Sam sighed and leaned his head against the doorframe of the Impala. The last couple weeks have been simply draining, and the idea of dealing with role-playing nerds who may not operate in the same reality as everyone else was absolutely unappealing. The headache from that morning (yesterday morning? two mornings ago?) was a constant dull ache that just would not go away. The lure of the bunker and his bed was strong, but a job was a job...and figuring out cases would keep his mind off Amelia and everything he just dumped to the curb.
Okay...maybe there wasn't that much there. Two grief-stricken avoidance masters hooking up in an attempt at "moving on" may not have been the smartest move. But given what he lost when Dick Roman exploded in front of his eyes...anything was better than the aimless wandering he did in the Impala.
Of course, getting Dean back only to be replaced by a vampire wasn't exactly how he imagined the impossible happening. But really - what else could he expect? Fucked up, twisted, and not-quite-according-to-plan was the story of their lives.
He rubbed his eyes and stood up, wondering how fucking long it could possibly take Dean to take a piss. Unless he was…
Sigh. This could take a while.
He dug through pockets for his set of the keys, pulling them out just as the police department door clicked shut, and he heard his brother's voice. Looking up, Dean was walking towards him, on the phone, and giving Sam his You Won't Believe This Shit look.
He gave that look a lot.
Sam prayed it wasn't about the size of anything that came out of his brother while in the bathroom. He so wasn't in the mood for another report like that.
"Yeah - both dead. … I know...I'm sorry. We're at the station right now, so we can be there in…" He glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes. … Yeah - keep an eye on her and be careful. We don't know anything about her - she could be dangerous." His interest piqued, Sam leaned on the car as Dean stopped in front of Sam, sighing dramatically. "I don't give a rat's ass how cute she is, Charlie. Do as I say. … Okay...seeya." Dean hung up and shook his head, staring at the phone like he couldn't believe he just had that conversation.
"You called Charlie? I thought we were gonna wait until we got to the park." Sam tried to sound more curious than accusatory. He's not sure he pulled it off. The headache made him a little whiny.
Dean leaned back against the car, flipping his keys around a finger. "She called me, with a case."
Sam crossed his arms and scrunched up his face. "A case? She knew we were here?"
When Dean just lolled his head in Sam's direction, giving him one of those super patient looks, Sam felt like the slow kid in class.
He huffed out a breath. Just tell me.
Snickering, Dean stood up and pocketed his phone. "Apparently, while we were inside watching the police wipe up the insides of Nerd Number Two, some chick fell out of the sky, right in front of Charlie."
"Wait, what? Fell out of the sky?" Sam felt slow, but he wasn't stupid.
Dean nodded and walked around to the driver's side. "Yup - that's what she said. Claims the sky unzipped, and spit out a cute girl." He unlocked the door and paused, looking thoughtful. "There's probably a joke in there somewhere, but it's escaping me at the moment. Anyway, we wanted a distraction, and now we have two." Dean yanked open his door with a squeak and slid onto the seat.
Sam also got in the car, still trying to puzzle this out. "Is Charlie sure? I mean, maybe this girl fell out of a tree or something."
Dean started the engine and shrugged his shoulders. "That's what I asked, but she was pretty insistent."
As Dean pulled onto the road, Sam settled back against the vinyl seats, his headache forgotten. "And she knows that Ed and Lance are dead?"
Dean grimaced and gripped the wheel. "Yeah. She was pretty upset. They were in her honor guard."
"Her what?"
Dean glanced at Sam. "She's the queen, remember? Queens have honor guards, I guess. Anyway, she said that Mystery Girl claims to have amnesia. Only knows that her name is Kate. Nothing more."
Sam snorted. "So dead LARP-ers with tree tattoos and an amnesiac who fell out of the sky. Good thing we had coffee this morning."
xxxxx
The park where the Moondoor game occurred was packed. It took a while to find a parking spot, and several more minutes just to get to the main area. Sam felt a little out of place in his suit and overcoat, but there was no way in hell he was going to dress in medieval garb. He glanced at Dean, who was checking out every costume, his nose wrinkling at horribly fitted tunics and plastic ears, but eyes lighting up at the foam swords and chain mail.
Sam made a mental note to buy Dean some tights later.
Not every tent was marked, so Sam nudged Dean and nodded at some guy walking nearby. Let's ask for directions.
