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) ( PART TWO)
She ran through the cemetery as fast as she could and only gave a cursory glance over her shoulder to see if she was still being followed. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw nothing behind her and she stepped cautiously backward as her eyes scanned the area around her. It had been right on her, she had almost been able to feel its breath on her neck and the idea of having lost it was ridiculous. She closed her eyes and listened for sounds, just as she’d been taught, but all she could hear was her blood rushing past her ears and she opened her eyes to scan the area again.
As she stepped backward, her foot hit a branch and her weight caused it to snap underfoot. She spun around and her heart slowed as she noticed the broken branch beneath her foot. A nervous laugh crept into her throat but there was no time for it to sound as she turned back around. The sickly-yellow demon was standing in front of her with almost a look of glee on its face, if that were even possible. A grey-yellow substance oozed out of its skin like sweat and she saw its eyes turn a bold red before it backhanded her and sent her crashing into a nearby tombstone.
The trip to Cleveland had been mostly uneventful. Things between himself and Buffy were still a little awkward but while Sam was around, it was less so. Sam spent the trip telling Buffy stories from their childhood. Most were funny with only the occasional story that silenced the car. Dean did his best to add his side of the stories that Sam told but that usually ended with an awkward glance between him and Buffy and Sam picked up the slack. Dean knew that Sam had no idea what had happened and was still of the opinion that he’d said something to hurt Buffy’s feelings and that they were still on the outs. Dean was beginning to think that would have been easier.
By the time they arrived in Cleveland, Buffy had become silent and withdrawn. She stared out the window and watched the scenery go past and he found himself wondering if it really was the best thing to do after all. She was still determined though. Bobby had called earlier and had narrowed down the search by giving them a location where supposedly a Slayer had been seen. They’d talked it over and decided that staking out the cemetery was probably the best idea.
By the time night had fallen, Dean had parked the car and they’d all been equipped sufficiently. Buffy had decided on a knife and deliberately not taken the gun; she’d said she’d felt more comfortable without it. It had confused him, especially because she had such great aim, but using a weapon she was uncomfortable with would have made the awkward night all the more awkward.
“Do you actually think we’ll see anyone?”
Dean shrugged but he noticed the stressed look on Sam’s face. Dean had found out that Buffy actually enjoyed talking through stake-outs or hunting or any activity where being quiet was important. He figured it was because she could handle anything that attacked with her little finger and was bored but Sam had learnt while they were hunting the werewolf that he found it irritating and Dean was just waiting for him to snap.
He pulled back the smirk that was forming on his face and stared ahead. There was a long haired brunette walking alongside a girl with short, spiky red hair. They were deep in conversation and looked oblivious to everyone else but when the brunette looked up and saw them, she stopped dead in her tracks. She paused for a moment and her mouth fell open before she ran forward and flung her arms around Buffy.
Buffy looked at him and Sam over the woman’s shoulder with a confused look and awkwardly gave her a pat on the back. She pulled back and the woman’s eyes were filled with tears.
“Oh my gosh! We thought you were dead Buffy! Where have you been?” She saw the helpless look Buffy threw over at them and stood back. “Buffy? Do you know who I am?”
Buffy smiled politely but shook her head. The brunette looked back over her shoulder to Dean and Sam and kept her eye on them as she called out to the redhead.
“Vi, call the school and let them know we found Buffy.” She turned her entire focus onto him and Sam and he noticed she positioned her body so that she was between Buffy and whatever potential threat they might be. “Who are you?”
Sam stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Sam Winchester and this is Dean. We’re Buffy’s brothers.”
The woman pulled her hand from his grasp at that and took a step back closer to Buffy. Dean noticed that Vi had also tensed up and looked ready for a fight.
“Buffy doesn’t have any brothers. She only has me.”
“I know it might be confusing,” Sam offered, “but she really is our sister. She tracked us down with her birth certificate and we found out she went missing when she was a baby.”
The woman shook her head as Vi stepped forward. “Dawn, what do you want me to do?”
Buffy pulled on Dawn’s arm and looked at her. “You’re Dawn?”
Dawn nodded and Dean saw a tear fall down her face. “I don’t know what’s happened to you Buffy but I promise you we’ll figure it out.”
Vi stepped in closer and pulled a stake from her pocket. Dean saw that as the most opportune moment to step forward and prevent any unnecessary death. “Look, we were very confused too. Why don’t we just go somewhere that isn’t a cemetery to figure it out and leave all our weapons out of it?”
Dawn held on to Buffy’s arm. “Fine but Buffy’s coming with us.”
Dean stepped forward angrily, bristling at the implication that he would ever hurt Buffy. “She’ll be safe with us and I’ll be damned if I let you take her from here.”
“We don’t know who you are!”
“We don’t know who you are and right now Buffy knows us better than you. She’ll be safe with us.”
Dawn looked back at Buffy before wrapping her in a hug. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”
She turned back to them and Dean found himself moving forward until he was within arms reach of Buffy. Dawn didn’t seem like a threat but he wasn’t gonna take any chances - not after everything he’d seen.
“Just follow us, we’ll take you back to the school a- “
“We can’t!” Vi said, stepping forward suddenly. “The virus...”
Dawn’s shoulders sank a little and she looked up at Vi sadly. “I’ve already been infected. She’d have it by now.”
Dean grabbed Buffy and pulled her out of Dawn’s grasp, pushing her behind him as he raised his gun. “You’ve got sixty seconds...” he warned as he cocked his gun.
Buffy grabbed onto his arm. “No Dean! She’s the only thing I can remember.”
He looked down at her sadly. “Sorry Buffy, we’ll find another way, I promise, but I’m not letting you get infected by... whatever it is.”
Dawn looked up at him furiously and her fists glowed a faint green. Buffy tried to move out from behind him but he gripped onto her arm and held her close. He could see Sam a few paces away with his hand gripped tightly around his gun but he could also see Vi ready to take him down if he decided to pull it. Whoever they were, Dean wasn’t sure he could win so easily, especially not if Buffy wasn’t sure which side she was on.
Dawn looked around and he watched as she looked at Sam and Vi before taking a deep breath and clapping her hands once. An almost invisible dome was created around them that shone green in the places where light hit it. She lowered her hands and loosened her shoulders. Vi took a step back and put her stake away which only made Dean more nervous.
“What did you do?”
She took a step toward him but he held his gun firm. They might have been dropping their weapons but he wasn’t gonna give his up without a good excuse.
“No one outside of it can see or hear us. To them, they can just see what’s on the other side.”
Sam turned around and held a hand up the the barrier. His hand didn’t move past the green shade that appeared on contact and he turned around with a smile of amazement. It dropped almost as soon as he saw Dean’s face.
“Look, Dean, I don’t know who you are but you don’t seem to want to hurt Buffy. You have to understand that we’ve been looking for her since she disappeared and not even the locator spells showed anything. We thought she was dead. I know that this is all some sort of misunderstanding and we will help you sort it out. The virus is nothing you have to be afraid of. One of the Slayers was just infected by a demon a few nights ago and it seems to be spreading. We’re trying to fix it, believe me! I would never hurt Buffy, she’s my sister.”
Dean lowered his gun but it was Sam that stepped forward.
“Sister? But all of the records we’ve found showed that Harry and Joy Summerfield only had one child.”
