Disclaimer – Please see earlier chapters.

Sorry this has taken so long to get up; I won't bore you with the long and short, but please let me know what you think.

Thank you so much to Twinkiecat who kindly looked over this for me, your help is so appreciated.

The sun finally gave up its fight, and departed from the Kansas skies. Sam went over to the window of the front room and proceeded to draw the curtains. He looked out the window and saw a figure standing across the street under one of the glowing streetlights, it appeared to be a little boy wearing superman pyjamas.

"Richie?"

As the scoobies came down the stairs, Willow seemed to be feeling much better for her nap. Kennedy wiped the sleep from her eyes muttering that teleporting lag was worse than the usual jetlag. Giles greeted them at the bottom of the stairs armed with coats, playing his usual role of adult to the group. John was standing there, not sure what to say to the girl in front of him.

"Look about earlier," John said straightening up, hands still in his pockets.

"Don't worry about it," said Buffy putting on her jacket.

"You're going to come back aren't you?" he asked cautiously.

Buffy nodded, "Sure, if you are okay with that?"

He gave her a smile, "We start again tomorrow? Clean slate, no more big secrets."

Buffy glanced at Dawn, "Yep we put the cards on the table."

John took his hand out of his pockets, "See you tomorrow then."

She cocked her head slightly, "Told you you'd be surprised when you saw the real Buffy."

He grinned, "Haven't run for the hills yet."

Dean rushed into the hallway, "Have you seen him?"

"Seen who?" asked Xander.

Dean was nervous, "The sugar plum fairy, who do you think, Sam!"

"No why?" asked Willow.

Missouri poked her head over the banister, "He's not upstairs."

John's heart leaped into his throat, "What happened."

Dean started to look around cagily, "He went into the front room to close the drapes then he wasn't there, and the front door was open. Found his knife across the street."

"Right and there is no sign of him outside?" John barked.

Dean shook his head. "No, and the cars are all still here."

Willow looked around, "They couldn't get in, so they got him to come out."

Buffy pulled the hair out of her collar and turned to look up stairs at Missouri, they all did, "You sense energies right? You feel him?"

She shook her head, "My gift doesn't work that way. I can only sense energies of things nearby."

John turned to eldest son, "How long has he been gone."

Dean took a second to think, "Can't be more than ten minutes tops. But what if they had a car?"

"Lets not panic yet," said Giles reaching out his hand to the black woman who was currently coming down the stairs. He guided her to one of the couches in the front room, where he and Willow sat down before her, while the others watched the proceedings.

Dean started to bite his nails and look around, "We don't have the time for this."

"Dean wait." John said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder, "We'll find him, then I'll kill him for being so stupid."

Giles sighed, "Right, do you see our auras?"

"Yes, all a mishing and mashing just like normal," the little woman said, she tapped her chest, "Feel them right here."

Giles nodded, "Concentrate. What's missing?"

Missouri took a deep breath, this wasn't the normal way she did this, "The blue, his bright shade of blue, it's fading, it's going out the door."

"You know him, you can sense him and you know this town; you know if necessary can walk its streets with your eyes closed." Giles whispered, "So follow him."

Missouri closed her eyes and breathed. With her mind's eye, she followed the trail, how it met up with the purple red, all angry, in the street, how it began to weaken; she started to cry. She saw it snake down the road and turn the corner. She felt how it slowly diminished; fighting every inch of the way, until the point, it was almost gone, engulfed by something else. She was standing in front of a tree, a familiar one, she looked up and in the window of a room Sam stood there, his eyes as black as coal.

She began to sob, "He's in his nursery, and their trying to take his soul."

"He's at the old house," Dean started for the door before his dad grabbed his arm, "Wait."

John limped as quickly as he could to the other room, stood at the doorway and threw Dean something, "You do what you have to, you hear me."

He looked down into to see what was in his hands, it was the colt, their last hope with its single bullet. Dean looked up straight into his father's glare, "Yes sir."

Dawn sat beside Missouri comforting her, their roles reversed from the previous night.

Buffy looked at her friends, "Will, I hate to ask you but?"

"Don't worry. You'll have it," said her trusted friend, "Go!"

"Giles?" Buffy asked her watcher, to which he nodded, she turned towards Dean, "Let's go"

The two of them left running out of the door, Xander started to rearrange the furniture of the room, Giles turned to John, "You wouldn't have an exorcism ritual or two lying around would you?"

"Yeah," John said reaching for his journal.