Dean's face soured. Fine.
Sam held up a hand, stopping the young man. They flashed their badges and Sam asked, "Hi there, would you please tell me where we can find the queen?"
The guy rolled his eyes. "Those fake badges suck. We're not genre mashing this weekend - it's straight up Moondoor." He pointed past an embarrassed Sam, "Her tent is over there." Shaking his head, he walked away, muttering something about two year old FBI seals.
Dean held up his badge. "Frank would've caught this."
Sam sighed and shoved his deep in a pocket. "C'mon. Let's find Charlie."
It didn't take long to find the queen's tent. Outside were several men and women just milling around, obviously hoping she'd make an appearance. Two men stood at the entrance, foam swords held firmly in their grasp.
Dean shouldered his way ahead, striding straight up to the tent. The men blocked his path, raising their swords. One licked his lips and announced, "The queen is not receiving visitors at this time. If you wish an audience, you must - "
Sam had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.
Dean's eyes narrowed, and he swatted the swords out of his face. "The queen will receive these visitors. She's expecting us."
One guard snorted. "Every knave in the kingdom expects the queen to grant them audience. However, we are under strict orders to keep everyone out."
Before Sam could say anything, Dean's eyebrows shot up, and he automatically shifted into a defensive stance. "Knave? Did you - Sam? Did he just call me a knave?"
Now, he knew this wasn't going to end well. "Dean - calm down…"
"Oh, I'm calm. But if these jokers don't get these fucking sticks out of my face and let us past, I'm gonna - "
Just then the tent curtains flapped apart, and a wide-eyed Charlie appeared. The guards dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty," they untoned.
Dean pursed his lips together and gave Charlie a look, who sheepishly grinned at him. "Thank you. They are with me. Let them pass."
"As you wish, your majesty," the first one murmured, rising to his feet and standing aside.
Dean glared a smug face at him before ducking inside. Sam chose to give a Thank You smile, which was pointedly not returned. As the curtain fell behind him, Sam heard them mutter, "It's not even genre mash-up weekend. Geez!"
Inside the tent sat a table, decked out with a map and tiny plastic figurines in different colors. A huge bed sat on one side, under what appeared to be an oil painting of Charlie herself. A young woman was asleep under the comforter. That had to be the mystery girl. Well, a sleeping mystery girl meant they could deal with the murders, first.
Both men faced Charlie, who gave each a hug. "It figures that after all this time, my luck would have me call you the same day you were about to see me."
Dean chuckled. "Welcome to our world." He nodded at the sleeping girl. "That her? Kate?"
Charlie glanced at her. "Yep. Poor thing was really upset. It was the freakiest thing I've ever - Okay, no. Watching my boss go alien and eat another person was the freakiest thing I've ever seen. This was second freakiest. I swear - it was like someone sliced open the air, and out she came, crashing to the ground. I think she hurt her shoulder and banged her head when she landed."
Sam winced and took a couple steps closer, trying to get a better look at her. She was curled into a ball, gripping the blanket tight in one fist. Her brow occasionally furrowed, but otherwise she lay still. "Did you - "
Charlie flapped a hand at him. "I said 'Christo', put sodium borate on her, made her hold a silver charm and slipped her holy water. No reactions - she's definitely human."
Sam didn't mention that holy water and saying 'Christo' amounted to the same thing.
Dean craned his neck to peek at her, then shrugged his shoulders. "Well she's out for now, so let's deal with this case and handle her afterwards."
xxxxx
They split up, Dean dressing in costume and Sam thankfully not dressing in costume, but going to the Tech Tent and handling some research. He knew Charlie and Dean had a bond, and it would do his brother good to have some friend time. Besides, the headache he managed to ignore now demanded his attention, so he dry swallowed some pills and began to Search The Web.
The pretty blonde that sat nearby spent almost half an hour helping him look up the other victims and place the symbol - something called the Tree of Pain.
How original.
He was about to find Dean and share the intel when that Kate girl entered the tent. He watched her find a computer and sit, uncertainty, confusion, and a touch of freaked out splayed across her face.
She bit her lip and began to hesitantly type, frowning more and more at whatever was on her screen. Sam heard the blonde next to him sigh deeply. By the time he turned his head, she shot him a glare and left, muttering something about it being his loss.
Everything is his loss. He couldn't win if he tried.