“Harry and Joy...?” She looked over at Buffy. “You don’t remember anything at all?”
Buffy stepped out and stood beside Dean. He’d lowered his gun but he still wasn’t letting Buffy anywhere near Dawn, especially now that she’d shown her hand as a witch. Luckily Buffy seemed to have sensed that and she only moved as far as his side.
“No. Just that my name is Buffy and that someone called Dawn is important to me.”
“But not that I’m your sister?” Buffy shook her head and Dawn looked over at Vi. “Something’s not right. That’s not amnesia.”
Vi nodded. Sam stepped forward and Dawn turned to face him.
“What are you talking about?”
“She doesn’t have amnesia. She hasn’t had a spell cast on her to forget her memories, at least last time she did it wasn’t like this. Something has happened to... I dunno, rewrite history or something. But it’s a sucky job because our parents were Hank and Joyce - there’s not even a good change there.”
Vi looked across at Buffy. “Could it be like when Johnathon used that demon to change everything?”
Dawn shook her head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Buffy’s the only one that’s affected. It’s like they were uploading a new life for Buffy but the harddrive crashed before it could finish; like she’s only got half of a new life.”
“Should we warn the other Slayers?”
“I don’t think we need to. It seems like Buffy was the only person affected.”
“It’s not this virus you’re talking about is it?”
When she looked back at him, Dean could have sworn her eyes were laughing at him. Her lips were pursed as she shook her head.
“No, this is entirely different. The virus, or whatever it is, seems to affect the Slayers the worst. The rest of us seem to be carriers with only a mild side affect of aggression. With the Slayers, it seems to latch on to the demonic part of them and go crazy.”
“Demonic?”
“Part of the original essence of the Slayer was demonic. Some men infected a girl with a demonic essence in order to give her what she needed to fight demons for them. It passed down to each Slayer but while the original Slayers were more in touch with that part, the modern Slayers have basically locked it away. This virus seems to attach to that part and is turning our girls more demonic. Sort of unlocking it. They’ve become excessively aggressive toward not only each other but themselves as well. Their emotions are heightened and they can’t reel them in. They’ve got more strength than they had and the first one who came into contact with it died this morning. It sort of pushed her past boiling point and her body shut down.”
“And you exposed Buffy to it?”
“It wasn’t intentional! I’m wondering if this was all some sort of setup? Get Buffy out of the way and destroy the rest.”
“You think it was The First?”
“No, not his style. Besides, those demons are around.”
Sam frowned. “But why Buffy? Why would getting her out of the way make things easier?”
Dawn looked startled. “Because... because she’s the one who started all of this. She turned all the Slayers from potentials, she’s the start of this new line. If someone were to take her out, the whole thing could collapse.”
Sam turned to Buffy in surprise and her eyebrows shot up. “I’m the Slayer that went into Hell?”
Dawn gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess. Depends which time you’re talking about but yeah.”
“Woah...!”
“So we need to get back to the school and sort all this out.”
Dawn looked at Buffy and smiled. “If it makes you feel better, you can go with them. We’ll get back and fix everything and even if we can’t, I’m sure Giles can. Besides, Andrew is gonna be over the moon to hear that you’re back; he’s been moping since you left.”
Dean noticed there was no recognition on her face when she heard any of the names but when Dawn pulled the barrier down, Dean and Sam led them back to the Impala. Buffy sat in the back and was quiet for the entire drive. Dean kept looking up into the rearview mirror but she kept her eyes focused on her hands the entire time. Sam just stared out of the window. A light drizzle began almost as soon as they reached the enormous grounds of the school Dawn had been talking about and Dean backed his car into the space beside Dawn’s just in case they needed a quick getaway - although the large wrought iron gate would definitely be an obstacle.
Dawn and Vi led them up a large set of stone stairs and Dean looked at the dark windows all around him. It was late but there wasn’t a single light on anywhere and it made him feel as if he were walking into a haunted house. He looked at Buffy walking beside him but she if she recognised the place, she wasn’t showing it. He and Sam walked cautiously through the front door that Dawn was holding open for them, keeping Buffy between them in case it was a trap.
The foyer was a large open area with a polished wooden floor that had an intricate carving that had been stained a shade darker than the wood. To the casual observer it would appear that the wood simply had a design on it but Dean could make out the large Devil’s Trap hidden in the centre. A double arched doorway on his left led onto a large sitting room but the one on his right had left the room hidden in the shadows of the closed drapes. A hallway in front of him led further into the house and there was a wide staircase beside it. Buffy came to stand beside him and Sam on her other side while he looked to Dawn as she closed the door. Vi disappeared down the hall almost immediately and Dawn waved her arm as she moved into the sitting room. He and Sam sat on either side of Buffy when she sat on the long lounge and Dawn simply smirked at him as she sat opposite them in a recliner.
“I know this is hard for you guys. But obviously something is trying, and I use the word loosely, to get Buffy out of the way because this ‘life’ that she suddenly has isn’t even a proper one. There’s not a whole lot of demons that can do something like this so it shouldn’t be too hard to- “
She stopped suddenly and he tensed as she cocked her head slightly in Buffy’s direction before picking up the handset beside her. She punched a few numbers and frowned as it rang.
“Willow! I’ve got a question. Do you think it’s possible for a vengeance demon to, I don’t know, not have enough power to do the job?”
He looked to Sam but his brother just shrugged in return. He was wondering just how many demons there were that they didn’t even know about if Slayers truly were in a league of their own.
“What about if they were interrupted or something?”
Buffy fidgeted beside him and he avoided looking at her as her knee bounced up and down anxiously.
“Can you just call him up and check it out? We’ve found Buffy but she doesn’t remember us. It’s like someone tried to give her a new life and did a crappy job.” He noticed Dawn pause as she swallowed thickly. “She has another family.”
It was barely above a whisper but the decrease in volume seemed to stem from hurt rather than secrecy. She nodded her head at whatever Willow was saying and and thanked her before hanging up.
“That was our friend Willow. There’s a group of vengeance demons that grant wishes and they can change things like people’s lives. They’re almost always creative about what you say and if someone wished that Buffy hadn’t been a Slayer or lived somewhere else, it would happen. Has happened actually. The world’s a whole lot messier without you.”
Dawn watched her for any sort of reaction and visibly deflated when Buffy didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. Dean leant forward.
“So, are you saying this whole thing was a mistake? That she’s not related to us and it’s, what, some spell gone wrong?”
Dawn looked at him defensively. “I know she’s my sister and that’s it. We’ve had a whole life together and her suddenly forgetting who she is and finding a new family is pretty suspicious! Speaking of new families, who exactly are you? You seem to know an awful lot about what we do.”
“It’s what we do,” Sam replied in a more conciliatory tone than he ever could have managed at that moment. “We’re Hunters; we hun- “
Dean tuned out and gave a sideways glance at Buffy. She seemed to be controlling her breathing, each breath softly laboured as she clenched and unclenched her fists. a frown fell on his face when he noticed that her leg hadn’t stopped bouncing up and down.
“Look, can I just get a straight answer?” she burst, interrupting what Sam was saying. Sam’s mouth fell open at the anger directed at them and Dawn simply gave her a half smile.
