‘thoughts’

Telepathic speech

'Animal speech'

Humming quietly as he strolled down the roadway that was the ‘main street’ of Eden, Mike Rosenbaum grinned and waved to a couple of people as he went to his home there. He had decided to come to Eden to see the girl who was said to be the Chosen One, unsatisfied with Jared and Jensen’s descriptions of her. He’d gotten done early with his own filming so, before he went home for Christmas, he wanted to meet this girl that his friends were so enamored with. He chuckled as he saw Phil Treber and waved. “Hey Phil!” he called out and trotted over to where the other young man was standing near the practice glade where they would train their powers and the art of wielding the naginata.

“Mike! Wow, been a while, Mr. Lex Luthor! How’s it hangin’?” Phil answered and shook hands with Mike while grinning.

“Good and it’s great to see you. I was actually hoping to meet the Chosen One before I went home for Christmas and I happened to get off of work early,” Mike answered and smirked at his friend.

“Yea, I bet that involved some unseen schedule changes, huh?” Phil retorted with a snort and Mike laughed lightly.

“Now, now…you know I don’t do that…often,” Mike replied modestly and Phil laughed. “So where is she?” he asked as he glanced around.

“She’s training right now with Robert. Robert and I…seem to be the only ones willing to train with her,” Phil reported quietly and he looked away with a frown. “Still, she’s basically mastered everything and then some within four days. It’s incredible!” he added enthusiastically as he looked back at his suddenly skeptical friend.

“No way…four days? Impossible!” Mike whispered in shock.

“Yea, I know. What’s kind of scary is that I think we’re only scratching the surface of her abilities. She’s able to mimic our powers for a short amount of time when she touches us. I mean, yesterday she got a vision of something that was going to happen in a couple of years when she accidentally ran into Robert!” Phil explained and nibbled her lip. “But the most extraordinary thing is that…Mike, she can purify things! She can change them into their purest original form!” he whispered and looked up at his friend.

“No…way… How?” Mike asked, stunned.

“I…I’m not sure even she knows. But she can absorb energy of any kind and then use it to purify something that’s been soiled. However, it has scared everyone or…or actually it’s made them want to almost worship her…Mike, I’m really afraid for her,” Phil murmured worriedly.

“Why do you say that?” Mike inquired softly as they started walking towards the training clearing.

“No one will sit by her except for me. Everyone keeps bowing to her and calling her Chosen One. The kids aren’t even allowed to play with her! It’s…it’s killing her, Mike, and I don’t know what to do! She’s…she hasn’t been this isolated in a couple of years and this is worse than not having friends! This is almost like she’s a pariah and that’s making her want to just leave!” he informed Mike desperately as they walked along the path.

Mike bit his lip in worry. The guys were NOT going to be happy about this! He stopped though as they arrived at the glade clearing and felt the breath leave him. He watched as a slender lady almost danced around Robert while whirling her practice staff in attacks and deflects. Her face was light with a smile and her green eyes sparkled in the new snow that had fallen earlier the other night. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and bounced around as she fought with Robert. Her grace was incredible to watch and Mike felt longing shoot through him before he remembered himself. He took a deep breath then looked over as Phil elbowed him and grinned weakly when he saw his friend’s grin. “You didn’t tell me she’s gorgeous!” he hissed out.

“She’s my sister! No one would believe me until they saw her! Believe it or not, but she used to be heavier set. She lost all her weight in the first two days and with all of her hard practice, she’s honed it down to muscle,” Phil retorted and winked. But his grin slid off of his face as he watched his sister.

Looking over to see what had bothered the younger man, Mike blinked as he saw that the two had stopped practicing. Evie was kneeling in the snow as she caught her breath and was petting three dogs that he recognized as being Jared and Jeff’s. But it was her face that captured and hurt him. He saw sadness and loneliness in her face as well as pain. He’d heard that loneliness was painful, but he’d never thought he’d see actual signs of it. Nibbling on his lip, he sighed softly. “Jared, Jensen, and Jeff aren’t going to like this at all,” he murmured quietly, then took out his cell phone.

“Whatcha doing?” Phil asked when he caught sight of the phone.

