Thicker Than Water (BtVS/SPN)
Title: Thicker Than Water
Rating: MA15+
Characters and/or pairings: Dean Winchester, (Dean/Buffy), Buffy Summers, Sam Winchester, Dawn Summers
Warnings: Violence, adult situations, suggestions of incest.
Disclaimer
Spoilers: Set post-'Chosen' and approx season three SPN but no major storylines used.
Summary: Dean and Sam discover that they have a sister, Buffy, who was abducted at birth and her disappearance covered up. Surprises just keep coming though when they find out that she's also a Slayer, a mystical warrior with a destiny, and travel to Cleveland, the only known collective of Slayers. Trouble is, the Slayers are also in trouble and with the fate of the world in the balance, things can't possibly get worse. Unless you count the fact that Dean seems to be falling in love with Buffy...
Authors note: Written for sncross_bigbang. The amazing kaddywhak did the art for this story and you should definitely go check it out over at her master post! Remember to leave lots of love because she put up with an unfinished story almost until the deadline! *hugs* :P MUCH love to my beta, the awesome hezio2, without whom I wouldn't have finished! Because she poked and prodded me from all the way over there to get it done :P
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( PART ONE)
Sam didn’t even look up as they walked in.
“How’d it go?”
“Guns? Check.”
Sam looked up from the computer, surprised. “She hit a target?”
Dean scoffed as Buffy sat on the lounge behind Sam. “She hit my target.”
Sam turned around and Buffy blushed. “Well, guess that makes the Hunter theory that much easier to believe.”
Dean nodded toward the computer. “Where are we?”
“Well, I think you’re right. It is something but without seeing the bodies, I’m not really sure. Got a hold of the coroner’s reports on a few of the victims and it seems to lead straight to the theory that it was a coyote but judging by the sizes of the impressions, I’m not sure.”
“Think it was Hounds?”
Sam shook his head. “Not in a town this small. Everyone knows everyone and that many people making deals... well, I’d expect something else from the town. There’s nothing strange or inexplicable about the town itself. It’s seems perfectly normal. I think we’re dealing with something outside coming in.”
“Yeah but what sort of thing comes annually?”
Sam shrugged and clicked a link. “It could be a werewolf.”
“But they turn every month, not annually.”
“What if we’re only noticing it annually?”
Both he and Sam turned to Buffy with questioning looks and she gave a small embarrassed smile.
“I mean, you said it was outside, right? What if the werewolf turns every month but he’s only in town during this part of the year for it to be noticed here?”
Sam grinned at her and turned back to the keyboard typing furiously. As he looked for information, Buffy smiled softly. It was the beginning of an acceptance between them and Dean felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Things had been hard trying to referee fights between Sam and their Dad and he didn’t want to go there again, especially not with Buffy. She’d been mostly passive since she’d turned up on their doorstep but he put that down to unfamiliar environments - and unfamiliar family. He had the sneaking suspicion that once the dust settled, he’d get to see those claws more often and given that she was a Winchester, she was bound to have one hell of a fight in her.
“Coyote attacks aren’t common and deaths are even more unlikely. I’d think they’d have pressed the wolf angle a little more but the coyote sightings seem to have been the clincher and there’s no real pattern of coyote attacks that suggests someone moving about. But there has been an increase in the amount of attacks in the area in the last two years that has a pattern but that’s encompassing wolves, coyotes, rabid dogs, etc. I guess we could be looking at a werewolf that’s been able to hide.”
“Well, we need to take him out. If he’s travelling, that means that he’s not here all the time and someone like that should stick out, especially in a small town like this.”
“They’re not going to respond well to any sort of outside enforcement...”
Dean grinned. “Guess we’re off to the bar then!”
He saw Sam roll his eyes but ignored him. A trip to the bar was just what he needed. Some people went out for fresh air, he just needed a bar to clear his head and he’d been in enough over the years to fit right in. Buffy stood up from the lounge and disappeared into her bedroom and he quickly averted his eyes as they lingered on her. When he looked back at Sam, he saw his brother’s face and without needing prompting, he sighed and walked out of the room. He heard the motel door close behind him as he moved out into the parking lot and he decided that if he was gonna have to hear what he knew was coming, he was at least gonna have a weapon within range.
“Dean!” Sam jogged the last few feet as he opened the boot and came to a stop beside him. “What are you doing?”
“Just leave it alone.” There was a hard edge to his voice and he pushed back his own emotions, trying to leave his voice as emotionless as possible. He pushed a hand into the bag in the trunk and pulled out a bag of salt rounds.
“She’s our sister.”
He froze momentarily at the statement. There was no disgust in Sam’s voice, just concern and he was left wondering why. He was certainly filled with disgust.
“I know.”
“Dean...”
Dean slammed the lid of the trunk, his hand resting on it as an apology to her, and looked up at Sam.
“I know. I don’t need you reminding me. I’m not going to do anything stupid so just drop it.”
“Dean...”
The pitying sound in Sam’s voice was the last straw and he grit his teeth as he stepped threateningly closer to his brother. His voice was low and Sam stood his ground, used to the threat that Dean never followed through on.
“What do you wanna hear Sam? I know who she is! My brain knows that but my body is thinking something entirely different. She’s not just our sister, she’s someone we’ve only just met! I need some time and I’m not going to do anything stupid between now and then, so back off!”
Sam took a deep breath. “If I’ve noticed, so has she. She’s not stupid.”
He glanced back at the closed motel door before looking back at Sam. “I’m heading off to the bar to see what I can find out.”
The implication was obvious and Dean knew he didn’t need to tell Sam not to follow. He turned and walked out of the parking lot, taking a right and heading for the brightly lit sign on the bar. It wasn’t far away but it was far enough that he’d be able to let off some steam on the way there and sober up on the way back. He didn’t dare look back in case Sam was still watching him and opted instead to kick some of the larger rocks in his path. What he really needed was a punching bag but a beer would do just as well.
The inside of the bar was smokey but relatively well lit considering. The bar was about half-filled and he’d bet that when the businesses closed down for the day, this was the place most of the town went. A red head was behind the bar and she seemed to know the patrons by name. She offered a small smile as he entered and she looked him over. He moved to sit at the bar.
“You know the rules Jimmy - pay the tab and you can start again. You’ve already reached the limit. Don’t make me kick ya out.”
The disgruntled man in his late 30s who was standing in front of her groaned before slamming his palm lightly on the bar and heading for the back exit. She watched him leave before she turned around and smiled.
“What can I getcha?”
“Beer.” She nodded and Dean handed her a handful of large bills. “Keep them coming too.”
She looked at the bills in her hand before assessing him. With nothing more than a small nod, she placed the bottle in front of him and moved to the other end of the bar. Dean turned to check out the place and noticed that most people seemed to be there for interaction with one another and not drinking. There was still a drink in just about every hand, even those of the two in the corner playing pool. He briefly entertained the idea of hustling but tossed it away as he brought the bottle up to his lips again.
People filtered in and out and after about an hour, the place became more crowded as the residents talked animatedly amongst themselves. A badge sat next to him and surveyed the place but his posture was relaxed and Dean knew he wasn’t expecting trouble.
“Just passing through?”
Dean looked up into the bright blue eyes of the man next to him and offered a small nod. “Saw the coyote attacks in the paper - not something I need to be worried about, is it?”
The man looked at him and Dean could tell he was trying to figure out just how much he knew. But years of the same look had forced him to learn how to hold an innocent expression and the man looked back at the gathering crowd.
“Nah, don’t think so. We’ve got some good people on it.” There was a small beat and he looked back at Dean. “Where are you staying?”
He nearly scoffed out loud. The town was small and there was no doubt that word about them had filtered through, even to the top brass. The man probably knew everything about them by now - well, everything that he’d allowed them to know.
“Motel down the road. My sister just lost her job and my brother and I are taking her back with us for some down time. Sort of a family road trip.”
The man nodded and looked back at the room. He caught the bartender’s eyes and gave her a small nod and was rewarded with a small smile. She picked up the bottles from an empty table and walked back behind the bar. Dean pretended not to notice a thing. After a few minutes, the Sheriff got up offered the standard, ‘have a good stay’ and walked out, throwing a goodbye to ‘Lucy’ over his shoulder.
He downed at least a handful of beers before he lost count and when he looked up to get another, he noticed Sam and Buffy on the other side of the room. Sam was talking to a man in his mid twenties at a table toward the back of the room and Buffy was playing pool with the two he’d seen before. Sam was angled so that he could still keep an eye on her but he looked relaxed and Dean figured he wasn’t worried about her. Whatever Sam was listening to, it was interesting enough to keep his attention and when Lucy gave him his next beer, he pointed over at them.
“Who’s that talking with my brother?”
She glanced over at the table before leaning against the bar on her forearms. “That’s Douglas Keene, local reporter. I always thought he’d leave here; he was always too big for this town, ya know? But he’s still here, determined to track down the big stories from a small town.” Dean nodded and she threw a glance at the pool table. “That your sister?”
Dean swallowed the beer in his mouth and looked over at pool table. Buffy was lining up a shot, her tongue at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and as the balls moved around on the table, her arms shot into the air and she grinned triumphantly at her fellow players. They chuckled and pointed at something on the table and her face fell, a small frown settling on her features as her eyes moved over the table. Dean took another mouthful of beer as he turned back to Lucy and gave her a short nod. She gave him a small smile, a slight touch of pity on her face as if she understood something he hadn’t said and turned to the other side of the bar as someone called her. He decided then and there that he didn’t like her very much.
His eyes, however, found their way back to Buffy as his mind starting become foggy and after another few beers and several rebukes from his mind as he pulled his attention away from her, Dean gave up. He stood and looked at Lucy and as he moved to pull his wallet out, she shook her head. Giving her a nod of thanks, he headed for the back exit.
The rush of cool air hit him as he opened the door and stepped out. There was a dirt carpark in front of him and he looked at the dozen cars there before sucking in a deep breath. The night air hit him and he found his senses clearing, the fog starting to dissipate from his mind. His next couple of steps weren’t shaky and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, leaning against the wall as he focused on the tiny object in his hand.
