Chapter 33

Wow, this chapter turned out long. It looks like the rest of the chapters will be long ones, too. Makes up for having only a few left. Enjoy!

Sam walked into the house with Castiel in tow, heading into the living room.

Fred looked between the two of them. "Where's Dean?"

"Gabriel showed up," Sam explained. "He needed help getting Death's ring." He glanced around the somewhat trashed living room. "What happened?"

"Had a little vampire visit while you were gone," explained Anya, straightening some chairs. "They had these freaky blind guys in robes with them."

"Is everyone alright?" asked Castiel.

Xander nodded. "We think so. We're doing a head count right now."

Dawn burst into the room, eyes wide and panicked. "We can't find Chloe!"

Sam immediately joined the others as they fanned out and searched the house. He headed for the backyard, scanning the lawn and trees for anything out of place. A patch of grass lay flattened and damp, and Sam headed for it. He knelt next to the dark grass and delicately placed a hand on it. When he pulled his hand away, his palm was painted red.

Alarm bells went off, and Sam quickly followed the trail of dark, wet grass towards the bushes. When he pushed aside some branches, Chloe's dead, vacant eyes stared straight at him.

"Guys!" Sam yelled as he went right to the girl's side, feeling for a pulse.

Nothing thumped against his fingers, so he leaned over, listening at her mouth and nose: nothing.

"Sam?" Willow called out as she ran over to him with a few others.

Sam found the stab wound in the center of her chest, right in her heart. He placed a hand over the gaping hole, feeling the quickly fading warmth of her body.

Castiel knelt next to Sam and quickly placed his fingers to Chloe's forehead. He concentrated before placing his palm on her head instead. He looked up at Sam and the others. "It's too late. Her soul has already moved on."

"Of course it has."

Sam jumped to his feet as everyone let out startled gasps. Sam staggered away from Chloe's body, where Chloe stood on the other side of it.

"If it hadn't, I wouldn't be able to pull this off," said the fake Chloe.

Castiel slowly stood, fixing the apparition with a stern, disapproving glare.

Sam clenched his jaw in anger as he realized what was going on. "You son of a bitch."

"I thought you didn't need dead people anymore," Willow told the imposter, "what with escaping your hell cage."

The Chloe-Lucifer shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't dust off the classics."

Sam began to charge towards the devil, but Castiel clasped onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Smart move, Castiel," said Lucifer. "Little bro Winchester isn't a match for me, not that I'd ever really hurt him." She smiled wickedly.

"What did you want?" barked Sam.

"I wanted to check up on my favorite hunter," said Lucifer.

"Yeah, right," said Sam.

Lucifer shrugged. "Fine, you got me." She glanced down at the body she was duplicating at the moment. "I've ordered my boys to knock you people down a peg or two."

The group glared daggers at the fallen angel.

"Well, you didn't give me much choice," said Lucifer. "You refused to leave it alone. You insisted on building an army to fight your war. And this is what war looks like. It's ugly, tragic and full of death."

"Stop," Sam growled out, glaring dangerously at Lucifer.

Lucifer smirked. "That's good, Sammy. You keep fanning that fire in your belly. All that pent-up rage—I'm gonna need it—"

"Stop it," Sam forced out. "Stop looking like her."

Lucifer stared at him for a moment. "It bothers you…me looking like her. But the truth is, this is my true face. All of it is. Whether you like it or not, I am everywhere. And that's something you can't change."

Sam's jaw clenched as he scowled at her.

Lucifer let out a sigh. "Perhaps you would feel better if I looked like this."

Chloe's form seemed to evaporate as her figure grew taller, broader, more muscular. Before long, Sam's own face stared back at him. Sam was a little shocked at first, but he shouldn't really be surprised. He had died at least once already. That qualified him to be used as a mask for the devil.

Lucifer looked down at himself, clenching his fist as though getting comfortable. "You know what, you were right. This is much better. Almost like home." He smirked up at Sam. "Can't wait to get my hands on the real thing."

