Chapter Three

It wasn't until Dean walked in at 3:45 that Buffy realised her mistake. She had double booked herself.

She moved over to his table, and gave him an apologetic look, "I'm so-"

He put up his hand to forestall her words, "No way, I'm not being ditched now. Not when I finally got you talking to me." He took the edge out his words with a jovial grin.

Buffy let out a little huff of laughter, "It's not like that. Something came up."

"Sure," He said in obvious disbelief.

"It's true! Lily's boyfriend is missing, she wants help finding him."

Dean leaned forward, "Really?"

"Yup. She's meeting me here at 4."

"Alright," he responded with a nod.

Buffy was relieved that he believed her, but was instantly confused by the feeling. Why did she care what this guy thought of her?

"I'll have a piece of pie while I wait."

This shook her out of her musing, "Huh?" She replied dumbly.

Sending her what seemed like a fond smile, he explained, "If I'm gunna be waiting fifteen minutes for your friend, I'm gunna want some pie."

"You're not coming," she said bluntly in response.

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not," she emphasised her words, thickening them with threat.

"Yes I am," he replied seriously, not intimidated in the least. "I'm coming, even if I have to follow from behind."

Buffy could have screamed in frustration, "Why?"

He shrugged, "We got some unfinished business," he replied, starting at her intently.

Feeling herself waver for the second time that day, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. Without words, she turned away, served a slice of peach pie, and brought it back to his table. With a neutral face, and continued silence, she dropped the plate, and went back to working her shift.

At exactly 4pm, Buffy came to Dean's table wrapped in a jacket and ready to leave. Her expression was one of resignation and exasperation. She ignored the smile he gave her, and inclined her head towards the door. She moved without waiting for him, still upset that he had bullied his way in to joining them.

They exited, and found Lily waiting outside. She gave a puzzled look in his direction, and sent a questioning one towards Buffy.

"Lily, this is Dean," Buffy introduced them.

"Oh, is this your boyf-"

"No!" Buffy interrupted. Her hazel eyes were wide in fright.

Dean would have been insulted by the bluntness of her remark if it wasn't for the anxiety that came with it. It was clear, by the look in her eyes and the quiver of her hands that her relationship status was a sore point. He was curious to the reason why, but knew better than to push information from her.

He greeted Lily warmly, and received a frantic one in return. He already knew what a sweet girl Lily was, and knew not to take the greeting personal. A missing loved one was enough to send the most stable person into panic.

Buffy and Dean spent the next twenty minutes questioning Lily about Rickie's habits. They asked where he liked to hang out, who his friends wore, where he worked, anything that could provide them some helpful information.

Admiration grew in him as he watched Buffy question Lily. She took on a serious, business-like manner that impressed Dean. He found that he actually thought it was a turn on, if he was being honest with himself. Hell, since his research into Slayers, he found all sorts of respect form for the young girl. If even half the lore was true, she was truly a force to be reckoned with.

He realised that his admiration wasn't one sided, as she sent him a shocked, but impressed, look at the experience questions he asked. It was obvious that they both knew what they were doing.

It wasn't long before they decided to visit the blood bank first. Walking there briskly, quizzical looks were exchanged between himself and Buffy, as they tried to figure each other out. He knew she felt the same familiarity with him that he felt with her. She wanted to figure him out just as much as he wanted with her, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself.

He knew that if she didn't want him there, she could have stopped him, but she didn't. She could have snuck out the back, or beat him senseless, if his Slayer research was correct, but she didn't. She let him come with them, and even if she didn't know why, he did. She was curious about him, about hunting, about the other aspects of fighting demons that she clearly didn't know.

He was more than willing to share if she was, he thought to himself, his thoughts turning slightly dirty as he followed that line of thinking.

Lily led them to a worn out building, and opened the door, moving inside. As they walked in, Dean noted the run down reception area had seen better days. Obviously underfunded, and overcrowded, this blood bank was the staple of a poorer neighbourhood.

"We gave blood a lot of times 'cause you get a few bucks and they have cookies," Lily explained as they surveyed the room.

"You're a fan of the sugar rush, aren't you," Buffy replied, remembering their first diner encounter.

