So, this is the third story in my series Angels and Demons...it was probably my favorite to write and favorite in the series so far...hope everyone enjoys it!! bambers;)

Crucible: a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact to produce something new.

Creed: to believe, trust, entrust.

Chapter One

Dean was making the drive to Las Vegas in record time, only stopping long enough to gas up the Chevelle Michael had given to him, and grab some food to eat on the road. Unfortunately for him, Dean was finding that Rowan could hold a grudge longer than any normal person could ever possibly manage. Of course the vampire was anything but normal, but still Dean would have thought after the first four to five hundred miles, Rowan would have broken down and started talking to him again.

Unlike Sam, Rowan required little sleep, and that just tended to bother Dean all the more, knowing that the vampire was awake, and still remaining stoically silent. Sure there were times he would engage Joshua in conversation, telling him of long ago days, and of the different places he'd traveled in his very long lifetime. However, if Dean tried to join in on the conversation, Rowan would fall silent and stare out the passenger's side window. After they had passed the six hundred mile mark, Dean was done feeling bad for making the stupid remark about why Rowan was cursed for all eternity, and had now moved on to genuinely pissed off.

Veering off to the side of the road, Dean killed the engine, and nudged his head toward the door. "Get the hell out of my car," he snarled, anger taking a firm hold of him when Rowan didn't budge and gave a curt shake of his head. "Said, get out of my freakin' car. You don't wanna talk to me fine, then you can walk the rest of the damn way to Vegas for all I care."

"Not getting out of the car in the middle of a dark deserted stretch of road," Rowan finally uttered after several long moments of staring at Dean in disbelief. "A person could get killed out here all alone."

"Not really all that worried about you, what with you being an immortal vampire an' all," Dean rejoined, but was inwardly relieved that Rowan was once again talking to him. "Sure if someone whacks off your freakin' head, you'll be able to find it by morning."

"Wasn't talkin about me, Dean." Licking his now present fangs, Rowan grinned devilishly. "Was actually talkin' about the poor person who just happens to pick up a stray hitchhiker, and said hitchhiker just happens to turn out to be a vampire who hasn't eaten in days, an' is damn near starving."

"You wouldn't."

"I'm hungry, Dean." Rowan smirked, deep green eyes gleaming against the darkness. "Even a saintly vampire such as myself has to feed at some point."

"Well, I'll find ya a nice cow pasture, an' you can graze all you want, cause you aren't killin' anyone while I'm around."

"Cow pasture," Rowan scoffed, "do I honestly look like the type of vampire who would bleed a cow dry? That's like ordering a hamburger when what you really want is prime rib."

"Hey, nothin' wrong with burgers, I love 'em."

"Well, then next cow pasture we drive by, feel free to go an' graze to your heart's content, cause I'm holdin' out for prime rib."

Rowan may have been joking, but Dean had no doubt the vampire was hungry, and a hungry vampire was definitely not a good thing, especially one that couldn't be killed. "What if I find you a blood bank?" he asked, needing to remedy the situation as quickly as possible before Rowan's killer instincts got the better of him. "Can ya hold out that long?"

"Huh, do you think blood banks have take out? An if they do, an I ordered Chinese, do you think they would get my order right, or would I get stuck with plain old American cuisine?" Rowan laughed as Dean started the engine and pulled back out onto the road. "Had Thai a few times, but found it to be rather spicy. Think if I had a heart, I would've probably had the worst case of heartburn." Rowan continued to chuckle at his own humor, and Dean was forced to roll his eyes as the jokes got worse and worse.

"Think I liked you better when you weren't talkin' to me," Dean muttered under his breath, listening to the vampire make up for lost time, rambling on about every topic under the sun. However, since the vampire was in a talkative mood, Dean decided to broach the one subject he'd been mulling over since he'd seen the news report about Bela's body being found. "Rowan, what do you know of Bela's death?"

"I know that you think Sam killed her," Rowan replied evasively, then glanced over his shoulder at Joshua who was sleeping in the back seat of the Chevelle. "Man, that little guy sure can sleep when he wants to, but tuck him in bed, an' he's all over the place," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"Cause maybe it's just better if you go on believing Sam killed her." Rowan heaved an aggravated groan as he brusquely raked his fingers through his hair. He began to fidget restlessly in his seat, his gaze wavering back and forth across the stretch of road. Leaning forward in his seat, he narrowed his eyes, searching for something beyond the scope of the Chevelle's headlights. "Dean, stop the car," he abruptly ordered, and when Dean slammed on the brakes, veering off to the side of the road, Rowan flung open the door, and leapt out of the vehicle. Dean quickly grabbed for his Colt 1911 in the glove compartment, and followed the vampire.

