Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy nor Supernatural, I am simply an enthusiast with too much time on her hands and a leprechaun for a muse.

A/N: Okay, so I've taken a couple of liberties with the ages of Dawn and Sam and I'm not even going to try to explain it cause honestly there is no possible way this could happen, but any who. Dawn's 18 and we're gonna say Sam is around 23, which I realize puts him in about season one of Supernatural, but this is written during season six of Buffy anytime before "Once More with Feeling" and season four of Supernatural, but I'm not sure which episode. Just know that it's before Sam finds out Dean remembers everything from his time in The Pit. If you think that you can over look all of those timeline flaws then enjoy this little ditty, but if they'll bother you too much, well you can try the story, really not much to the whole age difference thing, but it still sticks out occasionally so you decide. Okay, that's all I've got to ramble about, enjoy

It was raining again, like it had every other night for the last week, and like every other night it's rained, I'm patrolling the cemetery, alone. It really wouldn't be all that bad if it weren't raining, I'd gotten pretty used to walking through Sunnydale's cemeteries by myself, especially as of late. The gang had other things to worry about, that is why they'd brought me back, because they couldn't handle their lives and the slaying as well. Not that I was resentful or anything. I snort out loud at the thought. Why would I be resentful? It's not like they pulled me from heaven expecting me to fall right back in line and take up all the duties I had been too tired to continue in the beginning or the end I suppose. That had been a deciding factor in my jumping. I'd come to the conclusion that I was done spending every day of my life fighting, I was tired.

I'm not paying any attention to my surroundings and step into an ankle deep mud puddle on one of the many paths through the grave yard. Muttering to myself I shake off my booted heel, mad that my new boots got dirty and glad that I hadn't been wearing sneakers, I would have been dealing with a wet sock had that been the case. I'm studying my boot so closely that I fail to notice the shadow creep up behind me and before I know it, I'm looking up at a vampire from the ground, the water soaking in through the back of my black hoodie and jeans from the same puddle I'd just stepped in. "You have got to be kidding me." I grumble up at the vamp, trying to focus on him through the rain falling into my eyes.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes slayer." Spike smirks down at me, offering me a hand to pull myself up out of the mud.

"Thanks Spike, but next time you can just say 'boo' or something." I say glaring at him from under the hood of my shirt, thankful that at least my hair wasn't a sopping wet mess, yet. "You didn't need to get me soaking wet." He grins at me, his eyebrows raised in a suggestive manner. I shove his shoulder and move passed him to continue on patrol. "Don't be so perverted." He just chuckles as he falls into step beside me, inviting himself to join me. I didn't mind the company most of the time and right now seemed as though it would be one of the times I didn't. "How are you not cringing in pain for tripping me back there?" I ask him after a couple of silent minutes pass with us simply walking.

He smiles down at me putting his hands in the pockets of his ever present duster. "Didn't intend to hurt you pet, was going for a bit of a chuckle."

"You're such an ass." I tell him, hiding my smile behind my hood.

"Yeah." He says, shrugging and grinning down at me. "But you still enjoy my company."

I just laugh quietly to myself, unable to disagree with him. "And how is it your out on a night like this, creeping around a cemetery?" I ask him, gesturing with my hands toward the rainy night sky.

"Was on my way to get some blood when I caught your scent," He tells me, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "and I figured it would be more fun to walk around with you than to walk to the butchers."

"Oh." I say, a little taken aback by his honesty. "Well, I suppose the company will be nice, even if it is you." I tell him, my slight smile showing in my voice. I look at him out of the corner of my eye as we continue to walk, finally noticing that he too is soaked through his dark clothes, with water dripping off his hair and down his neck, disappearing under his shirt. "Isn't that uncomfortable?" I ask him, gesturing at the water when he looks at me questioningly.

He shakes his head no. "I don't even notice it."

"Huh." I say, still watching him. He really didn't seem bothered at all by the water pouring down in buckets around us.

We continued to patrol in a companionable silence for a couple more hours without any action before I decide I need to head home. "I'm gonna go home." I tell him, speaking for the first time in hours. "There isn't any evil happening tonight and I told Dawn I wouldn't be gone all night again tonight."

He nods his head and silently points us in the direction of my house, apparently deciding he was going to walk me home. Which again surprised me. Not that he would walk me home, but that I didn't object to it. Lately I'd rather be alone than with anyone else. It's a short walk and when the house comes into sight I can see that the lights are on in the living room and through the curtains I can see a shadow pacing back and forth in front of the couch. Spike stops me just as we're about to step up onto the porch, pointing to the shape of a car parked on the sidewalk in front. He studies the black car for a long moment before letting out a soft whistle. "Wonder whose baby that is?"

I take a closer look at it and realize it looks familiar. "Is that an Impala?" I ask Spike, glancing up at him still drooling over the car.

"Yep." He confirms, never taking his eyes off the beauty. "1967 if I'm not mistaken. How'd you know that Love?" He asks me, finally looking away to give me a questioning glance.

