"Hello? Earth to Katie, you still in there?" Dean questioned, knocking on her head.
"Like I thought. It's just hollow" Dean mumbled, as Katie picked up a motel pillow and threw it roughly at him.
"The case seems pretty cut clean to me. Everything seems connected to that weird wax museum in town. Probably some type of ghost. You two go there, burn whatever you can get your hands on. Problem solved" Katie explained, looking back at her laptop.
"We're supposed to be working as a team, you know. As in all three of us" Dean pointed out.
"You scared of a couple of ghosts, Dean?" Katie teased.
"Right back at ya. What are you looking up on there, anyway? Porn?" Dean suggested, making Katie grimace.
"Gross" Katie rolled her eyes, typing away on her computer.
Before she could say anything, Dean suddenly grabbed the laptop from her hands, holding it above her head so she couldn't reach it.
"Hey! You're gonna' break it!" Katie exclaimed, clawing at his arms.
"Someone's touchy…" Dean trailed off, when he saw what she had been researching.
"Why have you been researching into soul transference?" Dean frowned, becoming distracted which allowed Katie to take the laptop back.
"Well I've just been thinking…the reason I'm not like the other demons is because I have my soul, right?" Katie pointed out, as Dean nodded.
"What happens if I lost it?" Katie went on, as Dean's frown deepened.
"It's not the kind of thing you tend to lose down the back of the couch" Dean retorted.
"You know what I mean. What if Lucifer or someone else takes it?" Katie explained.
"What's brought this up?" Dean asked, beginning to look pale.
"It's just been worrying me, that's all" Katie shrugged.
"Your soul isn't going anywhere, okay? I won't let that happen. I promise" Dean told her, as she gave him a grateful smile.
"Careful, Dean. That almost felt like a chick flick moment" Katie teased, as Dean huffed out a laugh, just as his phone began to ring.
"Who's that?" Katie inquired, as Dean brought the phone out of his pocket.
"Bobby…no more soul research, okay?" Dean insisted, pointing to her, as she reluctantly nodded.
She closed her laptop, and walked over of the motel room, finding Sam finishing packing the trunk of the Impala. He had his brooding face on. Never a good sign, Katie thought to herself.
"You want me to leave some pizza for you when you get back tonight?" Katie called out to him.
"You're not coming with us?" Sam frowned.
"I want an early night" Katie shrugged, as Sam didn't believe this, but decided not to comment.
"Yeah, Abraham Lincoln and James Dean, can you believe that?...Why so kill-crazy? Ah, maybe the apocalypse has got 'em all hot and bothered. Yeah, well, we all know whose fault that is...Well I'm sorry, but it's true" They heard Dean mutter, as they entered the motel room.
Katie couldn't help but cringe at Dean's harsh words, as she looked at the hurt expression on Sam's face. He slammed the door shut, causing Dean to turn around, realising they had come back.
"I'll call you later. Bye" Dean stated, hanging up the phone.
"Who was on the phone?" Sam inquired
"Bobby" Dean answered.
"And?" Sam replied, beginning to get annoyed.
"Nothing" Dean shook his head.
"So we're just gonna pretend I didn't hear what I just heard?" Sam scoffed.
"Pretend or don't pretend. Whatever floats your boat" Dean shrugged.
"Dean, don't be a dick" Katie rolled her eyes.
"This was supposed to be a fresh start" Sam pointed out, as Dean picked his jacket up.
"Well, this is about as fresh as it gets. Now are we going or not?" Dean insisted, walking past the pair.
"He'll come around, Sammy. He's just a stubborn son of a bitch" Katie told him.
"What if he doesn't? What if he can never forgive me?" Sam asked, with a puppy dog expression.
"This is Dean we're talking about. Dean who sold his soul for you. Dean who was more like a father to you than your own dad. He loves you, alright? That's never going to change" Katie explained, as Sam nodded.
"Now get out of here before he starts-" Katie began, as right on cue, Dean began beeping to the horn of the Impala, earning a small laugh from the pair.
"Uh, Cas? It's me, Katie. I need to talk, so…could you come down here? Please?" Katie announced to the empty room.
She looked around and wasn't surprised when she saw she was still the only person in the room. He was busy, she guessed trying to find God. He wouldn't have time to talk with her. With a sigh, she walked over to the bed, opening the pizza box laying there. Just as she placed the slice of pizza in her mouth, she realised there was someone sitting next to her. She jumped in fright and began choking on the pizza, as she realised it was Castiel. He awkwardly started patting her on the back, as she continued coughing.
"I'm gonna' have to put a bell on you if you keep doing that" Katie muttered, as Castiel pulled his hand away.
