"How's the shoulder

"How's the shoulder?"

Dean gently flexed his arm and nodded. "Not bad actually, I was lucky."

Sam shuddered as he pictured the destruction of Sara's house. "If you'd been standing near the back door or in the living room..."

"Yeah, but I wasn't. I'm okay."

Sam knew his brother was telling him, in a not so subtle way, to back off. However, Sam couldn't shake the image of finding his brother bleeding and unconscious on the floor. It was an image that had haunted his sleep all too often.

A low whine brought Sam's attention back to the matter at hand. Jack had been leading the men unerringly through the forest for the last ten minutes now. Sure-footed and strong, the dog had led them along a well-worn path, seemingly understanding what Dean had asked of him.

Now though, his nose was on the ground, and the whimpers continued almost as if he had lost the scent and was trying to find it again. Sam watched the dog do a little dance, his front feet coming off the ground several times, before he at last gave a short bark.

"He's telling us something," Dean said, as Jack stared up at both hunters, his eyes imploring them to understand.

"Yeah, but what? We don't have time to play charades."

Dean moved forward, and dropped the bag he was carrying. He gingery took a knee and ruffled the dog's thick fur. "Come on, big fella, we need to find Sara. Where's Sara?"

This time Jack's exasperation with the humans was all too clear. With a yip, he butted his head into Dean's chest, knocking the hunter backwards.

"Argh," Dean complained as Jack proceeded to follow him to the ground and continue to bump him with his head, not allowing him to sit back up. "Sam, grab him."

It was difficult, but finally Sam managed to grasp Jack's thick red collar and pull, and pull some more. Arms straining, he at last managed to get the dog off Dean. If it wasn't for the happy sounds the animal was making, Sam would have thought he'd suddenly gone crazy.

"What the hell's wrong with him?" Dean asked as he staggered to his feet.

Even in the dim light of the flashlight, Sam could see Dean wince in pain as he worked his bad shoulder back and forth. Jack meanwhile continued to tug and pull at Sam's hold, his movements becoming stronger and stronger as he fought to get loose. Then with a mighty wrench, he managed to slip his collar.

Once free, Sam was sure the dog would go after Dean once more. Instead, he dropped to the ground with a thud, his head between his paws and whined.

"You don't think the winds going to start up again, like at the house? Maybe he's warning us?" Sam asked as he watched Jack's strange behavior.

"He's not scared. He's found something, I just don't know what."

"Damn, you're right, like when he finds Jess's wubby," Sam said referring to the times Sara had used the dog to track down Jessica's most beloved toy.

Dean shone his light over the forest floor trying to find whatever it was that Jack insisted was there. Sam added his beam to Dean's and bent down for a closer look.

"I'll be damned," he muttered as his light skittered over a bit of black plastic. Reaching out he picked up the glasses that had been lying half-covered by dead leaves. "They're broke. Sara won't be happy about that."

Dean held his hand out for the flattened black framed glasses and Sam obliged. "They're not broke, they just need..." Dean muttered as he pushed the arms back into position, "straightening."

"Good as new," Sam said as he watched Dean tuck the glasses back into his pocket. To Sam, the glasses were a sign that they were on the right track. However, if his brother's expression was anything to go by, Dean was less than thrilled over the find. "Dean, it's a good thing, it means she came this way."

Dean nodded and shrugged as he turned toward Jack. "Good dog," Dean said as he encouraged the Saint Bernard on once more.

The dog took off at a fast clip obviously heartened that they'd found something of Sara's. Sam very nearly called him back to re-fasten the collar he'd slipped out of but the dog was obviously on a roll. "What?" Sam asked as he fell into formation next to his brother.

"It's just..." Dean's pause gave voice to just how upset he was, "she's out here, on her own. You saw how weak she was Sam, how's she gonna fight this thing off long enough for us to get there?"

The same doubts had been plaguing Sam since he had found out what was preying on Sara. He had no answer to offer up to his brother. The only thing he could do was to remind Dean of just how strong the widow was. Hoping to hell he didn't make things worse, Sam said, "She's more capable than you realize."

