Author's Note: Um, yeah, I apologize profusely for the amount of time it took me to update T.T I'd like to say that there's a good excuse in there, but the truth of the matter is that I was not-so-briefly distracted by shiny things. I chose to blame JadeAnime, as she is my dealer. However, she has most cunningly taken to holding her own updates hostage to make me write and…well…it works. Weekly updates seem to work best, so that's what I'll be striving for in the future 3

Need to say a couple of other things really quick though:

To Joanna: Aye, that was a refenece to the Bram Stoker novel, thanks for asking :D

Also thanks to everyone who pointed out some of the inconsistencies/writing errors that made it through. I have a bad habit of rushing my chapters and posting them before I should, so any help in bringing things I missed to light is always appreciated. And tytyty to everyone that took the time to review, makes me most happy inside. Hope to hear from everyone again in the next chapter...the one that I promise won't be a month in coming XD

Keeping on the road for two hours was hardly a problem in rural Nebraska. However, finding a place that served alcohol at eight in the morning was a completely different matter. In the end, they'd had to settle for a twenty-four hour convenience store that sat just off the highway. Said convenience store was, in fact, convenient, in that it was nestled within walking distance of a nearly deserted rest area. Despite the fact that it was so close, Dean chose to drive the distance, making sure his car was within easy reach should something go down again, sunlight or no sunlight.

Dresden sat atop one of the few picnic tables, his feet spread slightly and planted comfortably on the seat, arms resting on his knees. In one hand, he held his staff braced against the opposite shoulder, as his beer was gripped awkwardly in his lame hand. The man was days late for a shave, and even his hair drooped listlessly. He swayed slightly, eyes starring at some indeterminable point within the uncut grass along the highway.

Everyone else settled around the rest area, leaning against trash cans or sitting at other tables. Dean wondered if they even realized they'd formed a wary circle, each facing the other. He himself climbed up to sit beside Dresden, unconsciously mirroring the other man's pose.

"You know," he said quietly, "that truce you proposed was up fifteen minutes ago."

Dresden merely grunted, not looking up from his phantom focal point. He raised his staff slightly, "Beat your head against this."

Dean chuckled mildly and took a drink of his beer, "Yeah, the mood's gone."

The silence that fell between them was almost comfortable. Cars whizzed by in a steady hum, and off to the side Sam and Thomas were talking quietly. Dean was sure that if he'd tried, he could hear what they were saying, but he knew Sam would fill him in later. For now, the table was comfy, and his beer was tasty.

After awhile Dresden spoke up softly, "You two been at this awhile?"

"Yeah," Dean glared at the tiny amount of beer left jiggling at the bottom of his bottle, "my dad and I saw something back when Sam was a baby. My dad…he wasn't the kind of person to let things like that just slip past him. He did his homework, figured out what was hiding in the dark, and started hunting the bastards down. He taught Sammy and me everything we know." He leaned over the side of the table and grabbed two more bottles, passing one to Dresden, "How about you? How'd you get into this business?"

"Born into it," Dresden wiggled his staff, "wizard and all that. Sorta runs in the genes."

"A real live wizard, huh?" Dean shook his head and grinned. "I've seen things that would make a lesser man piss himself, and there's still stuff that surprises me. Never thought for a minute that wizards were real."

"We're a stoicy sort. Adds mystique to the image."

Dean snorted and they lapsed into silence again. Eventually, Dean's eye fell on Bella. "So how does she fit into things?"

Dresden followed his gaze. "Oh the usual. She showed up at my office all teary-eyed, swearing that someone was trying to kill her. In all fairness, she was attacked later, and I brought her back to my apartment for safety. Unfortunately later that night baddies from my end of the block came after me and while I was taking care of them she nabbed my skull and made a run for it." At the mention of his skull, the wizard's eyes widened slightly and one hand flew to his coat. Apparently finding the skull's reassuring lump, he sighed and relaxed visibly.

"What is that thing, anyway?" Dean asked, gesturing toward the bulge in Dresden's side.

The wizard's mouth twisted on one side in a slight grin, "It has sentimental value."

Dean felt his eyes narrow in suspicion. Bella said that Dresden had killed to get that skull; killed the man that had raised him, no less. While he was sure there was far more to the story then that simple fact, the thought dumped cold water on the growing sense of like that he'd felt toward the wizard. Still, he'd helped save their lives, and in the meantime Bella had almost gotten them killed. Again. While Dean made it a point to never fully trust anyone, Dresden seemed a far safer bet than Bella at the moment. Shady past or no shady past.