"My apologies" Castiel nodded.
"Wait…you came?" Katie realised; surprise clear on her face.
"You called, did you not?" Castiel replied.
"I just thought you'd be too busy. What's the word with finding God?" Katie inquired.
"There is no word. I'm no closer to finding him than I was when I first started" Castiel sighed.
"Not with that attitude you won't. C'mon Cas, you're a badass angel. Start knocking down some doors, someone will know something" Katie insisted.
"What's wrong with my ass?" Castiel frowned, as Katie burst out laughing, seeming to offend him more.
"No, I don't mean…there's nothing wrong with it. It's a pretty good ass from what I've seen…not that I've been looking…uh, anyways…souls! That's what I called you here for" Katie stuttered, embarrassed.
"Is this to do with the case you and the Winchesters are on?" Castiel asked, making Katie shake her head.
"No, I think it's just ghosts that…wait, how do you know we're on a case?" Katie inquired.
"I like to…keep an eye on you all" Castiel admitted.
"Have you been stalking us?" Katie gaped.
"No…only occasionally. I…I find myself worrying about the Winchesters...now and again…" Castiel trailed off, as Katie's eyes softened.
"That's sweet, Cas, but you know you can just pop in and see us? They're your friends. That's what friends do" Katie explained.
"Oh" Castiel nodded, thoughtfully.
"What do you know about soul transference?" Katie inquired, making Castiel frown.
"It's dangerous and needs a lot of power to be performed" Castiel answered.
"How about soul transference into an object?" Katie went on.
"Almost impossible…what is this about?" Castiel questioned.
"My soul. I've been thinking about how I could protect it" Katie admitted.
"As long as you're alive, your soul will always be vulnerable," Castiel told her.
"If something happened to my soul…you'd stop me, right? You wouldn't let me hurt anyone?" Katie asked, looking intensely into his blue eyes.
"Of cours" Castiel replied.
"Promise me. Promise that you'd stop me" Katie insisted, as Castiel seemed to think about this for a few moments.
"I promise" Castiel nodded, as a bad feeling settled in his stomach.
"Hey, uh…you know if you need any help with the God search…I'm here" Katie stated, as a soft smile grew on Castiel's face.
"Thank you. I will be in touch" He nodded, before disapperaring with a flutter of his wings.
"So, you guys owe me big time because that was disgusting…" Katie trailed when she entered the motel room and could practically feel the tension between the two men.
"Have you guys been arguing again?" Katie inquired.
"What did you find?" Dean questioned, ignoring the question.
"I had a look at the coroner's report for the other victim and you were right, Sam. Major blood loss and these weird-ass stones. There's definitely something going on here" Katie explained.
"Well, it's about to get weirder. Paris Hilton just kidnapped a teenager" Dean informed her.
"What did she do, shove her in her mini bag?" Katie huffed a laugh, as the brothers gave her a look.
"So, what are we looking at? Shapeshifter?" Katie suggested.
"The seeds aren't from around here. In fact, they're not from any tree or plant in the country" Sam told her.
"You are such a nerd…but go on. Where are they from?" Katie teased.
"Eastern Europe. From a forest in the Balkans, which is not even there anymore. It was chopped down, like, thirty years ago" Sam explained.
"So?" Dean queried.
"So, local legend has it that the forest was guarded by a pagan god whose name was Leshi. Um, a mischievous god, could take on infinite forms-" Sam started, but was cut off by Dean.
"And let me guess. He liked to munch on his fans" Dean realised, making Sam chuckle.
"Yep. Could be appeased only with the blood from his worshippers. It would drain 'em, then stuff their stomachs with the seeds" Sam went on, as Katie grimaced.
"Gross, let's kill this thing" Katie announced, as the brothers nodded.
"So how's he doing it? What, he touches James Dean's keychain and then morphs into James Dean?" Dean wondered.
"Hm. It's as good a guess as any" Sam shrugged.
"How do we kill him?" Dean asked.
"Says here to chop off his head with an iron axe" Sam answered, as Dean nodded and stood up.
"All right. Let's go gank ourselves a Paris Hilton" Dean grinned, throwing his jacket on.
"For a minute there, I was worried you were gonna' say the Trickster was back" Dean muttered, as he opened the motel door.
"Who's the Trickster?" Katie frowned, following him.
"You guys go ahead, I'll be right behind you" Katie informed them, once they arrived at the Wax Museum.
"What? Katie, we'll probably need your added muscle for this one" Sam pointed out.
"I've just got to…pee! Yeah, I'm bursting…so, I'll see you two in five" Katie informed them, as she began walking down the street.
