AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone! Thank you for the review, follows and favorites! They mean a lot! 3

Here's the new chapter, the biggest chapter so far, if I'm not wrong, with a little over 4k!

Buckle up, 'cause we're diving deeper into the magic part from here on.

I think it's worth saying that while most of the magical lingo and spells I use come from the spells and rituals used in The Vampire Diaries Universe, some of them come from my personal research on the topic. So, disclaimer: I don't own anything, and I'm just a humble student of the mysteries and the many faiths that exist in this wonderful world we live in.

I hope you enjoy it!

"Mama Osa, they're not here to cause any harm," Andrea says, as tension grows in the air.

"Is that true, hunter?" Osa asks, looking at Dean.

"Mama, I—" Andy tries to reply, but Osa raises a hand at her, cutting her off.

"What's your name, son?" The priestess asks again.

"Dean," He answers. "My name's Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam,"

Osa nods at his words, her sharp dark brown eyes studying him before she tilts her head to look at the taller man. "Do you intend to cause me or my people any harm?"

Much to his credit, Dean's reply is quick, straightforward, and polite. "No, ma'am. We're here because Andy– Andrea needs your help,"

"Can I confirm that?" Osa asks, standing with both her hands over the counter, with her palms up.

Dean looks at Andy, a nervous and unsure expression on his face.

"Andy?" Sam asks, and his voice makes her shudder.

"It's okay," She replies, after a second. "She just wants to do a quick reading. It's safe and harmless,"

Trusting her words, Dean steps forward, putting his hands over the hands of the priestess.

"Focus on my question, young hunter. Your heart will tell me the true answer," Osa instructs, before closing her hands around his.

As she does that, Dean feels warmth on his hands, but the feeling is comfortable and almost welcoming. It lasts less than a minute, and when the older woman is done, she has a big smile on her face.

"Thank you for your honesty, Dean Winchester. Now, why don't we move this somewhere else? You three look plum tuckered and there's some fresh gumbo waiting for you back at my house," She winks at Dean after saying that.

He turns to Andy as the older woman goes to the back of the shop. "How does she know I'm hungry?" He half whispers.

Andy smiles. "Mama Osa knows a lot of things, Dean. We should get going. She doesn't like to wait,"

—

"Oh my god," Dean exclaims with a full mouth of gumbo. "This is fuckin'– Sorry, I mean this is delicious! It's mind-blowing!"

As Sam rolls his eyes, keeping his ever-polite stance, Andy smiles and Mama Osa laughs. "There's a reason why they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," As she says those words, Dean's eyes immediately find Andrea's, remembering what she had told him back in Zachariah's dream life. "... a nice plate of gumbo never fails," Osa finishes and Dean returns his attention to her.

"I don't suppose you can give me the recipe, can you?" He asks her, but his eyes are still stuck on Andrea.

"Oh, no. A wise woman never spills the beans about the magic she does in the kitchen, Dean," Mama replies, not missing the way the hunter was looking at the young witch.

Their eyes meet yet again, but Andy looks away from Dean, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. She stands up, moving to set her plate on the sink and turn on the faucet. "Step away from that sink, Andrea," Mama Osa reprimands, just as she grabs the sponge. "You know visitors don't do dishes in my house,"

"I'm just trying to help," Andy replies, feeling stupid in a second for trying to lie to Osa. It had never worked, and as Mama stared at her it was clear it hadn't worked this time either.

"Help, uh? Well, you can help me pick some herbs in the garden while they finish their lunch," Osa replies, opening the back door. "You boys make yourselves at home, we'll be back in a few minutes,"

Knowing better than to question, Andy follows her silently. As they leave, Sam turns to Dean. "She reminds me of Missouri,"

Seeing the resemblance, the older Winchester laughs and nods. "She definitely has Missouri vibes. And, while they're outside, I'm gonna get more gumbo,"

"Dean, that's your third plate!" Sam exclaims.

"It's also one of the best things I've ever eaten, so shut it,"

—

"What herbs do you need?" Andrea asks Osa once they're outside.

