Ashlinn took a deep breath before she muttered the spell that would open the doorway to Magnus' manor. Sam and Dean looked into the cave with suspicion. They had reached an agreement. Ashlinn could go only if someone went with her, and Sam and Dean had volunteered. Bobby was working on the Samhain problem; Ellen and Jo were out on a hunt. Sam and Dean were the next in line.

As Ashlinn finished, magic trickled into the air before flowing into the shape of a door. Dean threw Sam and Ashlinn an uncertain look. The three of them went through together. Sam held her hand, while Dean went in first. As the light around them faded, Ashlinn looked around to see that they were now in a hallway. Elegant decorations and artwork gave the place an elegant feel. The dimly-lit hallway, however, gave her the creeps.

"Something's in here with us," Ashlinn whispered, and Dean took out his machete.

Sam put her in between him and Dean as they slowly walked through the hallway. There was a hiss as a vampire attacked Dean. Another one came from behind them and grabbed onto Sam. Ashlinn knew she wasn't physically strong enough to cut a vamp's head clean off, so she looked around for something she could use.

"SAM, DUCK!"

Sam quickly ducked, leaving the vampire's head in view as Ashlinn used her magic to throw an ax from a nearby wall into the vampire's neck. The vampire's head fell onto the floor before his body. Sam gave her a thumbs up as he checked his neck. Dean had already dealt with the vampire who had jumped him and checked to see if they were okay.

"Excellent work! Bravo!" a voice said over a loudspeaker.

A passage opened revealing the entrance to a room. Dean once again walked in front of Sam and Ashlinn as they walked into the room. There was a couch and an armchair in front of a fireplace.

"Come on in!" a man in a suit said as he appeared to be making a drink. "Have a seat. Sorry about all of the theatricality. I wanted to see what my prospective student could accomplish."

Dean looked at Magnus like he was about to shoot the man and asked, "So you sent two vampires after one witch?!"

"No, I sent two vampires after one witch and two hunters… the second of which weren't invited," Magnus said smugly as he took a drink out of his glass. "Now, please… sit."

Sam and Dean sat on the couch, and Ashlinn squeezed in between them. Magnus walked over and sat in the armchair. His eyes were focused on Ashlinn. His intense interest made her uncomfortable, and she relied on Sam's hand in hers for reassurance.

"It's not everyday you see two hunters protecting a witch… so how did you meet?"

Magnus looked at Sam and Dean with a detached curiosity. Ashlinn assumed that he was simply trying to find out their worth.

"They saved me from a rawhead… I saved them from Azazel. And they aren't just hunters. Their grandfather was Henry Winchester… which makes them Men of Letters legacies," Ashlinn informed him and watched Magnus' eyes go wide.

"Oh, well, that is very interesting," Magnus said, giving Sam and Dean an appraising look. "I was Henry's mentor… but you don't seem to be surprised to hear that."

Sam and Dean had turned to look at Ashlinn, and she just shrugged. She had told them and John a little about John's father Henry. At least what she could remember. The fact that Magnus was his mentor sounded about right.

"You want a student, right?" Ashlinn said and looked challengingly into Magnus' eyes. "What can you teach me?"

Magnus smiled as though amused by her defiance and answered, "There's a spell for damn near everything. What do you want to learn?"

"I need something that can kill Lilith… Do you have something with that kind of power?"

Magnus bit the inside of his cheek and replied, "We can definitely figure something out."

"I'm going to need a bit more of a promise than that," Dean said, protectively leaning forward in front of her. "If you're just going to jerk us around, then we'll be leaving."

"Settle down, sport," Magnus said cheerfully although Ashlinn saw a flicker of anger in his eyes. "I have every intention of teaching your friend here everything that I know. I've just never had a request for a spell to kill the first demon ever made, so I'll have to check my notes. And I'm quite impressed with the three of you… though I am going to miss those two from my zoo."

"Your zoo?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's a collector," Ashlinn said before Magnus could speak. "He collects magical artifacts and creatures… I can feel them."

Magnus leaned forward in his chair as his eyes glittered with excitement. "As I expected… I've heard quite a lot about you, Ashlinn. You're the new owner of my old property, the ringleader of the hunters against Azazel, and a natural witch… Quite fascinating. To be completely honest, you won't be my only student here. I have another from a family of witches. Over the years, it has gotten quite lonely here, and I would like to impart my wisdom… But unfortunately, your protectors will need to leave."

"We aren't going any–" Dean started, but Magus blew dust in his face and whispered a spell.

Sam grabbed Ashlinn and moved away from Magnus, keeping Ashlinn behind him. Magnus tilted his head to the side and said, "The other hunter is safe. All I did was send him back. There are no windows or doors… I am rather curious about how you think you're going to leave."

Ashlinn grabbed onto Sam's sleeve and whispered, "It's okay, Sam. I can do this on my own."

Sam looked back at her in confusion, which gave Magnus the opportunity to do the same spell to him.

"A wise decision," Magnus said with a smile. "So shall we sign off on our terms and conditions?"

A contract appeared out of thin air and landed on the table. Ashlinn hesitantly walked to the table to read it.

