Head First

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke

Summary: After a rendezvous in Los Angeles, Dean discovers something that will forever change his life… A daughter…

Spoilers: Post "Chosen" for Buffy and now post "Shadow" for Supernatural!

Author's Note: I've decided to end this here. That decision may or may not last.

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Short Story Long

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'I've run the gamut of the supernatural, before meeting you all, anyway, I think I can handle a teenager for a few weeks. Sammy turned out okay.'

Dawn was pretty sure Dean was eating his words right about now. Refraining from smiling, she lazily flipped through her magazine. She wasn't really focusing on the articles, or even the pictures, she was just trying to waste time until Mari came back in the room. She and her niece decided to test Dean's words by pushing every fatherly button he had.

Minutes prior to Dawn looking at her magazine, she and Mari were playing dress up, or what they had called, "give Dean a heart attack". Both young women had asked willing slayers if they had any clothes that fit Mari's, now grown up, body. The one requirement? The skankish the better. More than willing to help the two, Mari was set on clothes and had taken her findings back to Dawn's room where they found the perfect outfit for her dad.

Brought out of her thoughts by the door slamming against the wall, Mari ran in the room, jumped for the bed and landed face first. Blindly searching for a pillow, Mari found what she was looking for and covered her head with it.

Thinking about what to say, Dawn thought about what it was like for her at Mari's age. Even after finding out about her being the Key, and proving her worth, but before leaving Sunnydale, the Scoobies had continued to shelter Dawn and treat her like a kid. She knew saying the wrong thing to Mari would make her a bit of hypocrite, so she decided on another route.

"So he loved the outfit, then?"

"Beyond loved it," Mari's voice was muffled due to the pillow over her head.

Sarcasm must run in the family, Dawn figured.

Looking again at Mari's outfit, Dawn tried to figure out just what piece of clothing set Dean off. Could it have been the thigh length white mini skirt? It could have been. Could it have been the navy blue crop top that showed off her assets? Perhaps. Could it have been the fact Mari purposely wore a dark colored thong to show through the white skirt? Probably.

"His first reaction was priceless, his jaw actually dropped, like in the cartoons, y'know?" she spoke again. She at least had the decency to remove the pillow and sit up, and now leaned against the headboard, the pillow in her lap.

"Wish I could have gotten that on cam--" She stopped short when Mari pulled threw her a digital camera. "I knew there was a reason you were my favorite niece."

"I'm only your niece, Dawn," Mari rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway.

"What happened afterward?" Dawn's eyes were busy looking through the camera, laughing softly at seeing Dean's face, jaw actually hitting the table he was sitting at.

"Well, mom seemed upset, but I think she got the joke cause she started laughing. Willow rolled her eyes, but didn't seem mad. Uncle Sam blushed and looked anywhere but at me," she giggled at the memory. "Faith said something about taking me to a bar with her and teaching me to get guys to do whatever I wanted them to do and that's what got Dad going."

It was no secret that Faith and Dean got along like Buffy and cars; it just didn't happen. And everyone was sure Faith and Dean would get along, and some even figured if Buffy hadn't already had Dean's child, then he and Faith would be bumpin' uglies. But Dawn had a few ideas as to why they didn't see eye to eye, one of which being Mari. While both Dean and Faith were wild, it was clear he didn't want Faith's wild side to affect Faith. If he could attempt to tone it down, he expected Faith to do the same. What Dean didn't understand was that, in the few short weeks he stayed with them, Faith was toning it down.

"He started going on and on about how no child of his was gonna be going to any bars until I was thirty," Mari continued. "You'd think Faith not so kindly reminding him that since he was absent for my birth and all the years afterward made him my father and not my dad would have shut him up, but nope, he kept going."

"I'm sure he didn't like that," Dawn frowned. She'd have to talk to Faith later about saying stupid things like that. Well, she'd have to struggle speaking to Faith and hope she didn't run after her with a weapon after talking to her about saying stupid things. It wasn't Dean's fault he wasn't here for Mari's childhood; he didn't know she even existed.

"I don't really think he heard it, he just kept yelling about my clothes and how with him here, things were going to change in how I was being raised, which at that point, I started yelling, cause hello, sixteen here!" She threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"You know it's only temporary, honey, right?" Dawn reminded her. Willow was sure she knew what Mari did to make her older, but she didn't want to reverse it because she didn't want to make a mistake. As one of the most powerful Wiccan's in the world, she could take down several enemies with a wave of her hand, but when having to do a spell on her best friend's child, she was a nervous wreck. She was too worried that she'd cause something else to happen, so she didn't do anything. Instead, she found that the spell would wear off in a few weeks.

