Chapter 9

I wish I could tell you that the boys had an easy time of it since that moment and that John had finally relented and called his sons, but by now you must have realized that doing things the easy way is not the Winchester way. They are a hardheaded bunch of men. But then men in general can be difficult. If they were easier then I wouldn't be in the bind I was in.

I must confess that the use of trickery is perhaps a bit below me, however, when one is bound by certain rules there is often no other option except trickery. Free Will is a real bitch at times for it is the greatest obstacle that lands in the path of any who have to accomplish tasks.

Therefore I was again employed in using my trickery when an odd thing happened. I came across a little article about suspicious deaths. It was an entire family that was killed except the step – mother. The father committed suicide. The uncle died in a freak accident and the son also committed suicide. The journalist interviewed the step – mother who cried about how she had lost everything. The article also mentioned that the family had suffered a tragedy early in the life of the young man. His mother died in a fire in his nursery. I raised an eyebrow at that. This was a child like Sam.

I heard a strange ringing noise. I looked down and felt my pocket. It was a cell phone. I frowned at it. I wondered where it came from.

"Hello?" I answered.

"I figured you wouldn't have found it before now," Sam's voice came over the phone.

"Sam?" I was puzzled.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Dean and I slipped you a phone while you weren't looking."

"And to think I cooked for you at one time," I bemoaned.

Sam laughed at me. "Listen, we had a strange run in."
"You were with that Max boy?" I asked.

"How did you know?" Sam asked.

"I read the papers too," I said.

I heard Dean's voice in the background.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He asked if the papers were still intact," Sam said.

I heard a slight tussle in the background then Dean's voice came over the line. "Kelsey, I'm going to be short of a brother soon."

I laughed at that, "You'd never do anything to your brother."

"I just might change my mind after that last stunt. Hey where are you?" Dean asked suddenly.

"I have no real clue." I replied then I heard Sam's voice say something in the background.

"I can't keep up with the two of you," I muttered.

"No, it's okay. Just stay where you are. We're on our way," Dean said.

"Huh?" I was puzzled.

"Modern technology Kelsey, it's just modern technology," Dean told me.

I could make no reply for the call ended.

I decided to wait for them. I was surprised when they found me about an hour later. Both walked into the diner and grinned at me. Sam and Dean slid into the booth.

"So," Dean took up a menu. "What looks good here?"

"Everything, knowing you," Sam teased.

"Hey," Dean looked at him. "I just saved your ass. You owe me."
"Like Hell you did," Sam disagreed.

"Boys!" I put an end to the bickering.

"You know," Sam looked at me. "You surprised me when you showed up the other day."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"You told Dad about Jess didn't you?" Sam surmised.

"Well," I wrinkled my nose. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?" Dean poked his head up from behind the menu.

"It means that she told someone who told Dad," Sam translated.

"I got that part," Dean retorted. "I meant who did she tell."

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"Bobby and Dad aren't speaking," Dean told me.

"I know," I said.

Sam frowned. "You know?"
"Yep," I nodded.

"You're looking for Dad as well?" Dean sat up straighter.

"Something like that," I said.

"Have you seen him?" Sam asked. "Is he all right?"
"You mean did I leave him alive?" I asked.

Dean raised an eyebrow at that question. "Kelsey?"
"I'm not going into the last fight I had with your father," I murmured.

Sam sighed. "But he's okay?"

"As far as I know," I answered. "But he's hunting that damn thing."
"It's a demon," they said in unison.

"I know," I replied.

"You know?" Dean appeared stunned.

"Dude, don't forget what you're talking to," Sam rebuked.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry Kelsey," Sam grinned. "But you know what I mean."

"Uh – huh," I nodded slowly. "You're in a good mood."
Sam chuckled and Dean shot him a hard stare.

"What have the two of you been up to?" I asked.

"Sammy here got himself kidnapped," Dean told me.

"What?" I sat up straighter in my seat.

"It's okay," Sam shook his head. "Turns out it was a couple of whacked out yahoos."

"Somehow I doubt that statement qualified as English," I said quietly.

Both of them stared at me for a moment and then erupted in laughter. I waited for them to finish.

"No," Sam recovered first. "There were these guys. A family actually, who…well…they hunted people. They would grab someone from a parking lot and take him back to their place. You can guess the rest."

"People are just plain crazy," Dean's voice reflected his disgust.

"People have always been crazy," I replied.

Dean's head snapped up. "You had another fight with Dad, worse than the last one?"

"She didn't fight with Dad, lately," Sam said.

