A/N: I guess 27 reviews will suffice. So moving right along. I couldn't wait to start this story. I hope you enjoy it.
Four months. 99 days. 2,376 hours. 142,560 minutes. 8,553,600 seconds.
Somewhere, somehow for some reason Katie started paying close attention to time since Dean-. It sort of became a hobby so to speak. She had to know what the date was and the exact time is was. She needed to remember, she had to remember. She was afraid she'd forget him. Afraid she'd forget his eyes or his smile or oh the soft thump of his heartbeat when he was sleeping.
She sat the table in the smoke filled bar, eyes closed tapping the beat with her fingers on the table. Her other hand grasped the cold glass of whiskey. Her fingerers stopped their impression and she opened her eyes before bringing the glass to her lips and ingesting the liquid pain reliever. She put the glass down and grabbed the nearby bottle and filling it up to the rim.
"I don't believe I'm paying you to sit around and drink my liquor" Katie looked up at the portly fellow who just happened to be her boss.
"I drink because of what you're paying me Frank" Katie replied downing the shot of whiskey before grabbing the bottle but Frank grabbed it first.
"If you're drunk you can't wait tables, now go before I fire your skinny ass" Frank snapped before walking off. Katie sighed before grabbing her apron that hung off the back of her chair and tying it around her waist. She reached in the pockets and grabbed her order pad and pencil and walked over to group of rednecks that just walked in.
"Hi, welcome to Frank's where frankly we give a frank" Katie said lacking any kind of emotion. "What can I get for you?"
"You can give me some of that sweet ass" one of the rednecks replied. Katie just sighed. She was mad after the first hundred times now it was just annoying.
"Well your ass is sweet"
Katie looked toward where the voice came from and then back toward the rednecks. "Sorry my ass isn't on the menu, anything else?"
"Round of beers honey and keep 'em coming till we say stop" Katie wrote down the order and turned around when someone's grubby hand pinched her butt. Katie froze in mid step, fist clenching when she turned and all the rednecks just laughed. "It just looked so good I just had to touch it" One of the Neanderthals said and Katie took a step forward.
"He's not worth it" the voice replied. Katie just sighed and went over to the bar to give the bartender the order. "You know you should listen to me more often"
"Well since you're a figment of my imagination dressed as my husband I'm going to say no" Katie said looking at Dean in her head. She can't pin point the exact moment she started seeing him, she just did and he just wouldn't stop talking. No matter how much she tried to ignore him he just wouldn't leave. At first Katie actually thought it was Dean's ghost but she remembered that where Dean went, you can't come back from, in any form.
"Oh you don't mean that, you love that I'm here. I help you to remember" he said.
"No you're the evidence that I've lost my mind" Katie said as she noticed people staring at her. Yes this was something else she'd gotten used to. Talking to her imaginary husband who no one else can see, and people looking at her like she was a total nutcase. Katie grabbed the tray of beers and took it over to the table of rednecks. It was pretty quiet the rest of the night, no one annoying her too bad tonight which was great. It was about 2am when the bar was completely cleared out and Katie started her nightly routine of cleaning tables and sweeping the floors.
"You know you're a real life mystery girl" Katie looked up from sweeping at Nick the bartender. He always would talk to her but she wasn't much of a conversations. Conversations lead to attachments and she wasn't making any more of those. Katie just looked back down and continued sweeping. "I mean no one knows where you come from, if you have any family, hell you could be a serial killer and none of would be the wiser" Katie smiled. There were lots of things these people didn't know about her, and she intended to keep it that way. "I assume you're running from something" Katie's smile left her face and she stopped sweeping. " Now we're getting somewhere, so who you running from, police, no I know abusive husband, yeah you got that whole battered wife thing going on" Katie looked at him and she just wanted to break something, to scream, to do anything but all she did was continue sweeping. "Ok keep your secrets kid, hell I know I got a bunch of 'em, just remember they always have a way of popping back up" Nick said before putting on his hat and leaving for the night.
"You know he's right, how long do you think you can run from who you are?"
"Who said I'm running?" Katie asked looking up at her hallucination.
"Well you don't use your powers, you've totally stopped using a cell phone so no one not even your family can contact you and you even cut your hair so no would recognize you"
"No I cut my hair because I needed a change" Katie said before looking over in the mirror behind the bar. "Plus it's just above the shoulders nothing too drastic"
"Yeah well I like you no matter how long your hair is" he replied smiling that same smile that could make her go weak in the knees. Now it just made her sad, because she knew he wasn't real.
