Dean opened Bobby's door with his foot, carrying an arm load of food and bags.
Bobby took the food and told him to set the bags by the door.
Sam unloaded the rest of the stuff and drug it up onto the porch.
Kate didn't get out of the car right away, lost in her day dreams.
Sam knocked on her window and tilted his head toward Bobby's.
Kate grinned and got out of the car, skipping her way into Bobby's house.
Her cheery mood and endless smile were contagious. It had been a short while since they had a truly good day and they all soaked it in.
Katie helped Bobby clear lunch away and put away the supplies they had gotten.
Dean stepped out of the kitchen in search of Kate's notebook. He flipped to the page he was looking for and grimaced. The house he had seen at the park was without a doubt the house Kate had drawn.
Sam stepped into the living room and approached Dean.
Dean turned and handed him the notebook. He tapped the page. "Earlier, at the park. I saw this house. I saw her drawing the other day and then today, across the street from the park, was this exact house."
Sam looked intently at the page. "I have never seen it before."
Dean didn't know what to do with the information. The house didn't seem threatening. It was just a house. He decided not to bring it up unless she did.
Sam agreed with his decision and they both went to help put things away. They made a good team and the bags were emptied within a few minutes.
Dean needed something to do. He needed a hunt. He pulled Bobby to the side and asked if there were any small cases he could take care of. He needed one good hunt to blow off steam.
Bobby gave him the information for a fellow hunter who needed back up on a 'salt n burn'. He understood needing to blow off steam but wasn't aiming on sending the boy into a hunt by himself.
"Where are you going?" Kate asked, watching Dean load things into his duffle.
"A case a few towns over. I'll be back by morning." He said, messing up her hair.
Kate wasn't fond of the idea. "You can't go by yourself. "
"Not going alone. I'm backup for another hunter." He said, continuing to gather supplies.
Kate bit her tongue. She had seen that look of determination before and knew she wouldn't be able to sway him. "Be safe." She said sadly.
He stopped what he was doing and sat down. "I just need to take this one case. I feel like I've been sitting on my hands. It is a simple ghost and I have backup." He hugged her and then got up to finish packing.
She got used to having Dean around and hadn't processed the fact that he may go back to hunting.
Dean hopped down the stairs and sat his bag down. He walked over to Sam and clapped him on the back. Sam wasn't keen on staying behind but they knew Kate would be upset and neither trusted her not to try to 'help'.
Kate stood beside Sam and waved as Dean left the driveway. Hunters hunted and that was that. It wasn't fair for her to expect Dean not to leave sometimes. She still felt bitter. At least Sam was there, and Bobby.
Sam could see the storm brewing. "What are you going to do with the crystal?"
Kate drew it from her pocket and held it up for the sun's rays to find. "Maybe I can make it into a necklace?"
"I'm sure Bobby has something that would work for that." He said, opening the screen door.
Bobby had endless tools of all shapes and sizes. Sam's idea was to drill a hole through it so they could put it on a piece of string. They tried that with a variety of drill bits. None seemed to do the trick. Sam held the crystal up and looked through it. The thing was deceivingly solid. They found strips of wire and settled on wrapping it in wire and soldering the ends together. After it cooled, Sam tried to pull the wire off. When he couldn't get it to budge, he decided that it shouldn't fall off when she was wearing it.
Kate found thin strips of soft leather and looped it through the wire. Satisfied, she slipped it over her head. "Do you think it will stay and not fall off?"
Sam grabbed one end of the crystal and tugged. "Seems pretty secure to me."
Kate tucked the crystal into her shirt and walked back up to Bobby's house. She looked at the time. Dean probably wasn't even to the house yet.
"Watching the clock wont make him return any faster." Sam said.
"I know that Sam." She snapped. "I just want him to come back."
Sam didn't react to the snip. He worried about Dean when he went out alone as well. No ghost was a match for Dean Winchester but he hated being left behind. "I know. Me too kiddo. He will and he will gloat non stop."
That made her smile.
Bobby called them into his study and handed them a list of odd jobs that needed to be done. He needed extra hand but more than anything those kids needed a distraction.
########
Brian and John used a variety of persuasive techniques to get a few more answers from Alrek. The word on the street was that a prince of hell was to blame for the deaths of both Mary and Ruth. The confirmation in connection solidified John's need to find, and kill the prince of hell. The demon's eyes glowed yellow due to his status. Alrek swore he didn't know what the demon's plans were but rumors suggested that Azazel was the name of the culprit. Having a name gave John something to focus on. It was the most he had learned in months.
"What are we doing with him?" Mike asked.
They needed a long term solution since Alrek would be wanting revenge as soon as he crawled back out of hell. The poor guy Alrek possessed had long since died, so they weren't worried about damaging the body. The plan was to move Alrek to a different location and essentially lock him away.
"Throw him in a cell and lose the key." John said evenly.
Mike didn't have a strong opinion as long as the thing was gotten out of his cabin.
Brian still needed a few days to mend before he saw Kate. He did well to protect her but was no good to her if he couldn't stand up without getting dizzy.
"I just have a few more questions." John said as he opened the cellar door. It was clear that he didn't want to be followed.
##################
Kate pulled the curtains back to look out the window for the dozenth time.
Bobby put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. "He will come back."
Kate knew that down deep in her heart but the worry was suffocating. She was still worried about her dad and the endless questions swirled around in her head. She wanted to be angry at Dean for going on a hunt but she knew she shouldn't be. Her life had been paused when her dad left. The world around her moved but she felt like she was in a snow globe. Dean hunting upset her snow globe. She flopped down on the couch and rested her head on a pillow.
Bobby wanted to comfort her but everything he did made her more antsy. He checked his phone for an update but the screen remained blank.
