Dean - 28, Sam - 24, Kate - 22
Kate sat on her bed, typing on her laptop. Her blonde hair falling over her shoulders onto the dark grey shirt of her brother's that she was wearing. Her oldest brother Dean had been gone for four months now, after selling his soul for her other brother Sam.
Kate had always been close to both of her brothers. They had hunted evil together pretty much all of their lives, and although her family may have been slightly more dysfunctional that most, they had always had each others backs. The three of them had been happy, all up until the night that Dean had been dragged to hell. After that things had changed. Kate had become consumed with her own grief while her brother Sam had been acting strangely, going off in the middle of the night and coming back hours later like nothing had happened, claiming he'd just 'gone out for a drink' or something. She'd never believed him but she'd never pressed it. She figured whatever it was he was doing all that time was just his way of dealing with the loss of his big brother.
A loud knocking on the door of her motel room pulled her from her thoughts. She slowly placed the laptop down on the bed and picked up her knife from the side table. She took a breath before pulling open the door, not at all prepared for the sight that met her eyes. Dean. Her oldest brother standing there looking at her, usual cocky smirk plastered over his face. "Hey Kate." He said with a smile. "You miss me?"
Her mouth opened and closed, no words coming out. She stared at him for a minute, trying to work through the shock of what was happening. "Dean?" The only word she could manage to breath out.
"Yeah sis, it's me."
Kate lunged her knife at him but he was too quick for her. He managed to snatch the knife from her hand and tried to grab a hold of her but she jumped backwards and punched him in the face. "Jesus Christ, I can't even see." He mumbled, holding his nose and blinking hard. "Damn it Kate, will you just calm down?!"
"Who the hell are you?! Or, what are you?"
"I'm Dean. Your brother. Kate, I swear it's me." He pleaded with her.
"Yeah right. You're a shapeshifter or a demon or something."
"No, look." He lifted his sleeve and cut a line across his arm, drawing blood. "Silver knife, see? I'm me."
Kate backed away from him slowly before turning and breaking into a run across the room. Dean slammed the door closed behind himself and followed her. She grabbed a small black flask from the side and whipped around, throwing the contents in Dean's face. He looked at her blankly and wiped a hand down his wet face. "For the last time sis, I'm not a demon."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Dean?"
He nodded and sighed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
A sob escaped her as she took a step forwards and threw her arms around him tightly, bursting into tears. He gladly accepted the hug, pulling her closer to him to try and calm her down, resting his cheek against the top of her head. He held her until she'd stopped crying but she didn't let go of him for a few minutes. She eventually pulled away from him and looked up at him. "Are you okay?" She asked him, the concern clear in her voice.
He smiled at her and nodded. "I'm alright."
She let out another sob as she ran a hand over her head and nodded. "God, I missed you so much Dean."
"Yeah, I missed you too." He said quietly.
She smiled at him. He'd missed her smile, all that time in hell had almost made him forget how much she looked like their mother, especially when she smiled. "So you want a beer?" She said with a slight laugh.
"Sounds great." He smiled, tears shining in his own eyes.
They sat down at the small table in the corner of the room with their beers. "So how'd you get out?" She asked him.
"Well that's what I was gonna ask you.. You telling me you had nothing to do with it?"
"What? No.. I tried Dean, I swear I tried. But I couldn't do it. You were stuck in hell all that time and I couldn't save you." She could feel herself on the verge of tears again, the sudden guilt coming to her that she hadn't been able to save her brother from hell.
"Hey, it's okay. It wasn't your fault." He told her calmly, suddenly feeling guilty for bringing it up. He could clearly see in her face the amount of pain she had been through the last few months. "What about Sam?"
"What about him?"
"Well if it wasn't you that brought me back, really that only leaves Sam. You think he could have?"
"Yeah, I guess so.. He's been pretty messed up himself."
"Hey where is Sam anyway? You guys are still together right?" He looked concerned, like he was anxious of the answer. She thought about it carefully, whether or not to tell him the truth. She didn't know how to say it. 'Oh yeah Dean, we're still together but only the times he isn't sneaking around behind my back doing something which is obviously so bad he can't tell his own sister'. Yeah, that would go down great. He'd been out of hell a couple of hours at the most and he was already having family problems. "Kate? You okay?" Dean asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Sorry." She said, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yeah, we're still hunting together. He's just out doing some research." She lied, she had no idea where he'd gone or what he was doing.
