Could Have Had it All Chapter 4

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 Title: Could Have Had It All Bvts/Spn
Author: Noturbaby Fandoms: Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rating: PG-13 - R Warnings: None (eventual het sex) Pairings: Dean /Buffy, Sam/Dawn, Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya Most BtVS characters make an appearance.

Summary: Buffy and Dean met in High School and fell in love. College, a curse, Dawn, and Buffy's death and John Winchester challenge their love. Set in episode 2.1 of Supernatural, In My Time of Dying, but containing flashbacks to seasons 4 and 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.    It is set in the year 2004 instead of 2006. The only other change made to SPN 2.1, besides adding Buffy characters, is to have all three Winchesters unconscious upon arrival at the hospital. The established relationship between the Winchesters and the Scoobies is based on High School Sweethearts and Second Chances. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. Previous parts
 
I took the Buffy episode Who are You (the body swap episode) and changed it quite a bit. I'm not a Riley hater, but I need him to be something Buffy doesn't want. Some dialogue was taken directly from Who are You and In my time of Dying. No infringement intended.

Sunnydale 2000

Faith always hated recognizance, she felt better suited for action. But, for the type of payback she desired, she didn't want to risk getting stopped by Willow the witch. So, Faith watched the dorm room and waited for Buffy to be alone. Willow finally left Buffy alone when a blonde girl arrived, givingFaith the opportunity she needed. She clutched her gift from the mayor, a mystical weapon in the form of a gold box, and approached Buffy's dorm room.

"Hey, are you a friend of Buffy's?"

Faith turned and found herself face to chest with Riley. "Uh, not really. I was just going to borrow some ..."

"Do you know if she's in?" Riley asked as he knocked on Buffy's door.

Faith sized him up. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's in there." She stepped to the side so that she could use him to shield herself if needed.

"Riley," Buffy said with a forced smile as she opened the door. "What a nice surprise."

Riley leaned in for a quick hello kiss before turning to Faith. "Your friend, here, wanted to borrow something."

Faith smiled maliciously, "B, long time no see." She shoved Riley into the room with enough force to make the man stumble into Buffy and knock the slayer backwards.

"Are you alright?" Buffy asked Riley, but Faith answered instead.

"Five-by-five. And ready for payback." Faith slammed shut the door.

"What's going on?" Riley demanded moving to stand next to Buffy.

"Stay out of this, Riley, she's dangerous."

Faith smirked. "Yeah, stay out of this Riley. Wouldn't want to hurt that hot bod of yours while I kick Queen B's ass."

Buffy braced herself. "It doesn't have to be like this."

"Actually, I think it has to be exactly like this. You tried to gut me."

"You'd have done the same to me if you'd had the chance."

"Let's have another go at it. See who ends on top." With blinding quick speed, Faith sucker punched Riley and knocked him out.

"Innocent person, Faith," Buffy said through gritted teeth as she closed in on Faith.

"No such animal."

Buffy scanned the room for a weapon that was in reach, but Riley's unconscious form was blocking them. "I guess it was too much to hope that you'd use your downtime to reflect and grow."

"I could say the same about you," Faith snarled. "I mean, you're still the same better-than-everyone Buffy. I mean, I knew it somehow. I kept having this dream, I'm not sure what it means, but in the dream the self-righteous blond bitch stabs me, and you wanna know why?"

Buffy sneered, "You deserved it."

Faith shrugged. "That's one interpretation, but in my dream, she does it for a guy. I wake up to find the blond bitch isn't even dating the guy she was so nuts about before. I mean, she's moved on to the first college beef-stick she meets. Not only has she forgotten about the love of her life, but she's forgotten about the chick she nearly killed for him. So tell me, college girl, what does it mean?"

"To me? Mostly, that you still mouth off about things you don't understand."

