Dean Winchester looked up at Ellen as she got off the phone.
"That Jo?"
"Uh. No. Hey. Uh. You wanna give me a ride up to the courthouse?"
Dean gave her an incredulous look.
"Who's at the courthouse?"
Ellen gave a feeble smile. "My neice."
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"Please put the video evidence against Mrs. Cooper on."
The tv in the courtroom showed a girl, Katie Cooper, lying at the foot of a flight of stairs. "Katie?" Mrs. Calhoun walks up to her. Katie opens one eye. "Is he gone?", the girl asks. "Who? Sean? Yes. He's been outside for about ten minutes. How long have you been laying there?" Katie then gets up and holds her back. Arching it while a slight moan of discomfort escapes her lips. "I dont know," the girl replied," about an hour." Katie then gets a scared expression on her face. " He's been watching me from the top of the stairs. I'm sorry. But your kid's a freak. And not the weird, misunderstood, i-can-see-things-that-others-cant creepy kid from that Bruce Willis movie. But. Like. Rapist, rub-the-lotion-on-the-skin serial killer kind of freak. Psh. I quit."
Katie begins to walk away. Mrs. calhoun grabs her by the arm and turns her around.
"Katie. Sean needs you. I need you."
"NO. He's weird and smells like peanut butter and I'm going home."
The video cuts off.
"Katie," said Judge Banks, " How did this happen?" he guestured to the tv. " He's six for petes sake."
"I know. Thats what...thats EXACTLY what i said! 'Hes six. How hard could that possibly be?' And then we met. And i was suddenly reminded of the Omen."
Dean, who was seated in the very back of the courthouse nex to Ellen, snickered.
"The Omen, Katie?" the judge asked with an eyebrow raised and a serious look on his face.
Katies mouth gaped open, obviously shocked. "He pushed me down the stairs". Her voice raising slightly. "Then. When i tried to get up. He spat at me. He's either devilspawn or a witch."
"Devilspawn? Come on katie. Stop. You and I both know there is no such thing."
Katie, for the first time noticing she was there, looked at Ellen and, in a mocking tone, turned back to the judge. "Ha." Again earning a grin from Dean.
"Katie" the judge boomed.
"Fine. If you dont believe he's devilspawn then we need to move onto mommy. Hits a little too much drinky drinky glug glug if ya know what I mean."
"Kaitlin. What we need to move onto is where you will be working off the remainder of your sentence. Do you want to end up back in state?"
Katie rolled her eyes, and very visibly from the open back of the defendent stand shuffled her feet. "No."
"Well. Then lets see. There is an opening as a room mother at Phyllis Day-"
He was cut off by Katies cry. "NO! No kids!"
"Kids love you."
"No. BOYS love me. I hate kids. They're smelly. And sticky. AND I CANT SEE THEM IF THEY SNEAK UP ON ME! Little people freak me out!" Katie very quickly turned to her lawyer, a little person himself, and quietly mouthed him an "I'm sorry" which he waved off as she turned back around.
Judge Banks closed his books and very slowly took off his glasses. He leaned forward on the desk. "Fine. What exactly is it you WANT to do?"
Katie leaned back onto the side of the stand and put one foot through the parallel bars. She looked far to the side of the courtroom into nothing and slowly but casually replied "I dont know. Sell porn. Kids cant go in there. And if they do. Then. Well. They have HORRIBLE parents."
The judge looked down at her. "You're not selling porn."
Katie quickly turned her body back to face him again. " Why not!? If I'm old enough to be in it then I'm old enough to sell it."
A bark of laughter was heard from the back of the courtroom as well as a hushed but very pissed off sounding "Katie" coming from Ellen.
Katie turned toward her aunt and looked at her, as well as a still grinning Dean. "What?" she asked in a hushed tone. They shared looks. Finally Katie turned around and let out a sigh. "Ok. So maybe not porn."
The judge looked toward Ellen, then back at Katie. "Isn't that your aunt?"
Katie looked at him suspiciously. "Yes."
"Well."
Katie just looked at him. Then craned her neck to eccentuate the fact she didnt know what he was getting at.
He rolled his eyes. " Doesn't she own a resturaunt?"
Ellens head perked up. She hadnt told Katie about the roadhouse yet. She hadnt even got to tell her about Ash.
Katie, still suspicious but going along with the resturaunt theme replied. "Yes."
The judge made rotating hand guestures."So. Why dont you work as a waitress for her."
Katie broke out into a dumbfounded smile as she slapped her palm against her head. "A waitress! Ha! Gah. Thats why I come to these things." She turned to Ellen. "And to think! I almost got into the porn industry!"
Ellen and Dean looked at each other. Both shocked and a little amused.
Within a few minutes they were all packed inside the Impala.
"Katie. This is Dean Winchester. Dean. This is my neice. Katie."
Katie extended her hand over the seat . " Nice to meet you," she said with a smile.
He looked back at her and grabbed her hand with his. "Trust me. The pleasure is all mine" he said giving her a big grin.
She smiled even wider and he noticed the dimple that peirced her right cheek.
"Oh dean. I'm sure you could make it mine."
Ellen looked at the two of them. Then just at Katie. "Excuse me?"
Katie looked towards Ellen and jumped a little in her seat. "Jeese Ellen. Warn somebody before you sneak up on them like that."
"Watch your mouth."
I'd like to do more than watch her mouth, Dean thought to himself. Smirking and looking in the rearview mirror.
Ellen looked at Dean then back at her neice.
"Katie. There is somethin I need to tell you. About the roadhouse."
Katie broke into another widesmile. "Don't tell me. Ash finally put that damn human sling shot idea of mine to life?"
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"Aw Ash. Stupid, genius Ash." Katie frowned. Other than Jo and Ellen, Ash had been the only family she had. He was her brother. And the only person crazy enough to actually call himself that.
Katie looked up into the rearview mirror.
"Does anyone else find it ironic that his name was "Ash"?"
Ellen and Dean turned around to give her a strange look.
She looked back down at her hands. "Ok then. Guess it was just me. My mistake."