Dean sat across from Brian at the table. It was nearly noon and they had emptied an entire pot of coffee.
"Why would he wait so long to attack?" Dean pondered.
"A whole lot of things don't make good sense." Brian added.
Sam shuffled into the room, rubbing his eyes. Kate had whimpered throughout the night and kept him awake.
Brian made more coffee and sat back down.
They discussed what had happened and tried to piece it together.
The cabin was small and Kate startled when she heard a loud voice.
"WHY was she out of the car in the first place?" Dean demanded.
Sam answered in a soft tone that she couldn't quite hear.
Minutes passed before she heard her door open.
"I know you're awake, come on, kid." Dean said.
Kate groaned and threw her blanket off of herself.
With Kate's help, they developed a theory. Chris had gained entrance to the house by posing as a fence repairman. Vampires cannot enter a house unless they are invited in by the owner. The first entry was a way to make the second one possible.
Brian tapped his fingers on the table so that Kate would look at him. "Why did you leave the car?"
Kate hung her head and whimpered. "I saw what was going to happen and where."
"Did I give you an order to stay in the car?" He asked.
"Yes, but she would have died." She whined.
"And you could have as well. None of would have known where you went." He said, sternly.
Kate slumped in her chair.
Sam put his hand on her shoulder. "She didn't just run. She showed me what was going to happen and we came up with the plan."
"You used her as bait?" Dean asked.
"No, just a distraction. Dean, she saw it." Sam was trying to be diplomatic.
Brian huffed. "You disobeyed the order to not get out of the car in the first place."
Kate gritted her teeth and hissed. She gave them every detail from the time she left the car to the time that Sam beheaded the vampire. She told them about sitting against the car and Hannah's dad talking to her before black smoke came out of his mouth.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean put a hand up. "You passed a test?"
Kate shrugged. "I don't know what it means. I think saving Hannah was some kind of test."
Brian rubbed his temples. "So now vampires and demons are working together?"
"That would explain why Chris messed with the fence. He may have fixed it but I bet he broke just enough sigils to let a demon into the house." Sam said.
Kate laid her head on Sam's shoulder and let tears fall. She knew she messed up but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't let Hannah die.
The house was silent as Brian wracked his brain for an answer. "I'm not happy that you left the car and it better not happen again. That was an intense situation and you used your abilities to save someone. I am proud of how you handled yourself once you got there. We have some things we need to figure out but keep in mind, you are still a kid. You are small and you will not always get that lucky."
Sam was thankful that Brian was level headed and took everything into consideration. John wouldn't have. He was ready to stand up for her but it didn't look like he would need to.
Kate sniffled. "I will follow orders. I'm sorry. I stayed until the pain in my head got too bad to handle."
Brian merely nodded. "I can't say we have went over that in training. We will discuss it and have a plan if something like this happens again. I expect you not to act on a whim with the mind stuff but we will have a plan if you get another headache like that."
############
The next day, Brian had to go back into work. He didn't want to raise too many questions as to how involved he was.
Sam, Dean and Kate went to Mandy's house so that Kate could talk to Hannah. Mandy also had questions that they could answer.
Hannah was quiet and distant. She was usually bubbly and talkative. Kate sat down on the swing beside her friend and gently pushed it with her feet. She was shaken from the encounter as well, but she had prior knowledge. She wondered what her friend was thinking.
Ryan found Dean in the kitchen talking to his mom. "So, you're the friend."
Dean looked at him. "The friend?"
"Yeah, every time Kate does something cool she says a mysterious friend taught her how."
Dean rubbed his hand over his face. "Uh, yeah, I have taught her a few things."
"Are you CIA or something?" Ryan asked.
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. They hadn't told the kids the truth about what had happened. They knew a man attacked the family but what the man was or what Brian was. "Nope. Not CIA, just know a bit about a lot of things."
Mandy could see that Ryan was making Dean uncomfortable. "Ryan, go find something to do."
Ryan rolled his eyes and left the room, shutting the outside door hard on the way out.
Mandy blushed. "He has been a little on edge."