There were more important things to worry about anyway. "She told us that you were trying to kill her, you know. Obviously you weren't…so maybe the guy that she wanted your protection from was somewhere along the same lines?"

Dresden shook his head, "Maybe, but my gut says he was really trying to kill her."

"How so?"

"He opened a thirty foot sinkhole under her car with her inside for one."

Dean frowned exaggeratedly and nodded in acquiescence, "Yeah, that could be a little convincing. She say why?"

"According to her, he's an old enemy of the family. But in light of recent illuminations on certain aspects of her character, I'm inclined to come to the conclusion that, well, she's a lying bitch."

Dean choked, almost losing the drink he'd just taken, "Yeah that's putting it mildly." There was another pause as Dean pondered the best way to breach the next question, "And those vampires from earlier? How do they tie into all this?"

It was Dresden's turn to glare at his empty bottle, "They don't. Not really anyway. They were after me, not Bella." His eyes cut to Dean for a moment, and he answered the next question before it could be asked. "They want something from me, something I can't give them."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't," Dresden said with a wry smile. "It's literally out of my realm of possibility."

"Ah, gotchya," Dean knew better than to ask any more than that. Truthfully, he was a little surprised that Dresden had been so forthcoming. If someone had been asking him the same questions, he'd have sent them packing.

He glanced at his watch; only thirty minutes had passed since they'd started their rest. Still, even if this breed of vampire supposedly slept during the day, Dean didn't like the idea of sitting around doing nothing. The hunter in him screamed that no matter how complicated things seemed now, they would only get worse. It also tugged on his ear and whispered that people were going to get hurt. A cold weight settled on his shoulders, almost tangible.

Don't you have something else you should be worrying about? a voice whispered in his head. Yeah, he did. That didn't change things though. Recently he'd had more than a couple of arguments with the more self serving half of himself. Every time he thought about taking a job, it pleaded with him to pass on, to devote his attention to a more pressing matter. He sighed, eyes moving of their own accord to where Sam was still speaking with Thomas. Sam had his hands plunged into his pockets, listening intently as Thomas said something quietly from where he leaned against a tree. He felt an involuntary tightening around his eyes as he finally got a good look at Thomas in the clear morning sunlight. Really, it should have been illegal for a guy to be that pretty. He made a silent vow not to hit up any bars with the other man.

Three months, Dean, that annoying voice in his mind poked again. He heaved another sigh, glaring a bit too intently at the passing traffic. Nine months ago, he'd quite literally made a deal with the devil. People were usually so quick to say that they'd do anything for their loved ones, but Dean…he really had. When Sam had died, stabbed in the back, sacrificed to a sick demonic game, Dean had signed his life away. He'd summoned yet another demon and made a simple but damning deal: Sam would live again, and at the end of one year, Dean himself would go straight to hell. As a safeguard, the demon had added one more stipulation. If Dean or anyone around him made an attempt to wiggle out of their contract, Sam would drop dead on the spot. It had been his only solution at the time, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat, but those thoughts did little to mask the steady tick-tocking that was constantly sounding in the back of his head.

An odd feeling tickled at his awareness and Dean turned to see Dresden watching him closely, an unspoken question in his eyes. Dean figured he must have been doing some hardcore brooding and said the first thing that came to mind to draw attention away from himself: "Looks like Sammy and I are still stuck with Bella," he said glumly.

A look of pious sympathy crossed the wizard's face, "Really? Why's that?"

The nosy thief must have been listening in the entire time. At the mention of her name, she slid from her own picnic table and began walking toward them, arms crossed over her chest in a deceptively humble pose. "Something told me that our contract would be nullified after the way I left you, Harry. I made the Winchesters an offer to pick up where you left off."

Dean blinked dubiously, "Harry. You're a wizard named Harry…"

Dresden cut off his train of thought with a sternly raised hand, "I should warn you that any Harry Potter references will be answered with ye ol' Curse of Eternal Jock Itch."

There was a pause as Dean silently weighed his options. In the end he settled with a quiet and horrified, "Yikes."

