The next morning, Katie woke up to birds singing. The sun was up and she felt groggy. Yesterday seemed like a bad dream and she struggled to grasp where she was or what had happened. The night before, Dean had told her she could knock on their door if she needed anything during the night so she figured she would start there. She gently knocked on the door and no one answered. She cracked the door enough to see that neither Sam or Dean was inside. Her only other option was to go downstairs to see if they, or Bobby were around. She crept down the stairs but stopped before reaching the bottom. She heard hushed whispers and sat down on the steps to listen.

"Bobby, what are we going to do? She isn't here for an overnight and gone the next day. We actually need a plan." She heard Dean hiss.

"Of course, you idjit." Bobby replied. "You think I haven't been thinking about that since the moment Brian called me?"

Dean was silent for a moment before continuing. "I know you have thought about it Bobby. That isn't what I meant. I just mean, what happens when dad comes back and Sam and I leave? What happens when something comes up and we need to go on a hunt that is too dangerous for her?"

Bobby started to reply but the sound of the screen door slamming stopped him.

"Sammy?" Bobby called out, hoping the sound was from him.

When no reply came, he and Dean walked outside. They saw Sam walking out from behind the impala.

"Sam did you just slam the door?" Dean asked.

"What? No! I've been reorganizing the trunk, like you told me to." Sam shot back.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch kid." Bobby said with his hand held up to signal they weren't trying to accuse him. "We heard the door slam and thought it might have been you."

Dean turned and went back in the house to look for Katie. If it wasn't Sam, she was the only other person in the house. He checked her room and it was empty. He checked the bathroom and living room but she wasn't there.

Dean walked back out to Bobby and smacked his hand down on the impala. "I am guessing she heard our conversation and took it the wrong way." Sam had a similar habit growing up and he knew the signs.

Bobby growled and shook his head. "Great, day one here and the kid is already in the wind. Let's find her before her daddy kills us."

Bobby and Sam searched the junk yard and Dean turned to get in the impala. "I'll drive down the road, Bobby. If she's anything like Sam, she's made it out to the road and is planning on hitchhiking to town."

Katie was angry and hurt. She had been there less than a day and they were already planning to get rid of her. She wasn't some dumb kid. She could take care of herself. If they were going to leave her anyway, she might as well leave and find her own place to stay. She was worried about her dad but mad at him too. What kind of parent just left their only kid at some strange old man's house and skipped town indefinitely. Katie picked up an old beer bottle and threw it against a tree. It shattered and she felt a boost of confidence. She was nearly 9 years old and perfectly capable of living by herself. She knew how to cook enough to get by and was sure she could find a job babysitting or something. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't pay attention to the broken glass under her feet. A sharp prick pulled her out of her head and she sat down to nurse her injured foot. Why hadn't she thought to get shoes before running away? She hobbled up to the black top and sat down to extract the shard of glass from her foot. She heard the rumble of a car and turned toward the sound. She couldn't see what kind of car it was due to the rising sun. Who cares, maybe they will be nice enough to get her into town. The car approached her and then came to a stop. Katie frowned. Crap, of course it was the impala.

Dean saw the girl sitting beside the road and let out a sigh of relief. He had flashbacks of Sam pulling a similar stunt and began to think his brother was more like a girl than he thought. He would make sure Sam knew that.

"Well, Kate. You got further than I was expecting you to. Did you run through the woods?" Dean said amusingly.

"It is none of your business. Leave me alone." Kate retorted.

"Can't do that kid. Promised your dad I'd keep you safe and I can't do that if you run away."

Katie growled in frustration and jumped up, momentarily forgetting about her foot. "I said leave me alone! I heard you and Bobby talking. You're just going to get rid of me anyway. Dad should have never left me. Just turn around and tell Bobby I wont be back."

Dean got out of the car and crouched down to the girl's eye level. "If you had bothered to listen in to the rest of the conversation you would know that neither of us was planning on getting rid of you. We would be happy to explain once you get back to the house."

"I heard enough and I'm not going. I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself."

Dean glanced down at Katie's foot and grimaced. "Look kid, your foot is bleeding. Even if I let you run, you wouldn't make it far. No one said you were a baby but you are a kid. Wither you like it or not, your dad entrusted us with keeping you safe and there is nothing that is going to make me break my promise to him."

Katie looked down at her foot and noticed it was bleeding. Great. She sat down and pulled the shard out of her foot and threw it into the woods. "There, all better. Now go."

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, Kate. I'm not leaving you out here. You are going to go back to Bobby's and we are going to talk. You can take my hand and let me help you to the car or I can pick you up and put you in the car."

Katie's eyes flew open. He wouldn't dare. Why was he being mean when he had been so nice to her before. The amount of blood seeping from her foot made her decision for her. "Fine. I'll go back but I am not promising I'll stay."

Dean held out his hand and helped her stand. He allowed her to hold on to his arm as she limped to the car. He threw down a blanket and told her not to get blood all over his baby. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arm, looking out the window.

Bobby heard the impala pulling into the drive way and his heart skipped a beat. Dean got out of the driver's seat and went around to open the passenger door. Bobby caught site of a mop of blonde hair and his body relaxed.

