Dean walked out onto the porch to clear his head. They'd need Kate to walk them through the plan because the code she had come up with was impressive. He smiled to himself. She was clever, he had to give her that. He made an executive decision to call Mandy to let her know what was going on. Kate would need to own up to the mistake but he felt that she had been through enough for one day. He dialed Mandy's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hi, Dean." Mandy said in a singsong voice.

Dean made pleasantries before steering the conversation to the plan.

"Why on earth would they be messing with something like that?" Mandy was astonished.

Dean delicately explained the situation with Brian.

Mandy was speechless. She couldn't believe that the girls had managed to hide all of that and cope with what was going on. "Is Hannah in danger?"

"No, Ma'am, I don't think so. I don't think she did any of the dirty work. I think she just helped research and has the stuff somewhere hidden."

"Do you think any of this will work? I know nothing about this." Mandy asked.

Dean thought about it. "They put months of work into pulling this off and the first trial worked. I honestly don't know but Kate will be walking us through the next step, and we can decide to try it if it sounds promising."

Mandy was quiet for a while.

"Uh, do you think it would be okay for me to drive over and get the stuff from Hannah? I don't want her holding onto stuff like that and just want you guys clear of it all." Dean asked.

"Yes, of course. I'll talk to her. I just cannot believe they did that." Mandy said.

Dean chuckled. "Me either but here we are."

They made arrangements for when Dean could head over and collect the box of stuff that Hannah had stashed away.

Dean put his phone back in his pocket and stretched. He heard voices and walked down the steps. He walked around the side of the house, toward the shop and spied John and Sam.

John looked up and made eye contact with Dean. He didn't speak right away.

Dean leaned against a work table. "I'm fine."

John raised a brow.

"She is sleeping and can explain the big plan when she wakes up. She and Hannah created a code so her notes are difficult to read."

John smirked. "A code, huh?"

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "I could figure it out if I thought about it but I figured it would be easier to ask her."

Sam's eyes bored into the side of Dean's face, causing Dean to look over. He rolled his eyes. "She is fine, Sam."

Sam relaxed but didn't comment.

"I was thinking, Hannah has the rest of the stuff Kate needs and I thought it would be a good idea to drive up and grab it."

John nodded. "I can do that."

Dean shook his head. "No, I'll talk to Brian first but I think Kate and I should."

Sam tilted his head.

"Think of it as trust building." Dean said with an eye roll.

"Am I being replaced?" Sam asked, jokingly.

Dean held up his hands. "Easy, you can go do geek stuff for a day. Win-win, right?"

Sam smirked and high fived him, hard.

Dean jerked his hand away and shook it. "You son of a bitch."

John smacked the back of his head. "Don't call your brother that."

Dean looked up to the sky. "Sorry, mom." He caught Sam in a headlock and jabbed him in the ribs.

Sam yelped and tried to spin to fight back.

John sat on the top of the work bench and took a long drink of water.

"Dad! Help." Sam said.

John shook his head. "You're on your own, son."

Dean let go. "I'm not replacing you, bitch."

Sam grinned and squinted his eyes. "Good, jerk."

###########

Dean was drenched in sweat from his run. He ran up the stairs to hop in the shower but checked on Kate first. She was still curled up, fast asleep. He told himself he'd let her sleep until he got done and then wake her up. He tiptoed in and grabbed an extra set of clothes before backing back out of the room.

Brian had woken up and felt amazingly refreshed. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel like the world was spinning. He had the most amazing dreams of Ruth. Her memory had started to fade over the years but it was suddenly crystal clear again. It seemed so real; the way she smelled, the feel of her hair. He had been... happy. He stretched his legs and swung them over the side of the bed. He walked out of the room in search of Kate. He found her asleep and sat on the bed beside her, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She stirred but pulled the blankets up to her nose.

Brian smiled and just took in the moment. When she was younger, he would sit beside her and trace the features on her face, causing her to relax and go to sleep. He would ask what kind of dream glasses she wanted and would run his finger around her eyes in the shape she picked out. The dream glasses were something he came up with to combat the nightmares she had as a toddler. They would talk about what kind of dreams she wanted to have and the glasses would only let her see those. He sighed. When had he stopped doing that? Is that what she had done when she made him sleep? Is that why the dreams felt so real? He heard steps and looked behind him.