"Why won't you just leave" Katie snapped. "How am I supposed to move forward in my life if you're here always talking, always-"
"Reminding you of who you are" he said. "Well princess I'm the one in your head, so if I'm here it's all you sweet heart" Katie just growled at him before grabbing her jacket and bag and heading for the door. She flipped the light switch off and went in out in the cold Wisconsin air. "You know what was the point of me getting you the sweet ride if you're just gonna walk everywhere" Katie stopped in her tracks and turned to the figment.
"You didn't get me anything, do you understand me" Katie turned and returned to walking. "My husband did"
"I am your husband sweetie" the imaginary Dean said smiling.
"No you're annoying fly that just keeps buzzing, but I swear I will find a way to get rid of you" Katie said before stopping in front of the liquor store.
"You really think the answers to your problems are in there?" he asked.
"No" Katie said shaking her head. "But they help me sweep my problems under the bed" Katie walked into the liquor store getting a bottle of her regular alcohol of choice and heading home. Maybe not home. She never thought of the one bedroom she inhabited as home, more like a place to lay her head. A home is some place you feel the warmth and love. When Katie opened the door of her apartment it was depressing. The lack of furniture, beside the recline she found on the side of the street one day. The wall paper peeling from the walls and the neighbors were let's just says colorful. Katie tossed the keys on the table and stripped off her jacket and bag and went to her bedroom. She pulled off her pants and shirt and climbed into her bed leaning her back against the headboard. She grabbed the bottle and looked at her imaginary husband who was standing the watching her. "Don't look at me like that, not looking like him"
Katie grabbed the bottle and to a long sip and then looked back over to the corner and he was gone. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. She opened them and looked over at the bedside table and reached down and opens it and stared down at the cellphone she hasn't turned on in so long. She reached in and picked it up and looked at it for a moment. She shook her head before tossing it back in the drawer and closing it before taking another swig from the bottle. Her hand made its way to the necklace she wore, the ring hanging close to her heart. She never took it off. It was the closes thing to him she had, would ever have. Katie closed her eyes as her hand wrapped tightly around the ring.
"I love you, you know that right, you're the best part of me and I want you-"
Katie opened her eyes from the memory. She wondered over and over again what he's was going to say. She should've let him finish, she should've. That's another thing Katie had come in to habit doing. Thinking of what she should've done, what she could've done. She should've grabbed Dean and ran whether he wanted to or not. She should've never let herself get kidnapped by yellow eyes causing her to be absent when he made the damn deal in the first place. She should've seen it all coming. What was the point of the dreams and the stupid visions if it changed absolutely nothing? Katie took another long swig from the bottle. The dreams. Yeah they pretty much stopped when she quit. She figured since she gave up on the powers that be, that they must have given up on her. Not that it mattered any. She wasn't kidding when she said she was through. In Four months. 99 days. 2,376 hours. 142,560 minutes. 8,553,600 seconds she hasn't hunted, killed or wanted anything to do with the supernatural. She even stopped using her powers. She looked over at the bedside table once again. She wouldn't lie the temptation was too great to pick up that phone, but she couldn't not anymore. It soon made since after Dean- just after. There has to be a reason why so many people around her got hurt. It was her. Along with her powers and all her crap came pain, so she decided that she wouldn't hurt the people she loved anymore. She tightened the cap on the bottle and cut clicked the switch to the lamp, before drifting off into sleep.
The annoying sound of the alarmed clocked beeped waking Katie up from her dreamless sleep, just the way she liked sleeping. What she didn't like was the sun beaming down in her face as she open her eyes.
"Time to wake up princess"
"Oh why are you still here?" Katie said pulling a pillow over her face.
"We've already gone over this" he said plopping on the bed next to her. "I'm in here" he poked Katie's pillow. "Only you know why I'm still here"
"You're here so they can finally lock me in that white padded room" Katie said getting out of bed. She yawned and stretched a bit before walking into the bathroom. She stared in the mirror for a second.
"Today is the day you know" he imaginary Dean said from behind her.
"You know the bathroom is where people go for privacy" Katie snaps.
"Why would you want privacy from me" he said wrapping his arms around her waist and sitting his head on her shoulder as they looked in the mirror. Katie just looked at him. She wanted this to be real so badly that it hurt.
"Please just go away" she said in whisper.
"I can't" he said shaking his head. "Not until you do what you have to do"
"What do I have to do?" Katie asked grabbing her tooth brush.
