Brian stood in the middle of a dark, damp room. In his hands he held a wooden box covered on all sides in ancient writing. Alrek's body laid at his feet, motionless. The sound of dripping water, splattering on concrete echoed in his ears. He had done it. He had finished his mission to lock the demon away. For months, everything hinged on that exact moment. Now that it was over, Brian stood frozen, not being certain what his next step should be. The original plan had been to lock him in his body and burry him but the wooden box in his hands had all but fallen into their hands.
A door shut on the other side of the room as John entered. He approached slowly and cleared his throat.
Brian turned to him and handed over the box.
John fitted the box with metal strips and a lock. The box was impenetrable to the supernatural but the metal straps would cover the non-supernatural. He handed the box back to Brian and transported the body back to his truck. The man that Alrek had possessed was homeless and a drug addict. However, he was a person and John was going to see to it that he was given a proper burial.
With a hole dug and a blanket wrapped around the body, Brian watched as John lowered the man into his grave. It was an aspect of the job that he had never gotten used to. His own morality hung by a thinning rope. He would never be buried. He would be given a hunter's funeral and burn on a pyre. He had been to a few hunter's funerals and while macabre, there was a sense of peace as the flames devoured the possibility of the hunter being used as a meat suit or being stuck between worlds as a ghost. He had known from the beginning of his hunter journey that he would be met with the same farewell. He had shielded Kate from pyres and his gut twisted knowing that she would demand to be present for his. He had forced himself to focus on the Alrek situation but now that it was taken care of, all he could think about was Katie.
John's truck roared to life as he turned the key. "Where to now?" He asked.
Brian didn't know.
John looked over at Brian and knew the man needed time. They were both exhausted and needed a full night of sleep. He checked into a nearby motel and sent Bobby a message, giving him an update. Brian needed a better grip on himself before he faced his daughter.
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Kate held her crystal in her hand and chewed nervously on the leather strap.
"I could probably find a squeaky toy or something if that would make you feel better." Dean said from behind her.
She dropped the strap and squinted. "You are mean."
He put his arm around her and squeezed her. "Nah, just trying to cheer you up."
She turned and hugged him around the waist. "Thanks."
Although he had learned a few things, touchy feely emotions were still hard for him. Kate was sad and angry but mostly hurt. She was hurting and he wasn't okay with that.
Sam procured the jar of jellybeans and sat down on Kate's pallet on the floor. Kate and Dean joined him. They sat quietly and snacked.
Bobby returned from his errands and found them sitting, huddled together over a jar of candy. He took a mental snapshot and knocked on the open door.
Kate jumped up and hugged Bobby.
Bobby hugged her back, feeling the tears begin to fall on his shirt.
"I'm scared." She said pitifully.
He sat down on Dean's bed. "of what?" He wasn't sure if she meant her dad or the visions.
"Everything. I'm just scared." She had held it together all day and she was too tired to fight it.
Bobby rubbed her back. "If you two go get her mattress, she can sleep in here again tonight." He said over the top of Kate's head. He knew she was terrified and being near Sam and Dean would comfort her. He also thought that if she had another vision, it would be easier for Sam to pull her out if she was close by. He held her as long as she needed and let her cry herself out.
Dean drug the mattress to the middle of the two beds and let it topple over. He pushed it over so that it was touching the bottom of Sam's bed. He had shared the proximity idea that Bobby had.
Sam brought her blankets and pillow and dumped them on top of the bed. He handed Millie to Kate and then turned to right the bedding.
"I think it is a pizza and movie type of night." Dean announced, looking to Bobby for approval.
"I agree with ya, son." Bobby said scrolling through his phone to find the number he had saved.
Dean left by himself to pick up pizza and rent a movie. He drove into town and cut the engine to his car. He pulled out a set of binoculars and looked at the yellow house. The house was well kept and cozy looking. There was one, older, vehicle in the drive way and a variety of wind chimes hanging from the awning. He got out of his car and walked casually down the street. He stepped into the yard and took a quick glance around the outside of the house. There were no signs of warding or sulfur smells. The house just looked like any old house. He decided that he would come back when the car was gone. There was a reason that Kate had drawn the house and it made him uncomfortable. He walked back to his car and headed to pick up the pizzas.
With the well defined set of rules, Bobby had given her, Kate fought the urge to ask questions. She compromised with herself and wrote a few down so she could ask her dad. She flipped through her notebook at all the things she had written and drawn since he left. When she had found the address to the house, she had written it down, along with the phone number. She looked at the numbers on the page in front of her and chewed her fingers. The address was simple, she had already told Dean she knew. She knew she would never have a chance to go to the house but she might eventually be able to call the number. She tore the page from her notebook and folded it into a tiny square. She grabbed Millie and found a week spot on the seam around her neck. She put the paper inside and then pulled the threads together to make a small knot. She wasn't hiding the number from them, she just needed it incase of an unforeseen emergency. She didn't know the importance of the house but something in her gut told her that one day she would need it. A door opened and closed downstairs and brought her to her feet. Being alone gave people a chance to be suspicious and she needed to avoid that at all costs.