The door opened behind him and he heard footsteps running over to him. He turned around and saw Buffy watching him carefully. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she leaned in toward him.
“Did you get anything?”
He blinked a few times at her and felt the fog disappearing. “Yeah, spoke to the Sheriff and the bartender. What about you guys?”
She shrugged and glanced back at the door. “Sam’s been talking to that reporter all night. I think he’s getting a fair bit from him though.”
“What about you?”
She grinned as she looked at him. “I learnt to play pool! I’m either a fast learner or I’ve played before because I’ve had to hold back the last few games so I don’t bruise their egos.”
Dean grinned back at her and pushed himself off the wall. There was a moment of dizziness before the world sat right again and Buffy frowned.
“Are you sure you’re okay to go back by yourself?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She continued to frown at him as though she were trying to figure out just how much of that had been a lie, her eyes taking in his no doubt dishevelled, appearance and trying to match that with what she already knew about him. She bit her bottom lip and every wall he was desperately holding up came crashing down. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, his hands holding onto her face for stability from both the inebriation and the knowledge that he was in the wrong. She froze underneath his hands and it was as he loosened his hands that she moved, her hands pulling on his shirt as she drew him closer and her mouth moving against his. His mind completely blanked and he pulled her in, his hand drawing around her waist and the other slipping into her hair. He became lost in the feel of her soft lips against his, the planes of his body pressed into hers and her hand slipping around to his back.
It was her fingers ghosting over his back that did it, and his eyes sprang open as he pushed her back from him. She looked completely confused, her eyes darting between his as he struggled to bring up the walls again. He didn’t say anything as he turned and walked away from her and he knew by the lack of footsteps that she was neither following him, nor turning back. He’d made it to the edge of the lot before he heard any movement from her and he closed his eyes briefly before letting out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding and headed for the motel.
When he heard Sam and Buffy return half an hour later, he was hiding in the bathroom with the shower on. He waited a good ten minutes after the quiet settled in before turning off the now cold running water and a further ten minutes before creeping out. The room was empty and he headed straight for the lounge. Quickly getting ready to sleep, he threw himself down and pulled the blanket over his head. He’d slowed down his breathing considerably when he heard a door open. He wasn’t sure which one it was but the person stayed in the doorway, probably watching him, for a few minutes before closing the door again.
He sighed.
He really hoped it had been Buffy because if it was Sam, chances are he’d know what had happened and that would be an entirely new disaster that he wasn’t ready to deal with.
He’d been tossing and turning for hours before finally getting up and throwing a shirt on. He moved silently over to the table and looked through all the research Sam had been doing, clicking on the various links and reading through the material. The more he read, the more he tried to throw himself into the case and let it consume him so that he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
Just before the sun began to rise, he scribbled a note for Sam, picked up his jacket and keys and headed out the door. He wanted to get the case finished so they could head off to Bobby’s. Bobby, he knew, would be able to sort things out, help her with her memories and set her up and he and Sam could be back on the road, just like it was before. Only this time he knew it wouldn’t be the same. He was always going to have a sister. The ride there wouldn’t be comfortable either but he knew that the best way to get her out of his system was to get some distance between them and being cooped up in a motel room with her and Sam was not going to do that.
The Impala moved through the quiet town as residents began stirring and the sun began to rise. He easily found the small brick building that housed the Sheriff’s Office and parked on the street outside. The front door was open and Dean wandered in. The Sheriff was sitting at a desk with some paperwork in front of him whilst an older man pointed at them, his agitation obvious.
“This is the fourth death, Jim, the fourth! You can’t just ignore this. Those bites didn’t come from any coyote I’ve ever seen and we all know that the only other animal responsible for something like this is Harry’s dog! That animal is a menace and it needs to be put down.”
“We don’t know that! There’s been no proof that Buzzer has ever attacked and I can’t just start putting down people’s pets without probable cause. If it’s not a coyote then bring me something I can use!”
“What do you- ”
Conversation abruptly cut off as the Sheriff noticed Dean and he stood, walking over to the waist high counter.
“Hey, can I help you with something?”
Dean raised his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s alright. What’re you after?”
“Well, I was gonna ask a couple of things... you see,” he pretended to stumble over his words, “we were gonna stay a litt- … but with that- I didn’t mean to overhear...”
He shrugged his shoulders, hoping the helpless look on his face was convincing enough and a part of him relaxed slightly at the false smile from the Sheriff.
“Look, it’s nothing for ya to worry about. Really. We’ve got this whole thing under control, just don’t wanna alarm the public, ya know? Don’t want them doing anything stupid that’ll get them into a whole lotta trouble. Ya understand?”
Dean nodded silently and the Sheriff looked back over his shoulder at the other man. The man gave Dean a tight smile and left the office. Ushering him in and sitting him down in a chair, he perched himself on the edge of the desk and looked down at him.
“Everything is still perfectly safe. What did ya wanna know?”
Dean made a show of swallowing thickly, his face seeming to appear to believe the lie before offering the Sheriff a brighter smile.
“Well, as I said, my sister lost her job recently and she’s a little down at the moment. We were thinking of slowing down our drive back before we hit home - ya know how parents can be!” He added an exaggerated eye roll and the Sheriff grinned at him. “Just wondering if there was anything going on at the moment? The motel owner said that people sometimes come through here annually about this time and I was wondering if there was some sort of festival or something going on?”
The Sheriff looked at him curiously before shaking his head. “Nope, no real festivals going on. Had one about a month back and the next major event isn’t for another six weeks. ‘fraid you’re right in the middle of bouts of entertainment.”
Dean nodded and shrugged. “That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find some excuse to linger for another couple of days before heading off again.”
The man smiled politely and shook Dean’s hand. “Well, I hope you have a good stay and if you’re interested in blowing off some steam while you’re here, Lucy has the bar open every night. Most people ‘round here tend to gather there.”
Dean took the opportunity to leave and tried not to tense as he felt the Sheriff’s eyes on him. He’d encountered law enforcement like that before and he had no doubt that there would be checks run against the card he used by the end of the day. He had one or two days tops before they figured out if the card was really legit but hopefully they’d be on the road by then.
The town was milling with people going about their daily business by the time he stepped outside and he gave a quick glance at the buildings in the street before heading toward the small corner store between the bank and the post office.
Dean used his wrists to turn the door knob and his foot to push open the door as he balanced the flimsy cardboard tray of drinks. Sam looked up at him from the computer and obviously saw his glance around the room.
“She’s not here. She went down to have a chat with the motel owner.”
He piled all of the things in his arms onto the table, trying not to spill the coffees on the end. As he looked over at Sam’s computer, he noticed a crude drawing of a man shifting into a wolf beside a long column of text. He pulled out a chair and sat down as he swallowed a mouthful of warm coffee.
“Went into town and spoke with the Sheriff. Interrupted a conversation he was having with someone about the attacks - apparently that guy had seen the bodies and didn’t think it was a coyote. Too small. But he does think it was a dog that lives in town so that still means we can clean this up before too many people get involved. Might even be able to keep this under the radar and be out by tonight.”
The motel door opened and Buffy faltered briefly in the doorway as hers eyes met his before she walked in and closed the door behind her. She didn’t look at him as she grabbed the tea from the tray and took a sip.
“Harvey says there’s no one new around here. Other than us of course. There hasn’t been anyone passing through on a regular basis either so that blows that theory.”
“What about the other guy staying here?”
He could have sworn his heart began speeding up as he heard his voice and saw her head turn toward him. She let out a breath before shrugging and looking at the cup in her hands.
“That’s just the deputy. His marriage is on the rocks and he’s been staying here for a while. Trying to land a job in New York so he can get away from the town. Harvey said he had an affair and he’s sort of being pushed out by everyone. Last he heard, the deputy actually got the job so he won’t be here for much longer.”
Dean nodded and took another mouthful of coffee. It was strong but he was glad. Usually the coffee he got was weak and he hated adding to it so that it was drinkable. Strong coffee kept him awake and, like now, gave him something to concentrate on. Sam shifted in his seat at the uneasy silence that settled on the room and Dean fought the urge to kick him for drawing attention to it.
“Well, if it’s not a regular visitor, it must be someone from the town. Maybe someone who is away for long stretches of the year but has a family left here. Like a salesman or truck driver or something. I’ll see if I can get into the town records and narrow down the search. Why don’t you t- “
Dean stood up quickly. “I’m gonna hit the bar. The Sheriff said it was where everybody ended up so I might be able to catch on to some sort of gossip mill or something. If not, I can probably find someone to talk to. Why don’t you guys meet me back at the bar in a few hours.”
He left no room for discussion as he stood and quickly made his way out the door. There was a mumbling as Sam and Buffy talked but he chose to ignore it and headed down the road. The large vacant area beside the motel looked completely different during the day. Being on the outskirts of town, there was nothing between the motel and the bar except what looked like an entrance to some sort of reserve. A rustling on his right drew his attention and he slowed his pace as he casually glanced over. A feral rabbit darted between two trees and he let out a small breath as he looked over at the bar. The lights were still on and there were still a few cars parked out back. It seemed that, like in just about every town, there were a few that seemed to live there.
The bar was nearly empty when he entered and he saw Lucy stacking mugs and glasses behind the bar. She offered him a warm smile and nodded to a seat in front of her.
“Hey there, you’re back again.”
“Yeah, just couldn’t stay away. Truthfully though, I just had to get away from my family.”
She gave a light laugh and he could tell that she probably had everybody in the place eating out of her hand. She was cheery and bright but had an innocence about her that would no doubt lead people to underestimate her. She’d worked the bar last night and he’d seen her innocently flirt with the men and gossip with the women - obviously she knew how to keep everyone happy and he’d seen just enough of a threat in her eyes when an argument heated up the night before that he knew she wouldn’t hesitate to pull punches if it protected her bar.
