"Father, please! You gave humans free will. You gave us the opportunity to choose our own paths. At any moment, You could intercede but You want us to ask for Your help before stepping in... Here I am, asking, pleading with You….Yes, Father. I understand." Sobs racked Kay's body. Her head bowed in submission and humility.

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"Where would she go? Was she taken? No...No...I would have woken up." Dean paced like a leopard in a cage. He needed to search for her. There were Hellhounds close and she was alone! If anything happened to her…"Don't look at me like that, Sam. I don't know how you can sit there and act so friggin calm. She could be getting mauled by some rabid pit bull from Hell and you just sit there with your hands on your temples!"

"Will you please shut the fuck up?! I am trying to concentrate, you jackass. Give me 5 minutes of quiet and we will find her." The rage shot like arrows from his hazel eyes. How dare that cocky sonofabitch imply that he didn't care! If he didn't care, would he chance using his psychic abilities? If he didn't care, would he chance Lucifer finding him? The problem wasn't that he didn't care; it was that he cared too much. He would face the consequences of his actions later. It didn't matter. All he wanted was to find Kay and let her know he had made his choice: he wasn't going to be anyone's bitch anymore. He was going to do whatever it took to stop the Apocolypse...He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Dean watched his brother's hands begin to tremble. Sam grimaced, his face contorting in agony. Blood began to trickle from his nostrils. "The Cathedral...She's at the Cathedral." Barely conscious and glassy eyed from the migraine, Sam allowed Dean to lead him to the Impala.

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Time seemed to stand still for Dean. It was only one mile to the St. Christopher's, but it might as well have been 100. There were no lights, no signs that anyone had been there for years. He had barely put the car in park when Sam opened the door and stumbled towards the church. Dean ran to catch up. He needed to be close to his little brother in case the migraine got the better of him. He needed to be close to his Sammy, in case…he didn't want to think about it. A chill ran up his spine as he looked at the stained glass. The last time he was in a Cathedral, all Hell had broken loose, literally.

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Sam knew that Kay was physically unharmed. The mind link they had shared left a small piece of her with him. Her emotions were almost tangible to him. He would know if she were in physical pain. The only thing he could feel from her was deep sorrow. It was as if a black hole had opened up and sucked all joy from her. He struggled to get the heavy oak doors open. He found his way through the darkness. Navigated by her anguish, he found her lying before the cross.

"Kay? It's Sam." Kneeling beside her, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "I'm here." She looked up, her once vibrant eyes, dull, despondent, lost. She raised her hands like a drowsy child ready for bed. Sam picked her up in his arms and turned to go back to the car. Seemingly invisible, Dean watched, a dull pain growing in his chest. He fought the urge to wrest her from his brother. Now was not the time for sibling rivalry. Castiel's words thundered in his ears, "When the path is revealed to her, it will be more than she can bear without support."

The ride back to the motel was silent. Sam sat in the back with Kay still curled against his chest. The sobbing had subsided into shallow, even breathing. He knew that sleep was her only escape from the melancholy that had taken over. What happened at St. Christopher's? He wanted nothing more than to shoulder the burden for her. He would gladly carry the weight if she would wake up with a smile, with the light back in her eyes.

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Sam softly placed her on the bed. Dean glared at him from the door. Jealousy burned in his green eyes. He shouldn't be upset...There was no reason...Sam was being Sam. He was the sensitivebrother, every girl's best friend. Dean wasn't the touchy feely type of guy and he knew it. Sam was mothering. Dean would rather rub dirt on it and move on. 'No wonder they have a connection. They are both compassionate and kind. I'm nothing like that. I can never say the right things at the right time. How can I comfort anyone? How can I compete with Sam?" Dean reflected. He wasn't good enough for Kay. He was the piss poor excuse of a man that started the Apocalypse after all.

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"Bobby? It's Dean...I know, I know, the dogs. I'll get to them. Just…give me a little time…wait! Have you found anything?...Ok...Uh huh…You have to be kidding me…Did anyone track it down?...Is she a hunter? Is that why all of this is happening to her?... No? So what is going on?!...How long after she shows up that it all goes down?...If what you are saying is true…if I don't call you in 48 hours, you know what happened. Thanks, Bobby. For everything." Nausea hit him like a tsunami. The bile rose in his throat so quickly he could barely make it to the bathroom. Sam had fallen asleep in a chair beside Kay's bed. The sleeping giant stirred. He blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes. He heard before he saw. Dean was in the bathroom, praying to the porcelain god.