Dean saw Brian sitting beside Kate and gave him a nod. He watched them for a few seconds before heading down the stairs. He found Bobby working on something to eat. "How can I help?"

Bobby raised a brow but didn't turn down the assistance. Bobby's cooking was what could be expected for a bachelor. He didn't do fancy meals. However his way of making ribs was note worthy. They were tender and fell of the bone, not to mention tasted better than anything any restaurant had.

Dean licked his lips. "Want me to fire up the grill?"

Bobby side eyed him, "You touch that thing and I'm taking off a hand."

Dean laughed. "So what can I help with?"

Bobby thought about it. He looked down the hallway and then back at Dean. "Seasoning." He said in a hushed voice.

Dean's eyes flew open. He had been begging Bobby for the recipe for years and he hadn't budged.

"This stays between me and you, boy." Bobby warned.

Dean was giddy. "Yes, sir."

Bobby rolled his eyes but directed Dean on what to add.

Dean held the bowl of spices to his face and took a deep breath.

"Don't snort it, ya idgit." Bobby grumbled.

Dean sat the bowl down and grinned sheepishly.

Bobby shook his head. "How's our girl?"

Dean shrugged. "Good as can be expected, I guess. She was still asleep but Brian was with her when I checked on her."

"Mhm, how are you holding up?" Bobby asked.

Dean shrugged again. "Good as can be expected."

Bobby blew air out of his nose.

"Is that why I got the recipe?" Dean asked lightly.

Bobby turned and gave him a firm look. "What recipe?"

Dean smirked. "Right, right. I know nothing."

Bobby chuckled and went back to his prep work.

Dean stepped into the hallway when he heard movement.

Brian had his arm around Kate as they walked down the stairs.

Dean offered her a weak smile and was surprised when she hugged him.

Brian put a hand on Dean's shoulder as he passed.

"Sam is outside if you want to go find him." Dean said.

Brian nodded his head to let her know it was okay.

Kate slipped on her shoes and walked outside. "Sam!"

Sam came running around the side of the house. "Kate, are you okay?"

She furrowed her brows. "Yes, I didn't know where you were."

He picked her up and hugged her while swinging her in a circle.

Kate giggled and stumbled when he sat her down.

Sam caught her and kept her upright.

She smiled brightly and gave him another hug before frowning. "I'm really sorry that I made you forget things."

"I forgive you." He said, trying to read her face.

Kate slumped slightly.

Sam bent so he was closer to her height. "I really do forgive you. You got your clean slate and I'm not mad. I'm really glad you didn't get hurt."

Kate crossed her arms. "But I did."

Sam laughed and patted her back. "I'm glad the rest of you didn't get hurt."

Kate rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.

"Besides that, how are you feeling?" Sam asked.

Kate rubbed her eyes. "I'm okay. I want everything to work out."

"Me too." Sam said. He gave her a warm smile. "Once you explain things, we can help." He said as he walked her back inside.

Kate didn't like having so many eyes on her. She felt embarrassed and wanted to hide.

Dean walked over and put his arm around her. "It's okay. We just want to hear this master plan."

Kate smiled weakly.

He rubbed her back and pulled out a chair for her but chuckled when she sent him a glare.

Brian sighed happily and sipped the coffee Bobby handed him. He honestly felt good. He felt rested.

Sam handed Kate her journal. "If you you get stumped, just show me and I'll try to help." He said.

Kate flipped through the pages until she found what she needed. She looked at Brian and held back a tear. "Some of this I want to talk to with my dad, alone." Kate said, looking around the table. She turned her journal around so the others could see. "This is the spell that has to be done to siphon a soul from a living person. This is essentially what Hellen does."

John looked at the paper and then to Kate. "She takes from living people?"

Kate nodded and pulled a few newspaper clippings from a pocket in the journal. "Look at all of these. These men were nice people with no record but suddenly turned bad. This one killed his wife. This one robbed a bank." She said, spreading the clippings across the table.

Bobby had met at least one of them. "Everyone was surprised. He loved his wife. They were married for 30 years."