Faith lunged at Buffy and they began to fight. The confined space of the dorm room forced the slayers to cause much property damage. At one point, they toppled over Riley's legs. Faith raised the Mayor's weapon, but Buffy grabbed it. As she did, there was a bright flash of energy. The slayers exchanged surprised expressions, then Buffy smirked, released her grip on the weapon, and pushed herself to her feet.

Faith, looking completely bewildered, scrambled to her feet. "Wha-what's hap-" She couldn't finish speaking because she was suddenly thrown through the dorm room window onto the lawn. She shook her head to clear it and could hear Riley's voice.

"Buffy? What happened? Who was that?" he asked rubbing his head as he approached the broken window.

Buffy stared into the eyes of her mirror image and heard her own voice respond. "That was Faith. Didn't I ever tell you about the other slayer? The one who went rogue and killed the deputy mayor? We should call the cops."

"I'll call the guys. They can catch her before she leaves campus."

Worried that Riley was referring to Giles and the rest, Faith interjected, "No, I'll call Giles. I should explain what happened."

"I meant my guys at the initiative, Forrest and Grahm." Riley looked around the destroyed room. "You should stay some place else tonight. It's not safe here."

Faith pouted and looked up at Riley though her lashes. "Can't I stay with you tonight?" She gently placed a hand on his chest.

Riley's face lit up. Buffy had never allowed their relationship to become completely physical before. "You mean it?"

Faith nodded. "You'd make me feel safe." She nearly barfed, but figured it was something Buffy would say.

Riley sighed, "Well, unfortunately, this rogue slayer just became a priority. Pack a bag and head over to my place."

"You're going after her?"

"I have to; if she's crazy like you say, we can't let her roam free. I'll catch up with you later." He kissed Faith on the top of her head and pulled out a cell phone as he left.

Faith looked into the mirror and saw Buffy's reflection. "Well, blondie, you sure know how to pick 'em."

Aware this ruse wouldn't last forever, Willow or Giles would eventually figure out that's she's not the real Buffy, Faith rummaged through the desks in the room and found some cash and a credit card. Grabbing a duffel bag, she filled it with clothes from Buffy's closet. She looked around the small room for anything else of value and saw the Mayor's gift. Though the thought of living as Buffy made her stomach turn, Faith crushed the gift under her foot and left.

After Buffy saw her reflection, she hoped Giles would know what to do to return her to her body. She carefully began to make her way across campus. Faith was wanted by the police and now Riley and the initiative were after her, too. Buffy knew no one but Giles would believe her.

Faith was so thrilled she felt like skipping. She hoped the credit card had enough on it to buy her a ticket to Boston. All she needed now was a ride to the airport. As she headed out, she ran into Willow and Tara looking for Buffy.

"Buffy, where are you going?" Willow asked noticing the bag her roommate had over her shoulder.

Faith took a moment, she had to be able to fool these two if she was going to get away with this plan. "Faith showed up and we tousled a bit. Our room got totally trashed. We've got to stay some where else."

Willow gasped. "Are you okay? What happened to Faith?"

"She ran off after I tossed her through the window. Riley and his guys are looking for her."

"The Initiative might actually be helpful for a change. I bet they could contain her while we wait for the council to send someone." Faith tried to look like she understood what Willow was saying, but only looked confused. Willow added, "Did Giles reach the council, yet?"

Faith shrugged. "I don't know. I'm on my way there now to find out."

"Are you staying with Giles?" Willow asked pointing to the bag Faith carried.

Faith looked to be considering it when she saw Willow's surprised expression. "No, of course not. I'll probably stay with Riley."

"Ew, right." Willow laughed. "He would totally buy your girlfriend act if you did that, but he might try something with you."

Faith grinned. "I'm actually going to stay with mom. How about you?"

Quietly, Tara offered, "You can stay with me."

Willow smiled, "Thanks. Do you want our help looking for Faith?"

"No, you two should stay out of the way, stay in and stay safe," Faith added and walked away happy with what she had learned from Buffy's friends.

Buffy was halfway across campus when she ducked behind a dumpster as she heard voices she recognized.