"It's nice," Lily admitted, with a small smile.

A blood drive worker approached them, her name tag introducing her as Joan.

"Hi. Are you here to donate blood?"

Buffy gave a wide eyed look, "Oh, no. I mean, I can't. Needles. They make me woozy. Which is weird, 'cause I don't have a problem with battle axes, but needles," She rambled, causing Dean to unconvincingly cover a laugh with a cough. She recovered and continued,
"We're looking for a friend."

"Rickie T?" Lily offered in a question, "We come in sometimes."

"Rickie, sure," the woman replied, "He's not here."

"Has he been in, do you know?" Dean asked, "In the last day or so?"

"Let me check the sheet," Joan replied, moving off to check some paperwork.

"This'll probably go faster if we split up," Buffy prompted, causing Dean to nod. While he was hesitant to let her out of sight without a long talk, he saw the logic in covering as much ground as possible.

"Can I come with you?" Lily asked in small voice.

"Okay, when did I lose you on the whole splitting up thing?" Buffy replied, her voice slightly incredulous.

"Sorry."

"We can check out some of your hangouts and meet later. At my place."

"Okay," Lily mumbled.

Joan returned, "Sorry, guys. He hasn't been here."

"Thanks," Buffy offered, before moving away with Lily following closely.

"I'll tell him you were looking," the woman called after them, a weird tinge in her voice. Dean looked back at her in puzzlement, but the woman was already going back to work.

Buffy handed Lily a key, "This is for the downstairs." She turned her gaze to Dean, "Sorry, I only have the one spare."

"It's okay," he replied, "I'll wait on the steps or buzz up."

With a quick discussion on who would go where, they left the clinic and quickly went their separate ways.

Buffy walked into the derelict building, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She almost screamed when some rustling in the corner turned out to be a large rat. Steeling herself, she crept through the grimy rooms, stepping carefully. It was hard to make out the people huddle in the corners, there was no light in the building, only moonlight peeking through boarded up windows.

Moving from one room, to the next, Buffy felt her heart clench at the amount of people she had to step around. All these people were without homes, living on the streets or abandoned buildings. She had been wallowing in her own grief, she had been turning a blind eye to the city around her.

Still searching, she came to a large hole in one of the walls, following it through, she stopped. Directly across the room from her was the man she had saved the other night. He was dead, with a bottle of drain cleaner beside him.

"Oh god," She murmured, tears pricking her eyes. She leaned down, grabbing his wrist in hopes that she might find a pulse. She wasn't surprised when she couldn't find one.

Turning his arm, Buffy stilled. At the top of his forearm was a tattoo. Half of a love heart, with the name Lily in the middle.

"Rickie," Buffy breathed out sadly.

Buffy arrived back at her apartment to find Dean waiting on the steps. He stood when he saw her approach, and frowned at the bleak look on her face.

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah," she replied weakly, "Something weird is going on."

He scoffed, "That sounds about right."

She sent him a weak smile as she opened the door and led him to her rented flat.

Entering the apartment, they watched as Lily sprang up from the bed, "Did you find Rickie?"

Buffy took her coat off, evading the question.

"I thought of, he likes to go to this movie house, you can get in the back."

"Lily, I think," Buffy started, not sure how to break it easily, "that he's dead."

Lily was shocked, her eyes quickly swelling with tears. She dropped back onto the bed, her legs not able to hold her. "But, he takes care of me," she replied, her voice weak and wavering.

"I'm sorry," Buffy replied, sympathy woven through her words.

"We're gonna get a place, his cousin could get him a job at the car wash."

"Lily," Buffy put in, stopping the girls rambling, impatience gripping her, "Something's happening. The person I found was old, he looked about eighty."

Dean's eyebrows lifted in surprise, but stayed quiet.

"Well, that's not Rickie," Lily put in hopefully.

"I'm sure it was. Lily, something drained the life out of him. Made him old. I don't know how, but, there could be something out there."

"Do you mean, like a vampire?"

Buffy paused as she though the question through. She had never seen a vampire do something like this, but she had never seen like this in general, "They wouldn't accelerate the aging process, but maybe, maybe something in his blood. When was the last time you guys gave blood together?"