“Yeah, I can understand that. I have a brother who used to sit on that barstool you’re on and watch me like a hawk when I was working. Drove me nuts! He joined the army last year so that gave me a little more breathing room.”
“Is he back in town?”
She shook her head. “Nah, still miss him though. Never thought I’d realise how much until he left.”
He gave her a small nod and looked around at the people in the bar. There weren’t many people talking with each other - mainly just sitting around and drinking. Each one looked down into their own glass or stared blankly into space. Lucy loaded the last of the washed items onto their shelves and put a beer down in front of him. He smirked at her.
“Thought you looked like you needed it?”
“Is that your way of telling me I look terrible?”
She threw a flirty smile his way and she moved to the other side to get a refill for a man at the other end. “Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.”
He chuckled.
“You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless!”
Dean shook his head as Lucy regaled him with tales of her first days on the job. “I still can’t believe the Sheriff is your father.”
She shrugged as Dean noticed Sam slide onto the stool beside him. Buffy hovered behind Sam before finally sitting next to him and throwing a smile Lucy’s way.
“Eh, I don’t like to bring it up. People usually give me the same look you did. Though just about everyone around here knows anyway.”
She smiled at the two new people at the bar and held out a hand to Sam. He shook it as he introduced himself and Buffy and as she made them some soft drinks, Dean glanced across at Buffy. She still wasn’t looking at him and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy about it or not. Dropping her off at Bobby’s still seemed like the best idea and the sooner the better. He stood and nodded his head at a table. Sam picked up his drink and pulled Buffy over as Dean handed some money across to Lucy.
“We’re just gonna try and plan out our next move, try and avoid the ‘rents for as long as possible.”
Lucy just smiled knowingly and he walked toward the table. Buffy had taken a seat next to Sam with their backs against the wall and he gingerly pulled out the seat opposite them and sat.
“Get much info?”
There was a small touch of disbelief in his voice but Sam seemed to be genuinely asking so Dean squashed the indignation that was rising.
“Fair bit. I could tell you just about everything about anyone in this town. There’s one or two people we should scope out and they’ll be in tonight. ‘Never miss it’ apparently. Figured we’d pick them out, figure out which one it is and be gone by sunrise.”
Sam nodded at him and snuck a sideways glance at Buffy. As though she knew she were being watched, she shifted uncomfortably and stood up. “Well, you guys can sort it out; you don’t need me here. I’ll make sure everything’s packed.”
She walked out of the bar and Sam leant forward quickly. “Whatever you did, fix it!”
“What?”
“Dude, you’ve been avoiding each other all day. Obviously you said something to upset her so go out and fix it! The drive is gonna be really awkward otherwise.”
Dean sighed and stood. His legs had no intention of taking him out of the bar but he forced them to move and found himself squinting in the last rays of sunlight. Ahead of him, Buffy was walking toward the motel and kicking a few rocks out of her way as she went. He jogged slightly to catch up. As if she knew it were him approaching, she spun around and pointed a finger in his direction.
“Look, let’s just forget it, okay? Forget that it even happened!”
Her voice was low and her eyes flared with anger and hurt. He stood still and glanced out toward the reserve.
“You’re not acting like it never happened. You’re acting like you’re angry and Sam thinks I’ve made you angry at something I said.”
“This is new, right?” She waited for him to nod. “I’ve never had brothers before and you’ve never had a sister. Obviously, it’ll take some getting used to, so it’ll just take time. We’ll forget it ever happened and move on, alright?”
He took a deep breath. He had no idea why he didn’t think it wouldn’t work. After all, Sam didn’t seem to be having any problems and as much as he tried to forget what happened and constantly reminded himself that she was his sister, it didn’t seem to affect his feelings. He tried to push the thoughts from his head, he’d tried everything he could think of but he still wanted her and it made him sick to his stomach.
“Buffy...”
She turned away and he reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to him. There was a moment when her eyes met his that he swore she was feeling the same way he was. Almost instantly he starting putting up as many walls as possible, trying to force himself to let go of her arm and put some distance between them.
To not pull her closer.
She took a small step backward and he blinked. The moment was broken and she looked down at her feet and he dropped his hand to hers. She looked at their joined hands and glanced up surprised when he quickly placed the keys into her hand and stepped back. He repeated that she was his sister over and over in his head like a mantra as he took first one step, then another back and eventually turned and walked into the bar without looking back.
The first breath he remembered taking was as he entered the bar and the smell of the bar filled his lungs as he breathed deeply. He looked across at the bar and saw Sam giving him a questioning look and Dean ignored him as he sat at the bar. Lucy moved over to the taps and he shook his head.
“Something stronger.”
She paused and gave a furtive glance at Sam before she turned around and Dean took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Sam seemed to be waiting for something from him and he took a mouthful from the glass that was suddenly in front of him and he heard Sam sigh.
“You didn’t fix it, did you?”
He glared at Sam but his brother seemed unruffled, just as he usually did when he thought he was right. Sam stood and left the bar, opting for company from some of the other patrons. He watched over the next few hours as Sam mingled with some people their age before they all moved to the pool table to play a game. He swirled around the ice in his glass until it melted. Lucy took the glass off of him then and replaced it with a soft drink. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Sam said you’re fighting with your sister.” He didn’t say anything and she leant on her elbow on the bar beside him as she surveyed the room. “You know, you don’t have to apologise.”
A part of him wanted to laugh but it came out as more of a strangled chuckle and he pushed the drink away from him. He wanted to apologise but didn’t know what for. Saying sorry for feeling the way he did? What had happened? Something didn’t sit well and he thought she’d probably take his head off if he brought it up again. Basically, he’d narrowed it down to insanity. That’s all that he could think - having the feelings he had for his sister. New or not, it was insane and he wanted to punch himself for even thinking about it. He was definitely losing his mind if he couldn’t change it.
“Sometimes apologies don’t work,” he heard her say “sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.” He didn’t say anything and she continued. “Like Billy. He was having issues with his wife - they had a falling out that everybody in town heard and they struggled together for a while, basically having meltdowns every time they saw each other. Eventually he gave up and moved out. He’s seen her twice in the last year. Once the day he moved out and last week when he gave her the signed divorce papers. They were supposed to spend twelve months making sure they couldn’t sort things out but he just left. They’ve moved on. Maybe you can’t fix everything but you just have to pick your battles, ya know?”
“What?”
His head shot up as he processed it and she had a startled look before she began repeating herself.
“Ya have to pick your battles, move on an- “
“No, no, about the divorce papers?”
She frowned slightly. “Uh, he just gave them to her. He waited until the twelve months were up and came back Sunday to give them to her.”
He jumped off his stool and gave her a small smile. She frowned back at him in confusion but he pushed his way through the growing crowd to the back where Sam was playing. Sam had just lined up his shot when he bumped his elbow. The look of frustration faded as Dean looked at him.
“Gotta go.”
There was an urgency to his voice and Sam dropped the cue almost immediately despite the groans around him and followed him out of the door. Once the door closed behind them, Dean picked up speed and began jogging back to the motel. Sam ran up behind him.
“What is it?”
“The deputy. The owner said he’s been having problems with his wife, moving to New York.” Sam just looked at him. “It’s him! Lucy said he’s been going through a divorce, been gone for the last year. Came back to give her the papers. It’s him, it has to be.”
They ran into the parking lot and Dean haded straight for the front desk. As he drew up, he noticed that something was wrong. Opening the door, he saw the motel owner on the floor behind the counter, his throat ripped out and lying in a pool of his own blood. He didn’t even stop as he turned around and barreled past Sam. Sam swore as he saw what Dean had seen but Dean was already at the Impala and pulling a gun out from under the bags. He left the trunk open as Sam began searching for a weapon but he didn’t stop. He was already halfway to the door when he heard the trunk slam shut and his breath caught when he saw the door ajar slightly. There were a set of claw marks near the door knob and he gave a small nod to Sam as he drew up behind him.
His eyes looked around the room and he saw nothing but signs of a fight. Two of the chairs were broken and the lamp from the side table was shattered behind the lounge. The door to the first bedroom was open but the one to Sam’s room had deep claw marks on it. There was a couple of small smears of blood and Dean and Sam moved quietly through the lounge room. He nodded to Sam and then counted to three before flinging the door open to find the room shredded and Buffy sitting at the head of the bed. She looked up at them through weary eyes before looking down at the side of the bed. Dean moved further into the room and saw the body of the werewolf dead beside it, the thin silver knife from his bag sticking out of its chest.
He looked her over and apart from a deep scratch down her right arm, she appeared unhurt. He let Sam move over to her and fuss while he walked around the bed and knelt down next to the werewolf. She’d hit through the heart and he was wondering what he was going to do about it. They couldn’t just leave, especially not with the bloodshed around and a clean up would just take too long. He stood up and looked over at them.
“We’re gonna have to call the Sheriff.”
Sam nodded and helped Buffy stand from the bed. As he explained the general cover story to her, he led her from the room and she gave Dean one glance over her shoulder before disappearing from view. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and let out the breath he was sure he’d been holding since they reached the motel door. The thought that she had been killed had weighed so heavily on him and as he began dialling the Sheriff’s office, he realised his hand was shaking.
“What’s going to happen to it?”
The Sheriff gave Sam a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. “It’ll be destroyed. Lone wolves are extremely rare out here and this is the first incident we’ve ever had. There’ll be patrols in the area just in case there are any more but I don’t think we’ll find anything. You’re safe now.”
Sam nodded but Dean tuned out. He watched as the paramedic moved around Buffy and made sure the last of the dressing was secure. To her credit, she was playing her part well. As soon as the first vehicle had pulled up, she let loose a flood of tears and as the Sheriff had taken her statement, she’d shaken and told him how terrified she’d been and how the wolf had lunged at her and chanced to land on the small knife she’d been holding. He and Sam had been impressed. Now she was sitting in the ambulance, her legs dangling over the back as she rocked ever so slightly back and forth as though she was struggling to come to terms with it all.
Sam leant against the boot next to him. “She nearly died Dean.”
“You’re not giving her enough credit.”