"Same old Sammy right?" He laughed.
"Yeah.."
"What were you hunting here anyway?"
"Nothing especially, we tracked some demons up here. We were looking for them."
"Oh. So.. Are you okay? I saw Bobby earlier, he said you'd been a bit of a mess lately."
Kate didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "What did he say exactly?"
"Just that you were a mess. No details."
"The last few months weren't exactly fun Dean. For any of us." It came out slightly harsher than she'd intended it to.
"Right, sorry." He answered quickly, getting the hint that she didn't want to talk about it.
"We're okay. It's gonna be okay." She wasn't exactly sure on whether she was trying to convince him or herself.
Dean looked at her carefully. He could see that she had something on her mind, something that she wasn't telling him. His eyes scanned over her, she looked much skinnier than he had remembered. And tired, she had dark circles under her slightly bloodshot eyes which stood out against her unusually pale skin. He realised how unhealthy she really looked. She clearly hadn't been taking as much care of herself as she should have been. Dean made himself a mental note to talk to her about that at some point soon. He noticed something else, on her wrist. A black line that looked like a tattoo. It was mostly covered by her sleeve but it looked like part of a word. "What's that?" He asked her curiously.
"What's what?" She followed his eyes to her wrist and glanced at the tattoo. "Oh, that.."
She pulled her sleeve up further and held out her arm towards him. On her wrist facing towards her was a single word. Dean. She'd had his name tattooed on herself. He couldn't help but feel touched but at the same time seriously concerned about how much pain she'd actually been through while he had been gone. "When did you do this?"
"Couple of months ago. I'd been sitting in this bar, just thinking and.. I dunno. I just did it."
He took her hand in his and held it tight. "It's gonna be okay, sis. I'm not going anywhere again. I promise."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them looking up when the motel door swung open. Sam walked in and stopped, looking between them, his eyes wide. "Hey Sammy."
Sam looked at him in shock. He grabbed a knife and ran at him. Dean blocked the attack and pushed him away. "Who are you?!" Sam shouted at him.
"Like you didn't do this?!"
"Do what?"
Kate walked up to Sam and grabbed the knife from his hand. "Sammy, it's him. It's Dean."
Sam stared at him in disbelief. Dean shrugged and gave him a slight smile. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"
He took a step towards Dean and pulled him into a close hug, Dean returning it with just as much force. Kate looked on at them and smiled. When they pulled back, Dean looked at Sam seriously. "So tell me.. What did it cost?" He asked his brother in a low voice.
Sam glanced over at Kate who stood with her arms folded. "What did what cost?" He asked, looking confused.
"To bring me back. What did it cost?" Dean asked him again. "Was it just your soul or something worse?"
"You think I made a deal?"
"That's exactly what we think." Kate said to him.
Sam now looked angry. "Well, I didn't."
"Don't lie to me." Dean told him intently.
"I'm not lying." Sam answered him defensively.
Dean took a step towards him, closing the gap between them. "So what, now I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch boy? I didn't wanna be saved like this Sam!"
"Look, I wish I had done it alright?" He said angrily.
Dean grabbed a hold of the front of Sam's shirt. "Well I didn't drag myself out and Kate didn't do it. That only leaves you. There's no other way that this could have gone down Sam. Now tell the truth!"
Sam pushed Dean off him. "I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. And I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me. Dean, I'm sorry.." He trailed off, his voice growing quieter.
He suddenly saw his little brother for the first time since he'd walked in through the motel door. He looked sad and broken, just like his sister had done. "It's okay Sammy. It's okay." He said softly. "You don't have to apologise, I believe you."
The three of them stood in silence for a couple of minutes until Kate spoke up. "Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm glad Sam still has full ownership of his soul but it does leave a tricky question."
They both looked at her. "If neither of you pulled me out.. What did?"
"I say we call Bobby." Sam suggested.