Bella had watched the exchange with a slight derisive smile, "That aside, I believe the best way for us to find the man that's after me is to return to Chicago. Don't cock your eyebrow at me, Dean, I have a home there and every time I've been attacked it's been in that city."

"Really? Every single time?"

She sighed, "Yes."

"Hey, here's a thought: How about you just not go there anymore? Save us all a lot of trouble." He raised his beer to her in a mock toast before taking another drink.

"Yes, of course," Bella smiled smoothly, matching Dean's sarcastic tone, "because he would be content to simply sit there and wait for me indefinitely. At least at the moment we have an idea of where he is. Waiting would only complicate things," she turned to Dresden and lifted one delicate brow. "Am I right?"

Dresden's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Feel free to not involve me in this, alright?"

Dean groaned and rubbed his face roughly with one hand, "So what're we dealing with here anyway? Last I checked, your average hit man doesn't open giant sinkholes."

"Another wizard, I'm afraid," Bella cocked her head to the side. "A black one. The man after me doesn't carry the same chivalrous scruples as our friend here."

Images of exploding windows and insta-fried vampires danced in Dean's mind and he hung his head in defeat. Another wizard. Great. Not for the first time in the past few months, he idly wondered if maybe he and Sam could get by without the Colt. They couldn't, he knew, but lately he'd taken up clinging to vain hopes as a hobby. The Colt 45 that Bella had stolen was rumored to be able to kill anything. While Dean had his doubts as to the validity of this, he knew from experience that it could kill demons; not just exorcise them, kill them. Despite years of searching, it was the only thing the Winchesters had found that could pull off such a feat, and at that point, it was all that he and Sam could seize as a way to escape Hell.

Bella herself was cunning and impossible to find. That she had surfaced on her own was a blessing, and he knew that if he lost track of her again, his odds of finding her a second time in three months were next to none. Wizards or no wizards, they had to protect Bella.

Or at least, Dean amended with a smile, keep her safe until they could get to the gun.

It was Dresden's turn to sigh heavily as he gingerly pulled himself to his feet. "Well, while you kids hash this out, I need to go call and have my car towed."

"You can use my cell if you want," Dean suggested, pulling it out of his pocket.

Dresden eyed the offered phone nervously, "Thanks, but I'll just use the payphone. I need to check the phone book anyway."

"Eh, ok," said Dean, as he watched Dresden's back with a slight frown of confusion.

He was about to call Sam over when he noticed his younger brother approaching of his own accord. Behind him, he could see Thomas following Dresden back toward the convenience store. He couldn't help but notice the graceful way Thomas seemed to stalk the wizard and glared again. Nope, definitely no bars.

"Dean, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Sam asked, glancing briefly at Bella.

"Yeah sure," the brothers crossed the thirty yards or so to the edge of the rest area, making sure that Bella was still in sight, just not hearing range. "What's up?"

"I've been talking to Thomas about those vampires we fought earlier," Sam began, watching Bella as she made herself comfortable at Dean's former table.

Dean raised his eyebrows expectantly, "And?"

"And…I think we should offer our help," Sam made the statement as though it were obvious.

"Um, sure, except for the part where we're already busy with Bella," Dean said, crossing his arms. "We don't really have time to run off vampire hunting."

"I asked Thomas about that too," Sam said gravely. "She's got a wizard after her."

"I know, she told me that too."

"And have you ever hunted a wizard, Dean?"

Dean glared, "You know the answer to that one."

"Yeah, I know. You haven't," Sam's jaw set stubbornly, "and neither have I. Or Bobby. Or Ellen. I don't think any of the hunters we know have. In all the years we've been in this business and all the books we've read, we've never run across any decent information concerning wizard lore."

"You're babbling, Sammy," Dean deadpanned.

"My point is that, given the time constraints we have, we'll be walking into this thing totally blind. If I haven't run across any viable information yet, odds are that it would take me weeks at best to come up with something, and in case you haven't noticed, we don't have weeks."

Dean felt his eyes slide to where Dresden was idly flipping through a giant phonebook. It was too far away from him to see the man's expression, but he could imagine the wizard's defiant scowl as he willed a decent towing agency to reveal itself. "You want to use Harry for information," it was a statement, not a question.

"Of course I do. Right now he's the only-" Sam paused mid sentence and squinted. "His first name is Harry?"

