First off, I am so sorry for the long wait. I honestly did not realize that it's been over a month. Luckyily, many late nights add to some good muse time and some focus time to write. This chapter is finally leading up to the next, which is the big showdown. That is quite exciting and I'm looking forward to that. So sorry for all the talking and not so much action. I'm not very pleased with this chapter but the next should be much better. For those that read the other Kat stories...I'm happy to say that I will continue those as I now know how I want that series to end. That way I'll have more time to focus on Ridley C James' Brotherhood AU where the Kat character has a different background and different purpose. Anyway, thanks to those who are all reading this still. Means a lot and enjoy!

Shea

Chapter 21

Young

The week that was to be full of resting and relaxation was only peaceful until Wednesday. At the start of Monday, Sam was already starting to get on CJ's nerves over the fact that he was missing school. The young Winchester was over exaggerating a great deal and had quite the flare for the dramatics in CJ's opinion. CJ had already taken care of calling the school to inform them that Dean, Kat, and Sam would all be missing the week due to some illness that Nicki had told him to use and signed a form for him to get to the school when the kids went back. By Tuesday, CJ was forced to call the school again and make arrangements to pick up the assignments that the three were missing. Of course Dean was irritated at the fact that he would now be expected to do the homework, but Sam was quite content on being able to stay up to date with his work. Then of course it also kept Sam busy and from making CJ want to grab one of the guns and use it on the kid or himself.

Although CJ had been counting on Dean to take care of keeping Sam busy, that was a very short lived fantasy. The change was quite noticeable in both Kat and Dean in how they were acting with each other. Dean refused to leave her side except for the smallest things and was constantly making sure that she was okay. Kat of course was grateful at first, but enough was enough. She was getting back to herself very quickly and the constant mother henning of Dean was wearing on her nerves to the point where she looked ready to kill him.

Dean was still worried about Kat and felt best to just not let her out of his sight. Even though he was slowly beginning to realize that what happened wasn't his fault, it didn't make him feel any less worried about her. He was happy to see her getting back to herself and getting all of her strength back. Now that they both knew how the other felt it made it more difficult to not be like a normal teenage couple that cared about each other and may even love each other. But at the same time, they had bigger things to worry about and dating or even doing anything physically intimate would be a very tough thing to do while in a house with John Winchester when he would return. So at the current moment they would act as they always did and work on taking care of the job.

CJ had been thinking for a while when the best time to attack the family would be and it seemed as though a week would be enough time to prepare for the job. Taking out a family of vampires was going to be far from easy and even harder since they seemed to be a little bit more adapt for their kind. It seemed as though beheading was going to be the way to go about it, but arrows would slow the things down for a bit. He also realized that he'd have no other choice but to bring Sam along because it was safer than leaving him at home alone. Plus CJ would be leaving early Thursday to go and help his father on a hunt so having Sam along for extra help would help to finish up the current situation a little bit quicker.

It was Sunday night when they all met to discuss the plan on what they were going to do on Wednesday and to talk about what was going to happen Monday at school and how they should act. There wasn't as much worry about Sam since he was at a different school, but now more than ever they would all have to watch out for each other.

"So this is what a family meeting would be like," Dean announced as they were all sitting around the kitchen table.

"Yeah, sorry I left my Candy Land at home so it looks like we'll just have to entertain ourselves with boring hunting thing," CJ replied sarcastically.

Sam rolled his eyes at the exchange, "We're going back tomorrow…right?"

"You are such a geek, Sammy," Dean said reaching over to tussle Sam's hair.

"It's Sam. It's not that hard to say…I have faith that you can say it. Come on Dean, I know you can. Repeat after me S-A-M. That spells Sam and that is my name not Sammy," Sam answered his brother with a glare or annoyance.

Dean couldn't help but laugh at his brother, "You really should go out for the cheering squad next year, SAMMY."

"Oh, but that would ruin your plan and bet with the guys," Sam replied with a hard expression on his face.

Dean's smile on his face immediately disappeared as he glared at Sam and Kat raised an eyebrow as she asked, "And what exactly would this bet be?"

Dean went to lunge across the table in an attempt to stop Sam, but Sam replied before Dean had the chance, "Just to get with the whole squad."

Once the words were out of Sam's mouth, Dean leaned back in the chair and stole a glace at Kat's curious face and he knew she was waiting for an explanation, "What? It's not like I was going to go through with it." He added his best innocent look.