"I'm glad you asked princess" he replied. "You need to go back to North Dakota"
"North Dakota?" Katie asked with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth. "Wait, you can't mean, no, no, I'm trying not to go to prison for murder and that's exactly what's gonna happen if I go there"
"You won't go there to see Richie" he replied. "You'd go to get the book" Katie stopped brushing her teeth and looked back at the figment of her imagination.
"The book" Katie repeated she looked down. "How could I forget about the book" Katie smacked herself in the head before going back into her room to put on some clothes. "It would take me forever to get there on my bike, she said pulling on her uniform.
"I know if only you had this power where you could go anywhere in the blink of an eye" he said sarcastically and Katie glared at him.
"It probably wouldn't work anyways" Katie said shaking her head. "I mean I have used magic and a long time, I could screw it all up and just make things worst"
"So what you're just gonna stay here and do nothing?" he said before he appeared in front of her. "You're just gonna curl up and die?" Katie stopped what she was doing when she heard his words. The words she'd heard her dead grandfather say to her before- just before. She turned and faced him before closing her eyes and when she opened them she was in the basement of the church. "That's my princess" he said from behind her as she walked over to the book case. She spotted the very old book and slowly pulled it off the shelf. She held it tight to her chest before closing her eyes, when she opened them she was back in her apartment. She threw the book on the bed and just stared at it. "I don't think staring will make it work"
"I can't do this" Katie said grabbing her jacket and pulling it on. "I just can't, I left this life and I'm not going back" Katie grabbed her bag and keys and went out the door. She walked past her neighbor Rodger who always wore a hat. She'd never really seen his head, just the cap.
"Uh hey, I mean good morning" Rodger said. "Uh if you're not too busy I was thinking that maybe-"
"I'm busy" Katie said running down the stairs.
"Ok maybe some other time then" Rodger called after her.
Katie briskly walked the streets until she arrived in front of the diner. She sighed. There was just something she just didn't want to get away from. She'd got a job at Big Joe's diner around the time she got the job at Franks. She worked days at Joes and nights at the bar. She just had to be doing something, something to distract her, something to keep her from her life, so she started living this one.
"There you are, you're late" Joey her boss said. The man crossed his arms as her looked at her from the other side of the counter. " You better be glad you're one of the best waitresses I got because I'd fire you in heartbeat" he growled as Katie walked into the locker room She tossed her jacket and bag into her locker and when she closed the locker there he was looking at her.
"Go away" Katie whispered.
"You say something sweetie?" Betty one of the other waitresses asked who was also in the locker.
"Uh nothing I was just talking to my self" Betty just smiled and nodded.
"Oh I do that all the time" Katie just smiled and left the locker room to get to work. Sometimes it got to her. Working here because it was just like the many diners she'd been in with Sam and Dean. That's part of why she decided to work here. Diner's held happy memories, diners were like home. Katie walked over to a couple who looked ready to order.
"Are you two ready to order?" Katie asked. The couple looked up from their menu and up at Katie.
"Yeah I think I'll have the-"
"You know if I'm telling you to read from the book that deep down inside it's what you want to do"
"Shut up" Katie snarled. And the couple looked up at her confused. "Oh not you" and then they looked even more confused. Katie just shook her head. "Just continue with your order" Katie wrote down what the couple wanted and walked over and gave it to the cook. She turned to see a woman come in with her daughter and take a seat at the booth. Katie walked over pad in her hand. "Hi what can I get you today?"
"I wanna play?" the little girl asked. Suddenly a chill came over her body that only happened in the presence of evil. Katie stared down at the little girl.
"You've gotta a lot of balls I tell you that" Katie said stepping closer to her. "I should kill you right here, right now for what you did Lilith"
"But you're not" the little girl said smiling. "Not with all these people around. Plus I hear you're retired now. I hope it wasn't anything I did" Katie knelt down so she was eye level with Lilith.
"I promise you I am going to kill you in the most painful way possible" Katie said bringing her face to the demon. "You're going to regret you ever uttered the name Winchester"
"Like you care anymore" the little demon said. "If I were you I'd catch up with my little brother in law, I hear he's being all sorts of fun" Katie was about to say something when she heard the cook ring the bell that her orders were done. When she turned for a second but when she turned back Lilith and the woman she was with were gone. Katie stood up walking past Joey to the locker room.
"Where do you think you're going?" Joey asked following behind her. "Those people need their order"
"Well find someone else to do it Joey" Katie said ripping off her name badge and shoving it to him. I quit" Katie put on her jacket and left the man standing there shocked.
