Disclaimer: not mine

Sorry for the very long wait.

Chapter 15

Sam grinned as he pinned Dean to the training room floor only to find their positions suddenly reversed. He pushed up, trying to shift Dean, put he was well and truly restrained, he increased the strength in his pushing and yet nothing. Dean was no physically the stronger of the two of them. "Give," he finally said, relaxing, and Dean got up, offering him a hand which he took. Dean needed to know just how much he'd been changed by Gabriel and Sam was quite willing to help him test it out. He'd survived a bullet to the heart after all, what else had changed? Better to find out under controlled circumstances than in the field.

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Dean sat at the bar in Sanctuary, listening to the Howlers as he waited for Sam. Biker bars weren't really his scene but having a safe place to relax made it worth it, and the food was pretty good. He could feel it now….the others here, that they weren't human. He wished he could meet Gabriel to ask what the hell he'd done to him…well, he probably wouldn't use that name around an actual angel. It was funny, accepting pagan gods was easier than angels, despite the fact he hunted demons.

It looked like Daimon activity was picking up which wasn't good for the locals or tourists. He'd taken to helping out, patrolling separately to Sam and then meeting up with him for a final sweep for the night. So far, nothing had been said about him living with Sam, nothing from the Squire Council or Artemis. Ash wouldn't say anything and had even suggested putting Dean on the payroll to ensure no one tried anything but for now they were holding off on that. However, his criminal record had been dealt with which was wonderful. He could now get a job, go back to school, catch a plane (not that he ever would, he hated flying), anything any other normal citizen could.

"Need a refill?"

Dean looked up and smiled at Cherise Gautier. "Sure, thanks." He liked her; she was a great lady. Sam had introduced him to her son, Nick, a Squire. He sipped the bear, grinning when Sam walked in, waving at him. Sam walked over and took the seat next to him, nodding when Cherise passed him a bottle. They stayed for a while before heading out for their last round of the night.

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"Die, Daimon snot!" she snarled at him an instant before she stabbed him straight in the chest. She pulled the dagger out instantly.

Valerius hissed and staggered back as pain ripped through his heart. He clutched at his chest, unable to think past the agony of it.

Tabitha bit her lip in terror as she saw the man recoil and not explode into dust. "Oh, shit," she breathed, rushing to his side. "Please tell me you're some screwed-up Dark-Hunter and that I didn't just kill an accountant or lawyer," she begged as he hit the street hard.

Tabitha rolled him over onto his back and checked his breathing. His eyes were partially opened, but he wasn't speaking. He held his jaw clamped firmly shut as he groaned deep in his throat. Terrified, she still wasn't sure who she had mistakenly stabbed. Her heart hammering, she pulled up his turtle-neck to see the nasty-looking stab wound in the centre of his chest. And then she saw what she had hoped for...

He had a bow and arrow brand above his right hipbone.

"Oh, thank God," she breathed as relief poured through her. He was in fact a Dark-Hunter and not some unfortunate human. She grabbed her phone and called Acheron to let him know one of his men had been hurt, but he didn't answer.

So she started dialling her sister Amanda until her common sense returned. There were only four Dark-Hunters in this city. Ash who led them. Shemu'el, an ancient Egyptian who she hadn't met though she'd heard about him and this man was too tall for him. The former pirate captain, Jean-Luc. And...

Valerius Magnus. He was one of only two of the Dark-Hunters in New Orleans she didn't know personally. And he was the mortal enemy of her brother-in-law.

She hit the cancel button on her phone. Kyrian would kill this man in a heartbeat and bring the wrath of Artemis down fully upon his head. In return, the goddess would kill Kyrian for it and that was the last thing Tabitha wanted. Her sister would die if anything happened to her husband.

Come to think of it, if half of what Kyrian said about this man and his family was true, she should just leave him here and let him die.

But then Ash would never forgive her if she did that to one of his men. Besides she couldn't leave him here, not even she was that heartless. Like it or not, he had saved her life and she was honour-bound to return the favour.

