas," Dean left the window and clapped a hand on the angel's shoulder, looking him square in the eye. "Remember to be gentle with Sam. It's his first time."

This was one of the times Cas didn't quite catch the implication, simply nodding solemnly. "Of course." And it wasn't worth explaining since it wasn't very funny in the first place. Dean turned and looked out the same window Sam and Cas were watching.

The shadows in the yard were deeper now. The sun was down and there was no more time to waste.

"All right! Time to get this show on the road." Dean stepped away from his brother and his angel for one last once over. He definitely felt like they needed some rallying talk or something, but he had nothing.

Sam hefted his crowbar even while shaking his head. "This is such a bad idea." But just because it was a bad idea didn't mean they weren't going to do it.

"You know what you're supposed to do?"

Signing, Sam rolled his eyes. "Hold position a mile away and wait for the signal." His little brother had a talent for making his feelings known just through tone. "Then we 'zap' into the yard and take the leader hostage." Sam did not think highly of the plan.

"And what's the signal?"

"Gunshots!" Sam at this point was moving beyond his normal state of recalcitrant pissy and into actually being upset, so Dean gave it a rest. Even if the correct answer was 'three gunshots'. Cas would remember and execute Operation Tinkerbelle Whack flawlessly.

"They could show up anytime now." Dean really did not want anything to start now. He was too freaking tired. "Be careful."

Cas stepped forward before Sam's rising irritation could escalate further. Dean would have thanked God for the angel if he were the type. The last thing they needed now was an actual argument. The angel nodded slightly to him, and Dean felt sure that Cas knew just how he felt. "Be sure to heed your own advice. Be careful. Remain vigilant." And they were gone before he could reply. Sometimes Dean wondered if that was Cas's favorite power- the power to have the last word whenever he wanted.

Dean stepped out into the yard and pushed down that feeling of anxiety that rolled in his stomach. The feeling that told him this was going to go badly. He shuffled into the space between the house and an overgrown hedge. It was a shitty hiding spot, but it would have to do. Dean settled in to wait.

And he waited.

It was getting ridiculous. Dean shifted carefully, his knees protesting. The last time he had to wait this long for a non-human to arrive to the party was when he and Bobby summoned Castiel and then had to wait for the angel to show up.

And that turned out well. So that was a good sign.

Dean scratched thoughtfully at his chin. Now that he thought of it, none of the carefully prepared wards and traps had worked. Cas had strolled in, exploding light bulbs and ignoring the layers of mojo blocks that had lined the walls and floor of the old building. He and Bobby had shot Cas from nearly point blank range and he had stabbed Cas directly in the heart. Dean grinned at the memory because it was safe to smile at it now that he wasn't nearly pissing himself.

So maybe this was a bad sign after all.

Good or bad sign it didn't matter now. As Dean watched from his barely concealed position a mist was slowly seeping into the yard. He nearly rolled his eyes with the cliché, but whatever evil was not really known for its creativity. The mist grew thicker and he felt a distinct chill in the air now that was not natural.

Finally just when he was wondering if they were ever going to get the show on the road he saw the figure on the horse. It was a female form- one he was not going to study for long enough to decide if she qualified as 'cold' or not. She was the only form on a freaking horse, so it had to make her something. More and more figures were stepping out of the mist and Dean's hand tightened on the shotgun. It was time to work.

Dean shot to the right of the gathering before breaking cover to the left. He wanted to cause panic or confusion, not kill any of the fairies if they even could be killed. His job was to cause as much chaos as possible to give Cas and Sam a leg up in their surprise. He grinned as he sprinted; Dean prided himself on his ability to wreak mayhem.

Not really bothering to aim, Dean shot to the center of the group this time. He wasn't slowing even as he reloaded, but it didn't matter how fast he was running as a fairy stepped out from nowhere directly into his path. There wasn't time to think and the next moment the shotgun was knocked from his hands. Only blind luck that caused the shotgun to go off when it hit the ground.

It was an even larger stroke of luck that it managed o not injure Dean when it went off. All Dean needed at this moment was to have shot himself in the foot. Sammy would never let him live that down.

Signal sent, Dean could focus on keeping alive for the time it took for Cas and Sam to get control of the situation. Faced with a growing horde of chittering fairies surrounding him now on all sides, Dean had to admit it might not be as easy as he'd hoped.