“Buffy, you’re just gonna have to wait. Willow has to call D’Hoffryn first and try and figure things out. If it was a vengeance demon, there might not be much we can do unless we can figure out why they’ve also infected the Slayers. Until Willow calls back, we just have to wait it out.”
Buffy stood and began pacing the room. “I’m sick of waiting! I have no idea who I am, what my life has been, who my friends are. I finally start getting used to the fact that I was kidnapped at birth and raised as a Hunter when all of a sudden I’m called as some mystical-whosit. Now I’m the leader of an Army who’s been infected with some virus and we’re all just waiting around for what? Comfirmation that my life is messed up? I know that!”
Sam stood and held out his hands placatingly. “Buffy... “
“No, you calm down! I’m sick of this! I wanna know who I am, I wanna remember!”
She spun quickly on her heels and raced out of the room. They heard her hit the stairs and Sam moved to go after her but Dawn stood in front of him.
“Let her go. She knows this place like the back of her hand and she’s only going to get worse. If you try and go after her, she could hurt you.”
Dean stood quickly. “We can handle ourselves.”
“Against the garden-variety demons, sure. Against an enraged Slayer?” The light chuckle that followed made them both frown and he sat back down on the lounge. Sam remained standing.
“Look, I know that you’ve gotten used to her and Buffy tends to bring out the protectiveness in guys but she can handle herself. I’m not surprised she’s reacting so quickly - Faith was the first to start showing symptoms after Miranda returned back here, even though she wasn’t even there. She didn’t have direct contact with her. Guess it’s because she’s one of the originals, you know? More Slayer-y or something.”
“So there were two Slayers? One died and another was called even though the first was brought back to life?”
Dawn looked at her hands. “Yeah. Buffy was bitten by The Master. He drowned her but Xander did CPR and she came back. Faith was part of the new line.”
Sam sat slowly next to him. “Buffy died?”
“Yep, done it a few times since then, just to keep us on our toes!” she replied with false cheerfulness.
They sat in silence; the room was lit by the flashes of lightning the storm was beginning to produce and the rain was hitting the windows in a steady rhythm. He could have sworn he heard movement upstairs a few times but it was usually following a particularly large gust of wind and he put it down to movement of the old place. There was a thump upstairs that had clearly not been made by wind and he looked over at Dawn.
“Slayers. We tried keeping them locked in their rooms but they were too much of a danger to themselves. They still have territory issues but giving them free roam of the place was just easier.”
Sam stiffened. “You mean, you’ve just let them out? Aren’t they a little dangerous for that?”
“To anyone they come across? Yeah. But they can pretty much hold their own against each other and there’s more than enough of them that they won’t kill each other or anything. They’re not monsters - they just can’t really control their emotions and aggression seems to be the emotion of the day.”
“So it’s like a house full of PMSing women?”
Dawn raised an eyebrow and the smirk slid off Dean’s face.
“There’s the odd squabble but they’re mostly fine. We’ve got people working out how to fix this though they chose to leave... ”
“And they left you here alone to look after a school full of Slayers?”
“There’s a spell on the place. None of the Slayers are getting out.”
He looked into the darkened foyer. “What about something getting in?”
“They’ll take whatever it is out. Besides, nothing dares to come into a place like this; it’d be suicide.”
Dean looked back at her. “But if something deliberately got the Slayers infected, removed Buffy from the picture, wouldn’t this be the best time to strike? In all the chaos with no one around to think properly?”
Dawn faltered but was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking upstairs. He and Sam leapt up immediately but Dawn pointed further into the sitting room.
“Weapons and lights are over there.”
He moved to follow Sam but pulled the gun from his waistband and took the stairs two at a time instead. Someone needed to be upstairs, make sure no one was hurt or in any danger, and Sam and Dawn would be right behind with weapons if something was wrong. At least, that’s what he told himself. But as his gut clenched at the thought of Buffy being attacked, he pushed aside any further reasoning and opted to listen for noises. A faint sound of something wooden dragging on the floor came from his left and he took a step toward it before a movement caught his attention.
Dean turned around and walked down the dark corridor. Most of the rooms had closed doors and he pictured Slayers sleeping softly behind them, each one like a lion about to attack if woken. A worn board creaked underneath his foot and he stilled, each muscle tensing and his ears desperately trying to pick up any sounds of impending doom. Instead, there was nothing and he stepped gingerly over the spot on the floor and focused on the corridor. There was a room open at the end of the hall and by the faint traces of light coming from it, he presumed that the blinds were partially open if not drawn back all the way.
A shadow flitted across the threshold as someone in the room moved and he raised his gun in front of him as he took a step forward. Behind him he could only just hear the sounds of Sam and Dawn arguing with someone at the other end of the wing but he tuned them out as he rounded the corner, only to be hit with what felt like a freight train as something slammed into him from the side. His back hit the wall on the other side of the corridor and a hand clamped over his mouth as a body held him against the wall. He followed the hand to the face and saw a very tired looking Buffy glancing around the corridor in a mild panic. Her eyes stilled on the doorway he had just been about to enter and he saw the shadow flit back across the doorway. Her shoulders seemed to relax a little before she opened a door further down the corridor and pushed him into it.
“What are you doing here?” She seethed in a low whisper.
“We heard a crash downstairs, came to see what it was.”
She began pacing in front of him as she cast looks at the door. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. Besides, the mirror fell down the other end.”
She looked up at him, suddenly still, as she appraised him. “Just what exactly are you doing down this way?”
“I saw movement! If the building was being infiltrated, I’d create a distraction too. Figured Dawn and Sam could handle it.”
“Why were you heading into Faith’s room then?”
Her body moved like fluid as she silently came closer and he imagined it would be how a panther moved before it attacked. His eyes drifted down her body and when he looked back at her face, her eyes were filled with fury. He gulped.
“Were you looking for her?”
The question seemed harmless enough but there was a dangerous edge to her tone that had him guarded. “I saw a shadow move in the room. I didn’t know she was in there; I thought it was something dangerous.”
“Oh, she’s dangerous.”
He watched as her hands clenched and unclenched and her feet propelled her toward him. She stopped a metre before him and cocked her head to the side, listening to some noise that he couldn’t hear. Dean held his breath, hoping that whatever it was would allow him to get out of the room unscathed. Buffy took a step toward the door, her muscles tense in preparation for a fight and he nearly laughed at how ridiculous it seemed that he was afraid of a bunch of women.
His finger itched on the trigger and he realised he still held his gun. He slowly moved his hand around his back and replaced it but Buffy’s eyes darting back to him forced him to pause. He grinned in the hopes of showing he was no threat and slowly brought his hands back around, palms up. His mobile vibrated silently in his pocket but it was enough to startle an already wound up Buffy and she looked up at him quickly before swinging a fist at him. It was all the warning he got.
Dean twisted out of her way and moved into the centre of the room. It was a small lounge room with bean bags haphazardly placed in the centre. That he found out the hard way when he stumbled backward on one and narrowly missed the right hook that probably would have hit him. She leapt toward him and he rolled out of the way, springing back onto his feet as she moved abnormally fast to the other side of the room, her figure coated in shadows making her impossible to see. Dean held up his hands in front of him.
“I was going to see her. Didn’t even know she was there. I just wanted to make sure you’d be safe.”
He heard her let out a small breath and thought he had been getting through to her - until a fist connected with his head and he went down seeing stars. He groaned as she hauled him back to his feet and shoved him against the wall.