“Dean, that’s not- “
Dean ignored him and pushed himself away from his car. Sam was right, even though he was wrong. Buffy was a lot stronger than Sam thought she was and she’d fought a werewolf and walked away with a scratch. That was either some serious luck or definite skill and he’d bet it was the latter. But things hadn’t been good between them and if she hadn’t made it, he didn’t know how he would have dealt with the guilt.
She’d looked up and seen him coming and Dean was trying to read her face to give him a clue. He saw a brief flash of relief and all subsequent thought flew out the window. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. Whatever issues were between them, she was still his sister and he knew that keeping his distance had been hurting them both. The close proximity proved that he was definitely still trying to work things out but he had to give it a shot. Their family was dysfunctional enough without adding another sibling who wouldn’t speak to them.
Dean yawned as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to Bobby’s house. He pulled the Impala around to the side and turned the engine off just as he saw Bobby step out onto the verandah. Dean stepped out of the car and Bobby just watched him as he tried to figure out how they were coping with the news. Dean leant across the seat and shoved a sleeping Sam’s shoulder before leaning into the back and shaking Buffy lightly. They both looked at him and he closed his door and moved around to the boot.
He pulled out the three duffles and followed Sam and Buffy up to the verandah. Bobby smiled at Buffy.
“Come inside.”
As they sat down in the lounge room, Bobby pulled a seat over to Buffy and offered her a glass of water. She’d already been told what to expect and she swallowed it down before handing the empty glass back to him. Sam handed over him the birth certificate and the article he’d printed out.
“Did you know about this Bobby?”
Bobby shook his head and looked across at her. “Nope. Didn’t even hear ya daddy mention it once, but he kept a lotta things close.”
“Like a daughter?”
Bobby shrugged and looked up at him. “You said somethin’ about bein’ trained?”
Dean looked across at her. “Yeah, she’s an incredible shot if it’s her first time shooting. She took down those vampires and that werewolf with barely a scratch.”
Buffy’s hand immediately moved to the dressing on her arm and Bobby frowned before motioning for her to give him her arm. She leant forward and undressed it to show an almost healed set of marks.
“Woah!” Sam said as he leaned forward to get a better look. “That wasn’t like that before. I was sure she was gonna need stitches!”
Bobby took a deep breath and stood slowly. He looked around for a moment and headed to a desk in the corner of the room. He rifled a few papers as Buffy pulled the dressing off altogether and ran a finger over the fading marks. Bobby spun around quickly, a knife flying from his hand and aimed straight for Buffy.
She caught it.
Dean looked up furiously at him. “What the- ?”
“Calm down boy, just wanted to test a theory.”
“What if your theory had been wrong? You could’ve killed her.”
Bobby sat slowly back down in his chair and took the knife out of Buffy’s hands. “If I’d’ve been wrong boy, we’d have more problems than we currently do. I think your sister is a Slayer.”
Sam frowned and looked up at Dean in confusion but all he could do was stare at her. “That’s not possible...”
Bobby shrugged. “Yeah, it is, and if ya wanna keep her outta trouble, I suggest you do somethin’ about it before something comes after her that ya can’t handle.”
“What’s a Slayer?” Sam and Buffy asked in unison.
Bobby pulled a nearby book onto his lap. “After you told me about her takin’ down the werewolf, I looked into a few things. Slayer’s really the only thing that makes sense. The Slayer’s a warrior, always a girl, who’s given the strength, speed and whatnot to fight demons. She’s a quick healer but not invincible and because she’s almost always called so young, they almost never make it passed their teens.”
“But I’m not a teenager.”
Bobby shook his head and smiled. “No, you’re not. And there’s only one called once the other has died. But there’s a legend that says that a decade or so ago, the Slayer died but was brought back to life. Technically she’d died so another Slayer was called and there was two. But somethin’ was trying to wipe out the Slayers and prevent any new ones comin’ around so the Slayer managed to call every single girl around the world that could ever be a Slayer at once. Made an army of them to fight.”
“But how come we’ve never heard of this army?”
“Ya daddy had. That’s why he told ya never to go to certain places - because there was already a Slayer there and they usually don’t mix well with us Hunters.”
Buffy took a deep breath. “Why not?”
“‘Cause traditionally they work alone. They’re usually taken from their homes when they’re called and trained to survive. We tend to work alone too and they don’t bow down to our authority - we’re usually too stubborn to bow to theirs.”
Sam looked across at Buffy. “They’re stronger than us?”
Bobby laughed as he stood and put the book on the coffee table. “Boy, she’d wipe the floor with you! They’re like superheroes and because there was only one, they were pretty much myths ‘til a few years ago, something demons told each other around a campfire. Word is spreading about them but they tend to keep the bigger evil things down while we settle ourselves with the demons up here.”
“Up here?”
“There’s more than what we see up here. There’re things you couldn’t even dream about. When the Slayer called her army, she led them right into Hell itself to set a few things straight. And she survived.”
Buffy stood and paced behind the chair, worry etched into her features. “And I’m one of these?”
“Looks like.”
Dean watched the fear on her face and frowned at Bobby. “Why now? I mean if all those Slayers were called years ago, why does she show up now? Why has she forgotten everything?”
Bobby pulled another book down from a top shelf and opened it up. It looked like a journal and there were several loose pages that almost fell to the floor as Bobby turned through to a specific page.
“This is what they call a Watcher’s diary. A Watcher is sort of a guardian for the Slayer. Each Slayer is assigned one and they train her. I found one of these in an old church basement a few years back. It’d been buried for years. It talks about the Slayer when she is first called but it doesn’t say anything about memory loss. From what I gather, her memory’s fine. I don’t know how or why now but there was one thing I managed to pick up from another Hunter. There’s a lot of talk about Cleveland. No one knows where or why but there’s a bunch of them there. I think you should take her there.”
He stood quickly. “We’re not gonna drop her off with a bunch of wackos that we don’t know.”
“They’re probably the only ones who can help you. They can train her.”
“We can train her.”
Bobby looked across sternly. “No you can’t! She’ll outstrip you in no time at all. Keeping her around untrained is just gonna get her killed. It’ll get you killed. You have no idea what sort of things she’ll come up against.”
“I wanna go.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to the blonde across the room. Dean stepped toward her.
“Buffy- “
“No, I wanna go. If things are a dangerous as you say, if I’m as dangerous as you say, then I should be prepared. Not loving the idea of being dead but I don’t want anything to happen to you or Sam either because I’m around. If these Slayers can train me, then I should go and be trained.”
She nodded as if everything was settled and he could see the worry in her eyes. She asked Bobby a few questions about her strength and speed and Bobby took her out the back for a demonstration, Sam trailing along behind to watch. Dean dropped his head into his hands and took a deep breath.
If he was ever going to have a sister, one who was oblivious to their life would have been good. She could have had a normal life and they could have visited occasionally just to make sure she was safe. At the very most, a sister who would fight alongside them, someone who could have withstood the dangers they fought so often. But they’d blitzed right past that and he was looking at a sister who was almost definitely gonna die early because of the dangers she’d face. He wasn’t alright with that. He wasn’t fine with getting to know her, only to lose her again. He knew Bobby was right; if she was untrained, she’d be dangerous to them and herself but he didn’t want to drop her off somewhere with a bunch of ‘warriors’ he didn’t know.
He stood and walked out the front door, his feet taking him to the Impala. He’d turned the engine and driven away before he even realised he was leaving and the Impala kept up with him until he looked down and realised he was almost out of petrol. He didn’t really know where he was but he’d been driving in the one direction since Bobby’s and it shouldn’t be too hard to find his way back.
He’d come to no life-altering revelations, no reality-shattering conclusions, just a steady stream of emptiness since he’d left. And now he had to turn around and head back to the thing that had made him run in the first place. A small voice whispered that things would have been better if they’d never met her, if she’d never shown up on their doorstop with that birth certificate and placed herself in their lives. But he knew it wasn’t true. Things hadn’t exactly been going smoothly but there was no way he’d ever wish that she’d never stepped into their lives.
By the time he pulled the Impala back into her spot at Bobby’s, night had fallen and he was fighting sleep. It had been too long since he’d gotten a decent sleep. Bobby watched him from his spot at his desk as he walked toward the stairs. He offered a single nod and Dean smiled back. Sam and Buffy were safe and his little tantrum hadn’t caused to many ripples. He trudged upstairs silently and moved to the room he usually slept in. His duffle was sitting on the bed made up for him and he took of his shoes and lay his jacket across the end of the bed. There was a soft knock on the door and he turned around as Buffy’s head peeked in.
“I’m sorry if I made you angry,” she offered as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.
Dean felt his heart jump into his throat and he unintentionally took a step backward. She frowned slightly but stayed where she was and fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of her tank top. She was offering an apology but his mind was far from there as she looked up at him. He cleared his throat.
“You didn’t make me angry. I’m just... frustrated... with this whole situation and I don’t wanna leave you there with someone you don’t know. Sam and I will probably stick around for a few days if we can, just to make sure you’re alright.”
A small tear fell down her cheek and he noticed her blinking her eyes to keep back the rest of them. “I’m just sorry about everything, about turning up unexpectedly and putting you through so much drama.”
He shook his head. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad we were around now so that we can help you, so that you’re not on your own.”
She nodded back, a small sniffle the only real indication of how close the tears had been, and turned to leave. Dean crossed the room quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He’d hugged her before when she’d needed it and she definitely needed it now. She buried her face in his shirt and he felt warm wet patches spread. He held onto her for a moment as she pulled her control back and when she looked up at him with a watery smile, he had to fight the very persistent urge to kiss her. He saw her eyes dart down to his mouth and he pushed her back to arms distance while he still had strength left. She seemed to realise what he was doing and her smile pulled tight as she nodded her head once and walked out the door.
Dean closed the door after her and lay down on the bed. He put his arms over his eyes and mentally kicked himself. Things weren’t getting any better and he knew he’d be an idiot to try and convince himself that they were. He struggled with his thoughts until he fell into a fitful sleep.
