Author's Notes:

The legend of the jade dragon stated here is not mine. It's a traditional story.

"Blow me to Bermuda" is not mine either but my little bow to Disney's Merlin in "Sword in the Stone".

I'd really like to take the time to openly thank Rid for all her help, patience, and input. This part is much better thanks to her taking time to offer her thoughts and suggestions on few things. Here's hoping she doesn't mind my little bow to "Company of Dragons".

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If Jim came to the same conclusion about Mujib that Caleb did, the pastor chose to ignore it for the time being.

Instead, he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed opposite from Caleb. The casual move effectively boxed Deuce in between the two of them. With no room to squirm, Dean had no choice but to accept being fussed over.

He had to admire Jim's style.

Mujib sensing he was an intruder at the moment, looked at Jim, "I'm going to put some food on to heat." With that the doctor turned on his heel and headed out of the bedroom.

Giving Dean a concerned look the pastor reached out and laid a gentle hand on the side of his face. "You're still like ice, my boy."

Dean shot Jim a suffering look, "I'm fine. Stop fussing, Skin Horse." Then Dean scowled at him. "Dude, what did I tell you about personal space?"

Caleb's only response was to smile sweetly and not budge.

Jim carefully tilted Dean's face to inspect the bruises. You could tell the pastor didn't like what he saw. "You don't appear to have a concussion. How are you feeling? And don't try to hide in plain sight."

Dean rolled his eyes and Caleb smirked when Jim said those words.

He still remembered the day Jim told him the story of the origins of jade dragons and their uncanny ability to 'hide in plain sight'. Dean had still been the silent, feral, little creature he had reverted to after his mother died. John needed to take Sammy to the doctors, and Mac had 'suggested' John assign Caleb the baby-sitting responsibilities for the day. Arming Caleb with only a twenty and the advice of if he needed back-up to track down Jim outside. John had then taken a screaming baby Sammy and walked out the door.

Caleb's first baby-sitting gig had not gone well.

It had taken all of five seconds for the difficult, five year-old to slip right out of Caleb's sight and disappear. After an hour of fruitless searching and not being able to track the brat telepathically. Caleb had finally admitted defeat. Acknowledged he needed help and gone looking for the Pastor.

When he had found Jim the scene had been right out of "Huckleberry Finn". The pastor was down at his pond, sitting up against a tree, dozing in the sun, with his favorite fishing hat lazily pulled over his eyes. Hearing Caleb's approach one twinkling blue-gray eye peeked out. "How are things going?"

It had taken all the self-control the fourteen year-old possessed not to kick him.

Jim pushed the hat up. "Have you ever heard the story of how jade dragons came in to being and why they hide, Caleb?"

"No." Caleb couldn't for the life of him figure out what this had to do with anything.

"Once there was this tiny, little Carp," the pastor held his thumb and finger a small distance apart. "One day this bold, little fish saw the top of a very high mountain and he was determined to climb it. He swam upstream, climbed rapids and waterfalls letting no obstacle stand in way of his goal. He eventually reached the top of the mountain. The Carp didn't know it at the time, but this mountain was very special. At the top of this mystical mountain was a 'Dragon's Gate'. When the Carp jumped through the magical, flaming gate he was transformed in to the very first jade dragon."

Caleb had to fight down the urge to scream. He had lost Dean. John was going to kill him and the Pastor Jim seemed unperturbed. In fact, he was sitting here telling Caleb fairy tales. Not only was the Pastor weird. He was maddening.

Why did his father insist he spend time with this man?

Caleb took a deep cleansing breath and gleefully visualized what he was going to do to that little, green-eyed fiend when he finally found him. "Let me guess? The dragons had to learn to hide because humans came to fear them for their power and wanted to destroy them."

The pastor looked pleased Caleb had decided to work his puzzle. "Actually the very opposite happened. Jade dragons had to learn to hide because greedy humans wanted them for their own selfish purposes. You see, not only did the jade dragon's mere presence grant incredible good fortune and protection to all those around them. But they're the only dragons with the ability to grant wishes and second chances. Powerful emperors and warlords hunted and tried to cage them. Wars were even fought over the gifts their presence brought."

Caleb was getting a headache. "So jade dragons learned to hide."

Nodding the pastor continued, "Oh yes, they did. The only problem is jade dragons are by nature courageous, sentry dragons. They're happiest when they're protecting others. So hiding made them very sad. Despite their wariness of humans, the dragons eventually did decide to come back and live among us. The dragons even learned the perfect way to hide was to hide in plain sight."

