A / N : This is going to be a rather long chapter , everyone ! Hope you enjoy !   

 "Damn , this is getting nasty !" , Jake Wells stated , as the SUV once again attempted to slide across the highway .

      Diana managed to regain control , getting the vehicle oriented in the proper direction . As she did so , she replied , "It got nasty a couple of hours ago . Fortunately , we're almost to the turn - off . So if we go in the ditch , we can stay in here until the sun comes up , then walk to the house ."

      "And hope nothing gets broken ." , Alex contributed . "Or no one ..."

      When the DC news programs had started reporting on the blizzard warnings , there had been a brief discussion of staying in the city until after the storm had passed , but they had decided against it , opting instead to depart earlier . They were all aware that there were risks involved with travelling in the current conditions , but they felt that there was an even greater danger in delaying , and giving the demon more time to recover , and possibly harm someone else .

      They finally spotted the sign marking the private road , and Diana cautiously negotiated the turn . All three let out a relieved sigh when the SUV held the road without slipping , and Alex and Jake peered out the windows on either side as Diana worked to see through the heavy , blowing snow .

      "Looks like someone drove down this way not long ago ." , she announced . "There are tire tracks in the snow , just barely visible now ."

      "You don't think something else happened , and Potter and her guys had to come back , do you ?" , Jake queried , his voice betraying his concern .

      "If anything big had happened , Jenny or Crane would have called us , babe ." , Alex assured him . "But it is kind of str..." Her voice trailed off as she put her face nearer to the window , rubbing it with her sleeve .

      "Diana , stop !" , she suddenly shouted . "I just saw lights , over there , near the edge of the woods !"

      "Like a lantern , or a flashlight ?"

      "No , taillights ." , she answered . "Whoever was driving went off the road ."

      Diana carefully brought the vehicle to a stop , and all three got out , pulling on their gloves and hats as they did so . Peering carefully through the snow , Jake was the first to see what Alex had pointed out . "Over there ! It looks like they flipped !" , he exclaimed .

      "Jake , come with me and help me see if anyone is still in the car . Alex , call Crane or Jenny , let them know what happened and ask them to be ready for us to possibly bring injured people to the house ." , Diana said , reaching into the back of the SUV to retrieve the jack handle . "There's no way in hell an ambulance is getting in here today ."

      Alex nodded and retreated to the side of the vehicle , reaching for her phone , as Diana and Jake painstakingly made their way down the side of the ravine to the overturned Jeep . As they got closer , they could see that the occupants were still inside , although only the backseat passenger seemed to be stirring .

      As he looked inside , Jake saw a blond , bearded man looking back at him , and he asked . "Are you okay , man ?"

      "I think my shoulder's out , but other than that , yeah , I guess so ." , the man responded. "These two are out , though , and it looks like the driver may have a broken arm ."

      "Cover your face , if you can ." , Diana told him . "I'm going to break the glass so you can crawl out , then we'll get your friends ."

      Using his good arm , the man pulled his coat over his face as Diana swung the jack handle at the window . After the third attempt , the glass finally cracked , and she used the tool to pry it apart , allowing the man to work his way out , clenching his teeth against the pain in his shoulder .

      The noise of the glass breaking seemed to be enough to finally rouse the other passenger , and , with Jake's help , he managed to open the door enough to get out , and he then assisted Jake and Diana with removing the driver , despite the blood dripping from the gash above his right eyebrow .

      As they did this , the first man somehow managed to reach into the back of the Jeep and remove a large bag , clutching it tightly with his good arm .

      Diana opened her mouth to tell him that they'd come back for his things later , but decided that they had more important things to worry about , so they made their way back to Alex and the SUV , she and Jake supporting the semi - conscious driver , while the other two carefully made their own way .

                  ____________________________________________________________ 

      "Do you think they'll be able to make it back ?" , Jenny asked Crane , as they stood by the front window , watching the snow pile up against the side of the house .

      "I'm hesitant to even speculate , Miss Jenny ." , he gravely replied . "While they are all aware of the gravity of our situation , they also know that it would not be to anyone's benefit for them to risk their lives trying to travel in this weather ."

