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skylar0graceTitle: What Isn’t But Really Ought To Be.
Author: SkylarGrace.
Status: Complete.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Maybe it isn’t so perfect after all…
Spoilers: Obviously ‘WIAWSNB’ but to be on the safe side, I’m gonna say all of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Supernatural’.
Disclaimer: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and all related characters are copyright Joss Whedon and ME. No infringement intended. ‘Supernatural’ and all related characters are copyright Eric Kripke, Kripke Enterprises & The CW Network. No infringement intended.
Notes: Based off of the challenge ‘What Isn’t But Really Ought To Be’ set by Tany.
Buffy rolled as she was hit squarely in the face and used the momentum to get back to her feet, arms raised as she looked searchingly at her opponent. It had been years since she had seen his face, maybe ten years, and she’d never wanted to see it again.
“How is this possible? I killed you!”
He laughed and tsked as he circled her. “Not here you didn’t. This world is unlike anything I ever thought it would be and yet, exactly how I imagined. It’s gonna look fantastic as it bleeds!”
Buffy closed her eyes and listened. She could hear each footfall, she could hear him breathing; she could even hear the sounds of Dean fighting the Master’s minions further into the abandoned warehouse. She heard the barely audible gasp of the vampire Dean was fighting as he beheaded it and the silence fell on her. She opened her eyes, only to be met with an ugly grin. She saw Dean enter the warehouse floor but he stayed in the shadows and she kept her eyes trained on the vampire before her.
“I didn’t need you to set me free here but you did anyway. And you died. But when they brought you back, you forgot one teensy little thing.” The Master raised his hand and watched with satisfaction as the Slayer’s body moved toward his. “I can be brought back too.”
Dean moved silently along the wall, keeping to the shadows. Buffy had reacted oddly to Dean’s research when he managed to pull up the reports in the Lawrence newspaper. He’d seen fear cross her face briefly before a steady resolve set in. She’d felt him, she’d said. She hadn’t known at the time but she’d felt him nearby. She’d destroyed him ten years prior but in this world, the grave had been dug up and the bones stolen. They hadn’t surfaced again but seven years ago there’d been a ‘serial killer’ in Lawrence. Forty people had been killed however the killer had disappeared.
But the newspaper hadn’t made the connection between the mass murders and the ‘muggings-gone-bad’ like Carmen’s. Buffy had no idea what he was planning but the Master had been more of a big plan kinda guy. Maybe in this world, she’d speculated, he’d learnt his lesson and was trying to take over the world more slowly. Lawrence did seem to have a similar death rate to Sunnydale back in the day.
Dean’s attention was drawn away as another shadow entered the warehouse. When he and Buffy had driven here, Buffy had requested she take care of the Master and left him to deal with the other vampires, apparently completely confident in his ability to hold his own. The shadow moved slowly toward Buffy and Dean stopped still in his tracks as they moved into a small stream of light.
The Master’s fingers closed slowly around her neck and Buffy looked up into his eyes, his joy at killing the same Slayer twice abundant. Her head tilted slowly, her neck tantalisingly close to his mouth when she surprised him by speaking.
“You’ve forgotten something too.” He looked back at her face a saw a small smile gracing her lips, a smile that said she knew something he didn’t. “I’m not from here.” Her small fingers quickly found his neck and she began squeezing it with more force than he expected but she didn’t push him away. In fact, if anything, she pulled him a little closer. “And I’ve had ten years to build up my skills. You’re no longer the big fish – you’re just a tadpole.”
As Buffy pulled him away from her, she saw fear in his eyes. He’d made a mistake of thinking that he’d been the only one to change and she was about to show him why. She threw him back and his back hit the wall with such force that a small dent was left in the concrete. She stalked after him and a wry laugh escaped her lips as he raised his hand again.
“That crappy show-stuff doesn’t work on me. Didn’t when Dracula tried either.” She pulled out a stake from her back pocket and his eyes widened ever so slightly. “You were once the biggest threat I’d come across but the Turok-Hahn, the First, they went down in flames and you hold nothing against them. You’re almost not worth staking.”