The elder Winchester shook his head stiffly, "Don't bring it up, he gets testy."

Sam's lips twitched for a moment before he sobered again, getting back on subject, "But yes, he's the best source of information we could hope for under any circumstances. Right now he just happens to be the only one too."

"And in return for a little Wizarding 101, we what? Merrily pit ourselves against some old school creatures of the night, clutching crosses and sprinkling holy water all the way?"

"I didn't say it was a perfect plan, Dean, it's just our best one," Sam sighed.

Dean scratched his head and grimaced, "Yeah you're right." A memory of his little brother pinned beneath that jawless horror, inches from death, taunted him mercilessly and his stomach churned. "I just don't have to like it."

Sam nodded and, matter settled, the two began walking back to Bella. When she noticed them approaching, she looked up with a smile.

"Are we heading back to Chicago then?" she asked politely.

Dean looked over her head to see Dresden and Thomas returning as well. "Maybe," he said, "we have one more matter to settle."

Dresden trudged along stubbornly, shoulders hunched against his increasingly more pronounced limp. Dean wondered briefly how he could have forgotten about the giant, blood soaked bandage that still clung to the wizard's shin. Fortunately, the blood had dried by that point but…ew. They'd have to change the dressing before he'd let him back in his car. Jaw set firmly enough that Dean imagined he could hear teeth grinding, Harry seemed pointedly unaware of the holes Thomas was glaring into his back.

"Find anyone?" Dean asked as the other two reached their table.

"Yeah, they're on their way," Dresden ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "Have you two decided what you're going to do?"

"Looks like we're heading to Chicago," he shot Bella a glare to head off her satisfied smirk. "We can give you a ride if you're heading that far."

"Uh…sure…I live there so that's convenient. Appreciate it," Harry leaned against the picnic table, shifting the weight off his wounded leg.

The seeds of an awkward silence had begun to sprout when Sam spoke up, "Dean and I are picking up Bella's case," he began; unaware that Dean had already covered that base with Dresden earlier. "Really, though, hunting wizards is a little out of our realm of experience. We were hoping that maybe you could shed a little light on the situation for us."

Harry blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but Sam pressed on, "In exchange for helping us with Bella, we'd be more than willing to help you with the things that are chasing you."

Dresden sighed and scratched his gloved hand absently, "Look, I don't have a problem with answering as many of your questions as I can. I'm not the kind of person that would let you walk into a fight like that blind," he paused for a moment and Dean waited for the pending "but".

"But don't worry about the rest. I've got plenty of people on my end already working on it, and I'm sure things'll even out soon enough."

Thomas' glare went from irritated to murderous at Harry's diplomatic, but obvious slight, toward the brothers' offer. "What he's trying to say," the dark haired man said smoothly, "Is that he hasn't slept in three days and hasn't eaten anything other than donuts in more. He's wounded, out of magic, running out of time, and is dangling over the edge of desperation. One of his greatest allies is in physical therapy and the other is laid up in intensive care. Short version: He'd be delighted to accept any aid you might be able to give."

Dresden perked up and looked blankly around him as though searching for something, "I said that? Did I just say that? No, it couldn't have been me. Must've been that obnoxious sidekick that's always following me around and putting words in my mouth."

"Not always," Thomas said with a mocking grin. "Besides, if he did it more often you might get laid more."

The wizard turned to face him, mouth open for a scathing return. He stood like that for a moment, pointing at Thomas, who only waited with calm expectancy. Finally, Dresden closed his mouth and settled for a glower. "I hate you."

Dean only made half an attempt to cover his laugh with a cough, "So…Chicago?"

"Looks like it," Harry grumbled, beginning to head for Dean's car. Everyone else quickly followed suit. Dean and Sam took up the rear, hanging a little behind.

Sam's brow furrowed, "Well, we may be a little over our head with this, but at least we have a shot at getting the Colt back," he cocked his head in thought. "If we live, of course."

Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder, "You're always a ray of sunshine, Sammy."

As Dean's Impala deftly merged into the highway once again, the convenience store clerk stepped outside to watch. The old man smiled strangely, his eyes bleeding into a solid black as he lifted his cell phone.

Note from the Beta: Yup, the authoress is a lazy bum. But I'm here to fights for your rights, dear readers!! ...and then she puked. And I danced. Praise be to the miles between that kept her from spewing on me. :D