Morning came before Kate finally answered the phone. "Sorry, Sam. I was asleep. What is wrong?"
Sam rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What were you doing last night?"
Kate gritted her teeth. "Hannah had a sleepover."
Sam was silent for a minute. "That is all you were doing?"
"Yes, Sam. Why?" Kate asked.
"I just got an off feeling." Sam answered.
"That is weird. Nope, wasn't from me. I was sleeping." Kate hated herself a bit.
"Alright. Sorry for the third degree. I know you'd tell me if something was up." He added the last bit because he didn't believe her for a second.
Kate bit back a squeak. "Yeah, I'd tell you."
Sam hung up the phone and paced around the room.
"Everything okay?" Dean asked.
"I don't know." Sam replied.
Dean slipped his boots on and stood up. "Kate?"
Sam simply nodded his head.
Dean groaned and jingled his keys. "I'm going to get breakfast. Do you want to go or stay here?"
"Here."
Dean left but stopped down the road to call Kate. "Hey short stuff. How's it going?"
Kate's breath hitched. "Good."
"I heard you and Hannah had a sleep over. I bet that was fun."
Kate bit her knuckle. "It was. Usually I stay the night at her house but she came here. It is a nice change."
"Where's your dad?" Dean asked.
"Uh, in the kitchen with Bobby, why?"
"Oh, I just wondered. Have to keep tabs on everyone." Dean knew how Kate's mind worked.
"Uh, Hannah is waiting on me so I should probably go." Kate tried.
Dean shook his head. "You go do that."
Kate hung up the phone and sat down on her bed. She was so screwed.
##########
John got back from his hunt a few days later. He walked into the motel room and dropped his duffle. He stopped and looked at Sam. "What happened to your face, son?"
Sam smirked. "Dean hustled some guys in pool, they got mad and I saved his ass."
John cocked his head to the side and then looked at Dean. He rubbed the back of his neck. He knew there was more to the story but figured they got out of the situation in one piece and could keep their secret. "That was a dumbass thing to do."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Staying true to myself, dad."
John clapped Dean on the back and gave him a half smile. He walked by and sat down in a chair. "Coffee."
Sam scrambled for a mug and handed it to John.
John took it and offered Sam the same smile. "You did good."
Dean sat down at the table across from John. His dad was not normally so passive.
Sam caught the change too.
John tapped his fingers on the table. "I talked to Brian."
Sam sat down and gave him his full attention.
"He has accepted the deal and is no longer fighting it."
"He has almost a year. He can't give up." Sam said.
"Sam, there isn't a way out of this. I have tried and called every hunter I know and they have tried." John said calmly.
"So what now?" Dean asked.
John reached into his duffle and pulled out paperwork. He slid it to Dean and sat back to drink his coffee.
Sam read over Dean's shoulder. "Adoption paperwork?"
John nodded.
"He wants you to adopt her?" Dean asked.
John nodded again.
"Why not Bobby?" Sam questioned.
John sat forward and rested his elbows on the table. "We have time to decide on that but Bobby is established. People in Sioux Falls know him. She will spend a lot of time over there but Brian thinks that people will start raising questions if he suddenly adopts a kid. If she has our last name, he can say he is taking care of her, just like he does you two."
"Do you think she will be okay with this?" Dean said.
"I don't know, Dean. I wasn't expecting it and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." John answered, honestly.
Sam thought Katelyn Winchester had a nice ring to it but he would be pissed if someone made him change his last name if John died. "Will she have a say?"
"Yes. I wouldn't force her into it, even if Brian asked me to. I know a last name is important."
John showed them the other part of the paperwork where Brian was making plans for once he was gone.
Sam thought knowing when you were going to die was worse than not knowing.
#####
Bobby sat with Kate on the couch and showed her how to sharpen a knife. Dean had showed her but Bobby had a special technique. Brian had told him about the adoption the night before. He agreed with Brian on people getting nosey. He wanted to freeze time and let Kate be a kid but time kept moving.
Kate thought Bobby looked more sad than usual. "What's on your mind?"
Bobby sighed. "A lot. Nothing that you need to fret about."
