Hello all! I did my best to keep the time between chapters short this time, but exams kinda suck haha. I had three exams in a 36 hour time span, so that was just plain awful. I'm here now though! There's only two posts left for this story! How exciting is that?!

I hope to work on the next installment over the winter break, but I'm not sure if posting will happen during the next semester. I had every intention of doing so, but recently an opportunity came up that would be eliminating any and all of my free time. I haven't decided for sure to take this opportunity, but I think I desperately want to. That being said, I assure you that there is plenty more coming after this installment ends! I literally have ideas galore and can't even wait to share them with you all! So please keep loving me =) Haha.

Chapter Fourteen – Broken, Beat, And Scarred

It may have taken the brothers a few days and a little breaking and entering, but they managed to get into their dad's storage unit. It was dark, it was dusty, and it had a creepy feeling to it. It was a feeling that neither brother could really figure out, one that they couldn't quite place. Whatever it was it made the hair on Dean's neck stand on end, and that feeling persisted until they were long gone from the unit. It was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least, but they had to ignore the alarms going off in their heads. This locker was bound to have something that could be useful to them, and that was a good enough reason to push on.

Taking a look around the storage unit, the brothers were amazed by how crowded it really was. How could their Dad have ever found all of these books? Beyond that, Dean couldn't believe they had been all stored together like this. Sure, there were wards and devil's traps covering nearly every wall, floor, and ceiling space, but it was a lot of power and information to leave together. How long had it been since someone had been here? There were things here that could have helped them throughout the years, of that he was sure. He was starting to kick himself for not finding the information about this locker before. Dean couldn't help but smirk as he thought about Bobby and how much he would have loved this. Hell, even Sam was loving this; Dean could see it in his eyes - it was like a kid on Christmas.

They had split up once they got inside. There were so many shelves that they could be here for hours, even with working separately. Sam had starting cracking into books immediately, but Dean felt lost. If he was being honest, he had no idea what to look for. Trying to suss out which books could be relevant was trouble enough, but would he know the right information when he found it? Dean had opened a handful of books, but really hadn't found anything. Or at least, he didn't think he had found anything. He felt like he was in completely over his head. All he wanted to do was to help, but he had this sinking feeling that he really wouldn't be able to.

"Find anything?" Dean called over to Sam, hoping that there was some good news.

Sam pulled his flashlight out of his mouth, "nothing yet. Got some interesting books, but nothing that references what we're looking for."

"Well grab the good books, we could use them later. I haven't found anything either," Dean was frustrated.

Dean moved his flashlight over the book spines, not finding anything that looked remotely helpful. Books on werewolves, ghosts, books on other books, but nothing that he needed right now. In between some of the books there were some scrolls and some loose pages. Dean had passed over several books, but each time he found a loose page or a scroll he stopped to take a closer look. Each scroll was unrolled, each page was scanned over. So far none had given him any useful information, or even a direction to look in. There was no way Dean was going to give up, but this was beginning to feel incredibly fruitless. He couldn't believe that he was even thinking this, but it was looking like Garth was their best shot at finding this thing.

He turned to head back towards where Sam had been reading through books, hoping that his part of the locker would prove more useful. Then there it was - a shelf that was removed from the others. The light above it had long burned out, and there were traps and wards painted all around it. The shelves themselves were mostly empty, but on one of the shelves sat a box, locked tight with a padlock that was practically glowing in the darkness.

"Sam?" Dean indicated the box with his flashlight.

Sam peeked out from behind the book he had been going through, his flashlight sweeping across the darkness to hone in on what Dean had his light also trained on.

"Good guess," Sam crossed to the box to take a better look at it. His expression changed to one of confusion, "that's weird, there's no keyhole."

"Great, that's just perfect. Now what?"

Sam shrugged as he lifted up the padlock, hoping that a closer look would yield some sort of insight as to how to open the box. Once he came into contact with the lock it seemed to hum and tremble a moment before popping open.

Sam laughed to himself, "yup, leave it to Dad to protect it with magic. Must have responded to a human touch. Or maybe a Winchester only. He's protecting something big."

"Open it up," Dean was impatient, and he was ready to get out of this place.