As they cut through the darkness, Jack a beacon of white before them, Dean glanced toward Sam. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just..." Sam hesitated, afraid that he'd made the wrong decision but in too deep to stop. "Sara didn't give in to Gordon. She's not going to give up now."

"You're the one that killed Gordon, before he could gut me, Sam. It was your skill that saved us all, not Sara's will to live."

Deciding it was high time Dean learned just what Sara was willing to do to save those she loved, Sam blurted out, "You're wrong, I didn't shoot Gordon."

Dean stopped so suddenly, Sam actually ran into him. With a small shove, the elder Winchester, pushed his brother back and demanded, "What the hell are you talking about? You shot Gordon. I was losing, so you put a bullet in the bastard."

Sam shook his head, his gaze avoiding his brother's penetrating stare. "No, Dean. I was ready to take the shot, but Sara fired before I could get it off. She's the one that killed Gordon. She saved you."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Dean asked his voice full of betrayal.

"Sara didn't want you to know. She thought you'd feel guilty if you knew she killed him. She wanted to protect you."

Dean swung round, turning his back on his brother. Without another word he took off after Jack, closing the gap that had widened when they stopped.

"I know you're pissed, but my reason for telling you was to point out that Sara's more than capable. This Anchanchu is going to have a hell of a time possessing her," Sam insisted as he caught up to his brother.

"You don't get it, Sam. I was supposed to protect her, not the other way around."

This time it was Sam that snapped in anger, "Well, maybe it's time you realize that she doesn't need or want your protection, Dean. She just wants you."

"She really shot him?"

"She never hesitated. That's the day I realized just how strong she really is." Sam glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye, trying to judge Dean's reaction.

The stiffness with which Dean held his shoulders seemed to ease as he agreed, "That she is. I just wish..."

"She didn't have to be," Sam finished. "I get that, I do. But you have to admit Dean, we were no where near her this time and she still managed to find trouble." Sam sighed, thinking over the conversation he'd held with Sara earlier in the evening. "I wonder if she's right, if we're just stalling the inevitable."

"What do you mean stalling?"

"Stalling her inevitable death, you hypocrite. You think I haven't had the same thought about you. I've watched you skirt death more times than I care to count, Dean. I live every moment of my life afraid that one of these days a reaper's going to finally get lucky and I'll lose you."

"Sam,--" Dean started.

"No. Don't. I know there's nothing to be done. It's just, I'm starting to wonder if Sara's not in the same boat. Maybe it's not us bringing death to her doorstep, maybe it's us keeping it away."

"There's a cheery thought, she's being stalked by death. Nice, Sam." Regardless of his words, Dean's tone suggested that Sam had made his point.

"The way I see it, we can leave it to fate and walk away from her, or we can do everything in our power to protect her. Either way she might die, but at least if we stay we know we tried."

Dean's pace increased as he urged Jack on, calling over his shoulder, he said, "Pick up the pace, Sammy. She's not dying on my watch."

888

Sara couldn't breathe, she couldn't move. Her thoughts turned to mush as the creature came into focus. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but now she could see that her earlier joke about a fairy with the fangs wasn't so far off the mark.

Withered, and obviously ancient, with a body little bigger than a small boy, the monster would have seemed nearly harmless if not for the carnivorous mouth. Its shark-like grin held row after row of jagged, yellow teeth. Small beady eyes that reflected the moonlight like black obsidian watched her reaction with unabashed pleasure.

"Come now, you didn't really think I would allow anyone to come between us?" The creature purred as he reached out and caressed her cheek with one wasted claw of a hand. "Your...friend...he was becoming suspicious. In fact, I'm still not sure he wasn't the one to bring the hunters here."

It was the Anchanchu's deep rumbling laugh that snapped her out of her panic and helped her to focus. "What did you do?" she demanded, her words sounding much weaker than she'd have liked. She didn't want to admit the little she'd seen of the creature was the stuff of nightmares. Instead, she concentrated on its words.

"Surely, you haven't forgotten him? He was so concerned with your...hm...strange behavior."

Sara lunged forward, her heart already screaming what she needed him to confirm. "You mean Brian? What did you do?"