“Sending pics to Jared. I promised I would,” Mike murmured as he brought up Jared’s email and then his camera phone. He pointed it at Evie and took a couple of pictures and his breath hitched when he got one of her smiling up at Robert when the older man helped her to stand. “I think I have a crush for your sister, man,” he muttered and Phil laughed, catching his sister’s attention.

She waved and came over as Mike quickly sent the pictures to Jared along with a note about Evie’s troubles. She grinned at him as she arrived and he held his hand out to her. “Hi! I’m Mike Rosenbaum!” he greeted her and she giggled and bit her lip as she shook hands with him while the dogs bounced around them.

“Evie Treber. Come to check out the Chosen One?” she responded with only a hint of bitterness and resignation.

“Sorta. I came to check up on my man, Phil here before Christmas with the family and you just happened to be an added treat,” Mike answered suavely and wondered on the flash of sadness that passed over her face when he mentioned Christmas.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. Rosenbaum. I really enjoy you as Lex Luthor. I think you’re my favorite character on that show,” Evie said before grinning down at the dogs. “We were just going to head in to get cleaned up and eat then I was just going to relax for the day. I hope you have a good Christmas,” she added before turning away.

“Wait…alone? I’ll hang with you!” Mike protested as she started to trudge back.

“Best not, Mr. Rosenbaum. People around here don’t like others getting cozy with me. Save yourself some trouble,” Evie answered before waving over her shoulder. “See you later, baby bro! Same time!” she called out as she walked away.

“That…wasn’t what I’d expected,” Mike remarked as they stared after her.

“It’s how she’s reacted since several of the more…influential people of our community basically reamed into anyone who thought to befriend her,” Phil responded quietly as he looked down at his mittened hands. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Mike. She *needs* people! She’s always been a hands-on person and cares about people so much! So to be shunned…”

“It’s killing her,” Mike concluded for him grimly and Phil nodded sadly. He clapped the younger man on the back. “No worries, man! Jared, Jensen, and Jeff won’t let her go without a fight!” he declared firmly and Phil shot him a weak smile.

“I hope so, Mike…I hope so,” Phil whispered before leading the way back to the city.

*~*~*

Jared sighed as he sat in the make-up trailer to get the last of the blood put onto him. He grinned as he was thwapped by Janie before relaxing and letting her put the finishing touches on his face. He blinked as his cell phone buzzed with an incoming message, then pulled it out.

“Who buzzed ya?” Jensen asked from where he was having his hair messed with. He grinned at Jared in the mirror and winked when Jared stuck his tongue out.

Checking his phone, Jared grinned widely, but then grunted as he was thwapped again. “Sorry...um, anyways, Mikey emailed me! Sent me pictures!” he informed his lover before accessing the message. He frowned then as he read the message.

“What is it?” Jensen asked quietly as he felt the distress that ran through Jared.

“In a minute,” Jared murmured as he started going through the pictures. His breath caught as he came to the picture of Evie smiling up at Robert while she played with Jared’s dogs and he had to shift to relieve the sudden pressure in his pants.

“What a lovely woman! Who is that, Jared?” Janie asked as she looked over his shoulder at his phone.

“A girl I’ve been trying to get the guts up to ask out,” Jared whispered huskily and Janie laughed as she finished up.

“You? Having problems asking a girl out? Yea right!” she replied before standing back. “Besides, I thought you, Jensen, and Jeff are a thing now,” she added with a grin at him and he grinned back.

“A thing...we’re not ‘a thing’...we’re dating...” Jensen grumbled as he stood up and stretched before hugging his stylist. “Thanks Sonia! C’mon, angst boy...” he said before dragging Jared after him while waving to their giggling make-up artists. They got to Jensen’s trailer and sat down. “Ok, so spill it...what did Mike say and what did you look at that has you so horny now?” he demanded and smirked as Jared grinned at him before looking at his phone.

“Mike sent some pictures, but his message has me worried. He says, ‘Hey Jared, thought I’d send you those pics like I promised. Phil has been letting me in on the lowdown and it’s not good. Evie is being almost isolated and he’s worried for her. But she’s looking good and I think that, when you guys come to visit, you better start spending some good quality time with her. Get what I mean? Later! Mikey’,” Jared responded and then showed Jensen the pictures. He grinned as Jensen’s breath caught at the same picture that had caught him and he nodded. “I know...she looks...”