"Got the girl's description and assigned teams to the train station, bus depot and the airport. This girl is not getting out of Sunnydale without us knowing," Forrest told Riley handing him a coat.

"Good. I can't believe that bitch was holding out on me this whole time," Riley spat.

"What are you talking about? You weren't going to touch Buffy without authorization. So, no matter how badly Riley Finn wanted to get laid, he wasn't going to."

Riley glared at Forrest. "Exactly. Had Buffy said there was another slayer we could offer to Adam, one that had been in a frickin' coma, I would have had Buffy Summers in my bed a long time ago." Forrest raised a skeptical brow but kept his comment to himself. "You don't think Walsh would have given me the okay to sleep with her?"

"Well, you always were Walsh's pet, weren't you," Forrest replied with mild disdain.

"Damn straight. And a good soldier deserves a good reward. We turn over this Faith and I'm going to take Buffy in every way possible."

The thought made Buffy vomit in her mouth. She worried about what Faith would let happen to her body. Knowing her, Faith would probably let this creep sleep with her. Buffy felt like vomiting again.

"There's been a sighting near the college pub," Grahm announced and they ran off in the direction of the pub.

Buffy took a deep breath; the thought of being served up to Adam if she was found made her more cautious as she continued her way to Giles' apartment.

The last thing Dean wanted was to hang out on campus. However, he needed a personal possession of Buffy's for the spell and he knew he had to find the location of that party from last November. It was late enough that Buffy should be patrolling, so he didn't think he'd have trouble breaking into her dorm room. He checked to see if the hall was clear and saw a campus security guard posted outside Buffy's open door. "Excuse me, did something happen? I was supposed to get lecture notes from the girl that lives here."

The guard looked Dean over before answering. "Well, everything's fine, now. Just waiting on maintenance to replace the window."

Dean peaked into the room, "That's a lot of damage. Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah. Everyone's fine. Just be on your way, kid."

"Think I could go in and get the notes? They're really important. Big test, grade depends on it." Dean poured on the charm.

"Sorry kid, no one goes in except maintenance."

Dean sighed. He'd just have to come back later. At least he knew neither Buffy nor Willow would likely return that night. He didn't want to think about where Buffy would be sleeping.

Faith stopped in shock. No way was she that lucky. No way had lover boy chosen today of all days to visit Queen Buffy. Daring to walk closer to the car, she saw it had a Kansas plate; she doubted it was a coincidence. How many 67 Chevys from Kansas made a habit of visiting Sunnydale. Knowing Dean would have gone to the dorm, she doubled back hoping to meet up with him.

Buffy felt confident as she crept passed the science building. Soon, she'd be off campus and it'd be much more difficult for Riley's men to catch her. She broke into a run once she reached the alley feeling almost safe. Behind her, a car pulled into the alley and slowly took her same path. Buffy paid little mind to it as she was quickly approaching the alley's end. Just as she did, a police car blocked her way. When she turned around, the car that had been following her, turned on it's lights and sped up. "Freeze, put your hands up." the officer called and drew his gun. Instead of doing as she was told, Buffy ran toward the officer and grabbed his wrist. In a move John Winchester had taught her, she twisted the man's wrist just hard enough for him to drop the gun. She kicked the gun away, punched the officer in the eye, and ran over the top of the police car. Buffy continued to run, cutting through buildings and alley ways. She did anything she could remember to lose a tail. After cutting through some outdoor shops, Buffy stole a hoodie from a thrift store and kept heading towards Giles's apartment.

Faith saw Dean leave Stevenson Hall and grinned. Dean was the perfect mark. Not only would he have money and credit cards, she'd finally get him naked. She hoped Buffy wasn't completely vanilla because she had plans for Dean.

The moment their eyes met, Faith felt like she should be angry with Dean for something, but she shook it off. Maybe she should do something that sanctimonious bitch Buffy would never do; she would apologize and beg forgiveness. "Dean!" she called out trying to sound like she was already pleading.

