Chapter Twenty-Five

Totally didn't even think of the "Plan D for Dumbass" thing until someone reviewed it. Awesome!

"We have a Plan D?" asked Dean.

"We do now," said Bobby. "Say the Colt doesn't work, that Lucifer is too powerful for it to work, then what? Battle of Armageddon ain't an option. That leaves us with Plan C. Our only shot at tricking the devil into the cage is Sam saying yes and then wrestling back control and jumping in. But what if you were the one wrestling back control?"

Dean frowned at their eager faces. "But I'm not Lucifer's vessel."

"But you are Michael's," said Giles.

Dean saw their entire plan laid out in front of him in that moment, and his face twisted in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Dean—" began Bobby.

"No!" yelled Dean. "Are you insane?"

"Who's insane?"

Dean turned towards Sam, who had walked into the doorway. "Bobby and Giles want me to say yes to Michael."

Sam frowned over at the two men. "What?"

"That's not what we said," began Giles.

"Yes, it is!" said Dean.

"Technically, but that's not how we meant it," said Giles.

"How else could you mean it?" asked Sam.

"Buffy was able to fight off the demonic possession, yes?" said Giles.

Dean stopped and frowned. "Yeah…"

"We believe it was her Slayer abilities that made her strong enough to fight it off," said Bobby. "If you were to say yes to Michael and win back control, you could use his powers to kill Lucifer."

"But this isn't some piss-ant demon we're talking about here," said Dean. "He's an archangel!"

"And you're a Slayer," said Giles. "I've seen what a Slayer is capable of."

"You weren't there," said Dean. "Buffy barely fought off this demon, and you want me to take on God's right-hand man?"

"You're also a Winchester," said Bobby. "You boys, your dad—I have seen you take on more than I would have thought capable and come out swinging. If anyone can do this, it's you."

"Forget it!" yelled Dean, turning and storming out of the room.

Giles glanced over at Bobby. "Well, that went well."

"Give it time," Bobby responded. "He doesn't take surprises well."

"Ah," muttered Giles, turning back to his cup of tea.

Sam turned and followed in the direction Dean had gone, finally finding him out in front of the Summers house, reclining on the hood of the Impala and staring up at the sky. Sam sighed and headed to the Impala, easing onto the hood next to him. They sat in silence for a while, watching the stars, before Sam glanced over at Dean laying back on the windshield.

"You know, it's not a bad idea," Sam said.

"Oh, please," Dean rolled his eyes. "As much as I hate to admit it, at least yours had a chance at succeeding. Winning back control just long enough to jump into hell is feasible. This is just stupid."

"Is it really that stupid?" asked Sam.

Dean raised his brows as he looked over at him. "You're kidding me, right?"

Sam turned slightly towards his brother. "Dean, you have no idea how strong you are."

Dean frowned, taken back by Sam's statement.

"You always talk about how awesome you are, but you secretly put yourself down, focusing on every flaw and mistake you've ever made," Sam went on. "You deprecate yourself so much, but you are the bravest, toughest person I know. After everything that's happened to you, you still fight. You willingly went to hell for me, and you came back practically the same person as when you left. If that had been anyone else in your place, they would be catatonic in a mental hospital by now. Yet somehow…you still…enjoy life. I just wish that sometimes…I could be as strong as you."

Sam stared meaningfully at Dean, who stared back in astonishment, for a moment before he stood and headed back to the house. Dean stared after him, amazed at the speech his brother had just gifted him with. He knew Sam looked up to him—he'd told him so last year—but he had always viewed that as the usual big brother hero worship. He had never imagined that Sam saw him in that light.

Dean had always thought Sam had the poorest self-image, with all the terrible things that had happened in his life and everything that happened around him. After all, when Sam hit a fit of depression, he hit it hard. But according to Sam, Dean was the one who had the low self-esteem.

If Sam can find the light in me…maybe I can, too.

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

Buffy dozed in her bedroom, her dreams making her turn in her sleep.

Buffy made her way down the street in Sunnydale, passing by the cinema and coffee shop. Dawn stood at the intersection a block away, holding the ancient Colt in her hands.

"Dawn…" Buffy breathed.

"It's not enough, Buffy," Dawn said, her voice empty and far-off.

Buffy watched as Dawn slowly raised the gun, aiming it at her.

"Dawnie, no…" Buffy gasped, somehow unable to move towards her.

"It's just not enough," said Dawn sadly, pulling the trigger.

A gunshot sounded, but the bullet never hit her. The Colt had disappeared, and so had everything else. She was no longer on the streets of Sunnydale; she was lying in a warm bed in Angel's mansion, sunlight falling through the curtains.

Buffy turned in the bed, finding Angel lying beside her.

"Buffy…" Angel smiled, stroking her hair out of her face. He leaned his head forward, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Buffy responded eagerly, wrapping a hand around the back of his head and running it through his hair. As the kiss grew more passionate, Angel pulled back, allowing Buffy a respite for air.

"Oh, Angel…" Buffy breathed. "I miss you."