"It is okay. I would be curious too." Ryan was the one that led Kate into the woods in the first place but Dean realized that he didn't know about the things that they did.
Kate tried to talk to Hannah but Hannah wasn't saying much. Kate put a hand on top of Hannah's and closed her eyes. She pulled her hand away and hugged Hannah. "It will get better."
Hannah looked at her with tired eyes and shrugged.
They went inside and Kate went to find Sam. She found him drawing sigils behind picture frames. "Sam, can I talk to you?"
Sam turned around. "Of course, what's wrong?"
Kate showed him what she had seen when she touched Hannah.
He sat down on a bed and furrowed his brows.
When Chris took Hannah, he had taken her to a barn and tied her up. He had spoken to another man that Hannah couldn't see. They spoke about the test but Hannah had been in and out of consciousness.
Kate pulled Dean to the side and told him what she had told Sam. "It was a test. The guy who Chris was talking to said.. Zaezle, Azel.. Uh, something like Zaezle would be pleased."
Dean sighed. Dealing with a vampire was pretty cut and dry but now there were demons involved and it was some kind of test. None of it made any sense.
###########
Brian decided to let Kate go to Bobby's for a few days. He wanted to make sure that the threat was gone.
Kate loaded her things and curled up in the back of the impala. She didn't want to leave her dad but also didn't want to stay at Mandy's and demons attack the house because of her. She had a certain feeling that everything was her fault somehow.
Bobby hugged her so hard she couldn't breathe. She didn't mind though. "I missed you." She said sweetly.
Dean was on the phone with John who was on his way back to South Dakota. John was equally as perplexed by the "test" and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
The kids fell right back into their routine and all seemed calm and happy.
John arrived two days later.
Kate was initially happy to see him but he was in a sour mood. It didn't help that Sam matched his mood as soon as he got there.
Sam stormed out of the house and over to the fence where Kate was practicing shooting with Dean.
"Do I want to know?" Dean asked.
Sam gritted his teeth. "He is being an ass. I can never ask for anything. I can't do anything right."
Dean knew his brother had been stewing for a while. "Sam, calm down. What did he do?"
"He wants to find the demon that killed mom but wont let me help. He shut me down. Kate and I know more than he does with this new stuff. He could listen for 5 damn minutes before going off." Sam seethed.
"Sammy, he has always been this way with that. He doesn't want the thing to attack one of us." Dean countered. He wanted to help too but knew there was no changing his dad's mind. This was a fight that John and Sam had frequently.
Sam was in one of his moods where he let all of his pent up rage bubble out. "I'm sick of it." He growled.
Kate put her hand on Sam's arm. "Please calm down. You are scaring me."
Sam pulled his arm away and stalked off, down the driveway.
Dean walked quickly after him. "Sam, man, don't do this. You know how dad is."
Sam turned around and yelled. "Well, he can go fuck himself."
Kate felt faint. She had never seen Sam act like this.
Sam picked up a rock and threw it in frustration but misjudged how much muscle he put behind the throw.
Kate choked as she saw the rock sail through the back window of John's truck.
Sam turned sheet white.
Dean ran to the truck and whipped the door open, hoping to grab the rock before John saw it.
The screen door slammed closed as John walked outside. "What the hell happened?" He demanded.
Sam and Dean were both frozen.
"Uh, I threw a rock and accidently broke the glass." Kate lied.
John squinted his eyes as he walked to the back of the truck. He knew she didn't have the strength to shatter the glass. He eyed Dean who had opened the door to retrieve the rock. The look on Dean's face told him that he wasn't the one who did it. He had heard Sam yell that he could go fuck himself, immediately before the sound of breaking glass. He turned on his heel and stared at Sam.
Dean ran around the truck and stepped in front of John. "Dad, let's just talk."
John pushed him to the side and walked over to Sam, grabbing the back of his neck and walking toward the house. The buzzing in his ear was deafening. "Kate! Stop it!"
Kate jumped and tears filled her eyes.
"Sam, report." John demanded.