"Yeah right," Sam said while laughing. "You're half way there. If not more by this point."

That was all that was needed for Dean to completely lunge across the table and attempt to grab Sam. Luckily for the youngest Winchester, he anticipate what his brother would do and got off his seat and ran to the other side of the table. The two Winchester were chasing each other with the youngest trying not to laugh and the eldest being angry that his brother had shared that information with the others, all while Kat and CJ rolled their eyes at the table and watched the exchange.

"Hate to interrupt with this killing evil stuff," CJ began as Dean had finally caught up with Sam and the two were wrestling, "but I think we have more pressing issues at the moment to worry about."

Both of the boys stopped and looked at CJ and Kat who were both looking at them slightly amused and slightly annoyed at the same time if that was even possible. Dean was on top of Sam pinning him down and quickly got to his feet as he extended his hand to his little brother.

As Sam was reaching for Dean's hand, Dean confidently said, "Good thing, cause we all know that little Sammy here needed saving."

Sam took advantage of his brother's boasting and pulled Dean hard onto the ground as he got up and made his way back to his seat at the table, "Yeah. Sure Dean. And it's Sam."

"I had my money on Sam all the way," Kat said playfully as Dean tried to brush off his embarrassment and joined the rest at the table.

Dean took his seat next to Kat again and reached his hand under the table to hold her hand. As he grabbed her hand he felt her dig her fingernails into his hand and he quickly pulled away. Surprised, he looked up at her and caught one of her glares that usually meant death. Yeah, figures, Dean thought to himself, we're not even really dating and already I'm in the dog house. He would never understand what girls had against a little fun and it's not like they were anything yet since they both decided that it would wait. Women could be so confusing.

CJ rolled his eyes but couldn't help the grin that came to his face from the look on Dean's face when he realized the glare he was getting from Kat, "Anyway. Tomorrow you guys are going back and if we're lucky, the bloodsuckers will still be in school."

"And why exactly would that be considered lucky," Kat asked trying to hide the worry in her voice.

"Well," CJ began trying to figure out the best way to approach it since he could tell that Kat was uneasy about them considered what had happened to her, "if they aren't in school that means that they moved on. If they moved towns then we'll have no way of finding them and they'll be back to feeding without hunters on them."

"Then why don't we go after them right now," Dean questioned.

CJ sighed knowing that Dean wanted to go and do the hunt for what they had done, "Because, it's better to go in with a level head and with healthy hunters rather than a pissed off over protective big brother type."

Sam could see Dean's sharp gaze on CJ and decided to add, "Plus this way they won't be expecting it quite as much. I mean, think about it Dean, if we would have went in there right away they would have been more than ready."

"Kid's got a point there, Herc," Caleb replied with a glance to Dean and slight head tilt.

Dean was really wishing that this hunt would have been done and over with before it even began. He hated every single aspect about it so far. Those things deserved to die and the sooner the better. Not to mention the fact that he could see how rattled Kat was even if she was trying to hide it. It's not like he could blame her though because that call was even too close for him to feel comfortable with. Part of him understood what CJ and Sammy were saying, but by this point there was no way he would have a level head with this hunt. This had turned personal the minute they decided to mess with his family.

While Sam may not have been the most eager for the hunting life style, he understood where Dean was coming from. These were the times when Sam really realized how lucky he was to have Dean, even if he would get annoying at times. Most younger brothers had their older brothers to take care of bullies while he had one that took care of bullies as well as all the things that went bump in the night. It was definitely a good thing that CJ was there to keep things under control because Sam surely would have lost his brother had Dean been on his own and went in search of the things immediately in search of revenge. Those things would not last long with the mood that Dean was in. Sam knew to stay out of the way when dealing with a very pissed off older brother. And the fact that those things had chosen to come after them, that was the biggest mistake that they could have made.

To let the point sink in, CJ waited a few moments before continuing, "Now, tomorrow you guys are gonna have to act normal for the most part but be carefully and no going off on your own with no one around. Try not to give anything away that this is all going down Wednesday. I'm going to have to be heading off on Thursday to help my dad with a hunt but Johnny should be home no later than Saturday." He paused and then looked at Kat and Dean, "you two have a class with Cross don't you?"

Dean looked over at Kat and couldn't tell that she was trying to keep her nerves under control so he knew that she was trying to stay quiet, "yeah."