Dean froze. He could only stare at what looked like Buffy walking towards him. His stomach began to tighten, but the pain, the pain was tolerable, like a dull ache instead of the usually stab in the chest. Dean swallowed his anxiety. "Buffy."

Faith ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Dean, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?"

Dean returned the embrace but wondered who, what he was holding. "Don't worry, princess, it's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for." He pulled back and smiled at her, hiding his concern. "What's with the bag?"

"Well," Faith linked her arm through his as she had seen Buffy do so many times, "I got in a tussle with a vamp in my room and kinda trashed the place. So," she looked up at him through her lashes, "I need a place to stay tonight. Any ideas?"

Dean leered. "I think I know a place." Faith giggled and followed him to the Impala. When he opened the door for her, he quickly surveyed the area and saw no one. He took his gun from the small of his back and cracked her over the head, knocking her unconscious. Tucking her into the car, he muttered, "Dammit woman, what have you gotten yourself into?"

He tossed her bag in the trunk and retrieved some iron handcuffs and holy water. He put the cuffs on, knowing full well she could probably break them. Astonished to see she still wore it, he slipped the silver ring from her finger. If nothing else, he got the item he needed for the ritual. He didn't want to revive this person, so he spilled the holy water onto her hand. No smoke, no sizzling like a demon would. He kept his gun at the ready, but drove to Giles's apartment.

Dean put Buffy in a fireman's carry and pounded on Giles' door. "Giles! Open up!"

"Dean?" Giles asked as he opened the door. "Wh-what's going on? What happened?"

Dean walked past him and dropped Buffy onto the man's couch. "I'm not sure. All I know is that something is wrong with her."

"Yes, I can see that. Where did you find her?" Giles crouched next to her and gently brushes her hair form her face.

"On campus. She -"

"Help me get her into the other room. Why is she cuffed? "

Dean hoisted Buffy over his shoulder again and followed Giles to a bedroom. Again, he unceremoniously dropped her onto the bed. "I cuffed her, but it's not her." He felt as confused as Giles looked. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but that's not really Buffy." Giles raised his brow, but didn't question Dean. "Do you have anything else we can use to restrain her? I don't know if those cuffs can hold her."

While Dean looked around the room, Giles studied him then returned his focus to the girl on the bed. "I dumped some holy water on her and nothing." Giles was beginning to think Dean was the one to worry about when there was a noise downstairs. "Watch her." Dean drew his gun and left to find the cause of the noise.

He found what looked like Faith crawling through Giles' living room window. At the sound of a gun cocking, Buffy looked up. When Dean's eyes met hers, the pain blindsided him. "Giles!" he called over his shoulder.

"Dean, wait, I can explain."

"Faith!" Giles gasped when he rushed in and saw Buffy. He noticed Dean putting his gun away. "Dean," he whispered and nodded to Buffy, hoping the man would realize the danger they were in.

Dean shook his head. "Don't worry about it Giles. Looks like Lucy and Ethel must have done something and gotten themselves body swapped."

"How'd you-?" Buffy began to ask but she was too stunned to speak.

Subtly putting a hand on his chest, Dean turned to Giles. "You got this, right?" His head was beginning to swim and nausea was rolling his stomach. "I've got to leave." Dean mumbled, "Sorry about the headache you're gonna have," as he pushed passed Buffy and left.

"Headache? Giles? "

"Now, Faith, let's just discuss this calmly."

"Giles, I swear, Faith did something and she switched us, our bodies. I'm Buffy." She looked towards the door.

"Well, if you are Buffy you won't mind me restraining you while we figure this all out."

"I don't have time for that. Faith has taken my body, and for all I know, she's taken it to Mexico. Or worse to Riley. I can prove it. Ask me a question. Ask me anything!"

"Who's the president?"

"Something I would know!" Buffy groaned. "Ask me something only Buffy would know."