"I don't understand," Lily replied. She had begun to fidget and shake, the shock wearing her down, "Maybe it's not Rickie, okay?"

"Lily. You have to deal with this."

"But he didn't do anything wrong, why would-"

Buffy cut her off, her tone impatient and brusque, "That's not the point. These things happen, you can't close your eyes and hope they'll go away." Still in the grips of her own mourning, she had no room for anyone else's. She saw Dean look down and shuffle his feet awkwardly.

"Is it 'cause of you?" Lily bluntly asked.

"What?"

"You know about, monsters and stuff, you could have brought this with you."

Letting her frustrations get the better of her, Buffy snapped, "I didn't bring anything with me! And I didn't ask for you to come to me with your problems. I just wanted to be left alone. If you can't deal with what's happening, don't lay it off on me."

Lily rose from the bed quickly, and moving towards the door.

"Lily," Buffy called, trying to stop the young girl out of pure guilt. Making no move to stop her, Buffy watched as Lily ran out the door, slamming it behind her.

Exhaling loudly, Buffy fell into the spot Lily had just left. Leaning down, Buffy rubbed her face in her hands, leaning her elbows on her knees. She felt wretched, but knew any other action would feel the same.

"So, what's the plan?" Dean asked, causing Buffy to jump in fright. During the argument, Buffy had forgotten he was there.

Turning to look at him, she expected to see judgement, or reproach. Instead, all she saw was pity. It infuriated her.

"Why are you still here?" She spat out, "I'm not the good person you think I am. I thought that would be obvious by now." The last sentence was uttered so quietly, Dean had to strain his ears to hear it, "You should leave."

"Can't do that," he replied nonchalantly, "We still have a case to solve."

"Case?"

"If there's a life sucking demon hanging around, we gotta do something about it."

Buffy sighed deeply, "I can do it alone."

"I know," he replied seriously, the short words holding weight with words unspoken.

She looked at him for a long moment, "You looked me up."

He nodded.

"So you know, I don't need help."

He nodded again.

She frowned, confused. "I don't understand."

He shrugged, "honestly, neither do I. But I want to help." He paused before adding, "Please."

"Okay," she replied simply, "We should go back to the blood bank."

Dean pushed off the wall he had been leaning against, and moved to the phone.

"Let me call Sammy, and we'll go. I gotta let him know I'll be home late or he'll freak."

It surprised Buffy when she found a small smile on her face at the admission. She wouldn't admit it to him, knowing it would blow up his ego, but she liked how close Dean was with his little brother.

After a quick conversation, and a quick explanation, they were off.

With a hard kick, the door to the blood bank burst inwards. Bits of wood chip flew in their faces at the onslaught, but they ignored it and strode inwards.

Dean whistled in amazement at the dramatic entry, which earned a small smile and humble shrug from Buffy. He had read about her strength, and expected it, but seeing a petit girl knock down a solid door, hell, it was impressive.

They moved to the counter, and started to search for any paper work they could find. Pulling a small torch from his pocket, Dean found the filing cabinet and picked the lock.

Mimicking his earlier reaction, Buffy gave a small whistle. Dean chuckled, and started to riffle through the files. It didn't take them long to find Rickie's file. Pulling it out, Dean handed to Buffy, who whipped it open in record speed.

A quick glance showed an almost empty information sheet. Dean felt a deep sadness as he read the summary of Rickie's life. No home, no family, and nothing to show his place in the world.

"Candidate?" Dean grunted as he reached the bottom of the sheet. Buffy looked at him from over her shoulder and then followed his gaze to the bottom of the information sheet. Unlike the rest of the document, a single word was handwritten, 'Candidate'.

"Candidate for what?" Buffy asked. She reached for a handful of random files from the cabinet, and pulled them out.

Before he could respond, the lights for the room turned on. Joan, the woman who assisted them earlier, stepped from the back office.

"What are you doing?" Joan asked with a weary tone.

Buffy looked back down at the file, "Breaking into your office and looking through your private files. Candidate for what?"

"I'm calling the police," Joan replied, moving towards the phone.