"Okay," CJ was really hoping that the answer would have been different. "Just no going at him right there because we need to keep this as low key as possible and a school fight would not help."

"So then we're going Wednesday night? What's the plan there," Sam questioned.

"Jeez, you just can't wait," CJ looked over at Sam but then smiled, "The plan is to kick some evil ass and to not get hurt." He smirked when he looked at the three at the table.

Sam rolled his eyes at CJ's response, "And how long did it take you to come up with that one? Dean could probably even come up with a more detailed one."

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," CJ tried not to laugh at the annoyed look on Sam's face and the amused one on Dean's, "ever so patient, aren't we? From what I gather there's about four of them. So that means that you'll be with me, Sam and we'll take care of the adults while Dean and Kat work on the other two. Figured that we'd get the surprise on the parents since they should be the stronger pair while Romeo and Juliet here take care of well their ex Juliet and ex Romeo."

"That was by far the worst reference I've ever heard," Sam huffed. "Romeo and Juliet killed themselves. Do you ever read?"

"Shut up, kid," CJ said a bit annoyed. "I think it's about time that you kids head up to get some sleep before tomorrow."

The three of them nodded and headed up to their rooms. Dean made sure that Kat stayed with him and Sam in their room for safety reasons and reassurance. He knew that she was physically practically healed, but from how quiet she was during the planning, she was definitely still trying to get over everything in her mind. Sam slept in his bed while Kat stayed in Dean's. It made Dean think back to those times when they were so much younger. Back when things seemed so much easier. Once this hunt was over with he really hoped that Kat would be able to get back to herself.

Throughout the whole discussion, Kat felt uneasy. She felt weak, but knew that she couldn't let it show. Emotions were not supposed to get in the way of the job and that's what this was. Or at least she kept telling herself that it was just another job. As much as she hated to admit it, she was scared though. That was the closest that she had ever come to actually dying and it was a very scary and real thing now. Not to mention the fact that she had been dating a vampire and let her feelings get in the way of her senses. She wanted revenge, but at the same time, the fear with in her was winning at the moment. It was a good thing that Dean didn't push it and insisted on her staying in his and Sam's room because she was still having nightmares. Of course she had learned not to scream out and it helped having Dean there. There was something about him that just brought such comfort to her. School was not going to be easy at all the next day.

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CJ made sure that they all knew what they were doing before they left to return to school. The ride in the car was silent, with each passenger in their own thoughts and trying to mentally prepare themselves. Once they arrived, Sam went off to his school as Dean watched closely before he and Kat then made their ways into the school. Instead of the usually ritual of hanging out with his group, he ignored his friends and walked with Kat to her homeroom and then went to his. It would be impossible to stay together throughout the day, but whenever they could they would try to find each other for that extra comfort.

It was on her way to one of her classes that Kat was stopped in the hall by Cross and Kim. Coming face to face with both of them sent a chill down Kat's spine and she wanted nothing more than to run and find Dean right away. But there was something inside of her, the hunter, that forced her to stand her ground and put on a front. They were standing in front of her smiling as if nothing had happened. When she tried to walk by they stepped to the side to keep her path blocked.

"Oh Kat," Cross said very smoothly, "I thought that you would be happy to see your boyfriend after being sick for so long."

"We were so worried about you," Kim said with a tone of caring although anyone who knew would know what an act it all was.

"Why don't you just leave me the hell alone," Kat said quietly.

Cross was beyond furious when he saw Kat and that she was alive but then he realized just how much more fun it would be to toy with her, "Sweetheart, you don't mean that."

He moved to put his hand on her arm, but she quickly back away, "You're not supposed to be alive right now. But you are so very sweet that I wouldn't mind a second taste," Kim said.

Kat was barely able to keep her voice from shaking and hated the way that they were getting to her, "Obviously you didn't do a good enough job."

"Why do I have the distinct feeling that Dean Winchester had something to do with this," Cross was leaning closer to Kat. "Looks like your night in shining armor saved the day. Too bad he's not here now."

"I don't need Dean to protect me," Kat tried to sound much stronger than she felt all the while wondering where Dean was at the moment.

Cross let his head go as close to Kat's neck as possible and smelled her neck as he gave a satisfying sigh, "I can smell your blood you know. And I can still taste it in my mouth. The way you so easily fell into our plan made the reward even sweeter." He pulled back and stared into her eyes.