The Master stood and faced off against her. He only needed one good shot. His fist lashed out first but it was quickly followed by another and as they moved across the floor once more, blow was traded for blow. She was toying with him but he still managed to get in a good hit and sent her sliding along the floor. A woman came running out of nowhere and as he saw the reflection of the blade in her hand, he grinned.
Human.
He raised a hand as the Slayer got back quickly to her feet and as the woman lifted slightly off the ground, struggling for air, the Slayer lowered her raised arm. For a second he was confused at her lack of defence but a tingling sensation hit his chest and he looked down. A stake was protruding out of his chest but the burning let him know it had been dipped in holy water.
He pulled it roughly from his chest and looked back at her, expecting to see surprise in her eyes, some sign that she hadn’t known that it would have done nothing against someone as old and powerful as him. But the spot on the floor where she had been was bare. He sensed two humans in the room, one standing in the shadows and the woman who was lying unconscious on the floor. He turned around in search of the Slayer and noticed her standing right in front of him. Her eyebrow cocked and a grin tugged at her lips before she placed a bit of wire around his neck and before he could blink, she pulled the two ends in opposite directions.
The cloud of dust in front of her columned toward the ceiling before dispersing and through it she saw Dean run out of the shadows. He fell to his knees beside Mary and placed two fingers against her neck. He sighed softly in relief before looking up at her.
“What was she doing here?” he asked.
Buffy shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
If Dean was surprised that she was there, he was more surprised at what she was wearing. She had a dark denim jacket over a simple black shirt and dark jeans; she looked like she’d come out expecting trouble – nay, seeking trouble. Dean bundled his mother into his arms and carried her out to the Impala. She stirred as he was laying her on the backseat and she frowned in confusion.
“Dean?”
Buffy climbed into the front seat and looked back at her. “So, Watcher maybe?”
Mary sat up slightly as she looked back to Dean. “Dean, I’m so sorry,” she said as she gently touched his face, “I tried to protect you from all of this; I never wanted this life for you.”
“You know about all this? For how long?”
“My whole life. My parents were Hunters but I wanted out, I needed to get away from the life and keep my family safe. But when all of the potentials were activated, a call was sent out for new Watchers. I didn’t have kids at home anymore and the world was getting so dangerous…”
“So you became a Watcher. I guess it’s a small world after all.”
Dean took a deep breath. “Did Dad know? Does Sam?”
“No, I didn’t tell any of you. I didn’t want any of you to be involved in this.”
“I need to get you back home before Sammy starts worrying.”
Mary gripped his forearm. “Dean--”
“”How did you even know we were here?”
“I waited until everyone was asleep and did a locator spell on the Slayer. She hadn’t checked in with Mr Giles after patrol and he was worried.”
“Did you bring a car?” Buffy asked.
“Yeah, it’s around the back.”
Buffy handed her back the sword. “You should probably get going. Tell Giles I’m alright but we have a few loose ends we need to tie up before the night is up. I’ll check in again in the morning.”
Mary looked back to her son but his gaze was on Buffy, his eyes searching hers.
“Yeah Mum, you go let Giles know that she’s safe, we’ve got work to do. We can talk more in the morning.”
Mary sighed before she climbed out of the Impala. Dean pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and she cast one look back at Dean as he rounded the Impala and climbed into the driver’s side. The engine started and the tires squealed as the Impala tore away from her. She looked down at the ground briefly before she began heading back to her car.
~
Dean looked across at Buffy.
“How long do you think we have?”
Dean shrugged and looked back into the rear vision mirror. “Maybe an hour. But it’ll be enough time. We don’t have to go in far and once we have it, we can hit the road.”
Buffy watched the headlights cut a path through the darkness. “You know that’s probably the last time you’ll see her, don’t you?”
Dean sucked in a sharp breath. “I know,” he replied sadly.