"It's your power, Buffy," Angel whispered.

Buffy frowned at him. "What?"

Angel ran a hand through her hair. "You just have to use it." His gaze slid past her and stopped.

Buffy turned her head to see the First Slayer—the Primitive—Senaya. She stood in all her bandages and face paint, holding a big, shiny scythe in her hands. Senaya gave her a look of kindred spirits, nodding at her. Buffy looked back at Angel.

Angel smiled at her, the sunlight glinting in his eyes. "Are they ready to be strong?"

Angel began to fade in front of her eyes, and the whole room shifted. Buffy sat up on the bed, looking around her as the room changed into her bedroom at home.

"Buffy."

Buffy turned to see her mother Joyce Summers in the doorway, dressed in a long, white silk nightgown and a smile on her face.

"Mom?" asked Buffy.

Joyce smiled at her. "I am so proud of you."

Buffy stood from the bed and approached her mother, who enveloped her in her arms. "I miss you so much."

Buffy stood from the bed and approached her mother, who enveloped her in her arms. "I miss you so much."

"I know, honey," said Joyce. "But I'm here now."

"It's been so hard," sniffled Buffy. "Taking care of the house and the bills, and then dying and coming back—"

"I know, Buffy," said Joyce, easing Buffy away from her, hands on her arms. "I know about everything."

"You do?" asked Buffy.

Joyce nodded. "I've been watching you. You've been so brave and strong, sweetheart." She gave Buffy a big smile before it faded into a frown. "But things are coming, bad things. It's all going to get so much worse."

"I know," nodded Buffy. "Everyone's counting on me."

"No, they aren't," said Joyce.

Buffy frowned at her.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself," said Joyce. "You always have. You have help now: hunters, another Slayer, an angel. You don't need to hold everyone up anymore."

"Something evil is coming," said Buffy.

"Buffy, evil isn't coming; it's already here," said Joyce. "Evil is always here. Don't you know? It's everywhere."

"And I have to stop it," Buffy told her.

"No, you don't," Joyce insisted. "You have others to carry on the fight now. They don't need you anymore."

Buffy frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I know how much you've missed me," said Joyce. "And I wish I could be there with you…but I can't. I can't come home to you anymore." She smiled. "But there is a way for us to be together."

Buffy stared apprehensively at her mother, not liking where this was going.

"All you have to do is come to me," said Joyce. "We can be a family again. It's not that bad, really. It's just like going to sleep."

Buffy frowned in suspicion, backing away from Joyce slowly. Joyce's arms fell to her sides as she stared at Buffy in longing.

"Who are you?" Buffy growled out.

Joyce's expression flickered for a second before she sighed, frowning at her. "I should've known you'd be too smart to fall for that."

Joyce seemed to shimmer until she transformed into a man in his thirties with blonde hair, blue eyes and stubble on his face. He wore jeans, an olive green shirt and dark green jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Buffy backed further away from this imposter. "Who are you?"

"I stand by what I said, though," said the man, hands held in front of him. "It's not like they need you, anyway. They got Dean, after all. You don't really fit into the big picture, do ya?"

"Tell me who you are!" Buffy demanded.

"Just like Angel," said the man.

Buffy froze, staring at him.

"And yet, somehow, you seemed to swoop in and make him see he's worth having in this world," said the man. "Kinda ruined my plan. I was looking forward to the immolation."

Buffy's eyes widened in recognition. "The First…"

The guy shrugged. "That's one of my names, yes, although, not my most popular. And I meant what I said. You think you know hurt? This last year's gonna seem like cake after what I put you and your friends through, and I am not a fan of easy death. When my kingdom rises…you'll all be begging for the big finish. But it'll be too late. Not even big brother Michael will be able to stop it."

Buffy's eyes widened even further in horror. "Lucifer…"

Lucifer smirked, nodding his head. "I see the Winchesters have filled you in. At least you'll have the full scoop when the end comes." He smiled wickedly at her. "Tell Castiel I said 'hi.'"

Buffy sprang awake in her bedroom, the early morning light filtering through the blinds. She lay in her bed in the empty room, breathing shakily.

************************************************SP N/BTVS******************************************** *********************

Dean sat on the lower steps of the basement stairs, staring down at the concrete floor. He had woken up about fifteen minutes ago from one of the weirdest dreams he'd ever had. As a hunter of supernatural bad guys and chaos, he had unusual dreams at least three times a week. But this dream was beyond anything he'd ever had before. It was vague and cryptic and didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

Sam gasped suddenly on his cot, sitting up and looking around the room with wide eyes.

Dean looked over at him between the posts of the railing. "You okay?"

Sam looked up at him. "Yeah…" He wiped a hand across his face. "Yeah, I think so…"

Dean frowned at his alarmed face. "You sure?"

Sam nodded. "Just a, uh…bad dream that I'm not so sure was a dream."

Dean frowned deeper, standing from the stairs. "You mean one of your premonition things?"

Sam shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. It was…it was Lucifer."

Dean stepped towards him. "Lucifer?"