“Ethereal and so...” Jensen let his breath out slowly before grinning widely at Jared. “Now I know why you’re horny. Sending them to Jeff?” he asked as Jared took his phone back and started scrolling through a menu.

“Yea...I hope we get done early today. I have a need to get to her ASAP,” Jared muttered as he forwarded the message to Jeff and then replied to Mike, thanking him. He looked over at Jensen with a smirk. “Let’s get things done right today so we can beat it,” he stated and Jensen nodded before standing. It was time for some fast filming!

After they had finished filming for the hiatus, Jensen and Jared took the ride to their hotel to pack up. They then caught their flight to LA and met up with Jeff there before going to the park just outside of Hollywood. When they got there, they walked down a hidden pathway until the arrived at an old abandoned warehouse. Going inside, they activated the Path there and headed for Eden, arriving just as the sun was setting.

Jared gasped as they walked out into the crisp winter air and he rubbed his arms before noting that his lovers were doing something he hadn’t thought of: getting their winter coats on. He scrambled for his largest suitcase and pulled out his coat before yanking it on, shivering. “Oh fucking shit I forgot how cold it gets here!” he hissed out as his teeth chattered and Jensen and Jeff just laughed at him before they started their trek to their home.

Just as they were getting close to their home, they all heard some barking and suddenly were surrounded by three joyful dogs that were each doing their best to lick at their faces. Laughing, the three men fended off their attacks with rough petting and mock growls before Sadie, Harley, and Bisou had all been suitably calmed and petted, though their tails never stopped making furrows in the ankle deep snow.

“That’s what got them so excited.”

Evie’s comment had them looking up instantly and smiling as she came over, hugging her thick coat around her as she walked along the barely cleared pathway. She smiled back slightly and waved before petting the dogs as they rushed back to her. “It’s good to see you three. I liked last week’s episode, by the way. Very amusing,” she remarked quietly as she stood up and fiddled with her mittens.

“We missed you,” Jared blurted out, trying to do anything that might bring some happiness to her. He was amazed at her transformation and worried sick at the loneliness that seemed to be clinging to her.

She looked up in surprise and a smile lit her face as pleasure colored her cheeks. “I missed you as well, Mr. Padalecki. So did the dogs. I’m not as much fun as three big burly guys, am I?” she asked teasingly of the dogs.

'Not true! You very much fun! You play with us lots!' Sadie protested and barked as she bounced around her.

'Jared never play as much with us as you do! We have to beg and beg and he still no play as much as you!' Harley declared firmly as he turned his head away from his master, which earned laughs from Jensen and Jeff and a small giggle from Evie as Jared stared at them.

'Jeff just likes to cuddle...he forget I like to play in his old age,' Bisou added snootily and stuck her nose in the air as she sat primly at Evie’s feet. Jared’s guffaw matched Jensen’s as Jeff stood gob smacked by the statement.

“Looks like you turned them against their owners, Evie!” Jensen commented as he snorted with laughter.

“When they’re the only ones who want to be around you, you tend to spoil them,” Evie admitted quietly as she smiled down at the dogs before turning, thus she missed the concerned looks that passed between the three men. “I have dinner going so I shall leave you. Bisou, Sadie, Harley...I’ll see you around. Be good with your boys, ok?” she said before kneeling and hugging the dogs, who whined as they understood that she was going without them.

“Wait, um...Evie why don’t you come over and have dinner with us?” Jared asked hastily as he moved towards her.

“It’s not allowed. I’m sorry, Mr. Padalecki. I’ll see you around,” Evie whispered tearfully before walking away quickly.

The three men watched her go to her home in dismay. What had gone wrong? Jared looked down as his hand was nudged and he knelt so that he was eyelevel with Sadie. “What is it, girl?” he asked softly as he ran his fingers through her chilled fur.

'You go visit her later, ok? Phil went home for Christmas...she has no one here and spice man not letting her go at all,' Sadie told him solemnly and Jared frowned darkly.

“Spice man? Who do you mean, girl? Is he hurting her?” Jared questioned his dog in rising worry.

'Not hurt with hand...hurt with words. He make sure no one is around her. She always alone unless we with her or Phil or vision man. She cry at night...it so sad!' Sadie answered and whined pitifully.