~
Dean let himself into the Winchester house as silently as possible and held the door open as Buffy crept in behind him. Dean motioned for Buffy to head toward the china cabinet. She nodded once and swiftly moved across the lounge room. Dean stood near the doorway with an ear out for trouble. A baseball bat swung around the corner suddenly and Dean grabbed a hold of it, using the momentum to pin Sam to the ground. A small grin crossed his face as he remembered a similar encounter when he’d come to pick Sam up from Stanford all those years ago.
“That was so easy, I’m embarrassed for you.”
Sam looked up in surprise. “Dean? What the hell are you doing here?”
Dean stood and helped Sam up. “I was looking for a beer.”
Sam saw Buffy across the room. “Buffy?” She gave him an embarrassed grin and a small wave. His gaze dropped to the open cabinet behind her. “In the china cabinet?” Sam reached over and turned on the light. He saw the open drawer with several silver knives on display. “That’s Mum’s silver.”
“Sam—”
“Wait, you broke into the house to steal Mum’s silver?” He turned to Buffy. “I’m not all that surprised Dean is here but you?! What would Jess say?”
Buffy’s features hardened and Dean stepped forward. “It’s not what it looks like, okay? I dragged her along, I didn’t have a choice.”
“Oh, really? Why? What’s so damn important that you’ve gotta steal from your own mother?”
“You want the truth?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Dean paused and looked over at Buffy. She gave a subtle shrug and Dean let out a deep breath. “I owe somebody money.”
“Who?”
“A bookie,” Dean lied easily, “I lost big on a game. I’ve gotta bring him the cash tonight.”
Sam shook his head in disgust. “I can’t believe we’re even related.”
Dean winced. “Sam, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that we don’t get along. And I wish to hell that I could stay and fix it. But I’ve gotta do this. People’s lives depend on it.”
Dean grabbed the longest silver knife he could from the drawer before taking Buffy’s hand and leading her to the door.
“What are you talking about, Dean?” Sam asked as he stood in their way.
“Nothing. Forget it. Just, uh…hey, tell Mum I love her.”
Sam frowned. “Dean.”
“I’ll see you, Sammy,” Dean said sadly as he pushed past him.
Once out the front door, Buffy placed a hand on his arm as they walked quickly down the front path and onto the empty street. The night seemed foreboding and not even a cricket was making noise as they headed toward the Impala together.
“Your Sam would understand.”
Dean sucked in a deep breath before climbing into the driver’s seat. “I’m not sure he would.”
Buffy glanced over at him from the passenger’s seat with a questioning gaze. Dean shrugged.
“Before we started hunting together, we were almost like that. He was so desperate to get away from me and Dad that I don’t think he thought about how we felt about him leaving. Dad was so angry but I think he was just scared, scared of losing his son.”
Buffy brushed her thumb over his cheek and he closed his eyes and leaned into her palm. “We’re gonna get you back to Sammy, I promise.”
Buffy leaned forward slowly and lightly brushed hers lips over his, relishing in the warm feeling of comfort from someone who understood. He gently brought her head closer to his as he momentarily deepened the kiss before releasing her. He gave her a soft smile before a short nod of the head. Dean started the car but the back door suddenly opened as Sam folded himself into the backseat. Dean looked into the rear vision mirror.
“Get out of the car.”
Sam shook his head. “I’m going with you.”
“You’re just gonna slow us down.”
“Tough.”
“This is dangerous, and you could get hurt.”
“Yeah, and so could you, Dean, in fact so could Buffy. It can’t be that dangerous if you’re gonna bring her along, you wouldn’t let her get hurt.” Dean remained silent and Sam leaned forward. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened to Carmen but--”
“Sam—”
“Look, whatever stupid thing you’re about to do, you’re not doing it alone. And that’s that.”
“I don’t understand,” Dean said as he turned around to face his brother. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re still my brother.”
Dean gave a small grin. “Bitch.”
Sam gave him an indignant look. “What are you calling me a bitch for?”
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Jerk’.”
Sam shook his head in confusion. “What?”
“Never mind.”
