New Blood – Chapter 1

Traveling from Kansas to Utah is not our longest trip in the impala but after all the time pent up in the bunker being on the road with Sammy again was an adjustment. A couple other hunters called us because there was a nest out Parowan, Utah that was causing some issues but they were all following a personal vendetta that they didn't want to lose the trail of. As I understand that, I had no issues taking over a simple vampire pest control problem. They said they hated to call but all the other hunters available were already on a case and wouldn't be able to hit it for a while. I am always up for a good vampire kill.

Sam was quiet in the passenger seat and my old Metallica tape that we have listened to a thousand times in more background noise than anything as we drive though the back roads of Southern Utah. From the information Sam gathered, the nest we are going after have been taking lives from Parowan and the nearby city of Panguitch. We would be able to handle this no problem.

We got to town and it is decent sized for what you would expect and a hotel to our standards was easy enough to come across. We set up for the night with a to-go bag of burgers and fries and decided to just get information down before going out tomorrow and finding the vamps.

"Alright so we have had 4 bodies here in town over the last few months and another 6 from Panguitch over the same span" Sam read off his laptop screen. "All of them completely drained of blood and found in the wooded area between the two towns. I am guessing we will find their nest out there."

"Great we can get a jump on them and make it a in and out job" Simple yet fun, perfect for us and great for keeping us up on our skills.

We ate our food, watched some bad cable TV and sacked out. My dreams were nonexistent until an angel took over.

Cas stood in front of me in a field of some sort.

"Dean, do you know where the vampire nest is staying yet?"

"No. We were gonna do a check tomorrow" I say confused as to why Cas is concerned with this job.

"Look Dean, I can't tell you what, but something big is going to happen tomorrow and I need you to be ready."

"Ready for what? Cas what the hell is going on?"

"I can't tell you. You will know tomorrow. Stay safe Dean." And he touches my forehead.

I wake with a jolt in the hotel room still fully dressed from the day before with the morning sun shining through the slit in the curtain, Sam still asleep.

I get up and throw on a fresh shirt and go to the restroom. When I see Sam still isn't awake I blast the radio on my phone. A little AC/DC can do the boy some good. He jumps up and glares at me.

"Yeah, because that never gets old Dean." He grumbles and gets up to get ready.

It is a quiet drive to a small, local diner for breakfast. A stack of pancakes, bacon and coffee later and I am ready to take on the world. "Alright Sammy let's do this."

A quick stop to the local mortuary for some dead man's blood later we are parked in a hiking trail lot on the edge of town. We gear up with the blood shots and machetes and head out on the trail.

Not too much later, there is an area off the regular trail that looks worn out and walked on so we follow it, winding deeper into the trees. Somewhere we hear a small body of water so we listen extra hard to make sure we don't miss anything. The last thing we expected was to get ambushed from above. But as our luck would have it, we are.

We tumble around with what we assume is a girl vampire for a while before we are able to throw her off of us. Machetes drawn, we inch close to where she begins to stir again. We are ready to strike when she stops us.

"Wait! I'm not a vampire! They are all dead" she exclaims now scared.

"Oh and exactly how would you know that? You look like nothing more than a kid" Sam was pissed and ready to strike but something told me to wait so I held my arm with the machete in it in front of him.

"Who are you and how do you know about vampires?" I demand she suddenly looks up and straight at me. After a minute of examining my face she spoke. "Dean Winchester?"

For a minute I am stunned out of words. So of course Sam takes over. "How do you know my brother? Who are you?"

"My name is Katie… Katie Robinson… And that is my father…"

It hits me like a freight train. Those crazy curls that are the same color as my hair… those eyes… that skin that looks like there is just enough African American to show where she comes from… "You… you're Cassie's daughter…"

She nods but stays silent other than that. Sam is speechless which I am thankful for but I am as well. I haven't seen Cassie in… sixteen or seventeen years… "How old are you ki- Katie?" I am quick to use her name and not just call her kid.

"I will be 17 in a few months." Her fear is gone and replaced by sarcasm that makes me positive that this is Cassie's daughter. But wait. If Katie is here…

"Where is your mom?" My heart breaks when I see the hurt that takes over her face…

"She told me all about you. How my father was such a good man and I should never feel sad that he wasn't there with us. She told me about what you do for a living so that would understand once I was old enough. Told me about how you saved her life… she missed you… one night we were watching TV and we thought we heard something in the kitchen so she went to check and told me to hide…I heard her screaming but I was so scared… I couldn't move… and then I heard them leave. They took her with them but I tried to find them. Another hunter… I don't remember his name… he found me and told me what happened… told me about what had killed my mother and for me to get somewhere safe… I was 14… so I went back to my house, packed a backpack of some clothes and food and left… I said I would avenge my mom so here I am… Killing vampires who don't deserve to live what they consider a life."