"I'll do it." Kate offered, walking outside of the room. Dean hadn't seemed to notice but Sam knew she had offered to so he and Dean could have a few minutes alone together.
"It's good to have you back Dean." Sam said to him quietly.
"You know Sammy, it's kind of nice to be back."
Sam laughed. "Hey, you'll probably want this back." He pulled out a necklace from under his shirt. Dean looked confused until he recognised it as his own amulet. Sam pulled it over his head and placed it gently into his brother's hand.
"Thanks Sammy." He smiled at him warmly.
"Yeah.. Don't mention it." Dean slipped the amulet easily over his head, feeling better having the familiar weight around his neck. "Hey Dean, what was it like?" He asked curiously.
"What, hell? I don't know I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."
Sam nodded at him. "Well, thank God for that."
"Yeah.." Dean mumbled.
Kate walked back through the motel door. "Bobby said that he knows a psychic a couple of towns over from here. He said he'd meet us there so we can crash here tonight and then leave tomorrow."
Dean smiled. "Sounds like a plan.. Well, I'm kinda hungry so how about you two go and pick up some food while I have a shower?" He said as he walked to the bathroom, slamming the door closed.
Kate grabbed her bag and pulled out some money before turning to Sam who shrugged at her. The two of them walked out of the room together and made their way to the nearest diner. As they crossed the street, Kate looked up at Sam. "Did he say anything to you?" She asked.
"Nothing.. Says he doesn't remember anything. I guess that's some good news?"
Kate nodded. "I hope he's okay. I can't lose him again Sam."
"Hey, listen to me. He's gonna be fine. He's out now, he's not going back. We're all gonna be okay." He said as he put an arm around her.
"Yeah, I know." She smiled at him before entering the diner.
Back at the motel, Dean stepped out of the shower and dressed. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at himself. He stared at the face looking back at him and blinked hard. He remembered himself screaming, terrified. He heard voices realising Sam and Kate must have come back already. He glanced at himself once more before putting on his best 'everything's fine' face and leaving the bathroom.
They both turned and smiled at him as he walked into the room, wearing some sweat pants and a t-shirt. "Double bacon cheeseburger." His sister said as she threw a bag at him.
He sat down and smiled. "Oh baby, I've missed you."
"Wouldn't it be cute if he was talking to me and not the burger?" Kate said, Sam laughing at them.
"Awh, you know I love you too sis." Dean smirked, stealing one of her fries.
"Hey!" She grinned, throwing a wrapper at his head.
Sam looked down as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text message with a sigh. He knew who it was from, not that he could tell Dean or Kate. They wouldn't understand. Not yet anyway. "Hey, I think I might go for a walk for a while." He said.
Kate narrowed her eyes at him. He was pretty sure that sooner or later she was going to have to explain to Dean that these 'walks' were becoming more and more frequent. But that was something he'd have to deal with when it happened. "You okay?" Dean asked him.
"Yeah, I'm good." He answered. "I'll see you later." He turned and grabbed his jacket before walking out of the door.
Kate stood up and stretched before taking off the baggy shirt of Dean's she had over her vest top. Dean couldn't help but notice that she was way thinner than he'd realised. She definitely hadn't been eating enough. "I'm gonna have a shower." She muttered, walking to the bathroom and closing the door, with a little more force than Dean thought was needed. He sat there and looked from the front door to the bathroom door. Something was definitely up with her and Sam. He knew he'd have to find out soon.
He waited until he was sure that she was in the shower before walking out of the room and calling Bobby. "Hello?" A gruff voice asked.
"Hey Bobby, it's Dean."
"Everything alright kid?"
"Uh, yeah.. I just wanted to ask you something about Kate."
"What about her? She okay?"
"Earlier when you said she'd been a mess, what did you mean?"
"You gotta understand boy, she's had a rough time lately. She wasn't eating at all unless someone made her. She barely slept. Sam went off somewhere, I still don't know where, and she went off on her own looking for Lilith. When she couldn't find her, she just hunted constantly. I had calls off hunters telling me they'd seen her around.. She was reckless, like she didn't care if she came out of it in once piece or not. She drank, a lot. She was in a bad place Dean."
