Disclaimer: I own nothing and the playground that I currently occupy is filled with the mad daydreams of a deluded and fractured mind. Someday, I'll find the counter-spell… but, for now, I simply play with other people's creations. Season 6 spoilage, some language.

A/N: Freakin' PLOT-GREMLINS! Out damn Spike!

Chapter 6

Titania, Queen of the Seelie Fae, was seated in her golden wood throne in the middle of a meadow amongst her faeries. The centaurs and satyrs were martialling the fierce warriors at arms of the queen. Pixies and brownies gathered around her in her service, bringing dispatches from her generals, filling her goblet with faewine, and attending to her every whim. Lithe archers gathered shafts of magical arrows, tall tree-like creatures walked in and among warrior ranks with caches of weapons, great grey-green war dogs in silvery barding paced alongside ornately armored warriors. All beings in the glade were obviously making ready for war.

A thunderous disturbance at one end of the meadow drew the attention and grumbled hissing response from her subjects. Titania turned her golden eyes to the disturbance and several of her honor guard gathered more tightly in front of their queen. A swift movement resembling a golden fireball maneuvered amongst the legs of the warriors headed straight toward her throne. She tracked the impossibly fast movement and, as the slender form moved closer to the queen's throne, it seemed to slow. The queen narrowed her eyes as an impossibly tall cat moved forward on graceful paws. The height of the cat's head reached the hips of the honor guard captain as she tilted her head up to regard him with intelligent green eyes. She pulled a slim tube from a harness on her back and deposited it into the captain's outstretched and waiting hand. The captain proceeded to his queen to deliver the message tube. The Queen of the Fae read through the message quickly. She looked at the Cath sidhe, making eye contact and spoke.

"Tell my warriors to let the emissary of my sister safe passage to meet with me."

There was an audible gasp, but the Cath sidhe immediately moved at the impossible speed back from whence she came to deliver the message. The subjects of the queen parted before the emissary to allow the small entourage access to the swiftest route. The ugly creatures from the bain came forward as they protected the emissary. The grotesque creature in front stepped aside to allow a woman with silvery white hair and pale skin to walk forward. Her eyes were black with no whites and purple where her pupils would have been. Her pallor was accentuated by the deep purple gown she wore over her tall, slender form. Her skin under her eyes seemed to be stained with tears of purple ichor. She had ruined leathery wings growing from her shoulder blades that spread uncomfortably from time to time. For all that marred her appearance with scars of the insane, she was hauntingly beautiful.

"Greetings from the Unseelie Court." The emissary spoke in a high reedy voice as she bowed deeply, her ebony and violet eyes never strayed from the queen. "Your sister- my queen- has sent me to extend her felicitations and to tell you that she is planning to send to you a number of the Host answering to her. She will be unable to take the field with you, however. She is sure you will understand."

Titania did understand. Her sister had a tremendous advantage against her enemies. Her very presence would make her enemies writhe on the floor, chewing their own armor in madness. The downside of having that advantage in an allied army is that it often caused madness in her ally's warriors.

No. Titania would not miss Mab's presence on the field.

They would be able to hold their realm against the King of Hell should he attempt to invade. They had been able to thwart invasions before. The fae were most commonly seen as whimsical and carefree; but, in reality, they were fierce warriors. When Lucifer raised his forces to defy their father, God had locked the angels out of heaven. The angels who followed Lucifer fell into Hell, but the angels who had fallen and taken no side in the conflict went beyond the veil into the Fae. Titania looked at the fiercest of her armored warriors. They were the Nephilim- As was this pale emissary. Unlike Titania and Mab who were among the original Fallen, they were half-born angels with a human parent. Titania sighed and looked at the emissary of Queen Mab. She was possibly the most frightening looking of the Mad Queen's Nephilim. Titania wondered what had tempted her sister to create such a monstrosity.

Titania ordered hospitality extended to the emissary and her entourage and she went back to her preparations of war. Not for the first time, she wished she had Seth with her. He told her daughter that he wouldn't come. He can't be still holding grudges… or maybe he can. She grimaced. Perhaps she should send him a peace offering. She would consider it. Having him in this conflict would only help the end result. His magic is not hindered by Earth, Heaven or Hell. The magic of angels and demons have no effect on him. He is strong and relentless. She sighed again. She definitely needed to consider sending him something to aid reconciliation.