( PART THREE)
Rating: MA15+
Characters and/or pairings: Dean Winchester, (Dean/Buffy), Buffy Summers, Sam Winchester, Dawn Summers
Warnings: Violence, adult situations, suggestions of incest.
Disclaimer
Spoilers: Set post-'Chosen' and approx season three SPN but no major storylines used.
Summary: Dean and Sam discover that they have a sister, Buffy, who was abducted at birth and her disappearance covered up. Surprises just keep coming though when they find out that she's also a Slayer, a mystical warrior with a destiny, and travel to Cleveland, the only known collective of Slayers. Trouble is, the Slayers are also in trouble and with the fate of the world in the balance, things can't possibly get worse. Unless you count the fact that Dean seems to be falling in love with Buffy...
Authors note: Written for sncross_bigbang. The amazing kaddywhak did the art for this story and you should definitely go check it out over at her master post! Remember to leave lots of love because she put up with an unfinished story almost until the deadline! *hugs* :P MUCH love to my beta, the awesome hezio2, without whom I wouldn't have finished! Because she poked and prodded me from all the way over there to get it done :P
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( PART ONE)
Sam didn’t even look up as they walked in.
“How’d it go?”
“Guns? Check.”
Sam looked up from the computer, surprised. “She hit a target?”
Dean scoffed as Buffy sat on the lounge behind Sam. “She hit my target.”
Sam turned around and Buffy blushed. “Well, guess that makes the Hunter theory that much easier to believe.”
Dean nodded toward the computer. “Where are we?”
“Well, I think you’re right. It is something but without seeing the bodies, I’m not really sure. Got a hold of the coroner’s reports on a few of the victims and it seems to lead straight to the theory that it was a coyote but judging by the sizes of the impressions, I’m not sure.”
“Think it was Hounds?”
Sam shook his head. “Not in a town this small. Everyone knows everyone and that many people making deals... well, I’d expect something else from the town. There’s nothing strange or inexplicable about the town itself. It’s seems perfectly normal. I think we’re dealing with something outside coming in.”
“Yeah but what sort of thing comes annually?”
Sam shrugged and clicked a link. “It could be a werewolf.”
“But they turn every month, not annually.”
“What if we’re only noticing it annually?”
Both he and Sam turned to Buffy with questioning looks and she gave a small embarrassed smile.
“I mean, you said it was outside, right? What if the werewolf turns every month but he’s only in town during this part of the year for it to be noticed here?”
Sam grinned at her and turned back to the keyboard typing furiously. As he looked for information, Buffy smiled softly. It was the beginning of an acceptance between them and Dean felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Things had been hard trying to referee fights between Sam and their Dad and he didn’t want to go there again, especially not with Buffy. She’d been mostly passive since she’d turned up on their doorstep but he put that down to unfamiliar environments - and unfamiliar family. He had the sneaking suspicion that once the dust settled, he’d get to see those claws more often and given that she was a Winchester, she was bound to have one hell of a fight in her.
“Coyote attacks aren’t common and deaths are even more unlikely. I’d think they’d have pressed the wolf angle a little more but the coyote sightings seem to have been the clincher and there’s no real pattern of coyote attacks that suggests someone moving about. But there has been an increase in the amount of attacks in the area in the last two years that has a pattern but that’s encompassing wolves, coyotes, rabid dogs, etc. I guess we could be looking at a werewolf that’s been able to hide.”
“Well, we need to take him out. If he’s travelling, that means that he’s not here all the time and someone like that should stick out, especially in a small town like this.”
“They’re not going to respond well to any sort of outside enforcement...”
Dean grinned. “Guess we’re off to the bar then!”
He saw Sam roll his eyes but ignored him. A trip to the bar was just what he needed. Some people went out for fresh air, he just needed a bar to clear his head and he’d been in enough over the years to fit right in. Buffy stood up from the lounge and disappeared into her bedroom and he quickly averted his eyes as they lingered on her. When he looked back at Sam, he saw his brother’s face and without needing prompting, he sighed and walked out of the room. He heard the motel door close behind him as he moved out into the parking lot and he decided that if he was gonna have to hear what he knew was coming, he was at least gonna have a weapon within range.
“Dean!” Sam jogged the last few feet as he opened the boot and came to a stop beside him. “What are you doing?”
“Just leave it alone.” There was a hard edge to his voice and he pushed back his own emotions, trying to leave his voice as emotionless as possible. He pushed a hand into the bag in the trunk and pulled out a bag of salt rounds.
“She’s our sister.”
He froze momentarily at the statement. There was no disgust in Sam’s voice, just concern and he was left wondering why. He was certainly filled with disgust.
“I know.”
“Dean...”
Dean slammed the lid of the trunk, his hand resting on it as an apology to her, and looked up at Sam.
“I know. I don’t need you reminding me. I’m not going to do anything stupid so just drop it.”
“Dean...”
The pitying sound in Sam’s voice was the last straw and he grit his teeth as he stepped threateningly closer to his brother. His voice was low and Sam stood his ground, used to the threat that Dean never followed through on.
“What do you wanna hear Sam? I know who she is! My brain knows that but my body is thinking something entirely different. She’s not just our sister, she’s someone we’ve only just met! I need some time and I’m not going to do anything stupid between now and then, so back off!”
Sam took a deep breath. “If I’ve noticed, so has she. She’s not stupid.”
He glanced back at the closed motel door before looking back at Sam. “I’m heading off to the bar to see what I can find out.”
The implication was obvious and Dean knew he didn’t need to tell Sam not to follow. He turned and walked out of the parking lot, taking a right and heading for the brightly lit sign on the bar. It wasn’t far away but it was far enough that he’d be able to let off some steam on the way there and sober up on the way back. He didn’t dare look back in case Sam was still watching him and opted instead to kick some of the larger rocks in his path. What he really needed was a punching bag but a beer would do just as well.
The inside of the bar was smokey but relatively well lit considering. The bar was about half-filled and he’d bet that when the businesses closed down for the day, this was the place most of the town went. A red head was behind the bar and she seemed to know the patrons by name. She offered a small smile as he entered and she looked him over. He moved to sit at the bar.
“You know the rules Jimmy - pay the tab and you can start again. You’ve already reached the limit. Don’t make me kick ya out.”
The disgruntled man in his late 30s who was standing in front of her groaned before slamming his palm lightly on the bar and heading for the back exit. She watched him leave before she turned around and smiled.
“What can I getcha?”
“Beer.” She nodded and Dean handed her a handful of large bills. “Keep them coming too.”
She looked at the bills in her hand before assessing him. With nothing more than a small nod, she placed the bottle in front of him and moved to the other end of the bar. Dean turned to check out the place and noticed that most people seemed to be there for interaction with one another and not drinking. There was still a drink in just about every hand, even those of the two in the corner playing pool. He briefly entertained the idea of hustling but tossed it away as he brought the bottle up to his lips again.
People filtered in and out and after about an hour, the place became more crowded as the residents talked animatedly amongst themselves. A badge sat next to him and surveyed the place but his posture was relaxed and Dean knew he wasn’t expecting trouble.
“Just passing through?”
Dean looked up into the bright blue eyes of the man next to him and offered a small nod. “Saw the coyote attacks in the paper - not something I need to be worried about, is it?”
The man looked at him and Dean could tell he was trying to figure out just how much he knew. But years of the same look had forced him to learn how to hold an innocent expression and the man looked back at the gathering crowd.
“Nah, don’t think so. We’ve got some good people on it.” There was a small beat and he looked back at Dean. “Where are you staying?”
He nearly scoffed out loud. The town was small and there was no doubt that word about them had filtered through, even to the top brass. The man probably knew everything about them by now - well, everything that he’d allowed them to know.
“Motel down the road. My sister just lost her job and my brother and I are taking her back with us for some down time. Sort of a family road trip.”
The man nodded and looked back at the room. He caught the bartender’s eyes and gave her a small nod and was rewarded with a small smile. She picked up the bottles from an empty table and walked back behind the bar. Dean pretended not to notice a thing. After a few minutes, the Sheriff got up offered the standard, ‘have a good stay’ and walked out, throwing a goodbye to ‘Lucy’ over his shoulder.
He downed at least a handful of beers before he lost count and when he looked up to get another, he noticed Sam and Buffy on the other side of the room. Sam was talking to a man in his mid twenties at a table toward the back of the room and Buffy was playing pool with the two he’d seen before. Sam was angled so that he could still keep an eye on her but he looked relaxed and Dean figured he wasn’t worried about her. Whatever Sam was listening to, it was interesting enough to keep his attention and when Lucy gave him his next beer, he pointed over at them.
“Who’s that talking with my brother?”
She glanced over at the table before leaning against the bar on her forearms. “That’s Douglas Keene, local reporter. I always thought he’d leave here; he was always too big for this town, ya know? But he’s still here, determined to track down the big stories from a small town.” Dean nodded and she threw a glance at the pool table. “That your sister?”
Dean swallowed the beer in his mouth and looked over at pool table. Buffy was lining up a shot, her tongue at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and as the balls moved around on the table, her arms shot into the air and she grinned triumphantly at her fellow players. They chuckled and pointed at something on the table and her face fell, a small frown settling on her features as her eyes moved over the table. Dean took another mouthful of beer as he turned back to Lucy and gave her a short nod. She gave him a small smile, a slight touch of pity on her face as if she understood something he hadn’t said and turned to the other side of the bar as someone called her. He decided then and there that he didn’t like her very much.
His eyes, however, found their way back to Buffy as his mind starting become foggy and after another few beers and several rebukes from his mind as he pulled his attention away from her, Dean gave up. He stood and looked at Lucy and as he moved to pull his wallet out, she shook her head. Giving her a nod of thanks, he headed for the back exit.
The rush of cool air hit him as he opened the door and stepped out. There was a dirt carpark in front of him and he looked at the dozen cars there before sucking in a deep breath. The night air hit him and he found his senses clearing, the fog starting to dissipate from his mind. His next couple of steps weren’t shaky and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, leaning against the wall as he focused on the tiny object in his hand.
