A/N Sorry about the long delay. Life intruded along with a bit of writer's block. Gratefully the premature birth of my granddaughter has resolved itself into a healthy growing infant. Writer's block on my other story has surfaced ("Pieces of her Heart" a romance between Sam and Jo after Dean went to Hell.) So I am picking up the gauntlet on this one again.

Dean drew back from the potent kiss, his fingers softly caressing her cheek. His intense gaze searched the depths of her eyes and saw what he was so desperately hoping for. "I love you, Lisa." He murmured the words softly before he kissed her again. This time more urgently.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He might have ignored it, but his daughter's life was at risk and he could not ignore anything that might pertain to this case. He stepped back from Lisa, noting that this was not exactly the right to place to even be thinking of seducing Lisa. He opened the text, raising a surprised brow that the angel had not just appeared beside them. He looked back to Lisa, "Cas is back. He's out in the waiting room."

He reached for Lisa's hand, entwining her fingers with his and led her with him out of Mary's room.

Castiel rose as they entered the visitor's waiting room. "Dean." he said in greeting before nodding toward the mother of Dean's children. "Lisa."

Dean got straight to the point. "Did you talk to Sammy?"

"Yes, and he was quite adamant about me using doors, and not just "popping in" as you and Sam call it. I can assure you it was not my intention but it seems I may have scared the others when I arrived in Miss Taylor's home. However, Sam clearly doesn't seem to have the same issues you do about personal space."

The angel, however, silently noted that the rules about said 'space' that the hunter so adamantly demanded clearly did not apply to Lisa Braeden as she was practically glued to Dean's side.

In response to Castiel's comment Dean just gave the angel a pointed glare, and moved on, "What did Sam have to say?"

"He has discovered several other children at other hospitals. I have intervened with all but the last one. That child has just been brought into the Emergency Department downstairs."

"When are you going to take care of that little one?" Lisa asked, concern for another sick child filling her eyes.

"Whenever Dean gives the green light."

Lisa's jaw dropped in shock. "Dean, why would you not allow him to help that child?" She dropped her hands from the arm which she'd been clinging to.

"Of course I'll allow him to help, there's nothing that I would like more, but we need that kid to be admitted up here first. It will be easier to obtain information that way. Instead of having Sam trying to hack in to more medical records."

Lisa turned so that she was standing face to face with him, her dark brown eyes searching his green ones."Dean, that is so cruel. To let those parents agonize over their child when we have a means to put their minds into some sort of relief."

Completely ignoring Castiel's presence, Dean's hand came up to caress her cheek.

"Lisa, I wouldn't hold off if was not crucial. True cruelty would be wasting what might be our only opportunity to put an end to this thing. Letting the Shtriga get a hold on another child. For it to move on to terrify another family. It's already harmed our daughter. I'm not gonna let it win.

"As parents of one sick child to another the parents should be able to tell us what we need to know without even being suspicious. The first thing we need to know is if the kid has any siblings. That would give us a handle on whether or not we have a candidate for the Shtriga's next potential prey."

"But Dean..." Her tone was the one she used when she was trying to persuade him to do something he didn't necessarily want to do. Usually she'd change his mind, but given the circumstances as they stood right now he had to remain unmovable.

"But nothing Lisa, either we do it this way or sit back and wait and hope that this thing comes after Ben.

He saw the fight go out of Lisa's eyes and her arguments nullified as fears for her oldest child came to the forefront. Dean pulled her into his arms hugging her close as he dropped a kiss on top of her head. "It will only be a matter of a few hours at the most, depending how backed up the emergency room is. And I wouldn't have to leave Mary either."

As much as she didn't like it, she knew he was right. He'd been dealing with monsters for years. She was thinking with a mother's heart. The parent in her struggling against the hunter's logic. And Dean's logic was to keep it as far from his family as possible.

In surrender she curled herself tighter into Dean's embrace. She spoke with her head against his chest, "When you kill this thing you better make damn sure it stays dead."

Back at the Taylor home, Sam was still researching the internet—searching through more medical records and current events for possible ties. Gathering the addresses and even returning to information about the Shtriga he and Dean had killed several years back.

Just thinking about it sent a cold chill through him. He had been very much aware the last time of what was happening to him when that vile creature was drawing out his life force. One of the many times he'd had to be grateful that Dean was a hunter of the highest caliber.

How much exactly would all these kids remember of their ordeal? He'd have to ask Castiel about wiping away all of the horror they'd experienced. He glanced over at the sleeping teenagers. Sadness that their childhood innocence had been cruelly ripped away by changelings when Ben was just eight filled him muted outrage.

It was the same innocence that had been so cruelly wrested from him and Dean when their mother was killed by that yellow-eyed demon when he was still a baby. And he could also pinpoint when he came to full awareness that the world was not as it seemed-the first time a Shtriga had come after him.

Sam shook it all away, glancing over at Danielle whom he'd persuaded to get some rest. Even though he had no trouble going to sleep since getting his soul back, he also had the residual capability of going overnight with little or no rest when necessary. He knew he could sleep after the sun came up—of course, that would be after he and Castiel checked out all the homes of the affected children.

He watched the gentle rise and fall of Danielle's breathing. Not a trace of worry was on her face. So different from when she was awake, the fear and horror that lingered so vividly just below the surface. She was very attractive, a confident woman, All things considered she—and Lisa, for that matter were doing quite well for themselves as single moms.

Even if it was through personal experience, telling her there worse things out certainly there wasn't the way to make things better for her. He seemed to sense a genuine connection with her and he'd love nothing more than to take those terrifying memories and horrifying images away from her. Put better memories in their place.