Sam ran up the steps and passed Kate as she was going down. He pulled a box from under his bed and opened the book Kate had gotten him. He ran his fingers across the cover and then placed a piece of paper over the top. He used a pencil to rub across the paper and make a copy of the symbols. A friend of Bobby's from a university that specialized in Celtic history had agreed to look at the symbols. All Sam had to do was fax over a copy. The man was trusted but Sam had no intention of letting him see the entire book. He put the book back in it's box and stood up. He looked around the room with an uneasy feeling. He couldn't place it but something was up.
"Hey, Bobby, when is my dad going to be here?" Kate asked as she walked into his study.
He held up his phone. "Either tomorrow afternoon or the morning after."
Kate was pleased. She was finally getting answers in terms of days and not ballpark estimates of weeks or months. She had a list of things she wanted to do and was certain that summer would be the best summer yet. Her dad promised to stay in one place and not hunt. That meant they could do fun stuff.
Bobby pushed his chair away from his desk. "Katie. I want to give you a heads up."
She froze. "About what?"
Bobby motioned for her to walk over to him. "The demon your dad was after has been trapped for good. Upon capturing him, your dad did get hurt. He is fine, just a little banged up."
"Why are you just now telling me?" She shot back.
He put his hand up. "I didn't know to what extent. It is a few broken ribs and some cuts that are healing nicely. Pretty standard injuries."
"I'm sorry I snapped. I just feel out of the loop so much." She knew cuts and broken ribs were no big deal in the hunting world. They probably forgot to mention it since it was so common. Some small part in the back of her brain reminded her that if he was recovering still, he couldn't be too upset with her. She pushed that thought as far away as she could. She was worried about what her dad would say about the book but wouldn't wish him to be hurt in order to avoid it.
The impala rumbled into the driveway and Dean got out carrying several boxes of pizza. Sam appeared in the doorway and helped Dean into the house. Kate brought plates from the kitchen and Dean turned on the movie.
Kate had never seen Rush Hour but she liked anything Dean liked.
As the credits rolled, Dean shut the tv off and stretched. The moon was out and night time had started to fall.
Kate turned around and looked at Bobby with puppy eyes. "Bobby, could you please talk to my dad about getting me a phone?"
Bobby scoffed. "Why?"
"For emergencies and stuff. Also I am really going to miss you guys and if I have a phone I can keep in touch." She said, smiling sweetly.
"Or so you can play snake." Sam said.
"That too. So, can you Bobby, please?"
Bobby smiled. "I'll see what I can do." Knowing the way things were going to end up, he didn't disagree that her having a phone would be a bad idea. She would be with her dad and could use his but if something was to happen, it would be best to have a back up. He looked at the time on his watch. "It is about time for you to head up to bed."
"What? It is so early." Kate said back.
He raised a brow. "You have had a long day and maybe arguing isn't the best idea."
Kate's eyes flew open. "Oh. Got it." She excused herself and went to take a bath. She wasn't tired but thought the bath may help relax her mind. It did for the most part but she hated washing her hair. Her curls got tangled and brushing them made her grumpy. She wished she was a boy so she could cut her hair short and never have to brush it again. After dressing, she left the bathroom in search of scissors.
Sam walked by. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to cut my hair." She said, brows furrowed.
Sam laughed. "That bad huh?"
"Yes, that bad! I can't even brush it."
"I can give it a try." He offered, grabbing her brush.
She slumped down in a chair, not arguing.
He carefully brushed through each knot and ringlet. He still felt like something was off. "Hey, Kate? If something was going on, you'd tell me, right?"
Kate stiffened. "Yeah, of course."
With her hair detangled, Sam squished the water from it and started to braid it. Dean picked on him but braiding her hair had become a habit that they bonded over. As he was putting a band in her hair, he noticed some faint marks on her shoulder and back. "Where did these come from?" He asked, poking one of the spots.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, twisting her head to try and look at her shoulder.
He ran his hand across the marks and they were no longer there. "Nothing, must be the lighting." He had seen marks like them before and was certain that the light was not to blame.
Kate didn't want to go to bed. She was scared to have dreams, even if they were not visions. Night time brought darkness and uncertainty.
Sam got her settled and sat on his bed. He opened a book and began to read a chapter of 'The Odyssey'. He finished the chapter and noticed that Kate was asleep. He very carefully got off his bed and covered her with a blanket. He backed out of the room slowly and tip toed down the stairs.
"Is she asleep?" Dean whispered, seeing Sam enter the room.
"Out like a light." He said, smiling.
The three sat down at the table and discussed the yellow house and the other events of the day.
"Do you think she will leave the demon stuff alone?" Sam asked out loud.
Dean huffed. "Not in the least."
Bobby shook his head. "She just needs to wait. Her dad will be here in a day or so."
"She will find some kind of loophole." Dean said, shaking his head as well.
"I can keep an eye on her, keep her away from trouble." Sam said, accepting it as his responsibility.
Dean laughed. "Good luck, Sammy."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I should probably go to bed too, just incase she has a vision." He had about as much faith as Dean did and didn't want her to pretend to sleep and then sneak out of the room. He could keep her distracted for a day.
Dean and Bobby chatted for a while before turning in as well. The following day would be one of planning and they all needed a clear head.
Dean cracked the door to his room, letting the soft light illuminate Sam's side of the room. He smiled to himself. They both had a tendency to look far less like a pain in his ass when they were asleep. He rubbed his eyes. They'd make up for it when they woke up.
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author's note. Transition chapters help me build a skeleton for the more dramatic chapters to hang on. Any predictions as to what happens next?