“Well we’ll make sure she doesn’t cry anymore, ok girl?” Jared replied firmly and Sadie’s tongue hung out in a doggie grin as her tail started wagging hopefully. Grinning back, Jared scratched her ear again before standing and looking at his lovers in worry. Things have gotten way out of hand, he said with a grimace.

“No shit, ya think?” Jensen retorted before shouldering his bag and resuming their trek to their house. But they stopped suddenly as a feeling of absolute *wrongness* flooded over them, nearly making them ill. They all looked up in shock as Evie’s door slid open abruptly and she stumbled out to lean heavily against the banister, heaving for air just as several other houses became more active with screams of shock and shouts of dismay.

Suddenly, a larger figure emerged from a house farther down the path and rushed down the stairs with a halogen lamp swaying from an arm. “Jared my boy, so good to see you! We need your help,” the figure declared before it was revealed to be Jamison McCormick, a relation to the founder of McCormick Spices Inc and also one of their influential members of the Elam.

Jared stopped as that clicked with him. ‘Spice man…Jamison must be who Sadie meant…’ he thought and scowled briefly before focusing on Jamison, who slowed down at the sight of the frown. “What can we do for you, Jamison?” he asked softly, now wary of the older man. He glanced down when Sadie whined and nudged his hand and he knew that he’d drawn the right conclusion.

Clearing his throat as he pulled his evening coat around his large body, Jamison flashed a smile. “It would seem that we’ve gotten some kind of a leak in our sewer system. I was wondering if you could use your ability to find it and stop it,” he asked as he tapped his fingertips together, a nervous habit he’d picked up some time in his youth.

“Do I *look* like a freakin’ plumber to you?” Jared demanded with a huff, suddenly tired and frustrated with everything that was happening. He was weary from a long day, worried sick about Evie, and just wanted to relax, but now this old fart was asking him to fix a sewer pipe?!

Jamison opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted. “Let me. It’s worse than you think. It’s contaminating the land because whoever set it up didn’t insulate it well enough,” Evie said as she came over to where they were standing. She smiled slightly as the dogs whined and inched closer to her, but they stayed put as she confronted McCormick.

Turning to her, Jamison’s smile took on an oily tilt. “Chosen One…I couldn’t *possibly* ask such a thing of you!” he protested sweetly and Jared barely held back his growl of anger at the obvious flattery the man was putting out.

“You didn’t. I volunteered. Sadie? Harley? Bisou? Can you sniff it out and take us there?” Evie asked softly as she looked away from McCormick in obvious dismissal and Jared wanted to cheer, which he felt Jensen and Jeff barely restraining themselves from doing as well.

'We go! You follow!' Sadie replied as they ran forward with their noses to the ground. Suddenly, Bisou barked and took off towards the outskirts of the town near a large stream that ran nearby and was followed swiftly by the other two dogs and the five humans. They arrived at the stream edge, which was shining black with sewage and dead grass and Evie swayed to a stop, gagging as she bent over and heaved.

“Evie!” Jared cried as he went immediately to her side and held her steady. She gasped for air and leaned into him, then pushed them backwards so they weren’t on top of the mess.

“S-Sorry…still don’t have a handle on my running,” she whispered before turning her face into his chest and he held her tightly to him, soothing her.

“It’s ok…just breathe…” he murmured to her and she held onto him tightly and he could feel her taking comfort in his presence. After a bit, she pulled back and took a deep breath. “You ok?” he asked as he brushed his hand over her face and she nodded and smiled at him.

“Well, Jared…if you’re quite done bothering the Chosen One, perhaps we can take care of whatever’s the problem,” Jamison huffed out as he glared at Jared.

“Her name’s Evie, you jackass, and if you talk about her like that again, so help me I’ll-” Jared stopped as a hand was laid on his arm.

“It’s ok…no more fighting,” Evie whispered as her face turned from him and Jared looked over to see a triumphant smirk on Jamison’s face. Hackles rising, Jared fought to contain his rage at the controlling manner with which Evie was being put through and eventually calmed down. Evie went over and smirked at Jamison as she took his lamp. “I’m borrowing this. I’ll get you a recharge on it later, ok?” she stated sweetly and the comment made Jared want to laugh. She might comply with things, but she still had her own wit.