"Go princess" the figment said walking next to her. "That deserves a high five" he said holding up his hand, Katie just ignored him and kept walking. "So it's time"
"Nope not yet" Katie said speeding up her walked. She walked into her apartment and went straight for her bedroom. She tossed her jacket and bag on top of the bed and stood in front of the bedside table. She stared at it for a moment before reaching in and grabbing the phone. She held it in her hands for a moment before shaking her head and sitting it down. She changed out of the uniform into a pair of jeans and a shirt and put her jacket back on. She grabbed her phone and this time her finger hovered above the power button. "Screw it" Katie said pushing the phone in her pocket and closing her eyes. When she opened them she was in a hallway in front of a door. She looked around and there was no one about. She turned to face the door before lifting her hand and gently knocking. She stood there for a moment before turning around and dropping her head. She suddenly heard the door open.
"Uh can I help you" the familiar voice said. It had been a while since she heard Sam's voice, and she had to admit she missed. Him spouting off about his research or him yelling at-, that's why it was hard to be here. He was Dean's brother, and Dean was- he was gone because of a deal he made for him. She wouldn't lie and say there wasn't a small part of her that put the blame on Sam. It was wrong, she knew it, she just couldn't- she couldn't help it. "Uh ma'am" Katie slowly turned around and to say Sam was surprised was an understatement.
"Hey Sammy" Katie replied with a small wave. She looked him over a bit and he looked different. His hair was longer and he definitely been working out but there was something else different. Something in his eyes. Something she never seen in him before.
"Katie, I can't believe it's really you" Sam said looking at his sister in law. "You cut you hair"
"Yeah I just" Katie said finding herself pulling at the ends of her hair. "needed a change"
"I thought you were dead" Sam said.
"Really? Well I'm not" Katie said shrugging.
"Yeah well no one has heard from you since-"He decided to choose his words carefully. "Well in a while. I mean Jason and Lacey were worried about out you. I was worried about you. You just disappeared and didn't tell anyone where you were going"
"Sam I know" Katie sighed. "But you don't understand"
"I understand Katie" Sam snapped. "I lost a brother that day, and I didn't go off without a word, I continued to do what I had to do"
"So you're still in the family business?" Katie asked.
"Yes" Sam said. "It's my life, I just can't run from it like you can" Katie scoffed at the comment. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"I thought-"Katie started then stopped when she felt something. Something familiar. She pushed past Sam into his apartment and there standing was a woman with dark hair staring back at her.
"Katie what do you think you're doing?" Sam snapped.
"Sam are you gonna introduce me to your friend?" the woman asked and Sam looked back at Katie.
"Katie this is-"
"We've met Sam or have you forgot" Katie said not taking her eyes off the woman. "Different body, same smell. Hello Ruby"
"Oh you're good for someone's who's been out of commission, I tell you that" Ruby replied. "So I believe Sam asked you a question, what are you doing here?" Katie took a step forward and was surprised when Sam stepped in front of her blocking her.
"No, you can't just waltz in here after all this time and start playing the big sis role" Sam snapped. "Ruby's been here the whole time, she's the one helping me, and I'm not going to let you hurt her"
"Sam she's a demon, she can't be trusted!" Katie yelled.
"Well I remember hearing the same thing about witches" Sam replied and Katie couldn't believe that he said it.
"Something's not right with him" the imaginary Dean said appearing in front of Sam.
"I see that" Katie replied.
"You see what?" Sam asked confused. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"
"No Sam I tend to tune out bull" Katie replied. "So what has our new friend Ruby gotten you into Sam?" Katie asked.
"What are you talking about?" Sam asked looking back at Ruby. "She hasn't gotten me in to anything"
"Well it's not what I heard" Katie stated.
"Heard, who's talking to you?" ruby asked. "It seems you became a ghost after-"Katie took a step forward and Sam held her back.
"Say his name, I dare you" Katie snarled. "I promise it'll be the last words you ever utter"
"You know you still haven't answered the question" Sam said. "What are you doing here?"
"I was worried about you ok" Katie snapped before looking over at Ruby. "And it seems I was right to worry. She has your head so messed up that you're not even seeing what she's doing"
"And what am I doing now?" Ruby asked. "When you the only family he had abandoned him. Tell me which one of us is the bad guy here" Katie turned around and ran her hands through her hair.
"You have to do something" her hallucination said appearing in front of her.
"You don't think I know that?" Katie asked. "But what am I supposed to do. She's had too much time to wriggle her way into his life" Sam and Ruby shared a look with each other before looking back at Katie who seemed to be having a whole different conversation with herself.
"Katie, are you sure you're alright?" Sam asked and Katie turned to face him.