****SPN SPN SPN SPN SPN*****

The Impala rumbled up to the remote cabin. Dean paused as he placed the car in "park" and sat staring out the windshield. He could feel Sam's questioning and concerned gaze on him as he sat there. It was unnerving as hell. He shot his younger sibling a glance that told him clearly not to ask. Sam just huffed in resignation. Dean couldn't be introspective right now. He just couldn't. It was painful enough that he had been called so soon after Lisa told him to leave the family alone, so soon after being told that she was moving on, so soon after Ben had accused him of walking out on his family. This whole situation sucked. What sucked worse than having to roll up to a vacation cabin in the middle of nowhere Colorado to help his former girlfriend and her kid, was the fact that he should have known Fate wasn't done with him yet, the bitch. And now he was doing it. He was being introspective. Shit.

"It's just another job." He whispered to himself in the silence of the Impala. He didn't believe it and from the look on his brother's face, neither did Sam.

As they approached the cabin, Ben emerged through the front door wearing an odd expression and followed by a towering giant of a man. Dean slowed his approach and Sam tensed behind him. The guy was friggen huge! He was taller than Samsquatch and he thought his brother was freaking enormous. Ben's welcoming smile was strained.

"Hey, Dean." He said shortly.

"Ben." Dean replied while continuing to eye the behemoth behind the boy. Seth stared menacingly at the two hunters and he had no compunction about appearing hostile. "You going to introduce me to your new friend?"

Ben scoffed and turned. "Seth, say hi to Sam and Dean."

Seth seemed to fight the command briefly, but sighed in resignation. "Hello Sam and Dean." He intoned harshly.

Ben turned back to the hunters with a wide grin.

"Huh." Sam scrutinized the giant and seemed to be putting things in categories in his head. Dean recognized the signs of nerdgasm. He looked up at the cabin and then back to Ben.

"Uh… do you think it would be better to do this out here, or…?" Dean felt like he would do anything to not have to face Lisa yet- Particularly if Lisa was in there with the new boyfriend. Ben was nodding.

"Seth doesn't like enclosed spaces too much. It might be better out here. We could walk?" Ben was taking charge. He'd grown in just a few months since Dean last saw the boy. The hunter spent a moment wondering what change would have accounted for the shift.

Seth remained silent during the exchange. He loomed menacingly but didn't make an attempt to interject or act more than passive intimidation.

"So… Seth?" Dean began. Seth shifted his silver grey eyes to bore into Dean. "How'd you two kids meet?" Dean was trying to be flippant and sarcastic, but he succeeded in being annoying and insulting. Seth sneered at the shorter hunter and growled.

Ben looked up at the man towering over them. Seth rolled his eyes upward and clenched his jaw. "Lisa hit me with her car." He said finally. They stopped walking as Dean looked up at Seth.

"She hit you with… how hard?" Dean asked.

Seth shrugged.

"We were going fast enough that he dented the front bumper." Ben supplied. "Mom was freaking out. She thought she killed him, but then he…" Ben bit his lip and looked up at Seth. Seth didn't look ashamed or in any way contrite.

"He what, Ben?" Ben shook his head.

Dean transferred his gaze to Seth. Seth crooked an eyebrow but remained passive. "I choked Lisa."

Dean felt his blood pressure rise. Ben moved in between Dean and the giant. "Dean…" Ben placed his hands in front of Dean to stop his charge, in appeasement. Dean had to swallow the rage he felt suddenly building up inside him. It didn't help that Seth didn't appear moved, to care at all about the imminent threat of Winchester wrath. Dean inhaled and exhaled forcefully in heat and anger as he paced back and forth in front of Ben and his abnormally large shadow, his eyes focused entirely on the stoic silver giant in front of him, pupils wide and filled with indignation. Seth continued to regard Dean as if he were less than worthy of his notice. "Dean!" Ben yelled as a slap to his face. Sam reached to detain his brother before he could lunge at Seth. Sam walked Dean away from the two, speaking calmly but rapidly.

"That went well."Ben stated quietly with accusatory tone toward Seth. Seth shrugged and looked away.

It took all the coaxing and placating tones of his brother to get Dean to return cool-headed to the case. Ultimately, it was Lisa that managed to calm him down. She came out when she heard Ben's strident yell of Dean's name. Dean walked purposefully over to her and without asking permission or begging her pardon took her face carefully but firmly in his hands to inspect her neck. There were reddish marks streaking horizontally across the smooth surface of her skin, but there was no sign of bruising or deeper injury. When she informed him that she was fine, soft brown eyes filled with amusement and sadness mixed together that he was so vehement in his concern for her well-being. His heart rate returned to an approximation of normal and his restless pacing abated.