Sam couldn't find words. "I-I- was angry and I.. I didn't mean for the rock to hit the truck."
John was livid. He knew that he was too angry to even talk to the boy. "Go to your room."
Sam took off into the house and the door slammed behind him.
Bobby walked outside. "What is going on?"
John turned, nearly yelling. "Sam is worked up and lost his mind. He threw a damn rock through the window." He pointed the the truck and the broken glass.
Bobby closed his eyes. The kid never learned.
John walked toward the house but was stopped by a concerned Bobby. "Cool down first."
"I'm cool." John replied.
"No, you are about to burst a blood vessel. Go for a run, go for a drive. I don't care but you are in no condition to talk to him."
John growled but held his hand out for Dean's keys.
Dean gulped but handed the keys over. He hoped his dad wouldn't wreck the car.
With John gone, Kate sprinted into the house and up to Sam's room. "Sam!"
Sam was in shock and didn't look up.
Dean hit the door running as well. "Sam, what did you do?"
Sam shook his head and stayed quiet.
"Dad went for a drive, Sammy." Dean supplied. He had no hopes of digging Sam out of this one. He just couldn't wrap his head around how badly Sam had screwed up.
"Just, please leave me a lone for a little bit."
Dean nodded his head and took Kate's hand.
Kate didn't want to leave.
"Kate, just give him a few minutes." Dean whispered.
Bobby met them at the bottom of the stairs but didn't say anything.
Kate was in hysterics. "Is Sam going to be okay?"
Dean grimaced. "Yeah he will be alright."
Kate had talked John out of things before. "I can talk to him first."
"No, Kate. Sam can't get out of this. He lost his temper. You will not try to talk dad out of anything." Dean said firmly.
Kate crossed her arms. "I can at least talk him down."
"Kate. Listen to me. You are going to get caught in the crossfire. I will talk to him and make sure he is calm. You will stay out of it." Dean said, holding onto her shoulders.
Kate shrugged his hands away. She wasn't going to let him stop her.
Bobby said a silent prayer. He was going to have to tranquilize a few people if things didn't settle down.
An hour later, John returned. He was calm, although still pissed off. He just hoped that Sam's mouth and attitude didn't set him off again. He walked into the house and was met by Dean and Kate's worried faces.
"Dad." Dean started.
John shook his head. "No."
Kate scooted over to stand in the hall way. "Please, listen."
"I am going to talk to him." John stated, flatly.
Kate stood her ground. She stared John in the eyes and willed him to stop.
Dean stood in front of her and held a hand out. "Just five minutes."
John was losing what patience he had. The boys knew how things worked. "Dean, unless you want to join him, I suggest you back down."
Dean's mouth ran dry as John slipped his belt from the loops. Dean grabbed Kate's shoulders and moved her out of the way.
John took a deep breath and headed up the stairs. He opened, and then shut the door to the boys' bedroom.
Sam blanched at the belt in John's hand and the look on his face. "Dad I-"
"Don't say you're sorry, Sam." John sat down on Dean's bed. "You can be pissed. You can hate me but throwing a rock through a window. Really?"
Sam's heart threatened to beat out of his chest.
"Do you have anything you want to say."
Sam knew that he had nothing to defend himself. He had made a massive mistake and there was no way around it. He just shook his head.
John stood up and walked over to Sam's bed but stopped abruptly. He tilted his head as the buzzing in his ear became painful. He spun and stomped down the stairs.
Dean had taken Kate outside and was caught off guard when the screen door slammed and a very irate John approached them, still holding his belt.
"Did I not tell you to stop?" John demanded.
Kate looked surprised. "What?"
Dean squeezed his eyes closed. She just had to poke the bear.
John handed Dean the belt and grabbed Kate's arm. "Don't play dumb with me."
Kate tried to pull away.
The buzzing started again. He lit into her backside with his hand.
Dean grabbed his arm.
"Dean." He said with a warning look.
Kate tried her best to wiggle away from John.