Inside was a handful of books, each with a spine that was barely holding the pages together. They were old and the writing on the cover was long worn off. It was impossible to tell what the books were and what secrets they may hold. Whatever was inside these covers had been around a long time and John felt they needed to be protected. Sam lifted one book out carefully, his flashlight again tight in his mouth. The pages were brittle with edges tattered and torn. Some were bent over at the top to hold someone's place, though it seemed unlikely that they had ever returned. Sam took a great deal of care as he opened the first book he had picked up and turned the pages. Several pages in Sam set it down and traded one book for another, repeating this for the first four books.

"I can't read this," Sam finally said, defeated.

"Ink too old?" Dean asked, shifting his gaze from the books to this brother.

"No, it's in another language. Sumarian maybe? Could be Sanskrit. Gaulish is a possibility, too. Or even Akkadian," Sam tilted his head back to crack his neck. "I'm not even sure, to be honest."

Dean sighed, "well that's just great. Grab the box, we'll figure something out. Maybe Garth has some translation books kicking around. Or maybe Cas can take a look."

Sam nodded in agreement as he gently placed the books back into the case that their father had kept them in. There was no way of knowing if these books would even have what they needed, but there was no way that they were leaving them behind either. If any books here were going to have information on something that claims to be The First Evil, it would be the books in an ancient language that he struggled to identify. Their father would certainly want to keep books like that safe. Sam just hoped that they could make use of them.

ӁӁӁ

"We found the Seal," Dean said with a yawn and cradling the phone in his shoulder, a still open book in his hands.

It had taken Sam and Dean an entire night with a book of translations, four pots of coffee, two arguments, and one accidental fire from reading the wrong passage, but they finally found something useful. They had managed to translate the pages that accompanied a diagram of a seal on it. This was the sixth or seventh seal they had found, but this time they finally found what they were looking for. There wasn't much else that was legible in the same book, the ink being much too ancient to still read, but it had given them brief coverage on how to activate the seal, and more importantly, how to shut it down. They still weren't one hundred percent sure what the seal actually did, but they were certain it wasn't anything good.

"You did?" Buffy held her breath, not wanting to believe him quite yet.

"Yup. Goat within a five-pointed star?"

"That's it. Tell me ya got something good."

"You can deactivate it," Dean grinned.

Relief washed over Buffy, "That's something good alright. Tell me how."

This was the most "down to business" Buffy had been in their conversations, and it just went to show how dire the situation must truly be. There was no teasing about how long it had been since they spoke, no flirty banter, not even a quick catch up about everything that was happening on her end. Her voice lacked that quality to it that was so quintessentially Buffy, and it deflated Dean slightly. Not that he faulted her though, not really anyways. In her shoes he'd probably be beyond formalities as well. Dean hoped that things hadn't gone from bad to worse quite yet, and he hoped that he was about to lessen some of the stress she was under right now.

"Still got the guy that gave it its first taste of blood?"

"Sure do," she said, through gritted teeth.

Buffy could hear the girls screaming at Andrew in the background. He'd had that stupid camera in all their faces all day long now, and it was getting a little old. Thankfully he had left her alone finally, after she threatened to put the camera in a very unpleasant place and in a very unpleasant way. She had chosen to keep him in the house so that he couldn't get up to more trouble, but she had been sorely regretting that choice. Now that Dean had brought him up, she thought that maybe she had made the right decision.

"Turns out ya give it some tears and it terminates it. Make the bitch cry."

"That I can do. Dean, thank you so much. I can't express how much this means – "

Sam snatched the phone from Dean's hands, "Buffy?"

"Sam? What's up?"

"There's something else. Dean doesn't want to tell you but, you gotta know. The Slayer line? There's more to it than you know. It's got more darkness in it," Sam batted Dean's hands away from him.

"Made from demon hearts? Ya, got that memo," Buffy hated saying that part out loud.

"The energy of the demon. It's spirit. It's heart."

"Oh, how did you – "

"Met the Shadow Men. Lovely guys, really. Bringers of bad news. Had a nifty staff thing."

Dean grabbed the phone back from Sam, "sorry about that. I didn't want to say anything, it wasn't our place - "

Buffy shook her head, "it's fine. It's all true anyways. How'd you find out?"