Dean held his hand out for Kate to grab but she refused to even look at him. "Okay, have it your way." He chuckled and grabbed the girl from the car.

Bobby raised his eyebrows at the scene and started to say something to Dean when he saw the blood dripping from Kate's foot.

Kate screeched and tried to wiggle away but Dean had a firm grip on her. She didn't want to be carried. She could walk by herself. Dean wouldn't let her down until they reached the front porch, where he dumped her onto a chair. She started to stand up but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her rooted in her seat.

Bobby ran inside to get the first aid kit and began to tend to her foot. "How did you manage this one kiddo?"

She didn't speak.

"She is mad because she heard the tail end of our conversation and thinks we are set to get rid of her. " Dean said sheepishly.

Bobby nodded his head knowingly. "Next time you might want to butt in before you decide on making a run for it."

Katie blushed and hung her head. "If you weren't planning on ditching me, why were you saying all that?"

Bobby finished bandaging her foot and suggested they go inside. Katie sat at the table and looked at her hands.

"We are not going to get rid of you. We are happy you are here but we need to work together." Bobby said. "We do need to figure out what we do when problems come up. We are still hunters. We can't just wing it and expect things to go well. Dean was concerned because he didn't want to up and leave you here with me with no notice. We don't know when John is coming back and Dean was just thinking about how that would effect you."

"Oh." She squeaked. She looked at Dean with doe eyes. "I am really sorry Dean. I am a little mad at my dad and I let my temper go."

Dean ruffled her hair and smirked. "Happens to the best of us kiddo."

"Um, Dean. If you didn't want me to go, why were you being mean to me?"

Dean's head whipped around. "Mean to you? When?"

Katie blushed again and shrugged her shoulders. "When you found me on the road."

Dean thought for a minute before rolling his eyes. "You mean when I told you to get in the car?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah you acted like you were mad at me."

Bobby hid his face. She might just be Sam 2.0.

Dean signed and leaned back in his chair. "Kid. I wasn't being mean to you and I wasn't mad at you. I gave you a choice. Letting you run away wasn't one of those. Do you know how many times I've had to drag Sam's butt back home after he decided to run?"

Katie looked confused. Sam would never try to run away. What was he talking about?

Dean saw the confusion and continued. "Sam is smart but feels things intensely. He and our old man butt heads from time to time and he makes a run for it. Hell, he and I have butted heads and he attempted to skip town. Never ends well."

"Why did you make him come back?" Katie asked honestly.

Dean grinned and said, "No matter how annoying he gets, he is my little brother and I'd miss the kid if he was gone. I can't protect him if he is not with me. Besides, he expects me to run after him and would be crushed if I didn't. "

Dean's smile lightened Katie's mood. "I am really sorry I stormed out. I understand now and would like to help figure out how things work."

Bobby tapped the table with his hands and stood up to get some breakfast started. He grabbed a big container of oatmeal off a shelf and put a pot of water on to boil. Katie scrunched up her nose and made a sound. Bobby turned to look at her and asked, "What, you don't like oatmeal?"

"Yuck." she said. "It is slimy and tastes gross." She smiled sweetly and said "I do really like pancakes though."

Bobby chuckled and put the oatmeal back. "Pancakes it is."

Dean scoffed in mock outrage. "Bobby! What happened to 'you get what you get and you don't throw a fit'?"

Bobby sat a bowl and a carton of eggs down in front of Dean. "Oh come on Dean, she hurt her foot. Now, get up and help me make these pancakes before we all starve."

Dean rolled his eyes but hopped up to assist. He shook his head. Had Bobby gone soft or was he just that tightly wound around the little girl's finger.

Katie squeaked and said, "Thank you Bobby! Thank you Dean! I'm going to wash off and I'll be back"

After she left, Dean nudged Bobby and cracked a smile. "She has you played, Bobby."

Bobby blushed and shoved Dean's elbow away. "You just mind your business, boy. If you and Sam stopped being a pain in my ass maybe you two would get pancakes."

Sam walked into the kitchen and spied the pancakes sitting on a plate. He reached to grab one on his way by but Bobby cracked him on the hand with a spoon. "Go wash your hands first, boy."

Sam lunged and grabbed one quickly and shoved it in his mouth. "What's the special occasion?" He asked with his mouth full.

"Would you two shut up about the pancakes!" Bobby scolded and motioned for Sam to wash up.

Dean snickered and turned another batch of pancakes.

Katie limped back down the stairs and hopped over to the table. She had brushed her hair back into a pony tail and washed her face. She sat down and smiled at Dean.

"It's about time you got that hair out of your face. I don't see how you can breathe with it like that. " Dean commented.

She rolled her eyes and brushed a few sprigs out of her eyes.

"You know I can give you a haircut when I give Sam one?" He teased.

Sam bounded down the stairs and punched his brother's arm. "I'm not getting a haircut you jerk."

"What ever, bitch." Dean shot back with a slap to the kid's head.

"Enough of that." said Bobby. "Y'all. Sit down and eat before the food gets cold."

The four of them sat at Bobby's rickety table and scarfed down several stacks of pancakes. Bobby looked at all three of the kids and sighed happily. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.