Kate hugged him and kissed his cheek. She wanted to read him but remembered the thing about privacy. "I'm an expert on that type of stuff so if you want to talk you know my number."
Bobby smiled. "I may just do that. For now I need to head back to the salvage yard."
Kate hugged him again.
The cabin was boring without extra people. Brian mostly sat at the table and stared at the wall.
Kate hated seeing her dad like that. She went to her room and sat on her bed. She didn't need to sleep in order to summon visions. It was a new skill that she had gotten better at using. Hellen had been a great resource and Kate had learned so many new things. Kate's guilt was exhausting and she had to remind herself why she was hiding it.
Later in the day, Sam's gut was telling him to call Kate back. He walked around the block and called her.
Kate startled and answered the phone.
Sam tried to keep his voice calm. "Listen, we are connected enough that I know when something is going on. Your visions came back, didn't they?"
Kate groaned. "They aren't new and it is fine."
"Katie, what ever it is that you are trying to do, don't." Sam warned.
"Sam, I'm not an idiot."
"I didn't say you were. I have this nagging feeling that wont go away and it is focused on you." Sam added.
Kate dodged his questions as he grilled her. She thought that he had been around Dean too long. "Sam, drop it."
"No, you are going to wind up getting yourself into something that you can't get out of." Sam tried to channel Dean's voice.
"Sam! Just forget about it!" Kate said angrily.
The phone was silent for a few moments. "Hey, Kate did you call me?" Sam asked.
Kate gulped. Had he actually forgotten? "Uh, yeah just checking in on things."
"We are good. Is everything okay there?"
"Yep, everything is great here." Kate bit back a squeak.
Sam walked back to the motel room. His head was starting to hurt and he didn't want a migraine to form.
Dean closed the curtains and threw Sam a bottle of pills. "Holler if you need anything." He said as he stepped outside with John.
John leaned against the railing of the balcony.
Dean followed suit. "What do you want to do?"
John raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
Dean turned around and rested his back against the rail. "About Kate."
"Son, if her dad wants me to adopt her I will."
"No, dad. Between you and me, if you had no obligation to Brian, what would be your choice."
John took a sip of his beer and dropped his head. "I haven't been the best father to you two."
Dean bit the inside of his cheek. "You are doing your best."
John shook his head. "No. Me and your brother butt heads and I'm gone more than I'm around."
Dean nodded his head in understanding. "So you don't want to adopt her?"
"I don't deserve to." John said after contemplating.
Dean tilted his head. "Brian wouldn't have asked you if he didn't have some sort of faith in you."
"I have to find him, Dean. I have to put an end to it."
"The demon that killed mom?" Dean asked.
John nodded his head.
"So, do that. If you decide to go through with it, nothing much changes. She will stay with Bobby when we can't look after her. I practically raised Sammy. Except, this time around Sam would help." Dean gave his dad time to think. "I'll head back in and check on him."
John looked over the balcony and centered his thoughts. He wasn't the fatherly type in the traditional sense. Honestly, Brian wasn't either. John did feel obligated. Brian had said that he pulled Kate from the fire and saved her life. That was the main reason that Brian wanted him to sign the papers. He had protected her in a time where Brian couldn't and knew John would be just as capable in years to come.
#####
School was back in session and Kate tried to focus on her schoolwork. She got to spend more time with Hannah which meant planning was easier. They made their own code so they could write things down or say things without the adults figuring it out. Kate had to admit it was kind of fun. The topic was scary but Hannah was a good partner. Mandy didn't know about the demon deal so keeping things off her radar was pretty easy. Sam hadn't questioned her again after she told him to forget about it. By March, Kate and Hannah had a mountain of research and references. No one knew the plan but them. Kate knew that the Winchesters were going to visit so she took extra precaution to make sure anything incriminating was hidden away.
Dean was worried how Kate would react about the paperwork. She was basically their sister anyway.