"I'm fine" Katie said. "I guess over the past months you're not the only one whose different" Katie said.
"Yeah but it does seem like you're the only one whose gone crazy" Ruby mumble under her breath and Sam glared at her.
"I think that one's still up for debate" Katie said looking up at Sam. "Look I'm sorry I just disappeared like that, but it was just easier"
"Easier how?" Sam asked.
"Easier than riding in than car and him not being in it, easier than hunting knowing he was right behind me to have my back" Katie said her voice getting louder. "Easier than staying with you and blaming you for why he isn't here anymore why he isn't with me" Katie quickly put her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe she actually said that. The look of hurt on Sam's face made it even worst. "Sam I'm –"
"Don't just leave" Sam said not even looking at her. "Please" This isn't how this was supposed go. This wasn't how they're first meeting after- this wasn't supposed to happen. Katie turned around and walked to the door. She grabbed the door knob before freezing.
"Sam just, be careful" Katie said before opening the door and walking out.
"So that's it, that's how you're gonna leave thing?" He asked. Katie just ignored him before looking around the hall. When she saw that the coast was clear she closed her eyes and focused on the dark apartment and when she opened her eye she was standing in her bedroom. She took off her jacket and spotted the bottle of alcohol on the nightstand. She walked over and picked it. "No don't do this"
Katie ignored him and unscrewed the cap and was about to take a drink when she looked down at the book that was on her bed. She looked at the bottle and then sat it down. She sat on the bed and picked the book up. She took a deep breath before carefully opening the pages. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for.
"You know you can do this" Katie looked up at him. She looked down at the book before grabbing it and heading into the living room. She sat the book down in the middle of the room on the floor before she stretched her hands out and moving everything back. It was like nothing had changed. No matter how much she wanted to these powers were hers and nobody could use them like she could. It was going to be hard letting them go. She ran to the hallway closet and reached up for a box she pushed all the way to the back. A book she had no intention of ever opening again. She brought the box back into the living room. She opened it and took a deep breath before reaching inside. She grabbed candle and lined them in a circle around her. She lit the candles and looked down at the book.
"I'm not sure about this" Katie said looking over at him.
"Yes you are" he replied Katie just nodded her head before looking back down at the page and recited the spell.
I return the gifts given at my birth.
To exchange the life a fallen one
Bring him back and take the light
Allow him to return and allow him fight
Take my offering as a sign of good faith.
For I will forever be in your debt
Suddenly a strange wind blew blowing out the candles, Katie looked around and suddenly it stopped. She heard the sound of wings fluttering. She looked up and there was a man she'd never seen before towering over her. She stood to her feel and looked him in the eye.
"He said you would call" the man said. Katie looked him over and he wasn't what she expected. He wore a tan trench coat. He looked like someone she should be going to do her taxes not change her life.
"Well he does no all doesn't he" Katie said. "So I'm surprised he didn't send Gabe"
"My brother isn't seeing much of anyone lately" the man replied without any emotion. "My name is Castiel, and I'm here to take you up on your offer" Katie took a deep breath.
"I guess I'm finally gonna get what I've wanted since I was a little girl" Katie said before her hand grasped the ring. "I should've done this sooner" Katie looked over into the corner at the Dean who has haunted her for the past months and smiled. "I guess I just needed a kick in the butt to get to this point. So let's get to it" Castiel took a step toward her and placed a finger to her head and she suddenly blacked out.
"So you've been with her this whole time?" Castiel asked looked down at the unconscious Katie then over at the man she believed to be a figment of her imagination.
"I needed to get her to this point" he said stepping forward and kneeling down to brush some hair from her face. "Giving her the kick in the butt so to speak"
"I don't understand how taking her powers will help her" Castiel said.
"I need her to understand who she needs to be is more important than who she wants to be" he replied. "Only then will she be ready"
"Are you sure she's the one father?" Castiel asked and he stood up and looked at Castiel and smiled.
"It is her" he replied. "Now go bring him back" Castiel was about to leave when a hand touched his shoulder. "After today you will not see me again for a while"
"Why, I don't understand" Castiel replied.
"I must go, there is work I must do. You mustn't tell anyone about this, not even your brother's and sisters, do you understand?"
"Yes" Castiel replied. "When will you return father?"
"Oh there's no fun in knowing" he smiled before disappearing. Castiel looked down at Katie's still form before disappearing himself to go pull Dean out of hell.
A/N: So there you go, a bit of a twist wouldn't you say. So the next chap is ready to be ready its all up to you to see it. WINK WINK - REVIEW!