Not looking up from the file, Buffy leaned forward and ripped the phone jack out of the wall. Turning to the other files, she found a select few with the same information as Rickie's.

"You've got a whole bunch of candidates here. I wonder if any of these kids are missing like Rickie. Gosh I'll bet they are," Buffy said hotly.

"You're gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble," Joan replied, a bit of fear creeping into her voice.

Putting the files down, Buffy faced Joan, "I don't want any trouble. I just want to be alone and quiet, you know, with a chair, and a fireplace, and a tea cozy. I'm not even sure what a tea cozy is, but I want one. Instead, I get trouble. Which I am willing to share. What are you doing to these kids?"

Dean felt respect rise in him as he watched the exchange. The way Buffy held herself, dealing with the situation, it reminded him of his Dad. She moved through the situation with ease, finding what she needed, and doing what she had to do.

"Nothing!" Joan replied, letting more fear show, "I just, give him names. He likes to know who," she stumbled, "I give him the names of the healthy ones."

Buffy voice was steel as she replied, "Give them to who?" She paused, "Or, wait, give them to whom? Or maybe it's who."

With a shaking hand, Joan reached into a desk draw, and brought out a leaflet. Buffy snatched it, and had a quick look. Dean heard her curse under her breath, and threw the pamphlet back at the other woman. With a quick turn, Buffy strode from the room, heading out the front door.

Glancing at the paper on the ground, Dean frowned at the unfamiliar organisation. With another frown towards Joan, Dean jogged to catch up with Buffy.

Dean felt disgust as he looked up at the building. The words 'Family Home' hung above the worn out door. It seemed typical to him that an organisation claiming to help the needy were the ones causing the hurt.

Letting her take the lead, Dean hung back as Buffy entered the ratty room, and started to try and talk her way into the building. The two large workers didn't seem convinced, so it wasn't surprising when she pushed them aside to enter a room they had been trying to hide. Whipping the door open, Dean ran to catch up, entering the room a pace after Buffy.

The room they entered was small and stark, with beige floors and walls. It was empty of furniture, with steps that lead down to a small pool of water. If it wasn't for the murkiness of the water, it would have given the impression of a religious ceremony, but instead it seemed dark and menacing.

Kneeling beside the water, with only a thin, white dress covering her, was Lily. Standing in between them and Lily was the man from the other night, Ken.

"This is a private moment, if you could just," Ken started, before being interrupted by Buffy.

"How do you make 'em old, Ken? You feed on youth, what's the deal?" She asked almost causally.

Ken dropped his friendly demeanour instantly, a creepy smile replacing his previous friendly one.

"Do you really want to know?"

"What's going on?" Lily asked from behind Ken, her voice ringed with fear.

"Lily?" Buffy asked, noticing her for the first time.

Looking down, Dean saw Lily's hand trailing through the murky water. Without warning, she was pulled in, screaming as she fell through the water's surface.

Buffy and Dean moved forward at the same time. Buffy was stopped by Ken, who blocked her way. She grabbed him by the arms, hoping to shove him out of the way, but he resisted. Taking Ken's distraction, Dean ran forward, jumping into the liquid.

He only had a moment before Buffy and Ken joined him, tumbling in together. They hit the ground hard, and rolled away from each other.

His eyes fell on the other occupant on the floor. Lily was lying on the ground, groaning as she began to stir.

"Lily," Dean said gruffly, coming to her side, and helping her up. Buffy looked over, making sure they were alright before checking the rest of the room.

"My face," Ken remarked from the far side of the room, "Ow my face!" Rage filled his words, coming through muffled as he clutched his head in his hands. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to glue that thing on?"

He spun around to face them, his human face lying limply in his hands. The demon face underneath was red and glistening. Thick veins and scares ran across his face, giving him a grizzly, frightening appearance.

Hate shown through his eyes as he stared at the three others, his teeth pulled back in a snarl. "Guards!" He yelled. Demons, with faces matching Ken's, starting to run towards them, blocking them off from the portal.

Buffy moved to Dean and Lily, and pulled on their arms, "Come on!" She led them down a nearby corridor. They began running as the sound of pursuit came from behind them. Turning down halls and corridors, they managed to keep ahead of their foes.

