Chapter 5

It was late afternoon by the time the Impala pulled into Grant, Nebraska and it was too late to inquire about the victims. There was nothing much to do except grab a meal and do research and clean weapons. Angela decided against bar food since Dean spotted a bar. "No way Dean. We had bar food twice this week already."

"Come on Angie. I thought you liked food full of fat," Dean teased implying her weakness for food that was chuck loaded with carbohydrates.

"I can't live off of pretzels."

"Dean just find us a diner," Sam added.

"Right I forgot about your salad fetish. You're such a girl Sam."

"Eat me."

The banter continued on until they passed by the local high school. It was Angela who spotted potential trouble between three kids on bikes and a pickup truck. She tapped Dean on the shoulder and said, "Pull over Dean. There might be some trouble." She pointed in the direction of the kids.

Sam followed her finger and saw the kids. He also heard the engine of the truck roar. "Dean stop."

Dean barely stopped before Sam was out of the car. Dean nearly swore at Sam's bad habit of jumping out of the Impala while it was still moving but he saw the truck coming towards a kid that had fallen off his bike and his brother was moving towards the kid. He jumped out of the car and yelled, "Sam!"

Alex was trying to get out from under his bike but he was stuck. Tercelli's truck was getting closer and it was clear that he wasn't going to stop. He was suddenly very scared. Then out of nowhere this tall guy appeared and grabbed him. He felt the bike slide off him and he thought there might be scratches on him and his ankle hurt like a bitch. He was grasped hard in the tall guy's grip when they landed on the sidewalk out of harm's way. Alex could see a woman with tawny eyes pushing back Kelly and Mason while Tercelli ran over his bike, effectively ruining it. A third person, a guy shorter than the tall one called out the name 'Sam' just as the tall guy snatched him out from being run over. Alex watched as Tercelli raced out of the parking lot, he and his friends laughing. The tall guy asked, "You okay kid?"

Alex looked at the tall guy and nodded, "Yeah but I twisted my ankle. There goes my plan."

Kelly came up and leaned her bike against the fence and started asking, "Alex, are you okay?" She clearly was scared and worried and hung on Alex as if he were the last lifeboat on a ship.

Alex replied, "I'm fine Kel thanks to this guy." He gestured to the tall guy who was being helped up by the woman who watched over Kelly and Mason. He tried to stand up but his ankle had him teeter to lean on the fence. The woman immediately caught him and said, "Easy there kid. Let me take a look." She had him sit and she went over the injured ankle.

Meanwhile the other guy came up and started in on the tall guy, "What were you thinking Sam?"

"Dean the kid could've gotten ran over," the tall guy named Sam was saying.

The other guy named Dean was scowling at Sam and the woman seemed to be ignoring them while smiling. Alex watched her peer at his ankle. She had removed his shoe and it hadn't hurt at all. He asked, "What's so funny?"

She replied, "Nothing except those two."

"You find them arguing funny?" Alex was incredulous at the whole thing.

"If you've traveled with them as long as I have you would," the woman replied looking up at Alex. She then peered back down at the ankle which she had wrapped, "Well you got a nasty twist but it should be okay. No bike riding for a while."

"And I'm guessing no football either?" Alex asked.

"Not if they have special teams for hobbling players," she replied smiling.

Alex looked at Kelly who was laughing. He gave a mock scowl, "Very funny Kel. Now the plan will never work."

"It's only a couple of weeks. I think Coach will understand," Kelly replied. "Besides he can't throw you off for something you didn't do."

"I'm not a snitch Kel," Alex replied not caring if the woman was listening to the whole thing. "The only thing I'm worried about is what Mom and Pops will say about my bike." Alex looked at his mangled bike.

By this time the two guys were finished with whatever discussion they were having and the one called Dean asked, "Everything okay Angie?"

The woman replied gave a slight roll of her eyes with a smile and replied, "Yeah just a sprain and from the looks of it, a ride home."

Alex knew he shouldn't accept a ride and made a slight protest, "You can just call my parents. They can pick me up," and the three of the adults looked at him.