"Hunters have connections too, ya know? Our Dad had some books and we've been translating it for days. We were hoping to find something useful and it ended up talking about the creation of the first Slayer. We're still working on it, but we're hoping that we'll find more," Dean paused, "and our buddy Garth was able to look into the Slayer line more. He wanted to give you a warning, actually."

"Oh goodie, more warnings. What's this one?"

"So the Slayer really is less than human…" Dean flashed back to the conversations in Purgatory where Buffy had mused about the humanity left in a Slayer.

"To begin with, yes. It isn't the same anymore. She still has the strength and the spirit of the demon, but she is human Dean. I promise," Garth reassured the hunter.

"Okay. Have you found anything else that could help her out? Something about eliminating the line?"

"No, there's nothing in Bobby's books. I put some feelers out, but nothing has come back about the Slayer. Word has gotten around about something else, though."

Dean sighed, "alright, what have you heard?"

"A hunter has recently taken up in Sunnydale, one that no one seems to know much about," Garth supplied.

"A hunter? In Sunnydale? No way, hunters don't mess with that town," Dean shook his head.

"So you said, but he's there. He's got a real vendetta against vampires. Word is he's looking for one that killed his mom," Garth said.

That motivation was something that Dean understood all too well. He couldn't let that cloud his judgement though. A hunter in Sunnydale that hadn't announced his presence was definitely bad news. Vampire hunter or not, it was too coincidental that he'd show up during this war, and it worried Dean.

"What's his name?"

"All we have is a last name and a nasty reputation. Wood. I'm only telling you because you should warn that friend of yours. He's dangerous, Dean."

Dean tried to conceal the worry in his voice, "Thanks, Garth. If you find anything else, on Wood or The First, give us a shout."

"You got it."

"Ya got a hunter in town. No one knows much about him, but he's big on taking down vamps. We just know him by his last name. Wood."

"Wood?"

That couldn't be a coincidence. A hunter named Wood is supposedly in her town, just as a principal with the last name Wood shows up? She knew something was off with him, but just chalked it up to her problem with principals. She knew that he knew about the supernatural world, and he wasn't new to fighting in it, but she never made the connection that he might be a hunter. That made more sense than any theory she may have come up with. With this new information she was ready to keep him at an arm's length, at least until she could suss out what his objective was here. She didn't have time for personal missions right now, and she was more than ready to make that clear to him if he decided to make a move.

Wasn't that a sad commentary? With everything happening, with the hell that was literally breaking loose, she still had to worry about people and what kind of shit they may come with.

Buffy had had a showdown with a vampire that everyone had been terrified of. No one believed that it could be killed, and for a time even Buffy had felt that way. She'd never let anyone know that part of course, but that thought had made itself well known to her as she washed the blood off after her first battle with the beast. Of course, it could be killed. He was dust, just like all the rest. She showed the girls that they could win this fight. She had earned their trust, and they believed in her now. It wasn't enough, but it was a start. The girls could see now, that it would be them still standing in the end.

At least that's what she wanted them to think. It's what she wanted to think. The Shadow Men had shown her enough to make her blood run cold and fear that this may be the time that her team wasn't going to be enough. When talking to Willow, Buffy had told her that she thought she had made a mistake, but now it was more than that. What good was it being as human as she was if the world ended? Sacrificing some of her humanity could have been enough to tip the scales. Buffy couldn't help but feel she was being selfish. That was probably a big part of why she hadn't shared that part of the story with Dean. How could she?

ӁӁӁ

"So who's this Caleb?" Dean asked.

The last phone calls with Buffy had given Dean much more worrisome news than he would have liked. Each time he called her, every time his phone rang, there was some new threat or villain that had showed up. He had to be honest, there wasn't a lot of good news coming from Sunnydale other than that she was still alive and she was still fighting.

To begin with Dean was scared of the "Uber Vamp" that she spoke of, but the mention of this preacher quickly over-shadowed this ancient vampire. The Uber Vamps were nasty, cruel, but relatively stupid. It had given Buffy a run for her money when it first showed up, but she had managed to take one down. Facing another one wasn't something that Buffy really wanted, but she could if she had to. She wouldn't let it take her down again, not when she had finally showed her followers what being a Slayer is all about.