"Guys, what's going on?"

Sam turned to see Buffy with her scouting entourage walking into the backyard, Buffy with an awe-inspiring scythe in her hands. Buffy's eyes moved past Sam to his double standing over one of her dead Potentials. Buffy's face twisted in rage and—obviously thinking it was a shapeshifter—charged towards him.

Sam hurriedly stepped forward, trying to hold the admittedly stronger woman back before she got herself killed. "No! It's not what you think!"

"That bastard killed Chloe!" Buffy yelled, glaring at the devil.

"Uh, actually, you have my boys to thank for that," the Sam-Lucifer told her.

Buffy settled slightly in Sam's grasp. "Boys?"

"Perhaps you remember them," said Lucifer. "Looks like you beat them all back tonight." He gestured at the scythe in her hands.

Buffy glanced down at the scythe and back up at Lucifer, easing away from Sam as the pieces fell into place. "You."

Lucifer smirked. "That's right. Little old me…in the flesh. I see you didn't take my advice." He gestured to the others behind her. "I did warn you I was going for a big finish."

"Get out of here," Buffy growled at him.

Lucifer tilted his head a little, almost as though he heard something the others did not. "I think I've served my purpose here." He glanced down at Chloe's body and then up at Sam. "I'll be seeing you soon."

With a blink of an eye, he was gone.

Buffy slowly knelt next to Chloe, setting the scythe on the ground. She glanced up at Castiel, the trace of a tear in her eye. "Is there anything…"

Castiel sadly shook his head. "My power is too weak to bring someone back to life."

Buffy nodded and looked back at the girl's body.

"I am sorry," Castiel told her.

Sam looked over at him, spotting the genuine sorrow on his face. Dean and Gabriel suddenly materialized next to Sam.

Dean took a look down at the dead girl on the ground. "What happened?"

"Lucifer sent some guys to kill us," explained Sam.

"The Bringers," said Faith from behind them. "They're called the Bringers."

Buffy placed her hand over Chloe's eyes and closed them, sitting there for a moment. She sighed and slowly stood. "Someone get me a shovel."

Gabriel frowned in a smug way. "What for?"

Dean glared over at him. "What do you think?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Put away the sad faces, boys and girls." He stepped towards Chloe's body. "Stand aside and let the professionals handle this." He knelt and placed two fingers on Chloe's forehead.

Chloe gasped as the wound and blood disappeared altogether. She sat up, breathing heavily.

Buffy dropped down next to her, placing her arms on Chloe's shoulders. "Chloe! Are you okay?"

Chloe grasped at the front of her shirt. "I think so."

Dean looked at Gabriel gratefully as the archangel stood. "I almost forgot we had another angel up our sleeve."

Spike frowned as he stepped forward. "Now, how is that Castiel gets his power drained 'cause he rebelled against heaven, but Gabriel fakes his death and gets to keep usin' his mojo?"

"Witness protection," Gabriel answered simply.

Spike shook his head in incomprehension.

Gabriel sighed bracingly. "The angels have to cut me off themselves; it's not automatic. They know Castiel rebelled. They think I'm dead, and since I've been hiding out as Loki, they don't have a clue."

"Well, thank God for tricksters," said Spike, turning and heading back towards the house.

Buffy helped Chloe to her feet and walked with her back to the house.

"Did you get it?" Sam asked his brother.

"Yeah," said Dean, pulling Death's ring out. He turned to Gabriel. "Keep it safe, buddy." He tossed the ring over to him.

Gabriel caught the ring. "Oh, so, we're buddies now, huh?"

"Get used to it," said Dean.

"Alright," said Gabriel, pocketing the ring. "All that's left is War."

"Shouldn't be too hard, right?" said Sam.

Gabriel gave him a pointed look.

"Should it?" asked Dean. "I thought Death was the one we had to worry about."

"War has a history of messing with your head," Gabriel told them. "I'll be lucky if I can even find him."