Tabitha scrolled through the contacts until she found the number she was looking for and hit dial.

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Is this Shemu'el?" she asked, hoping it was him.

"Who is this?"

"Tabitha Devereaux, my brother-in-law is Kyrian of Thrace and Ash is a friend. I'm in the old courtyard off Royal Street with a man down and I need help. Since you answered your phone, Ash gave me the number, I have to assume it's Valerius. I uh…may have mistaken him for a Daimon," she explained quickly, dawn wasn't that far away.

"I won't make it in time to get the two of us to safety. Did you call Ash?"

"No answer."

"Alright, I'm sending a friend. Don't stab him, he's blonde but not a Daimon." With that he hung up and she put her phone away before bending to drag Valerius deeper into the shadows. Hopefully, he would really send help and not leave Valerius for the sun.

Ten minutes later she heard a car pull in and someone get out, soft, deliberate footsteps approaching. "I'm not a Daimon so please don't stab me," a male voice called out. "Shemu'el sent me." He stepped into sight and she knew why she'd been warned. He was tall and blonde, though his eyes were green, and he was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. He was attractive but…not quite to the level of an Apollite or Daimon. Something about him felt…different, but not evil. So she stepped into view and he nodded. "Miss Devereaux?"

"Tabitha," she corrected.

"Dean, let's get him to safety before he ends up extra crispy," he offered, and she moved to show him where Valerius lay. Dean knelt down and winced when he saw the hole in his shirt.

"Are you a Squire?" she asked as he got his hands under Valerius' shoulders and heaved him up.

"Not exactly," he answered as they moved to the waiting car. "Where are we taking him? Sam didn't know his address."

"Sam?" She asked in confusion.

"Unlike some, Shemu'el can move with the times. Samuel is a more modern version of his name."

"Huh, not stark in the dark ages huh?" She grinned and Dean laughed.

"Try 18th Dynasty."

"Wow, not my area. I studied Greece and Rome, so did most of my family with an interest in history."

"I haven't studied any of them," he shrugged as he hauled him into the car. "So, location? Can't take him home with me, he and Sam will drain each other."

"Guess that leaves my place, I have a shop on Bourbon Street with rooms above."

"Okay, get in," he got in and she followed into the front passenger seat. Dean drove over, having to use the street behind since Bourbon was closed to traffic after dark. The horizon was beginning to lighten as she opened the door and led the way upstairs, quickly closing all the blinds. Dean lay him on the bed and yanked his shoes off. Valerius groaned, eyes fluttering open slightly. "Easy, you're safe, well I think," Dean glanced up at her and she sighed.

"I promise, I won't stab him again," she rolled her eyes and Dean nodded.

"Alright, what about his Squire?"

"Not answering. He can spend the day here and head home once the sun's down. Thanks…for the help."

"No problem," he glanced around. "Got a pen and paper?" he asked, and she grabbed some, watching him write. "My number, call me if you need anything."

"Why were you and Sam willing to help him, none of the others will."

"As Sam put it, the past is the past, it doesn't matter now. Egypt, Greece, Rome, they're all long gone and holding a grudge over things that are literally ancient history. Besides, I read the handbook, Valerius wasn't even ten when Kyrian died, there was nothing he could have done."

"I see…well thanks for the help."

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Valerius would never understand this woman or her strangeness. In the back of his mind was an image of Tabitha in the slinky black negligee he'd found under her pillow. The image haunted him. "I would love to go home with you, Tabitha," he said. "But I can't right now. I have to do my job."

She smiled, then kissed him again so passionately that it made his entire body sizzle. Pulling back, she breathed in his ear. "And that makes me want you even more." He shivered as she delivered one long, sensuous lick to his lobe. "When the dawn comes, I'm going to make you scream in pleasure."

His groin jerked in eager anticipation. "Promise?" The word was out before he could stop it.