They were only on week one.

"I know," Mari nodded. Pointing to herself, "This face is all with the knowing."

The language of the Scoobies was too easy to be picked up, Dawn noted. Either that or Mari was really observant and picked up on everything. She sounded very much like her mother with that simple sentence.

"Oh, and then he threw everything off the table, pulled the table cloth off and covered me with it when Andrew walked in the room."

"He does know Andrew is--"

"Guess not," Mari shrugged. "I managed to get out from the stupid thing and assert some form of independence before he said it."

"What'd he say?"

"It was something like no child of his was going to be dressed like a whore," she sniffed, trying to hold the tears in. She already cried on her run to Dawn's room, and she wasn't about to cry anymore. "I don't really know what happened next. I remember mom standing up, not happy with him, but she sat back down smirking. I'm pretty sure that's when I took him to the ground with a move Faith taught me, and then I ran here. Oh goddess, I attacked my own dad."

Reassure Mari with a hug, Dawn made sure she knew that what she did was not her fault, and Dean totally deserved everything he got. Making sure she was comfortable, Dawn left her room and headed for the others, trying to figure out just how she was going to approach Dean about this.

--

Learning that her daughter was now a teenager, at least for a few weeks, she could handle. Trying to remember not to baby her daughter for these few weeks, she could handle. Watching her daughter dress inappropriately to scare her dad, she could handle. Hearing Dean basically calling their daughter a whore, and having her daughter throw Dean to the floor, she could handle.

But what was it she couldn't handle? Absolutely nothing.

For the first time in a long time, Buffy Summers had finally found her definition of normal. She helped to run an entire school of slayers, while still finding down time with her best friends and sister, Dawn. She had a daughter who she loved very much and would gladly take down anyone and anything who tried to take her away, and she was mending her relationship with the father of her daughter. And she still managed to kick demon butt at least every Tuesday.

Yes, life was good, and normal.

She was vaguely aware of Dawn walking in the room during her thinking.

"How long has he been like that?" Dawn directed her gaze from Dean, on the floor, to Buffy.

"Since Mari put him there," Buffy answered, and with awe in her voice, "So about five minutes."

Using her foot, Dawn prodded Dean's body. "Is he okay?"

"His pride sure ain't," Faith smirked. "Taken down by a teenager, who used to be a little kid, and with a move I taught her! Justice is what it is."

Bending down next to him, Dawn saw her opportunity and took it. Slapping him, Dean jerked off the floor, ready to swing when he noticed who attacked him. She knew he was awake on the floor, but she just really wanted to slap him.

"What was that for?" He finally spoke, rubbing his still stinging cheek. She may not have been slayer, but it still hurt. "She shouldn't be going around dressed like that, especially with guys--"

"What guys, Dean?" Dawn questioned. "The only ones here are you, Sam, Xander, Andrew and a bunch of old, uptight Watcher's. If they haven't gone after their slayers, they aren't gonna go after Mari. And it's not like you've given her freedom to leave the building."

"Still shouldn't be dressed like that," Dean's only argument was failing fast, and he knew it.

"Lighten up, yo. It was a joke," Faith shook her head. She needed to get out the room before she took Dean's head off.

Watching Faith leave, Dawn was glad for that confrontation to be diffused. She didn't want another bloodbath in the dining room. And what did that say about her life that she actually tacked the word "again" on the end of that sentence? She really needed a life outside of slaying if she was able to think of two other occasions in which the dining room was used during a fight.

"Really, Dean, didn't you see it?" Buffy spoke once more. "In the past week, has she ever dressed like that? You said you could handle being a dad."

"But you failed," Sam finally found his voice to speak. He was silent throughout the entire scene only because he was observing the others. Yes, when Mari walked in, he was tempted to shield her, but decided that blushing may have been better. It didn't take him long to see that she was trying to get rise out of Dean. It had worked, but Sam remained quiet. He was looking at the reactions of everyone else. This was nothing for them, having a child use magic to age herself did nothing to surprise them, and he wondered what other stories they had that they didn't share yet.

"Not you, too, Sam?" Dean frowned. "You'd just let her go out like that?"

"If she had actually meant to go out like that, I don't think anyone in this room would let her," he answered. Looking at the gathered faces, Buffy, Dawn, and Willow, he knew he was right. If Mari had even attempted to leave dressed like that, Dean wouldn't even make it to her to cover her because the rest of her family would have already done the job.

"He's right, Dean," Willow smiled. "We have been at this for a few years."

"I know."

Knowing he was defeated, Dean sat in the closest chair, which was next to Dawn. He didn't how he had managed to go from the cool, laid back guy he was to the dad from Hell. He definitely wasn't going to be winning any father of the year awards any time soon. But it had to mean something that was he was protective of her, right?