As the two older men left the headed for one of the cars, John caught sight of Dawn lighting candles round the other three of their group. They were holding hands, eyes shut tightly, Slayer, Witch, Watcher, all three were chanting while the girl and Missouri watched on. He couldn't see much detail, and he was sure it must have been his eyes playing tricks on him, especially seeing what was being played out right now. But had the witch's hair changed colour all of a sudden?

Giles flicked through the journal as John drove to his old home, "You have the ritual Romano in here, both parts."

"Yeah," John said turning a corner, "Don't think we want to manifest the bastard."

Giles smiled, "Needs a little tweeking, and a little luck on the timing, but that is exactly what we want to do."

Buffy kept Dean's pace, wanting to make sure that she was on the right track, he stopped for a second, catching his breath,

"Much further?" she asked.

"Less than half a block. Why there? Why the fuck did they have to take him there?" Dean spat, he looked as if he was going to puke, but they had been running flat out since they had left the house, he turned to her, "Look you got nothing I'll go in first."

She shook her head, "You know why there, to unsettle you, keep you off balance and this isn't the time for chivalry, I'll take the front, you the back."

"I know these people, Jenny and her two kids, her girl Sari and her little boy Richie. If he ain't here then you bursting in will scare the shit out of them."

"And you breaking down the door won't?" she said, before adding "Fine you take the front then, as for not having anything, don't worry about that."

As they got to the house they slowed down, continuing at a swift walk, Buffy continued round the back of the house, she quickly peered inside seeing a little girl and her mother sitting in the kitchen, their eyes were filled with terror.

Dean picked the lock on the front door, he stepped inside, it was dark the only light coming from the headlights of the cars as they passed by the house. They cast various distorted shadows on the walls. Dean edged forward, suddenly out of the barrelling out of the sideroom throwing him into the wall. He pushed back, inwardly cursing about how he'd made such a rookie mistake. It seemed to have more than two hands, as it continued to try to pummel his torso. Dean raised his arms and brought his fists together down as hard as he could on the head of his attacker, it took a step back.

It didn't really have a face to speak of but it had teeth and four fists, it seemed to be on automatic pilot, it was to attack whatever came through that door. Dean steeled himself for another attack, but just as it took a step forward, he heard a whistle.

"Here boy, come on. Here boy," she stood there crouched slightly clapping her hands, The thing turned and started to run down the hallway, Dean rubbed his tender side, as he watched Buffy smile, it was a dangerous smile, too practiced, too calculated, "Good Boy."

It continued its run Buffy leaped to the side letting the thing run straight past her. But not before she buried the kitchen knife she acquired up to its hilt in the attacker spine. It continued on its run smacking right into the kitchen cabinets before collapsing, the pus coloured fluid that must have been its excuse for blood flowed on the floor.

"There goes the element of surprise," said Dean as he checked out the kill.

"You know we never had that. There'll be more, expected me to take the front, he was meant to slow me down while you went upstairs," she said pulling the knife out of its back.

"Others suppose to take me out while you're busy then?" Dean said bending down.

"That's the idea," she said wiping her weapon on a cloth, "Probably at least two on the landing."

"Fugly Bastard ain't he." He prodded the corpse with his finger, "Weak point the just below the neck huh?"

She passed her brother one of the knives out of the block. "Basic foot soldier type. Things like that, not too much brain. Get behind it."

"Have you seen Jenny?" Dean asked quietly.

Buffy nodded, "Got her and her daughter out of the house. I'm sorry there was no sign of the little boy."

Dean didn't say anything, he didn't want to think about what had happened to the kid, "So, upstairs?"

"Right, take it there is only one stairway?"

"Yep, bottleneck."

She pretended to shudder, "Oh, you did grow up all military didn't you."

"If we get out of this I'll tell you some stories," he smiled following her out of the kitchen.

"Well I don't know about you but I've got to get out of this, I made a promise and Dawn gets a little shirty if you don't keep your promises."

"She do the wounded puppy thing?" Dean asked as he climbed the stairs looking around for anything else that could go for them.

Buffy scouting out the landing at the top of the stairs, "No she just stops talking to you. Can keep it up for days; let me guess Sammy?"

"Yeah, makes you feel like crap. Just has to look at you and you're feeling all sorry for him. You think you were dealing with a god damn first grader that's just dropped his ice cream."

Suddenly another thing came out of one of the rooms, both Buffy and Dean flattened themselves against the wall. It kept moving forward, banging its head against the wall above the stairs. It regrouped turning round to make another charge.

Buffy sighed, "For once I want to meet something with some imagination."