She took a step back and let her hand fall from his face to his chest where she traced a path to his belt. He burned in the wake of her touch. "Oh yeah, baby," she said teasingly. "I intend to squeeze you until you pop."

That thought alone was enough to turn his blood into lava. He couldn't suppress the fantasy of Tabitha's long legs wrapped around his hips, her body warm and wet as she welcomed him in. He pulled her close to him so that he could kiss her even though they stood in the middle of the street. He'd never done anything so lowborn. Nor had he ever enjoyed anything more than the taste of her lips. Her spicy-sweet scent invaded his senses and made his entire body burn for her. This was going to be the longest night of his life. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly stepped away from her. "So where should we start patrolling?"

"You're not going to try and force me home?"

"Could I?" He didn't believe for a second she would do so if he suggested it.

"Not bloody likely."

"Then where should we start patrolling?" he asked again.

Tabitha laughed. "Aren't you a little overdressed for stalking the undead?"

"Not really. It's rather fitting, don't you think, that I should look like I'm going to a funeral?"

She laughed at his morbid sense of humour. "I suppose. Do you always wear a suit?"

"I'm most comfortable in one. I'm not really a jeans and T-shirt sort of man."

"Yeah, I imagine you look like I do whenever I have to wear a suit. Itchy." Tabitha indicated the street with a tilt of her head. "Shall we?"

"Do we have to do Bourbon? Can't we go down Chartres or Royal?"

"Bourbon's where the crowd is."

"But the Daimons like to kill over by the Cathedral." He was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with Bourbon Street?" she demanded warily.

"There are lots of unsavoury people there," he responded stiffly, not wanting to get into it.

Now that offended her. "Excuse me, I live on Bourbon. So you're calling me unsavoury?"

"No. Not exactly. But you do own a sex shop."

That set off her hackles even more. "Oh! That's it. Nothing for you tonight, Count Penicula. You can go roast your own-"

"Tabitha, please. I don't like Bourbon Street."

"Fine," she said sharply as she stalked away from him. "You go that way. I'm headed this way."

Valerius clenched his teeth as she left him standing there. He truly hated to step one foot into this area. It was bright, loud, and filled with people who hated his guts. Just go. Forget her. He should. He really should, but he couldn't. Before he could stop himself, he headed off after Tabitha. By the time he caught up to her, she was already on Bourbon Street.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as he came up beside her. "I would hate to sully you."

"Tabitha, please stay with me. I didn't mean to offend you."

She turned on him with a curled lip. The instant Tabitha opened her mouth to let him have it, someone tossed a bucket of foul-smelling water from over a balcony and doused Valerius.

He went ramrod stiff while she frowned, then looked up to see Charlie, one of the doormen for the Belle Queen strip club, laughing. He set the bucket up and high-fived another man standing beside him.

"Charlie Laroux, what the hell are you doing?" Tabitha yelled up at them.

"Me?" he asked indignantly. "Since when are you hanging out with enemies? Nick done told us all about that ass-wipe and I promised Nick that if I ever caught Dick on our street again, I'd make him regret it."

Tabitha couldn't have been more stunned had Charlie slapped her. She looked at Valerius, who'd taken a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his face while that angry tic worked in his jaw. "I swear, Charlie, if you were down here, I'd wring your neck."

"Why? You know our code, Tabby. Why you violating it?"

"Because there's nothing wrong with Val other than the fact that Nick needs to get a life. Just you wait, Charlie. I'm going to have a nice long talk with Brandy and when I finish with her, you'll be lucky if she lets you park your car in her driveway to sleep in it." Brandy was Charlie's girlfriend, a regular customer in Tabitha's shop.

Charlie went pale while she reached to take Valerius' arm. She pulled him across the street, toward her store.

"I can't believe them!" she snarled.

"It's why I hate this street," he said in an emotionless voice. "Every time I come here; I end up walking the gauntlet through Nick's friends."

"That asshole!" Tabitha had never been more furious in her life. She led him into her store and didn't even stop to chitchat with her employee. She took him upstairs to her bathroom and grabbed a towel and washcloth from the closet. "Go ahead and take a bath. I'll borrow some clothes from my roomie."