"Um, yes, alright, uh.."

"Giles," Buffy whined. "When you were a demon I looked into your eyes and knew it was you. Can't you do that? Dean did it." Then it dawned on her that Dean knew it was really her. "How did he -?"

"Well, he had the easy part. He found Buffy. Or you, your body, I guess. It's upstairs."

"I'm here? She's here?" Buffy pushed passed Giles to get up the steps. "I'm so gonna kick her ass." She stopped at the door and the sight of her unconscious body. "Well, I'll wait til I wake up, 'til she wakes up. Then I'm knocking her out." She faced Giles again. "You can fix this right? You can switch us back?"

Giles sighed, only Buffy would respond like that. "Well, I'll need you to explain everything. And we should probably secure her, you, Faith, with more than just those handcuffs."

In her dorm room, Tara fidgeted. She knew something was not right with Buffy, but was worried about upsetting Willow. "Uh, so you and Buffy are really close, right?"

Willow smiled and nodded. Without taking her eyes from the television screen she said, "We've been best friends for over three years."

Tara nodded. Maybe she was wrong and Buffy's aura always looked like that. Maybe being the slayer changed it somehow. Tara had seen splintered auras before, even that same day in the Magic Shop she had seen that guy whose aura was in pieces. She worried a hang nail until Willow's focus turned to her. "Tara, is something wrong? Buffy is my friend, but she's nothing more than that."

Tara shook her head, but Willow's look told her she had better come clean. "I think something was wrong with Buffy." Before she could explain, her phone rang. After answering she handed it to Willow. "It's Xander."

"Hey, Xander," Willow said brightly, but soon the cheer was replaced with a worried expression. "We'll be right over." She hung up the phone and said to Tara, "You were right. Something is wrong with Buffy. Giles needs us right away."

Tara sighed, "Okay. I guess I'll see you later."

Willow shook her head. "Oh no. You're coming with me. You knew something was wrong with Buffy before anyone else. You can totally help."

Shiloh County Hospital - 2004

Dean saw the tears in his brother's eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Sammy I'm going to be fine. Buffy's here. We're finally going to be together. Wouldn't you want to be with Jess again, if you could?"

Sam felt a soothing calmness wash over him. It reminded him of how Dean would comfort him when he was frightened as a child. Sam basked in that feeling for a moment, and whispered, "Dean."

"Yeah, Sam, don't be sad; not when I finally have a chance to be happy."

An icy breeze blew passed them leaving both brothers chilled through. Sam's fear and anxiety returned full force. As Dean wondered what could have caused the sudden chill, he turned to look at Buffy, knowing that seeing her would reassure him. Why was Buffy looking as worried as Sam?

A member of the hospital staff stepped back and bumped into Buffy. They mumbled apologies to each other as Buffy moved further into the corner.

Dean's eyes widened in shock at the exchange. "How the -?" hell had that woman interacted with Buffy?

He looked at his body laying in the bed and saw the white figure hovering above it. "Get the hell away from me!" He rushed to the bed yelling, "I said get back!" Dean grabbed the spirit; holding it momentarily before it flung him back and then soared from the room. "We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm," a nurse announced.

Dean ran into the hallway, looking for the spirit; but it vanished. In relief, Sam collapsed into the chair by Dean's bed. Seeing Sam in the room, Buffy decided to blend in with the hospital staff that was leaving so she wouldn't be seen by Dean's brother.

In the hall, she passed Dean. "Lucy, you have some 'splainin' to do," he said with a touch of anger in his voice. He had to save that for another time. At the moment, he needed to see his brother.

Dean came back and stood next to Sam. "It's okay now, Sammy. I'm back."

Sam leaned forward and rested his hand on Dean's arm. "Keep fighting, Dean. I mean, come on you can't, you can't leave me here alone with dad, we'll kill each other, you know that. You've got to hold on. You can't go, man, not now. We were just starting to be brothers again."