Jamison opened his mouth to protest but backed down when several glares, both human and dog, were sent his way. He smiled his oily smirk again and bowed to Evie. “Whatever you need, Chosen One,” he simpered and Jared knew he wasn’t the only one fighting the urge to throttle him.

Evie bowed her head before holding up the lamp and looking at the damage. She sighed and shook her head, then brought her hand up and pulled her mitten off with her teeth. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the base of the lamp and a soft glow emanated from the lamp and flowed into her. The light went out after a bit, but Evie continued to glow as she put the lamp down and then removed her other glove. She walked over as if in a trance to the mess and knelt in the snow. She placed her hands at the edge of the area and a grunt of concentration left her as a shockwave of light spread over the area towards the town and down into the ground. When the glow had dissipated, the area was pristine and sparkling in the moonlight and even the stream was gleaming with its clean waters.

Slowly, Evie collapsed to her side and was instantly surrounded by Jensen, Jared, and Jeff as well as three whining dogs. Jamison stood back with a superior look on his face. The girl had proven to be most useful. In time, he knew that he would be able to use her for his revenge against the Faithful. But he needed to mold her still. Soon…

Looking over as he held Evie to him, Jared snarled low in his throat. Somehow the whole thing felt like a set-up…a test. But the extraordinary thing that Evie had just done outweighed the other plans for a bit. He was more worried about how drained she was and refocused on her. “Evie…come on baby…wake up…” he whispered as he shook her just a bit while tapping her cheek lightly.

Her eyes slid open and looked up at him in a daze before she smiled slightly. “Mr.…Padalecki. Thought…thought I was dreaming…” she mumbled as she blinked sleepily.

“Not a dream, baby…we’re here…” Jared whispered as he smiled back at her. He helped her to sit up and she rubbed her head with a shaking hand before they pulled her mittens back onto her slender hands.

“Do you want some energy from me, Evie?” Jeff asked gently as he rubbed his hand over her hand, warming the shaking limb as best he could.

Shaking her head slowly, Evie took a deep breath and tilted her head back, absorbing the moonlight it seemed before she smiled at them. “What I’d like is to be off of this cold wet ground,” she stated and they laughed before helping her up. Her smile slipped as she focused on the smirking Jamison. “Your pipe was busted, but it was too clean to just be a burst. I suggest you search for a saboteur in your house, Mr. McCormick,” she spat out acidly as she glared at him and his smirk slipped away.

“I don’t know what you me-” Jamison protested but was stopped as she seemed to spark with her rage with little flickers of light traveling over her body.

“People, animals, plants, and other life in this area could have died from your stunt, Mr. McCormick. I suggest that you watch your back because Mother Earth knows what you did and she won’t tolerate it from one of her chosen,” she snapped at him before heading back for the town followed by all but McCormick.

He stared after her in shock, then rage. How *dare* she berate him like a child! But what was more concerning to him was how she knew it had been him that had burst the pipe. Shrugging it off with a grumble, McCormick headed back to Eden and his dinner that was waiting. Time for that later.

*~*~*

Evie looked over her shoulder at the three men that were following her along with the three excited dogs. She arrived at her home and gazed at them unemotionally before turning and going up her stairs to her house. She stopped midway and looked down at them again as they watched her. “Just a small warning because I don’t know what’s being told to you three: Don’t try to be around me anymore. The locals get all het up at people who aren’t my family trying to be familiar with me. I don’t want you in trouble and I don’t want anymore strife,” she said softly and tried to ignore the hurt and anger that flashed over their faces. She knew the anger wasn’t at her, but it still injured her deep inside where she thought she couldn’t bruise anymore. She looked away and sighed. “It is good to see you three again. Have a Merry Christmas,” she added before continuing up the stairs and into her home.

Jared watched with Jensen and Jeff as Evie went inside of the house before he looked at them. “McCormick is up to something and we have to make sure it doesn’t take root anymore. You know what our duties are,” he declared softly and they nodded.

“Her heart is nearly beaten into submission. No matter what, we have to reignite her love for people and this earth,” Jeff whispered as he held a hand over his heart where the symbol of their bond with her throbbed with their worry for her.

“Let’s hope we do it before she breaks completely,” Jensen murmured before turning away and heading towards their own home. Jeff and Jared followed slowly after a final glance at Evie’s darkened home. Their jobs had just become a whole lot harder.

TBC