"We got to find another exit, there's gotta be," Buffy said, before trailing off. The corridor they had run down came to an end, with a sheer ledge. Looking down, all three of them were stunned into silence. The floor beneath them held a prison camp/factory, in which hundreds of humans were being forced into slave labour.

Chains clung to the captives ankles as menacing demons patrolled behind them. The guards walked around with snarls, crude weapons at the ready to hand our vicious encouragement. The metal vats on which the humans slaved caused the large cavernous room to be sweltering, with red hues throwing up against the walls, causing nightmarish surrounds.

Along the back of the room were huge pillars, with human prisoners hanging from the top, obvious under some sort of additional punishment. Spot lights moving around the room gave way to horrid sights, of nightmarish material.

Plainly, they were in hell.

"Welcome to my world," Ken said from behind Buffy, "I hope you like it."

She turned to stare at him, confusion and horror plain on her face.

"You're never leaving," eHe

He said with a malicious smile. Moving faster than Buffy could anticipate, he raised a wooden cudgel, smashing her across the face brutally.

Buffy woke slowly, her eyes feeling crusty. The light burned as her lids rose, causing her to flinch and groan. With a second of awareness, Dean was beside her side.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, "He got you pretty good."

Ignoring his question, Buffy used his offered arm to help herself up.

"Lily?" She asked groggily, looking around. They were in a stone walled cell, with a large iron grill on one side of the room. She spotted the other girl quickly. The room wasn't big enough for anyone to hide.

Dean was looking in her direction too, concern written across his face. "She's not doing too good. They didn't hurt her or nothing but," he trailed off as Buffy moved closer to Lily.

"I always knew I would come here," Lily mumbled to herself, "sooner or later. I knew I belonged here."

"Where?" Buffy asked softly

Lily raised her face to stare into Buffy's eyes, helplessness and grief plain in the young girl's eyes, "Hell."

Buffy stammered in shock, "This isn't Hell.

"Isn't it?" A male voice came from the iron bars. Buffy lifted her head to see Ken smiling at them. Dean moved to put himself between the girls and the demon.

"What is Hell, but the total absence of Hope?" Ken started to preach, "The substance, the tactile proof of despair? You're right, Lily. This is where you've been heading all your life. You come from nothing, to become nothing."

Buffy leaned closer to Lily, "Don't listen to him." She whispered, but knew it did no good. Lily was staring at Ken, rapt in his words, and absorbing them fully.

"Just like Rickie," Ken finished with a cruel smile.

"Rickie," Lily repeated.

"He forgot you. It took a long time, he remembered your name years after he'd forgotten his own. But in the end," he finished with a shrug.

"Years? But-"

"Time here moves more quickly than in your dimension. A hundred long years will pass here, on Earth, just a day."

Clear thoughts swam through Buffy's mudded mind, "So you work us till we're too old, then spit us back out."

"Very good," Ken replied, before turning back to Lily, "You see, Lily, you'll die of old age before anyone wonders where you went. Not that anyone will. That's why we chose you."

"You didn't choose me," Buffy said gruffly. "Or me," Dean put in defiantly.

Ken ignored Dean, "No, but I know you, "Anne". So afraid, so pathetically determined to run away from whatever you used to be. To disappear. Congratulations. You got your wish." He smiled a sickening smile, and sauntered away.

Buffy watched him go, glaring with hate. She hated him for bringing them there, but she also hated herself for making it so easy.

Not long afterwards, the three humans were collected by a small army of demon guards. They had seen how strong the girl was, and how quick the boy. They weren't taking any chances.

They were led to a dark room with machines and iron metalwork covering the walls. Buffy was pushed to the ground as the other two were led to a group of other prisoners. Instructed to line up, Dean moved to Buffy, and helped her up. He noticed the shake in her hand's and frowned in concern.

Buffy saw the reaction and placed a hand on his forearm, "I'm fine. I've had worse."

Taking a moment more to worry, he just nodded in reply. With the knock she took, he would have expected her to stay down for days, not minutes.

"I'll take your lead," Dean whispered to her, receiving a relieved smile and grateful nod.