      At that moment , Cranes phone rang . He looked at it for a moment , then turned on the speaker and said , "Greetings , Miss Alex ."

      Expecting her to say that they were stuck in DC , or had gone off the road , they were caught off guard when she said , "Crane , we just turned onto the road , and there's been an accident . Jake and Diana went to go check the car , and she wanted me to call and tell you that we're gonna be bringing whoever it is to the house , so be ready in case they're hurt ."

      "Who the fuck would go driving around in this mess ?" , Andy wondered . 

      "Can you see anything , Alex ?" , Jenny inquired . "Do you have any idea how many people there are ?"

      "Diana just broke the back window , and there's a guy crawling out ." , she replied . "Now Jake's opening the passenger door . Hang on a second ..."

      There was a brief pause , then she said , "It looks like three guys . The first guy seems to have a bum arm , the second one is bleeding from the head , and the driver doesn't seem to be completely conscious ."

      As everyone else listened , Faith dashed from the room , quickly returning with the first - aid kits and several blankets . Catching Crane's eye , she pointed to the kits , and he nodded , letting her know that he was willing to assist .

      "They're heading back up here now ." , Alex continued . "Assuming that we can get this thing going again , we should be there in a few minutes ."

      "We'll be ready for you , Miss Alex . Drive carefully ." , Crane said , before ending the call .

      Everyone sprang into action , clearing things from the couches and gathering towels , while most of the guys gathered near the front door , putting on their coats so they could go out and assist the others when they arrived .

      A few minutes later , the SUV pulled up in front of the house , and they made their way off the porch and down to the driveway . As Diana emerged , Jon said , "You guys gather the stuff you brought , we'll get these guys inside ."

      She acknowledged this with a nod , and she , Alex , and Jake went to the rear of the vehicle , while Jon and the others opened the back door . As he looked inside , he was startled to see who was looking back at him .

      "What the fuck ?! Blasko , what the hell are you doing here ?", he shouted , as everyone else gaped in shock .

      As they helped him out , he said , "Allan called me yesterday and said he was coming out , because he got some weird - ass phone call from the cops , and asked if I wanted to come with ."

      "Wait a sec , you mean Allan's with you ?" , Jake quizzed him . "Then who the hell is the other guy ?" 

      "Don't know , really . He was at the airport , basically desperate to get here , and Allan offered him a ride . I never even caught his name ."

      Jon and Jake helped Blasko toward the house , then Joe , Jesse , CC , and Yanni removed Allan from the seat and carried him to the porch . Andy opened the other door , allowing the third man to exit , and he and Ashley walked on either side , knowing that he wouldn't be able to lift himself if he fell , due to his injured arm . 

      Crane and Jenny were already examining Allan , while Yanni wiped the blood from Blasko's face , when Andy , Ashley , and the third man approached the house . This meant that everyone was taken off guard when Faith , who was standing near the door , suddenly let out a squeak , dropped the first - aid kit , and bolted outside , without even bothering with her coat . 

      Everyone looked around the room in confusion , until they heard her shout , "Nicky !"

      Jenny turned toward the door , just in time to see Faith flinging her arms around Nick Hawley's waist , which earned her a rather startled look from Ashley , who she had nearly bowled over in the process .

      "Somebody you know , I take it ?" , Jinxx inquired .

      "You have no idea ." , Jenny muttered in response , as she started toward the door herself .                                                                                                                                                                                                                      As she approached , everyone came inside , and Hawley was saying , "You're the only one who can get away with calling me that without getting punched , kiddo . You know that , right ?"

      He looked up , and seeing  Jenny approaching , he offered a slight smile and said , "Lookin' good , as always , Mills ."

      She raised an eyebrow at him and rejoined , "Maybe when we get you patched up , I'll be able to say the same for you , Hawley ."

      They led him to the couch and sat him down , allowing Faith to check his injuries . She looked him over , and said , "You came out of this surprisingly well , Nicky , but your shoulder is dislocated . We're gonna have to put it back , but we don't have any painkillers here ."

      "Won't be the first time , kid ." , he informed her . "I've had to put it back myself before , by slamming it into a tree . Do what you've gotta do , I'm a big boy . I think I can handle it ."

