Say Something
I've been hunting with Sam and Dean for a few months now and it still amazes me how many hunts they actually go on. The show really only showed a small fraction of their work. Since I have Kevin, I don't always go on every hunt, but I go on as many as I can. Dean helped me trick out Daphne so she now has a secret weapons compartment too. I scoured the Bunker and found as many weapons as I could. Sam and Dean also helped by procuring some more unique weapons.
They also taught me how to make the variety of bullets needed such as silver, devil's trap, and especially witch killing. While my angel blade may work on a variety of supernatural species, it won't work on all of them so I have to be prepared. I also have my own collection of fake IDs with names that Dean loves to complain about like Grassi, Stirling, Caffrey, Brennan, etc. I like to mix it up with characters as well as the usual musicians.
Kevin won't ever say, but I can tell that he feels put out by how often I leave. I keep offering to train him to be a hunter, but he says he prefers the research portion. I try to make it up to him by returning to sleep, which also saves the brothers money on an extra room or having to share a bed. We also go to fun places between hunts, but he's still distant. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've tried everything to include him.
My biggest fear is excluding people, since I was on the other end of that most of my life. I make a huge effort to never leave anyone out, including Cas. I often fly out to see how he is and talk to him. Outside of the residents of the Bunker, he's my best friend and the one I go to when I need to talk about something. I've finally got him to call me Cat, at least most of the time.
I don't feel like Caitlin any more. Caitlin was a naïve girl who spent her whole life in the background, even in her friendships. She was shy, quiet, and a complete push over. Cat, however, has seen and been through things that still haunt her dreams. She's a Hell Angel who can fight, kill, and protect herself and those she loves. She has a strange family and a loving boyfriend. Cat is me.
One thing Caitlin and Cat have in common, though, is that neither are very good at the whole relationship thing. It's been over a year since Kev and I became official and I'm still learning. What really sucks, is that I have no one to ask advice from. Cas has never had one and the Winchesters' never work out for them. Guess I really am a Winchester. After the latest case, I decide to talk to Kevin about it. "Hey, Kev?" I say hesitantly, walking into the kitchen.
"Hmm?" he hums distractedly as he makes dinner. It looks like he's making spaghetti and I can smell garlic bread baking.
"Can we talk?"
"About what?" he asks, still focused on the boiling pasta.
"How about why you're so distant lately?" I reply crossly. This finally gets him to at least look at me. I feel bad at the tone of voice I used, but I hate being ignored.
"I'm distant? You're the one who's always going off hunting, and leaving me behind like a pet! In fact, that's what I might as well be!" he snaps. I'm shocked by the ferocity of his response.
"I offered to train you so you could come, but you refused! I come home every night and we always go to some nice places between hunts. I've been trying to include you!" I shout, mad that he isn't even recognizing the effort I've been putting in.
"I'm not a dog that is satisfied by a few treats every so often! I just want to spend some quality time with you! No hunting, nothing supernatural, no brothers, just us!" he yells angrily.
"You knew this would happen when you agreed to move back! You knew I was dreaming of going hunting with my brothers!" I yell back, face red.
"I didn't realize that meant you'd never be around! We've been dating for over a year and now I hardly ever see you!" he shouts in response.
"If you would train, you could come and we could hunt together!" I snap. He doesn't know, but I've been wanting that since the first time I offered. I want to share the experience, the rush with him. Maybe then he would understand. Maybe then our relationship would be better.
"I don't want to hunt!" Then his eyes become sad and he whispers, "I want what we had, before we moved back here…"
This is news to me. I thought he was happy living here, but I guess I haven't been paying attention. There are times I miss those days too. Most of the time it was just the two of us, his mom was often visiting other people. We had some great moments in that house. Lazy kisses in the morning, cuddling on the couch while watching Netflix. There was even a memorable moment of us baking together which ended up with flour in my hair and egg on his face. It was all very domestic without any mention of the supernatural. I never even used my powers.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" I ask quietly, all fight gone. It's hard to be angry when he looks so dejected.
"You're just so happy here, hunting with your brothers." he sighs. "I didn't want to ruin that with my selfish dreams."
"Kev, it's not selfish. We were both happy there. If it makes you unhappy to live here, then we can move." I say gently, placing my hand on his cheek. He leans into it, but then straightens up.
"But you're happy here!" he exclaims in surprise.
"We could live in a shack and I would be happy. I don't care about surroundings, just who I'm surrounded by." I tell him sincerely. God, I feel like a Hallmark card. We are so far into chick flick territory right now.