This preacher, however, was much worse. He was just as cruel, far more vicious, and intelligent. That made him infinitely more lethal, and much more worthy of being afraid of. Caleb could find them wherever they were, and he could strategize. He could lead others. He had been ripping girls already, and he had already proven that he wasn't afraid in the slightest of the Slayer. He had already shown his cruelty. Poor Xander, man. He hadn't even met the guy and Dean could feel the devastation.

At the same time that the preacher had shown up, another player had surfaced in town. He didn't really understand the worry and fear the accompanied this Faith person returning to Sunnydale, but if Buffy was worried then he would be too. Buffy had said that Faith had lost the gangs trust and had played for the wrong side before. During a war like this, that was the last thing they needed. Dean had to believe that she was there for the right reason, and another Slayer couldn't be a bad thing in that case. The fact that there were two Slayers running around was surprising, and Dean had wasted no time in asking about it. Buffy assured him that she would share the story another time, that it wasn't that interesting, but he had a hard time believing that.

Then there was Wood, Giles, and Spike. While he may not agree with working with vampires, he had been sad to hear that someone that Buffy cared about had betrayed her. Giles was someone that Buffy looked up to, and he could hear it in her voice that it had cut her deep. She tried to keep up a hard front, especially in front of the troops, but she was pretty hurt. Dean had met Spike, and as much as he hated to admit it, he did seem like a half decent fellow. If you ignored the whole vampire thing anyways. At least Garth's warning about Wood had turned out to be not only a good one, but a timely one at that. She had been able to handle this as it had unraveled, rather than playing catch-up.

Though it had been interesting to learn that he was the son of a Slayer. Turns out there was a hunter that had known for sure that Slayers were real all along. That bit of information made Dean understand Wood's hate for vampires. Spike had killed that Slayer, and if anyone understood the goal of vengeance, it was the Winchester boys. If it wasn't for the fact that Spike could help the good guys right now, he'd have been supporting Wood in this case. Buffy was right, though, there was no time for personal missions.

There was so much happening in Sunnydale right now that he could feel how overwhelmed she was. Dean was desperate to find some way to help her. There was nothing he could do about Xander, Wood, or Faith. If he couldn't find The First, maybe he could find this Caleb bastard.

Cas cleared his throat, obviously not happy about the answer he was about to give, "he is one of our biggest disgraces. He says he speaks for God, but he has sided with evil."

"So you know him then?"

Cas nodded, "he is brutal, vicious, and very powerful."

"Thanks, but tell me something we don't know," Dean snapped. "Believe me when I say that Buffy has learned what side he works for and what kinda player he is."

"Yes, the angels have all heard about the victims he has left in his wake. As well as the damage he has dealt to her human and the battering she suffered at his hands," Cas said, regrettably.

"Then you know that we gotta find something to take this bastard out."

"I agree, Dean. He is a considerable threat, and I believe that he could influence the course of the battle substantially."

Dean didn't like the sound of that in the least, "so whattya got? There's no way this guy is new to the game. Tell me you've got something, gimme some footnotes, anything."

Cas nodded, "I think so. My brothers and I have been scouring our records for anything that could give insight as to his charge in Sunnydale. A mission in Gilroy has caught our attention."

"What about it?" Sam joined the conversation.

"It has been abandoned, and no one has dared to trespass. The members of this particular order have been missing ever since. It is obvious that Caleb has been here, and I believe that he could have left some information behind."

"So why aren't you checking it out?" Dean asked, obviously peeved.

Cas shot a look towards Dean, "this was information you were looking for. We have our own leads we are looking into."

"Dean, you know you'd wanna check it out on your own anyways," Sam offered. "Thanks Cas, we appreciate the lead. We'll let you know what we find if anything."

"I guess we're on it," Dean got up, ready to go.

"Should we call, let her know?" Sam joined his brother, grabbing their duffel bags.

Dean shook his head, "no, let's hold off until we have something to give her. I don't want to get her hopes up."

ӁӁӁ

"Don't...be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, but lead them."

ӁӁӁ

"Non tibi est. Ei solae tractare licet."

"It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield," Sam translated haltingly.

"What does that even mean?" Dean asked, frustration settling in.

"I don't know, Dean. Sure sounds like it has to do with the Slayer though, doesn't it?"

"Her alone? Gotta agree with you there."