The guard started marching down the human line, "You work, and you live. That is all. You do not complain, or laugh, or do anything besides work. Whatever you thought, whatever you were, does not matter. You are no one now, you mean nothing."

He moved to the first prison in the line. A young boy in his late teens, he stared at the red faced demon in horror.

"Who are you?" The guard asked.

"Aaron," the boy replied in a shaky voice. The guard swung his arm suddenly and violently, taking the boy in the side of the head with a club he had been carrying. Aaron smashed to the ground, unmoving.

Buffy stared at the guard, hate burning him in her stare. She straightened her body, and readied herself.

Dean, a trained soldier, noticed the change in her body and internally grinned. He mimicked her motions, preparing his body for attack.

The guard moved along the line, coming to stand in front of Lily. "Who are you?" He asked her.

"No one," she replied meekly.

The guard smiled and moved on to the next person. All along the line, each human replied "no one", and the guard moved on. Until he got to Buffy.

"Who are you?" He asked for the sixth time.

Buffy smiled, "I'm Buffy. The vampire slayer. And you are?"

The demon swung his club. Buffy stepped forward, grabbing his arm and snapping it at the elbow. Grabbing the club, she moved it in a circle, hitting the demon right in the chin. He flew back, and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Three more demons moved forward. Buffy took on two, while Dean stepped forward to meet the other. Using the club, she bludgeoned the first, not noticing as he fell to the ground. Instead, her focus was on the second demon. Before she could attack, she noticed Dean double over as his demon punched him in the gut. Without the advantage of a weapon, he had begun to take a beating.

Kicking her second demon in the face to give her room, she yelled out, "Dean!"

He looked at her for a second, which was enough time for her to throw her club. He caught it in a swift motion, and brought it up against the demons chin.

Turning back to her own foe, Buffy didn't hesitate to push her advantage. She sent another kick to him stomach, and then floored him with a swift punch to the throat.

In the matter of seconds, four demons were down. Dean moved over to her, a slight grimace on his face. After checking him for serious injuries, Buffy turned to the rest of the group.

"Anyone who's not having fun here, follow me." She bent to pick up a new club, and then walked out of the room. It took only a second for the rest of the humans to follow, with Dean bringing up the rear.

Buffy led them through each room, keeping to the shadows as much as they could. They managed to get to a safe corner of the factory, and had a clear view of their exit. Between them and their goal were countless demon guards.

"There's no way we can get there without meeting new people. Okay, Dean, when those guards leave, and they will, you take these guys and get up there. Fast and quiet. Anybody else wants to come along, fine, but you don't stop for anything. Clear?"

"No way, sweetheart. I'm not leavin' ya." Dean replied, a stubborn look in his eyes. Buffy stared back for a moment, hoping her glare would change his mind. He didn't look away, or change his stance. With a sigh, she nodded.

"Okay, Lily. You take the others."

"You're leaving me? But-" Lily began to say with a wavering lip.

"Lily," Buffy replied firmly, "You can handle this. 'Cause I say so."

Any argument was cut off by the sounds of voices approaching. They turned in that direction, and saw the shadows of approaching guards.

"Ooh, we've gone public. Get them out. Go!"

Lily started to hustle, pushing the others and moving to action. She paused for a second and came back to Buffy, weak smile on her face.

"I'm sorry I said this was your fault before." The genuine warmth in her voice brought a smile to Dean's face, but it brought impatience to Buffy's.

"This can wait!"

"Well, in case we die-"

"GO!" Buffy yelled. Lily took off after her group.

The guards were getting closer. "C'mon," Buffy said to Dean as she led them to the main chamber.

"Not yet, not yet," She said to herself, much to the confusion of Dean. She reached the middle of the chamber, and looked around. With a nod of satisfaction, she said, "Here's good."

She turned to Dean, anticipation sparkling in her eyes. He paused as he watched her. The spark of battle and the twinkle of readiness in her eyes were almost beautiful. He had never seen her look so alive.

"Ready?" She asked with a small smile on her face.

He grinned back, "I was born ready, baby."

She rolled her eyes and moved forward. Without slowing, she grabbed a standing pole and swung around. With effortless grace, she slammed a guard in the face, dropping it to the ground. Dean stepped forward at almost the same time, dropping under his adversaries swing, and coming up with a hit of his own.