"Orris root, vervain, camphor, chamomile, lavender, five-finger-grass, witch hazel, mullein, penny royal, and wormwood,"

"Using me to replenish your pantry, Mama?" She jokes, making note of the herbs requested, and walking towards the witch hazel tree first.

"What's going on between you and the hunter?" Mama Osa suddenly asks, making Andrea trip on a root, lose her balance, and almost fall to the ground.

Not much goes by Mama. Actually, nothing goes by without her noticing, a voice from the past echoes in Andrea's mind. She should've known Mama would notice the way Dean stared at her moments ago. And she should've known picking up herbs was just an excuse for them to be alone.

When she doesn't say anything at first, Osa keeps speaking. "I felt it when I read him. He was worried about you, yes. But there was something else there. Something more than just… worry. Of course, a few seconds don't help for much clarity, but then, I saw the way he looked at you… You can't tell me there's nothing happening,"

At that, Andrea suddenly laughs. Hard. As if she'd just heard the funniest joke ever told.

"Didn't realize my words were so funny," Osa says, cautiously. She'd felt something wrong with Andrea since the moment the young witch had entered her shop, and she had a feeling that whatever it was, it was what was making Andrea react so… erratic.

"They aren't," Andrea replies a moment later, wiping her eyes. "It's just… there's a lot happening. A lot. But I can't… I don't know what to say. I don't even know where to begin. And even if I did know where to begin, trust me, you don't wanna know,"

"Why not?" Osa retorts with that no-nonsense tone that had always been infuriating.

"Because it doesn't make sense! Because it's confusing!" Andrea suddenly screams. "Like everything in my life always is! Oh, and also because there's a good chance the whole thing is all in my head!" Her chest burns with the words, and she feels exasperated and tired, and angry.

Once again, Osa feels the bouts of strange energy coming from the younger woman. Studying Andrea, she decides to table the subject for now.

"Alright, why don't you start with the lavender? Osa suggests, hoping the calming herb could bring the witch some peace.

—

When the two women return, the boys are finished, and Mama Osa's face grows serious. "Now that you are all done, we need to talk. Let's go into my office, shall we?"

If the parts of the house they'd seen so far looked normal, this room is an amplification of what they'd seen at the store. The shelves in the walls are filled with jars, books, candles, and other witchy things the Winchesters don't recognize. There's a large wooden table on one side and a sofa with armchairs on the other.

Osa sits on one of the armchairs, pointing to the couch for the boys while Andy sits in front of her. "Tell me what happened, Andrea," She says, fully paying attention to the young woman.

Andy finds herself at a loss for words, unsure of how to begin. The words seem to escape her mind just as she's about to grasp at them, making her feel like her brain is disorganized and her thoughts are fuzzy.

"I… uh, I was possessed by a demon," She finally says, after a long moment. "A very powerful demon. And then I… I died. While I was… possessed. I should've stayed dead, but somehow… I… I came back. I was hoping you could help me find out how it happened and why, Mama," She pauses. "I need to know I'm not… dangerous,"

No one had said it out loud until then, but Andrea knew that Sam and Dean had been worried about the same thing. They had to be sure she hadn't been brought back by someone with evil intentions, or who intended to use her to do their evil deeds.

Osa stands up, walking to stand in front of Andrea. She extends her hands and closes her eyes for a few seconds, focusing more on what she had felt before. "There's strange magic here," Mama says, looking at Andrea. "Let's get you on the table," Nodding, Andy removes her jacket, and walks to the wooden table. "Are you comfortable with them here during the reading ritual?"

"What reading ritual?" Dean asks, standing up.

Mama Osa shakes her head, giving Andrea a pointed look meant to chastise her, before replying to his question. "I serve Maman Brijit, Dean. She's a loa who's a member of the Guede,"

As confusion appears on the hunters' faces, Andrea sighs. "Loa means spirits," She explains. "And the Guede are a family of spirits who work with the dead. Mama Osa will use her connection to them to read me and find out what happened,"

"Can't you just read her like you read my brother in the store?" Sam questions, not really liking the way things are going. They had dealt with their fair share of magic stuff before, but for some reason, this felt different, like next-level serious different.