“Don’t lie to me! Guys are always wanting her with her sexy looks and naked wrestling- “
Dean grabbed her arms. “You’ve got your memory back?”
“Bits... there’s bits and pieces and they’re all just... “ She growled low in frustration. “And you’re not helping!”
She slammed him back against the wall and before he had time to react, she pressed her lips forcefully against his. He stilled, not knowing what to do, but when she pressed her body closer to his, subsequent thought flew out the window and he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her thoroughly. Her wet tongue ran along his bottom lip and when he opened his mouth in surprise, she dove in.
He spun them around and pressed her back against the wall, his knee sliding between her legs and causing her to gasp into his mouth. He was pushed roughly backward and landed on a bean bag as she stalked toward him, straddling his body before kissing him again. Her hands ran up his shirt and nails raked down his skin. He pulled her hips closer and her fingers wound into his hair. She nipped his lip and a cold bucket of awareness drenched him as he remembered that she was infected. He threw his head back in frustration but she pressed small kisses up his throat. He held her at arms length.
“Buffy, no. You’re not yourself.” She lunged toward him again and he found that it was a real struggle to hold her back. Her green eyes glinted dangerously and he made the mistake of looking down at her right arm as it flinched before her head connected with his and the world disappeared.
A hand slapped him across the face and he opened his eyes to see Sam grinning at him. His head felt like fireworks had exploded inside it and he groaned as he felt the ache in his protesting muscles. As he raised his head he noticed Dawn standing just behind Sam and looking at him anxiously. He noticed that the first small rays of light were peeking into the room.
“What happened?”
“She knocked you out!” Sam said showing almost no restraint from laughter. Dean pushed him backwards.
“Where is she?”
Dawn stepped forward. “She’s checking on the girls. Giles found an antidote for the virus; wasn’t related to Buffy at all. And Willow managed to track down the demon. She broke the pendant and what little of her memories hadn’t returned came back.”
“They weren’t related?”
Dawn shook her head and cast a quick look at Sam before looking back at him. “Uh, turns out someone made a wish and the vengeance demon decided to get revenge on Buffy and fill a wish. Multi-tasking evilness.”
“Huh.”
Sam offered to help him up but he just glared at the hand until it was retracted. His vision swam as he stood and he took a moment to balance himself before looking over at Sam.
“Ready to go?” Sam was visibly shocked and Dawn looked quickly between the two. Dean pulled his keys out of his pocket and threw them at Sam. “But you drive ‘cause I still have a massive headache.”
“Uh, I was thinking we’d stay here for a few days.”
“Why?”
Well, there’s a lot to learn and Buffy’s- ”
“Not related to us.” Dean finished. “So we let her get back on with her life and we get back on with ours.”
“Dean... “
“It’s not a discussion, Sam. The world isn’t suddenly right now that she’s back home. There’re still things killing people out there and it’s our job to stop that.”
Sam threw the keys back to him and frowned. “Then you’ll have to do it on your own because I think there’s still things we can learn here.”
He steeled his gaze and headed for the door.
“You can’t drive, Dean, you said so yourself!”
“Watch me!” he threw over his shoulder.
As he walked into the corridor, he was stopped by Buffy’s presence a few metres in front of him. She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and Dean heard Dawn and Sam excuse themselves. Buffy gave them a nod before looking back at Dean.
“I was just coming to check on you.”
He stared at her and wondered if she remembered what had happened and whether or not she would admit it. If he was honest, most of him wanted to run in the other direction and never look back; wouldn’t even blame her if she did it too. The more treacherous part of him was adamantly against it. She pointed to his keys.
“So, uh, are you heading out?”
He tried to think of an appropriate response. ‘Yeah, the job’s done’ seemed too harsh and ‘Not if you ask me to stay’ was so sappy that he couldn’t believe he’d even thought of it. Apparently his face didn’t register the indecision because her face pinched and she looked down at her feet.
“I’m really sorry.”
“What for?”
The words tumbled out of his mouth and he was too horrified to take them back. She looked up, somewhat relieved that he was finally speaking to her, and began wringing her hands. Behind her he saw a couple of teenage girls cast a curious glance at him before heading down the stairs and out of sight.
“For, well, what happened. And the hitting you part. And you were so... I’m just- ”
“Don’t be.”
She frowned as she met his eyes and he offered her a small smile. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should have been in control - I wasn’t infected.”
Buffy quickly walked toward him, pushing him back into the room he’d just come out of. She closed the door quietly behind them and he threw a nervous look around the room. Buffy noticed and sighed.
“Sorry, it’s just, there were a million ears listening. Not that a door makes much of a difference... “ She bit her bottom lip nervously and he took a deep breath as he casually took a step back from her. “And, I know that I wasn’t in my right mind, in any way really, with the virus and the spell... ”
He tried to pretend that the feeling in his chest was not the sting from the words but probably a mild case of indigestion. Whatever it was, it registered on his face and she cringed.
“What I meant was, I know that all those things were affecting me but I was still aware of what I was doing. I remember everything that happened and - I know that for a little while there we all thought we were related but we’re not- ”
“I get it,” Dean said, putting up a hand, “I get it, we’re not related. You have your family back and your job and home. I’m real happy for you. Sam and I will be on our way as soon as I can drag his lanky butt ou- “
“Will you just shut up?” she nearly yelled. “I’m trying to tell you that I never saw you like that, I never considered you my brother!”
Dean was sure that every part of the crushing hurt he was feeling was visible on his face. Even if he couldn’t get his act together, he’d always thought that she’d felt part of their family and knowing that she didn’t even feel that felt like a huge loss. Almost like another death.
He took a step around her and reached for the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he felt the force of her slamming him into the wall again and he cried out in protest until she kissed him. It took him a moment to register that her lips were pressed firmly against his before he pushed her back and looked at her in confusion. She took the act as one of rejection and he briefly saw the look of veiled hurt before he pulled her back toward him and kissed her again. This time she wound her arms around his neck and he pulled her body closer to his.
Sam picked up the carton of eggs Dawn had pointed them to and handed them over. She smirked at him and pushed them back into his hands.
“Crack them for me, will you? I’ve kinda got my hands full here... “
The Slayer with her head down on the table brushed her brown hair aside and glared at them. “I thought ya weren’t supposed to be cookin’ anymore. That abomination you called a fruit cake a coupl’a Christmas’ ago was definitely poisonous!”
“It was not! It was just... gross. But look these are pancakes and you’ve all just been poisoned so this will be fine!”
The Slayer raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard stories ‘bout pancakes too...”
Dawn huffed and mixed the batter a little more forcefully. Sam poured in the eggs until she stopped him and then looked up at the ceiling. He had no idea what was going on but he was hoping his brother was at least apologising for whatever he’d said to Buffy to make her angry when they’d been hunting. After all, that was probably why she’d knocked him out too.
“Think he’s gonna stay?”
Sam looked over at Dawn and shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on how well he apologises, I guess.”
The Slayer stood from the table and stretched her hands in the air. “I’ll bet he’s real good at apologising too.” She winked at the both of them before she sashayed off to the training room to help the Slayers who were working off any excess aggression.
Sam raised both eyebrows and looked over at Dawn who returned the look. They both looked up at the ceiling.