He went pale. "No offense, but silver sequins and pastels are not my style."

She smiled in spite of herself. "I won't borrow from Marla; I'll borrow from Marlon."

"Marlon?"

"Her alter ego. He doesn't visit here much, but she keeps a few of his things for whenever he feels the need to come out."

"I don't think I quite understand."

"Go bathe," she said, urging him into the room.

Valerius didn't argue. The fetid stench of the water was truly unbearable. He was just grateful that Tabitha was willing to tolerate him long enough to allow him to clean up. He'd barely stripped his clothes off and entered the shower before the door opened. Valerius froze.

"It's just me," Tabitha said from the other side of the shower curtain. "I found a pair of black slacks and sedate black shirt for you. The pants are probably a little too big in the waist, but they should be long enough. I'm not sure about the shirt. You might end up wearing one of my tees."

"Thank you," he said.

Before he realized what she was doing, the curtain opened to show her standing outside with a hungry look on her face. "You're welcome."

Valerius didn't move as he stood facing her with the hot water sliding down his spine. Her bold, intense stare made his body harden against his will.

She didn't seem to mind at all. Indeed, a small smile spread across her face.

"Do you always spy on your guests?" he asked quietly.

"Never, but I couldn't resist getting a peek at what I intend to savory later."

"Are you always this brazen?"

"Honestly?"

He nodded.

"No, I'm not normally quite this obnoxious and you're the last man on the planet I should be considering. But I can't seem to help myself."

Valerius reached out to touch her. She really was too good to be true. "I've never known anyone like you."

She covered his hand with hers, then turned her face to kiss his palm. "Hurry and shower. We have work to do." She pulled away and he felt her absence immediately.

What was it about her? Unwilling to think about it, he quickly bathed, then dressed. He found Tabitha in her bedroom, sitting in the chair and flipping through one of her books.

Tabitha looked up as she felt Valerius' presence. He stood silently in the doorway. He appeared to be completely in his element, except for the clothes that didn't quite fit. Getting up, she offered him a kind smile. Once she reached him, she unbuttoned the cuffs of the sleeves that were a little too short for his arms and rolled them back on his forearms. Then she untucked his shirt.

"I know it's not your style, but it looks much better this way."

"Are you certain?"

He looked delectable. "Oh yeah."

He held a long, retractable sword in his hand. "The only problem is if I don't have long sleeves, I can't wear this."

Tabitha sucked her breath in at the quality of his weapon. "Very nice piece of work. Is it Kell's?" she asked. Kell was a Dark-Hunter stationed out in Dallas who made a lot of the heavy weapons the Dark-Hunters used.

"No," he said with a deep breath. "Kell doesn't deal with anyone from Rome."

"Excuse me?"

He took the weapon from her. "He's from Dacia and his people waged war against mine. He and his brothers were captured and taken to Rome to be gladiators. Two thousand years later, he's still rather upset at all of us."

"Okay, I've had it with this. Why doesn't Ash stop them from treating all of you like dirt?"

"How can he stop it?"

"Beat some sense into them?"

"It wouldn't work. My brethren and I have learned to just leave the rest of them alone. We're few in number and there's no need in even arguing."

Tabitha growled. "Fine, let them all rot then. Though you should know, when I stabbed you I called the only other Dark Hunter I could, and he sent a friend to help get you back here. Shemu'el said the grudges between Greeks and Romans are stupid basically. His friend Dean seems to agree. I agree with them."

He was shocked by that; he had wondered how she had gotten him to the store. Knowing that another Hunter had sent aid when none ever had before. He hadn't exactly been polite the first time they met…though Shemu'el had aided him in that fight. He shrugged it off, they needed to get to work, he could consider things later. Valerius placed his sword on her dresser and left it there before the two of them went back outside.