"My ability to read people only goes so far, I'm afraid. And matters of life and death are beyond me. The loa, however, know everything that goes on the land of the dead, and they can tell us what happened,"

Dean walks to where Andy's sitting on the table. "Are you okay with this?" He asks, ignoring the other people in the room.

His actions puzzle Andrea and she isn't sure how to react. "Uh, yeah," She replies. "I'm okay, and I… I trust Osa,"

"Okay," He replies, walking back to the couch as Mama Osa takes his place in front of Andrea.

To their surprise, the first thing the priestess does is offer Andrea a cigarette. "Smoke and inhale deep a few times," Osa instructs. Then, turning to grab a bottle from one of the shelves, she pours some of the liquid into a cup carved with symbols they don't recognize. "Drink up,"

Andrea grimaces as she tastes the rum, and she shakes as the drink burns all the way down her throat. Handing the cup back to Osa, she puts her legs over the table and lays down. "Now, close your eyes, Andrea," Mama says.

Dean and Sam watch in silence as Mama Osa lights up some candles. Then, she dips her fingers into a pot nearby and uses the white substance in her fingertips to draw something on Andy's forehead. After that, she lights up a bundle of herbs tied together and as smoke appears, she moves the burning herbs over Andrea's body.

Suddenly, something happens. There's a clear change in the air, in the energy of the room, and the sudden presence makes chills run down the hunters' spine.

Mama Osa straightens up, and they see the exact moment when a smile appears on her face and she starts mumbling under her breath in a language they don't recognize or understand. She puts the smoking herbs away and starts touching Andrea's body. First, her legs, then her abdomen, her hands, and arms, until she reaches her shoulders. When she touches Andrea's chest, Osa throws her head back, her face scrunched up in a scowl as a strange, guttural, and bone-chilling sound leaves her mouth. Her body starts trembling and shaking like she's convulsing, but as suddenly as it begins, everything just stops.

They feel a little breeze pass by and after that, the room and their surroundings feel normal again.

"I knew there was strange magic here," Osa says as Andrea opens her eyes.

"What is it?" Sam asks, not missing the opportunity to give Dean a pointed look, as if silently saying, I told you so.

"The remnants of a resurrection spell," Mama Osa replies, not looking back at them, as her hand hovers over Andrea's chest.

"What kind of resurrection spell?" Sam asks again.

This time, Osa turns to him. "There are many resurrection spells, boy. But their principle is the same, they all are a violation of the natural order of life and death, and they all have consequences," She finishes her sentence staring at Andrea.

"I had nothing to do with this, Osa," Andrea says as she sits up on the table. "I swear,"

The priestess offers her a kind smile. "I know, girl. I know,"

"Can you tell us who did it?" Sam asks yet again, and this time Osa doesn't miss the way Andrea cringes at his words.

"That's not how this works, boy," Mama replies, shaking her head a little.

"How does it work, then?" Sam insists. "You need to tell us,"

Although feeling tired from the reading and with her head still fuzzy, Andrea notices the change in Osa's face when Sam doesn't drop the subject.

The priestess turns to him, some of her usual gentleness gone from her face. "And you need to wait, boy. You intend well," She continues, having felt his concern. "But this isn't how you get what you want,"

"Sam," Dean says, giving his brother a hard look, silent telling him to sit the fuck down.

"As you saw, I summoned the Guede. As I'm a servant of Maman Brigitte, the right offering connects me to her, and I requested from her the Guede's assistance. Using me as a conduit, they read Andrea and they could feel that her spirit was forcefully pulled back from their domain. And there's only one type of magic powerful enough to do that," Mama Osa pauses, carefully thinking her words, considering what she's about to tell the two hunters.

At the same time, Andrea's heart begins to beat faster. The whole notion of dying, of being dead had been creeping Andrea out since she'd woken up, but now, upon hearing Mama Osa saying that her spirit had been pulled from the realm of the dead, suddenly everything hit her once again. The burn in her chest and the chill in her bones return.

"Every spell or magic work always leaves something behind," Mama continues. "The remnants of a spell are like an energy signature if you will. It's difficult and dangerous to tap into and read what's left of such a powerful spell. But because the Guede take it as a personal offense when someone messes with nature's balance, they answered my request. The energy left on Andrea's body is that very dark, very strong, and ancient,"

Dark, strong, and ancient, Andrea repeats in her head.