Dean shrugged. "Check Iraq. You know he's having fun over there."

"Thanks for the tip," Gabriel chided sarcastically at him.

"Good luck," said Sam as Gabriel vanished. He then glanced around to see that everyone else had already headed into the house.

Dean seemed to come to that same conclusion as he looked over at Sam. "So…"

"Yeah…" said Sam. "We're getting pretty close to the end, aren't we?"

"Uh-huh…" mumbled Dean, nodding. "Cas says that I'm ready to take on Michael."

"Yeah?" asked Sam, eyes brightening in interest.

"And I think he's right," said Dean, his gaze drifting off to the grass.

"So…you're headed off?" asked Sam.

Dean hesitated, a mysterious look in his eyes. "I don't know."

Sam frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just this…pit in my stomach…" Dean continued staring at the ground.

"But, Dean, you're a hunter, you're a Slayer, and you've had plenty of practices with Cas," Sam told him confidently. "You'll be able to handle Michael, no problem."

"No, it's not that, I—" Dean seemed to struggle with what he meant.

Dean looked up at Sam as Death's words rang in his head.

"The future of both sides will be in your hands or in his…"

Dean wanted to rally against Death's orders to let his brother throw himself into hell with the devil. This was his kid brother. He couldn't just let him…

But that was just it, wasn't it?

Dean didn't let Sam do anything. Sam had grown up, and he was one of the best hunters and most trustworthy friend Dean could have.

"Dean, please, for once…just trust me."

Dean couldn't keep pushing his brother to the kids table. If there was any time to let Sam be his own man, this was it.

Dean looked Sam in the eye, filled with determination. "I'm gonna wait."

Sam stared at him, uncomprehending. "Wait…"

"For Gabriel to get all the rings," Dean finished.

Sam frowned at him, still not getting this sudden shift in behavior.

"Our back-up plan, in case something goes south," Dean went on. "You know, something we didn't anticipate, and Lucifer ends up killing Michael." He stared at Sam for a moment.

Sam shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Dean's possible demise.

"Look, you're a grown—well, overgrown—man," said Dean.

Sam huffed out a small laugh.

"If there is anyone that I know will take care of this if I fail…it's you," Dean told him. "So, if I go down swinging…you lock that bastard up once and for all."

Sam smiled a little, filled with warmth at the confidence and trust in him that Dean was finally showing.

Sam nodded. "I will." He gave his brother an unwavering smile. "But I know I won't need to."

Dean smiled right back at him. It was a moment that had been long since coming. They had finally reached a place where they could put infallible trusts in one another, knowing the other would not let them down, and yet still be the brothers they always had been.

Dean flung an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Come on, let's go get a beer."

****************************************SPN/BTVS*********************************************************************

Buffy stood on the basement stairs, watching the Potentials as they went through another lesson.

"…strength and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers," said Giles. "She is the Slayer."

"Ancient legend goes that thousands of years ago, the Shadow Men used powerful magic to infuse a native girl with the heart and soul of a pure demon," Wesley continued from where Giles left off. "This process granted the girl incredible strength, speed, agility, endurance, a predator instinct, and superior healing factor. She became the First Slayer, or Primitive, if you will."

Wesley's voice droned on as Buffy headed up the stairs to the main floor. She definitely did not want to hear any of that. She'd been listening to it for the past seven years.

Buffy made her way through the dining room as her friends sat playing board games, reading or watching television in the pre-noon hours. She passed all of them and headed up to the second floor and towards her bedroom. She opened the door to find Angel lying on her bed with his eyes closed. She tried to be quiet as she entered, but quickly realized the futility in that; he'd probably heard her coming up the stairs.

As though to prove her point, Angel opened his eyes and looked at her. "I thought you'd be in Slayer school today."

Buffy closed the door and walked through the mostly dark room, sneaking a look at the shutters on the windows keeping the sun out. She reached the bed and sat down next to Angel as he propped himself up. "Well, Giles and Wes are teaching Slayer history, so I'm all yours today."