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) ( PART TWO)
She ran through the cemetery as fast as she could and only gave a cursory glance over her shoulder to see if she was still being followed. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw nothing behind her and she stepped cautiously backward as her eyes scanned the area around her. It had been right on her, she had almost been able to feel its breath on her neck and the idea of having lost it was ridiculous. She closed her eyes and listened for sounds, just as she’d been taught, but all she could hear was her blood rushing past her ears and she opened her eyes to scan the area again.
As she stepped backward, her foot hit a branch and her weight caused it to snap underfoot. She spun around and her heart slowed as she noticed the broken branch beneath her foot. A nervous laugh crept into her throat but there was no time for it to sound as she turned back around. The sickly-yellow demon was standing in front of her with almost a look of glee on its face, if that were even possible. A grey-yellow substance oozed out of its skin like sweat and she saw its eyes turn a bold red before it backhanded her and sent her crashing into a nearby tombstone.
The trip to Cleveland had been mostly uneventful. Things between himself and Buffy were still a little awkward but while Sam was around, it was less so. Sam spent the trip telling Buffy stories from their childhood. Most were funny with only the occasional story that silenced the car. Dean did his best to add his side of the stories that Sam told but that usually ended with an awkward glance between him and Buffy and Sam picked up the slack. Dean knew that Sam had no idea what had happened and was still of the opinion that he’d said something to hurt Buffy’s feelings and that they were still on the outs. Dean was beginning to think that would have been easier.
By the time they arrived in Cleveland, Buffy had become silent and withdrawn. She stared out the window and watched the scenery go past and he found himself wondering if it really was the best thing to do after all. She was still determined though. Bobby had called earlier and had narrowed down the search by giving them a location where supposedly a Slayer had been seen. They’d talked it over and decided that staking out the cemetery was probably the best idea.
By the time night had fallen, Dean had parked the car and they’d all been equipped sufficiently. Buffy had decided on a knife and deliberately not taken the gun; she’d said she’d felt more comfortable without it. It had confused him, especially because she had such great aim, but using a weapon she was uncomfortable with would have made the awkward night all the more awkward.
“Do you actually think we’ll see anyone?”
Dean shrugged but he noticed the stressed look on Sam’s face. Dean had found out that Buffy actually enjoyed talking through stake-outs or hunting or any activity where being quiet was important. He figured it was because she could handle anything that attacked with her little finger and was bored but Sam had learnt while they were hunting the werewolf that he found it irritating and Dean was just waiting for him to snap.
He pulled back the smirk that was forming on his face and stared ahead. There was a long haired brunette walking alongside a girl with short, spiky red hair. They were deep in conversation and looked oblivious to everyone else but when the brunette looked up and saw them, she stopped dead in her tracks. She paused for a moment and her mouth fell open before she ran forward and flung her arms around Buffy.
Buffy looked at him and Sam over the woman’s shoulder with a confused look and awkwardly gave her a pat on the back. She pulled back and the woman’s eyes were filled with tears.
“Oh my gosh! We thought you were dead Buffy! Where have you been?” She saw the helpless look Buffy threw over at them and stood back. “Buffy? Do you know who I am?”
Buffy smiled politely but shook her head. The brunette looked back over her shoulder to Dean and Sam and kept her eye on them as she called out to the redhead.
“Vi, call the school and let them know we found Buffy.” She turned her entire focus onto him and Sam and he noticed she positioned her body so that she was between Buffy and whatever potential threat they might be. “Who are you?”
Sam stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Sam Winchester and this is Dean. We’re Buffy’s brothers.”
The woman pulled her hand from his grasp at that and took a step back closer to Buffy. Dean noticed that Vi had also tensed up and looked ready for a fight.
“Buffy doesn’t have any brothers. She only has me.”
“I know it might be confusing,” Sam offered, “but she really is our sister. She tracked us down with her birth certificate and we found out she went missing when she was a baby.”
The woman shook her head as Vi stepped forward. “Dawn, what do you want me to do?”
Buffy pulled on Dawn’s arm and looked at her. “You’re Dawn?”
Dawn nodded and Dean saw a tear fall down her face. “I don’t know what’s happened to you Buffy but I promise you we’ll figure it out.”
Vi stepped in closer and pulled a stake from her pocket. Dean saw that as the most opportune moment to step forward and prevent any unnecessary death. “Look, we were very confused too. Why don’t we just go somewhere that isn’t a cemetery to figure it out and leave all our weapons out of it?”
Dawn held on to Buffy’s arm. “Fine but Buffy’s coming with us.”
Dean stepped forward angrily, bristling at the implication that he would ever hurt Buffy. “She’ll be safe with us and I’ll be damned if I let you take her from here.”
“We don’t know who you are!”
“We don’t know who you are and right now Buffy knows us better than you. She’ll be safe with us.”
Dawn looked back at Buffy before wrapping her in a hug. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”
She turned back to them and Dean found himself moving forward until he was within arms reach of Buffy. Dawn didn’t seem like a threat but he wasn’t gonna take any chances - not after everything he’d seen.
“Just follow us, we’ll take you back to the school a- “
“We can’t!” Vi said, stepping forward suddenly. “The virus...”
Dawn’s shoulders sank a little and she looked up at Vi sadly. “I’ve already been infected. She’d have it by now.”
Dean grabbed Buffy and pulled her out of Dawn’s grasp, pushing her behind him as he raised his gun. “You’ve got sixty seconds...” he warned as he cocked his gun.
Buffy grabbed onto his arm. “No Dean! She’s the only thing I can remember.”
He looked down at her sadly. “Sorry Buffy, we’ll find another way, I promise, but I’m not letting you get infected by... whatever it is.”
Dawn looked up at him furiously and her fists glowed a faint green. Buffy tried to move out from behind him but he gripped onto her arm and held her close. He could see Sam a few paces away with his hand gripped tightly around his gun but he could also see Vi ready to take him down if he decided to pull it. Whoever they were, Dean wasn’t sure he could win so easily, especially not if Buffy wasn’t sure which side she was on.
Dawn looked around and he watched as she looked at Sam and Vi before taking a deep breath and clapping her hands once. An almost invisible dome was created around them that shone green in the places where light hit it. She lowered her hands and loosened her shoulders. Vi took a step back and put her stake away which only made Dean more nervous.
“What did you do?”
She took a step toward him but he held his gun firm. They might have been dropping their weapons but he wasn’t gonna give his up without a good excuse.
“No one outside of it can see or hear us. To them, they can just see what’s on the other side.”
Sam turned around and held a hand up the the barrier. His hand didn’t move past the green shade that appeared on contact and he turned around with a smile of amazement. It dropped almost as soon as he saw Dean’s face.
“Look, Dean, I don’t know who you are but you don’t seem to want to hurt Buffy. You have to understand that we’ve been looking for her since she disappeared and not even the locator spells showed anything. We thought she was dead. I know that this is all some sort of misunderstanding and we will help you sort it out. The virus is nothing you have to be afraid of. One of the Slayers was just infected by a demon a few nights ago and it seems to be spreading. We’re trying to fix it, believe me! I would never hurt Buffy, she’s my sister.”
Dean lowered his gun but it was Sam that stepped forward.
“Sister? But all of the records we’ve found showed that Harry and Joy Summerfield only had one child.”