"You said something about consequences before," Sam says, his tone more gentle and polite than before. "With this type of magic what consequences are we talking about?" Sam questions.

Osa studies his face for a moment, and then, she looks at Andrea as she speaks. "We're talking nightmares, mental confusion, thoughts, and emotions all over the place, bouts of anger, joy, and sadness all at once, loss of physical connection, and physical pain, coldness, tremors, at the same time," Mama Osa pauses, eyes stuck on the younger woman. "But Andrea's already feeling most of it, aren't you?" She asks, gently.

Osa's words make Dean stare at Andy, and he sees the despair in her eyes as she nods, agreeing.

Feeling the hunters' eyes on her, Andrea suddenly feels the urge to get out of there. "I need to use the ladies' room," She says, getting up and walking out of the room before anyone can stop her.

As Dean stands up to follow her, Mama stops him. "She just needs a moment alone," Feeling another question coming, Osa beats him to it. "You needn't worry about the dark magic, Sam. With some hard work, dark magic can be cleansed away and it won't be a problem. But as I'm sure you both know, dying and coming back to life have a way of messing up pretty badly with people's heads and hearts,"

"I'm gonna go call Bobby," Sam says all of a sudden. "We haven't spoken to him since we left and he needs to know what we're doing, what we found. Excuse me,"

Osa sees the way he leaves the room in a hurry. "Was it something I said?"

"Nah, it's just… Sam has a lot on his mind, that's all," Dean replies, but knowing his brother, Sam was probably beating himself up from everything that had happened with Andy. Standing up, he walks to the window, staring out at the garden as his thoughts wander. He should've been paying more attention to Andy. He trusted her when she said she was fine, but after what Osa said it was clear she was far from fine. And once again, she hadn't told him the truth.

"Andrea's smoking on the porch in case you wanna talk to her," Mama Osa suddenly says, breaking his focus. She's doing something with the basket of herbs they had brought from the garden, and one more time her witchy ability surprises him. "But take it easy. Her head's all over the place, right now,"

"Thank you, Mama,"

Just like Osa said, Andy's sitting on the porch's steps, a pack of cigarettes by her side. As he opens up the outside door, the wind brings the smoke to him. He watches her for a moment, waiting for her to say something, but when she doesn't, he breaks the silence. "You should've told me what you were going through, Andy," His tone is quiet and sad, instead of angry, and something about it, about his presence, anchors Andrea back to the real world for a moment.

"I know," She replies, equally quiet, and Dean walks to sit beside her.

"I'm here for you, you know that, right? You can talk to me,"

"I… I know," She says, putting her free hand on her head as if the gesture could help steady her racing and uncontrolled thoughts. "And I want to, but right now I just…" She pauses as another wave of coldness hits her, making her tremble. "I can't… There's just… too much in my head…"

Her struggle is visible, and while he's still trying to find the right words to say, Mama Osa appears at the front door. "When you finish your cigarette, come inside and we'll take some of that mess off your head, alright?"

Osa's words make something click in Andrea's mind. "The herbs I picked up are for a cleansing ritual," She says, her eyes widening as she turns to look at the older woman.

The priestess nods. "Not any cleansing ritual. The cleansing ritual," Osa says, and from the look on Andy's face, Dean realizes she knows what Mama is talking about. "You can take a moment if you need to prepare. You know this spell can be really painful,"

"Painful?" Dean repeats, standing up.

"Not really," Andy says, smashing the cigarette butt on the floor. "It depends on the type and the amount of dark magic left," She continues in a calmer voice, but Dean isn't fooled by it. Her eyes don't lie, and he remembers how Mama Osa described the energy she'd felt in Andy as dark, strong, and ancient.

"Meaning, it's gonna hurt like a mother fucker," Dean offers, quickly turning to Osa. "Sorry," The older woman just waves him off.

"Don't worry, Dean. I'm gonna finish the preparations," As she leaves, he turns to Andy. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" He asks once again.

"I don't have a choice, Dean," Andy replies, using the handrail to support her as she stands up.