      "I'm gonna need you guys to help me ." , she told the others . "Ash , can you and Andy kind of hold him still ? He knows the drill , but he might still move involuntarily . Jenny , I'm going to need your help with his shoulder . Have you ever done this before ?"

      "More times than I really want to remember ." , Jenny replied . "Let's get this done ." 

      She walked to the bar , poured some whiskey into a glass , and returned , handing it to Hawley . He downed it in one quick motion , then took a deep breath and said , "I'm ready , do it ."

      Andy moved in front of Hawley , holding down his legs , while Ashley stood behind the sofa , holding his good shoulder to keep him in place . When they were in position , Faith and Jenny took their places , with Faith's hands on his shoulder , while Jenny grasped his bicep . 

      "All right , on three ." , Faith said . "One ... , two ... , THREE !"

      Moving almost as one , they swiftly moved his arm , pushing the joint into the socket , with an audible sound . Hawley's breath whistled through his clenched teeth , but he didn't cry out , though it was obviously painful .

      
      "You think I could get another ?" , Hawley asked , holding up the empty glass . Jenny took the glass and returned to the bar , as Faith fashioned a sling for his arm . As she finished , Crane approached , stopping in front of the sofa and looking down at Nick .

      "It's been awhile , Master Hawley ." , he said . "I presume that Master Scanlon informed you of our whereabouts ." 

      "Nice to see you , too , Shakespeare ." , Hawley replied . "Yeah , Todd called me and gave me the Cliff's Notes version of what's going on here , and asked if I'd come give you a hand . So I brought some books that might help , along with a few toys ."

      "Some of your toys would definitely be an improvement over what we have now ." , Jenny said . 

      "You know this guy ?" , Jake Wells asked .

      "What kind of 'toys' are we talking about ?" , Diana chimed in .

      "Oh , the usual thing ." , Jenny replied . "Enchanted crossbow bolts , magical muskets ... , y'know , mundane crap like that ."

      She introduced Hawley to everyone else , while Faith conversed with Crane regarding Allan and Blasko . He informed her that Allan had a broken wrist and a mild concussion , while Blasko had a gash on his forehead and a rather nasty bruise from his seat belt , but they had all fortunately avoided life - threatening injury .

      "What the fuck is going on here , anyway ?" , Blasko demanded . "What the hell was that thing that made us go off the road ?"

      Crane's head snapped around , his full attention focused on Blasko . "You saw it , then ? What did you see ?" 

      "If I knew what the fucker was , I wouldn't be asking , would I ?"

      "Of course not . What I meant to ask was ; what did it look like ?" , Crane said .

      "Grayish , spindly - looking . Maybe about the height of your red - haired friend over there . Lots of fuckin' teeth . Ugly bastard ."

      "Yeah , that's what I saw , too ." , Hawley interjected . "And it seemed to be in a pretty big hurry to get wherever it was going . The damn thing was moving like Usain Bolt , even in all that snow ."

      "It is unfortunate , indeed , that we can't access the resources at the Department , Agent Thomas ." , Crane stated . "One of your sketch artists would be most helpful right now ."

      "Ashley is a really talented artist ." , Faith offered , as she sat with Allan .

      "Is this true , Master Ashley ?" 

      "I'm pretty decent , I guess , but I've never tried doing it that way ." , he answered . 

      "Dude , it's worth a shot !" , Joe said . "It sounds like they've seen what it really looks like , instead of whatever it made Faith and Diana see the other night , or that trucker . If you can even get close , maybe they can figure out what the hell it is ."

      The others joined in , and he finally agreed to try , collecting a sketchpad from his room and sitting with Blasko and Hawley , making adjustments to the drawing until both men agreed that it was a good likeness of what they had seen . 

      He passed the completed drawing to Crane , who looked at it thoughtfully . "I've seen this somewhere before ." , he muttered , almost to himself . "Now , where was that ...? Ah , yes ." 

      He walked to the boxes of books that the others had brought back and rifled through them for a short time , before finally removing a thin volume from the box . 

      "Well , my friends , it seems that we can now learn more of our unwelcome visitor , and hopefully negate the problem ." 

      But then , as soon as the words left his mouth , the lights flickered , and then went out completely .