She grabbed one of its arms twisting it behind its back, a horrible crunching sound emanated from the shoulder region. Another one came out it seemed to have a horn on its head before Dean could finish the one in Buffy's grip. He dodged it as it rammed its head into the wall. He brought the blade down as hard as he could causing the thing to drop like a stone.

"You got the hang of it." Buffy beamed proudly.

Dean just looked as her. He felt a little insulted that she seemed to think he couldn't take care of himself, "Hey from what I hear I've been doing this a lot longer than you have princess."

"Okay no need to be so sensitive," she replied, "and don't call me princess."

"Well it isn't me with the stupid name is it." Dean said, kinda of enjoying the fact he had found such an easy way to get a rise out of her.

"My name is not stupid," she said in an irritated manner, as the arm she was holding of other one suddenly it came away in her hands, causing arterial spray to cover her "Man, I liked this jacket. Definitely got to bring the clothing thing up again at the next budget meeting" Dean just shook his head at her as he turned.

Richie stood at the end of the hall, the little boy's movements a little too precise for someone his age. Two upright creatures, flanked him; they were wearing suits. Their hair wasn't hair more like worms. The little boy walked back into the room that was Sam's nursery 22 years before.

"Bigger hitters," Dean rubbed his mouth.

"Yep," she said as she threw the knife in her hand in the air and caught it with ease, "Do you want to sort out the other, while I deal with these?"

"Sure," Dean nodded. One of the suited demons serrated tongue flicked out of its mouth, he rethought the decision to leave her "You be alright?"

"If I need you I'll let you know." Buffy told him, "You go get him and I hope that gun of yours works."

She made her move against the offensive force ahead of them. As he entered the room he heard something hit the wall and scream behind him, it wasn't human, he was glad of that.

Sam was standing there in front of him with little Richie holding his hand.

Sam looked down, "Son this is the one that killed our master's child."

"What are we to do father?" The smile on the little boy's face was a little sick, "Can I rip him apart?"

Dean was confused, "What's this? Take your kid to work day?"

Sam looked down and stroked the young boy's head, with something akin to fatherly pride, "He's young, tried to go to where you were staying. The witch's ritual made him feel unwelcome. So he tried another tact. He's very bright, he got Sam to come to him. I have such hopes for him."

Sam continued to mess up the small child hair but turned to give his attention to Dean. It wasn't brother facing brother, "You'll be his first kill. It's times like these that make you feel all warm inside."

"Really?" Dean said, bringing the colt up, "I hate to be a party pooper, especially at such a kodak moment, but I'll just say no thanks."

"It hurts doesn't it, to know you're being replaced?" the little boy said, "You spend all those years playing Daddy's little soldier, looking after your family and then she comes in and takes over. Does it sting?"

"What do you know?" Dean stood his ground, though he didn't want to shoot either one of them, "So she turns up and helps out, not going to turn her away."

"That is what they call putting a brave face on things." Sam explained to the little boy, "You see it's her fault this is happening, we had to speed things up because of her."

There was another thud in the wall outside, Dean lowered the gun slightly, "What do you mean?"

"We weren't planning to take Sam, subtlety is sometimes preferred. But with the arrival of a slayer and that one as well, he felt he had to move things along. It would have been preferred for Sam to come to us on his own. "

"Sam will never do that!" Dean said raised the gun again.

"Is that what they call denial, Father?" said the boy looking up at Sam, "I can taste the bitterness in his words. He can't even bring himself to shoot you."

"That is weakness my child, that is why they will lose. He doesn't want to hurt his little brother, nor does he want any harm to come to the little boy,"

"The one I have taken, his squirming has lessened, has yours?" the possessed boy asked.

"No but he will. They always do." Sam turned again to face Dean, "As you are hesitating, I take it you want to know what is planned."

"Please no monologue." Dean spat out, "I'm not really in the mood for the second rate James Bond villain impression."

"Oh but they are so much fun," Buffy said entering the room, "But let me guess, there are more of them, people like Sam so your boss is building an army right? Wants a war, right?"

The boy laughed, "What they said about you is true."

"Oh you heard some of the stories then. Sorry if I don't stop to give you an autograph," she said, "I have to say though, some of them, blown way out of proportion."

"You are so out of your league slayer," possessed Sam said coldly.

Dean shook his head, "Not another league thing."