"I think she has," Dean argued.

"You're doing it again," I reminded them.

"What?" Sam's words died as he stared at my face. "Sorry Kelsey, we really shouldn't talk about you as though you're not here."

"Leave it for when I'm not," I smiled.

"Do you think that we discuss you behind your back?" Dean asked.

"Don't you?" I grinned.

"No," Dean shook his head. "Since we have no idea when you're around or not…"

"That's very unlike you Dean Winchester," I admonished.

Sam laughed. "I miss this," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Me too."

"Wonderful," I sighed.

"So what did you two fight about?" Sam picked up Dean's question.

"The two of you. What else?" I answered.

"You have fights about us?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Like you didn't know that," Dean poked him.

"Hey," Sam cried. "I'm not the one who got taken down by a twelve year old girl."

"Twelve year old girl?" I scoffed. "Oh Dean, it must be a sign of old age."

"Very funny," Dean returned wryly.

"So, how did you two find me?" I asked.

"G.P.S. tracking," Sam answered.

"What?" I was confused.

"You know," Sam sat forward. "Wait a minute. You don't know?"

"Sam," Dean said quietly. "How could she know something that she has no real use for?"
"Yeah, but she knows so many things," Sam argued.

"It's not the same," Dean said.

"Ahem," I said loudly.

"Sorry," they said.

"It's a chip in the phone. It can be activated to give us your location," Dean explained.

"I see," I nodded. "So why don't you do that with your dad?"

"Don't think we haven't tried that one. But the best I can figure is that he's not got the phone with him," Sam shrugged.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"When he called us that time. He was using a pay phone in California," Sam told me.

"I thought you were studying Pre – Law?" I teased.

"Yeah," Sam lowered his gaze. "A guy's got to have a hobby."
"Or old habits die hard," I suggested.

Sam chuckled and Dean received his coffee. I stared at it with disgust. Dean laughed at my expression.

"Um," Sam began. "So tell me. Where did this dislike of coffee come from?"
"When she was human," Dean answered.

"Human?" Sam turned to his brother. "You didn't tell me she was human?"
"I didn't," Dean glanced up at the ceiling. "I thought I had. Yep, for a time she was human. Even had a belly button and all."
I grimaced at the memory.

"What?" Sam sat back in his seat and laughed. "How did that happen?"
"I saved your brother's life," I told him.

"You knocked me unconscious," Dean retorted.

"Well, I didn't exactly knock you unconscious," I defended.

"You put your mouth over mine and sucked the breath out of my lungs," Dean posited.

"She what?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure I told you when I visited you at Stanford," I said.

"No," Sam shook his head. "You told me about braining Dad with a heavy book."

Dean laughed. "That was so classic. He claimed that he saw stars."

Sam grinned at me. "You were human?"

"For a short period of time," I shrugged.

"And hell to keep under control," Dean snorted.

"Not that it stopped your father from trying," I reminded him.

"Yeah," Dean smirked. "It was pretty rough on him."

I frowned, "My being human?"

"Yep," Dean shot me a look. "You had us worried Kelsey. Especially when you passed out. You slept like you were dead you know."

Sam looked at him, "You thought she was dead?"

"At first," Dean said.

"No one told me this," I pointed out.

Dean wore an odd expression on his face. "Kelsey, don't you know what you mean to us?"

I was taken aback by the emotion in his voice.

"You've always been there Kelsey," Sam lowered his voice. "I can't remember when I haven't needed you and you've not been there."

"I wasn't there for Jessica," I said.

"Yes, you were," Sam disagreed. "I could tell you were there even though I couldn't understand why you wouldn't see me."

"Sam?" I grasped his hand.

"I finally figured out that you couldn't save her. And you couldn't face me," Sam's eyes met mine. The thunder echoed outside the diner.

"Aw crap Sam," Dean said. "You can't make her cry. It'll rain."

My head snapped in Dean's direction. "How do you know that?"

"Some guy named Micah said it," Dean answered.

I sat perfectly still. "You've seen Micah?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "He ran into us and said that he was looking for you."

I squeezed Sam's hand gently. "Don't worry about Micah. I'll have some words with him."

Dean stared at me for a moment, "Kelsey?"

"Don't worry about it," I assured him. "Where you headed now?"
"Chicago," Sam said. "We see a suspicious death that looks like it's up our alley. I have an idea about how to get in."

"Not costumes again?" Dean groaned. "Come on those suits were horrible."

Sam glared at Dean and I was still laughing at them as I told them goodbye.