Heartbeat.

They kept to a distance of about five feet, penning him in completely with none of them close enough to be taken by surprise. Dean strained to hear the tell-tale sound of wing beats that he associated with Cas, but all he could hear was the high pitched sound that must be their language. He doesn't need to understand it to know that they sound pissed. Dean grins and fights the urge to tell them their voices are annoying, but they have nothing on an angel's true voice.

Heartbeat.

These fuckers were tall. Dean was not a short man, but the fairies around him all seemed to be at least as tall as Sam. They were as tall as Sam, but they seemed to have only half the body mass because they were thin to the point of being contestants on America's Top Model. And now that they were closer, he could also see they were armed. So they had reach, weapons, and as the chattering died down he had the feeling they'd come to a consensus on what to do with the interloper. No sweat. Dean rolled his shoulders in preparation. He had backup. Any time now.

Heartbeat.

One of the figures stepped forward. 'Showtime.' Dean thought and shifted his weight to be ready for a fight. Not that he had a chance.

On even closer inspection, Dean wasn't sure if he should be disappointed or relieved. The changeling had looked like lampreys in the mirror, but human to the eye. The succubus had also looked pretty nasty when you saw its reflexion. Dean had expected the fairies from classic stories, bewitchingly beautiful. Or at least normal. But it wasn't.

It had features sharp and fine, like a well carved statue. But it was as if the sculptor couldn't decide on making a man or a woman. So while the features were fine, they were too androgynous to be really attractive either way. The eyes of uniform silver did not make it appear any more human than the hair so red it looked like fresh arterial blood. Dean tried to forget that last comparison the moment it came to mind.

Heartbeat

The fairy was still well out of reach when it stopped and Dean held back his irrational disappointment that this was apparently not one of those up in your face villains. Those ones often made mistakes.

"You dare attack us, mortal?"

Any sense of fear or awe that Dean felt for these creatures was killed by the squeaky childlike voice. More proof that to be menacing you really did need a lower voice. It was why James Earl Jones dubbed Vader's voice. The fairy's face twisted in anger and Dean remembered that he'd been asked a question.

He opened his mouth, smartass reply on the tip of his tongue, when the fairies all around him hissed suddenly, turning almost simultaneously to look at something over Dean's left shoulder. That would be the cavalry.

"Freeze, assholes." Turning, Dean couldn't keep the grin off his face. It didn't sound exactly right coming from the angel, but Cas delivered it with authority, so Dean gave him an A for effort.

Sam must have pulled the fairy woman from the horse, as he stood behind her, the crowbar held firmly against her neck. Even from where he stood, Dean could see the red blistering skin under the metal. It looked like one hell of a burn. He could also see her expression was not like the anger of the fairies around him. She was amused. And Dean felt his stomach roll. Anger or fear he could deal with. Amusement usually meant that someone knew something he didn't.

Dean pushed his way through the chittering horde. None gave him any trouble, so it seemed they were at least right in taking the female hostage, even if his spidey sense was screaming that this was not going well, no matter how it may look.

He stopped to stand next to Cas. It was easy for Dean to see in the way the angel stood, shoulders tense and straight, that Cas was worried as well. But no one else would be able to tell. To anyone who didn't know Cas, he was just your every day angel brandishing a fire poker like he meant business.

Finally face to face with the fairy woman, it was clear how Frankie came up with 'cold lady' as a description. Her hair was not red like the others; she had white hair that hung long and straight. She stared back at him with eyes that were a light frosty blue. What really creeped him out was that they had no pupil at all. Even her skin was so pale that it had blue undertones. If she closed her freaky eyes, Dean might have mistaken her for someone who'd died of hypothermia.

But her eyes were not closed. They were studying him with a level of interest that he was seriously uncomfortable with. Dean shifted his attention to Sam for a moment, but his brother just shrugged.

"I know what you want, Winchesters." She spoke slowly with an odd clipped tone. Dean realized with a bit of hysteria that it must be the fairy 'accent' since the one that spoke before sounded the same. From this distance he could see the fairy's teeth as she spoke in that childlike voice, and they were no child's teeth. They were much smaller than a human's, short and thin and pointed like a mouth full of tiny needles. She smiled just then, as if she knew what he'd just noticed, and Dean frowned. Fairies were not living up to their PR.

