Ten

The one thing Sam didn't feel was the eyes on him as he walked from the local drug store back to the motel.

The thing he expected the least was to be verbally assaulted the second he walked through the door by someone other than Bobby.

"You've been on this case for two days already not counting today," she glared at Sam. Bobby rolled his eyes behind her. "And yet you still haven't found my daughter. Care to explain why two of you are just sitting here while your third absent agent is off somewhere?"

Sam stopped in his tracks, caught off guard at first, and then he stared at Bobby for help.

"Don't look at me boy," Bobby shrugged. "She already tried to drill me. This one's on you to explain."

Sam could've predicted a dirty joke from Dean's mouth at what Bobby had said had the man been there. But truth was Bobby and Sam couldn't get in contact with Dean either. They'd tried to locate anywhere he could've possibly gone to, but they were at a loss as to where the portal was. Sam set down the aspirin he'd bought on the side table near his bed and then faced Miranda.

"Dean's tracking a lead right now," Sam said, it wasn't exactly a lie. "He didn't want to leave without telling you, but you know the way the FBI works."

"Don't bullshit me," Miranda raised her voice ever so slightly. "I can't reach him by phone either. He won't answer. He's probably not even doing his job right now."

Sam stayed silent.

"Fine," Miranda sighed. "I'm calling him now since you're not going to tell me."

Miranda dialed Dean's number for the fourteenth time. Sam swallowed hard when the phone started ringing from the bedside table drawer. Miranda looked confused at first, but then infuriated. She stomped over to the side table, dug out Dean's phone, and held it up to Sam and Bobby.

"Working on a lead huh?" she said.

"Miranda," Sam tried to reason with her. "We can explain."

"You'd better have a good explanation then."

Sam took a deep breath and against his better judgment he told Miranda everything. He explained what his brother, he, and Bobby really were. He explained what they were hunting. He explained where and why Dean had gone. He stopped after Miranda gave him a look of disbelief.

"You're crazy," Miranda scoffed. "All of you. Wherever your fake agent is you can tell him to shove it up his ass. I'll find my daughter myself if I have to. Don't think I won't report you if either of you ever talk to me again."

"Miranda," Sam exclaimed when the woman walked out the door, slamming it behind her. "Please just listen!"

"Sam don't," Bobby stood from the chair he'd been sitting in. "You'll make it worse. Right now we've gotta stay under the radar again and pray Dean will be back in two days or we go to him."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Sam sighed. "You're right."

Meanwhile Miranda stomped down the sidewalk, holding back tears as she stared at all of the wreaths on the doors. Some with ribbons, some without, and hers now sported a ribbon for town strength and pride even in the wake of tragedy. It was safe to say she wasn't proud in the least. Every bone in her body ached to hold her missing daughter. They ached for everyone to hold their child once again. She was so distracted in her hopeful thoughts that she didn't see her friend the Sheriff and ran into him.

"Mike," Miranda apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Mike replied. "You look like you were deep in thought anyway."

"Just thinking about everything," Miranda looked around. "I feel as though we've been thrown into a silent war zone."

"I want them back too," Mike commented. "As badly as you do."

"It's been so long for you," Miranda sighed. "That damn agent lied to me and now he disappears and I doubt I'll ever see my daughter again."

"Agent Paul," Mike was confused. "What do you mean he lied to you?"

"He's gone," Miranda huffed and threw her scarf back around her shoulders. "And now I don't know if the kids will ever come back."

"Where did he go?"

"Somewhere," Miranda rolled her eyes. "Wherever those kids claim they went."

Miranda walked away from Mike fast and off down the sidewalk. Mike felt like he'd been sideswiped. He'd been trying for years to figure out where the kids went and here this new guy comes along and finds the place they went. Apparently he hadn't come back though. That made Mike worry. He had a thought though, if he talked to the two agents that Agent Paul had come to town with then maybe he could find the answer to the question that had been haunting his town for far too long. Mike debated going to the motel first, but then remembered he was pulling a double shift that night. He decided to go home instead and get some shut eye before his next round of work.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean awoke to cries and screams outside of his little guest house. He sprang up out of bed and immediately grabbed the dagger the old medicine man had given him and ran to the window to take a look. Luckily he'd fallen asleep in his clothes that evening after a long dinner with the king and queen of the fairies. Dean grabbed his shoes, slipped them on, and ran down the long hallway, down the twisting stairs and outside. Around him he saw destroyed homes on the ground, dead animals that had managed to be in the way of the evil and weeping mothers on their knees with their faces in their hands. Puck's army was walking; some were limping, back from the direction where the giant beast had gone.