Caleb took another cleansing breath and called on every meditation technique his father ever taught him. He had a feeling the pastor knew where Dean was. "So if jade dragons are so good at hiding. Where do you hunt for them?"

"Oh, they always leave clues. First, you need to look for a Lotus bloom."

Caleb fought the urge to stomp his foot. The only thing stopping him was his father's voice echoing through his mind reminding him that fourteen year-olds did not throw temper tantrums. "Lotus bloom?"

"Oh yes," the pastor replied. "Lotus flowers always bloom where a jade dragon is near. Lotus blooms represent a person's ability to float above the muddy waters of anger and disillusionment to appreciate the gifts heaven has given them. So where you have a Louts bloom, you always have a jade dragon."

Caleb counted to ten. "And once you find the Lotus bloom, then where do you search?"

Pastor Jim's eyes danced with mischief. "Once you find the Lotus bloom then you must look down."

"Look down?" Caleb demanded rubbing his head.

"Oh yes," the pastor nodded, "Jade dragons are very wary creatures. They look for humility in all that approach them. That's why you must look down to find them. The dragons are wise enough to know the humble person rarely stumbles during their journey in life." The pastor pulled his hat back over his eyes. "You now know where to look, Caleb. Go find our elusive jade dragon before John comes home."

It had taken Caleb another half hour of searching but he did eventually find the lotus bloom. It was in Jim's portable water garden by the back porch. Looking down in to the crawl space under the porch his eyes made contact with a pair of mistrustful, flat, jade-green ones.

The little brat had been hiding in plain sight all along.

Then Caleb had made the big mistake of reaching in to try to drag Dean out.

It appears Pastor Jim had forgotten to point out one important detail in his story.

Jade dragons had claws.

Sharp ones.

A few moments later Caleb was sitting in the grass inspecting his bleeding arm when a shadow fell across his vision. A first-aid kit and plate of peanut-butter cookies were handed to him. The pastor then dropped down on to the ground next to him. "Did I forget to mention that jade dragons teach us one other very valuable lesson?"

Opening the first-aid kit, and glaring. Caleb asked casually, "Oh really? What's that?"

Jim grinned at him, stretched out in the grass, and then pulled his hat once again over his eyes. He was settling in for a long stay. "Patience, my boy. They teach us patience."

It was Dean's attempts to squirm out of Jim's grasp that pulled Caleb out of his thoughts.

He rolled his eyes and sighed.

There were days Caleb still felt like he was trying to lure an obstinate five year-old out from under the back porch.

"There doesn't appear to be any lasting harm done," Jim pronounced when he was finally through inspecting Dean. "I'm going to track Mujib down to see if he needs any help with the food. Caleb, stay here and assist Dean getting dressed." Dean opened his mouth to protest and the Pastor cut him off with one look. "There will be no objections. Either Caleb stays here or you stay in bed. You're choice."

Sullenly, Dean replied, "Fine."

Patting Deuce on the side of the face the Pastor replied, "I do love it, when you decide to be reasonable." Jim winked at Caleb as he got up off the bed, "It happens so rarely."

Caleb chuckled.

Dean smacked him again. "Not one word, Demon Boy."

Jim's last words as he walked out the door were, "Remember, Caleb, patience. They teach us patience."

Glaring at where the pastor existed. Dean muttered, "I hear Jim curse, 'Blow me to Bermuda' once. I'm outta here."

Caleb smirked as he got up and headed over to the dresser Dean was using, "Oh, please Deana, Merlin has you whipped and you know it. That's why you've spent the last four months at the farm playing chess and doing jigsaw puzzles." Then eyeing the doorway wearily he added, "You don't suppose Jim's turning Mujib in to a toad or anything do you?"

"I doubt it," Dean replied shaking his head. "If Jim could do something like that I'm pretty sure Mujib would be deep-fried toad legs by now. Especially after the three hours we spent wandering the airport looking for Doc's car."

That was very true.

Mujib had an appalling sense of direction. Doc was a fine example of how any group of people could end up wandering the desert for forty years.

Pulling a drawer open, Caleb looked over at his friend, "You're taking the whole melting wall thing rather calmly."

"I acknowledge, around Jim, strange things simply happen." Dean slowly swung his feet over the side of the bed. "I don't ask. I don't want to know."

"Sammy called while you were out," Caleb stated looking back down at the drawer and not meeting his friend's eyes.