He leans in and gives me a slow, passionate kiss then pulls me into a hug. "I love you, Cat." he whispers in my ear.
We hear someone clearing their throat and I open my eyes. "Shit! Babe, the pasta is boiling over!" I yelp, seeing the bubbling pot. He quickly releases me and turns back to the stove.
"Can you guys not do that where we eat? You ruined my appetite." Dean complains. He was the one we heard clear their throat. He and Sam are standing at the bottom of the steps and looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"Umm…" I stutter. "How long were y'all standing there?" I sincerely hope they came in at the end and didn't hear the whole thing. I had forgotten they were back, too focused on figuring things out with Kev.
"Long enough. Never realized you were so fiery, though I could've done without the chick flick moment." he grimaces. I flush with embarrassment. They heard the whole thing.
"You could've left." Kevin replies as he stirs the noodles. How can he be so cool with this! Then again, they aren't his brothers. I can sense that Dean will use this against me in the future. He loves tormenting me, just like he does to Sam.
"Well you could've taken your fight somewhere private." Dean quips.
"So I take it you guys are moving out then?" Sam asks, having heard our entire argument.
"Looks like it." I reply. "Y'all don't mind?" I know they prefer me living here, where they can protect me and watch over me. I may be a strong 22-year-old woman, but they'll always see me as the scared 20 year old who showed up unconscious in their Impala.
"We just want you both to be happy. If that means living somewhere else, then you have our blessing." he tells me. "Of course, we'll still worry about you, that's our job."
"But you better call and visit often or we're going break in and kidnap you." Dean playfully threatens.
"Of course we will! We're not disowning you." I laugh. "Besides, you'll still see me on hunts, just less often." I can't see Kevin's face, but judging by his posture, he's smiling.
"How long til the food is ready?" Dean quickly changes the subject.
"Trust you to think of your stomach instead of the conversation." I chuckle.
"What? We were done and I'm hungry." he replies innocently.
"It'll be a few more minutes." Kevin answers him. "You can make yourself useful and set the table." Dean gapes at Kevin's order, but grudgingly complies.
"You're a rare individual." I tell Kevin quietly. "Not many people can make him speechless."
"I heard that!" Dean calls.
We laugh at his petulant tone and I pull the garlic bread out of the oven while Kevin carries over the noodles and sauce. We have a great family dinner, joking and telling stories. I'll miss this, but maybe it will be good for us to have our own place.
I'm exhausted from the hunt, so after dinner I retire to my room. I crawl under the covers and open my laptop, looking for some housing options. I have quite a bit of money saved up, enough for a small house. "Hey, babe? Where do you want to live?" I ask Kevin as he walks in a little bit later.
"Huh?"
"Well if we're going to move out then we should have our own place." I explain. "Do you have a preference?"
"Cat, we don't have money for a house." he states, sitting beside me and looking at my screen.
"I've got it covered." I reply. "Now, preferences?"
"How do you have money?" he questions, ignoring my own question.
I sigh at his persistence. "I've been working for about a year now. It pays well so I have enough saved up for at least a small house." I tell him.
"You've been working? Where?" he interrogates.
"I've been gathering medicinal plants from overseas for a few pharmaceutical companies. Seriously, give me some preferences or I'll choose some in the middle of a swamp." I threaten.
"Fine. How about Colorado? It's not too far, but not too close either, plus it's beautiful." he finally answers.
"Thank you." I reply with a kiss on his cheek. We spend the rest of the evening house hunting and find a few good options. We decide it's too late to call realtors, so we lay in each other's arms and fall asleep.
"Did you call?" Kevin asks as I join him in the library the next morning.
"Yeah, we've got a few showings scheduled for tomorrow." I reply.
"Hey, Cat. We have another case if you want to join us. It looks like vampires, your favorite." Dean announces as he and Sam walk in.
I'm torn. He's right, vamp hunts are my favorite. They remind me of when I was such a badass in Purgatory, plus, my first monster kill was a vamp, unless you count Phobetor I suppose. Not to mention they've become my specialty, but not like Gordon, I'm not a psychopath. Either way, I really want to go. I look over at Kevin and see that he's frowning.
"I know I promised to lay off the hunts for a while, but it's vampires!" I plead to Kevin, using my puppy eyes.
He continues to frown and crosses his arms, but replies, "Don't let me stop you."