"Because I know that car." I tell him before I turn back to the door, skipping the steps entirely, and pushing open the door, Spike right behind me. We stand in the foray at the foot of the stair unnoticed taking in the scene in my living room while I remove my hoodie and quietly take off my boots. Two guys are lounging on my couch, one of them wearing an olive green army jacket and has his boots on my coffee table his companion, the one with the shaggy blonde hair is sitting as politely as he can next to his sprawled out cohert while Anya stands next to the fireplace filing her nails and Xander paces in front of them, occasionally glaring in their direction.

After a minute Spike can't seem to help himself and he chuckles at Xander when he grumbles to himself causing everyone to look over at us. I offer the room a small smile as the two men on the couch stand up, the looks on their faces are pure amazement. My smile grows slightly as I take in just how much taller the blonde one is and just how short the other looks standing next to the giant of a man. "Hey guys." I say, breaking the tense silence, giving them a small wave from the doorway.

The freakishly tall Sam is the first to make a move, taking two strides to come to stand in front of me and wrapping me in a fierce hug, effectively picking my feet up off the ground and causing me to put my arms around his neck and giggle slightly. When he finally releases me I take a step back to look up at him. "You definitely grew while you were in college." I tease him, smiling at the blush that paints his cheeks and makes him duck his head.

"Cheerleader." I hear Dean say hesitantly from behind Sam, who steps aside to let him get a better view of me. "It really you? No one hitching a ride in your skin is there?" He asks me, never one to get his hopes up without truth and reason to back them up.

"Nah. Just lil ol' me." I tell him, meeting his intense eyes for the first time. "There was a piggy backer, but we took care of that and there weren't any other consequences either." I say, reassuring him as much as I can. Dean always did hate witch craft and if he knew I was back then he probably knew that magic had been involved in some form.

He nods his head once before he too takes the few steps to reach me and pulls me against him, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist and my arms around his neck keeping him touching me. He buries his face in my hair and I can feel him pulling in deep breaths as though trying to memorize my scent again and I lay my face against his neck, relishing in the feel of his hot skin on my cheek. He whispers my name into my hair and I can hear the tears he's holding back making me pull him nearer to me wanting to let him know that I was real and I was here, he could stop mourning for me now.

Xander clears his throat from where he's standing with Anya making Dean and I pull away, Dean finally noticing Spike standing behind me. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised and I just shake my head, there's too much to go into right now where Spike is concerned so instead Dean moves to stand on my left next to Sam as Spike steps up to take my right, subconsciously trying to protect me from Xander. He still hasn't forgiven them for not confiding in him with their plans, even not knowing where I was he wouldn't have let them go through with it, which now that I think about it, was probably why I was so comfortable around him now where as I don't like to be in a room with Xander or Willow anymore. "Buffy, who are these guys?" he asks me, anger and confusion in his voice. Xander never did handle not being in the know when it came to, well anything really. He hates being the last to know and he hates surprises, especially in the form of hot guys from my past. "They just showed up an hour ago, Dawn let them in against my wishes and all anyone will tell me is that they know you."

"These two guys are Dean and Sam Winchester." I tell him, pointing at them each in turn. "Dean, Sam, this is Xander, Anya and Spike." Sam nods his head in greeting, but Dean continues to glare at Xander, apparently he'd picked up on the tension and hostility in the room.

"How do you know them?" He asks me. "Why are they here? Why haven't we heard about them?" He's started flailing his arms with each question forcing Anya to take a step back to avoid being inadvertently hit with a rouge gesture.

"I met them in L.A. when I was training with Merrick. They're dad was really close with him so we spent a lot of time together before everything happened." I explain, leaving out the fact that when I went to my "dads" every summer, I was really traveling around with them, and when I ran away, I was hunting with them. "You haven't heard about them because they prefer to keep an extremely low profile, comes from being wanted by the FBI. As for why their here, you'd have to ask them cause I have no clue." I finish talking to him and look up at Dean, the question written all over my face I'm sure.

He shrugs, meeting my eyes. "Well Sam came because he wanted to see if the rumors where true, if you'd really been brought back from the dead. Me, I came to say thank you."

"Thank you?" I ask him and I hear it echoed from Sam and Xander both. "Why would you be thanking me?"

Without saying anything he slips off his jacket and pulls the left side of his dark blue t-shirt down over his shoulder to reveal a scarred hand print. "Castiel told me." He says simply. Everything suddenly makes sense to me and tears well up in my eyes.

"What?" Sam asks him, sounding almost as confused as every other person in the room is. "What does Castiel have to do with Buffy?"

With a deep breath I fight down the tears that are threatening to spill out at the mention of my once close friend and the reminder of my time in heaven that nobody knows about except apparently Dean. I look away from Dean to address Sam. "Cause I'm the one that asked Cas to pull Dean from hell. When I got there I was offered one favor for sacrificing my life. I considered it for a long time, probably only weeks here on earth but closer to months or years where I was, and finally after finding out that Dean had sold his soul for you I made my request. I asked that Dean not suffer for having given up his life for his brother. They deliberated for a long time, making me worry that even if they did do it, Dean would be too far gone to be human anymore, but eventually they granted it. Castiel was my companion in heaven and he offered to be the angel to bring him out so that I could watch through his eyes."