"I removed him from the equation. I couldn't just sit by and allow him to alert you to my presence. He had realized something beyond simple depression was tearing you down. I needed him gone."

"You bastard, you killed him." Saying the words aloud was enough to make Sara feel like throwing up. Biting back the urge, she instead closed her eyes. Brian had been her and Jason's closest friend. In the months after Jason's death he'd helped her in too many ways to describe. He'd acted as doting uncle to her children, and had helped her through the long months of her pregnancy.

Even later, when she'd found Dean, he'd continued to be her friend despite his own feelings toward her. Tears made their way down Sara's cheeks as she thought back to the last time she'd seen him. Now, looking back she realized that at the time he had become suspicious of her behavior. The lethargy that seemed to come and go randomly had troubled him, leaving him to voice his concerns. If only she'd listened instead of waving off his concern.

"You were too strong, too knowledgeable, and I needed access to you. If you'd become aware of what was happening you would have become...difficult. As it was, I had to contend with your house. You don't know the lengths I had to go to in order to draw you out."

"You're going to die," Sara spat as she pushed aside her grief, more determined than ever to destroy the creature that had killed her friend.

With a crow, the fairy seemed to dance backward, his feet only ghosting over the ground. As he retreated to the shadows once more, Sara caught a blurry glance of his filthy body. Covered in little more than scraps of leaves the creatures body was wrinkled with age. Though she couldn't see them, she wondered if he had wings like a fairy or if he was more substantial like a vampire.

The combination of darkness and her own lack focus kept her from seeing too much. Sara counted that as a blessing. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Already, the thought of Brian losing his life simply because he cared about her was enough to deal with at the moment. Her mind ghosted over the creature's earlier words. "You said others?"

This time a hint of anger touched the Anchanchu's words, "You can thank your dear hunter for that piece of work. Greg was clueless, he unwittingly provided me with the perfect lure to get you out of the protection of the house. Each time you so solicitously walked him to his car...well, lets just say the hunters were right on one score, every one of your attacks happened while Greg was around."

Sara shook her head in denial. "If he was harmless then why?"

"I lost my temper," the creature responded, once again seeming to pace. This time Sara was sure it was in anger rather than any other emotion.

"They've been guarding you too closely. I was unable to feed on you."

Sara's hand ghosted to the back of her neck where she trailed her fingers over the spot Sam had pointed out earlier. Revulsion poured through her at the thought that he'd been feeding off of her for weeks now. Fighting back the vomit that threatened, Sara turned her attention once more to the creature.

"My hunger grew too great to ignore, I caught him as he left the house. It was a dumb move as you so very kindly exited the house only a half-hour later to grab some air," the fairy stated his tone making it clear that he regretted his hasty meal, not the death of the man. "It really is a shame, I was saving him to be your first meal."

Anger began to slide through Sara once more, pushing away all other feelings. This was not something she'd done, this was something that had been done to her. Well, no more, she was no longer oblivious to what was happening, there had to be something she could do to grab the upper hand.

"So sorry to make things more difficult for you," she snapped.

"No worries," the fairy answered smugly, "I've already got a new victim lined up."

Visions of her children swam through her head at the Anchanchu's words. Without thought, Sara surged to her feet, ignoring the threat the fairy posed, caring only for the safety of her kids.

888

"He's found her," Dean shouted as he broke into a shambling run doing his best to catch up to Jack. The dog's white fur stood out starkly against the dark forest making it easy to follow him in the moonlit night.

Jack had picked up his pace to the point that the men could barely keep up. With his better eyesight and sense of smell, the animal had no problem ducking and dodging his way through the woods. Dean and especially Sam weren't so lucky. Dean was having a hard enough time himself, but for Sam who stood nearly four inches taller it was a constant struggle to keep from being decapitated by a low hanging branch.

"We're losing him, Dean. Call him back," Sam gasped as they continued pell-mell through the forest.

Afraid to go full-volume, Dean barked out a low, "Jack, down." In normal circumstances the command would have been enough to make Jack drop to the ground in an instant. While the bear-like dog sometimes ignored commands given by Sam or the kids, he had never disobeyed a direct order from either Sara or Dean, until now. The dog didn't even hesitate, he just continued on his way, the only sound of his passage was his heavy footfalls as his paws grabbed for purchase in the forest floor.