After Lisa returned to the cabin, Dean and Sam sat with Seth and Ben at a picnic bench in the yard. Well, they sat with Ben, anyway. Seth refused to sit and Ben didn't care enough to order her to do so.

"So, what exactly is your story?" Sam asked Seth. Seth continued to scan the tree-line occasionally and remained quiet. Ben rolled his eyes and stood on the bench to get eye level with the giant. "Seth. Answer the questions honestly that Dean and Sam ask."

Seth narrowed his eyes at the young human and clenched his entire body. He seemed to be engaged in a fight of wills with himself, sweat standing on his brow, before he nodded once and turned to regard Sam.

"Exactly which part of my story was of the most interest?" Seth asked with his low, deep voice.

"Well, for starters," interjected Dean, "just what the hell are you?"

The corner of Seth's mouth began to turn up and his silver eyes were hooded as he contemplated the hunter. He chuckled deep in his chest, a rumbling bass sound that the others could almost feel. "I am the first and the last of my kind." He said. It was true as far as it went.

"You're an Alpha…" Sam stated. "Dean…"

"What 'kind' is that, exactly?" Dean spat the question.

Seth regarded Dean solely. He sighed then, no trace of laughter or amusement in his voice or demeanor. "I am the first and last Re'em. And not some stupid bull or deer. Humans have such limited speech."

Sam seemed to be searching his brain's data storage for the translation. Dean waited, staring at Sam as his brother concentrated. Seth also turned to regard the tall human. There seemed to be some recognition dawning in Sam's expression.

"What's a re'em?" Ben asked. Seth remained silent but began to grin as Sam's face began to light with understanding.

"A Re'em," Sam began in the tone teachers get when instructing students, "is a biblical word… Hebrew… refers to an animal in a couple of places... Job, Deuteronomy, I think, Psalms… Seth's right, the most common translation is a kind of cattle, but there is another translation that is often used." Sam looked up at the silver eyed giant. Seth stifled a grin but watched the human as he nodded.

"Well… Do I have to wait for the Time Life version or are you going to spit it out?"

"Dude…" Sam started laughing out loud. Seth turned his gaze away from the humans and back to the tree-line. Sam's eyes went wide and he redoubled in laughter as he considered Ben. Both Ben and Dean were less amused. They were displaying identical looks of annoyance.

"Is he always this way?" Ben inquired.

"He thinks it proves how clever he is that he gets inside jokes. But, he's the only one on the inside… Dude, were you going to share with the rest of the class or were you going to need me to beat it out of you?" Dean threatened.

Sam managed to stop laughing and straighten his expression some, though he still had to quiet the intermittent chuckle that couldn't be contained before he explained himself to his brother and Ben. "Ben… are you… ehem, heh… are you a…virgin?" Sam managed to ask.

Ben blushed deeply and looked away from Dean in embarrassment.

"He'd better be." Dean muttered.

"He is." Seth confirmed. All eyes went to Seth who ignored them. Sam nodded knowingly, as if that confirmed his suspicion.

"The lore says that re'em can't be subdued with force… nothing can stop them. They are exceptionally strong, very magical and are able to stop entire armies." Sam looked at Seth. Seth finally looked back at the tall human. "There's even a story about one stopping Genghis Kahn from entering India." Seth nodded. "The only thing that can stop him is…" Sam stopped to stifle another series of coughing laughter. "The only thing that can stop him is a beautiful maiden." Seth growled and snorted at Sam.

"No, the only thing that can control me is one who is pure, celibate and chaste. I do not care for the ridicule you assert on Ben and, by extension, me." Seth turned back to his scrutiny of the woods surrounding the cabin.

"Hey," Sam suddenly shouted enthusiastically. "Aren't you supposed to have a horn and be…" Sam gestured and pawed at the ground with his foot.

Seth made a disgusted guttural sound, but then he brandished a weapon. It was shiny black with myriad colors slick like oil rainbows on its surface shifting and pulsing as it spiraled to a sharp point. It was the size of a short sword, slightly smaller than a katana. It wasn't a blade but was slender and seemed to pulse. Red, yellow and green swirls of energy pulsed up the spirals and crackled at the tip. Ben's eyes went wide with awe.

"How do you know so much about them, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Re'em has a name we are more familiar with." Sam explained with a smile still plastered to his face. "They are called Unicorns."

TBC