"There's always a choice," He insists.

Andy shakes her head, and stopping at the door, she turns to look at him. "Not with this, Dean,"

Once they're back in Mama Osa's office, Andy walks to the table, and pulling her top off, she lays down on the table once again, this time in her jeans and black bra.

Dean sits beside Sam, and he notices, as Osa approaches Andy, that she has several symbols painted on her arms.

"She said they're protection symbols," Sam offers in a low voice, noticing the expression on his brother's face.

The explanation makes Dean remember that he had seen Andy use those same symbols before, but just as he's going to speak, Osa's voice stops him.

"Are you sure you are ready?" She asks, and Andrea just nods, not trusting her own words. "We're about to begin. I'm gonna summon the Guede again to give me strength and to help us. Then, once it begins, it's important that you don't interrupt us, alright?" With their agreement, Osa starts to work.

Lighting up a large cigarette, she smokes a couple of times before leaving it on an ashtray, still burning. After lighting up the last candles, she drinks some of the rum she'd served Andrea. Then, she raises her hands and starts chanting.

"Mesye la kwa avanse pou l we yo! Maman Brijit malad, li kouche sou do, Pawol anpil pa leve le mo. Mare tet ou, mare vant ou, mare ren ou, Yo prale we ki jan yap met a jenou,"

Dean and Sam watch as Mama Osa chants a few times, dancing around herself while tapping her hands on her hips, imitating the sound of drums before the room is once again filled with the energy and the presence they'd felt moments ago. When she stops chanting and moving, she straightens up and takes the herbal paste, spreading it in her hands.

Then, Osa puts her hands on the younger woman's chest. Andrea's skin sizzles at the contact, but she remains still, struggling against the urge to groan at the feeling.

"Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo," As the priestess starts chanting the ritualistic words, the burning sensation increases, and pain awakens inside her chest to a point where Andrea can no longer keep quiet. "Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo,"

Dean looks away as Andy starts screaming. He can't bear seeing her laying there, trembling as her body convulses from the pain and the magic. Sam avoids the scene as well, walking to the window.

"Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo. Nettoyer timoun sa yo," Osa keeps chanting, but as Andrea's screams increase, her voice almost disappears.

They spend most of the afternoon there. Dean, however, feels as if they'd been there forever. The sun is setting when Mama Osa steps away from Andrea, and after moving her hands in the air in a strange gesture, the energy in the room dissipates, and she sits down on a chair, exhausted. "It's done," She says, drinking some water.

Dean immediately walks over to Andy, and his heart hurts at seeing her passed out, pale, and drenched in sweat, with the angry red burns from Osa's hands on her chest. "Is she okay?"

Osa nods, finishing her water. "The dark magic and the bad energies are gone. She'll be out for some time, but she'll be okay," She pauses, using the table to push herself to a standing position. "There's a room upstairs where you can put her. And you're both welcome to stay in my guest rooms,"

"Thank you, Mama Osa," Dean replies. "Can you show me the room?" He asks next, moving to take Andy in his arms.

Dean follows Osa, carrying Andy upstairs and laying her gently on the bed.

"Your room is right next door," The older woman says, watching him carefully. "You can go clean up while I take care of her," Feeling his worry and reluctance, she offers him a small smile. "You can go, Dean. She's in good hands,"

Some 20 minutes later, when he returns, there's a sweet and calming smell in the room.

"I cleaned her up and got her some clean clothes," Osa says as she closes the window shutters. "I used lavender and chamomile in the water. Between that and the ritual, she's going to be down for quite some time. Only Bondye knows how much she needs to rest," She pauses, grabbing the towels on the floor and the water basin she'd used. "I'm going to prepare us some light supper too, so if you want, you can rest a little too,"

Dean studies Andy's sleeping form for a moment. "I think I'll stay here a little longer,"

Osa smiles at his answer. "I thought you might say that, so I left you a blanket in the armchair. It's reclinable and you can pull out the feet rest,"

"Thank you, Mama,"

"You don't have to thank me, Dean," She replies, walking past him towards the door.

"No, I do. I mean it. Thank you for taking care of her," With one last smile, Mama Osa walks out and closes the door.