"It means that you love her, even with only knowing her a little while and she knows that. We all know that," Buffy smiled at him. He hadn't realized he spoke his last thought out loud.

"And you were right, Sam did turn out fine with you basically raising him," Dawn put a comforting arm on his shoulder, happy he didn't shrug it off. "You just have to remember, you're dealing with a female, not a male, unless Sam has something to tell us."

That, at least, got a snort out of Dean, who turned to his brother whose face turned red with all the attention

"Trust me, he's all male," Buffy said without any hint of joking, and without thinking. While everyone turned to her, Sam's already blushing face turned a darker shade.

"What the hell, how would you know?" Dean's voice turned cold, more than he hoped to use.

Realizing what she said, Buffy groaned. "Crap."

"She came in this morning, when you were in the shower," Sam managed to say.

"I forgot to knock cause we can all usually sense one another so it's kinda pointless and because I'm the luckiest slayer alive, Sam was naked."

"Why?" Dean really wanted to know. He didn't like it, but he was jealous and random stories were popping up in his head. Was Buffy waiting for Dean to be away from his brother so she could hit on Sam? Were they both already together and just laughing it up behind his back?

"I was putting on underwear when she came in," he answered, "Stop looking at me like that."

The jealousy bug was calmed a little at Sam's answer, but he was still upset that Buffy had now seen both brothers naked. Even more questions were being formed in his mind, but he kept them to himself.

"Alright, we've established that Sam is, indeed, a man, we can get back on topic," Willow took control. "Until this spell wears off, Dean, you're either gonna have to accept Mari as being a teenager, or let us take care of her while you go away somewhere."

"I'm not going anywhere," that much he knew.

Smiling back at him, Willow nodded, "I was hoping you'd say that."

"So what's the plan?"

The question came from Dawn, and Willow considered. "I think maybe you'd know the best, Dawnie. You've spent the most time with Mari, what do you think she'd want?"

While she did agree that she knew the teenage Mari the best, only because Dawn was closest in age to her within in the Scooby gang, she wasn't sure. "I know for sure she wants to spend time off grounds, and I'm thinking Dean should spend the day with her, maybe even all of us? Blood family, for sure, and I know she'd want talk Willow's ear off about magic. Xander probably wants to make her into a troublemaker, and Faith would probably spend the day training her. And, here's hoping she doesn't like comic books after Andrew gets his hands on her."

"We'd have to run this by her," Buffy piped in, "I've had many plans blow up in my face when I ran people's lives for them."

"I'll get her," Dean stood, "I've gotta say something to her."

--

The walk to Dawn's room to find Mari was one Dean could have gone without, at first. Immediately after climbing the stairs, he found several glares directed toward him. It would seem someone must have heard him yelling at his daughter and spread the gossip around. Either that or they all heard Mari talking to Dawn when she found her. He cursed slayer hearing as his thoughts slipped to what he'd say to Mari.

Besides apologizing, he needed to know what she wanted to do and he hoped he had the decency to not being upset at her trying to be independent.

Approaching the door, Dean snuck his head in and grinned when he saw Mari lying on her stomach looking at a magazine. It was hard to believe that he had a daughter, but there she was, living proof of her existence. It was even harder to believe that even though she was really four years old, she was already powerful. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but from staying at S & W United in the past few weeks, he knew she'd be cared for. He wondered if he could ever settle down with her and Buffy.

"Dad?" Mari had looked up when she felt someone at the door. Wide eyed, she sat up on her knees, trying to decide if he was going to yell some more. "I didn't mean to do it, really!"

"Hey, don't worry about it," he walked in further. "I deserved it, shouldn't have said that stuff."

"I should have told you right after that I was joking," she stood. "I mean, I only remember the first four years of my life, but I remember that mom and her friends always joke like that. I should have known to treat you and Uncle Sam different."

"Don't blame yourself," he tried stopping her. "I just shouldn't have overreacted like that. And you shouldn't change how you act. I can't get to know the real you if you censor yourself."

Never let it be said that Dean Winchester knew how to handle touching moments. He was good for maybe one or two a year and he was fresh out. Sam was the one who knew what to do and say when stuff like this happened.

"Okay," she smiled, noticing his discomfort. Walking over to him, she hugged him, her head hitting his chest. "Love you, dad."

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly. "Love you, too."

Pulling away, he smiled. "We're deciding on what to do with you until this spells wears off downstairs. Figured you want in on how to run your life."

"Oh, let's go!" she yelled, pulling his arm and racing from the room.