"Shit," Dean whispered as he picked up his pace even more. His head pounded from the earlier blow and he was pretty sure the cut on his shoulder was bleeding freely once more, ignoring his own pain, he instead concentrated on catching the dog.

No matter how fast the brothers ran, it seemed as if Jack continued to pull away, his nose to the ground, no hesitation on his part. At last with a low growl, he dove through a patch of brush and disappeared from sight.

"No," Sam cried as he pulled ahead of Dean.

Before Dean could stop him, Sam launched himself after the dog and was gone. His father's training prevented Dean from rushing after his brother and the dog. Instead, he ground to a halt, pulled his handgun and eased his way through the brush. What he found surprised him to no end.

There before him was Sam and Jack, the former standing with his gun pulled, as the latter tore into the forest floor seemingly determined to excavate a tunnel large enough for him to fit in. It took Dean only moments to realize they were standing in the middle of a path. He was more than familiar with the track that wound its way through the forest, Sara often used it for jogging. Jack had managed to make the hour-long trek take only a half-hour by cutting through the forest.

"What the hell's he doing, Dean?" Sam questioned as he kept careful watch over the forest surrounding them.

Dean pulled his flashlight and trailed the light over Jack. The dog showed no reaction to the light or Dean's sudden appearance. His bear-like head was hunched low to the ground, the muscles in his shoulders flexed as his two front paws dug at the dirt, kicking up flying chunks of earth. It looked as if he was trying to dig his way under the rotten trunk of a massive tree.

Faster than Dean could have imagined, Jack had already dug himself out a space big enough for him to wedge his shoulders in. Unsure of what to do, Dean turned to Sam. "This thing didn't bury her did it?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I mean what would it gain. No, he's onto something I just can't tell what."

"A lair, maybe? I mean it's a fairy, right? That means magic. Maybe this thing's hidden itself in some kind of cavern and Jack's making a way in."

Jack was now trying to thrust himself under the tree trunk, as he continued to work at the dirt. Other than a low growling sound he made little noise.

"He's almost through, Dean," Sam said, as he neared the dog.

Despite what he'd said earlier about sacrificing the dog, to save Sara, Dean knew he couldn't allow the dog to squeeze through the hole first. Unprotected, the animal would have little chance against the supernatural creature that waited on the other side. Determined to stop the animal, Dean stepped forward and grabbed a handful of the thick fur that covered Jack's massive neck.

"Jack, down." Dean commanded as he pulled.

Quicker than he could have imagined, Jack turned and locked his teeth against Dean's wrist with a growl that caused chills to run up Dean's spine. Incapable of moving his arm, he couldn't help but send out a prayer of thanks that the dog was obviously intent on stopping him, rather than hurting him. Otherwise, Dean could have kissed his gun hand goodbye.

With a growl more suitable to a wild animal than the goofy dog that liked to eat skittles, Jack tugged on Dean's arm causing the hunter to hit the ground. The moment Dean was on the ground, Jack resumed digging his paws shredding the ground even faster.

Sam was at his side in an instant, taking up the arm that Jack had grabbed. "Holy crap, man, I thought..."

Dean nodded as he watched Sam's flashlight beam trace his right hand. Though, he had little doubt he'd have bruising tomorrow the skin on his arm was unbroken and the pain was already fading fast. His watch hadn't fared as well. One of Jack's teeth had gone through the glass face, putting an end to it's time keeping abilities. "He wasn't trying to hurt me. Just stop me."

Sam snorted as he offered Dean a hand up. "He stopped you alright."

Just as he gained his feet, Jack broke through to whatever was on the other side of the log. With a low cry, the dog thrust himself under the tree trunk, his hind feet scrabbling to push his big body through the gap he'd created. Then, Jack was gone, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in his absence.

888

Sara wasn't sure what she expected, but charging into the solid body of the Anchanchu wasn't it. She'd launched herself at the creature purely out of instinct, fear for her kids egging her on. If she'd taken a moment to really think about it, she would have assumed that the creature was corporeal, that his body was made up of a combination of magic and her own imagination.