"Don't worry, Sammy. I'm not going anywhere." Dean put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'm getting that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it."

Again Sam felt like his brother was there comforting him. It was as if Dean wasn't in that bed at all. "Dean?"

"Sammy! Tell me you can friggin' hear me, man, there's something in the hospital. Now, you've got to bring me back and we've got to hunt this thing."

"Where are you?" Buffy barked into her phone as she paced in the parking lot.

"Hello to you, too. I had to get some stuff for Sam. Why, what's wrong? Did something happen with Dean?" Dawn failed trying to keep the anxiety from her voice.

"Yes, but he's okay, now," Buffy answered. "I need you to get your witchy poo butt to the hospital. I think I felt Dean. I mean, I think I've felt his spirit or something."

"Huh."

"I hoping you can help me find out if it was him or if I'm feeling something else. This place has got my slayer senses all mixed up."

"Okay, I'm almost done getting the stuff Sam needed. I think you should find Sam before he finds you. You'd be better at explaining your reasons for staying away from Dean than I would be."

Buffy nodded, but wasn't ready for that confrontation. "Yeah, I know, later, though. Just hurry. I'll be in the chapel."

Just as Dawn put her phone down, it rang again. "Dawn, it's Sam. Do you think you can get your hands on a Ouija board?"

"A Ouija board? Why?"

"I, uh, think I felt my brother's spirit. That can happen, right? It's possible?"

Thinking about what her sister said, Dawn answered, "Yeah, Sam, I guess anything's possible."

Dawn met Sam in Dean's room. She handed him the bag containing the supplies and the oujia board. After getting the update on Dean's condition, Dawn said, "Don't do anything without me. I'm going to check on our hotel rooms and I'll be right back." She gave Sam an encouraging smile and a squeeze before she left to meet Buffy. She was grateful that Sam was too distracted to question her.

Dawn found her sister sitting in the chapel clutching the charm on her necklace. It was obvious she had been crying, but at the moment, Dawn didn't care. She wanted her sister to feel bad, to feel guilty. Maybe Dean wouldn't be lying in that bed if Buffy had let him back into their lives. "Hey."

Buffy wiped her eyes. She couldn't let Dawn see her cry; she had to be strong for her sister. "Hey, you're back." Buffy sniffed and faced Dawn.

"Yeah," Dawn failed at keeping the anger from her voice. "Sam told me Dean flat lined, that we almost lost him."

Buffy nodded and blinked back her tears. "They revived him."

"Sam thought he felt Dean's spirit, too. He asked me to bring him a Ouija board. So come on, let's go see if we can contact Dean." Dawn turned to leave.

"I didn't tell Sam -"

"Of course you didn't, that would require you to have some balls," she said over her shoulder. "Geez, for a slayer you sure are a chicken shit when it comes to the important stuff in life."

Dawn couldn't stop the rage from bubbling to the surface. She knew she had to force her sister into action and playing dirty was the best way. She faced her sister again. "You know what? Dean still loves you." Buffy gave Dawn a look that said she knew better, but Dawn forced ahead, hoping to push her sister into some sort of action. "As crazy as that may sound, it's true. When Sam and I went to get his things from the Impala, I found a box of, well, of your stuff in the trunk. Some of it was the stuff Tara and I gave him when you died, some of it must have been his. There were letters and pictures and all kinds of things from when you guys were together. It wasn't in storage, it was in his car. He probably saw it every time he opened the trunk." She glared at Buffy, almost happy to see pain in her eyes. "But you, you wouldn't take him back. You didn't think he deserved to know you were alive."

"Dawn, it wasn't like that," Buffy pleaded.

"Save it. I've heard your sorry excuses. If Dean makes it through this, I hope he never wants to see you again." Dawn stormed off, but inside she was shaking, surprised she had spoken that way to her sister. When this was all over, Dawn hoped Buffy would realize the bitch act had been for her own good and forgive her.