“Harry and Joy...?” She looked over at Buffy. “You don’t remember anything at all?”
Buffy stepped out and stood beside Dean. He’d lowered his gun but he still wasn’t letting Buffy anywhere near Dawn, especially now that she’d shown her hand as a witch. Luckily Buffy seemed to have sensed that and she only moved as far as his side.
“No. Just that my name is Buffy and that someone called Dawn is important to me.”
“But not that I’m your sister?” Buffy shook her head and Dawn looked over at Vi. “Something’s not right. That’s not amnesia.”
Vi nodded. Sam stepped forward and Dawn turned to face him.
“What are you talking about?”
“She doesn’t have amnesia. She hasn’t had a spell cast on her to forget her memories, at least last time she did it wasn’t like this. Something has happened to... I dunno, rewrite history or something. But it’s a sucky job because our parents were Hank and Joyce - there’s not even a good change there.”
Vi looked across at Buffy. “Could it be like when Johnathon used that demon to change everything?”
Dawn shook her head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Buffy’s the only one that’s affected. It’s like they were uploading a new life for Buffy but the harddrive crashed before it could finish; like she’s only got half of a new life.”
“Should we warn the other Slayers?”
“I don’t think we need to. It seems like Buffy was the only person affected.”
“It’s not this virus you’re talking about is it?”
When she looked back at him, Dean could have sworn her eyes were laughing at him. Her lips were pursed as she shook her head.
“No, this is entirely different. The virus, or whatever it is, seems to affect the Slayers the worst. The rest of us seem to be carriers with only a mild side affect of aggression. With the Slayers, it seems to latch on to the demonic part of them and go crazy.”
“Demonic?”
“Part of the original essence of the Slayer was demonic. Some men infected a girl with a demonic essence in order to give her what she needed to fight demons for them. It passed down to each Slayer but while the original Slayers were more in touch with that part, the modern Slayers have basically locked it away. This virus seems to attach to that part and is turning our girls more demonic. Sort of unlocking it. They’ve become excessively aggressive toward not only each other but themselves as well. Their emotions are heightened and they can’t reel them in. They’ve got more strength than they had and the first one who came into contact with it died this morning. It sort of pushed her past boiling point and her body shut down.”
“And you exposed Buffy to it?”
“It wasn’t intentional! I’m wondering if this was all some sort of setup? Get Buffy out of the way and destroy the rest.”
“You think it was The First?”
“No, not his style. Besides, those demons are around.”
Sam frowned. “But why Buffy? Why would getting her out of the way make things easier?”
Dawn looked startled. “Because... because she’s the one who started all of this. She turned all the Slayers from potentials, she’s the start of this new line. If someone were to take her out, the whole thing could collapse.”
Sam turned to Buffy in surprise and her eyebrows shot up. “I’m the Slayer that went into Hell?”
Dawn gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess. Depends which time you’re talking about but yeah.”
“Woah...!”
“So we need to get back to the school and sort all this out.”
Dawn looked at Buffy and smiled. “If it makes you feel better, you can go with them. We’ll get back and fix everything and even if we can’t, I’m sure Giles can. Besides, Andrew is gonna be over the moon to hear that you’re back; he’s been moping since you left.”
Dean noticed there was no recognition on her face when she heard any of the names but when Dawn pulled the barrier down, Dean and Sam led them back to the Impala. Buffy sat in the back and was quiet for the entire drive. Dean kept looking up into the rearview mirror but she kept her eyes focused on her hands the entire time. Sam just stared out of the window. A light drizzle began almost as soon as they reached the enormous grounds of the school Dawn had been talking about and Dean backed his car into the space beside Dawn’s just in case they needed a quick getaway - although the large wrought iron gate would definitely be an obstacle.
Dawn and Vi led them up a large set of stone stairs and Dean looked at the dark windows all around him. It was late but there wasn’t a single light on anywhere and it made him feel as if he were walking into a haunted house. He looked at Buffy walking beside him but she if she recognised the place, she wasn’t showing it. He and Sam walked cautiously through the front door that Dawn was holding open for them, keeping Buffy between them in case it was a trap.
The foyer was a large open area with a polished wooden floor that had an intricate carving that had been stained a shade darker than the wood. To the casual observer it would appear that the wood simply had a design on it but Dean could make out the large Devil’s Trap hidden in the centre. A double arched doorway on his left led onto a large sitting room but the one on his right had left the room hidden in the shadows of the closed drapes. A hallway in front of him led further into the house and there was a wide staircase beside it. Buffy came to stand beside him and Sam on her other side while he looked to Dawn as she closed the door. Vi disappeared down the hall almost immediately and Dawn waved her arm as she moved into the sitting room. He and Sam sat on either side of Buffy when she sat on the long lounge and Dawn simply smirked at him as she sat opposite them in a recliner.
“I know this is hard for you guys. But obviously something is trying, and I use the word loosely, to get Buffy out of the way because this ‘life’ that she suddenly has isn’t even a proper one. There’s not a whole lot of demons that can do something like this so it shouldn’t be too hard to- “
She stopped suddenly and he tensed as she cocked her head slightly in Buffy’s direction before picking up the handset beside her. She punched a few numbers and frowned as it rang.
“Willow! I’ve got a question. Do you think it’s possible for a vengeance demon to, I don’t know, not have enough power to do the job?”
He looked to Sam but his brother just shrugged in return. He was wondering just how many demons there were that they didn’t even know about if Slayers truly were in a league of their own.
“What about if they were interrupted or something?”
Buffy fidgeted beside him and he avoided looking at her as her knee bounced up and down anxiously.
“Can you just call him up and check it out? We’ve found Buffy but she doesn’t remember us. It’s like someone tried to give her a new life and did a crappy job.” He noticed Dawn pause as she swallowed thickly. “She has another family.”
It was barely above a whisper but the decrease in volume seemed to stem from hurt rather than secrecy. She nodded her head at whatever Willow was saying and and thanked her before hanging up.
“That was our friend Willow. There’s a group of vengeance demons that grant wishes and they can change things like people’s lives. They’re almost always creative about what you say and if someone wished that Buffy hadn’t been a Slayer or lived somewhere else, it would happen. Has happened actually. The world’s a whole lot messier without you.”
Dawn watched her for any sort of reaction and visibly deflated when Buffy didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. Dean leant forward.
“So, are you saying this whole thing was a mistake? That she’s not related to us and it’s, what, some spell gone wrong?”
Dawn looked at him defensively. “I know she’s my sister and that’s it. We’ve had a whole life together and her suddenly forgetting who she is and finding a new family is pretty suspicious! Speaking of new families, who exactly are you? You seem to know an awful lot about what we do.”
“It’s what we do,” Sam replied in a more conciliatory tone than he ever could have managed at that moment. “We’re Hunters; we hun- “
Dean tuned out and gave a sideways glance at Buffy. She seemed to be controlling her breathing, each breath softly laboured as she clenched and unclenched her fists. a frown fell on his face when he noticed that her leg hadn’t stopped bouncing up and down.
“Look, can I just get a straight answer?” she burst, interrupting what Sam was saying. Sam’s mouth fell open at the anger directed at them and Dawn simply gave her a half smile.