Kate was excited to see the boys but anxious that they'd see right through her. Dean had a knack for knowing when she was hiding something. He was the person that she found it hardest to lie to. She could guilt Sam, but Dean didn't bend. If they got too pushy, she would just make them forget. What happened with Sam could have been a fluke but she was hopeful that she could hold out a little bit longer. Even if she had proof that the plan would save her dad, he would never let her go through with it. It was dangerous and could go wrong very easily. She calmed herself and met them at the door when they arrived.
"Hey, Kate." Dean said, crushing her in a hug.
"Need. Air." She gritted out but smiled widely.
Sam didn't hug her as tight but spun her in a circle.
John ruffled her hair and gave her a small smile.
Man, she felt awful about keeping things a secret.
Sam took her outside and pushed her on the tire swing. He spun her until she was too dizzy to stay upright.
They laid on the ground until the earth started moving.
Sam rolled over and looked at her. He had a lot on his mind.
"What?" She asked.
Sam rolled back onto his back. "You have a birthday coming up."
Kate furrowed her brows. "So do you."
Sam smiled. "One year away from being an adult."
"You'll be a cool adult. Don't worry." Kate said.
"Speaking of cool, I grabbed what you asked me to." Sam said.
Kate sat up and clapped her hands. "Where is it?"
Sam jumped to his feet and walked with Kate to the car. He extracted the shirt from his bag and handed it to her.
Kate grinned and pulled it on over her clothes.
"Kinda looks like a dress." Sam said with a wry smile.
Kate pulled the shirt up to her face and breathed in Dean's scent. "That is okay."
Dean stepped out of the cabin. "Hey! Is that my Led Zeppelin shirt?"
Kate got behind Sam. "Not anymore."
Dean snorted. "Thief."
Kate walked over to him and gave him puppy dog eyes. "I just want to be like you."
Dean groaned amusedly. "Fine. That is the only one though, if any more go missing we are going to have issues."
Kate skipped happily inside. She needed the shirt for a school dress up day but had no intentions of giving it back.
Brian chuckled when he saw her. "Dean's?"
"Yep!"
Dean shrugged his shoulders. He acted indifferent but he got the same warm fuzzy feeling he did when she dressed up as him for Halloween. He found it endearing.
After lunch, Brian decided it would be a good time for the talk.
Kate picked up on the mood change and she hid her panic. There was no way they had found out about the plan.
Sam patted the spot on the couch between him and Dean. He leaned over and whispered. "It's nothing bad."
Kate sighed in relief.
Brian sat a stack of papers in front of her. "Kate, I am trying to think ahead. Don't lose your head, I just want you to be a part of these type of things."
"Okay?" Kate said.
"After my time is up, you know that Bobby will have your room waiting for you." He started. "There are finer details that we need to iron out before that time comes."
Kate bit back the argument on the tip of her tongue. He couldn't give up.
"We have time to discuss this. This is just option number one." Brian said, tapping the papers.
"What is it?"
"Once I am gone, you are going to need legal guardians. Bobby had custody of you while I was gone before. There are a lot of legal hoops to jump through and it gets complicated. I can explain all of that to you if you want. However, my name has been run through the mud and I don't ever want a bad connection to be made and you get caught in the crossfire. We can forge documents but if enough questions get asked, those documents don't hold up as well." Brian gauged her reaction.
Kate was lost.
"Can I?" Dean asked.
Brian nodded.
Dean picked up the papers and pointed to one of the sections. "We think it would be a good idea if our dad adopted you. You'd have our last name."
Kate was stunned. "I wouldn't keep O'Connor?"
Brian shook his head. "If you had my last name, it would create more questions."
Kate slumped down on the couch. "If you give me away, that is basically you just giving up."
"Kate, I'm not giving you away. I want you to go on and have a good life and a family. Even if I fight this, I most likely wont win. It is good to plan ahead instead of waiting until the last minute. You do have a say in all of this. Another option is to have Bobby adopt you but people know him and adopting a kid may look a little weird from an outsiders point of view."
Kate couldn't think straight.
Dean wrapped his arm around her and let her cry into his chest. "I would be upset if I was in your shoes. Just let it out."
"I am a kid and I get in the way. You hunt. I-" She stumbled over her words, looking at John.
John leaned forward. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't think it was a good idea. It is your choice but you have Sam and Dean quite attached to you. If I didn't sign the papers they would try to adopt you themselves."