Angela's instincts kicked in when the boy teetered from his attempt to get up. Since hooking up with the Winchesters, she had become the de facto patch up person. That was Dean's idea when he had a nasty deep cut on his forearm from a pretty nasty salt and burn. He claimed that he had never had a cut that deep cleaned and stitched so fast and with minimal pain. Now she was using that as she checked the boy's ankle while giving half an ear to Sam and Dean's argument over recklessness. She was amused by the kid's worry about what his parents were going to say over the bike.

When Dean asked her if everything was okay, she decided to drop the hint that they should take the kid home. Of course the kid said to call his parents. At least Sam picked up on the hint, "Dean, it's the least we can do."

"What about the bike Sam?"

"What about the trunk?" Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"Sam," Dean gave a slight eye movement.

Sam returned the look with a silent one of his own unaware that the kid was looking at the pair of them with a curious expression at their silent mode of communication. Angela let Sam and Dean work this out since it was technically Dean's car. Finally Dean said, "Angie," and motioned to the kid while he and Sam went to get the bike.

Angela turned to the kid and said, "It's no problem with the ride. Come on," and she held out her hand to give him a hand up. When the kid hesitated she smiled and said, "Hey if you want me to embarrass you by picking you up like a sack of potatoes, be my guest. I personally would find it amusing."

Then the kid held out his hand and Angela grasped it. She then introduced herself, "Angela and the two over there are Dean and Sam," pointing at each brother respectively.

"Alex and this is Kelly and that's Mason. Thanks for helping me out."

Alex looked out the rear window of the Impala at his house. He was nervous about what his parents were going to say about his ankle and the bike. More likely they will freak out over the fact that he nearly got ran over and twisted his ankle and that would bring in Nebi who would insist on going to the cops and then that would make life hell at school since shit like this in small towns traveled fast.

Angela had sat next to the boy in the car and noticed his apprehension. She looked at the two story house as if to inspect it. She then said, "Well looks pretty well kept."

Alex appreciated the attempt, "It's great. Biggest one we've lived in yet." He looked at the house and saw the front door open. "Well time to face the firing squad." He opened the door and saw the look on his parents faces as they looked at where Sam and Dean were unloading his bike. Great. At least Kelly and Mason were there having taken the shortcut to the house.

Rachel had seen the black car pull up in front of the house and peered out of the window for a closer look. She recognized Alex's tousled hair immediately as he looked towards the house and sensed that something had happened at school. She called to her husband and went to open the door. As she went outside she saw two young men pulling a mangled bike out of the trunk of the car and a woman giving a hand to Alex out of the car. She tried not to panic since she saw that Alex's friends Kelly and Mason were there as well.

Rachel walked up to the woman being a support for her son since she noticed the strapping on his ankle and the shoe being held in his free hand. She glanced at the woman who was concerned with making sure that her son was steady on his feet and not in any pain. That was a plus in her book. She asked, "What happened, Alex?"

Alex was surprised that his mom was being calm about this. Then again he was in the presence of company and his parents were always careful about how they presented themselves. However that didn't extend to concern over injuries. He answered, "Just had an accident Mom and these people helped me out."

Kelly had pulled up to make sure that Alex was okay and heard his answer. She gave a slight elbow to him to signal him to tell the truth. She heard the woman called Angela give a slight chuckle at the stiffening Alex did. Kelly looked up at Mrs. Davidson and said, "They were most helpful Mrs. Davidson."

By that time Gideon had come out and was helping Sam and Dean with the bike. He said, "Looks like it was more than a little accident."

Alex grimaced and thought he was going to have to explain right then and there but Angela said, "Perhaps if we go inside, we can explain without anyone eavesdropping."

Alex was surprised when his parents agreed. He glanced at the three adults that had helped him and wondered if they had some sort of secret power or something. He wasn't going to complain so he went with it as he hobbled inside the house with help from Angela. He directed Angela to the living room since that had the most room and good enough for the public execution. He watched as Angela pulled out an ice pack and activated it and placed it on his ankle. She was followed by his mom who was trying to pester Kelly and Mason about what happened and then his dad and Sam and Dean.

Rachel asked, "Anyone want something to drink?"

"You got a beer?"

"Dean."

Dean glanced over at Sam to find him giving the look. He smiled and amended, "Whatever you have is fine."

Rachel nodded and asked the others. Satisfied that she had everyone's choice, she went to the kitchen and got the drinks. When she returned, her husband was talking to their guests, asking them questions. When she came back she was the first to ask, "So will one of you tell me what happened?"