“Buffy, you’re just gonna have to wait. Willow has to call D’Hoffryn first and try and figure things out. If it was a vengeance demon, there might not be much we can do unless we can figure out why they’ve also infected the Slayers. Until Willow calls back, we just have to wait it out.”
Buffy stood and began pacing the room. “I’m sick of waiting! I have no idea who I am, what my life has been, who my friends are. I finally start getting used to the fact that I was kidnapped at birth and raised as a Hunter when all of a sudden I’m called as some mystical-whosit. Now I’m the leader of an Army who’s been infected with some virus and we’re all just waiting around for what? Comfirmation that my life is messed up? I know that!”
Sam stood and held out his hands placatingly. “Buffy... “
“No, you calm down! I’m sick of this! I wanna know who I am, I wanna remember!”
She spun quickly on her heels and raced out of the room. They heard her hit the stairs and Sam moved to go after her but Dawn stood in front of him.
“Let her go. She knows this place like the back of her hand and she’s only going to get worse. If you try and go after her, she could hurt you.”
Dean stood quickly. “We can handle ourselves.”
“Against the garden-variety demons, sure. Against an enraged Slayer?” The light chuckle that followed made them both frown and he sat back down on the lounge. Sam remained standing.
“Look, I know that you’ve gotten used to her and Buffy tends to bring out the protectiveness in guys but she can handle herself. I’m not surprised she’s reacting so quickly - Faith was the first to start showing symptoms after Miranda returned back here, even though she wasn’t even there. She didn’t have direct contact with her. Guess it’s because she’s one of the originals, you know? More Slayer-y or something.”
“So there were two Slayers? One died and another was called even though the first was brought back to life?”
Dawn looked at her hands. “Yeah. Buffy was bitten by The Master. He drowned her but Xander did CPR and she came back. Faith was part of the new line.”
Sam sat slowly next to him. “Buffy died?”
“Yep, done it a few times since then, just to keep us on our toes!” she replied with false cheerfulness.
They sat in silence; the room was lit by the flashes of lightning the storm was beginning to produce and the rain was hitting the windows in a steady rhythm. He could have sworn he heard movement upstairs a few times but it was usually following a particularly large gust of wind and he put it down to movement of the old place. There was a thump upstairs that had clearly not been made by wind and he looked over at Dawn.
“Slayers. We tried keeping them locked in their rooms but they were too much of a danger to themselves. They still have territory issues but giving them free roam of the place was just easier.”
Sam stiffened. “You mean, you’ve just let them out? Aren’t they a little dangerous for that?”
“To anyone they come across? Yeah. But they can pretty much hold their own against each other and there’s more than enough of them that they won’t kill each other or anything. They’re not monsters - they just can’t really control their emotions and aggression seems to be the emotion of the day.”
“So it’s like a house full of PMSing women?”
Dawn raised an eyebrow and the smirk slid off Dean’s face.
“There’s the odd squabble but they’re mostly fine. We’ve got people working out how to fix this though they chose to leave... ”
“And they left you here alone to look after a school full of Slayers?”
“There’s a spell on the place. None of the Slayers are getting out.”
He looked into the darkened foyer. “What about something getting in?”
“They’ll take whatever it is out. Besides, nothing dares to come into a place like this; it’d be suicide.”
Dean looked back at her. “But if something deliberately got the Slayers infected, removed Buffy from the picture, wouldn’t this be the best time to strike? In all the chaos with no one around to think properly?”
Dawn faltered but was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking upstairs. He and Sam leapt up immediately but Dawn pointed further into the sitting room.
“Weapons and lights are over there.”
He moved to follow Sam but pulled the gun from his waistband and took the stairs two at a time instead. Someone needed to be upstairs, make sure no one was hurt or in any danger, and Sam and Dawn would be right behind with weapons if something was wrong. At least, that’s what he told himself. But as his gut clenched at the thought of Buffy being attacked, he pushed aside any further reasoning and opted to listen for noises. A faint sound of something wooden dragging on the floor came from his left and he took a step toward it before a movement caught his attention.
Dean turned around and walked down the dark corridor. Most of the rooms had closed doors and he pictured Slayers sleeping softly behind them, each one like a lion about to attack if woken. A worn board creaked underneath his foot and he stilled, each muscle tensing and his ears desperately trying to pick up any sounds of impending doom. Instead, there was nothing and he stepped gingerly over the spot on the floor and focused on the corridor. There was a room open at the end of the hall and by the faint traces of light coming from it, he presumed that the blinds were partially open if not drawn back all the way.
A shadow flitted across the threshold as someone in the room moved and he raised his gun in front of him as he took a step forward. Behind him he could only just hear the sounds of Sam and Dawn arguing with someone at the other end of the wing but he tuned them out as he rounded the corner, only to be hit with what felt like a freight train as something slammed into him from the side. His back hit the wall on the other side of the corridor and a hand clamped over his mouth as a body held him against the wall. He followed the hand to the face and saw a very tired looking Buffy glancing around the corridor in a mild panic. Her eyes stilled on the doorway he had just been about to enter and he saw the shadow flit back across the doorway. Her shoulders seemed to relax a little before she opened a door further down the corridor and pushed him into it.
“What are you doing here?” She seethed in a low whisper.
“We heard a crash downstairs, came to see what it was.”
She began pacing in front of him as she cast looks at the door. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. Besides, the mirror fell down the other end.”
She looked up at him, suddenly still, as she appraised him. “Just what exactly are you doing down this way?”
“I saw movement! If the building was being infiltrated, I’d create a distraction too. Figured Dawn and Sam could handle it.”
“Why were you heading into Faith’s room then?”
Her body moved like fluid as she silently came closer and he imagined it would be how a panther moved before it attacked. His eyes drifted down her body and when he looked back at her face, her eyes were filled with fury. He gulped.
“Were you looking for her?”
The question seemed harmless enough but there was a dangerous edge to her tone that had him guarded. “I saw a shadow move in the room. I didn’t know she was in there; I thought it was something dangerous.”
“Oh, she’s dangerous.”
He watched as her hands clenched and unclenched and her feet propelled her toward him. She stopped a metre before him and cocked her head to the side, listening to some noise that he couldn’t hear. Dean held his breath, hoping that whatever it was would allow him to get out of the room unscathed. Buffy took a step toward the door, her muscles tense in preparation for a fight and he nearly laughed at how ridiculous it seemed that he was afraid of a bunch of women.
His finger itched on the trigger and he realised he still held his gun. He slowly moved his hand around his back and replaced it but Buffy’s eyes darting back to him forced him to pause. He grinned in the hopes of showing he was no threat and slowly brought his hands back around, palms up. His mobile vibrated silently in his pocket but it was enough to startle an already wound up Buffy and she looked up at him quickly before swinging a fist at him. It was all the warning he got.
Dean twisted out of her way and moved into the centre of the room. It was a small lounge room with bean bags haphazardly placed in the centre. That he found out the hard way when he stumbled backward on one and narrowly missed the right hook that probably would have hit him. She leapt toward him and he rolled out of the way, springing back onto his feet as she moved abnormally fast to the other side of the room, her figure coated in shadows making her impossible to see. Dean held up his hands in front of him.
“I was going to see her. Didn’t even know she was there. I just wanted to make sure you’d be safe.”
He heard her let out a small breath and thought he had been getting through to her - until a fist connected with his head and he went down seeing stars. He groaned as she hauled him back to his feet and shoved him against the wall.