Having Cross that close to her neck again made something snap inside of Kat. She remembered the way it felt as they drank her blood and the fear she felt in that moment was worse than anything she ever felt. But remembering that and seeing the way in which they were taunting her made her switch fully into hunter mode. The fear was gone or at least channeled into the hatred that she had toward the two in front of her as well as the rest of their family. She couldn't be weak like that, it just wasn't how she was meant. All her life things had always been faced head on and this was definitely how she needed to be at this moment. Her gaze turned much stronger and confident as she stared into Cross's eyes.

"You are NEVER touching me again," her voice had a venomous quality to it.

"Oh a backbone. I like that in a girl," Cross responded without backing down.

Kim smiled, "I don't think you realize this, but you're out numbered right now."

Kat gave a small laugh but her eyes didn't change, "I can't believe you ever thought you even had a chance with Dean. He doesn't go for things as low as you. And you, Cross. I'm a teenage girl and you played that to your advantage. But I can tell you this, you will not be able to take advantage of me again. Now if you don't mind I would like to get to class."

Cross and Kim kept their stances when Kim spoke, "I never had any intention of stealing your lover boy away from you. Believe me, my standards are much higher than that. He was just a bit of fun and an attempt to get him out of the picture."

"What we had Kat was much more than just you being a teenager," Cross was still not moving and held Kat's gaze, "You felt something and I know you still do. Don't try to hide it. It didn't hurt too much the first time so it shouldn't be so bad this time."

Kat was really getting fed up with this, "I said, please move so that I can get to class."

Kat went to push past them when Cross grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He was not going to let her get away feeling as though she had won a battle. Kat for her part tried to pull her arm back which only resulted in Cross tightening his grip. Kim was smiling at the two and licking her lips as a way to try and intimidate her. Cross brought his lips to Kat's neck as she yet again tried to pull away only to have Kim also hold her there.

Dean had turned the corner in hopes of catching Kat at her locker when he heard her as someone to move. He looked up and saw Cross and Kim holding Kat close to Cross and that things lips on her neck. Panic was the first thing that came to Dean's mind but that quickly dissolved in hunter instinct. There was no way he was going to let something like this happen to her. He could see her trying to pull away from the two holding her with little success.

"I believe she asked you to move," Dean loudly said as he moved over to the three and ripped both Kim and Cross's hands off of Kat. "And PDA is so not needed in school, dude."

Kat was grateful that Dean had finally gotten to her. The strength that the two had made it impossible for Kat to get away because as much as she hated to admit it, she was still a bit weak from the ordeal. Dean looked furious which was a good thing for Kat since he was on her side. She instantly went to Dean's side as he stepped in front of her into a protective mode. Cross and Kim looked quite pissed as they backed away and began to walk down the hallway.

"You can't protect her forever Winchester," Cross said over his shoulder, "It's only a matter of time before you're not there and we get her again."

"You'll be dead way before you ever put a hand on her again," Dean replied with an angry tone and then turned his attention to Kat who looked a lot stronger than she had the past few days, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Kat sighed. "I just want those things dead. The sooner the better."

"No argument there. Only a few more days."

"I can't wait."

"You seem to be back to your old self," Dean said with a smirk as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"What can I say? He just brings the best out in me," Kat replied sarcastically, "And Dean?"

"Yeah," he answered as they were walking down the hall.

"Remove the arm," Kat smiled at him as she saw him start to lower his arm, "and it better not be anywhere towards my butt."

Dean smirked at her as he brought his arm to his side, "Thought never crossed my mind."

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The rest of Monday as well as Tuesday and Wednesday went without many problems at all. The three stuck to CJ's plan and when they were at home they continued to be on their toes and prepare themselves for Wednesday. CJ was glad when he saw that the old Kat was back. He knew the fear wouldn't last too long, especially since he knew that she would get pissed off sooner or later and that was the switch that she would need. What surprised him was that Sam seemed to be quite into this hunt. He figured it was the whole messing with his family type of deal. The kid was smart and made a good hunter, it was just that most of the time his heart wasn't in it. This was not one of the times that would be questioned though as it was obvious that he was all in this one. CJ still worried about Dean though. As levelheaded as the kid seemed, he knew the rage that was inside of him. To Dean, family was everything and anyone or anything that messed with those close to him would be on the wrong side of a very dangerous Dean Winchester. It wasn't long before Wednesday came around and they were in the kitchen going over their plans one last time.

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