Dean gave Buffy a small smile before speeding off down the road. Sam noticed the brown paper bag on the seat beside him.
“What’s in the bag?” he asked as he held it up.
“Nothing,” Buffy replied.
“Nothing?”
Dean looked back in the mirror. “Yeah, nothing.”
“Fine.”
Sam opened the bag and Dean rolled his eyes. “You don’t wanna do that.”
“Oh, really?” Sam pulled out a jar of blood and Buffy almost laughed at his disgusted expression. “What the hell is this?”
“Blood.”
“Yeah, I can see that it’s blood, Dean. What the hell is it doing in here?”
“You don’t really wanna know,” Buffy said.
Sam raised both eyebrows at her. “No, I do really wanna know. I really, really do.”
Dean shrugged as he changed lanes. “Yeah, well, you’re gonna find out sooner or later. I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb’s blood.”
“And you needed a silver knife dipped in lamb’s blood, why?” Sam asked slowly.
“Because there’s this creature – a Djinn – and we have to hunt it.”
Sam put the jar back in the bag and as far away from him as he could. “Okay, stop the car.”
“I know how it sounds.”
“Great. Just stop the car.”
“It’s the truth, Sam. There are things out there in the dark. There are bad things, there are nightmare things. And people have to be saved, and if we don’t save them, nobody will.”
Sam looked over at Buffy, who didn’t look at all surprised by Dean’s words. “I wanna help you, all right? I really, really do. But you’re both having some kind of psychotic breakdown.”
“I wish.”
Sam pulled out his mobile and began dialling a number. At a look from Dean, Buffy reached over as Dean wound down the window and snatched his phone. She threw it out the window and looked back at Sam who was now rubbing his hand.
“What the hell was that? That was my phone!”
We’re not going to a rubber room, Sammy. We’ve got work to do.”
“But I was just trying to help you out, Dean! I don’t want you to get yourself or Buffy hurt!”
“What, you protect me?”
“Yeah!”
“Oh, that’s hilarious,” Dean replied sarcastically, “Why don’t you just sit tight and try not to get us all killed?”
Author: SkylarGrace.
Status: Complete.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Maybe it isn’t so perfect after all…
Spoilers: Obviously ‘WIAWSNB’ but to be on the safe side, I’m gonna say all of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Supernatural’.
Disclaimer: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and all related characters are copyright Joss Whedon and ME. No infringement intended. ‘Supernatural’ and all related characters are copyright Eric Kripke, Kripke Enterprises & The CW Network. No infringement intended.
Notes: Based off of the challenge ‘What Isn’t But Really Ought To Be’ set by Tany.
Buffy rolled as she was hit squarely in the face and used the momentum to get back to her feet, arms raised as she looked searchingly at her opponent. It had been years since she had seen his face, maybe ten years, and she’d never wanted to see it again.
“How is this possible? I killed you!”
He laughed and tsked as he circled her. “Not here you didn’t. This world is unlike anything I ever thought it would be and yet, exactly how I imagined. It’s gonna look fantastic as it bleeds!”
Buffy closed her eyes and listened. She could hear each footfall, she could hear him breathing; she could even hear the sounds of Dean fighting the Master’s minions further into the abandoned warehouse. She heard the barely audible gasp of the vampire Dean was fighting as he beheaded it and the silence fell on her. She opened her eyes, only to be met with an ugly grin. She saw Dean enter the warehouse floor but he stayed in the shadows and she kept her eyes trained on the vampire before her.
“I didn’t need you to set me free here but you did anyway. And you died. But when they brought you back, you forgot one teensy little thing.” The Master raised his hand and watched with satisfaction as the Slayer’s body moved toward his. “I can be brought back too.”
Dean moved silently along the wall, keeping to the shadows. Buffy had reacted oddly to Dean’s research when he managed to pull up the reports in the Lawrence newspaper. He’d seen fear cross her face briefly before a steady resolve set in. She’d felt him, she’d said. She hadn’t known at the time but she’d felt him nearby. She’d destroyed him ten years prior but in this world, the grave had been dug up and the bones stolen. They hadn’t surfaced again but seven years ago there’d been a ‘serial killer’ in Lawrence. Forty people had been killed however the killer had disappeared.
