canon au } { post-s4, of saving brothers and shady contacts

[ooglyboogleys]

Peter: [not bothering to knock, he opens the loft door. He has a key, and Derek has walls around his bedroom. Why should he wait?] Dawn?

Dawn: [is used to Peter-shaped intrusions, and since everyone is clothed - everyone being her since she's the only one in the apartment at the moment - she just pokes her head forward from the couch and gives a bit of a wave] Hey, Peter.

Peter: [and he can tell they are alone from the lack of smells from the rest of the family and he had been waiting until he saw Laura leave before entering the building] Can we talk a moment?

Dawn: Sure. [she glances over to the couch next to her, before shuffling a few of the books to the side] Pull up a chair.

Peter: [goes to sit next to her, holding his hands in his lap] I would like to help you and Derek, if you'll have me.

Dawn: [her eyebrows go up a bit] I will never say no to adding another brain to the pile.

Peter: Good. I have a few contacts in Los Angles that I can see if they are still around and may have some insight. What do you know so far about this mark on Dean?

Dawn: [exhales slowly] Lucifer conned Abel into thinking he was talking to God. Cain caught wise and wanted to save his brother's soul, and Lucifer agreed to a trade. He would take Cain's instead, but in return Cain had to kill his brother, and he did. Being that it was the first time a sin of that nature had ever been committed, it left a Mark on Cain's soul that in this case took physical form, compelling him to keep killing. When the Mark and the first blade - the jaw bone that he used to kill his brother - are together, the bearer of them tends to turn into a little psychopath and want to kill everything in sight. It became so strong that it took on a mind of its own - when Cain realized what he was turning into and killed himself as a result, the Mark took it upon himself to not let him get away with it, and turned him into a demon so that they could continue their work. [a breath to transition] Aside from being a magical item that's so old who knows what kind of boom that would set off? I'm not really sure that the blade is the entire problem. Dean still needs to hunt pretty consistently in order to keep the pressure from the mark at bay. [he says that's not what he's doing, but Dawn knows better. He hasn't gone at the job that hard since he was trying to impress his dad, and she's pretty sure he'd much rather spend time trying to break down the wall between him and Ben]

Peter: But does he need to hunt with the knife for that, or just any kind of hunting?

Dawn: [she shakes her head] Any kind of hunting. I think they let Crowley take the first blade to points unknown to keep him from getting too crazy. But we can't guarantee that him dying with even an inactive mark will prevent him from becoming a demon - which I think is the endgame the Powers that Be want to prevent.

Peter: [nods] Well, seeing that Sam is not currently a damsel in distress, it takes away the obvious.

Dawn: How do you mean?

Peter: He became cursed because he killed his brother. The obvious fix would be to save him.

Dawn: It'd probably be a pretty tight definition of "save" too. Because as Dean would tell it, he probably "saves" Sam all the time.

Peter: More of a big save of the soul variety.

Dawn: [nods] Technically he kind of already did that. He didn't have the mark at the time, but I don't think we want Sam to go soulless again.

Peter: And it shows my own healing that I don't think it's a good idea either. [chuckles]

Dawn: [laughs softly drumming her pen against her notes for a moment, before her eyes go wide] ... I'm an idiot.

Peter: .... How so? [confused]

Dawn: Because Sam isn't Dean's only brother.

Peter: [and one eyebrow goes up in typical Hale fashion]

Dawn: John had a son with another woman, Adam. Michael hijacked him when they were supposed to have a big Apocalyptic showdown with Lucifer and when Sam took control and jumped into the pit, he accidentally dragged Adam down with him. He's ... still down there.

Peter: Adam. really? [not at all biblical...] Well, even if it doesn't work, I think that's a mission within itself that's long overdue.

Dawn: Tell me about it. It's getting in there without letting the angels out that's the problem. We really don't want to have to deal with the Winchester Apocalypse 2.0.

Peter: How did Sam get out?

Dawn: He was pulled out, by Castiel. But he didn't do a very good job of it - Sam's soul got left behind. Crowley brought back Bela to keep him on some kind of leash until Dean made a deal with Death to get Sam his soul back.

Peter: Death probably won't make the same deal twice.

Dawn: Nope. Especially considering that the thing Death wanted Dean to prevent wasn't exactly prevented. So I'm pretty sure he's done with the Winchesters professionally.

Peter: Anyone else in their little group know how to take a soul out of hell that can teach him?

Dawn: I don't think it's getting the soul out of Hell that's the problem. It's making sure that the angels don't come with him. The odds also aren't high that someone like Crowley will play fair either.

Peter: Is there anyone who would want to help keep them at bay then?

Dawn: ... Maybe? The cage is pretty much escape proof - but maybe there's a spell or something that would work.

Peter: So we'd need to talk to people who have experience with hell dimensional magic.

Dawn: Unfortunately, most of them are bad guys.

Peter: Possibly. But sometimes there are bad guys who are willing to help when something worse is on the line. [he thinks, and there is someone he could reach out too who probably would be willing to help if it pissed off his superiors]

Dawn: [she makes a bit of a face] Most of the bad guys I'm thinking of are too likely to screw us over.

Peter: Good thing I have my own slew of bad guy contacts that I know then. [smirks]

Dawn: Just ... be careful, okay?