"You drunk?" he quipped. Dean had taken off in a whirl of tire smoke. The wheels squealing as he tore out of the parking lot. Sam had assumed that he went to a bar. That's what he usually did when he was upset. He had every right to be upset. Sam knew how deep his own feeling ran for Kay. Dean didn't fall for anyone. He wouldn't let himself be so vulnerable. But little brother had noticed the change. His face lit up when she looked at him. If they touched, Dean actually blushed. His eyes always seemed focused on something faraway, like he was watching something beautiful from a distance. Sam knew his brother; he had looked up to him his entire life. He also knew that he had never seen Dean so torn up over anyone.

"Screw you, Sammy!"

"Are you okay? " Sam poked his head in the door. Dean flushed the toilet and washed his hands and face at the sink. He grabbed the mouthwash, gargled, and spat. "I talked to Bobby. I had him run a trace on her."

"So you know that a demon caused those scars. You know how she got the tats."

"How did you? What the hell else are you holding back from me? Damn it, Sam! I thought we had agreed to no more secrets!"

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Dean. She trusted me enough to tell me and I will not abuse that honor. You know what it is like not to be able to confide in anyone. You know how it eats away at you from the inside, or did you forget what it was like before you finally told me about your nightmares? She, like you, feels that everyone is going to turn their backs on her. She, like you, expects people to condemn her for things she had no control over. You two are so damn much alike it is SCARY! You guys were cut from the same cloth. It is so frustrating to know that you two understand each other better than I will ever understand either of you! You are my brother, Dean, and I don't know you half as well as she does. I will never have the connection with her that you do, and it hurts! For the first time since Jess died, I can actually feel something other than anger. But there is nothing I can do about it. She doesn't love me, not the way she loves you."

Dean was speechless. Words tried to form but dissolved on his tongue. He glanced from his brother's tormented face, to the sleeping beauty on the bed. Could it be true? Did she really feel the same about him? "Sam…I didn't know. I see the way you two look at one another. You say she and I have a connection? Sammy, when you look into her eyes, it's like you are getting lost in them. She looks at you as if she has seen into your heart. She accepts you for who you are and doesn't look down on you for your past. She sees the man you can be. You can say that you have been loved unconditionally by two amazing women. Do you know what I would give for just one? Do you know what it would mean to me to finally have someone, other than my brother, who loved me for me regardless of my flaws or the transgressions of my past?!" Saved by the cell. Dean looks at the number. "It's Bobby…yeah…okay. We are on our way." Dean turned to face his brother again. "The hounds killed two more. We have to get going. It's 45 minutes north. Should we leave her here to rest?"

"You aren't leaving me anywhere, Dean Winchester." Kay was standing at the foot of the bed. How long had she been there? From the inferno blazing in her eyes, long enough to hear their conversation. "Both of you come out of the bathroom, now." Her tone was fierce. She was angry, shaking like a leaf.

"How dare you two! You are BROTHERS! I will not be the cause of any conflict between you two. You are both right and you are both wrong. I do love you, Sam. You are kindhearted, considerate, gentle, and caring. You empathize with people and truly want to do the right things while sparing someone's feelings. You would rather shoulder their pain and guilt on your own than let anyone suffer. Those are admirable traits that would make any woman fall for you. You made me care again. You helped me turn away from the numb existence that I called life." Sam blushed. He wanted to pick her up and swing her in his arms. Then lay her on the bed and take his time making love to her. Before he could speak, she turned to face his older brother. Rejected, Dean had slid down the wall. He sat with his knees to his chest and head in his hands. It looked as if he were trying to pull the pieces of his shattered heart back together. She knelt down, her face inches away from his. She grabbed his hands in her own. "Dean, look at me. I need you to look at me." He lifted his head, tears cascading down his face. "Look into my eyes, and do not look away. You want unconditional love. So do I. You know what caused my scars. I know what Bobby told you. I want you to see for yourself. Then you tell me if you can look past my flaws and my transgressions. Then you tell me if you accept me for me."