But the newspaper hadn’t made the connection between the mass murders and the ‘muggings-gone-bad’ like Carmen’s. Buffy had no idea what he was planning but the Master had been more of a big plan kinda guy. Maybe in this world, she’d speculated, he’d learnt his lesson and was trying to take over the world more slowly. Lawrence did seem to have a similar death rate to Sunnydale back in the day.
Dean’s attention was drawn away as another shadow entered the warehouse. When he and Buffy had driven here, Buffy had requested she take care of the Master and left him to deal with the other vampires, apparently completely confident in his ability to hold his own. The shadow moved slowly toward Buffy and Dean stopped still in his tracks as they moved into a small stream of light.
The Master’s fingers closed slowly around her neck and Buffy looked up into his eyes, his joy at killing the same Slayer twice abundant. Her head tilted slowly, her neck tantalisingly close to his mouth when she surprised him by speaking.
“You’ve forgotten something too.” He looked back at her face a saw a small smile gracing her lips, a smile that said she knew something he didn’t. “I’m not from here.” Her small fingers quickly found his neck and she began squeezing it with more force than he expected but she didn’t push him away. In fact, if anything, she pulled him a little closer. “And I’ve had ten years to build up my skills. You’re no longer the big fish – you’re just a tadpole.”
As Buffy pulled him away from her, she saw fear in his eyes. He’d made a mistake of thinking that he’d been the only one to change and she was about to show him why. She threw him back and his back hit the wall with such force that a small dent was left in the concrete. She stalked after him and a wry laugh escaped her lips as he raised his hand again.
“That crappy show-stuff doesn’t work on me. Didn’t when Dracula tried either.” She pulled out a stake from her back pocket and his eyes widened ever so slightly. “You were once the biggest threat I’d come across but the Turok-Hahn, the First, they went down in flames and you hold nothing against them. You’re almost not worth staking.”
The Master stood and faced off against her. He only needed one good shot. His fist lashed out first but it was quickly followed by another and as they moved across the floor once more, blow was traded for blow. She was toying with him but he still managed to get in a good hit and sent her sliding along the floor. A woman came running out of nowhere and as he saw the reflection of the blade in her hand, he grinned.
Human.
He raised a hand as the Slayer got back quickly to her feet and as the woman lifted slightly off the ground, struggling for air, the Slayer lowered her raised arm. For a second he was confused at her lack of defence but a tingling sensation hit his chest and he looked down. A stake was protruding out of his chest but the burning let him know it had been dipped in holy water.
He pulled it roughly from his chest and looked back at her, expecting to see surprise in her eyes, some sign that she hadn’t known that it would have done nothing against someone as old and powerful as him. But the spot on the floor where she had been was bare. He sensed two humans in the room, one standing in the shadows and the woman who was lying unconscious on the floor. He turned around in search of the Slayer and noticed her standing right in front of him. Her eyebrow cocked and a grin tugged at her lips before she placed a bit of wire around his neck and before he could blink, she pulled the two ends in opposite directions.
The cloud of dust in front of her columned toward the ceiling before dispersing and through it she saw Dean run out of the shadows. He fell to his knees beside Mary and placed two fingers against her neck. He sighed softly in relief before looking up at her.
“What was she doing here?” he asked.
Buffy shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
If Dean was surprised that she was there, he was more surprised at what she was wearing. She had a dark denim jacket over a simple black shirt and dark jeans; she looked like she’d come out expecting trouble – nay, seeking trouble. Dean bundled his mother into his arms and carried her out to the Impala. She stirred as he was laying her on the backseat and she frowned in confusion.
“Dean?”
Buffy climbed into the front seat and looked back at her. “So, Watcher maybe?”
Mary sat up slightly as she looked back to Dean. “Dean, I’m so sorry,” she said as she gently touched his face, “I tried to protect you from all of this; I never wanted this life for you.”