Clutching the shopping bag from Dawn, Sam returned to Dean's room. "Hey, Dean, uh, I don't know if you can hear me, but it feels like you can so I had Dawn pick something up for me so that we can communicate."

"Dude, our cell phone coverage does not extend to," Dean waved his hand indicating his space. "The 'Can you hear me now' guy never crossed over." Sam pulled the Ouija board from the bag. "You've got to be kidding me. What are we thirteen year old girls at a slumber party?"

"If you can hear me, I know you're making fun of me right now, but just try this for me, okay?" Sam asked as he tore the cellophane wrapping from the box.

"Hey, Sam, I'm back. Ready to get started?" Dawn asked with her best hopeful look on her face.

Sam returned her hopeful expression. "Yeah. You know he's calling me a girl for doing this."

Dawn nodded and cast a quick look to the door, not surprised to not see her sister. Then she took a seat on the floor. "Well, he's called you worse." Sam sat next to her and set the board in front of them. They placed their fingers on the pointer and waited. "Dean," Dawn called out, "Sam thinks you can hear him and that we can use this so that you can talk to us. Are you here?"

Dean sighed and sat on the floor opposite them. "This is never going to work." He placed his fingers on the pointer and began to move it to YES on the board. "Holy shit."

Sam and Dawn's face broke into smiles. "Man, it's good to hear from you. It hasn't been the same without you. You had us really scared."

"Sorry, bro."

"Let's see if I can ask you guys a question." Dean concentrated on the Ouija board's pointer.

"B, U, F, F, Y," Sam read the letters aloud. "No, Dean, this is Dawn, not Buffy." Sam looked at Dawn. "Do you think he's confusing you or sensing the part of you that came from Buffy?"

"No," Dawn said calmly looking to where she thought Dean was. "I think he's seeing Buffy."

Frightened, Sam swallowed. "Dean, stay away from Buffy. If you see her, don't go to her."

"Why would you say that?" Dawn asked taking her hands off the pointer.

"I just think Dean should try to get back in his body and wake up. If he goes after Buffy it might mean he's giving up."

Dawn nodded slowly. "Okay, I get that. But your brother always had a hard time staying away from my sister." That earned her the small smile from Sam she had been hoping for. "Hey, Dean, if you see Buffy, you can always kick her ass, I'm sure she deserves it."

"So does little Dawnie knows something she's not telling?" Dean murmured.

"Dean, I almost thought I felt your presence before. What's going on?"

The pointer began to move. H U N T

"Hunt? Are you hunting something?"

The pointer returned to "YES".

"What? What's here?"

"You're not going to like this, Sam," Dean muttered as he moved the pointer to spell out what he thought was after him.

"R E A P -Reaper? Dean, is there a reaper here? Is it after you?" Sam's worried voice carried to the hall where Buffy hid by the door listening fearfully. "If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it."

"Can't kill death," Dean replied.

"Oh man, you're -"

"I'm screwed, Sam."

"No," Dawn interrupted. "No, there's got to be something we can do. Dean, you can't give up, not now."

"Thanks, squirt, but I don't know if I have a choice," Dean answered running a hand over his hair.

Dawn's expression turned devious as she was struck with an idea. "Dean, you should see what Sam did to your car. It's practically totaled."

"Dawn, what the -" Sam gasped, "why'd you say that?"

Dawn looked to where she thought Dean was sitting. "So, he'll stick around. I mean, Dean's going to have to get better just so he can kill you for wrecking his baby."

Dean smiled at her. "Thanks for not giving up on me, kid."

"Dean, you need to hold on. Sam and I will look up what we can to keep reapers away. You just keep fighting. You and I have a lot of catching up to do and it'll be easier to do when you're awake." Dawn folded up the Ouija board and tucked it into a closet. "Come on, Sam. The hotel has free internet and I have my laptop. You see what you can find, I'll call Willow."

The time for hesitating was through. Buffy gathered her nerves and walked into John Winchester's room. "We need to talk."

chapter 5