And he's tried.
When Kate looked like she was about to cry, Sam stepped in, taking a seat next to her and asking gently, "Do you need any help?"
She waved a hand impatiently at the screen. "I can't find what I'm looking for. That's all." The hand dropped to her lap and she sighed heavily.
He glanced at her monitor and almost choked.
She was looking up Castiel.
Determined to keep his expression neutral, Sam brushed the hair out of his eyes and said, "Well, I'm pretty decent with computers. Maybe I can find it for you." Not bad - voice was steady.
She shook her head and set her jaw. "Thanks, but the problem isn't a lack of skill on the computer. The information isn't there. Or it's all bullshit."
"Well, you never know," Sam pressed, practically holding his breath.
Kate blew out her breath and slumped in her chair. "I dreamt of this word….Castiel. No clue what it is or what it means." She gestured at the screen. "All I could find is that it's a celestial name. I don't know what that means or how it's relevant."
Sam cleared his throat. "If it was just a dream, does it matter? I mean, maybe your subconscious just...made it up." Smoooooooth…
But she took him seriously. "I thought of that. But it's just bugging the crap out of me and given the day I've had..." She sighed and turned to face him. "Thanks, though. I appreciate the offer."
Sam nodded slowly, then stuck out his hand. "I'm Sam, by the way."
Taking it, she smiled a little. "Kate. I'm sorry, I'm a little...off today. Um...I'm...gonna go back to...the tent. Thanks again."
She made to get up, and that's when Sam's guilt alarm went off. He placed a hand on her arm, and said. "Waitasec…"
She turned back to face him, her face wary as her eyes flickered at his hand on her arm.
He quickly removed it, and tried to give her The Eyes. He was rusty at it, real rusty at it, but they worked all the same. Kate raised her eyebrows, but stayed put.
"I'm Sam...Winchester. My brother Dean and I...we're friends of Charlie. She called us about you…"
Realization spread across her face. "You're the guys who are supposed to help me figure out who I am, right?"
Sam nodded, adding, "And how you got here."
Kate dragged a hand down her face. "Charlie said I fell from the sky." She sort of rolled her eyes. "I don't see how someone can do that, so yeah, I don't know how I got here, either."
Sam leaned forward. "Is there anything you do remember?"
She shook her head. "Not really. Some shouting, a couple images, maybe, and that name - Castiel. That's all I know." She looked at him apologetically.
Sam smiled. "It's not your fault. Dean and I will help you, I promise. Um…let's get back to Charlie's tent. I need to find my brother and pass along some information."
Nodding, Kate stood up to go. Sam reached over, flashed her a quick Humor Me look, and wiped the browser's history. One eyebrow raised, but other than that, she made no comment.
xxxxx
They met Dean just outside the queen's quarters. Sam had to blink a couple times - Dean was actually swaggering.
They both nodded at each other, and Dean's eyes lingered on Kate.
"Kate, this is my brother Dean." Sam gestured between the two encouraging them to shake hands. Dean turned to Sam, his eyes questioning. You were researching - how'd you end up with her? Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I was in the tech tent when Kate walked in. She was looking up a name she dreamt about."
Kate blushed when Dean's eyes moved back to her. She crossed her arms, wincing a little at the movement. Sam didn't mention Castiel's name. His brother would know that if he didn't say what she was researching, it either wasn't important, or it was too important. Either way, it wasn't a discussion to have in front of her. So Dean just nodded, trusting Sam's judgement, returning to the more crucial case.
"We found out that the tree symbol is on the crest of the Orc King. He's probably trying to win the battle this afternoon."
Sam pulled out a piece of paper with the tree symbol on it. "I found out that this is called the Tree of Pain."
"How original," Dean muttered.
"Yeah, no kidding. It's…" He caught himself when he noticed Kate listening intently. She blushed even more.
"You, uh, want me to just wait inside?" She asked, thumbing at the tent.
Sam gave her an apologetic smile. She nodded and walked inside. As soon as the curtained entrance fluttered closed, Dean said, "At least she's cooperative. What was she looking up?" He kept his eyes on the tent.
"Cas."
They snapped back to Sam. "What?"
"Yeah. She dreamt of the name Castiel, and it was bugging her, so she tried looking it up."
"Shit. Did she find anything?"
Sam shook his head. "No, and it really upset her. She's the real deal, Dean. No memory of who she is or how she got here."