Peter: I will. And if not, I have a slayer who will enjoy saving me and reaming me out in the process. She actually may miss yelling at me at this point.

Dawn: [laughs] She has had a lot of down time lately. [a beat] If you're going to LA, at least check in with Angel. Just so that someone nearby knows what's going on?

Peter: Do I have to? [Hale male whining]

Dawn: You don't have to take him with you, just ... make him aware of your presence. And that way, if you happen to get double crossed by your contact, you know who to call.

Peter: [is pretty sure that Angel isn't going to like hearing this] Alright, but if Buffy punches me when Angel tells her where I'm going, it will be on you.

Dawn: So long as it doesn't end in you being trapped in a hell dimension - again - I think I can handle that.

Peter: [he stands up] I should probably get going then. [before Laura comes back to find him there] Tell Derek I'll check in with him later.

Dawn: [nods a bit] Will do. Be careful.

Peter: [stops in the doorway to look over at her, and then nods] I will. [and he's gone, heading back to his apartment and calling to reserve a car along the way so that he could drive to Los Angles]

Dawn: [and she will go right back to studying and hope she hasn't just sent Derek's uncle off to get himself killed]

Peter: [not killed. Lindsay and Peter have a long, confusing history but they actually got along in Lindsay's post Wolfram and Hart days. Peter may have even tried to convince him not to go back. Which was a reason that Peter was not overly fond of Angel in any way, shape or form]

Dawn: [and here she thought it was all Buffy-related]

Peter: [nope. mostly, but not totally. And he still doesn't know about that universe and best he never knows]

Dawn: [yeeeeeeeah nope, never telling Peter ever]

Peter: [and he will be going into his apartment] Yes, that's right, I just need the car for three days. Yes, I'll hold. [and heading for the bedroom]

Buffy: [picks up her head at the sound of him renting the car, brow furrowing in confusion as she listens to his half of the conversation]

Peter: [and is going to be packing an overnight bag for himself] Yes, yes that would be sufficient. I believe you have my account on file? Yes, thank you. I will be there to pick it up in two hours. Thank you.

Buffy: [wanders over and leans in the doorway to watch him as she waits for him to get off the phone]

Peter: [listens and then hangs up, sliding the phone into his pocket] I need to follow up on something for Dawn & Derek's research project. I should be back tomorrow night.

Buffy: [considers for a moment, before nodding] Want me to go with you? I can come in handy if there are things that need punching.

Peter: No, I need to work a contact that I have an bringing my .... [he pauses at that, because he was about to say girlfriend. He blinks, and just looks up at her because wow, they haven't had this conversation yet, have they?]

Buffy: [she looks confused at first because she isn't entirely sure why he stopped, but then she falters because it clicks and ... oh] I guess my particular brand of persuasion isn't really what you're going for. [yep. They can avoid it for a little while longer. Maybe.]

Peter: No, not with the person I'm going to speak with. [he blinks, then looks at his bag. Yeah, they can totally wait on that.] So um... yes, I just need to work on this alone. However, I promised Dawn I would check in with Angel when I arrive in Los Angles so that I have backup if needed.

Buffy: I feel better already.

Peter: [turns to look at her] This isn't going to be anything dangerous, I promise. Just a drink at a bar with an old friend, and I'm on my way back.

Buffy: [nods a bit] I know. But Derek and Dawn's research project isn't exactly harmless either. You know me. I'm a worrier.

Peter: I know, and I've given you my fair share of reasons to be worried the last few months. But if this is something that will help ensure that we don't lose Laura, I will take the risk without complaint. [he walked over to her and took her hands] I'll be fine, I promise.

Buffy: [nods, giving his hands a squeeze] You better be. [and with that she'll push up on her toes to kiss him]

Peter: [kisses her back, smiling a bit into it.] I'm not looking for a reason for you to punch me, so I will.

Buffy: [grins a bit] Smart man.

Peter: Just because my brain is scrambled doesn't mean I've lost my intelligence or my sense of self preservation. [smirks]

Buffy: [laughs] Well, you never know. Some people say being the good guy makes you dumber.

Peter: [raises his eyebrow] You're supposed to be making me want to be good here. That's not a reason.

Buffy: My mistake. [stays balanced on her toes, tugging on his hands so that his arms went around her and sliding his arms around her and leaning in to kiss him again] Maybe I should try another tactic.

Peter: [laughs] While I would love to explore your alternative tactics in rewarding me for good behavior, I have a car I need to pick up.

Buffy: [dramatic sigh] Guess I'll just have to save it for later.

Peter: It will give me something to look forward to upon my grand return. [pulls her a bit closer, leaning down to kiss her forehead]

Buffy: [closes her eyes into the kiss before nodding] I'll see you in a few days then.

Peter: You behave until then.

Buffy: Promise. No trouble here.

Peter: [he smiles, then gives her one very hard, deep kiss meant to hold them both over for a few days]

Buffy: [... oh. Good kiss. That will definitely do the trick.] Call me later?

Peter: [reluctantly lets her go, and nods] I will once I check in at the hotel and with Angel. [grabs his bag] Oh, and if Malia comes by at all, tell her that I will call her when I get back on some information I'm reviewing to make sure it's legit. [and he may be asking Lindsay on this as well]

Buffy: [nods a bit] Will do.

Peter: [and he will be off to LA]

Buffy: [and she will spend the evening alone with the TV]