It was only as her arms wrapped around his middle and she and the tiny fairy hit the ground with simultaneous groans of pain that it really registered what she'd done. Before she could come up with an actual plan, the Anchanchu wrenched itself free with a hiss and a kick to her face.

Luckily Sara dodged just as his foot swung, causing the blow to land on her shoulder rather than her chin as it had intended. Winded by the pain, but unwilling to give up her chance at freedom, Sara reached out and grabbed for him once more. She had little idea what to do with him once she had him in her grasp, but anything was better than allowing this creature to destroy anyone else.

With a squeak of surprise the vampire fairy darted backwards, his feet never making contact with the ground, leading Sara to believe he must have wings that she'd yet to see. Thrown off by her aggression, the creature seemed to forget it had magic and an assortment of supernatural powers in its possession. Instead when Sara grabbed hold it turned on her, it's long sharp claws going straight for her face.

Ready to die rather than let go, Sara tightened her grip and ducked her head. Pain flared in her right arm as the creature's nails dug into her skin. With a cry, she forced her quickly tiring body to roll, pulling the fairy off balance even more as she pinned it's lower half with her greater weight.

Able to do no more than hold on and protect her face, Sara couldn't stop the claws that tore at her back and shoulders. As she weakened, the fairy's cries seemed to grow, as if he was taking strength from her quickly debilitating state. Knowing she had little time left, Sara concentrated on just holding on.

Holding on, it was one of the few things she truly excelled at, whether physically or mentally, no one had more tenacity than she did. He would come for her, of that she had little doubt. Her only job was to make sure she hung on until he did.

888

In a split second, Dean crossed the clearing, dropped to his knees and began pulling large piles of earth away from the tunnel that Jack had created. As he worked to make the hole bigger, he called out to Sam. "Get your binding spell ready. He's gotta be here."

Dean wanted to say a prayer of thanks as his brother dropped to one knee and began preparing the spell without arguing. Now that he knelt near the opening he could hear the sound of an angry struggle going on. Jack seemed to be in the thick of it, though his weren't the only cries by far. Spurred on by the noise, Dean drug back one last mound of dirt and thrust his arms, followed by his head and shoulders through the hole. His entrance was critical of that he had no doubt. He would be basically unable to defend himself until he was at least more than half-way through.

Pushing with his feet, he wriggled his body under the huge tree trunk. Once through to the other side, he used his arms and shoulders to help lever his legs out.

Chaos reigned on this side of the tree, was Dean's only thought as he struggled to his feet. A glance over his shoulder showed him only the fallen tree, no sign of Sam or the path. Jack had indeed found the lair of the Anchanchu. The area was little more than a ten foot circle, at the side opposite Dean, Jack was lunging toward something, he couldn't see, the dog's now hoarse cries giving voice to just how angry he was.

Stumbling a bit, Dean drew his gun once more. Though he knew it would have little effect on the creature, he was confident that filling the thing with silver rounds would at least hold its attention long enough for Sam to complete the spell.

Just before he headed into the fray, Dean threw a glance over his shoulder and spotted Sam's arms emerging from the tunnel. Confident that his brother was on his way, he concentrated on finding Sara.

888

Sam was stuck, there was no doubt about it. Unable to go forward, his only option was a retreat. Problem was that left Dean, Sara and Jack at the mercy of the Anchanchu. He was half-tempted to perform the spell from his side of the tree trunk, his only concern was whether or not it would work through whatever protection the fairy had erected. Jack had carved a way into its lair, but that didn't mean he had broken the spell.

Sounds of the battle drifted to Sam through the opening urging him to make a decision. Right or wrong, something needed to do be done, and done quickly. Left with little choice, Sam wedged himself into the opening and began his chant. As he did he gathered the supplies needed and began. Using a poppet to symbolize the fairy, he then began to sprinkle the symbol with salt water. Thrusting his arms through the hole, Sam continued to chant putting his faith in the spell.