Tabitha quickly led him away from the sidewalks so that no one else could toss a bucket at them and kept her arm wrapped around his. "You know, I don't see how you can do your duties with Zarek taking pot-shots at you from Olympus and the rest of the losers on the street gunning for you."

"I learned quickly to avoid Bourbon Street and leave it for Talon or now Jean-Luc to patrol while I take the areas where no one knows Nick," he admitted stiffly.

"And Zarek?" She pressed. He didn't comment. They turned down Dumaine Street. Neither spoke. They hadn't gone far when Tabitha felt a weird sensation whip through her. "Daimons," she whispered, unaware she had spoken until Valerius let go of her.

He pulled a dagger from his pocket as he turned around in the street as if trying to catch a scent. There was nothing.

Tabitha could feel the evil presence, but she couldn't pinpoint it either.

Something whistled before an unexpected wind danced down the street. It carried the sound of faint, maniacal laughter. "Tabitha..."

Her blood ran cold at the sound of her name whispered out of darkness.

"We're coming for you, little girl." The laughter echoed loudly, then faded into nothing.

Terrified, Tabitha couldn't breathe.

"Where are you?" Valerius called. No one answered. Valerius wrapped Tabitha in his arms as he reached out with every sense he possessed, but could find no trace of who or what had spoken.

"Tabitha?"

Valerius turned sharply at the sound of a voice directly behind him.

It wasn't human. Nor was it Daimon. It was a spirit. A ghost. It opened its mouth as if to scream, then evaporated into an eerie mist that ran over and through her, leaving her body completely cold. It was as if something had actually brushed her soul.

Valerius could feel Tabitha shaking, but to her credit, she didn't scream or lose control of herself.

"Is it gone?" she asked.

"I think so." At least he no longer felt it.

"What was that thing?" she asked with a tiny trace of hysteria in her voice.

"I'm not sure. Did you recognize it or the voice?"

She shook her head.

A human scream rang out.

Valerius let go of her so that he could run toward the sound. He knew Tabitha was right behind him and he made sure he kept her there. The last thing he wanted was to leave her behind for that thing to attack. It didn't take long to reach the small, dark alcove where the scream had originated. Unfortunately, they were too late. A body lay on the street in a heap.

"Stay back," he told Tabitha as he inched closer to it.

Tabitha started to argue, but didn't really want to see what was obvious. To be honest, she'd seen more than her share of dead bodies.

Valerius knelt down and felt for a pulse. "He's dead," he said.

Tabitha crossed herself, then glanced away. As her gaze touched on the building, she frowned. There on the old faded brick was bloody Greek writing. Tabitha could speak the language, but couldn't read the Greek words. "Do you know what that says?"

Valerius looked up. His face turned to stone. "It says, 'Death to those who meddle.'"

As soon as he read it, the words vanished. She swallowed as a new wave of panic swept through her. "What is going on here, Val?"

"I don't know," he said before he pulled out his phone and called Tate, the parish coroner who was a long-time friend of the Dark-Hunters.

"I'm surprised Tate will talk to you," she said after Valerius hung up.

"He doesn't like me, but after Ash had a talk with him, he's learned to tolerate me." Valerius re-joined her. "We better go before Tate arrives with the police."

"Yeah," she said, feeling sick to her stomach. "Do you think we should call Ash and tell him what happened?"

"We don't really know what happened. There wasn't enough time for a Daimon to kill him and steal his soul."

"So what does that mean?"

"Have you or your sister conjured up anything?"

"No!" she said indignantly. "We know better."

"Well, something seems to have your number, Tabitha, and until we find out what it is, I don't think I should let you out of my sight."

Tabitha couldn't agree more. In all honesty, she didn't want to be out of his sight. Not if that... thing was going to come back. "Tell me something, Val. Are Dark-Hunters any good against ghosts?"

"Honestly?"

She nodded.

"Not a damn bit. In fact, if we're not careful, we can become possessed by them."

She went cold at his words. "Are you telling me that if that spook comes back, he could take you over?"