"The others are older but I saw this one." She said, holding up one of the clippings. "On her wall. That is where I got the idea to look at the others. She steals their soul and they lose the voice in their head that tells them not to do bad things."

Dean raised a brow. "You figured that out by yourself?"

Kate grinned awkwardly at Dean. "Well, you helped."

Dean scoffed. "Of course I did."

"Anyway, if all goes to plan, with two souls in the crystal, hellhounds wont be able to decipher which is which. All the research suggests that it is like being frozen in time. You don't feel anything. It is like falling asleep and waking up a few seconds later, no matter how much time has passed."

Brian shifted uncomfortably. "Go on."

"They may still be able to track if it is close by but I guess it is like running through a river to cover your scent." She grasped the crystal in her hand and held it close to her chest. She explained everything in detail and gave them a few minutes to soak in the information.

They reformulated the plan so that Kate would remain far away from the front lines.

Kate slumped. "Dad, I know that you spent time trapping the demon in the box. This is the only solution I could think of."

Brian reached across the table for her hand. "What better payback than turning him into a bomb."

Kate smiled.

"Won't Hellen realize that his soul isn't pure?" Dean asked.

Kate shrugged. "Bait and switch. I'll need to extract his soul and place it in the other crystal. She will see me make the one I have light up and then I'll switch them."

"I don't know, Kate. That sounds dangerous." Brian said.

"I'm just a gullible kid, she has no reason to think I would figure it out." Kate said with a smirk.

"You aren't getting that close to her." Brian added.

Kate sighed. "Dean can go with me."

Dean tilted his head.

"She has met you. She wont think it is weird if you show up with me. I'll tell her I compelled you again." Kate said.

"You aren't going to actually compel me though." Dean said in a low tone.

"No." Kate said quickly.

Dean ruffled her hair. "That's what I thought."

Kate felt confident that she had explained the plan well enough. They agreed to discuss it over a longer period of time and solidify everything to make it less dangerous.

Kate stood across from Brian as the others cleared the room. She chewed her nails.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Brian asked.

Kate walked around and hugged him. "I'm sorry, dad."

Brian hugged her back. "Why are you sorry?"

"I can't save your life." She whimpered.

He rubbed her back. "Even if this doesn't work, I am so incredibly proud of you. I knew what I was getting into when I made the deal and I don't regret it. I wish it was different but I'd go back and make the same choice over and over. It isn't your job to save me. It is my job to save you. Your mother would be proud of you too."

Kate let the tears fall as she felt the warmth from the crystal spread across her chest. "Maybe you can dream more about mom and you can tell me more about her."

"I'd like that." Brian said quietly.

"When it is time." Kate choked out. "I can do the spell. I want to be with you. I can even help you sleep so you aren't afraid."

Brian shook his head. "No, you need to stay as far away as possible."

Kate tightened her arms around his neck. "It isn't fair."

"I know, Kate. I know."

Kate cried in his arms for a while. She was glad that she didn't need to keep everything a secret but the conversation made everything more real.

Brian brushed her hair with his hand as he hummed her song. Once she was calmer, he looked at her face. "If you want to, you can read me. Just for memories of your mother."

Kate smiled weakly and nodded her head. She rested her head against his chest and took his hand. She watched memories of her mom float into focus. She was beautiful and Kate had her smile. She reminded Kate of a Disney princess. The memories faded and Kate sighed happily.

Brian brushed tears from his own eyes. "She would be so proud."

##############

Kate spun the tire swing, watching the ground near her face spin. She was dangling over it, using her toes to push herself. Her fingers drug the ground lightly. She stopped and drew her name in the dirt. She had been Katelyn Amelia O'Connor since the day she was born. She felt like she would be betraying her dad or pretending he didn't exist if she didn't have his last name. They said the choice was hers but how could she say no when her dad seemed so insistent. She understood the reasoning but it still sucked. She spun again, letting her hand swipe away the letters.

Sam found her and sat down on the ground. "What are you doing?"

Kate looked up. "Thinking."

Sam hummed. "What about?"