888

Dean raced across the opening in time to see Jack lunge at a creature no bigger than a small child. All but naked, the wrinkled little fairy was gruesome to say the least. His skin was covered in dirt and grim, he wore little more than a loincloth made up of leaves and vines. His tiny black eyes seemed to reflect the moonlight, and his lips were pulled back in snarl, exposing his shark-like teeth. His hands were curled into claws, and his nails were thick and wicked sharp. On its back a pair of brown, leathery-looking wings flapped madly causing the air around it to swirl.

Faced with the charging dog and Sara who clung to its legs, the creature struggled to break free. Over and over again it clawed at Sara's back. A howl of rage gave voice to just how frustrated it was with the widow's seemingly unbreakable grip. Dean was unsure what Sara's game plan was, but it seemed to him to be a good time to interrupt. Jack seemed to agree, as he lunged at the creature his snapping jaws aiming for the fairy's wings. With a vicious snapping sound, the dog grabbed hold of one of the bat-like wings and tugged, the fairy's slight weight no match for the animal's strength. As Jack tugged, the creature slipped free of Sara's hold. Unrelenting the dog continued to shake his head, his teeth firmly latched onto the fairy's wing.

Dean moved to Sara's side. Carefully, he eased her onto her back, his eyes searching for any sign of life. He knew he needed to check for a pulse, but he was too scared to confirm what he already believed. There was no sign of life in the woman he held. If her chest rose and fell with her every breath, his sharp eyes couldn't see it in the dim light. Her skin felt cold to the touch, and her face was as pale as ivory, her eyes remained firmly closed even when he called to her.

Holding her to his chest, Dean looked up to see Jack still battling with the Anchanchu. The dog had managed to rip off one of the creatures wings and was desperately trying to grab the fairy once more. It was a losing battle though. Regardless of the fact that the monster had only one wing, he was obviously beginning to get the upper hand.

His sharp claws tore at jack whenever the dog came near and it had begun to mutter to himself. The louder the muttering grew, the harder the wind blew. Dean really wasn't sure just how much more abuse the dog could take. Blood streaked his beautiful coat from a dozen different places, and he'd begun to limp.

Dean hunched himself over Sara's body, and yelled for Jack to stand down. Instead of listening the dog seemed to re-double his efforts, his sharp teeth snapping over and over again as he worked to pin the fairy. Determined to help, Dean leveled his gun at the fairy and waited for his shot.

It never came, instead with an earsplitting scream, the fairy flapped his one remaining wing and a blast of ice-cold wind blew across the clearing. If Dean hadn't been half-lying already, the icy blast would have knocked him clear off his feet. As it was the air tore at his clothing and hair, tugging the still unconscious Sara from his arms. It took every bit of his remaining strength to hold onto her, as he tried to protect her from the debris that were thrown up by the gale force wind.

As quickly as it had started the wind died down. Dean looked up in surprise to find the fairy frozen only feet away. Arms locked at his side the creature seemed unable to move anything other than its head. A glance toward the opening showed Sam's long arms thrust through the hole, the poppet bound with scarlet ribbon held tightly in one hand.

Dean couldn't help but smile wearily as he watched Sam pull his hands back through. It was obvious that his sasquatch of a brother hadn't been able to fit through the hole. Turning his attention back to Sara, Dean gently stroked her cheek trying work up the courage to feel for a pulse.

He didn't know what he'd do, if he couldn't find one. Though he'd chosen to walk away from Sara, never had he imagined she might leave him. The thought was enough to bring tears to his eyes. "Sara," he called his voice breaking with emotion.

"She's dead. There's nothing left of her," a snide voice insinuated.

Dean refused to allow the fairy's words to have weight. Sara wasn't gone, she would be okay, he had gotten to her in time. He wouldn't allow himself to believe otherwise. "Shut your mouth," he growled, his eyes never leaving Sara's face.

"Dean."

At the sound of Sam's voice, Dean did glance up. His gaze alighting on his brother's dirt encrusted form, as Sam made his way toward him. In that glance, Dean realized that the clearing had changed. The perfect circle was gone, trees littered the area, some of them growing right through where Jack had held off the fairy. The tree trunk they'd crawled under still lay on the forest floor, but now Dean could clearly see the path beyond it. Getting home would involve no more than a scramble to get over the log. It was obvious that the fairy's magic was ended.