"So Caleb was here, and this inscription sent him into a rage?" Sam tried to work it out.

"He read it and he didn't like what it said. His temper...He was the purest evil I've ever seen," the monk added.

"Guess we're looking for anything else that could give us some insight as to just what the hell this preacher wants," Dean swept his flashlight across the small space they were in. "Starting with that," he said as his flashlight landed on the tapestry that was hanging on the stone wall.

"I'd say that's a good place to start."

Dean's flashlight moved to highlight a set of shelves and chests that sat across from the tapestry, "I guess I'll start there. There's gotta be something about that inscription here."

The brothers nodded in agreement before parting ways. The divide and conquer method was common to the brothers, and the latest bought of searching had seen it used frequently. The temple was silent, save for the sound of Dean rummaging through the chests and shelves. They had worked in silence for nearly an hour before Sam interrupted their work.

"This tapestry is destroyed, Dean," Sam said, running his fingers over the torn edges.

"I could see that, Sam. Is there anything useful left?" Dean continued his rummaging without looking back.

"Not so far. It's just a web of images. They obviously tell a story, but I don't know what it is. Cas really should have come for this," Sam continued to squint at the pictures, trying to make sense of them.

"Snap a picture. Maybe he'll recognize it," Dean sighed. "Let's just keep looking."

Sam stopped, "hey hey, here's something. I recognize the symbol here."

"You do?" Dean crossed over to the tapestry.

"I don't know why though."

Dean looked at it as Sam traced the edges with his finger. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"Dad's journal. He had a sketch of something that looked an awful lot like that," Dean announced.

Sam pulled his cellphone out and snapped a photo of the tapestry as a whole as well as the symbol that was engrained in the tapestry. Nothing else on the tapestry made any sense. There was a sea of monsters that kind of reminded Sam of the movie Nosferatu on one side of the symbol, and a handful of figures on the other side. There were streams of what appeared to be sunlight, and what looked like a stairway. There was too much damage to the tapestry to make out much else, and Sam figured that the missing parts of it probably brought the images into context.

"We'll have to find it in the journal later. You got anything over there?" Sam asked, sliding his cellphone back into his pocket.

The two brothers returned to the chests that Dean had been rummaging through. The entire mission was deserted, Cas had been correct on that front. It was silent, giving it a creep-factor of ten. The stones of the building were scratched, obviously old, but didn't have a single sign of the modern world. No one had been here since the police investigated it. No teens sneaking in, no vandals to steal anything, nothing. Usually abandoned buildings are coated in spray paint and broken items. Something was warding people away from this place. Both brothers could feel it resonating from the building as they had walked up. Evil. It was something that lurked here, that watched over it. If it wasn't something that could help Buffy, Dean may have opted to walk away.

That wasn't an option though. She was facing something big, something that had even Cas scared. He couldn't be there to help fight, so he had to do what he could. If that meant playing historian and going through old books and tapestries, then so be it. Didn't mean he liked it though.

"A couple of books, kinda look like journals, but nothing I can make sense of."

"This is definitely not Latin," Sam's brow furrowed. "Looks like Sumarian."

"Not the same as Dad's books?"

Sam shook his head, "definitely not."

"Any chance you can read it?"

"I'm not even sure it actually is Sumarian, Dean."

Dean cursed, "damnit! Now what?"

Sam shrugged, "guess we hope that Cas can read it. Grab 'em."

Dean made a stack of books on the floor next to where he had been kneeling. He took one more look around the temple to make sure that there wasn't anything they had missed. Sam took one last lap around the room, ensuring that they had found everything that they could. Both brothers were more than happy to leave this place behind.

Now all they could hope was that they had been successful here.

ӁӁӁ

"So it turned out that all the books we found were actually just journals that belonged to the monks of this order," Dean relayed. "One of them, though, talked about that inscription that we found. I'll spare you the details, mostly because Cas is really long winded sometimes, but there is definitely something you need to know. The First and this Caleb guy are protecting something. We don't know exactly what it is but it's something powerful and they don't want the Slayers to get it. I'm thinking it could be a weapon and if you're looking for an arsenal - "

"Dean, stop," Buffy's voice sounded of nothing but defeat.

"Buffy? What's wrong?"