"Total agreement with you, I am so fed up with big bads talking about leagues, squads, teams, first half, second half, innings and quarters, goals, targets, strikes, etcetera, etcetera. What is it about the sports linked metaphors?" She asked rhetorically, "Until someone decides that there is a better way to do this other than the violence I think we should get rid of all of them."

"Or we could make them kind of literal, you know," Dean said after thinking for a second, "Decide things over, say, a nice game of softball. Nice day out, hot dogs and beer."

He looked over a Sam and the little boy, "You can bring the kid."

"Ohhh," Buffy started to jump up and down, "Can I be pitcher?"

"Don't think you'd be good at that," Dean said over his shoulder.

"What don't think I could carry off the uniform?" Buffy said insulted.

"You probably throw like a girl; maybe you could cover third base."

"Hey I am a girl!" said the insulted Buffy, she turned to the demons in front of her, "Third base is that good?"

The black-eyed Sam expression changed, "Your reputation does say you can talk."

Buffy fluttered her eyelashes at him, "You know what they say about a girl's reputation."

"Please, you think we did not prepare for you." Sam raised his hand. Buffy was sent flying back towards the wall, while at the same time, she started to gasp, as the demon had cut off the air she was breathing.

Dean squeezed the trigger, he didn't mean too but the reflexes honed by more than 20 years of hunting automatically took over, and in a split second deciding on the one course of action he could take that had any hope of saving both of them.

"Father!" the little demon cried out.

Sam fell to his knees, causing the demon inside the little boy to cry. Richie begin to emit smoke which passed through the floor leaving behind a very shell shocked child; Richie crawled to the corner of the room away from the people who were scaring him. The demon inside Sam tried to hold on, it clutched his arm, smiling, "Congratulations I didn't you had it in you, you shot him."

Sam began to cough, the smoke seemed to leach from his every pore. Instead of it escaping, it seemed to hovering in the room.

"Sammy," Dean yelled as he watched his injured brother edge away from the thing, though he could get any closer to his brother.

The demon had began to solidify in the centre of the room, the shapes it contorted into were both beautiful and hideous all at the same time, it emitted a passionate red, regal purple, silvers and gold, forest greens and the deepest of blues, eventually it seemed to settle on a shape, it something resembling a horned angel. But looking at it caused Dean to feel sick in the pit of his stomach.

The now corporeal demon looked straight at Dean Winchester, "How?"

"Have watcher will travel," Buffy smiled getting back on her feet, "Mix an exorcism and summoning ritual the right way and you're stuck here, plain and simple. My friend Andrew thought of it."

Something dripped from its lips as it spoke, "You think this will stop it, there will be others that will follow me. I will be avenged."

"There are always more, and we'll be here to stop you," Buffy stood there side by side with her brother; her hands folded behind her back, "I'd say tell whoever you work for to stay away from our family, but you are so not going back."

"They'll never accept her you know that. It's not in their nature," the now corporeal demon hissed, "Daddy will want to hunt her down."

"That's the best you got?" retorted the slayer, "Doesn't matter what they say I accept her, the rest of us accept her and I'll protect her and she knows that I always will."

Dean looked from the thing to his sister; she smiled as she felt the tingle that had begun in her fingers.

It looked frightened, "This isn't your fight. You are right, the plan is years away from fruition. You could live out your lives and not have to be involved, we could leave Sam alone, you have my word."

"You try this and we're suppose to let you walk?" Dean spat out.

"A higher level demon's word is his bond," Buffy said nodding knowingly, "So I believe him."

Dean was taken aback by his sisters words, as Buffy continued, "You can go."

The demon took a step forward, unsure if he should take the Slayer at face value.

Buffy then gently slapped herself on the forehead, "Oh but wait, you said it isn't my fight, and guess what you are so right." She threw the gleaming red and sliver scythe into Dean's hands and let him seamlessly cleave the being in front of him in two.

The two sides of the thing seemed to hold together for a few seconds, before sliding to floor. They stood there silently, Sam holding the whimpering child as he watched his brother and sister stand over their kill as it dissipated in front of them. Buffy bent down, picked up the gun, and handed it to Dean.

"You dropped this," she said.

"Thanks," he took hold of the colt while handing back the slayer scythe back to Buffy, "Snazzy."

"Thanks, but don't tell anyone I let you play with that," she whispered to which he nodded.

Dean walked over to his brother, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'd never thought I'd say this but thanks for shooting me," Sam said as he grabbed his wounded arm, "Jesus man, you are one lousy shot! That was the last bullet wasn't it?"

"Yep," Dean said quietly. "Dad's gonna chew me a new one."