John held her in front of him but got down to her level. "You may think Sam is in danger but he is not. What you are doing is incredibly disrespectful. Sam knows what he did is wrong and I am going to discuss that with him. I promise he will leave that room in one piece. Now, if my ear starts buzzing again I'm going to cut a switch and wear you out with it."
Kate squeaked and nodded her head.
John smacked her one more time. "Verbal reply."
"Yes sir." She managed to say.
John let go of her arm and grabbed the belt from Dean before he turned to go back into the house.
"Kid, I told you to stay out of it." Dean said as he hugged her.
"You told me not to try to talk him out of it." Kate sniffled.
Dean held her at arm's length. "Are you satisfied."
Kate shook her head.
Dean pulled her back in for a hug and sat down on the ground. He couldn't blame his dad. She pretty much asked for it and he didn't hit her any harder than Dean would have. "Please tell me you aren't going to try that again."
Kate gave him a crazed look. "No! You heard him."
Dean picked Kate up and walked over to the impala.
"Are we going somewhere?"
Dean gave Kate a strained smile. He didn't want her to be able to hear anything. "No, just going to hang out in here for a while."
"Is he really going to whip Sam? Kate asked, tearfully.
Dean nodded his head. "Seems so."
"He can't. Sam is sixteen." Kate whined.
"Ugh, kid. It isn't that simple. Different parents handle things in different ways. Sam really messed up this time. I was almost eighteen last time I got it." Dean said, uncomfortably.
Kate furrowed her brow. "Really?"
Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Not proud of it."
Kate thought for a few moments before giving him a crooked grin. "What did you do?"
Dean told her the story of how he snuck out and got black out drunk. His dad had to rescue him because in his drunken state, he didn't realize the woman he was with was a demon.
Kate listened with wide eyes. Dean was responsible and she couldn't see him ever doing that. "Gosh, that was dumb."
Dean smirked and touched her nose. "Yeah it was."
They chatted idly until Bobby knocked on the window of the car. "You two can come back inside."
Dean took Kate's hand and followed Bobby inside.
Kate looked around. "Where is Sam?"
"Upstairs." John spoke up.
Kate frowned.
"He can come down when he wants to." John added.
"I want to go see him." Kate said as she stepped toward the stairs.
Dean pulled her back. "He will want some time to himself."
"And you and I need to talk." John said.
Kate stepped back behind Dean. "Why?"
John sat down in a chair and pointed to the couch. "You being in my head."
Dean was just as unsure as Kate but walked with her to the couch.
"I promise I wont anymore." Kate tried.
John leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "I am going to hold you to that. Kate, I am serious. If you do it again, I'm going to skip my hand and go straight to a switch."
"I'm sorry."
"Let me handle Sam. You mean well but you are a child, I am his father."
Kate nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Also, that little stunt with trying to take the blame for the rock. That isn't going to fly either."
"Dad." Dean whispered.
John held up a hand. "I am just making myself clear. This ends now." He got up and patted Kate's head as he walked by.
Dean put an arm around Kate's shoulders and let out a breath. Kate had also messed up but he wasn't sure he could stand by and let John spank her again. The swats outside were enough to get the point across.
Bobby made eye contact with John as he walked in the room. "Dean may be feeling left out."
John chuckled. "I thought Sam and Dean were bad as a pair."
"Tenacious little thing isn't she?"
John nodded his head. "I'll give her that. Why doesn't she do that with you or Dean?"
Bobby shrugged. "Maybe it is a protective thing."
John grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a long pull. "Maybe so." He had pulled her from the fire nearly a decade ago. He didn't think of it until just then. At the time, he had very little to go off of and didn't have a pattern figured out. He had intel that the demon may strike the area but couldn't pin point where or why. His ear started to ring. He was a former Marine and no stranger to tinnitus. The ringing got louder, causing him to feel dizzy. He stumbled out of the car and down the street as the ringing got louder. The ringing suddenly stopped as he smelled smoke. He kicked in the door of a house and ran toward the smoke filled nursery. He saw Ruth on the ceiling and grabbed the baby from the crib before running out of the house with the child in his arms. He wasn't the one who had found Kate, she had found him.