"You know, like that one time Cas popped into your dream," said Sam.

Dean's eyes widened. "What did he do?"

"Nothing," said Sam. "He just talked…told me how I was his vessel."

"Little late on the draw there, isn't he?" said Dean.

Sam shrugged. "At least we know the angels can't eavesdrop on us."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah. It's the little things."

Sam chuckled also until they heard footsteps racing down the basement stairs.

"Oh, good, you're up," said Buffy as she hurried down into the basement. "I thought you said these angel rib tattoo thingies would keep angels away."

"They do," said Sam.

Buffy relaxed, frowning. "Oh…I guess it really was just a dream, then."

"You had a dream?" asked Dean, interested. First, I have a weird dream, then Sam and now possibly Buffy? That can't be a coincidence.

Buffy waved her hand dismissively. "It was nothing. I have weird dreams sometimes. No need to bother you guys about it."

"Humor me," said Dean.

Buffy sighed. "Well, I was in town, and then I was with my ex, Angel, and the first Slayer was there with a wicked-looking axe thing, and then I was in my bedroom with my mom, only she wasn't really my mom—she was the First—"

"Hang on," Sam interrupted. "The what?"

"The First," Buffy told them.

"The first what?" asked Dean.

"No, that's actually its name: the First Evil," explained Buffy. "It can only take the form of people who have died, and it's incorporeal."

"And you knew what it was?" asked Sam.

"Well, it's shown up before about four years ago," said Buffy. "I just didn't think it was also the devil."

Sam and Dean practically snapped to attention at that. "What?"

"Well, when I realized it wasn't my mom, she changed into this guy," Buffy elaborated.

Sam leaned forward on the cot. "Blonde hair, Dean's height, kind of cocky?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah…"

"It's his temporary vessel," said Sam. "He came to me in my dreams, too. Angels can enter your mind without actually knowing where you are."

"Now, wait a minute," said Dean. "If he's been stuck in the cage, how did he come to you four years ago?"

"Well, she said he could only take the incorporeal form of people who have died, right?" said Sam. "So, maybe he's been able to…reach through the veil before, but now that he's been released…"

Buffy shrugged. "It does make sense when you think about it. I mean, Lucifer was the first being in this world to rebel against God and introduce evil into the world. Technically, he is the First Evil."

"Well, it's just the night for weird dreams all around, then," said Dean.

Sam looked up at him. "You, too?"

"Oh, I didn't have an angel cameo, but it sure was a bizarre one," said Dean.

"Oh, I forgot to tell ya," said Buffy. "Slayers get these prophecy dreams. It's kinda like ESP, but more cryptic."

"Great, I'm psychic now," Dean muttered.

"Only slightly," Buffy told him. "What'd you dream about?"

"Get everyone together, and I'll tell you," said Dean, heading up the basement stairs.

********************************************SPN/BT VS****************************************

Dawn handed a soda to Xander. "Here ya go."

"Thanks," said Xander, popping the soda open and looking around the living room full of Scoobies, hunters and an angel. "Got any idea what's going on?"

"Not a clue," Dawn shook her head.

Dean, Buffy and Sam walked into the living room.

"Alright, what's the news?" asked Anya.

"Dean's had a dream," Buffy told them. "That's about all I know."

"A dream?" asked Giles.

Buffy nodded. "Yep."

"Alright, now, we have our plans for getting rid of Lucifer," Dean began. "The first one is the Colt, but there's no guarantee the Colt would actually work. I mean, the magic knife works like the Colt, and it had no effect on Cas. Why would it work on Lucifer, then? Second plan was shoving Lucifer back into the cage. The only way we'd pull that off is Lucifer possessing Sam and then Sam jumps in. But then Sam is stuck in hell. That doesn't work for me.

"So, Bobby and Giles pointed out a Plan D that pretty much solves everything. I thought it was nuts at first, but…" he glanced over at Sam, "maybe nuts is the way to go." He took a deep breath and released it. "I'm gonna say yes to Michael."

There was stunned silence for a moment.

"Are you insane?" exclaimed Buffy. "That's playing right into their hands!"

"Maybe," shrugged Dean. He looked over at Sam with a thoughtful smile. "But I guess I'm just dumb enough to try."

"And what's your plan when Michael wins and destroys half the planet?" asked Willow.

"When that demon tried to possess Buffy, it didn't work," Dean told them. "Bobby and Giles think it's because she's the Slayer. So…I should be able to fight off Michael."

"Uh, hello?" said Buffy. "Archangel, demon…kind of a big difference."

"I will help."

Dean looked over at Castiel in the doorway. "Help?"

"I will help you build up endurance for resisting Michael," said Castiel.

"You're talking about possessing me, right?" asked Dean.

Castiel gave an affirmative nod.

Dean thought about it for a moment. "Won't it not work? I mean, I'm Michael's vessel, not yours."

"We are able to inhabit any willing human host, but are able to sustain ourselves and the human host longer in our true vessels," Castiel explained.

Dean paused to consider it. "Well, then, let's get cracking."