"Sam," Dean answered as he his gaze briefly skittered over the mound of white and sable fur that lay nearby before darting back to Sara. "She won't wake up."

Sam dropped to the ground beside Dean and reached out a shaking hand to briefly touch Sara's forehead. He then traced his fingers gently down the side of her face to her neck. With the courage that Dean had been unable to muster, Sam felt for her pulse. The frown that furrowed his forehead made it clear he was unable to find one.

Hating the pleading sound of his own voice, Dean begged, "Please, Sam, please."

At last, Sam's face smoothed as he met Dean's worried gaze. "I feel it, it's weak and thready at best but she's alive."

"The heart might still beat, but you were too late, there's nothing left of the woman you knew," the fairy called out, his low chuckle interrupted by the feel of Sam's boot in his side.

His brother loomed over the Anchanchu his foot drawn back for another blow. Though Dean himself would have gladly ripped the creature from limb to limb, they couldn't afford to waste anymore time. "We gotta get her up to the house. Any ideas?"

Sam glared at the creature once more and shrugged. "Beats me, to be honest I'm not sure there's much we can do other than carry them both out."

Again, Dean's eyes darted toward the unmoving mass of white fur before centering on Sara. "What do we do with the little guy? We can't just leave him, if that binding spell breaks..." Dean's voice trailed off as he and Sam exchanged long looks.

"Little guy, I'll have you know that I've destroyed-"

The rest of its statement was cut off when Sam drew back his size fourteen boot and kicked the creature once more.

888

"Shut up," Sam snapped as he considered the problem at hand. His brother was right. Sara would have to be carried, and Jack. Sam glanced toward the dog and felt tears welling up at the sight of his thick white fur covered in blood, matted with grime. There was no way they were leaving Jack, the dog had undoubtedly saved Sara and most likely Dean.

"We'll need to build a travois for Jack. We can take turns pulling him, and carrying Sara."

Dean nodded and said, "I can carry her, if you can bring Jack out?"

The question in Dean's eyes as he glanced toward the dog was one that Sam couldn't answer. He'd taken only a moment to check on the animal before he'd gone to Sara's side. It had been enough to know that things weren't good.

"What about fugly over there? Can we banish him here?"

"Banish, now why would you young men want to banish me," the fairy pleaded seeming to suddenly realize he was in trouble. "I've got powers, I can grant you wishes."

Sam snorted and replied, "Leprechaun's grant wishes. You're just a mongrel bred fairy. Your powers were so weak you couldn't even get away from a woman and her dog."

The fairy tried his best to straighten despite the invisible binding spell that held him immobile and sneered, "They caught me off guard, I was just about to put a hex on them when that beast ripped my wing off."

"Witch's put hexes on people, not thousand year old raisin's," Dean snapped.

Sam couldn't help but grin at his brother's adept description of the little man that was bound before them. The diminutive creature did resemble a crinkled raisin, albeit, one with tiny black eyes, and wicked sharp teeth.

"I can save the woman, in fact, I'm probably the only one that can," the fairy said in a sly voice. "You kill me, you'll be killing her."

The weight of his older brother's gaze as he looked toward Sam for denial made him cringe. He was well out of his element in this one, he had no real idea of what had been done to Sara or if it was in fact permanent. What he was sure of, was the creature was offering up what the brothers wanted to hear simply to stall his own death.

He knew that Dean was looking to him for an answer, Sam gave him the only one he was able. "I don't know, Dean. But, if it were me, lying there...I'd want you to kill it and let me take my chances."

Dean nodded and sighed. "For it to do anything we'd have to release its binding. We'd just be setting ourselves up."

Sam knew just what it meant for his brother to come to that decision. Dean had never given up on anyone in his entire life. Choosing to risk Sara's life wasn't a choice he made lightly. "Get it done, Sam. We need to get them out of here."

Chapter End Notes:

Whew...right. Hopefully none of you fell asleep during that update...lol. I just didn't want to break it up, though I probably should have. Hope you liked and I'm gonna do my very best to wrap this up before Wednesday. Thanks for reading and drop me a line if you enjoyed - Kel