So, I'm kind of skipping through the last part of season 7 now, I kind of what to move past it and get to the saving Dean part of the story. Just for those worrying, I won't be encompassing much of 'Season 8', or any of it really.

Anyway, a little update that covers a lot. Please read and review as ever.

WRW xx

Things were tense in the Summer's household for a few days. Spike was still in the basement making half of the house's inhabitants nervous; Faith was trying to find a place to fit in without rubbing Buffy up the wrong way, Dean and Sam were trying to appear useful and she was running around trying to make their new squat habitable and keeping the worst of the tension from Josh.

On top of that they had received half a dozen new potentials in over the last few days pushing the people currently squeezed into the four beds at twenty people.

After just two days Faith had moved into a tent in the garden to get some peace, and Willow and Josh had moved into her room with the Winchesters till they could get in the new place.

Poor Sam was left overhanging across a futon on the floor while she and Dean shared with Josh squeezed in the middle, loving the attention he was getting from his new found family.

The packing was almost complete, and thanks to a credit card she hadn't wanted to look to closely at the boot of her recently repaired car was full of blankets and bedding and non perishables ready to be taken over.

Sam and Xander had travelled over to secure the place and had fortified the front door and the windows. The back door was left with the easiest access but they removed the locks and placed heavy duty ones across with three different bolts.

The bedrooms were cleared away of anything that was remaining that would not serve them, but they laundered all the towels and bedding and kept it in a closet.

Vi and Amanda followed them to the house, along with Faith and three of the new girls; Jane, Chloe and Ashleigh.

They put Josh in the spare room, not of them being able to deny him his own room. Sam took the next smallest room at the top of the stairs and offered to store supplies and weapons in the meagre space left over after the bed. Willow and Dean rather than take up another room decided to move into the loft and realising it had already been partially converted by the previous owners.

They partitioned up one side; Faith and Sam dutifully carried up an old bookcase they found and some old leather armchairs sourced from an abandoned bookshop to make up a makeshift library. Rather than go to the trouble of trying to get a bed up the narrow stair Dean paid for a cheap but new mattress and laid it on a sheet on the floor for them. She covered it in pillows and throws for them.

Within a week they'd all settled into a comfortable routine. She would take Josh to school in Dean's car while Sam drove the girls round to Buffy's and Faith followed on foot. From there the two Slayers and the Winchesters would train the girls in hand-to-hand combat while she would spend the day delved in books with Giles.

At 3pm they would pick Josh up from school and help him with his homework before they would have a few hours relaxing. At 6 they made supper for everyone before Willow would take Josh home and continue researching. Dean preferred to stay home with them having family time or keeping her company once Josh had gone to bed.

Sam had built up a friendship with Faith and often went with her group as they went to Patrol on a night-time, keeping an eye on the girls, crossbow always ready at his side should be need to help out if one of the girls got in over her head with a Vamp.

Buffy was wrapped up in training, losing all pretence of a careless young woman and threw herself head first into preparing the girls and looking after Spike who had come on well since moving into the Summers basement. Although he still had difficulty with the guilt from his years without a soul, Dawn became a soothing balm for him and acted a nursemaid to the creature who had always kept her safe.

All in all things were going okay, well, as okay as they could be considering they were facing down an apocalypse.

Then everything, as usual went to hell.

Xander had come across the girl, Shannon, as he was driving to work one morning, bleeding and bruised on the side of the road.

She stayed with her at the hospital, studying the weird mark burned into her neck and waiting for her to wake.

It took a few hours for her to come round from the surgery, but she waited at the bedside, and called Buffy as soon as the girl awoke.

"He was a minister or something... At least, he dressed like one. I thought he was trying to save me...at first."

Buffy stood beside her, her face grim.

"He—he picked you up on the side of the road?" Buffy asked.

"Bringers were chasing me. He said they were his boys...right before he burned me. He wanted to tell you something. Before he...cut me...he told me to give the slayer a message."

"What is it?"

"He said, "I have something of yours.""

Faith. Buffy, Spike, Xander and some of the girls went to track the mad preacher down.

Willow fussed over Josh before laying him down on Buffy's bed. He was happy to be back home, but he had been quiet all evening sensing the unease that surrounded them all.

Willow sat with Dean and Sam looking through the books Fred had gave her at the dining room table, the doors partially closed.

Frustrated at hitting another dead end she slammed the book shut.

Sam looked at her with concern but Dean kept his head buried in his book.

"Sorry Sam, I'm just kinda on edge. We have a crazy priest in town stabbing girls, harbingers running round town like they own the place, a dozen plus teenagers to train and my boyfriend is being dragged to hell in a little over 10 months." Her voice rose to a shout towards the end.

Realising she had drawn the attention of the living rooms inhabitants, as well as Dean she blushed and fled from the room.

Standing on the deck she let the cool evening air hit her face and she sunk to the ground, tears overcoming her. It was the first time she cried since Buffy had died. The first time she felt with all the magic and research skills she possessed she was of no use. She couldn't stop the First, she couldn't save the man she was steadily falling in love with, and she couldn't even get her son away from the hell they were living through.

All in all, she realised, she was quite powerless.

The door opened behind her and Dean lowered himself to sit on the ground before putting his arm around her and pulling her close. He rubbed her arm and she melted into his side.

"So, boyfriend huh?"

She smiled against his chest.

"I like that, although I've only ever taken you on the one date. If you could call it that."

She wrapped her arm around his front and pulled him closer. Unable to find her voice she nodded against him.

"I'd take you out to dinner, maybe to a bar for a few drinks. Not dancing though, you'd leave me on the spot." He paused and his body stiffened against her. "I don't really know actually where I'd take you."

He looked down at her and lifted her chin so her eyes met his. "I've never actually been on a date before; you're the first girl I've slept with more than twice. The first girl I've thought I have a future with." He let go of her chin and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. "Ironic isn't it, seen as I have a definite expiry date."

She shook her head and found her voice. "Not if I have anything to do with it."

The night turned out to be the worst they'd ever had.

Two of the potential girls died.

Xander lost an eye.

The only thing they recovered from the mess was a scythe. A scythe that called out to both Buffy and Faith equally, that intoxicated her with it's power.

As she sat by Xander's bedside, his head and eye bandaged up she let silent tears run down her face and made the decision there and then that no one else she loved would be hurt by The First again.