Kate thought that was probably true. "Can I think about it?"
Brian and John stood up to give her some space.
Dean rubbed her back and held her until she stopped crying. He had giving adopting her a thought. He didn't plan on letting her go. He was young and no agency would sign off on it but he was prepared to do so if John had said no.
Sam leaned in and pushed hair from her eyes. "You could officially call us brothers, not just to con old ladies out of Halloween candy."
Kate smiled. "It was a good con."
"You have all the time you need to choose. We will support you either way but it might be nice not being the youngest in the family." He added.
Kate looked at him. "Dean's usually the one making jokes."
Sam smiled. "He's getting old."
Dean squeezed her. "Not old yet."
John and Brian watched the kids as they talked quietly.
"Somehow those two are better parents than I ever was." Brian said.
John shook his head. "They are a hunter's kids too. They understand her in a way that we don't. Dean has always been so good with Sam and it made me doubt myself so many times. It is just different. It's a bit like being war buddies, I suppose."
Brian shrugged one shoulder. "I could see that." He was leaving her in excellent hands. One day she would be happy and thrive.
Kate buried her face in Dean's flannel. Her guilt threatened to spill over. They wanted to adopt her and she was betraying them. No, they would understand one day.
############
Kate sat on the floor of Hannah's bedroom, drawing. She was getting drawing visions again and her notebook was full of symbols.
"How are we going to do this?" Hannah asked.
Kate looked up at her. "I appreciate the help but this is something I have to do by myself."
Hannah scoffed. "No, I am going to be there with you.
Kate leveled her with an intense look. "Hannah. This is serious stuff. This is demons and souls and actual hell. I have been trained. I can't run the risk of you getting caught. Demons don't care if you are a kid. They will hurt you."
Hannah frowned. "Maybe if you told Sam he would understand and help."
Kate glared at her. "NO! He could get hurt too."
Hannah considered getting Sam's number from Kate's phone. The more she learned about the plan, the more she understood how dangerous it was. Kate was brave but Hannah was scared. What was she going to do if Kate got hurt?
Kate looked at the list of things she needed to find. She had no idea how someone would get their hands on such things, especially a kid. She would have to rely on Hellen. Hellen had a connection to the man with yellow eyes. Kate knew she shouldn't trust her but didn't have a choice. She grasped her crystal in her hand and calmed her thoughts. Kate wanted to wait until after things went down to let John adopt her. She was hoping he wouldn't need to but also knew that he would probably hate her for doing something so dangerous and lying about it. She didn't want him to commit to something and be stuck with her.
##########
Kate and Hannah had a joint birthday party and invited tons of kids.
Kate had never had a party but found it fun. She even got gifts from some of the other kids.
Brian soaked in every moment. His girl was smiling and happy. He found himself more emotional as days slipped by. He tried not to think of things as the 'last time' but reality was hitting hard.
A month went by in the blink of an eye.
All of the other kids were excited for summer break but Kate saw it as one more step toward 'the day'. She was thankful that they would be moving back to Sioux Falls but found it to be a hurdle as well. She couldn't sneak around with the extra, trained, eyes on her. She put in more effort to round up the things she needed. She kept a close eye on the calendar and how much time she had left. She was confident but felt herself becoming anxious as days went by.
At the six month mark, Brian began to get anxious. He didn't know exactly what hell had in store for him but knew it was nothing good. Death wouldn't seem scary if he knew he was just going to rot. He tried to push the fear down and focus on Kate.
Little did he know, Kate was doing the same.
One warm night in June, Kate stepped outside the cabin while Brian slept. A woman approached and held out an old, tattered slip of paper. "This is all I need?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure it will work?"
"Yes, darling." She said in a whimsical voice.
Kate reached for it.
"Remember our deal." She said with a smile.
Kate steadied her breath. "Of course."
The woman handed her the paper and faded into the night.
Kate stood at the cabin door and clutched the paper to her chest. A deal is what got her there in the first place but this deal was one she had to take.
#########
Have I lost you yet? Thoughts? Is Kate going to be able to pull it off?