There was no easy way to say it and everyone involved was stumped at how to answer. It fell upon Angela to answer the question. She caught Sam's eye and she gave a slight turn of her head. She wasn't going to use her powers unless it became necessary. She looked at Alex's mother and said, "Well Mrs. Davidson, my friends and I were driving past the school when we saw three kids looking like they were getting pushed around by some other kids. Turns out it was these three. They were being pushed around by kids in a truck."

Rachel listened to the woman and could tell that she was trying to not get her into a panic. She was able to infer that the kids in the truck tried to use their truck to push the kids around. She asked, "Did they try to run Alex over?"

Dean had been content to let Angela tell the story. However he realized that the kid's mom was the kind to question everyone there if they didn't speak up. He could tell by the way the kid squirmed as if dreading being called upon. He said, "It looked like that. My brother Sam pulled him out and the truck ran over the bike."

"Do you know who?" Gideon asked.

"Not snitching Dad," Alex said.

"Alex they tried to kill you," Rachel replied trying to make Alex see the seriousness of the situation.

"And it will get around school that I snitched. Nobody likes a snitch," Alex replied. "I don't want have another label. People already think me to be a freak." He hadn't meant to sound whiney like he was nine again but he wanted his parents to understand.

Angela saw that there were some serious issues that needed to be worked out between parents and son and gave a side kick to Dean who was closest and said, "Well I guess we should be going." She fished out a scrap of paper and scribbled her cell number on it. "If you need us to make a statement, just call that number." She handed it to the boy's mother and for a split second, that peculiar sensation overcame her.

Angela was standing in the living room of that house. The boy's mother was standing in front of her wearing the white priestly robes. Behind her were other people dressed in the same robes. The boy's mother was looking at her with a look of sadness and acceptance.

The boy's father stood dressed in what appeared to knight chainmail and looked equally sad and accepting. On his hip was a sword, one from one of those from the medieval ages. He had his hand on the boy's mother's shoulder. She was saying something. Angela focused.

"For the sake of our sister we accept this duty." The boy's mother then held out her arms towards Angela. Angela had no idea what she was doing but she was handing over a small bundle. Glancing down she saw it was a baby boy wrapped in a blanket.

She handed the baby over with care and she could hear her voice saying, "Then he shall be placed with you. Care for him and watch out for him."

"My blade shall defend him," the boy's father said as he put a gauntleted fist over his heart to seal the oath. "The line of Melchizedek shall be preserved."

By this time the boy's mother was holding the baby and cuddling him. Angela could see the love in the woman's eyes. There was a feeling of content as she watched and then she acknowledged the man's oath. She said, "As you swore to the order and is that of your name. Guard him well. The House of Gold must be protected. If need to be call upon our brothers in the other orders."

Angela strained to hear the reply but the vision clouded and…

Angela was back in the living room and the boy's mother was looking at her peculiarly. She smiled and said, "Like I said, if you need us to make a statement or something, just give a call." She then gave a slight shake of her head at Sam and Dean and they followed her.

Rachel watched the woman, that had given her the number with a strange expression on her face while Gideon saw them out and thanked them again for their assistance. There was something off about that woman and she had seen that expression before. Nila got them when she had her visions. Could this woman be one of them? She diverted her attention to her son and got him situated while asking Kelly and Mason if they were okay.

"We're good Mrs. Davidson. That lady was quick in pushing us back and out of the way," Kelly replied as she sipped the milk in her glass. She looked at Alex and begged him to tell the whole truth but he wasn't going to budge on that. She knew that Mason would follow Alex's lead so there was no help there.

"Yeah it was like she flew. One leap she was out of that classic Impala and in front of us. The giant with her was just as fast. It was awesome," Mason added. "It was like they had superpowers or something."

"They were probably cops or something," Alex said. "Those guys train to be fast."

Rachel gave a slight smile as she cleaned up while listening to the chatter. Her husband came back and she gave a slight nod. This had to be investigated.

Liam went through his usual duties through the main archives of the brotherhood. His job was to keep the records of each meeting in order. It was not a glamorous position but it was necessary. The rumors had to be confirmed to true or not. He had close access to the records but there was nothing to indicate that anything was out of place.