Valerius nodded. "And God help you and the rest of this city if it does."

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Dean winced in sympathy as he carefully cleaned the wound on Sam's shoulder and back where he'd been cut by a sword. "I thought you said Mardi Gras was the crazy time?"

"These Daimons are different," Sam admitted as Dean finished. "These ones aren't running from us."

"Yeah, I noticed," Dean admitted. He was glad he was no longer mostly human or else he'd be a lot more injured than Sam. "They're faster and stronger too, with training."

"I've got a really bad feeling Dean, there is something very wrong with what's happening. Something evil."

"I know," Dean whispered. "I…I can feel it, like something cold. Guess that's the advantage to being brought back by an angel. Something really wants a lot of people dead."

"They're hitting us from every side they can, wearing us down."

"If these were the usual weaklings I'd say slip word to hunters through Bobby about some mutant vampires or something. But not with these things." They could use the extra manpower, but human hunters would get killed since they couldn't tell them exactly what they were facing. "Come on, you need to get some sleep to heal." Dean urged Sam to his bedroom to sleep for the day.

Sam stripped down and Dean got him settled, sitting down on the edge of the bed when Sam grabbed his wrist. "Stay?" he mumbled, already falling asleep and Dean kicked his shoes off, lying on top of the sheet to get some rest as well.

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Sam paused as Ash's phone rang, nodding when Dean put a mug of coffee down beside him. He couldn't be addicted to anything, but he still enjoyed coffee. Dean leant against the counter with his own mug, the gash on his face healing before their eyes, the fact it was still healing half an hour later proved how bad it had been. They both saw Ash jerk in surprise and then Dean yelped as the counter was gone from behind him and Sam stumbled as he went from sitting to standing.

""What?" Ash asked and Sam recognised Valerius, which made the woman Tabitha.

Tabitha froze for a second as she realized what Ash had just done. He really was scary at times. She hung up the phone again and repeated everything, including details about the ghost they'd seen the night before.

Ash got a faraway look in his eyes, tilting his head as if listening to someone.

"Can you see her death?" she asked him.

Ash stood there, his heart thumping wildly as he tried to clear the mist that surrounded Amanda and Kyrian's future. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. Dammit. It was why he did his best never to let anyone too close to him. Anytime he allowed himself to care about someone or they were a part of his own future, he was blind to their destinies. There was nothing but blackness where Kyrian and Amanda were concerned, and he hated that most of all.

"Talk to me, Ash."

He looked back at Tabitha and heard and felt the fear and panic in her mind. Her thoughts that rambled as she sought a comfort he couldn't give. Even her future was forbidden to him now. "Her destiny was to be happy," he said quietly. But the key word to that statement was 'was'. Free will could, and often did, alter fate. What had changed? Something must have and Amanda had glimpsed it in her sleep. He held enough belief in Amanda's powers not to doubt her in the least If she foresaw their deaths, then it was a likely outcome unless he could find the cause and change it before it was too late. "Are you getting anything Sam?" he looked to one of the best of his men at sensing the future other than himself. Ash closed his eyes as he let himself feel the minds of the humans. He searched for what could possibly change Amanda's fate, but he found nothing. Nothing. Dammit!

Sam closed his eyes focusing his powers, trying to find anything. he opened his eyes and looked at Tabitha. "I need to touch your hand please, you're twins right?" he asked, and Tabitha nodded, glancing at Ash who nodded so she held out her hand to him and Sam took it. Sam frowned as he focused all his talents on getting some sort of read on what would happen. Precognition, Clairsentience and Presentience when used together could give him a lot of information. "There's danger centred on the whole family…especially the twins…something so angry at them…at Kyrian…dead but not dead…" Sam shook his head as he lost it, letting go of her hand and stepping back.

Dean forcing the coffee he'd still been holding into his hands. Dean tended to dump sugar in his and Sam could use it, he looked wiped. Sam leant against Dean, feeling his powers draining due to Valerius.