Raising an eyebrow, Dean exchanged glances with Sam. "Well then," he paused fully prepared to brazen through like usual, "it seems our reputation precedes us with the creepy evil chick demographic." That was a bit worrying since up until a few days ago he hadn't even believed fairies were real, and he didn't like to be known to things that he didn't know about in turn.

But the fairies had apparently known the Winchester name at least. And that was one more thing to be concerned about. "So what do we want?"

"Too many things to mention." She smirked, showing off those disturbing teeth again. "You want so many things; you don't even realize you want half of them." Her lips twitched again. "Right now you want me to stop smiling so much because my teeth frighten you."

Damn it. Dean really hated things that read minds and desires like that. They were always so skeezy. From djin to succubi, they all sucked. They always screwed you over worse than any other monster.

"What you should want is to know how you can see through our glamour to our true forms. Your brother, for all his power, cannot." And here was why she was so smug. She thought dangling a little tidbit like that would distract him.

"Nah." Dean had her number now. He flashed a quick smile. "Don't care about that, cuz while it might freak you out that I can see through your hocus-pocus, I like it just fine." Dean crouched to face her, and if he wasn't wrong, he could now smell her skin burning where Sam still pressed the iron. "Maybe Sam sees what you want him to see now, but I bet when I show him your insides he'll see that just fine." He didn't have to look up to know that Sam was already rolling this around in his head, and that questions would be forthcoming. But for now, while Sammy was giving him a clear WTF look, he was keeping his mouth shut.

The crowd behind him chittered loudly at the threat, but Dean didn't budge. Cas had his back, and that was enough for him to hold his position and stare down the fairy woman.

"I bet, that on the inside, you look like all the other monster we've killed. Squishy, gross and stinky." Dean wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, I bet you're real stinky on the inside."

Gone was mild amusement, the fairy lunged, hissing at him. He pulled back out of her reach in time to hear the snapping of her teeth as her jaw closed on nothing. The sound of the crowd behind them was lost in her shrieks of pain as Sam reined her in with the crowbar across her neck.

They needed to remain focused. Again, Dean crouched in front of the fairy, smirking his best irritating smirk. "You ready to talk seriously?" He glanced up and was reassured that Sam still had a secure grip on the crowbar and so, the situation still under control. She wasn't moving until they said so. "We could be here all night. I've got nothing else planed." He took a god long look at the blistering skin on her neck and then looked back at hr face. "But I think you might want to start getting serious soon. I don't know what prolonged exposure to iron would do to you. Might eventually burn right trough your neck." He did not want to see that. "Might be interesting experiment." It would haunt his nightmares- even if she was a monster. "All in the interest of science, you know." But he'd do it if he had to. And if she were reading his mind, she knew he would.

"What do you want?" Her eyes narrowed with hate, her voice practically dripping venom. It amused him until he considered the possibility that might be a real concern. Who knows what weird things fairies could do. They might have dangerous spit like those dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. Dean stood and hoped it was out of loogie range. He would not put it past fairies to leave bodily fluids everywhere.

Standing now, Dean looked down at where she sat on the ground. "Me? I want those people you snatched."

Something eased in her posture. Dean couldn't exactly place it, but her desperation was gone. He'd had her on the ropes and scared about something, but it wasn't this. And it brought back all those 'oh shit' feelings he'd tried to ignore. "No." She delivered the response with a clear and level voice, quickly regaining her composure.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, what? I could have sworn I heard you say 'no'." He heard the sizzle of her flesh as Sam pulled back on the crowbar to emphasize the point. He looked up to see Sam's expression caught between disgust and determination.

She laughed in between her cries of pain until Sam backed off with the crowbar and she just laughed. "The tithe is worth more than my existence!" She gasped finally. "You'll never get them back. Not for free."

"Not for free?" He scowled at that. Whatever the fee was, it was surely not something he would want to pay.

"A trade." Her eyes focused beyond him. She focused on Cas. "The angel for the humans." She turned to him again. "Six for one."

Oh hell no.

"Deal."

Dean nearly jumped out of his skin to hear Cas's voice so close suddenly. So close and saying crazy things.

"No!" Dean glared at Cas and wondered if his angel had been hanging around him too long. He was already making self-sacrificing deals. "No deal."