Bending down, Buffy retrieved another club and a twisted long knife.

With a sweet smile, she handed the blade to Dean, "I think you might need this more."

He laughed full throatily, "alright, I can admit when I'm outmatched." He took the blade gratefully.

Suddenly a siren begun to sound, blasting through the chamber. Demons all around turned toward them, finding the two humans atop a concrete bench, back to back as they waited for attack.

The attack came fast and brutally. Punches and kicks were met with brutal clubs, and warped knives and swords. Using the tools around them, Buffy threw a hammer into the face of an oncoming demon, as Dean used a saw to decapitate another.

Moving in sync, they ducked, twisted, and switched positions as they fought. With barely a word or any indication, they seemed to know what the other one needed, moving together to cover each-others back.

They began to move their fight, aware from the prisoners and into another chamber. Dean watched as he noticed humans running in the direction of safety. He prayed Lily was managing to get some out.

More and more guards left their station to fight against the interlopers. Back to back again, Dean and Buffy continued their battle, pushing the demons back one punch at a time.

From above them, Dean heard a scuffle. He looked up to see a large demon snarl as he was about to leap down at them. With quick thinking, Dean grabbed Buffy by the waist, picking her up. As he swung her away from the jumping demon, she managed to kick two more in the face. The demon landed loudly on his face.

"Demons: not that bright," Buffy quipped. Dean laughed as he looked down at her. It was only then that he noticed how close they were. He could smell the floral scent of her hair, and count the freckles across her face.

The moment was interrupted by a bellow voice from above them.

"One of you fights, and you all die!" They looked above as they stepped apart, and saw Lily being held over the balcony by Ken. He held a knife to her throat and sneered down at them hideously.

Buffy and Dean stood still, allowing a group of guards to surround and hold them.

Ken smiled and roughly pushed Lily aside.

Looking down at Buffy, Ken pointed the knife at her. His hand shook in rage, but his face was deathly calm. "That," he sneered, "was not permitted."

"Yeah, but it was fun," she replied with a grin.

"You've got guts. I think I'd like to split you open and play with them," he turned to the other humans below, "Let everyone know, this is the price of rebell-"

He was cut off by Lily quietly pushing him off the ledge.

"-ionAAAHHHHHHHHH"

He fell with a hard splat, causing Dean and Buffy to bark out identical laughs.

Almost on cue they began to attack the guards holding them. Inch by inch they fought their way to a set of stairs, taking hits and punches, but giving as much in return.

They managed to get a break and run to the pool room they entered from. In the room, Lily had gathered with six other humans. Between them and the pool there was a large metal gate.

"They'll be coming," Lily said to them fearfully.

"Hold on," Buffy replied assuredly. She ran to the gate, and squatted down, getting a good grip on it. With a large heave, she begun to move the gate upwards, "Okay," she grunted, "this works the quads, and also the gluteal."

Once there was enough room, Dean started ushering people to slide under the gate. They began to work together to escape the pool, lifting each other up and pulling the others through. Dean was the last through, urging her to hurry.

Buffy lifted it higher, making room for herself, "Man, I'm gonna feel this for-" She was cut off by a large impact against her body. She went flying as Ken tumbled to the ground underneath the gate. With a sift motion, the gate fell down, metal spikes impaling Ken's legs.

On his knees, Ken looked up at her with a bloody face, "you ruined," he managed to rasp out in a weak voice.

"Hey Ken. Wanna see my impression of Gandhi?" without waiting for a response, Buffy raised the club and swung it against Ken's head. It impacted with a sickening wet sound.

Lily stared at Ken with wide eyed horror, while Dean stared at Buffy in confusion.

"Gandhi?"

"Well, you know," she shrugged, "if he was really pissed off." She received an incredulous laugh from Dean.

They quickly exited the chamber, with Lily and Dean helping Buffy out last. Lily looked back at the pool in concern.

"What do we do about-"

Her question was cut off by the liquid in the pool disappearing, being replaced by a stone floor.

Buffy knelt back down and touched it tentatively, "It's closed. It's gone."