“You know about all this? For how long?”
“My whole life. My parents were Hunters but I wanted out, I needed to get away from the life and keep my family safe. But when all of the potentials were activated, a call was sent out for new Watchers. I didn’t have kids at home anymore and the world was getting so dangerous…”
“So you became a Watcher. I guess it’s a small world after all.”
Dean took a deep breath. “Did Dad know? Does Sam?”
“No, I didn’t tell any of you. I didn’t want any of you to be involved in this.”
“I need to get you back home before Sammy starts worrying.”
Mary gripped his forearm. “Dean--”
“”How did you even know we were here?”
“I waited until everyone was asleep and did a locator spell on the Slayer. She hadn’t checked in with Mr Giles after patrol and he was worried.”
“Did you bring a car?” Buffy asked.
“Yeah, it’s around the back.”
Buffy handed her back the sword. “You should probably get going. Tell Giles I’m alright but we have a few loose ends we need to tie up before the night is up. I’ll check in again in the morning.”
Mary looked back to her son but his gaze was on Buffy, his eyes searching hers.
“Yeah Mum, you go let Giles know that she’s safe, we’ve got work to do. We can talk more in the morning.”
Mary sighed before she climbed out of the Impala. Dean pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and she cast one look back at Dean as he rounded the Impala and climbed into the driver’s side. The engine started and the tires squealed as the Impala tore away from her. She looked down at the ground briefly before she began heading back to her car.
~
Dean looked across at Buffy.
“How long do you think we have?”
Dean shrugged and looked back into the rear vision mirror. “Maybe an hour. But it’ll be enough time. We don’t have to go in far and once we have it, we can hit the road.”
Buffy watched the headlights cut a path through the darkness. “You know that’s probably the last time you’ll see her, don’t you?”
Dean sucked in a sharp breath. “I know,” he replied sadly.
~
Dean let himself into the Winchester house as silently as possible and held the door open as Buffy crept in behind him. Dean motioned for Buffy to head toward the china cabinet. She nodded once and swiftly moved across the lounge room. Dean stood near the doorway with an ear out for trouble. A baseball bat swung around the corner suddenly and Dean grabbed a hold of it, using the momentum to pin Sam to the ground. A small grin crossed his face as he remembered a similar encounter when he’d come to pick Sam up from Stanford all those years ago.
“That was so easy, I’m embarrassed for you.”
Sam looked up in surprise. “Dean? What the hell are you doing here?”
Dean stood and helped Sam up. “I was looking for a beer.”
Sam saw Buffy across the room. “Buffy?” She gave him an embarrassed grin and a small wave. His gaze dropped to the open cabinet behind her. “In the china cabinet?” Sam reached over and turned on the light. He saw the open drawer with several silver knives on display. “That’s Mum’s silver.”
“Sam—”
“Wait, you broke into the house to steal Mum’s silver?” He turned to Buffy. “I’m not all that surprised Dean is here but you?! What would Jess say?”
Buffy’s features hardened and Dean stepped forward. “It’s not what it looks like, okay? I dragged her along, I didn’t have a choice.”
“Oh, really? Why? What’s so damn important that you’ve gotta steal from your own mother?”
“You want the truth?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Dean paused and looked over at Buffy. She gave a subtle shrug and Dean let out a deep breath. “I owe somebody money.”
“Who?”
“A bookie,” Dean lied easily, “I lost big on a game. I’ve gotta bring him the cash tonight.”
Sam shook his head in disgust. “I can’t believe we’re even related.”
Dean winced. “Sam, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that we don’t get along. And I wish to hell that I could stay and fix it. But I’ve gotta do this. People’s lives depend on it.”
Dean grabbed the longest silver knife he could from the drawer before taking Buffy’s hand and leading her to the door.
“What are you talking about, Dean?” Sam asked as he stood in their way.
“Nothing. Forget it. Just, uh…hey, tell Mum I love her.”
Sam frowned. “Dean.”
