Fic: Gimme Shelter (5/5)
Title: Gimme Shelter
Author: Dulcedeusex
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners and I make no profit off this.
Rating: M
Fandom's: Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series
Characters: Dean Winchester, Faith Lehane, Buffy, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Gwendolyn Post, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Michael

Pairing(s): Faith/Dean

Spoilers: SPN seasons 1-4 and elements of Season 5 (most specifically post 'My Bloody Valentine' and Dean's plea for help, BtVS post-Chosen, AtS post-Not Fade Away
Summary: Five years after Faith and Dean met, fell in love and split up, Faith and Buffy share a vision involving THE apocalypse.

Author's Notes: This story is dedicated to the amazing dollarformyname, without her this would never have been published and if it had it would have been so crap! I'm also dedicating it to all the SPN/BtVS/AtS crossover writers whose works inspired me to try this in the first place.

War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away – Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

– House of the Rising Sun, Creedence Clearwater Revival

GIMME SHELTER – EPILOGUE

February 2010

Faith was standing in the old Sunnydale High library, Wesley and Gwendolyn Post sitting at a table poring over a book intently. Faith stared down at the cotton white sun-dress she was wearing and looked back over at the two Watchers.

"Faith, there you are. Why on Earth are you barefoot?" Gwendolyn said in her crisp British tone.

"Sorry. I should go and get changed."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I suppose with what we're facing it won't make a bit of difference what you're wearing," Gwendolyn brushed her off.

"Faith, take a look at these Enochian texts. They prophesise about a war between Heaven and Hell. Unlike your choice of wardrobe, I think you'll find them very relevant to what we're facing," Wesley said impatiently.

Faith took a step toward the table, and then the earth started to shake. Before she could reach out to hold onto the table, Gwendolyn Post went up in flames and Faith was standing on Glory's tower. She whipped around to look behind her and saw Buffy striding toward her purposefully. Faith knew how this was supposed to end but she wasn't going to let it happen.

"B, no! Don't take another step!" Faith yelled.

It started to rain, silver lightning searing through the sky as Buffy, dressed in grey slacks and a white sweater, stopped where Faith had told her to.

"Faith, I've gotta try. We've gotta try and save the world!" Buffy yelled over the rain.

Faith shook her head turning to face the end of the tower where two men stood. They were both tall but the shorter of the two had bow-legs that were very familiar to her.

Faith squinted into the rain, her cotton-dress getting plastered to her skin.

"Dean?"

He was holding himself in front of the taller man. Faith knew instantaneously it was Sam Winchester. She took a step closer to the two men and the tower shook and rattled under the movement.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Faith asked.

She heard the sound of a sword being freed from its scabbard and turned around just in time to see Buffy launch herself at the two brothers. Faith tried to block her path but was knocked aside. She went over the edge of the tower and fell but before she could land on the broken rocks and cement, a man with impossibly blue eyes in a trench coat caught her. The sound of large but invisible wings beating behind him was oddly comforting.

"Castiel," Faith said with recognition.

He gave her a regretful, solemn look as he flew them back up the tower. Faith's feet touched the platform just in time to see Sam fling his brother backwards and across to land at her feet. Faith reached down to help him up just as Buffy called out her name.

"B! No!" Faith screamed as she ran over to Buffy, who was being held in one spot by some invisible force. As the thunder rumbled and lightning tore the purplish-gray sky, Sam stabbed Buffy in the heart with her sword.

Faith ran towards the two figures like she was in slow motion. She could hear her heart thudding in her chest, feel her breath puffing out of her and the vibrations of the platform under her bare feet as she ran toward Buffy.

Faith got to her sister Slayer as she choked out blood. "Faith, you've gotta do it. You've got to kill Sam. He's Lucifer's true vessel."

"B, don't talk, lemme see." Faith spoke hysterically as she stroked stray strands of blonde hair off Buffy's face.

"No time for me, but you've got miles to go before you sleep," Buffy said before her body crumpled in Faith's arms.

Faith held onto Buffy's lifeless body in shock. Then, hugging it one last time, pulled the sword out of her chest. Letting Buffy's body fall over the edge she whipped around to face Sam, who was watching her with a combination of fascination and mockery.

She held her sword at the ready as Sam launched himself at her and Dean ran behind his brother screaming, "Faith! Sammy! NOOOOOOO!"

Faith ran to meet Sam head on, shoving the sword into his chest with all her might as they tumbled over the edge of the tower and into a glowing mass of energy. The pain was excruciating and just when Faith thought it was going to kill her, she tumbled to the ground in field in the middle of nowhere.

Scrambling to her feet, Faith looked around the veritable wasteland filled with corpses of angels, demons, humans and Slayerettes. Holding her sword up Faith leaned against a lone Acacia tree and vomited heavily. Her cotton-dress was stained with Buffy and Sam's blood and she was still barefoot.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Faith looked up to see Dean, or someone who looked like Dean with wings and a sword that blazed with fire every time it caught the sun.

"H-h-how?"

"My name is Michael and if you want to prevent this, I need your help." Michael spoke in a language Faith did not know but for some reason could understand.

Faith shaded her eyes, it physically hurt to look at him. "B-b-but how?"

"Dean is my true vessel but if he cannot do what needs to be done, I am going to need you."

Faith shook her head in denial. "Why me?"

Michael smiled benevolently. "Because you were chosen."

Faith tried to back away and Michael held out his hand, instantly causing her to fall to her knees.

"I've already got a gig as a Slayer, remember? And I love Dean; you can't ask me to kill his baby brother."

"Sam is Lucifer's true vessel. He cannot be allowed to live."

"So what are you going to do to me?"

Michael brought out his sword and touched its tip to her right and left shoulders before touching her forehead. Faith raised a trembling chin up to meet his eyes as he pressed his hand to her chest, causing a white-hot energy to pour out of her.

With a start, Faith wrenched herself awake, sitting up in her sweat-drenched sheets and took deep gasping breaths as she clutched her chest where Michael had touched her.

The sound of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" filtering out of her cellphone made Faith jump. Reaching out a shaky hand she flipped the phone open. It was Buffy.

"B," Faith's voice wavered with fear and relief.

"So you saw it, too."

Faith nodded to the empty room. "Yeah, I did."

"We gotta find those guys. Who were they?"

Faith sighed and swallowed convulsively, the after-effects of the vivid vision still with her. She ran a nervous hand through her hair.

"The shorter guy's an old friend. The taller one is his little brother. I'm gonna hit the shower and hop on a plane outta Turin ASAP."

She crawled out of bed and stomped into her bathroom, opening the shower faucet as she spoke.

"Is the seal secured?" Buffy asked in her usual tone.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Duh, of course it is."

"I can hear you rolling your eyes through the phone, Faith. I'm just asking," Buffy said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know. I still get a little defensive, okay?" Faith said with a shrug.

"How are we gonna find this old friend of yours? Dean, right?" Buffy's tone was serious again.

Faith looked in the mirror that was rapidly misting from her hot shower; she looked like she'd been to Hell and back.

"Easy peasy, B. I've got his blood."

===FIN===