--

The smile Buffy radiated as soon as Dean and Mari came barreling in the room was enough that everyone on the grounds could feel it. She and Dean may not be considered a couple, she wasn't really sure what they were, but seeing her daughter and her father together made her feel…

Happy.

She was going to have to talk with Dean about the future.

While Mari pulled Dean around the table, Willow moved down, making room for the family to sit together. Dawn sat on the opposite side of Buffy, with Sam next to Dawn.

Sitting down, Mari smiled, "So, let's get decidey."

"'Decidey'?" Dean echoed. Turning toward the mother of his child, he said, "I blame that language on you."

"Blame accepted," Buffy rolled her eyes. What was wrong with the way she spoke?

"We figured, if you agreed, that you would be able to actually explore off the campus and hang out with the Scoobies and the slayers you were closest to as a kid," Dawn spoke.

"Really?" Mari squeaked. Looking at her parents, she smiled, "You're serious, and I can actually go into town?"

"Yes, sweetie, and after that, me, you and your dad should spend some family time together," Buffy answered, hugging her daughter.

"So I can do anything?"

"No clubs," Dean cut in. "Not even teen ones. Any days you go off with Faith, I'll be around."

"Dad," Mari whined. "You can trust Faith with me."

Seeing Dean's pleading eyes, Buffy stepped in, "Mari, it's not about trusting Faith with you. This woman is still around and her boss I'm sure is not happy with any of us. It's not safe for you to be alone and unprotected and we're gonna do whatever we can to stop anything from happening to you. Without being too extreme."

While she new Dean really did mean he didn't trust Faith with Mari, Buffy thought to bring up the other pressing issue, instead.

"I want a squadron of slayers at her back," Dean insisted.

"Not that extreme," Buffy frowned. Had this been years ago in Sunnydale with Dawn, she would have agreed, but that overprotective sister got left behind. Mostly. "We'll have a small team, on standby, or hanging around giving Mari breathing room."

"If I have no other choice, I'd definitely prefer that option," Mari nodded.

"It's all set then," Dean nodded. Standing and walking away, he continued, "We'll have ten slayers showing Mari around and she'll be back before sundown."

Staring after her dad, Mari glared at his back, "Did he just--"

"Oh yea," Buffy nodded. "He took command of something that was most definitely not his and is controlling your life."

"Some might call that annoying," Willow nodded.

"Or being a parent," Dawn added.

--

Knocking first, Buffy slowly pushed open the door that led to Sam and Dean's shared room. She already made that mistake once and while it wasn't exactly a bad sight to see, she'd rather not have a repeat performance. She was sure Dean was a little peeved at her for the incident.

"Hey."

His eyes were too busy reading over the book in his front of his face for him to look up and acknowledge her. She didn't need to ask what the book dealt with to know what it was about. He was searching for answers as to why his daughter was so highly sought after from this demon that plagued his family.

"You know, we have whole teams of researchers who can do this for you, and they are," she spoke.

"Not fast enough," he muttered, turning the page.

"Dean," Buffy took the book and threw it on the bed, "We need to talk."

"Are you gonna lay into me about the ten slayers comment, too?" Dean sighed.

"No, well yea, but only this, if she's really our child, she'll find a way to get around that and you know it."

"Anything else?"

He knew Buffy was right, but hey, he was stubborn and protective. What else was he going to do, actually let his daughter have freedom?

"Yes, we need to talk about us," she spoke slowly. "We need to do what's best for Mari, but also what's best for us, if that makes sense."

"What do you think is best?"

Taking a second to collect her thoughts, Buffy tried to express how she felt. "I know that when my parents got divorced and my dad came to visit me in Sunnydale, I kinda hoped he and mom would get back together. I think Mari feels the same way right now. We're both here together and it's not like we had messy break up or anything, so what's stopping us from, y' know, being together?"

Smirking, Dean relaxed in his chair, "So you do still want me, then?"

Rolling her eyes, Buffy groaned, "Why does everything have to be a jo--" he stood while she spoke, "kinda with the closeness there."

Smirking again, Dean pulled Buffy forward, her lips pressed against his. Pulling apart, "We'll just start over."

"No secrets?" Eyes staring straight at him.

"Don't get all girly on me," he snorted.

She pulled away as he leaned in again, "Well then you're in the wrong relationship then."

"Seriously, thought all you slayers liked weapons?"

"If you can get it in pink then we're set," she laughed at his face. Leaning in again, she met his lips.

Twenty minutes later, Mari found them in the exact position, along with Sam and Dawn. The news that Buffy and Dean were back together had made it through the entire campus within an hour.

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While the ending may have been rushed, remember, I may have finished the story, but I have not finished with this universe.