Dean heard the Basket Woman's cry echo in the distance through the night and his blood turned cold.

Puck was gripping his sword and glaring in disgust at what had just occurred. His mother, father, and sister watched from afar and came closer only when he stopped in the courtyard.

"The foul she-beast has struck again," Puck announced. "She took three this time. Two of which were ours."

Dean knew the mischievous fairy was referring to children. He didn't want to even think if one of them was Sierra, Miranda's daughter, or not. Puck looked as though he'd gotten little sleep that night already without his stare that could give small children nightmares. His shoulders were tense and he wore almost no battle gear which led Dean to believe he too had rolled out of bed in time to pursue the Basket Woman, but not to stop her. Dean doubted they even knew exactly what they were dealing with. All he knew was that Lily was looking at him as if he should speak up and the king and the queen looked disheartened. They simply didn't know what to do anymore. Dean thought about what the king had said when he'd first arrived at the fairy kingdom in Somewhere. Someone was destined to be their hero. Since the first child had disappeared they'd been terrorized by this monster and as a community built on peace Dean could tell that was all they wanted once again. Whether Dean was willing to be nobility or not didn't matter anymore. He knew what he had to do.

"I know how to stop her," Dean yelled over the mass confusion and all eyes turned to him. "I know what she is too!"

"A beast is what she is," a male fairy exclaimed. "She's wrecked our kingdom for years and stolen our young!"

"You can't stop her," another fairy gave Dean a look. "No one can."

Dean slowly pulled out his dagger. The fairies gasped. It glimmered in the moonlight and the lighted mushrooms that adorned the ground. Dean held it high above his head and when he spoke he acknowledged everyone listening.

"This dagger was given to me by a man who knows of this creature," Dean explained. "He is from my world. He is a hunter like what I am. We specialize in these things. This dagger if I get close enough to stab the monster with it, it'll kill her."

"How do you know it's a her?" Sindri asked. "We barely kept up with it. There's no way you could know the gender?"

"I know because I know what creature she is," Dean replied. "She's called the Basket Woman and she's a creep. She eats kids. Don't worry though she's kind of stupid. Some of them get free. She's got to be stopped because the people in this town in my world? They're suffering. They think their kids are dead. Well I'm here to find them and I'm here to kill the Basket Woman."

"I cannot allow you to go off without the proper things," the fairy king said to Dean. "I insist you join the ranks of my warriors. You can teach them what to do in order to defeat her and there's safety in numbers. I won't allow you to go after her alone."

"Father," Puck spoke up. "I believe my warriors and I can handle this alone. We're perfectly capable."

"Puck please," Lily defended her father. "Father is right. Dean is a valuable asset to your team. You simply must get him on board."

"You heard the lady Puck," Dean stared at the fairy prince. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"I could lose my throne or my sanity because of you." Puck muttered to himself.

"Tonight we rest," the king ordered. "Tomorrow bright and early we train. If we're to fight her then we need all of the skills we can get."

Puck glared at Dean and turned away, ordering something at his men in fairy language and they all walked off in the opposite direction. Lily smiled at Dean and he gave her a fake smile back. He wasn't exactly thrilled about working with her brother who hated his guts, but if it was going to bring the children back then Dean could put the animosity beside and fight.

The queen and Lily walked off towards their chambers and Dean sheathed his dagger, looking around one last time at the damage, before he walked back to his guest house to get some sleep. It was going to be a long day when morning came.

Reviews appreciated!

I have not abandoned this story I promise. Finals were rough and my muse has gravitated towards my Season Ten AU story, but I won't give up on this one I promise.

So? Dean and Puck are forced to work together? That's gonna turn out real well.

What does Mike want to talk to Sam and Bobby about?

More to come soon.