The door opened behind him and he heard footsteps running over to him. He turned around and saw Buffy watching him carefully. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she leaned in toward him.
“Did you get anything?”
He blinked a few times at her and felt the fog disappearing. “Yeah, spoke to the Sheriff and the bartender. What about you guys?”
She shrugged and glanced back at the door. “Sam’s been talking to that reporter all night. I think he’s getting a fair bit from him though.”
“What about you?”
She grinned as she looked at him. “I learnt to play pool! I’m either a fast learner or I’ve played before because I’ve had to hold back the last few games so I don’t bruise their egos.”
Dean grinned back at her and pushed himself off the wall. There was a moment of dizziness before the world sat right again and Buffy frowned.
“Are you sure you’re okay to go back by yourself?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She continued to frown at him as though she were trying to figure out just how much of that had been a lie, her eyes taking in his no doubt dishevelled, appearance and trying to match that with what she already knew about him. She bit her bottom lip and every wall he was desperately holding up came crashing down. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, his hands holding onto her face for stability from both the inebriation and the knowledge that he was in the wrong. She froze underneath his hands and it was as he loosened his hands that she moved, her hands pulling on his shirt as she drew him closer and her mouth moving against his. His mind completely blanked and he pulled her in, his hand drawing around her waist and the other slipping into her hair. He became lost in the feel of her soft lips against his, the planes of his body pressed into hers and her hand slipping around to his back.
It was her fingers ghosting over his back that did it, and his eyes sprang open as he pushed her back from him. She looked completely confused, her eyes darting between his as he struggled to bring up the walls again. He didn’t say anything as he turned and walked away from her and he knew by the lack of footsteps that she was neither following him, nor turning back. He’d made it to the edge of the lot before he heard any movement from her and he closed his eyes briefly before letting out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding and headed for the motel.
When he heard Sam and Buffy return half an hour later, he was hiding in the bathroom with the shower on. He waited a good ten minutes after the quiet settled in before turning off the now cold running water and a further ten minutes before creeping out. The room was empty and he headed straight for the lounge. Quickly getting ready to sleep, he threw himself down and pulled the blanket over his head. He’d slowed down his breathing considerably when he heard a door open. He wasn’t sure which one it was but the person stayed in the doorway, probably watching him, for a few minutes before closing the door again.
He sighed.
He really hoped it had been Buffy because if it was Sam, chances are he’d know what had happened and that would be an entirely new disaster that he wasn’t ready to deal with.
He’d been tossing and turning for hours before finally getting up and throwing a shirt on. He moved silently over to the table and looked through all the research Sam had been doing, clicking on the various links and reading through the material. The more he read, the more he tried to throw himself into the case and let it consume him so that he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
Just before the sun began to rise, he scribbled a note for Sam, picked up his jacket and keys and headed out the door. He wanted to get the case finished so they could head off to Bobby’s. Bobby, he knew, would be able to sort things out, help her with her memories and set her up and he and Sam could be back on the road, just like it was before. Only this time he knew it wouldn’t be the same. He was always going to have a sister. The ride there wouldn’t be comfortable either but he knew that the best way to get her out of his system was to get some distance between them and being cooped up in a motel room with her and Sam was not going to do that.
The Impala moved through the quiet town as residents began stirring and the sun began to rise. He easily found the small brick building that housed the Sheriff’s Office and parked on the street outside. The front door was open and Dean wandered in. The Sheriff was sitting at a desk with some paperwork in front of him whilst an older man pointed at them, his agitation obvious.
“This is the fourth death, Jim, the fourth! You can’t just ignore this. Those bites didn’t come from any coyote I’ve ever seen and we all know that the only other animal responsible for something like this is Harry’s dog! That animal is a menace and it needs to be put down.”
“We don’t know that! There’s been no proof that Buzzer has ever attacked and I can’t just start putting down people’s pets without probable cause. If it’s not a coyote then bring me something I can use!”
“What do you- ”
Conversation abruptly cut off as the Sheriff noticed Dean and he stood, walking over to the waist high counter.
“Hey, can I help you with something?”
Dean raised his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s alright. What’re you after?”
“Well, I was gonna ask a couple of things... you see,” he pretended to stumble over his words, “we were gonna stay a litt- … but with that- I didn’t mean to overhear...”
He shrugged his shoulders, hoping the helpless look on his face was convincing enough and a part of him relaxed slightly at the false smile from the Sheriff.
“Look, it’s nothing for ya to worry about. Really. We’ve got this whole thing under control, just don’t wanna alarm the public, ya know? Don’t want them doing anything stupid that’ll get them into a whole lotta trouble. Ya understand?”
Dean nodded silently and the Sheriff looked back over his shoulder at the other man. The man gave Dean a tight smile and left the office. Ushering him in and sitting him down in a chair, he perched himself on the edge of the desk and looked down at him.
“Everything is still perfectly safe. What did ya wanna know?”
Dean made a show of swallowing thickly, his face seeming to appear to believe the lie before offering the Sheriff a brighter smile.
“Well, as I said, my sister lost her job recently and she’s a little down at the moment. We were thinking of slowing down our drive back before we hit home - ya know how parents can be!” He added an exaggerated eye roll and the Sheriff grinned at him. “Just wondering if there was anything going on at the moment? The motel owner said that people sometimes come through here annually about this time and I was wondering if there was some sort of festival or something going on?”
The Sheriff looked at him curiously before shaking his head. “Nope, no real festivals going on. Had one about a month back and the next major event isn’t for another six weeks. ‘fraid you’re right in the middle of bouts of entertainment.”
Dean nodded and shrugged. “That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find some excuse to linger for another couple of days before heading off again.”
The man smiled politely and shook Dean’s hand. “Well, I hope you have a good stay and if you’re interested in blowing off some steam while you’re here, Lucy has the bar open every night. Most people ‘round here tend to gather there.”
Dean took the opportunity to leave and tried not to tense as he felt the Sheriff’s eyes on him. He’d encountered law enforcement like that before and he had no doubt that there would be checks run against the card he used by the end of the day. He had one or two days tops before they figured out if the card was really legit but hopefully they’d be on the road by then.
The town was milling with people going about their daily business by the time he stepped outside and he gave a quick glance at the buildings in the street before heading toward the small corner store between the bank and the post office.
Dean used his wrists to turn the door knob and his foot to push open the door as he balanced the flimsy cardboard tray of drinks. Sam looked up at him from the computer and obviously saw his glance around the room.
“She’s not here. She went down to have a chat with the motel owner.”
He piled all of the things in his arms onto the table, trying not to spill the coffees on the end. As he looked over at Sam’s computer, he noticed a crude drawing of a man shifting into a wolf beside a long column of text. He pulled out a chair and sat down as he swallowed a mouthful of warm coffee.
“Went into town and spoke with the Sheriff. Interrupted a conversation he was having with someone about the attacks - apparently that guy had seen the bodies and didn’t think it was a coyote. Too small. But he does think it was a dog that lives in town so that still means we can clean this up before too many people get involved. Might even be able to keep this under the radar and be out by tonight.”
The motel door opened and Buffy faltered briefly in the doorway as hers eyes met his before she walked in and closed the door behind her. She didn’t look at him as she grabbed the tea from the tray and took a sip.
“Harvey says there’s no one new around here. Other than us of course. There hasn’t been anyone passing through on a regular basis either so that blows that theory.”
“What about the other guy staying here?”
He could have sworn his heart began speeding up as he heard his voice and saw her head turn toward him. She let out a breath before shrugging and looking at the cup in her hands.
“That’s just the deputy. His marriage is on the rocks and he’s been staying here for a while. Trying to land a job in New York so he can get away from the town. Harvey said he had an affair and he’s sort of being pushed out by everyone. Last he heard, the deputy actually got the job so he won’t be here for much longer.”
Dean nodded and took another mouthful of coffee. It was strong but he was glad. Usually the coffee he got was weak and he hated adding to it so that it was drinkable. Strong coffee kept him awake and, like now, gave him something to concentrate on. Sam shifted in his seat at the uneasy silence that settled on the room and Dean fought the urge to kick him for drawing attention to it.
“Well, if it’s not a regular visitor, it must be someone from the town. Maybe someone who is away for long stretches of the year but has a family left here. Like a salesman or truck driver or something. I’ll see if I can get into the town records and narrow down the search. Why don’t you t- “
Dean stood up quickly. “I’m gonna hit the bar. The Sheriff said it was where everybody ended up so I might be able to catch on to some sort of gossip mill or something. If not, I can probably find someone to talk to. Why don’t you guys meet me back at the bar in a few hours.”
He left no room for discussion as he stood and quickly made his way out the door. There was a mumbling as Sam and Buffy talked but he chose to ignore it and headed down the road. The large vacant area beside the motel looked completely different during the day. Being on the outskirts of town, there was nothing between the motel and the bar except what looked like an entrance to some sort of reserve. A rustling on his right drew his attention and he slowed his pace as he casually glanced over. A feral rabbit darted between two trees and he let out a small breath as he looked over at the bar. The lights were still on and there were still a few cars parked out back. It seemed that, like in just about every town, there were a few that seemed to live there.
The bar was nearly empty when he entered and he saw Lucy stacking mugs and glasses behind the bar. She offered him a warm smile and nodded to a seat in front of her.
“Hey there, you’re back again.”
“Yeah, just couldn’t stay away. Truthfully though, I just had to get away from my family.”
She gave a light laugh and he could tell that she probably had everybody in the place eating out of her hand. She was cheery and bright but had an innocence about her that would no doubt lead people to underestimate her. She’d worked the bar last night and he’d seen her innocently flirt with the men and gossip with the women - obviously she knew how to keep everyone happy and he’d seen just enough of a threat in her eyes when an argument heated up the night before that he knew she wouldn’t hesitate to pull punches if it protected her bar.
“Yeah, I can understand that. I have a brother who used to sit on that barstool you’re on and watch me like a hawk when I was working. Drove me nuts! He joined the army last year so that gave me a little more breathing room.”