"I'll remember to put on my gravestone 'Died because Katie couldn't hold it in'" Dean yelled after her, as she held her middle finger up.
Once she was around the next corner, she closed her eyes and began searching for the man she had met the previous day, using the skill she had learnt while looking for Dean. She wasn't an idiot; she could put two and two together. From what Sam and Dean had told her about the trickster, his physical appearance matched up to the man she had met. Not to mention how he acted. It was all too much of coincidence.
"You know it's probably a sin to pretend to be an Angel!" Katie exclaimed as she continued to search for the man.
"Who's pretending?" A voice boomed from behind her, as she whipped around to come face to face with Gabriel.
"You're the Trickster" Katie stated, taking a step backwards.
"It's one of my many names" Gabriel nodded.
"Is Liar another one of them?" Katie spat back, making Gabriel frown.
"This is why I didn't want you talking to Dean and Sam about me. They don't like me much" Gabriel explained.
"Understatement of the century, mate. You tortured them…twice!" Katie shouted, angrily, as a nearby streetlight exploded from nearby.
"You and Luci definitely have some things in common" Gabriel chuckled, as Katie grabbed him by the neck.
"Stop saying that!" She hissed, holding onto his neck tightly.
"Case and point" Gabriel choked, suddenly disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"So, what the game plan, huh? I put my soul in an object, and you grab it before I can give it to anyone" Katie scoffed, looking around the deserted street.
"No. Like I said, I just want to help you" Gabriel insisted, appearing behind her once again.
"Why?" Katie frowned, confused by the genuine concern on his face.
"I've been watching you for a long time, Katie. I suppose I've grown attached" Gabriel admitted.
"Why were you watching me?" Katie asked.
"No one saw this coming. Lucifer bleeding his grace into a child. It shouldn't have been possible. Eventually, it should have killed you, yet here you are. Growing in power it seems. You're the wildcard, Katie. I want to see what side you'll choose" Gabriel explained.
"I've already chosen" Katie insisted.
"We'll see…I'll be in touch" Gabriel informed her, suddenly vanishing once again.
"Only an Angel could make an annoying exit like that" Katie muttered.
She jumped when she turned around and saw Gabriel had appeared out of thin air yet again, sucking a lollipop in his mouth, a thoughtful look on his face.
"See if you can do something about that stick up Cas's ass, eh? It's really getting old" Gabriel announced, vanishing again.
"Guys? Hey, this isn't a good time for hide and seek, you know!" Katie called out, as she rushed through the Wax Museum, worried that she had taken too long.
Finding a door that was pushed open a small amount, she began making her way towards far off voices. Her eyes widened as she saw Sam and Dean tied to tree's, rope keeping them in place, and Paris Hilton grinning at her.
"An appetiser? Awesome" Paris smirked, storming towards Katie.
"Sorry Paris, I'm not a fan of spray tans and small dogs. You can't eat me" Katie retorted, as Paris came to a halt inches away from her face.
"Wow, you smell delicious" Paris smiled, running her hand over Katie's face, who brushed her palm away.
"And now I'm even less of a fan" Katie grimaced.
"Hmm...I can see who your idol is. Your knight in shining armour" Paris smirked, watching as Katie's jaw dropped open when her face began to morph.
"Cas?!" Both Dean and Sam gaped, as the Leshi transformed into the familiar angel.
"What? He's pretty cool" Katie shrugged, as the brother's shared a look.
"Just close your eyes, honey. I won't make this hurt. Much" The Leshi grinned, with Castiel's voice.
It raised its hand to grab her by the neck, but she quickly anticipated this line of attack and grabbed its forearm. With all her strength, she gripped onto the creature's arm until she heard a sickening snap. Katie couldn't help but smirk as she watched the Leshi writhe in pain and curl up into its stomach.
"Well…that's not very nice" The Leshi stated, looking back at her, having transformed again.
"Wait, now Sam's your hero?" Dean exclaimed, seeing that the Leshi had transformed into his brother.
"The guy who started the Apocalypse, really?" The Leshi scoffed, holding its injured arm close to its chest.
"I happen to think that event was character building" Katie replied, as she kicked the creature in its crotch.
"Oh God, how did I somehow feel that?" The real Sam grimaced.
With a huffed laugh, Katie kicked the creature who was now on its knees in the face, sending it flying onto it's back.
"Hey! Let me have a go!" Dean called out, as Katie used her telekinesis to undo the ropes around his body.
"Really, guys?" Sam rolled his eyes, as he watched Dean rush over and begin kicking the Leshi in the stomach.
The Leshi growled at them, grabbing onto Dean's leg, its sharp fingers reaching his skin. With an angry cry, Dean punched the creature in the face, hearing its head slam against the floor.