"Fantastic. We'll ask Cas if he knows her once we've ganked the Orc King. Tell me about that Tree of Pain."
Sam sighed. "Faerie magic. It's a druid spell, used to cause pain and suffering. Most likely there's a book of faerie magic around here somewhere. Destroy the book - "
"Destroy the curse. Got it. Okay. Grab Charlie and let's get moving."
Sam frowned. "What do you mean grab Charlie? She's with you."
Dean shook his head. "No, I sent her to you with my phone." At Sam's blank look, Dean swore. "Sonofabitch. Come on."
xxxxx
An hour later, the two hunters and the queen trudged their way back to Moondoor central.
"Only you would hook up with a hot faerie while we thought your life was in danger," Dean muttered.
Charlie stopped, hands on hips. "Hey! This…" She gestured one hand up and down her body. "Is on twenty-four-seven, sir." She resumed walking when Dean snorted at her. "Besides, given my track record with monsters, I think this was a well deserved side benefit."
Sam chuckled to himself, which quickly turned into a cough.
"You okay there, Sam?" Sam glanced at his brother, who, while still bantering with Charlie, had one eye trained on him.
JesusChrist - he just coughed. "Yeah," he answered. "Swallowed funny."
Dean rolled his eyes.
Charlie stopped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Ohmygosh - Kate! I forgot all about her!"
"Of course - traded one cutie for another," Dean teased.
Charlie smacked him on the arm and followed them again. "I'm serious! Did either of you check on her before coming out here?"
Sam shoved his hands in his pockets, drawing his coat tighter as a breeze swept by. "Yeah. Actually, she was in the tech tent when I was looking up the Tree."
Charlie looked surprised. "Why was she in there?"
Sam glanced at Dean before answering. "She dreamt of the name Castiel and was trying to figure out what it was."
Charlie's eyebrows rose. "She knows Castiel?"
Dean shrugged. "Dunno. Now that Nerdvillan's been dealt with, we can check into her story. I was gonna call Cas and ask him - "
"Ask me what, Dean?"
Everyone yelped in surprise.
"Holyfuckingshit, Cas! How many times do I have to tell you?" Dean had a hand over his chest and was breathing heavily. Sam was startled too, but Dean looked a lot funnier.
Together, Cas and Dean chorused, one in a bored tone, the other more emphatic, "Give some warning before popping in."
"I know, Dean. I'm sorry. I came to ask you for some help...but I heard you say you had a question for me." He turned to Charlie. "Hello, Charlie."
Charlie's eyes were as wide as they could go. "Hi…"
Sam stepped in. "Cas - Charlie saw a girl fall out of the sky today."
Castiel frowned. "How is that possible?"
"I know it isn't possible, but that's what I saw!" Charlie insisted.
"We don't know, Cas," Dean answered, "But she dreamt of you." Castiel's confused look was like chum in the water. Sam knew what was next. Dean waggled his finger at Cas. "What've you been doing behind our backs, you scampy angel?"
Cas blinked at him. Rapidly. "Scampy? What are you implying?"
Dean snickered, Sam sighed, Charlie hid a grin behind her hand.
Sam thought of the scared girl back in Charlie's tent, and decided to get this conversation moving. "Look, Cas, she has no memory of who she is or where she's from. All she remembers is your name. Would you meet her and see if maybe you know her?"
Castiel tilted his head to the side a little. "Of course, Sam. I'm curious as to how she would know my name. I'm not Biblically famous."
The four reached the clearing, and approached the queen's tent.
Dean lay a hand on Castiel's arm, stopping him from entering. "Hey - you said you needed our help. What's up?"
But Cas didn't answer right away. Instead, he was staring at the tent like it was a big mystery.
"Cas?"
"Is this girl inside?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the tent.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "Yeah…"
Castiel's eyes narrowed in thought, but still he said nothing.
Dean sighed and snapped his fingers, startling Cas out of his reverie. "Dude - don't zone out like that. What's going on?"
Cas frowned at them, "My grace is inside that tent."
Sam stammered at him. "Your - your grace? Isn't that supposed to be in you?"
Castiel nodded, his eyes returning to the tent. "I came to ask you to help me track down the vessel carrying it. It seems that may be easier than I thought."
Charlie held up her hands. "Okay, hold on. You're saying that girl has your grace inside her?"