“I’ll see you, Sammy,” Dean said sadly as he pushed past him.
Once out the front door, Buffy placed a hand on his arm as they walked quickly down the front path and onto the empty street. The night seemed foreboding and not even a cricket was making noise as they headed toward the Impala together.
“Your Sam would understand.”
Dean sucked in a deep breath before climbing into the driver’s seat. “I’m not sure he would.”
Buffy glanced over at him from the passenger’s seat with a questioning gaze. Dean shrugged.
“Before we started hunting together, we were almost like that. He was so desperate to get away from me and Dad that I don’t think he thought about how we felt about him leaving. Dad was so angry but I think he was just scared, scared of losing his son.”
Buffy brushed her thumb over his cheek and he closed his eyes and leaned into her palm. “We’re gonna get you back to Sammy, I promise.”
Buffy leaned forward slowly and lightly brushed hers lips over his, relishing in the warm feeling of comfort from someone who understood. He gently brought her head closer to his as he momentarily deepened the kiss before releasing her. He gave her a soft smile before a short nod of the head. Dean started the car but the back door suddenly opened as Sam folded himself into the backseat. Dean looked into the rear vision mirror.
“Get out of the car.”
Sam shook his head. “I’m going with you.”
“You’re just gonna slow us down.”
“Tough.”
“This is dangerous, and you could get hurt.”
“Yeah, and so could you, Dean, in fact so could Buffy. It can’t be that dangerous if you’re gonna bring her along, you wouldn’t let her get hurt.” Dean remained silent and Sam leaned forward. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened to Carmen but--”
“Sam—”
“Look, whatever stupid thing you’re about to do, you’re not doing it alone. And that’s that.”
“I don’t understand,” Dean said as he turned around to face his brother. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re still my brother.”
Dean gave a small grin. “Bitch.”
Sam gave him an indignant look. “What are you calling me a bitch for?”
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Jerk’.”
Sam shook his head in confusion. “What?”
“Never mind.”
Dean gave Buffy a small smile before speeding off down the road. Sam noticed the brown paper bag on the seat beside him.
“What’s in the bag?” he asked as he held it up.
“Nothing,” Buffy replied.
“Nothing?”
Dean looked back in the mirror. “Yeah, nothing.”
“Fine.”
Sam opened the bag and Dean rolled his eyes. “You don’t wanna do that.”
“Oh, really?” Sam pulled out a jar of blood and Buffy almost laughed at his disgusted expression. “What the hell is this?”
“Blood.”
“Yeah, I can see that it’s blood, Dean. What the hell is it doing in here?”
“You don’t really wanna know,” Buffy said.
Sam raised both eyebrows at her. “No, I do really wanna know. I really, really do.”
Dean shrugged as he changed lanes. “Yeah, well, you’re gonna find out sooner or later. I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb’s blood.”
“And you needed a silver knife dipped in lamb’s blood, why?” Sam asked slowly.
“Because there’s this creature – a Djinn – and we have to hunt it.”
Sam put the jar back in the bag and as far away from him as he could. “Okay, stop the car.”
“I know how it sounds.”
“Great. Just stop the car.”
“It’s the truth, Sam. There are things out there in the dark. There are bad things, there are nightmare things. And people have to be saved, and if we don’t save them, nobody will.”
Sam looked over at Buffy, who didn’t look at all surprised by Dean’s words. “I wanna help you, all right? I really, really do. But you’re both having some kind of psychotic breakdown.”
“I wish.”
Sam pulled out his mobile and began dialling a number. At a look from Dean, Buffy reached over as Dean wound down the window and snatched his phone. She threw it out the window and looked back at Sam who was now rubbing his hand.
“What the hell was that? That was my phone!”
We’re not going to a rubber room, Sammy. We’ve got work to do.”
“But I was just trying to help you out, Dean! I don’t want you to get yourself or Buffy hurt!”
“What, you protect me?”
“Yeah!”
“Oh, that’s hilarious,” Dean replied sarcastically, “Why don’t you just sit tight and try not to get us all killed?”