However Liam was known for his gut instinct. He did manage to ingratiate himself with some of the brothers and found that there were quite a few who had nothing to do what he was looking for. In fact some vaguely voiced opposition to the master of the lodge. He finished going through the ledger he had pulled when he came across the paper that advertised Tolbert's death.

It had bothered Liam that Tolbert had been singled out. Then again Tolbert had said that he found something that would help Liam in his case. When the news broke that Tolbert had been found death and the victim of a satanic ritual, Liam had been put on alert. It was obvious that those who were suspected of treachery were either becoming bold or they knew someone was watching. That was cause for alarm. It didn't help that a first degree brother had been killed before Tolbert in a similar manner.

Liam closed the ledger he had been working on and went to put it back on the shelf. When he approached the shelf to put it back, he found that the heavy folders that had been propped up had fallen on their sides. Liam sighed as he put the ledger down and tried to fix the folders before it became a big mess. He was shuffling the folders when his knuckles brushed the back of the shelf. The sound had him pause.

It was not the sound of knuckles knocking on solid wood. Liam gave a slight knock and heard the hollow sound. Frowning, he pressed against the back of the shelf and ran his fingers along it. He found the edges and a small hole. It was big enough for his finger to fit through. He put his finger in the hole and tugged. He didn't flinch when the board pried away to reveal some papers. They appeared to be very old.

The papers were vellum or probably papyrus. Either way they were very old. Carefully Liam removed them while checking to make sure no one was in the archives with him. He opened one and laid it on the table he had been working on. It was a rather old painting of an image. It had some Egyptian influence but there were other regions. The painting showed the image of a temple and in the background looked like the sphinx and standing in front of it was a priest holding a staff with the brazen serpent of healing on it. There was also the image of what could possibly be a king and it was enveloped in light.

Liam had never seen anything like it. The image was breathtaking and seemed to encompass multiple cultures from the Middle East. What caught his eye was the scroll writing on the bottom under the image. Liam couldn't make out what it was but he could surmise that it was important and that it explained about the image. He knew he couldn't take it out of the lodge since it would more likely be discovered and he was one of the few people allowed access here. Liam fished out his cell phone and took a picture of it.

A noise grabbed Liam's attention and he quickly picked up the image and folded it back as it was and put it back in the slot. He sealed the hiding spot and shoved the folders how they were supposed to be. He just finished putting the ledger he had been working in back on the shelf when a boy came running by and poked his head in. The boy stopped and poked his head in and asked, "Is my dad around?"

Liam knew the boy well. He was in line to be recruited and sworn in when he was old enough. He knew the boy's father and wondered if the boy knew as much as the father did. He didn't want to blow his cover though and replied, "I believe he is in the office."

"Thanks Liam," and the boy ran out of the archives.

Liam breathed a sigh of relief that it was the boy but he couldn't afford to be careless. With the way things were going, it seemed that anyone could be accused. It made him almost dread the upcoming gathering of the third degree. Still he had a job to do and he gathered his things and prepared to leave for the night.

As Liam was going by the study, he heard voices. Making sure no one was around to catch him, he approached the semi open door to eavesdrop. One was the boy's father and the boy was there as well. The father was speaking, "You tried to run the brat over? How stupid can you be?"

"I was just trying to scare him. Besides some gigantor of a guy pulled him out. I just mangled his bike," the boy replied.

"If you had killed him we would be in trouble. We need a living member of the line since only they can get what we need. I can't believe you almost screwed up nearly seven years of hard work."

"Sorry."

"It's bad enough that the brat has the order surrounding him and it took us so long to locate them within the brotherhood." Then the father gave a sigh. He then turned to a third member in the study, "Taylor is Hardman one of them?"

"I don't know but I have my suspicions and it would make sense to have one in the school with him."

The father seemed to think for a moment. Liam held his breath as he listened. Then it came, "Shadow him and teach him a lesson."

Liam didn't wait for a confirmation but silently stole away. He had to find this Hardman and warn him. He could look through the database when he went in to work at the coroner's office in the morning.

A/N: Sam and Dean to the rescue and an untimely vision may make the case more complicated than it should be. Now what will happen to Hardman? What is Alex's connection to all this? Find out next time on The Order of Melchizedek...