Dean snickered, "Guess she's taken, Charlie." He promptly choked it down when Sam shot him a bitchface. All business, Dean squared his shoulders. "Alright, then, let's solve mystery number two."
After two steps, Castiel paused, then took off running for the entrance. Charlie called out to him, but he didn't answer - instead barreling inside. Everyone followed, almost bumping into each other once they passed through the doorway.
There was Kate, facing off against some guy. They circled, eyes locked on each other. The hasty entrance caught them both by surprise, but only Kate used it to her advantage. She grabbed his wrists, flipped him, and knocked him out with two punches to the face.
Dean and Sam did a double-take, wincing as she added an extra kick to the groin after the guy was on the ground. "Fuck…" Dean swore, under his breath.
Kate looked up, eyes blazing, breath coming in pants, fists up.
"Hey! It's just us!" Charlie raised her hands in surrender, taking a step closer. "What happened? You okay?"
Kate immediately drooped, holding her head in her hands. "Holy shit…" She was shaking so badly that Charlie helped her to a chair and got a bottle of water.
Dean and Cas went to examine the unconscious guy on the floor, while Sam joined Charlie in making sure Kate was okay. "That was impressive," he said.
Kate snorted, then took a long drink of water. "Thanks - but I have no idea how I knew what to do. He just...he came in here, blabbering about Chesters, then told me I had to go with him." She looked up at Sam, fear in her eyes. "Please tell me I didn't kill him." Charlie began prattling at her, telling her not to worry and that everything would be fine.
Sam opened his mouth, ready to assure her that she hadn't, but then realized he had no clue as to what she did. He looked at Dean, who answered, "Well, he's out, that's for sure."
Castiel leaned close to Dean and whispered in his ear. Dean's eyebrows shot up as his eyes grew wide. "Perfect." He looked up at Sam and mouthed one word: Demon.
Sam sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes.
Castiel rose and walked over to Kate, his head tilted to the side, eyes roaming over her face.
She paused with the bottle on her lips, watching him watch her. Her eyes flickered to Sam before going back to Cas. Finally, she put the bottle on the table and stood up. "Do I know you?"
"It would seem so...in a manner of speaking," Cas murmured, adding a narrowing of his eyes to the I'm Thinking Really Hard look on his face.
Sam pressed his lips together and took a breath, "Kate...this is Castiel."
Her whole body stiffened, and he could almost hear the gears turning in her head. She turned to him. "So you knew what Castiel was all along, but didn't tell me."
Sam let his guilt show. "I know...and I'm sorry. But we didn't know anything about you, and…" he let his voice trail off, because he honestly didn't know what else to say to her.
She flapped a hand at him. "Whatever. Okay - so...you're Castiel. Do you know who I am? Why am I dreaming of you? Are we…" Her eyes widened. "Oh fuck, are we, like, together?" Her voice got really high at the end, and Sam could read the anxiety.
It took Cas a second longer to understand what she meant. That's when the stammering began. "Oh! Uh - no. We aren't. I haven't met you before. Well, this me has never met you before. But apparently other me's, have."
Dean stood and came over. "Cas? You're doing it again. The thing where words are coming out of your mouth but they don't make sense."
Cas sighed. "I apologize, Dean. It's just...this is a little difficult."
"What's so difficult?" Kate demanded. "Do you know me or not? And if not, then how the hell do I know you?"
"Cas, man, just spit it out." Sam said, his curiosity bursting.
Cas opened his mouth, shut it, turned and walked away two steps, then came back.
Dean growled, "Cas…"
"This is Kate Winchester, your sister, from an alternate reality. Angels, led by Uriel, cast a spell on her, causing her to shift into various alternate realities and assuming the consciousness of other Kate Winchesters. The Castiel from her reality encoded her to help him track her movements as he tries to get her back to her correct timeline, and to help explain her situation to other angels she may encounter. It would appear that some of that Castiel's grace is inside her, although I am unclear as to why or how. That's what I was sensing, and evidently," he glanced at the demon on the floor. "She has gotten the attention of others, as well."
There was absolute dead silence.
Everyone simply stared at him. Dean had his mouth open.
Cas cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Somewhere outside, there was cheering and the sound of fake swords smacking against each other. Someone called into the tent. "My queen? You're needed to - "
"Not now!" Charlie snapped, sending the messenger scurrying away.