Kate fully stopped herself and stood up, stumbling a bit. She knelt down on the ground beside Sam and grabbed a stick. "My name."

Sam furrowed his brows. "What about it?"

"I was born with it, it will be weird to be someone different."

Sam rested his head on his hand. "You wont be someone different, you are still Kate no matter what."

"I hate when people call me Katelyn and especially Amelia but my mom gave it to me." Kate said, sadly.

Sam smirked. "It is probably like me being called Samuel, people only do that if they don't know me or if I have done something stupid."

Kate tilted her head and smiled. "Yep."

"For the record, your name is really pretty. I didn't like mine when I was younger but it grew on me." He said.

Kate shrugged. "Having a different last name would be weird."

Sam nodded. "It may be a little weird but I happen to think my last name is cool."

Kate smiled. "It kinda is."

Sam put his arm around her. "It is your choice."

Kate rolled her eyes. "If I change my name, it is like I'm forgetting my dad."

Sam was silent for a moment. "If you decide to change it, I can get you a necklace or something with an 'O' or O'Connor on it. No one is forgetting your dad."

Kate liked that idea. "Thanks, Sam." She said, and hugged him.

They heard a loud whistle and Sam rolled his eyes. "He thinks we are dogs." He grumbled.

Kate smiled. "You should bark at him."

Sam grinned. "I'll save that idea."

They walked to the front of the house where Dean was. He was sitting against the impala, drumming his fingers on his leg. He saw Kate and stopped drumming. "So, Katie. I talked to your dad."

"Uh-oh." Kate said.

He grinned and ruffled her hair. "Relax. I am going to drive up to Mandy's tomorrow morning and collect the box of stuff from Hannah."

Kate shifted on her feet.

"How would you like to go with me?"

Kate tilted her head. "You'd let me?"

"Of course, Hannah is your friend and I don't think I'd have good luck of getting her to hand over the goods." He said lightly.

Kate wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed. "I'd love to go! Is Sam going?"

Dean shook his head. "Just you and me, kiddo."

Kate looked at Sam and Sam shrugged. "I'm being replaced."

Dean huffed. "Will you stop saying that?"

Sam shrugged again and smirked. "Calling it how I see it."

Kate looked back and forth between them and frowned. "I'm sorry, Sammy."

Sam cracked a smile and patted her back. "I am just giving Dean a hard time."

Kate smiled at that.

#########

The next morning, Kate and Dean gathered their stuff for the short road trip.

Bobby made sure they had snacks and a cooler to go with them.

Kate gave Brian a long hug and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tonight, dad."

Brian hugged her back and sent her on her way.

Kate went to get in the back seat but Dean stopped her. "You get shotgun this time."

Kate bounced on her toes. "Really?"

They stopped at a gas station outside of town to fill up baby's tank.

Kate picked out a few snacks and brought them to the counter.

Dean was leaning against the counter, talking to the woman behind the counter.

Kate rolled her eyes. The woman was obviously charmed and flirting. Kate thought it was gross.

The woman twisted her hair around her finger and bit her lip. She flipped the receipt over and wrote down her number.

"Daaaaaaaaaad, let's go." Kate said in the most annoying voice she could muster.

"She is your daughter?" The woman asked, looking between the two.

Dean slowly blinked. "Yep." He didn't correct her incase she was using a code to let him know something was wrong.

"Wow, you look really good for your age." The woman quipped.

Dean smiled uncomfortably. "Good genetics I guess."

The woman slowly slid the receipt with her number to Dean. "I guess you can still calll me if you want." She said.

Dean awkwardly grabbed the bags of stuff and shooed Kate out the door. "Is something wrong?"

Kate shrugged. "No."

"Then what was that?" Dean asked, getting in the car.

Kate dug into the bag for her drink. "You don't need a girlfriend, you need to focus."

Dean put his head on the steering wheel. "I wasn't planning on dating her, Kate."

Kate looked at him with confusion. "Then what were you planning on doing?"

Dean's face got red. "Uh, you know what, you are right."

Kate smirked smugly.

Dean flicked her ear.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Dean grinned. "For ruining my chances."

Kate scrunched her nose. "Meany."

Dean put the car in drive and ruffled her hair. "Brat."