"Wait, now it's me?" Dean frowned, seeing the Leshi had transformed into him.
"Look, I didn't have a lot of male role models growing up, okay?" Katie muttered.
"My turn!" Sam announced, indicating to the ropes still tied around him.
"It's only fair" Katie shrugged, undoing his ropes, watching as Sam stormed over to the iron axe that was planted in a nearby fake tree.
Without saying a word, Sam marched over to the pair and sent the axe swinging down on the Leshi's head. Katie raised an eyebrow as Sam continued to decapitate the creature who had taken the form of his brother.
"Who needs therapy, huh?" Katie mumbled, as Sam finally stopped, blood splattered over his face, holding the axe over his shoulder.
"I couldn't agree more" Sam smirked, as Dean shook his head fondly.
"Sounds like the Sheriff's putting out an APB on Paris Hilton. That oughta be good" Dean announced, the following morning as they were leaving their motel.
"I almost feel sorry for her…almost" Katie smirked, as she placed her bags in the trunk of the Impala.
"Hey, listen, I was thinking about what you said yesterday. About me keeping too tight of a leash on you…Hell, maybe you're right. I mean, look, I'm not exactly Mister Innocent in this whole mess either, you know. I did break the first seal" Dean explained, turning to a surprised Sam.
"You didn't know" Sam replied.
"Yeah, well, neither did you" Dean pointed out, as Sam looked down at his feet.
"I'm not saying demon blood was a great way to go, but, you did kill Lilith" Dean went on.
"And start the apocalypse" Sam added.
"Which neither of us saw coming, I mean, who'd have thought killing Lilith would've been a bad thing?" Dean exclaimed.
"You thought the bitch killed your brother, lost your head for a while…happens to the best of us" Katie shrugged.
"I thought she killed you too" Sam stated, as Katie shivered, remembering far too vividly how Lilith stabbed her.
"Point is, I was so worried about watching your every move that I didn't see what it was actually doing to you. So, for that I'm sorry" Dean admitted, as Katie's mouth dropped open.
"Thanks" Sam smiled, softly.
"Dean Winchester saying sorry? God, it must really be the end of the world" Katie muttered, as Dean ruffled her hair, resulting in her shoving him away.
"So where do we go from here?" Dean queried, as he closed the trunk.
"The way I see it, we got one shot at surviving this" Sam informed him.
"What's that?" Dean asked.
"Maybe I am on deck for the devil, maybe same with you and Michael, maybe Katie will go dark side, maybe there's no changing that" Sam began, making Dean and Katie frown.
"Well that's encouraging" Dean retorted.
"But, we can stop wringing our hands over it. We gotta just grab onto whatever's in front of us, kick its ass, and go down fighting" Sam suggested.
"I can get on board with that" Dean nodded, after thinking for a moment.
"Okay. But we're gonna have to do it on the same level" Sam told him.
"You got it" Dean replied, with a small grin.
"So, does that mean no more calling you Sammy?" Katie queried.
"…That I'll allow" Sam stated.
"Yeah, you love it" Katie teased, nudging him with her elbow.
"I say we get the hell outta here" Dean announced, as the others nodded.
"Hell yeah" Sam smiled, as Dean turned to walk towards the driver's seat.
"Hey…You wanna drive?" Dean inquired, as Sam looked down at the keys Dean was holding out to him.
"You sure?" Sam gaped.
"Yeah, I could, uh...I could use a nap" Dean shrugged, placing the keys in Sam's hand.
"Hey, maybe I could drive next-" Katie began, as both brothers cut her off.
"No!" They insisted, making Katie roll her eyes.
"Dean…what changed your mind? About trusting Sam?" Katie asked, once Sam had stepped into the drivers seat, and was out of hearing range.
"You" Dean replied, making her frown.
"Me?" Katie questioned, dumbfounded.
"Well, I figured if I can trust a demon, then I can sure as hell trust my brother" Dean shrugged.
"You trust me?" Katie exclaimed, amazed by what she was hearing.
"Yeah…I do" Dean smiled, before walking towards the passenger's seat.
Katie couldn't help the grin that began to grow on her face, as she joined them in the Impala, resting contently in the backseat.
Author's Notes: Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've been really sick this month, so I apologise that this update took so long and if they're are any mistakes in this chapter. I'm really enjoying writing about Katie's growing relationships, and now that I've added Gabriel into the mix, it's going to be even more fun! Please leave a review:)
WickedlyMinx: Aw, thank you! I hope you like this chapter:)
Gabrielle: Thank you so much, that means a lot to me:) It's great to hear you're enjoying this story!
Emrys315: Thank you, haha!