Dean had called her before Cas had even popped out of the room. As soon as he had given Dean something solid to impart to the Slayer he had been on the phone. He couldn't wait to give her some news - something that could help her. Dean had expected her to be just as excited, but instead she had barely any inflection in her tone at all.

"It doesn't matter," Buffy choked back her tears.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? This could be everything."

"Faith came back and broke everything down. Xander, god, Xander...A-and all the townsfolk have fled. Giles turned on me - all my friends have turned on me," now she was unable to hold back the tears.

Hearing her sob broke Dean's heart, "hey, it's okay. Wars have casualties. It's not your fault." He did have to admit, things still sounded pretty dire.

"It is my fault. I'm the leader, I'm supposed to protect them, I'm supposed to keep it together. I was supposed to lead them and now look. They were right, I can't do this."

"Was supposed to?"

Buffy sobbed, "unanimous vote; they kicked me out."

"They did what!?" Dean went from concerned to furious.

Buffy was doing everything she could, and Dean knew that. She had fought for them and died for them. When they were in Purgatory he had seen the love she had for them. These people weren't just her team, they weren't just her friends. They were her family. How could they turn on her like that? Dean was torn between wanting to support Buffy right now and explode in anger.

"We took a beating trying to find what Caleb supposedly has of mine. We suffered some casualties and the girls were all scared. I wanted to go back. I was ready to try again before he was expecting us... There's something there, I feel it. He's making all this noise about the school and I think that the power is at the – "

"Vineyard?"

Buffy was shocked, "uh, yeah. The vineyard."

Cas had glanced through one of the journals that shed some light on the inscription. Even with the added context, nothing was really falling into place for either of the brothers. Cas recognized what it was saying, and he knew the location that the monk was describing, but it was no longer a temple as it had been when the journal had been written. It had been abandoned for the last few years, but even longer ago it had been turned into a vineyard. He didn't know what would be found there, but obviously it was something destined to be in the hands of the Slayer, and no one else. Dean figured that that was what had sent the Preacher into a rage, and that must mean that he's afraid of whatever it is that's hidden in the vineyard.

As far as Dean was concerned, this was the advantage that Buffy needed. She was right. Casualties are never fun, but in a war like this it was inevitable. If whatever was hiding in the vineyard could be recovered, then the casualties were not in vain. Dean was thrilled to share this with Buffy, he was going to prove her right. He was going to help her win not only the next battle, but the whole damn war.

"I think you're right, Buffy. Everything we've found tells the story plain as day. The inscription, the journals, everything. To hell with them, you can do this on your own."

"Can I? I tried to bring Annabelle back on my own and nearly died. An-and look at what has already happened at that vineyard," a vision of Xander falling victim to Caleb played through her mind again, "God Dean, I'm just so tired…"

"Tired nothing. You are the Slayer, Buffy. You are an amazing warrior, and beyond that, an incredible woman. It's not in you to quit. You are not a quitter. I've seen your heart, and it is pure and kind and strong. Your friends? They're just scared. They're not made for this like you are. Don't let their fear take you down. Sam and I, we're gonna keep looking for something to help you with, but you gotta do your part, okay?" Dean paused, struggling to find the right words, "you're the only one that can do this."

"I don't want to be the only one anymore," she breathed.

"Tough. You're going back there. You're going to get what belongs to you and you're gonna take this son of a bitch down, you hear? Guys like him don't get to live. Caleb doesn't get to win the war because he won a battle or two. He's strong, but you're stronger."

Buffy interrupted, "I have a lot of bruises and a couple of broken bones that contradict that."

"Doesn't matter," Dean countered. "How many times have you been beaten down and stood back up? How many hits have you taken before? This is nothing new, Buffy."

"My friends are the ones that pick me back up," Buffy sobbed again.

"Not this time. It's you. It has to be you. You're the Slayer, not them. Don't you forget what you're fighting for. All those little girls are afraid, and unless you do something they're never gonna know anything but that fear. They'll be afraid right up until those nasty vamp things sink their fangs into their necks. They'll be afraid until that preacher tears them apart. They'll be afraid as they watch the world crumble around them. Are you going to let that happen? You are what stands between a bleak future and a bright one. We are going to fight. The First isn't going to win today Buffy. You can't let it."

Buffy stayed silent as she fought back sobs.