"Thanks, babe. I'll meet you here before the showings." I tell him as I rush off to grab my stuff. Sam and Dean have put their foot down when it comes to me zapping to a case before them, so I always either ride with them or drive Daphne. I decide to ride this time since I'll be doing house hunting as well. We load up and drive off toward a small town in New Mexico that seems to be home to a nest of vampires.
It's about a half-day's drive, so we arrive late in the evening. Dean pulls up to a bar and we all get out. The Tumbleweed is like most bars we visit for information, meaning it's a dive bar. The boys grab us a table while I go to the bar to order some food and drinks. I get a few looks, but walking in with Sam and Dean tends to scare guys away.
After I grab the drinks, beer for them and a coke for me, I return to the table where Sam already has his laptop out. We discuss the case until the food arrives. After he's done eating, Dean heads off to hustle pool. We quickly learned that I'm abysmal at pool and have a terrible poker face so I'm not allowed to gamble. Good thing I have my own source of income. We get a few possible nest sites and call it a night. Dean manages to get a couple hundred so we now have enough for a room and food for a bit. I'm about to tell them goodbye and fly home when my phone buzzes. I pull it out and see that I received a text from Kevin about an hour ago.
Kev: You should just stay there tonight. I'll see you at the house showing tomorrow
I hate fighting with him, but no relationship is perfect. "Hey guys, mind if I crash with you tonight?" I ask my brothers. Guess I should've realized how mad he would be, but I was too busy focusing on what I wanted. This is why we're in this fight in the first place.
"Kev's not happy, huh?" Dean says sympathetically.
"I don't know how to be in a relationship and hunt, but I don't want to give up either of them."
"You'll figure it out. If any Winchester can make it work, it's you." Sam assures.
"Thanks, Sam." I say with a small smile. I can always count on them to cheer me up. We head back to the motel and Dean lets me share with him instead of getting me my own room, which I'm grateful for. It's weird not being with Kevin. Dean still keeps to his side of the bed so I stick to mine. I appreciate, and at the same time hate, the space Dean is giving me. I remember when his strong arms would keep the nightmares away. He was my refuge before Kevin. Sam was as well, to an extent, but since he was sick from the trial, I tried not to bother him too much.
I eventually fall asleep and have a vivid nightmare. This one is worse than any others I've ever had. In it, Kevin dies with an unresolved argument between us. It feels so real. I can feel the tears already on my face, hear the doctor deliver news of Kevin's death, feel my heart break as I see his lifeless body on the slab. I even feel the crisp wind as I stand in front of his snow-covered grave.
I wake up to find that I had reached into the gap, searching for Kevin. I begin to cry silently from my nightmare. It can't be a vision, can it? He died from heart failure, which he is way too young to have. I remember feeling a ring on my finger. Were we engaged? Married?
Dean turns around and sees my tears. "It'll be okay, Cat. All couples fight at some point."
"H-he died. I-in my dream." I sob.
He pulls me against his chest and whispers, "It was just a dream, Cat. He's alive back at the Bunker."
"It felt so real, but it can't be, right? I can't be having visions again." I whisper the last part so he can't hear it. I've had a few visions and all have been centered on those I love getting hurt. I've also had dreams of the same theme so it's hard to distinguish the two until it's almost too late and I'm in the moment. Cas is the only other one who knows, but he can't explain why they're suddenly happening.
Dean looks concerned by my breakdown and gently asks, "Want to talk about it?"
"From what I could tell, we were either married or engaged. There were Christmas decorations everywhere, but I didn't recognize the house. We had a fight and then I got a call that he died. I saw the body and the grave. Dean, I felt the heartbreak. I-I can't lose him, not like that, not this soon."
"Oh, sweetheart." he sighs sadly as I continue to sob into his chest. "It was just a nightmare. You're in the middle of your first fight with him and you're worried about losing him. All your fears and stress just triggered a nightmare, you're not having visions." He kisses my hair and rubs my back as I try to calm down. It's been a long time since I've gotten this worked up, but the familiar comforting from Dean soon has me calmed down. "Why don't you call him? Maybe talking to him will help." he suggests.
I sniff and reply, "That's a good idea. Thanks, De." I grab my phone and see that it's only 6:30. Kevin is probably still asleep, but I need to hear his voice right now. I hurry to the bathroom so that I don't disturb Sam and hold the phone to my ear.
"Hello?" Kevin says groggily.
"Sorry to wake you, Kev. I just had a nightmare and needed reassurance that you were still alive."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, sounding more awake and concerned. That's one thing I love about him. No matter how mad he might be, he still cares.