"Tell me exactly what happened last night," Ash said to Tabitha. Tabitha related the whole scene with the ghost while Valerius filled in a few details. "Urian!" Ash called, summoning his Spathi contact.

Tabitha frowned. Ash was acting very strange and she could sense his worry. "Who's Urian?"

Before she finished the question another tall, insanely handsome man appeared in her kitchen. Dressed in black leather pants and a black shirt, he had white-blond hair and blue eyes.

He looked less than pleased as he narrowed those baby blues on Ash. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, Ash. I don't care who you are, I don't like it."

"Like it or not, I need to know what the Spathis are up to. More precisely, I need to know if Desiderius is back on the playing field."

Horror filled her.

Urian curled his lip. "Why are you worried about him? Des is a punk."

"Desiderius is dead," Tabitha said emphatically. "Kyrian killed him."

Urian scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny-see my fluffy tail? You don't just kill a Spathi, little girl. All you do is take him out of commission for a while."

"Bullshit!" Tabitha snarled.

"No, Tabitha," Ash said, gentling his voice. "Desiderius's essence was released. But if one of his brethren or children wanted to bring him back, they could. It's not easy to do, but it is possible."

She was aghast that Ash had kept something this important from them. "Why didn't you ever tell us this?"

"Because I was hoping it wouldn't happen."

"Hoping?" Tabitha shrieked. "Please tell me you weren't pinning my sister's life and Kyrian's on a hope."

Ash didn't answer.

Meanwhile the true significance of the last few days settled fully on her shoulders. "So those really were Spathis I fought the night I met Valerius."

Urian snorted. "Trust me, little girl, you must have faced the neophytes. Had those been true Spathis, you'd both be dead now."

His arrogance was seriously starting to piss her off. Just who was this jerk anyway? "How do you know so much about them, Dr. Intellect?"

"I used to be one."

Her fury breaking, Tabitha rushed him.

Sam caught her and pulled her back. He lifted her up off the floor. Tabitha kicked and cursed as she struggled to reach Urian, who watched her with a smirk.

"Easy, calm down," he urged, his hold enough to restrain without hurting. "He's right, the old Spathi would have killed you the other night."

"A Hunter with brains huh?" Urian looked him over.

"Old enough to have met some," Sam corrected.

Urian frowned and then his eyes widened. "You wouldn't happen to be Egyptian?" Sam smirked and Urian looked from him to Acheron. "You're the infamous Archivist, aren't you?"

"Who?" Valerius looked to Ash.

"Who do you think kept the records before the Squires Council really came together?" Urian asked rhetorically as Sam released Tabitha who stepped back to stand with Valerius. "Daimons hunted for him for centuries. All that information on Dark Hunter movements, powers… all hidden with the one Dark Hunter who would rather read a book than fight. The child of merchants, killed for defending his sister from a government official."

"That's enough," Ash snapped, seeing Sam's eyes narrow at the mention of his long dead sister. "Urian is on our side now. Believe me, he has paid for his allegiance to the other side more than you will ever know," he told Tabby as Dean pressed his shoulder to Sam's.

Yeah, right. "How could you bring a Daimon into my house after what they did to me? To my family?" she demanded.

"Oh, I'm not a Daimon anymore, little girl," Urian said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "If I were-"

"You'd be dead," Valerius said, cutting him off with a sinister tone. "By my hand."

Urian laughed. "Yeah, right." He looked at Ash. "The arrogance of your Hunters truly knows no bounds. You should spend more time educating them about us, Ash. Or let him do the teaching," he motioned to Sam.

"I need you to go in and find out what's going on. Are there any left who might still be loyal to you?"

The Daimon shrugged. "I can probably dredge up a flunky or two. But..." Urian's gaze went to Tabitha. "If Des really is back, he'll want to finish what he started. May the gods help you all if he has been reincarnated. It's going to get bloody in New Orleans."

"Who would want to bring that monster back?" Tabitha asked.

"His children," Urian and Ash said simultaneously.