"What is it?" Dean asked as he swung all the way around, but saw nothing except the occasional outline of a stray catus or boulder. From the light reflecting from the pale moon, he could also make out the Calico Hills off in the distance, but still could not see anything that he would consider a threat. Yet, Rowan still stalked back and forth, growing more and more restless and riled as the moments ticked by. "Anytime you feel like sharin' what the hell we're lookin' for, I'm all ears."

"Damn, it, Dean, get back in the car," Rowan snapped as he continued to search through the darkness for some unseen enemy. "Trust me, you really don't want to be out here."

"Not goin' anywhere," Dean adamantly refused with a curt shake of his head. Hearing a sound off to the right, he raised his gun, and aimed it in that direction. Slowly, shadows took form from out of the night, and crept ever closer as if they had all the time in the world to stalk their prey, and were just enjoying the hunt and fear their presence created. "Damn it, tell me what we're going up against here."

"You are not going up against anything." Rowan grabbed hold of Dean's arm, and tried to drag him back to the Chevelle. "You're job is to protect Josh, so get in the damn car an' get him the hell out of here . . . now!"

Dean jerked free of Rowan's grasp, and swung to glare at him. "So, you want me to just leave you here?"

"That's what I just said," Rowan replied as if the answer should be obvious.

"So not gonna happen," Dean argued, planting his feet firmly on the ground, not about to take another step. "If these things can hurt Jay, then I'm not just gonna walk away, an' trust in the fact that you can handle them by yourself."

"They're not after Josh, they don't even know about him yet," Rowan narrowed his eyes, and watched as the creatures inched ever closer. "They're comin' for me . . . that's why you need to get the hell out of here."

"Why would they be after you, not like they can kill ya?" Dean asked, not liking the worried frown now creasing his friend's brow.

"The one in the lead," Rowan gestured at the tallest of the growing shadows, "his name is Killeon Gallagher, an' believe me when I say, he's not someone you want to mess with."

Dean thought back to all the research the Winchester's had ever done, trying to recall if they'd come across the name, but couldn't remember ever hearing it before. "Never hear of him. So what is he?"

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of Jack the Ripper, right?" Rowan was silent for a moment, apparently mulling over how many details he wanted to share with Dean about the creature in question, and then finally replied, "Killeon was one of the few people I ever turned. Definitely not one of my smarter moves."

"So you turned a homicidal maniac into an even deadlier homicidal maniac?" Dean stared incredulously at his friend, not quite believing what he was hearing. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"You don't understand, Dean," Rowan argued, "I used to be able to control him . . . why the hell do you think all the murders stopped even though he was never found?"

"Why didn't ya just kill him when you had the chance?"

"Because I was his little pet," the man in the center of the group called out to Dean as he came into clear view, and although he knew it was useless, Dean still aimed his gun directly at the man's chest.

The vampire exuded a cocksure arrogance as he swaggered toward Dean, and blew a gray plume of cigarette smoke in the hunter's face. He flicked the cigarette away and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, in a show that he wasn't the least bit intimidated by Rowan. Like Rowan, Killeon wore a long black leather trench coat, but unlike the older vampire, Killeon wore no shirt beneath it to hide his taut muscular chest and abs. Long silver chains dangled from his neck, some with thick ornamental crosses, others with ancient symbols, and one that looked like two handcuffs locked together.

Whereas the younger vampire looked very similar to Rowan in a lot of ways, there was a darkness about him that Dean hadn't ever noticed in Rowan. His eyes, the color of dark chocolate, glistened with the reflection of the pale moon, enigmatic and dangerous. His dark bangs, parted in an angular fashion, trailed down over his left eye to rest just below his cheek, which for reason made him appear all the more lethal.

Killeon sniffed in the air and then licked his lips in anticipation. "Thought you might be his newest little plaything, but perhaps you're his dinner instead." The group now surrounding them laughed at Killeon's taunt. "You know, Rowan, I could smell you comin' from well over a hundred miles away, must be losin' your touch in your old age."

Rowan gestured to Dean, and then eyed Killeon, his gaze turning deadly. "Let him go, an' I'll come with you. Hurt him in the slightest, an' I'll kill you all where you stand," here he hesitated, waiting for his threat to sink in fully, and then further added, "do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Rowan — "

"Shut up, Dean," Rowan barked the ordered, cutting Dean off before he had the chance to argue.

"Dean?" Killeon stepped forward, and looked Dean up and down as if trying to decide how his blood would taste once spilled from his veins. "As in Dean Winchester?" He glanced in Rowan's direction, and when Rowan cursed under his breath and lowered his head to the side, Killeon burst out laughing. He hitched thumb in Dean's direction as he continued to laugh. "This guy here is legendary, aren't you, Dean?" When Dean failed to rise to the bait, he continued on, "See, he sold his soul to save his brother, then little brother dearest turned into quite the killing machine didn't he, Winchester? An' from what I hear, they're still finding the bodies from his little killing spree."

"My brother didn't kill anyone," Dean snarled, hand clenching tightly around his gun.