“Don’t lie to me! Guys are always wanting her with her sexy looks and naked wrestling- “
Dean grabbed her arms. “You’ve got your memory back?”
“Bits... there’s bits and pieces and they’re all just... “ She growled low in frustration. “And you’re not helping!”
She slammed him back against the wall and before he had time to react, she pressed her lips forcefully against his. He stilled, not knowing what to do, but when she pressed her body closer to his, subsequent thought flew out the window and he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her thoroughly. Her wet tongue ran along his bottom lip and when he opened his mouth in surprise, she dove in.
He spun them around and pressed her back against the wall, his knee sliding between her legs and causing her to gasp into his mouth. He was pushed roughly backward and landed on a bean bag as she stalked toward him, straddling his body before kissing him again. Her hands ran up his shirt and nails raked down his skin. He pulled her hips closer and her fingers wound into his hair. She nipped his lip and a cold bucket of awareness drenched him as he remembered that she was infected. He threw his head back in frustration but she pressed small kisses up his throat. He held her at arms length.
“Buffy, no. You’re not yourself.” She lunged toward him again and he found that it was a real struggle to hold her back. Her green eyes glinted dangerously and he made the mistake of looking down at her right arm as it flinched before her head connected with his and the world disappeared.
A hand slapped him across the face and he opened his eyes to see Sam grinning at him. His head felt like fireworks had exploded inside it and he groaned as he felt the ache in his protesting muscles. As he raised his head he noticed Dawn standing just behind Sam and looking at him anxiously. He noticed that the first small rays of light were peeking into the room.
“What happened?”
“She knocked you out!” Sam said showing almost no restraint from laughter. Dean pushed him backwards.
“Where is she?”
Dawn stepped forward. “She’s checking on the girls. Giles found an antidote for the virus; wasn’t related to Buffy at all. And Willow managed to track down the demon. She broke the pendant and what little of her memories hadn’t returned came back.”
“They weren’t related?”
Dawn shook her head and cast a quick look at Sam before looking back at him. “Uh, turns out someone made a wish and the vengeance demon decided to get revenge on Buffy and fill a wish. Multi-tasking evilness.”
“Huh.”
Sam offered to help him up but he just glared at the hand until it was retracted. His vision swam as he stood and he took a moment to balance himself before looking over at Sam.
“Ready to go?” Sam was visibly shocked and Dawn looked quickly between the two. Dean pulled his keys out of his pocket and threw them at Sam. “But you drive ‘cause I still have a massive headache.”
“Uh, I was thinking we’d stay here for a few days.”
“Why?”
Well, there’s a lot to learn and Buffy’s- ”
“Not related to us.” Dean finished. “So we let her get back on with her life and we get back on with ours.”
“Dean... “
“It’s not a discussion, Sam. The world isn’t suddenly right now that she’s back home. There’re still things killing people out there and it’s our job to stop that.”
Sam threw the keys back to him and frowned. “Then you’ll have to do it on your own because I think there’s still things we can learn here.”
He steeled his gaze and headed for the door.
“You can’t drive, Dean, you said so yourself!”
“Watch me!” he threw over his shoulder.
As he walked into the corridor, he was stopped by Buffy’s presence a few metres in front of him. She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and Dean heard Dawn and Sam excuse themselves. Buffy gave them a nod before looking back at Dean.
“I was just coming to check on you.”
He stared at her and wondered if she remembered what had happened and whether or not she would admit it. If he was honest, most of him wanted to run in the other direction and never look back; wouldn’t even blame her if she did it too. The more treacherous part of him was adamantly against it. She pointed to his keys.
“So, uh, are you heading out?”
He tried to think of an appropriate response. ‘Yeah, the job’s done’ seemed too harsh and ‘Not if you ask me to stay’ was so sappy that he couldn’t believe he’d even thought of it. Apparently his face didn’t register the indecision because her face pinched and she looked down at her feet.
“I’m really sorry.”
“What for?”
The words tumbled out of his mouth and he was too horrified to take them back. She looked up, somewhat relieved that he was finally speaking to her, and began wringing her hands. Behind her he saw a couple of teenage girls cast a curious glance at him before heading down the stairs and out of sight.
“For, well, what happened. And the hitting you part. And you were so... I’m just- ”
“Don’t be.”
She frowned as she met his eyes and he offered her a small smile. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should have been in control - I wasn’t infected.”
Buffy quickly walked toward him, pushing him back into the room he’d just come out of. She closed the door quietly behind them and he threw a nervous look around the room. Buffy noticed and sighed.
“Sorry, it’s just, there were a million ears listening. Not that a door makes much of a difference... “ She bit her bottom lip nervously and he took a deep breath as he casually took a step back from her. “And, I know that I wasn’t in my right mind, in any way really, with the virus and the spell... ”
He tried to pretend that the feeling in his chest was not the sting from the words but probably a mild case of indigestion. Whatever it was, it registered on his face and she cringed.
“What I meant was, I know that all those things were affecting me but I was still aware of what I was doing. I remember everything that happened and - I know that for a little while there we all thought we were related but we’re not- ”
“I get it,” Dean said, putting up a hand, “I get it, we’re not related. You have your family back and your job and home. I’m real happy for you. Sam and I will be on our way as soon as I can drag his lanky butt ou- “
“Will you just shut up?” she nearly yelled. “I’m trying to tell you that I never saw you like that, I never considered you my brother!”
Dean was sure that every part of the crushing hurt he was feeling was visible on his face. Even if he couldn’t get his act together, he’d always thought that she’d felt part of their family and knowing that she didn’t even feel that felt like a huge loss. Almost like another death.
He took a step around her and reached for the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he felt the force of her slamming him into the wall again and he cried out in protest until she kissed him. It took him a moment to register that her lips were pressed firmly against his before he pushed her back and looked at her in confusion. She took the act as one of rejection and he briefly saw the look of veiled hurt before he pulled her back toward him and kissed her again. This time she wound her arms around his neck and he pulled her body closer to his.
Sam picked up the carton of eggs Dawn had pointed them to and handed them over. She smirked at him and pushed them back into his hands.
“Crack them for me, will you? I’ve kinda got my hands full here... “
The Slayer with her head down on the table brushed her brown hair aside and glared at them. “I thought ya weren’t supposed to be cookin’ anymore. That abomination you called a fruit cake a coupl’a Christmas’ ago was definitely poisonous!”
“It was not! It was just... gross. But look these are pancakes and you’ve all just been poisoned so this will be fine!”
The Slayer raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard stories ‘bout pancakes too...”
Dawn huffed and mixed the batter a little more forcefully. Sam poured in the eggs until she stopped him and then looked up at the ceiling. He had no idea what was going on but he was hoping his brother was at least apologising for whatever he’d said to Buffy to make her angry when they’d been hunting. After all, that was probably why she’d knocked him out too.
“Think he’s gonna stay?”
Sam looked over at Dawn and shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on how well he apologises, I guess.”
The Slayer stood from the table and stretched her hands in the air. “I’ll bet he’s real good at apologising too.” She winked at the both of them before she sashayed off to the training room to help the Slayers who were working off any excess aggression.
Sam raised both eyebrows and looked over at Dawn who returned the look. They both looked up at the ceiling.