"You two went at it didn't you?" Caleb's silence was all the answer Dean needed. Dean sighed, "You know? Sometimes I think the biggest gulf between Sammy and us is Sammy sees 'normal' as this ideal place. It's all he wants because he's never had it. You, I, and Dad, on the other hand, had normal once and normal fucked us over so badly we don't want anything to do with it."

"Yeah, I know," Caleb agreed. "The problem is I don't see us bridging that gulf anytime soon." Trying to lighten the mood Caleb added, "Besides I think the pissy bitch is still holding a grudge about the Brownie."

"You did splatter it all over his prom date."

"Yeah." Caleb replied lightly, "Still. Sammy didn't need to get his panties in such a bunch about it."

Deuce cleared his throat. Then in a voice so soft Caleb could hardly hear him, he said, "Harland stopped by the farm to visit when Jim was recovering."

Caleb looked up from the drawer he was going through, "What did Tweedledee want?"

Caleb detested Harland Sawyer. The man was vermin. He'd never seen anyone with the talent to verbally knock someone around with a smile on his face like Harland could.

"He dropped a get-well gift off to Jim."

Hopefully, Jim burned it.

"And?" Caleb prompted as he pulled a gray sweatshirt out of the drawer and closed it. He couldn't help but notice the sweatshirt was one of Sammy's.

"Harland asked if Mac and Jim were looking in to new candidates for Scholar since Sammy broke ties with the Brotherhood." Dean looked in to his eyes and the kid's eyes were so earnest and full of pain. "Are they?"

"Not as far as I know," Caleb responded truthfully as he handed the sweatshirt to his friend.

Dean licked his lips nervously, "Harland got me thinking."

"About what?" Caleb had a very bad feeling he wasn't going to like this conversation.

Deuce looked down at his feet. "I want you to consider recommending me for the position of Gungnir."

"What!" Caleb demanded. He felt like he had been sucker punched. Shit. He had seen a lot of things coming, but never this. "Do you even know what the Gungnir is?"

Meaning 'Unwavering One' the Gungnir was named after Odin's mystical javelin. It always hit its mark and always faithfully returned to Odin's hand. The Gungnir's responsibility was to carry out any death sentence the Guardian handed down.

Dean's eyes flashed as he threw the sweatshirt on and stood up. "I'm not stupid. I know Gungnir is the Brotherhood's title for executioner. I am also aware that most times either the Guardian or Knight assumes the title and carries out the responsibility."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Caleb replied," Then you know no one in the Brotherhood has held the position of Gungnir in years. Hell, the last official death order was handed out by Julian Smith."

"All I know," Dean replied softly as his green eyes met Caleb's gold ones. "Killing is the one thing I've always done well. I can do the job. And if it takes the responsibility off your shoulders: Even better."

Caleb met those jade eyes and hated what he saw there. He was eight years older, but Dean had probably seen as much, or possibly even more, violence than he had.

"What brought this on, Deuce?" Caleb asked softly. "What did Harland say to you? That Brotherhood is going to kick you to the curve now that Sammy's gone? That we only kept you around all these years because Sammy was being groomed for Scholar?"

"Harland asked me the obvious," Dean stated flatly.

"Enlighten me."

"He asked me what I planned to do when the new Triad came to power."

"Because the new Triad won't have any use for someone with only a high school diploma. Is that it?" Caleb demanded. "That the only thing you're ever going to be smart enough for is muscle or dirty work?"

Dean's blank face said it all.

Caleb hoped Harland Sawyer had a nice hot fire waiting for him in Hell.

"Will you consider the recommendation or not?" Dean demanded.

"No."

"I walk in on the most entertaining discussions." A stranger's voice suddenly interrupted.

They both spun around and did a double take.

The man standing before them may have been handsome once if the unruined side of his face was any indication. On the other side of his face, however, the facial scars were horrific. It was the cold glint of madness in his eyes, though, and not the facial scars that made Caleb want to grab Dean and run.

Dean's face held a complete look of shocked, revulsion, "This is impossible. You're the priest from my dream."

The man smiled. The evil malevolence in it made the hair on the back of Caleb's neck stand up. "My, my, I stop by to call on my old friend James to chat about finally getting this cursed thing off." He held up his hand so they both could see the black tinted silver ring on his finger. "Look what I stumble on instead."

The silver band on Caleb's finger started to vibrate in warning.

A shot rang out.

Caleb didn't think twice.

He grabbed Dean and hit the floor.