"C-can I come home?" I ask shakily, unable to get the glimpse of his dead body out of my head.
"Of course, honey." he affirms.
I fly to our room immediately and throw myself into his waiting arms. "I'm so sorry, Kev. I shouldn't have left. Can you forgive me?"
"Shhh. It's okay, honey. It's forgotten." he coos as I cry into his shoulder.
After I calm down, I send a quick text to Dean then we crawl back in bed to get a few more hours of sleep before meeting the realtor in Colorado. We end up looking at few houses before settling on a nice little two bedroom two bath. I leave the vamps to Sam and Dean while Kevin and I get situated in our new home. We were able to move in immediately after buying it surprisingly.
After they take care of the nest of four vampires, Sam and Dean come visit us. By this time we've moved all of our stuff from the Bunker to our little home. They seem impressed by our house and the protection I made sure to put up. I tell them that we are putting two twins into the guest bedroom for if they visit and they seem touched. I recently went out and bought a few games so we decide to have a game night.
I refuse to play any type of gambling game since Sam and Dean would have an unfair advantage, so instead we start with my favorite game, Bananagrams. It's a fast-paced Scrabble-like game that I loved to play in the other dimension. Predictably, Sam and Kevin prove to be stiff competition and I only win by mere seconds. Dean gives up in the middle and instead starts spelling crude words with his tiles. We play other games, like Phase 10, which I lose terribly at, and Spoons, which I also lose. There is a lot of hilarity when I break out Apples to Apples, not trusting Dean to behave with Cards Against Humanity.
Before they leave the next morning, Dean pulls me aside. "Promise you'll take care of yourself. We put extra warding around the entire house, but you're still at risk."
"I know, Squirrel. I have no intention of screwing this up by attracting unwanted attention. Don't forget, y'all trained me well."
"We will always worry about you, sweetheart. You're our little sister." he chuckles as he ruffles my hair.
"Unfortunately." I grumble playfully as I fix my hair.
"What do you mean? We're delightful!" he quips with a smirk. He then becomes serious. "Don't do anything stupid. We can't lose you again."
"I won't." I promise solemnly. They leave shortly after that, leaving Kevin and I alone.
"What did Dean want?" he asks as we lay on the sofa together later, watching Netflix.
"He just made me promise to be careful. You know how much they worry about me."
"With good reason. You're a magnet for trouble. That's why I hate how often you go on hunts. I'm afraid one of these days I'll get the call from your brothers."
"I don't go down that easily." I say, trying to lighten things up.
"Cat, I'm serious. I don't know what I would do without you."
"I'm sorry, Kevin. I promise I'll cut back, but please don't make me give it up. I love feeling like I have a purpose and am no longer the victim." I plead.
"I understand. I'll try to be more reasonable." he sighs.
A week after he turns nineteen, Kevin proposes. Of course I say yes, excited to keep him in my life permanently. I've worked a few cases since the fight, mostly with Sam and Dean. Kevin was less than thrilled when he found out I went on one alone. It was just a simple salt and burn and was over in a few hours.
Now it's three weeks later on Christmas morning and I'm alone in the house, crying. Kevin and I just had a huge fight about my hunting. I happened to mention a possible case and he went ballistic. He said he feels like I'm never home, and when I am, I'm looking for the next case. He stormed out, mentioning something about going on a run.
So here I am, sitting on the couch, crying. It's been several hours and he still hasn't returned. I begin to worry. No matter how mad he is, he would never stay away this long without at least sending me a text. Just as I'm putting on my coat, about to head out to find him, my phone rings. Relieved, I immediately answer it. "Kev? Where are you babe? It's Christmas! Please come back."
"Are you Cat Winchester?" a voice that isn't Kevin's says.
"Yes, who's this?"
"My name is Doctor Michaels. I'm sorry to tell you that your fiancé passed away."
My heart stops. This is exactly how I remember my nightmare. "What? Kevin is dead?!"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Winchester. He suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that results in a thickening of the heart muscle. His heart gave out from working too hard to pump blood."
"But he's nineteen! He was healthy! How could he have died from heart failure?!"
"I'm afraid it often goes undetected. It is a big cause of sudden death in young men, especially athletes. Was he athletic?"
"He did weights and ran, but that's all. He went on a run a few hours ago. I was about to go look for him when you called."
"I'm sorry for your loss. Would you like to come see him? He's at Trinity General Hospital."