Dean spoke again before she had the chance, "now go be a hero."

ӁӁӁ

"Hey. I heard you got something of mine," Buffy crossed her arms.

Caleb smirked, "Well, if it ain't the prodigal Slayer?"

"Where's it at? I'm going to find it sooner or later."

"No, you're not. I lay one hand on you and you're just a dead little girl," Caleb threatened.

"Lay a hand on me. If you can," Buffy shot him a dangerous grin before rolling away from him.

ӁӁӁ

"I know I've seen it somewhere in this journal," Sam flipped through the journal, the picture he took open next to him as well.

"Keep lookin,' you'll find it," Dean kept his eyes on the road.

"Aha! Found it. It's…an amulet?" Sam furrowed his brow.

Dean set his coffee down and signalled for his brother to show him the journal page. They had stayed in town for breakfast, figuring that there was no sense in taking off before they knew where they were even going. Sam had spent the entire meal flipping through John's journal, sure that he had seen that symbol somewhere in it. The tapestry had been destroyed, but this symbol had been left plain as day. He may not have been able to identify what story the tapestry was trying to tell, but Sam kept hoping that finding this symbol would help unravel the story.

Now that Sam had found it in the journal, and it had been revealed that it was an amulet, the story only got murkier. Now they really had no clue what they were into.

"Dad wrote about a necklace that a bunch of religious nuts were interested in?" Dean was equally as confused, squinting at the writing on the page.

"I guess so. Looks like he knew a lot about it too," Sam kept reading, sipping at his coffee absentmindedly.

"Why was he even interested in it?"

Sam shrugged, "it doesn't say." Sam's eyes grew wide, "uh Dean?"

Dean glanced at his brother, "yeah?"

"We gotta go to Oregon."

"Oregon? What's there?"

"Dad had another storage unit there. He found the amulet and it says in the journal that he kept it there. If it does what Dad thought…we need to get it to Sunnydale right now."

There was no argument to be had here. Dean saw the look on Sam's face, the look of alarm and determination and that was enough for Dean. Money was thrown on the table, breakfast was left untouched, and they were off. The Impala squealed under the strain that Dean put her under as he sped his way to Oregon. He didn't care what this gadget was said to do, if Sam thought it could help Buffy in any way, Dean had to get it.

There was no other option.

A/N: You'll notice that I changed some stuff with Wood, mostly that they hadn't gone on a date. That's for obvious reasons, of course. His whole storyline kinda shifted around - so forgive me for that!

Sweetie420: Awe thank you! That is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so much, school went swimmingly in the end. I still have one more exam but I'm not exactly worried about it so as far as I'm concerned, I'm freeeeeeeeee! Haha.

LoneButterfly05: Awe thank you dear! It's going to be interesting when Dean finds out the whole truth, but remember...she's not the only one keeping secrets...=) It's funny you mention Dean showing up when they kicked her out. I had heavily considered having this happen, but logistically speaking it didn't work out. Not with what I have planned anyways. It's sad because I would have LOVED to have that scene play out differently. It just didn't quite out sadly.

love-you-forever-and-always: Yup! Haha. Though by now you know that. I HATED that this happened in the show, and it still makes me angry all these years later. There's gonna be some fallout for that one later, for sure.

Guest: Hello! I wish I had a name to address this to =( Thank you for the lovely words! That's what I was going for, the chemistry build up instead of the fast moving stuff. While that can be fun for some smut, I prefer the love story that develops over time. They have a great base now, and there's gonna be some great stuff from here on out =D Guess you're just gonna have to wait and see what happens with Dean and Buffy and those missing memories...

RetickLover: Thank you my dear! I spend a lot of time trying to strike a balance between both shows and make it feel natural, so I'm glad it's being recognized!

2old2bfngrl: Awe thank you so much my dear =) I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! I can't wait to write the groups meeting. You know it's coming, and it's going to be magnificant. I hope to rock it for sure!

MewLover: Hello! Please know I have seen all the reviews from you on this story and South of Heaven. Thank you for reading! I love love love seeing how people react to the ideas I've had. It's fun to stretch my writings legs and improve with every chatper. I hope this new chapter lives up to the rest, and I hope you'll follow me on to the next part of the story once this one finishes!