Finally, Sam spoke, his voice a little strained. "Let me get this straight...she's our sister?"
Dean added, "From another...mister?" Sam and Charlie glared at him. "What? I mean...it rhymed…"
Cas, not understanding the joke, shook his head. "No, John Winchester is her father. Her mother was not Mary, however. But...for sure, she is of your bloodline, even if not from our reality."
Kate looked around. "I...I'm confused, and trying really hard not to freak out at this. Angels? Spells? Alternate realities?"
Charlie put a hand on her arm in an attempt to be comforting.
Sam thought his head would explode. "We have a sister?" He stuck his finger in Dean's face to ward off another attempt at humor just as Dean opened his mouth. "Don't!" Dean shut it.
He looked at Kate, and she looked back. Both had wide eyes and open mouths, but for completely different reasons. Dean knew that About To Lose It look on Sam, and one glance at Kate told him she had the same one on her face. He held up his hands. "Okay - take five, everyone. Let's sort through this a little more slowly, okay?"
As soon as the words left Dean's mouth, the demon leapt to his feet, eyes black as night, and lunged for Dean. In a whirlwind of movement, Kate knocked Dean out of the way, snagged Ruby's knife which was tucked into his belt, and shoved it deep into its chest. Light flashed from his eyes and mouth, before he sunk to the ground.
Kate's mouth opened and closed, her eyes wide and filling with tears. "What the hell! I just...I just...I mean, I didn't even think!" She turned to Dean. "He went for you, and I just...Ohmygod - I killed him. What was he? Humans don't flash like that!" She was frantic, wringing her hands and stuttering, tears falling down her face.
Dean stared open-mouthed at her, then looked to Sam for help. Sam looked back, helpless.
"Oh for crying out loud! You two are worthless!" Charlie snapped at them, taking Kate by the shoulders and leading her to the bed. "Okay! Calm down, Kate."
But Kate couldn't calm down.
She turned to Cas. "Cas! Can you maybe…?"
Cas snapped out of it, looking a little embarrassed that a human got the drop on the demon before him. "Yes, of course." He touched his fingers to her head, and instantly, she calmed down.
He kept his hand there a minute, eyes lost in thought. When he pulled away, Kate took a shaky breath.
"Okay - I'm okay. Thanks…"
Dean finally found his voice. "Sam - outside. Now."
Sam followed his brother outside the tent, still processing the news. As soon as they were a few feet away, Dean let loose.
"What the fuck?! A sister? How do we have a sister? And what the hell was she thinking pushing me out of the way?! She could've gotten killed! Could Cas be bullshitting? That demon came for her! Does this mean she has to come with us, now?" He continued spouting off questions and comments, pacing a little as the built up emotions demanded some outlet.
Sam let him speak. Most of Dean's thoughts mirrored his own, and it was actually helping to hear them being voiced. Guess that calm demeanor he projected inside was just for show.
When Dean began to wind down, he asked, "Aren't you gonna say something?"
Sam blew out a breath. "I think you said enough for both of us." Dean let out a low growl, so Sam placatingly held up his hands. "Let me finish. Almost all of what you said was running through my mind, too. I can't believe we have a sister, either. But, Dean - that move in there...where she took your knife...that's Dad's move. He taught that to us when I was in middle school. And that shirt she's wearing - the plaid one - didn't Dad have one like that when we were little? Earlier she had some gestures that reminded me of you. I mean, the story is bizarre. But we've dealt with more bizarre than this. And if Uriel was involved, well…"
Dean scrubbed at his face. "That dude's a dick no matter what reality he's in. Holy fuck. We gotta take her with us."
Sam nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I know. If demons are looking for her, and angels can sense her…"
"She's screwed, and the safest place is with us. Yeah."
Dean sighed. "Look, man, we can't...I mean, if we're taking on another sibling, I don't want…"
Sam knew he was thinking of Adam. He was, too. "We won't, Dean. We won't let it happen again."
Dean nodded his head. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go see if Cas can unlock her brain."
xxxxx
A/N: Thanks for your patience - it's been hard to find writing time. To stave off possible confusion, Kate has entered canon. It's Season 8, and there will be spoilers. In addition, I will be mangling the Season 8 canon timeline in order to fit the story. Just couldn't resist starting off with Charlie.