Angel smiled as he held his arm out. Buffy scooted up next to him, curling into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her.

Buffy sighed in contentment. "Mm, I missed this."

"Me, too," said Angel, pulling her a little bit closer.

She closed her eyes, reveling in this moment. She never thought she would get to have this again. She and Angel had agreed that their life together just wouldn't work. Well, Angel had agreed; Buffy had reluctantly gone along with it.

Buffy opened her eyes, looking over at the shutters that seemed to be glowing as the sunlight beat upon them, trying to force its way in to the creature of the night. "It's almost over…and you'll get to feel what it's like to be human again."

Angel was immediately bombarded with memories from a day that never happened.

"Like a normal girl, falling asleep in the arms of her normal boyfriend. It's perfect…"

"You know, I forgot how good it all tastes when you're alive…"

"That time you just spent in the kitchen? That was enough time apart…"

"It's over. And we're together…"

"I asked them to turn me back."

"Why?"

"Because more than ever, I know how much I love you…"

"How am I supposed to go on with my life knowing what we had, what we could have had?..."

"I felt your heart beat…"

"I'll never forget. I'll never forget…"

Angel stepped forward into the sunshine, pulling Buffy into his arms and kissing her…

Angle hesitated a moment before barreling straight into it. "I already have."

Buffy frowned, confused by his statement. "I would have thought that having been a vampire for so long, you couldn't remember much about your life."

Angel did not immediately respond, causing Buffy to lean back a little so she could look into his face. Angel continued his silence, unsure what the reaction from Buffy would be. He didn't think he would ever been sharing that day with anyone, much less her.

"There's, uh…something I should tell you," Angel finally began. "It's about when you first came to L.A. to visit. Well, to scold."

Buffy smirked at the reminder. "After Thanksgiving."

Angel nodded. "You remember how I killed that Mohra demon so easily?"

"Yeah, you said you'd been reading lately," said Buffy.

"That wasn't true," said Angel. "The truth was that I had already killed him."

Buffy frowned. "Huh?"

"The first time he attacked, we both fought him," Angel began.

Buffy began to interrupt with questions.

"I know it's confusing, but just let me finish," Angel stopped her.

Buffy hesitated, thinking it over, and then nodded.

"The Mohra escaped, and we went after it," Angel went on. "We split up, you heading to the streets where I couldn't go and me tracking it in the sewers. I caught up with it and fought it. Some of its blood mixed with mine, and, uh…Well, it had regenerative properties, and…"

"Turned you human?" asked Buffy, her eyes widening when he gave an affirmative nod. "But…why don't I remember that?"

Angel hesitated. "Because the Mohra came back for seconds, and…I nearly got us killed. I realized that as long as evil was out there, we would be too busy watching out for each other to watch out for anyone else. So…I went to the Oracles and had them turn back time to before it happened…but I would be the only one who remembered so I could stop it from happening again."

Buffy stared at him, a little hurt at what Angel had sacrificed and yet overwhelmingly amazed at just how selfless her boyfriend was. "You spent a whole day as a human and just…gave it up?"

Angel nodded. "Don't get me wrong; I didn't want to. I wanted more than anything to ignore the greater good and stay with you, but…" He smiled a little after a moment. "I got to try cookie dough fudge mint chip."

"Oh, that's the best," said Buffy.

"Then you introduced me to chocolate and peanut butter," said Angel.

"Mm, stop it," said Buffy, shoving him a little. "You're making me hungry."

Angel laughed a little, and Buffy joined in, their laughter trailing off after a moment.

"Sounds like a good day," said Buffy wistfully.

Angel pulled her close to him, wishing beyond anything that she could remember it also. "Don't worry. We'll make another one like it."

************************************************************SPN/BTVS*******************************************************

Giles held the scythe Buffy had gotten at the vineyard. "This is really quite ingenious."

"Kills strong bodies three ways," said Buffy.