"Oh, that's right, the devil made him do it . . . literally." He chuckled even harder, seeing the effect his words had on Dean. "Tell me, how does it feel to know you sold your soul for a vicious killer, Dean?"

"Don't listen to him," Rowan hissed, taking a step toward Killeon, "remember what I said, it's a matter of faith . . . what do you believe in your heart about your brother — "

"Oh, words of wisdom from Judas himself," Killeon scoffed, "still tryin' to make amends, huh?"

"So are you gonna let Dean go?" Rowan asked, ignoring Killeon's insults, "or do I have to make good on my threat?"

"Killeon, don't let him go," a young-looking blond-haired female vampire practically whined as she eyed Dean, "I'm starvin' an' he looks — "

Before she even had a chance to finish what she was saying, Rowan shot forward, gripped a hold of the sides of her head, viciously yanked it to the side, and with strength Dean hadn't known the vampire possessed, Rowan ripped her head clear from her body. Eyes never straying from Killeon, Rowan tossed the girl's head into the brush as her body slumped to the ground, and wiped her blood off on his pants.

"Now are ya gonna let him go, or do I have to continue killing your little clan of murderers?"

"How do I know I can trust you won't kill the rest of my family once I let him go?" Killeon questioned as he looked to the dead vampire's body. "From what I recall you're not the most trustworthy of vampires."

"Dean, go an' get the handcuffs out of the trunk," Rowan ordered, but Dean refused to budge from his spot. Still not taking his sights off of Killeon, he further added, "once he's gone, I'll let you cuff me."

"You're just gonna give yourself up for a human?" Killeon said in clear disbelief. "You really have changed."

"Haven't changed that much," Rowan turned his back on Killeon and strode to the back of the Chevelle, motioning for Dean to follow. Once there, he lowered his voice and muttered, "Listen to me cause I'm not gonna say this twice. You get in this car, and drive as far away from here as possible. Don't come back an' whatever the hell you do, don't come lookin' for me."

"Why does he want you so badly?"

"Revenge . . . wants to make me suffer."

For a brief moment, Dean could've sworn he saw a look of fear in his friend's eyes, but as quickly as it was there it vanished as he tried to smile. Rowan made as if to say something more, but before he had the chance, Killeon gripped hold of him from behind, his fist clenching firmly around Rowan's hair as forcefully jerked his head backward, exposing the veins in his neck. With a look of triumph, Killeon sunk his fangs into Rowan's throat, blood spurting as he gorged himself on Rowan's blood.

Without a moment's hesitation, Dean swung out at the vampire, slamming his fists into Killeon's back and sides repeatedly as Rowan cried out in pain. Instead of fighting back, Killeon sunk his teeth deeper into the side of Rowan's throat as Rowan began to tremble uncontrollably. Out of options, Dean grabbed for his gun, aimed and fired at the vampire, the blast throw both Rowan and Killeon to the ground.

Killeon was back on his feet in a shot, and smirked at Dean as he wiped the blood from his lips. Rowan on the other hand, lay writhing on the ground, his trembling fingers covering the gaping wounds in his neck.

"Could kill you right now," Killeon sneered, drawing Dean's attention back to him, "but like Rowan said, this is all about revenge. An' since he seems to care so damn much about you, I'm gonna let ya keep him." Without another word, Killeon turned on his heel and strode away, his family following after him.

As soon as Dean was certain they were gone, he dropped to the ground beside Rowan, and was not surprised to find that the wounds had already begun to heal over. Yet, his friend still continued to convulse, twitching and jerking erratically as a deep deathlike rattle came from within his chest. A muffled sob of pain ripped from Rowan's lips as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, tears slipping down the sides of his face.

"What the hell did he do to you?"

"Oh, God . . . D-Dean . . . it hurts . . . h-hurts so damn bad . . . ." Rowan gripped hold of Dean's hand, and clenched it tightly as he continued to writhe around on the ground. Suddenly Rowan's body went limp, his hand falling loosely away from Dean's as his head lolled to the side.

"Rowan?" Dean shook him gently at first, but when his friend didn't move, he shook him all the harder "Damn it, Rowan, you're the only friend I got . . . you can't do this to me." Hooking his arm around Rowan's waist, Dean hauled him to his feet, and dragged the vampire back to his car. Carefully setting him down on the passenger's seat, he slammed the door and ran around to the driver's side. Once inside the Chevelle, Dean cast a worried glance at his friend, waiting for some subtle movement or any sign that he would be all right, but saw nothing.

"Damn it all to hell, thought you said you couldn't die," Dean let out another slew of curse words as he started the car, quickly made a u-turn and gunned the engine, heading back in the direction he'd just come from. He wasn't exactly sure where he should take Rowan, but knew heading toward Vegas was not an option any longer. "You freakin' better not die on me, you hear me, Rowan? Not about to lose you . . . not out here . . . not like this."