"Dean." Cas shook his head. "It's the only way." And Dean remembered the impossibility of dragging the people from the fairy land.

"Accepted." The bitch smiled obscenely, tongue flicking over her teeth in a not too subtle taunt. Dean wanted to smash her face in with Sam's crowbar. "Come with us and those taken will be returned safe and snug to their beds."

"No." Dean had a brief moment of hope that maybe Cas had come to his senses. There had to be another way to save the stolen people. A way that didn't involve handing Cas over to these things. "Bring them here. When we see them alive and unharmed I will go with you."

Her eyes narrowed. "So be it."

Dean felt more useless than usual as he stood there at a loss for how to save the situation. His mind was stuck on an endless loop of 'get Cas away from her!' But before he could form any idea on how to do that, the unnatural mist rolled in again, this time it wasn't fairies who stepped out, but the missing people- all obviously mind whammied.

Turning to Cas, Dean still had an irrational hope that this was where the angel pulled out some of that reenergized angel mojo, kicked some fairy ass, and they all go back to the motel room and laughed about it. But Cas was looking at him with an expression that was distinctly guilty. It was happening way too fast- he just needed a moment to think…

"And now we conclude the deal." The fairy pushed the crowbar away from her neck. Sam seemed just as stunned as Dean, and let the iron fall away from his hostage. Dean nearly vibrated with the desire to do something- anything, but what?

She stood and walked slowly to Cas's side, where she towered over him. When she placed a hand on the angel's shoulder, Dean felt rage like he'd rarely felt before rise within him. The hand was immediately shrugged off, and she did not try again but the message was sent loud and clear. 'Mine now.' Dean was not going to rest until she was dead.

"See how he just stands by, angel? How willingly he will sacrifice you for the humans he doesn't even know?"

"Cas!" That was utter bullshit! Dean wouldn't sacrifice Cas like that- like he wasn't important. He wanted to say that- wanted to do something so that this did not happen.

"Dean." Cas called his name and Dean nearly jumped out of his skin. But he relaxed a bit when he saw the look on Cas's face. That was clearly his sneaky expression. Dean saw it once before- when the angel gave him the clues (Or completely spelled it out, really) on how to use Chuck to save Sam from Lilith's fiery demonic passion.

"Yeah?" He managed to croak.

"Oh! You're going to have a touching last words moment? This I must witness."

"Stuff a sock in it, Tinkerbelle." Dean focused on Cas and felt thankful that he may not have gotten the funniest angel (or so he said) or the brightest angel (as evidenced by this boneheaded deal), but he must have gotten the sneakiest angel. And so he was not giving up on Cas. He must have a plan.

"Tell Janet what happened."

Dean blinked. "Janet?" What the hell? He was getting a 'Dear Janet' message? Who the fuck was Janet?

"We met her at her father's hall. She wore the green skirt and her yellow hair in a braid." Cas's gaze darted a moment to the fairy, but she was only watching them with amusement.

Dean calmed himself with some effort, because he was damn sure they'd never met anyone fitting that description with Cas in tow. And the wording was far too specific to be anything but instructions. "Fine. We'll tell Janet."

Cas nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Tell her I'm a tithe to hell."

No sooner did the words pass his lips than they were gone. Not even the sound of beating wings marked Cas's disappearance. Just gone. And he and Sam were left with a group of blinking staring mouth breathers.

"Dean, those were clues." Sam was already gathering their few things. "Deal with these people. I'm going to find out what he was trying to tell us."

"Yeah, I got that." Dean wanted in on the research for once though. He had to get Cas back. "But-"

"Dean, these people need to be taken care of, and you can do that without me. And I am the faster researcher." Not better, just faster. And it meant a lot that Sam put it that way. Even if this were the one time he wished he were the geekboy. Dean nodded stiffly. "You get out of here. Call me when you get anything. Got it?"

"I got it."

Dean turned to face the group of blank faces as Sam slipped away to the Impala. At least this would keep him busy until Sam could get him some answers.

**

My apologies on how long this chapter took to make it from my notebooks to here! I've just recently moved back to the US and now I am searching for a job, so my creative moments have been dedicated to searching out possible jobs and then applying. Nothing as of yet, but hopefully I will be able to settle down and get back into a regular writing schedule.

As always, Comments & Criticism would be awesome!