Sam looks at me, astonishment glowing in his eyes. "You're the one that got Dean out of the pit?" His voice is low.

I nod my head. "I couldn't leave him down there, and after seeing what Cas did," I shudder at the horrible memories, the only thing in my heaven that had ever been bad. "I'm glad that I made my request and even more glad that they granted it." I turn my head to look at Dean, but he's looking at the floor in shame. I reach out and lift his chin with my hand and force him to make eye contact with me, I almost flinch at the self hatred that runs through his eyes. "I don't blame you for anything you did down there." I whisper so only he can hear me. "You only did what you had to, to survive. I've been to a hell, I know how they tear your identity away, how they rip you down until you don't know right from wrong anymore. You did what you had to so that you could keep some part of yourself." I press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "If you hadn't done what you did, Sam would have gotten back a shell of his brother, so don't hate yourself. I've done a lot of stupid things and hurt a lot of people Dean, but everything I've done has led me here and eventually it all gets forgiven. Forgive yourself, I already have and Sam would in a heartbeat." There are tears pooling in his eyes and he offers me a small watery smile, in response I pull him into another hug. "I can't believe Cas can't keep a secret though." I tell him, my voice back to a more normal volume. "I asked him, several times, to not tell you that I was the one that got you out of your deal." I shake my head. "He is such a gossip mongrel."

Dean chuckles at me and shakes his head. "Yeah I can just picture him standing around the water cooler exchanging stores with the secretaries."

"Oh sure," I say grinning at him now. "Don't believe me. But mark my words, you ever confide in Castiel and he will be telling someone about it before the night it over. Can't keep a secret for the life of him, don't know how he got to be such a high ranking angel."

"Buffy?" Xander says my name, trying to get my attention. With a sigh I turn to acknowledge him. "How do you know an angel? Why was Dean in hell? How did you save him? I'm so confused right now." He runs his hands through his already disheveled hair. "Please tell me what's going on." His eyes are pleading with me now.

I take a deep breath and glance around the room at the other occupants. "I will Xan, I'll tell you everything. Tomorrow. Right now I'm exhausted and I'm sure Sam and Dean drove an extraordinarily long way to get here so lets all head off to bed and we'll call a Scooby meeting tomorrow after Dawn gets out of school. That way I only have to explain this once."

He looks as though he's going to argue with me when Anya yanks on his shirt sleeve. "Come on Xander, I wanna go home and have intercourse before it gets too late. I have to open the magic box in the morning." With a shake of his head he grabs his coat and him and Anya say a few mumbled goodbyes before heading out the front door.

Spike puts his hand on my shoulder, turning my focus to him. "I'm gonna head out too. Still have to get to the butchers tonight."

I nod my head in agreement and call his name before he can get out the door. "You'll be at the meeting tomorrow right?" I ask him. "I'm going to need all the support I can get, there's going to be a lot of heavy stuff being said tomorrow and I need someone there who I know wont be judging me." His eyes alight with something close to astonishment as he nods his head in confirmation before closing the door behind him, leaving me alone in the living room with Dean and Sam.

"So," I say, trying to break the suddenly awkward silence that seems to have desended upon us. "There's a couch and a cot in the basement. Plenty of blankets and pillows so you two can fight it out on who gets what while I go grab them." I turn to head into the kitchen to get the cot from the basement when Dean grabs my arm, turning me to face him.

"Thank you Buffy." I smile at him and tilt my head to the left.

"There is no need to thank me Dean. The second I knew you were there, I had to find a way to pull you out. Even if I hadn't been in heaven, you wouldn't have stayed there. Just like you would never let me stay." I tell him and my heart swells slightly at the love that shines in the depths of his beautiful eyes for me. After a moment I turn away and head to the kitchen, listening as Dean and Sam start a round of rock, paper, scissors to determine who gets the couch, I have to smile. No matter how often life takes the rug out from under you and you're forced to start all over, Dean and Sam had always been a constant for me. It never mattered if it had been months since I'd spoken to them, if I called and needed them, they would show up on my doorstep ready to take me anywhere I wanted to go for the day, week, month it never mattered to them. No matter what they were going through, didn't matter how screwed up their lives got, they were always the same two brothers I loved so completely. Thinking about it, I'm actually surprised they hadn't run into a Scooby by accident sooner. They used to come by once a month or so when I first moved to Sunnydale, and a lot of the time they would take me and Dawn to L.A. for the day just to hang out.

I sigh as I reach the basement and start rummaging through all the storage containers shoved in corners trying to find the cot behind one of them. After locating it behind a box of Mom's old craft stuff there's a loud 'thump' from upstairs and all I can do is laugh and shake my head. Always the same no matter how much they changed, always.