Tabitha still couldn't believe what she was hearing. But as she seethed, Urian's face finally looked compassionate. Haunted.

When he spoke, the arrogance was gone from his voice. "Trust me, it's hard to let go of the loyalty you feel to a father who saved you from dying a horrible death at twenty-seven." Something in his tone said he spoke from experience.

"Is your loyalty to your father?" she asked.

Urian's face turned to stone. "I would have done anything for my father until the day he killed me and took from me the only thing that meant more to me more than my life. Any bonds I felt for that man were shattered instantly." He looked at Ash. "I'll see what I can find out."

A bright orange engulfed Urian an instant before he flashed out of her kitchen. Even so, his malevolence still clung to the air around them.

"Archivist?" Valerius looked to the other Hunter who shrugged.

"Someone needed to keep the records and while there were squires around they were nowhere near as organised as they would be later. I was used to keeping records and books from my Father's business. I lived on the move to stay ahead of the Daimons."

"How old are you?" Tabitha asked, curious, and Sam shrugged.

"Somewhere around three and a half thousand years. There are older, like Callabrax and Kyros."

"They were all soldiers and warriors, Shemu'el was one of the few with a more academic and economic mindset, which made him the better choice," Acheron added before looking Valerius and Tabitha. "While Urian is busy, I need for the two of you to stay together and watch each other's backs. Desiderius is the son of Dionysus, and Dionysus is still upset at me over what happened at Mardi Gras three years ago. I don't think he's stupid enough to help Desiderius, but I wouldn't put anything past either one of them."

He looked meaningfully at Tabitha. "Even if Daddy doesn't help him, Desiderius still has a lot of god powers that can be deadly, as you no doubt remember."

"Yeah," she said sarcastically as she recalled the way he and his Daimons had cut through her and her friends as if they were straw. "I remember."

He looked at Valerius. "Desiderius can manipulate people. Possess them, if you will. Tabitha is stubborn enough that the only thing that can possess her is the spirit of chocolate. We're lucky there. But Marla could be swayed. Otto should be safe. But the rest of your staff... you might want to think about giving them some time off."

By the look on Valerius' face, Tabitha could tell he'd rather be dead. "I can handle them."

"You have to sleep sometime. One of the servants could easily break into your bedroom and kill you. I don't think any of them love you so much that they will hesitate over Desiderius's orders the way Kyrian's cook did."

Valerius' nostrils flared.

Ash ignored the pain that Tabitha felt from Valerius. "I need you two together on this. I have to go warn Janice and Jean-Luc about what's up." He turned to face her. "Tabitha, pack a bag and move in with Valerius for a while."

"What about my store?"

"Have Marla watch over it for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, but-"

"I can check in on it to," Dean offered, and Ash nodded, thanks to Gabriel's work, Dean would be safe.

Ash's features hardened. "Don't argue with me, Tabitha. Desiderius is a major power with one hell of a grudge against you, your sister, and Kyrian. He's not going to be playing with the three of you this time. He's going to kill you."

Normally, she would argue with him just for spite. But she knew that tone of voice. No one argued with Ash for long. "Fine."

"You have your orders, General," Ash said sternly to Valerius. Valerius gave him a rather sarcastic Roman salute. Rolling his eyes, Ash flashed out of the room, taking Sam and Dean with him.

"Well, that went well," Dean offered, and Sam shook his head while Ash found himself chuckling at the deadpan delivery.

"Be careful Dean, while he can't possess you, we don't know how much damage a Godbolt will do to you."

"Understood." Dean put the now empty mug in the sink. "Should I get Bobby to put a warning out to my kind of Hunters to stear clear of the city for now?"

"Last thing we need is the death toll getting higher because they think they can handle it."

"Alright, we heading out again?"

"Stay in for the rest of the night," Ash ordered before leaving.

"Research?" Dean asked and Sam nodded. They needed to know everything they could about Spathi, Desiderius, and anything else that might be relevant to what was happening.

TBC…