The others moseyed around the living room, observing the weapon for themselves.

"And you say you sense something when you hold it?" asked Willow.

"Not much, but it's strong," said Buffy. "And I know it belonged to me. I just knew it."

Wesley stepped up to Giles, inspecting the scythe. "In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical."

"Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthur'ed it out of the stone," said Buffy.

"So, maybe it's like some kind of traditional Slayer weapon," suggested Dean. He held his hand out. "May I?"

Giles shrugged and handed the weapon over to Dean.

The moment Dean grabbed the scythe, he could clearly feel what Buffy had been talking about. His hand was practically tingling where it touched the scythe. He grasped the scythe in both hands, feeling the power pulling at him. It was almost as though the scythe was an extension of his own Slayer power. And it felt good.

"Holy crap…" breathed Dean. "Future me said nothing about this."

"Let me see," said Faith.

Dean handed over the scythe, watching as Faith's jaw dropped a little.

"Damn…" said Faith. "And…damn…"

"I can't imagine how something like this could exist without my having heard of it," frowned Giles.

"Guys…" said Cordelia.

"Well, the good guys are not traditionally known for their communication skills," said Buffy.

"Right," said Wesley. "Any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?"

"The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone," said Buffy.

"Guys," said Cordelia again.

"There were pick-axes, welding guns," continued Buffy. "They'd been working to get it out for a while. It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it, when, why? Does it have a name?" She shrugged. "I don't know, a credit report? Just find out fast."

"We'll start work immediately—" began Giles.

"GUYS!"

Everyone turned towards Cordelia, who was staring at them in exasperation.

"What?" said Buffy, Giles and Dean.

Cordelia stared at them a moment longer. "You know, I'm amazed at how much harder it is to let everyone know I'm having a vision now that I'm not falling on the floor, screaming in pain."

"You're having a vision?" asked Angel.

"Yes," said Cordelia. "I guess the Powers That Be have broken their vow of silence."

"What do you see?" asked Wesley.

Cordelia's eyes tracked off, staring into the distance. "A boy…maybe Connor's age…He's talking with a man."

"Do you recognize either of them?" asked Buffy.

"No," said Cordelia. "The boy has brown hair, blue-green eyes…kinda cute."

Dean seemed to shift uncomfortably next to Sam.

"The other guy is older, gray hair, kinda balding," said Cordelia. "He's got this smug grin on his face."

"Cheap suit?" asked Dean. "Kinda got an 'I rule the world' complex?"

Cordelia frowned. "Yeah…"

Dean's jaw clenched. "Zachariah."

"So, this is Zachariah," said Cordelia, seemingly entering her vision again. "Seems kinda full of himself."

"Understatement," muttered Dean. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

Cordelia concentrated a moment. "Something about bringing the kid back to fulfill some destiny."

"Destiny?" asked Sam. "Someone else is part of their Armageddon plan?" He exchanged glances with Dean and Bobby.

Dean looked over at Castiel. "Is that possible?"

"They may be reverting to some sort of back-up plan in the face of our plans," said Castiel.

Dean looked back at Cordelia. "What else are they saying?"

"Uh…" said Cordelia, "he's saying that the kid will be rewarded if he plays his part."

"What part?" asked Buffy.

Cordelia's eyes widened as her attention slid back to Dean. "Michael's vessel."

Dean's eyes widened in surprise before confusion replaced the shock.

Castiel stepped towards Cordelia, a serious look on his face. "Michael's vessel, are you sure?"

Dean looked over at him. "Cas, what's going on? I thought I was Michael's vessel."

Castiel looked over at Sam and Dean, hesitating, before opening his mouth to answer.

"Wait, I got a name," said Cordelia, drawing everyone's attention. "Adam…Adam Milligan."

Sam and Dean's eyes widened in shock.

"Who's Adam Milligan?" Buffy asked them.

Sam looked over at Dean, sharing the same dazed look with him. "He's our brother."