“Is he back in town?”
She shook her head. “Nah, still miss him though. Never thought I’d realise how much until he left.”
He gave her a small nod and looked around at the people in the bar. There weren’t many people talking with each other - mainly just sitting around and drinking. Each one looked down into their own glass or stared blankly into space. Lucy loaded the last of the washed items onto their shelves and put a beer down in front of him. He smirked at her.
“Thought you looked like you needed it?”
“Is that your way of telling me I look terrible?”
She threw a flirty smile his way and she moved to the other side to get a refill for a man at the other end. “Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.”
He chuckled.
“You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless!”
Dean shook his head as Lucy regaled him with tales of her first days on the job. “I still can’t believe the Sheriff is your father.”
She shrugged as Dean noticed Sam slide onto the stool beside him. Buffy hovered behind Sam before finally sitting next to him and throwing a smile Lucy’s way.
“Eh, I don’t like to bring it up. People usually give me the same look you did. Though just about everyone around here knows anyway.”
She smiled at the two new people at the bar and held out a hand to Sam. He shook it as he introduced himself and Buffy and as she made them some soft drinks, Dean glanced across at Buffy. She still wasn’t looking at him and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy about it or not. Dropping her off at Bobby’s still seemed like the best idea and the sooner the better. He stood and nodded his head at a table. Sam picked up his drink and pulled Buffy over as Dean handed some money across to Lucy.
“We’re just gonna try and plan out our next move, try and avoid the ‘rents for as long as possible.”
Lucy just smiled knowingly and he walked toward the table. Buffy had taken a seat next to Sam with their backs against the wall and he gingerly pulled out the seat opposite them and sat.
“Get much info?”
There was a small touch of disbelief in his voice but Sam seemed to be genuinely asking so Dean squashed the indignation that was rising.
“Fair bit. I could tell you just about everything about anyone in this town. There’s one or two people we should scope out and they’ll be in tonight. ‘Never miss it’ apparently. Figured we’d pick them out, figure out which one it is and be gone by sunrise.”
Sam nodded at him and snuck a sideways glance at Buffy. As though she knew she were being watched, she shifted uncomfortably and stood up. “Well, you guys can sort it out; you don’t need me here. I’ll make sure everything’s packed.”
She walked out of the bar and Sam leant forward quickly. “Whatever you did, fix it!”
“What?”
“Dude, you’ve been avoiding each other all day. Obviously you said something to upset her so go out and fix it! The drive is gonna be really awkward otherwise.”
Dean sighed and stood. His legs had no intention of taking him out of the bar but he forced them to move and found himself squinting in the last rays of sunlight. Ahead of him, Buffy was walking toward the motel and kicking a few rocks out of her way as she went. He jogged slightly to catch up. As if she knew it were him approaching, she spun around and pointed a finger in his direction.
“Look, let’s just forget it, okay? Forget that it even happened!”
Her voice was low and her eyes flared with anger and hurt. He stood still and glanced out toward the reserve.
“You’re not acting like it never happened. You’re acting like you’re angry and Sam thinks I’ve made you angry at something I said.”
“This is new, right?” She waited for him to nod. “I’ve never had brothers before and you’ve never had a sister. Obviously, it’ll take some getting used to, so it’ll just take time. We’ll forget it ever happened and move on, alright?”
He took a deep breath. He had no idea why he didn’t think it wouldn’t work. After all, Sam didn’t seem to be having any problems and as much as he tried to forget what happened and constantly reminded himself that she was his sister, it didn’t seem to affect his feelings. He tried to push the thoughts from his head, he’d tried everything he could think of but he still wanted her and it made him sick to his stomach.
“Buffy...”
She turned away and he reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to him. There was a moment when her eyes met his that he swore she was feeling the same way he was. Almost instantly he starting putting up as many walls as possible, trying to force himself to let go of her arm and put some distance between them.
To not pull her closer.
She took a small step backward and he blinked. The moment was broken and she looked down at her feet and he dropped his hand to hers. She looked at their joined hands and glanced up surprised when he quickly placed the keys into her hand and stepped back. He repeated that she was his sister over and over in his head like a mantra as he took first one step, then another back and eventually turned and walked into the bar without looking back.
The first breath he remembered taking was as he entered the bar and the smell of the bar filled his lungs as he breathed deeply. He looked across at the bar and saw Sam giving him a questioning look and Dean ignored him as he sat at the bar. Lucy moved over to the taps and he shook his head.
“Something stronger.”
She paused and gave a furtive glance at Sam before she turned around and Dean took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Sam seemed to be waiting for something from him and he took a mouthful from the glass that was suddenly in front of him and he heard Sam sigh.
“You didn’t fix it, did you?”
He glared at Sam but his brother seemed unruffled, just as he usually did when he thought he was right. Sam stood and left the bar, opting for company from some of the other patrons. He watched over the next few hours as Sam mingled with some people their age before they all moved to the pool table to play a game. He swirled around the ice in his glass until it melted. Lucy took the glass off of him then and replaced it with a soft drink. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Sam said you’re fighting with your sister.” He didn’t say anything and she leant on her elbow on the bar beside him as she surveyed the room. “You know, you don’t have to apologise.”
A part of him wanted to laugh but it came out as more of a strangled chuckle and he pushed the drink away from him. He wanted to apologise but didn’t know what for. Saying sorry for feeling the way he did? What had happened? Something didn’t sit well and he thought she’d probably take his head off if he brought it up again. Basically, he’d narrowed it down to insanity. That’s all that he could think - having the feelings he had for his sister. New or not, it was insane and he wanted to punch himself for even thinking about it. He was definitely losing his mind if he couldn’t change it.
“Sometimes apologies don’t work,” he heard her say “sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.” He didn’t say anything and she continued. “Like Billy. He was having issues with his wife - they had a falling out that everybody in town heard and they struggled together for a while, basically having meltdowns every time they saw each other. Eventually he gave up and moved out. He’s seen her twice in the last year. Once the day he moved out and last week when he gave her the signed divorce papers. They were supposed to spend twelve months making sure they couldn’t sort things out but he just left. They’ve moved on. Maybe you can’t fix everything but you just have to pick your battles, ya know?”
“What?”
His head shot up as he processed it and she had a startled look before she began repeating herself.
“Ya have to pick your battles, move on an- “
“No, no, about the divorce papers?”
She frowned slightly. “Uh, he just gave them to her. He waited until the twelve months were up and came back Sunday to give them to her.”
He jumped off his stool and gave her a small smile. She frowned back at him in confusion but he pushed his way through the growing crowd to the back where Sam was playing. Sam had just lined up his shot when he bumped his elbow. The look of frustration faded as Dean looked at him.
“Gotta go.”
There was an urgency to his voice and Sam dropped the cue almost immediately despite the groans around him and followed him out of the door. Once the door closed behind them, Dean picked up speed and began jogging back to the motel. Sam ran up behind him.
“What is it?”
“The deputy. The owner said he’s been having problems with his wife, moving to New York.” Sam just looked at him. “It’s him! Lucy said he’s been going through a divorce, been gone for the last year. Came back to give her the papers. It’s him, it has to be.”
They ran into the parking lot and Dean haded straight for the front desk. As he drew up, he noticed that something was wrong. Opening the door, he saw the motel owner on the floor behind the counter, his throat ripped out and lying in a pool of his own blood. He didn’t even stop as he turned around and barreled past Sam. Sam swore as he saw what Dean had seen but Dean was already at the Impala and pulling a gun out from under the bags. He left the trunk open as Sam began searching for a weapon but he didn’t stop. He was already halfway to the door when he heard the trunk slam shut and his breath caught when he saw the door ajar slightly. There were a set of claw marks near the door knob and he gave a small nod to Sam as he drew up behind him.
His eyes looked around the room and he saw nothing but signs of a fight. Two of the chairs were broken and the lamp from the side table was shattered behind the lounge. The door to the first bedroom was open but the one to Sam’s room had deep claw marks on it. There was a couple of small smears of blood and Dean and Sam moved quietly through the lounge room. He nodded to Sam and then counted to three before flinging the door open to find the room shredded and Buffy sitting at the head of the bed. She looked up at them through weary eyes before looking down at the side of the bed. Dean moved further into the room and saw the body of the werewolf dead beside it, the thin silver knife from his bag sticking out of its chest.
He looked her over and apart from a deep scratch down her right arm, she appeared unhurt. He let Sam move over to her and fuss while he walked around the bed and knelt down next to the werewolf. She’d hit through the heart and he was wondering what he was going to do about it. They couldn’t just leave, especially not with the bloodshed around and a clean up would just take too long. He stood up and looked over at them.
“We’re gonna have to call the Sheriff.”
Sam nodded and helped Buffy stand from the bed. As he explained the general cover story to her, he led her from the room and she gave Dean one glance over her shoulder before disappearing from view. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and let out the breath he was sure he’d been holding since they reached the motel door. The thought that she had been killed had weighed so heavily on him and as he began dialling the Sheriff’s office, he realised his hand was shaking.
“What’s going to happen to it?”
The Sheriff gave Sam a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. “It’ll be destroyed. Lone wolves are extremely rare out here and this is the first incident we’ve ever had. There’ll be patrols in the area just in case there are any more but I don’t think we’ll find anything. You’re safe now.”
Sam nodded but Dean tuned out. He watched as the paramedic moved around Buffy and made sure the last of the dressing was secure. To her credit, she was playing her part well. As soon as the first vehicle had pulled up, she let loose a flood of tears and as the Sheriff had taken her statement, she’d shaken and told him how terrified she’d been and how the wolf had lunged at her and chanced to land on the small knife she’d been holding. He and Sam had been impressed. Now she was sitting in the ambulance, her legs dangling over the back as she rocked ever so slightly back and forth as though she was struggling to come to terms with it all.
Sam leant against the boot next to him. “She nearly died Dean.”
“You’re not giving her enough credit.”