She waited for another moment before leading them out of the building.

"Let me give you the tour," Buffy said to Lily as they entered the apartment. Turning to the right, Buffy raised her arms and pointed to the rest of the room, "This concludes our tour."

Dean chuckled as he made his way to a corner of the room, watching the two girls expectantly.

"It's really nice," Lily replied assuredly.

"The bathroom works a good part of the time. Don't bother to flip the mattress 'cause it doesn't get any better."

"I never had a place, you know, that I wasn't sharing," She revealed shyly, embarrassed by the fact, but excited for a new home.

"Well, it's paid up through the next three weeks." She moved to the closet, and pulled out her waitressing outfit. She threw it on the bed and turned back to Lily, "I talked to Mitch at the diner and he said you could start on Thursday. He's kind of, well, repulsive," she said with a grimace, "but he won't give you a hard time. I'll be checking up on you, see how you're doing."

Lily sat down on the bed, picking up the outfit and staring in it. She seemed lost in her own thoughts, with a worried frown marring her features. "I'm not great at taking care of myself." She confessed.

"It gets easier. Takes practice," Buffy assured her. It wasn't much, but that little bit of positivity seemed to perk Lily up. She smiled at the smaller girl, before her eyes went to the name tag.

"Hey," she prompted, holding up the plastic tag, "Can I be Anne?"

Buffy smiled in warmly, honoured the girl would want to take on her name.

Looking back at the dress, Lily frowned, "I don't think I'll fit in this."

"You could wear it as a hat," Buffy joked back, earning a light hearted chuckle from Lily and Dean.

Dean and Buffy left the apartment together, their shoulders brushing as they walked out into the sunshine.

"So," Dean prompted, "what are you gunna do now?"

Buffy shrugged, the positive energy of the apartment room now long gone. "I was thinking of going home, but I, I just don't know."

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"I don't feel strong enough. Or ready, either. I did something back home, something I can't-" She cut herself off, as tears threatened to emerge. "I go back home and everything goes back to normal. Back to school, back to fighting demons, back to a life that no one understood." She breathed deeply. "The only person who got it, who got me is dead. And I'm not sure I can go back to Sunnydale without that."

They had moved away from the apartment, and were now leaning against an ally way wall. Dean looked down at her, and saw the loss in her eyes. The trepidation, and fear, that shouldn't have to be written on a face so young.

"We haven't known each other long," Dean replied, "But I don't think anyone would say you're not strong." She gave him a weak smile in appreciation. "I get it, thought," he replied, surprising her, "It's a big thing to process, the death of someone you love."

She looked at him intently, expecting disappointment or disinterest. Buffy had assumed that the only reason he had hung around was because she was pretty, young, and interesting to him. Once he knew she was emotionally unavailable, she figured he'd run for the hills. He surprised her though by displaying nothing but pity and compassion.

"Me and Sam are leavin," He put in quickly. Buffy was shocked at the amount of disappointment she felt at the statement. She hadn't decided what she was going to do, but she had taken for granted the fact the Winchester's were around. "My dad called this morning," he continued, "He's coming tomorrow, and we're off to Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Buffy asked, shocked they were traveling so far, "What's in Wyoming?"

"A hunt. A big one, apparently." He paused for a second, looking at her seriously. "We might need help."

She paused for a second, letting the words sink in. "From me?" She asked, shocked.

"Maybe," he nodded, still trying to gauge her reaction. "I'd have to call my Dad to sort it out, and you'd have to go to whatever school is in the town, but it isn't going back to normal."

"No, it's really not," she replied ponderously. Pausing, she looked at the ground, calculating her options.

"Look, Buff," Dean put in, moving closer and putting his hands on her biceps, "You need time. Time to process all the shit that's happened to you. It's not forever, and it's not an easy fix, but I don't know, think of it as a vacation or something. Slayers need that, don't they?"

She smiled widely then, a brighter smile he's ever seen from her, "A vacation? While hunting a monster in Wyoming?"

"Sure," he said with his own grin, and a shrug of his shoulders.

With one more moment of consideration, Buffy nodded her head, "Okay. Let's go."

A/N:

So thats it! Let me know what you think :)