Buffy crouched down, carefully putting her toy down as she picked up to toddler who was crying, "Special bullets, huh?"

Sam hissed as he moved his arm, "All gone now."

Buffy smiled, "I don't know much firearms. But are you so sure you lost it?"

"What do you mean?" asked Dean.

"Casing is still in the gun right?" she asked.

Both brothers nodded as Buffy watched Dean rip off the arm of Sam's shirt, "It's just I can't see an exit wound. The bullet's still in him"

The boys looked at her, "Can't you take it out, melt it down and remake it?"

"I don't know," Dean said, "Can we do that?"

"Not sure," said Sam, "Without the bullets the gun's useless."

Buffy tutted, "There is always an alignment or something flying by if that's what you need, but it seems like a waste to me. Let me guess made by a man?"

Dean nodded, "Samuel Colt made it himself, so the legend goes; made thirteen bullets to go with it."

"Well what's the point of that, only having thirteen shots, what happens if you miss? Even mythical swords can be used to maim other things after you kill the original target."

Dean looked at her, "You are a piece of work you know that."

"What have you never heard of recycling?" She turned to Sam, "By the way, this is a Tuesday."

Sam tried to stand up, "What has a Tuesday got to do with this."

Buffy handed Dean the scared little boy, "It's just if you are going to do something like this again, can you try not to do it on a Tuesday."

Dean bounced the little boy for a second, "So he can get possessed any other day of the week."

"Oh sure. It's just I tend to be busy on a Tuesday; it's Dawn's day to get into trouble, we decided, she put it on the calendar and everything." Buffy said walking out the bedroom doorway.

Jenny was relieved beyond words as Dean carried her son outside. She sat in the rental SUV John and Giles had arrived in holding her children, just grateful to be alive. Sam sat in the foot well of the car as John checked out his wound and gave his son a firm (but G rated, young ears listening and all) talking to about leaving himself open to attack like that. Giles talked on the phone with regard to cleaning up the house and the removal of the bodies.

Both Dean and Buffy stood by the front wall watching the activity, Buffy's scythe nestling behind her obscured from view.

"How did that get here?" asked Dean.

Buffy didn't turn her head, "If I said by magic would you believe me."

"Sure." Dean said solidly, not really wanting any further elaboration on the subject.

"I've got a question," Buffy said.

"Shoot"

"What the hell did you feed him?"

Dean turned his head, "What?"

"Seriously, what did you feed him, or is there some whacked out Winchester gene, older brothers and sisters have to be shorter than the younger ones."

Dean was confused, "I don't get you."

"When Willow said that I had a brother I expected to be shorter than you, you're a guy it's usual," Buffy reasoned, "I'm use to being shorter than Dawn. I have to admit I don't like it but I'm use to it. Then I met Mr 'I want to be a giant redwood" who, no offence, makes you look like a midget and you're over 6ft."

"I'm 6ft 1'"

"Right, so I'm asking what did you feed him? Or did you just stick him in a grow bag as a child."

"Spagettios."

"Really," she turned back to looking into space, "Suppose I'll just have to cope, suppose it helps that I'm the only member of this family that can bench press a car."

Dean snorted, followed by Buffy sniggering, "Okay not a car, but a heavy motorcycle if I have to."

Dean stilled for a second, he turned towards his older sister, "What did it mean about Dawn?"

"And they say you're not the clever one." She joked hoping to deflect the conversation.

Dean didn't look as if he wasn't going to be put off, "What did it mean, that we wouldn't accept her?"

Buffy thought for a second, maybe it was time to bite the bullet, "Would you believe that this is one of those long stories and you really have to have an open mind."

Giles got off the phone, he'd arranged for the cleanup to begin and for Jenny and her family to have alternative accommodation if she was unable to stay with friends. He looked over at his charge, proud of her as always. She had done her usual, left people to work to their strengths and the outcome had been good.

He turned to see Dean Winchester slide down the side of the house, looking rather pale; Buffy was gently patting him on the back. The young man had been fine a few seconds ago, he was not seriously injured, his split lip being the only outward indication of the physical abuse he'd been through that night and his brother was fine, so that could only mean one thing. Dean moved slowly towards the car, picked up his father's journal and jut continued on.

"I think I'm going to walk back," Dean said passing both his brother and Dad without them saying a word. Buffy skipped a few steps to catch up with him.

"He took it better than I thought he would." Buffy said as she passed her watcher, "See you at the house."

A/N If the stuff about remaking the bullet is wrong please let me know as I don't know anything about firearms.