Sam brought a small stack of books over to the couch and sat down on the other end. He had something nagging him and needed to put it to rest. He skimmed through the first book and bookmarked a page on crystals.
Bobby walked away and left them to their own company.
Kate sat up and looked over at what Sam was working on. "What are you looking for?"
Sam bit his lip. "I don't know yet."
Kate rolled over on her back and traced the lines of the ceiling with her eyes. She grasped the crystal in her hand and hummed her song. Her body calmed and her mind wondered.
###############
Dean grabbed his duffle from the seat and shut Baby's door. He approached the other man and held out his hand.
Rufus pulled him into a hug and slapped his back. "Boy, you got tall."
Dean had known Rufus for years. He was what one could consider Bobby's closest friend. They chatted about the case for a few minutes and then decided to put a ghost to rest. It was a simple case. They needed to find where the bones were and burn them. If that didn't work, they would need to search the house for an object. Dean had faced so many ghosts that it didn't phase him.
Rufus went in first. The house still had furniture and other odds and ends. It was likely that no one had bothered to clean it out after the last family. The ghost was a man who shot himself after he had killed his family, driving drunk. Rufus made his way to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and grabbed a large bottle. "Well look at that." He said, holding up the bottle of liquor with a grin.
Dean laughed. "Come on Rufus, we have been here two minutes."
"They ain't going to miss it." Rufus replied, shoving the bottle into his bag.
Dean felt a chill run up his spine and his breath hung in the air. "I think we woke him up." He whispered.
Rufus pulled out his salt gun and stood back to back with Dean. They needed to focus on the bones. The body hadn't been buried in the local cemetery so they searched the house and property for a marker. Dean returned to the house to look for cursed objects. He walked up the stairs and the chill returned. He motioned to Rufus and they both walked slowly to the landing above the staircase.
Rufus opened the door to a nursery and the lights flickered. Nothing in the room seemed relevant. They checked the other two rooms with similar results.
Dean looked up and saw a door to the attic.
"Ah, hell." Rufus complained and yanked the door open.
Wind blew through the house and knocked a photo off the wall.
"Must be getting close." Dean said with a raise of a brow.
They carefully ascended the stairs into the attic. The floor creaked and dust swirled in tendrils as they moved around the small space. Rufus stood watch as Dean looked around for anything that could lead them to why the ghost as trapped in the house. "Rufus." He whispered and pointed to another door.
Rufus cleared the doorway and walked into a much bigger room. He turned on a light he bumped his head on and sneezed as dust made it's way into his lungs. The room had been untouched for much longer than the others.
Dean walked over to a cardboard box and rifled through it. Nothing looked overly important. Before he got to the bottom of the box he felt himself being lifted and then grunted as he was thrown through a wall. Rufus fired his gun and the ghost disappeared long enough for Dean to crawl back over to his own weapon. The ghost reappeared and grabbed Rufus. Dean swung and the ghost evaporated. Something in the box was tying the ghost to the house. Rufus fought off the man while Dean dumped the contents out. Dean touched a photo album and then flew through the air again. He knocked his head on one of the rafters but remained conscious. "The book. Rufus burn the book!"
The ghost launched himself at Rufus and was immediately dispersed by Dean.
Rufus dumped salt on the book and set it on fire. The ghost screeched as the flames consumed him. The final ember flickered out and the house was still. Rufus laid on his back and laughed through wheezes.
They stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. Both were covered in dust and insulation. Rufus flicked the light on and grimaced. "Bobby is going to kill me." He said, getting a look at Dean.
Dean splashed his face with water and looked down at the damage. He chuckled. "I don't think its Bobby you have to worry about."
Rufus grabbed a dish towel and wiped away the dust covering Dean's skin. "Oh, really?"
"You haven't met Kate." Dean said with another chuckle. He threw a blanket over Baby's seat and followed Rufus to his motel room. He needed to assess his injuries and the insulation was itching like fire ants.
He stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry. He groaned when he looked in the mirror. His lip was busted and swollen. He pulled on a pair of pants and stepped out of the bathroom.
Rufus already had the first aid kit ready to go. Dean's injuries were surface level and would heal without intervention. He bandaged two cuts that were still seeping and then handed Dean his shirt. "Tell me about this Kate."
Dean sent a message to Bobby to let him know the job was finished and then took the glass of water Rufus handed him. He spoke fondly of Kate and her adventures. He told him about Memphis and even about her standing up to John.
Rufus laughed loudly. "I like her already."
Dean glanced at his watch and sighed. "This was fun Rufus. We should do this more often." He said, pulling on his shoes.
"Any time Dean, any time."
Dean felt alive. His heart was pumping and the adrenaline rush he had missed so badly stuck with him as he drove back toward Bobby's. The moon was out and the road was empty. He closed the gap faster than he could have in the day time. He opened the car door and was immediately struck in the stomach. He wrapped his arms around the cannon ball that was Kate.
Kate looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I'm glad you're back. Wait... did you get hurt?" She said with squinted eyes.
Dean smiled back. "Only a little bit."
Kate smacked his arm and grabbed his wrist, dragging him toward the house.
He laughed. "What was that for?"
Bobby met them at the door and tilted his head at the sight.
Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Rufus already looked me over, Kate. I'm fine."
She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "We will just see about that."
Sam tried his best not to laugh, knowing it would put him in Kate's sights as well. He grabbed the first aid kit and slid it over the table. "Uh, so how did that happen?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Dean put his hand to his lip, feeling the knot that had formed. He gave them a run down of what happened in the house, his adrenaline still pumping.
Kate made sure he really was fine an then sat back and listened to his story. She was mad at him for getting hurt but the story sounded pretty good.
Dean turned to Bobby with a smile. "Rufus said you'd kill him."
Bobby smirked. "What did you tell him?"
"That he should worry more about Kate."