"Simply put: I agree to teach you everything your little heart asks for. If there's a solution, I will find it. And I'm not going to force you to stay here. In fact, the spell you used to get here will also take you back to the other property, so you can reassure your protectors that I mean you no harm. As for the disadvantages, you will be put through various tests with your fellow student, and you will be tied to him. Where you go, he goes. He's a bit of a pariah, so I can't just have him freely walking around… but I don't want him trapped here either."

"And that's it?"

"You are also free to use my library anytime… although everything inside needs to stay here. Feel free to take notes."

Ashlinn looked at him suspiciously and asked, "So all I have to do is take some tests and babysit your other student?"

Magnus smiled and answered, "Yes… So do we have a deal?"

Ashlinn looked over the contract one more time before signing. Magnus signed as well and handed her a bracelet. She gave him a look.

"Both of my students will be wearing them. It's to make sure that you don't use harmful magic against each other. I can't have you turning a petty argument into a firing match."

Ashlinn put on the bracelet and asked, "So I'm guessing this bracelet also makes sure that we have to be within a certain distance of each other?"

Magnus nodded with an impressed smile and said, "Of course. Can't have him running free. After all, his coven trapped him in a prison world for a reason."

Ashlinn's blood ran cold. She looked into Magnus' amused face with her hand hovering over the bracelet.

"You two have already met, correct? Kai, come out and say hello."

"Hello!" Kai said from behind her, and Ashlinn spun around pining him to a bookshelf with her foot.

"What the fuck?!" Ashlinn yelled, glaring at Kai. "What's he doing here?!"

"Now, now," Magnus said, and Ashlinn found herself being pushed back away from Kai. "It's very clear that you were raised around hunters… Both of you are my students. Please at least try to get along. And I was under the impression that the two of you had spent some time together."

Kai said, "We did!" as Ashlinn said, "Not willingly!"

Kai and Ashlinn glared at each other as Magnus walked in between them. "Now, children… whatever has happened between you is over now. Kai can't drain your magic, and you can't use magic against him. Come on. I need a truce. Go ahead and shake hands."

Ashlinn crossed her arms as Kai outstretched his hand with a smile.

"Ashlinn… I need the two of you to work together as my students."

Ashlinn scowled at Magnus but reached out and grabbed Kai's hand. After a quick shake, she quickly let go of his hand. "Okay, we've 'made nice'. Now can I go? Sam and Dean are probably freaking out."

"In a moment. First, Kai, go ahead and show her around, and then you both can leave. I have preparations to make."

Ashlinn stiffened as she remembered that Kai would have to go with her to her property. Kai gave her an innocent smile. After she stifled a groan, she followed Kai through the manor as he pointed out the different rooms and which ones had monsters inside. They reached a set of rooms, and Kai gestured for her to go inside one of them.

After a quick check for booby traps, Ashlinn walked inside the room. It had been decorated with flowers and fairy lights. There was a picture frame on the dresser; Ashlinn walked over and picked it up. It was a photo of Kai.

"I decorated it for you," Kai muttered from behind her as his arms rested on the dresser, blocking her escape. "I thought that you would like it."

Ashlinn turned around quickly to face him. With a scowl, she pushed the picture frame onto Kai's chest and said, "You can keep this."

Kai chuckled and said, "You're going to hurt my feelings. It's like you don't want me around."

"Do you want me to lie to you?"

"I missed you," Kai said with his face suddenly serious. "For over three years, you never came back."

"Why would I willingly go back there? You attacked me."

"No! …all I wanted was a chance to escape. You were the one who said that you weren't coming back! All I wanted was for you to do one little spell."

"And what was that spell, Kai? What would that spell have done?"

"It wouldn't hurt you," Kai argued defensively. "I just wanted to be free."

"Well, I guess you got what you wanted," Ashlinn snapped and stared him down.

A muscle in Kai's jaw twitched as he said bitterly, "Not everything."

Ashlinn gently pushed him back as he put his hand over hers on the picture frame. Kai grabbed onto the frame as she pulled her hand back. They stood there in silence for a few moments. Kai's eyes never left her face.

"Can we have a truce?" Kai asked quietly after the indignation had faded from his face. "I know that we can't start over… I didn't want to hurt you. I was just doing what was best for me."

"What was 'best' for you was not good for me!"

"I KNOW! I know… I know. Please… I know I don't deserve a second chance, but give me the chance to make it up to you. Please, Ash."

Kai looked at her with pleading eyes. Ashlinn didn't know whether or not he was telling the truth, but she needed him to work with her to get home. Sam and Dean were probably losing their minds.

"Okay… however, the next time you try to screw me over… mercy is off the table."

Kai gave her a flirty look and said, "Sounds good to me."

Ashlinn pushed past him and started to walk out the door. She turned back to see him still standing there. "Well, come on. I need to check on my idjits to make sure that they aren't doing something stupid."

Kai's face brightened into a smile as he put the picture frame down and followed her out of the room. Ashlinn led him down the hall and to where Sam, Dean, and she had first entered Magnus' manor. Taking a deep breath, she started to mutter the spell. As she finished, she watched Kai. His face lit up as he saw the magic form into a doorway. With a childlike smile, he grabbed onto her hand and pulled her through.