“Dean, that’s not- “
Dean ignored him and pushed himself away from his car. Sam was right, even though he was wrong. Buffy was a lot stronger than Sam thought she was and she’d fought a werewolf and walked away with a scratch. That was either some serious luck or definite skill and he’d bet it was the latter. But things hadn’t been good between them and if she hadn’t made it, he didn’t know how he would have dealt with the guilt.
She’d looked up and seen him coming and Dean was trying to read her face to give him a clue. He saw a brief flash of relief and all subsequent thought flew out the window. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. Whatever issues were between them, she was still his sister and he knew that keeping his distance had been hurting them both. The close proximity proved that he was definitely still trying to work things out but he had to give it a shot. Their family was dysfunctional enough without adding another sibling who wouldn’t speak to them.
Dean yawned as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to Bobby’s house. He pulled the Impala around to the side and turned the engine off just as he saw Bobby step out onto the verandah. Dean stepped out of the car and Bobby just watched him as he tried to figure out how they were coping with the news. Dean leant across the seat and shoved a sleeping Sam’s shoulder before leaning into the back and shaking Buffy lightly. They both looked at him and he closed his door and moved around to the boot.
He pulled out the three duffles and followed Sam and Buffy up to the verandah. Bobby smiled at Buffy.
“Come inside.”
As they sat down in the lounge room, Bobby pulled a seat over to Buffy and offered her a glass of water. She’d already been told what to expect and she swallowed it down before handing the empty glass back to him. Sam handed over him the birth certificate and the article he’d printed out.
“Did you know about this Bobby?”
Bobby shook his head and looked across at her. “Nope. Didn’t even hear ya daddy mention it once, but he kept a lotta things close.”
“Like a daughter?”
Bobby shrugged and looked up at him. “You said somethin’ about bein’ trained?”
Dean looked across at her. “Yeah, she’s an incredible shot if it’s her first time shooting. She took down those vampires and that werewolf with barely a scratch.”
Buffy’s hand immediately moved to the dressing on her arm and Bobby frowned before motioning for her to give him her arm. She leant forward and undressed it to show an almost healed set of marks.
“Woah!” Sam said as he leaned forward to get a better look. “That wasn’t like that before. I was sure she was gonna need stitches!”
Bobby took a deep breath and stood slowly. He looked around for a moment and headed to a desk in the corner of the room. He rifled a few papers as Buffy pulled the dressing off altogether and ran a finger over the fading marks. Bobby spun around quickly, a knife flying from his hand and aimed straight for Buffy.
She caught it.
Dean looked up furiously at him. “What the- ?”
“Calm down boy, just wanted to test a theory.”
“What if your theory had been wrong? You could’ve killed her.”
Bobby sat slowly back down in his chair and took the knife out of Buffy’s hands. “If I’d’ve been wrong boy, we’d have more problems than we currently do. I think your sister is a Slayer.”
Sam frowned and looked up at Dean in confusion but all he could do was stare at her. “That’s not possible...”
Bobby shrugged. “Yeah, it is, and if ya wanna keep her outta trouble, I suggest you do somethin’ about it before something comes after her that ya can’t handle.”
“What’s a Slayer?” Sam and Buffy asked in unison.
Bobby pulled a nearby book onto his lap. “After you told me about her takin’ down the werewolf, I looked into a few things. Slayer’s really the only thing that makes sense. The Slayer’s a warrior, always a girl, who’s given the strength, speed and whatnot to fight demons. She’s a quick healer but not invincible and because she’s almost always called so young, they almost never make it passed their teens.”
“But I’m not a teenager.”
Bobby shook his head and smiled. “No, you’re not. And there’s only one called once the other has died. But there’s a legend that says that a decade or so ago, the Slayer died but was brought back to life. Technically she’d died so another Slayer was called and there was two. But somethin’ was trying to wipe out the Slayers and prevent any new ones comin’ around so the Slayer managed to call every single girl around the world that could ever be a Slayer at once. Made an army of them to fight.”
“But how come we’ve never heard of this army?”
“Ya daddy had. That’s why he told ya never to go to certain places - because there was already a Slayer there and they usually don’t mix well with us Hunters.”
Buffy took a deep breath. “Why not?”
“‘Cause traditionally they work alone. They’re usually taken from their homes when they’re called and trained to survive. We tend to work alone too and they don’t bow down to our authority - we’re usually too stubborn to bow to theirs.”
Sam looked across at Buffy. “They’re stronger than us?”
Bobby laughed as he stood and put the book on the coffee table. “Boy, she’d wipe the floor with you! They’re like superheroes and because there was only one, they were pretty much myths ‘til a few years ago, something demons told each other around a campfire. Word is spreading about them but they tend to keep the bigger evil things down while we settle ourselves with the demons up here.”
“Up here?”
“There’s more than what we see up here. There’re things you couldn’t even dream about. When the Slayer called her army, she led them right into Hell itself to set a few things straight. And she survived.”
Buffy stood and paced behind the chair, worry etched into her features. “And I’m one of these?”
“Looks like.”
Dean watched the fear on her face and frowned at Bobby. “Why now? I mean if all those Slayers were called years ago, why does she show up now? Why has she forgotten everything?”
Bobby pulled another book down from a top shelf and opened it up. It looked like a journal and there were several loose pages that almost fell to the floor as Bobby turned through to a specific page.
“This is what they call a Watcher’s diary. A Watcher is sort of a guardian for the Slayer. Each Slayer is assigned one and they train her. I found one of these in an old church basement a few years back. It’d been buried for years. It talks about the Slayer when she is first called but it doesn’t say anything about memory loss. From what I gather, her memory’s fine. I don’t know how or why now but there was one thing I managed to pick up from another Hunter. There’s a lot of talk about Cleveland. No one knows where or why but there’s a bunch of them there. I think you should take her there.”
He stood quickly. “We’re not gonna drop her off with a bunch of wackos that we don’t know.”
“They’re probably the only ones who can help you. They can train her.”
“We can train her.”
Bobby looked across sternly. “No you can’t! She’ll outstrip you in no time at all. Keeping her around untrained is just gonna get her killed. It’ll get you killed. You have no idea what sort of things she’ll come up against.”
“I wanna go.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to the blonde across the room. Dean stepped toward her.
“Buffy- “
“No, I wanna go. If things are a dangerous as you say, if I’m as dangerous as you say, then I should be prepared. Not loving the idea of being dead but I don’t want anything to happen to you or Sam either because I’m around. If these Slayers can train me, then I should go and be trained.”
She nodded as if everything was settled and he could see the worry in her eyes. She asked Bobby a few questions about her strength and speed and Bobby took her out the back for a demonstration, Sam trailing along behind to watch. Dean dropped his head into his hands and took a deep breath.
If he was ever going to have a sister, one who was oblivious to their life would have been good. She could have had a normal life and they could have visited occasionally just to make sure she was safe. At the very most, a sister who would fight alongside them, someone who could have withstood the dangers they fought so often. But they’d blitzed right past that and he was looking at a sister who was almost definitely gonna die early because of the dangers she’d face. He wasn’t alright with that. He wasn’t fine with getting to know her, only to lose her again. He knew Bobby was right; if she was untrained, she’d be dangerous to them and herself but he didn’t want to drop her off somewhere with a bunch of ‘warriors’ he didn’t know.
He stood and walked out the front door, his feet taking him to the Impala. He’d turned the engine and driven away before he even realised he was leaving and the Impala kept up with him until he looked down and realised he was almost out of petrol. He didn’t really know where he was but he’d been driving in the one direction since Bobby’s and it shouldn’t be too hard to find his way back.
He’d come to no life-altering revelations, no reality-shattering conclusions, just a steady stream of emptiness since he’d left. And now he had to turn around and head back to the thing that had made him run in the first place. A small voice whispered that things would have been better if they’d never met her, if she’d never shown up on their doorstop with that birth certificate and placed herself in their lives. But he knew it wasn’t true. Things hadn’t exactly been going smoothly but there was no way he’d ever wish that she’d never stepped into their lives.
By the time he pulled the Impala back into her spot at Bobby’s, night had fallen and he was fighting sleep. It had been too long since he’d gotten a decent sleep. Bobby watched him from his spot at his desk as he walked toward the stairs. He offered a single nod and Dean smiled back. Sam and Buffy were safe and his little tantrum hadn’t caused to many ripples. He trudged upstairs silently and moved to the room he usually slept in. His duffle was sitting on the bed made up for him and he took of his shoes and lay his jacket across the end of the bed. There was a soft knock on the door and he turned around as Buffy’s head peeked in.
“I’m sorry if I made you angry,” she offered as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.
Dean felt his heart jump into his throat and he unintentionally took a step backward. She frowned slightly but stayed where she was and fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of her tank top. She was offering an apology but his mind was far from there as she looked up at him. He cleared his throat.
“You didn’t make me angry. I’m just... frustrated... with this whole situation and I don’t wanna leave you there with someone you don’t know. Sam and I will probably stick around for a few days if we can, just to make sure you’re alright.”
A small tear fell down her cheek and he noticed her blinking her eyes to keep back the rest of them. “I’m just sorry about everything, about turning up unexpectedly and putting you through so much drama.”
He shook his head. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad we were around now so that we can help you, so that you’re not on your own.”
She nodded back, a small sniffle the only real indication of how close the tears had been, and turned to leave. Dean crossed the room quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He’d hugged her before when she’d needed it and she definitely needed it now. She buried her face in his shirt and he felt warm wet patches spread. He held onto her for a moment as she pulled her control back and when she looked up at him with a watery smile, he had to fight the very persistent urge to kiss her. He saw her eyes dart down to his mouth and he pushed her back to arms distance while he still had strength left. She seemed to realise what he was doing and her smile pulled tight as she nodded her head once and walked out the door.
Dean closed the door after her and lay down on the bed. He put his arms over his eyes and mentally kicked himself. Things weren’t getting any better and he knew he’d be an idiot to try and convince himself that they were. He struggled with his thoughts until he fell into a fitful sleep.
( PART THREE)