"Yes, thank you."
I hang up and stare at my phone. With one call, my world has fallen apart. Heart failure, just like the nightmare. So it was a vision. Just like Sam, I had ignored it and now Kevin is dead. The light of my life, snuffed out so suddenly. The phone begins to ring again and I see Moose on the screen. I ignore it and head to my car.
POVPOVPOVPOVPOV
"Hey, Sam? Have you heard from Cat lately?" Dean asks randomly. He realizes he hasn't heard from her since the engagement announcement a few weeks back. She normally contacts them every week or so, making the radio silence disconcerting.
"No, she never picked up when I called on Christmas. I figured she was busy with Kevin since they're newly engaged and living in their new house." Sam answers, realizing the oddity as well. "I'll call her." He dials the phone, but it just goes to voicemail. "It went straight to voicemail." Sam worries.
"I'm going to check the newspapers for her area, just in case." Dean states, opening his laptop. He's getting a bad feeling about this. Cat always calls back if she misses a call and never turns her phone off.
"Good idea. I'll help." Sam agrees as he opens his own laptop.
They both pull up papers between the last time they heard from her and now. It's Dean who finds the obituary. "Shit! We need to find her, now!" he says as he jumps up and rushes for the garage.
"What did you find?" Sam asks anxiously as he chases after Dean.
"Kevin died on Christmas. Report said heart failure."
"That was almost two weeks ago! Why didn't she call?" Sam exclaims in alarm.
"She's pulling a Winchester and we need to find her before she gets herself killed!" Dean calls over his shoulder, finally making it to the Impala. They jump in and Dean speeds off to Colorado. He doubts she is still there, but maybe they can get some clues about where she went. "She dreamed of this, Sam. That night she stayed with us after their fight, she had a nightmare. She told me that he died around Christmas time. She also mentioned she was either engaged or married." Dean reveals once they're on the road.
"She had a vision? She's having visions?! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it was just a nightmare! Kevin is only nineteen; he shouldn't be dying like this!"
"She's going to be spiraling without him. He was her everything. She died to save him, breaking her biggest rule. The fact she never even called is a really bad sign."
"I know, Sam. Why do you think we're speeding to Colorado? I'm hoping there will be some hint to help us find her." Dean explains.
They arrive at her house and see a For Sale sign in the yard. They check the house anyway, using the spare key to get in. The house is empty of all personal touch, leaving just the furniture it came with. "We should check with the neighbors, maybe they know something." Sam suggests after they've scoured the entire house and come up with nothing.
They go next door and ring the bell. A woman in her thirties answers the door. "Hello, ma'am." Dean drawls. "My name is Dean and this is my brother Sam. We were wondering if you knew the previous owners of the house next door."
"Cat and Kevin? Tragic."
"What do you mean?" Sam asks, hoping she knows something they can use to aid their search.
"Christmas morning they had a fight, I could hear raised voices when I let my dog out. Kevin left in a hurry and ended up dying from heart failure. He was only nineteen. Cat was so distraught that she packed up her things and put the house up for sale. No one has seen or heard from her since." she reveals.
"Did she say anything about where she was going?" Dean questions hopefully.
"Why do you care so much about her?" the woman asks suspiciously.
"She's our sister and we haven't heard from her in weeks. We found out about Kevin from the paper." Sam replies honestly.
"Oh, in that case, she left you a letter. Let me go find it." She leaves the room and the boys look at each other.
"They had a fight right before. Cat is probably blaming herself for this. We need to find before she does something stupid." Dean states anxiously.
Just then, the woman returns with an envelope labeled To my brothers. They take the envelope and open it, reading the letter enclosed.
He's gone and so am I. Don't look for me.
"Dammit, Cat!" Dean vents. They ask the woman if she knows anything else, but she's told them all she knows.
They talk to each neighbor, but none of them know anything. Apparently, she just disappeared after the funeral. They decide to visit the cemetery to pay their last respects to Kevin before hunting down their wayward sister.
A/N: First, I want to thank those of you who read Worlds Collide, and especially those who took the time to favorite, review, or PM! Y'all are the reason I'm writing this sequel. I never expected to get so much positive feedback for my very first fic! I hope I don't let y'all down with this sequel. I have a lot of great ideas, but not much time to craft them into an amazing story, but that doesn't mean I won't give it my best! I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy!
PS: The fic's beginning is set in early Nov during season 10. Finding a timeline for most of the episodes is next to impossible but I'll try to orient events best I can.