"How do you know I am Dean?"

She pulls a picture out of her bag. Cassie and I the first time we were together. "The back says 'Dean and I Akron College' and when she would show me this she would always tell me how much she loved you and how happy she was that you were my father. She wanted me to know you… You look so much younger in this but you haven't changed that much"

I don't know what comes over me but the next thing I know I am inviting her back to the hotel so we can talk more. Sam is still speechless but he walks back to the impala with us and we pile in and head back to the room.

Once there, I strip my jacket and gesture for her to sit on the moth eaten couch that came in the room. Something that Sammy and I were very used to.

"OK so let's step back for a minute." I say, sitting across from her on the table. "Let's say that you are telling the truth and are Cassie's and my daughter. She would have told me about you I am positive."

"No. She told me that she knew you were busy saving people and hunting monsters. That she didn't want to drop a child on you when you were probably busy." She started to get tears in her eyes and I wanted to sit on the couch next to her and hold her. She really is my kid.

My mind flashes to the first time I thought I had a kid. Ben. My heart really hurts to remember him and Lisa. Then you had my experience with the Amazons and that was just all kinds of crazy. But this… This is a love from my past. One of the first times when I actually felt love for someone that way. And she is hunting… she is already in my lifestyle which is something I never wanted for a kid of mine (that is, when I even let myself think about having a kid).

"Alright. I am not gonna try to be your father now because the time for that is long gone. But if you would let me, I can take you to the bunker my brother and I have been living in. It is back in my home state of Kansas and is built for hunters. It is great and we can hit cases together." Having someone other than Sam living in the bunker would be a good change. Not to mention she is a Men of Letters legacy, my offspring.

"I can do with that." She seems to still be in thought about it but she also gave am answer so I will just hope she doesn't change her mind.

After a night of talking to her and Sam and grabbing some burgers, we settle with her on the couch and I fall asleep thinking about the day I just had. How exhausting it was and how I may still be adjusting to having a kid (and would be for some time I am sure), but I still want to keep her around. She is family and I want her to stick around.

Sam's POV

My mind is reeling. We left the bunker yesterday for a simple vampire case and we are now staring down a path that is gonna change everything. Dean has a daughter. Not just that but a 16 year old girl who is already hunting. I remember Cassie when we investigated the racist truck. She was a good girl and good for Dean but he wouldn't hear it back then. It was all hunt and find dad. Now though, I bet he would give anything to have Cassy back.

I see why Dean is doing this. He wants her in his life now and it makes perfect sense. If I had a kid I would want to take care of him or her with or without the mom. Inviting her back to the bunker was not what I expected but I am not against the idea. It would be good to have someone else there. It had begun to have that long lasting man smell from just Dean, Cas and myself. Charlie said something about it last time she visited and I couldn't help but notice it after that.

After some awkward scooting around each other and sharing the bathroom more than we are used to, we all settled down with the plan of leaving after breakfast back to the bunker.

Katie's POV

My father. My real father who I had heard so many stories about was here. He had found me. Not by his choice obviously, he didn't even know I existed until today. But still there is this glimmer of hope in me. I can have my dad and an uncle. Mom always said he was such an amazing guy. I want to know what it is like so bad. But I stop those thoughts almost as fast as they enter my brain. I know I said I would go to the bunker with them in the morning but I don't think I can. I slid my shoes on and very quietly open the door, walking out into the cold night air and running off back to the woods where we were earlier.

There was an abandoned cabin about a mile away from where the vamp nest was and I had set up there, not really having the money or the age to get a room in town. Once inside I am attacked by a slobbering hound.

"Hey buddy! How is my good boy doing? Did you miss me today? I missed you. Yes I did" My travel companion, I call him buddy, was a rottweiler that I had saved from dog fights when I was in Arizona about a year ago. He has followed me ever since and he makes great company. I grab my bag. I have some clothes, a bag of dog food for when I can't get anything else, some basic food for me and my weapons. I only have one gun that I swiped from some dumb ass cop and all I have are a few bullets for it from the times I have had to deal with something other than vampires. I also have my knife on my side and then the machete I used earlier.

My father means well and I know that but I have to do this stuff on my own. I sling my bag over my shoulders and call buddy who follows me out of the cabin and we set off due east for a water fill up. I need to be able to put a lot of ground between my dad and me before he realizes I am gone and hunts me down.