"Where was Sam in all this? He should've been looking after her."
"He was a mess too Dean."
"Yeah.. Well listen, I should go, thanks."
"Yeah, anytime. And look after your brother and sister. And yourself, idjit."
He smiled weakly. "Bye Bobby." Dean hung up the phone and sighed as he walked back inside the motel room.
He dropped onto his bed and waited for Kate to come out of the bathroom. A few minutes later she walked into the room with damp hair, baggy pajama pants and a white t-shirt. "You alright?" He asked her softly.
"Great. Why wouldn't I be?" She smiled. It was a fake smile. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference but he had practically raised her and Sam. There wasn't much he didn't know about them.
"It's just.. I was talking to Bobby and he said you haven't really been yourself lately."
"What?"
"Like the drinking Kate. And the not sleeping or the reckless hunting. I mean you're obviously not eating enough, look at you.."
"I don't need this Dean." She turned her back to him and pretended to be looking for something in her bag.
"Kate please.. I just wanna help you."
"I told you. I'm fine. I don't need any help." She said, slightly harsher than she'd meant to.
"Kate.." He pressed gently. "Please, talk to me."
She sighed and turned around to face him. Her usual calm face was gone. She wasn't one for sharing and caring, she was especially like him when it came to things like that. Dean looked at his sister, she looked broken and defeated with unshed tears glistening in her green eyes.
She shook her head and ran a hand over her face. "Look Dean, I don't know what to tell you. Yeah, I probably drank too much or got a little too reckless on a few hunts. Or maybe I didn't sleep enough but it's kind of difficult to sleep when you have images of your brother being ripped apart by hellhounds going through your mind every time you close your eyes, ya know.." She walked over to the bed and lay down next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her in a protective way, holding her until they both fell asleep.
He woke a few hours later to the sound of the bathroom door closing. Sam's jacket was on the other bed, he'd only just come back at 3AM. Something was definitely not right. He glanced down at his sister who was still sleeping, her sleeve had pushed up on her shirt, revealing a series of what looked to be deep gashes going across her arm just below the middle. He ran his thumb over them and sighed. "What're you doing Kate?" He whispered.
Sam came out of the bathroom and looked at Dean. "You just got in?" Dean asked him.
"Yeah, I uh.. stopped for a few beers." He was clearly not drunk and so couldn't have had that much to drink.
"Sure." Dean muttered before closing his eyes again and going back to sleep.
Dean jolted awake, painful images of himself screaming going through his mind. Thankfully, the room was empty so no one had noticed. Someone was in the shower and there was a note on the table between the two beds. He reached over and picked it up.
Morning losers, gone to get coffee, back in a few. Love Kate. :)
Dean smiled and rolled out of bed. That obviously meant Sam was the one occupying the shower. He looked up at the door as Kate walked in, it looked pretty bright outside to say it was only 7AM in the middle of September. "Mornin' bedhead." She laughed.
Sure enough, when he walked over to the mirror he saw that his hair was sticking out in all sorts of directions. He smirked to himself and took his black coffee from the tray. "What's that?" He asked, nodding at the bag in her hand.
"I bought you some pie." She said simply.
"Really?" He said skeptically, narrowing his eyes at her. He took the bag from her and looked in, smirking to himself. "I really love you, ya know that?"
"Yeah, yeah." She grinned to herself as she walked towards the bed and sat down.
Sam walked out of the bathroom and looked at them. "Mornin' guys." He said cheerily. "Nice hair." He smirked at Dean.
"Yeah, laugh it up Sammy." He laughed as he walked past Sam towards the bathroom to take a shower.
Sam walked over to Kate who handed him his coffee and breakfast. "Thanks sis." He smiled.
"No problem." She smiled back at him, lightly kicking him in the leg as he walked away. He turned and gave her a fake scowl before sitting down on the opposite bed.
"Aren't you eating?" He asked her, slightly concerned.
"Nah, I'm not hungry. I'll grab something later."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, totally." She grinned at him before standing to pack her bag up before Dean came out of the bathroom and they went to meet Bobby and the psychic.
Thank you for reading guys! :)