##Author's note. Reviews seriously make my day a bit brighter. "The time" is near and I am contemplating what I want to do with the story "after Brian." Should I continue it? Should I stop with him? Should I end this one but start another one? Decisions. Writing is a way for me to blow off steam (ya know since I don't have anyone to punch.) but I want it to be enjoyable for readers.

sueturpen: I am a doctor's kid but sternal rubs and I have a long history. Not a fun time. It makes me happy you picked up on that. If I ever write something horribly inaccurate let me know.

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

Brian rested his head on his hands. Kate told them all about the clocks and the messed up time frame. He wondered if the increase in things he had heard and seen had anything to do with it. He'd take the coward's way out and end it right then if he didn't have Kate to worry about. Waiting, knowing they could come at any moment was driving him insane.

"I want to do the spell." Kate said, confidently.

Brian shook his head. "No."

Kate groaned. "Dad, listen to me. I HAVE to do it."

"He told you no, Kate." John said.

Kate centered herself. "I got the first one to work. What if you can't do the second one?"

John thought about it. "I have the spell work memorized."

"No. Think about it. What if you have to have abilities? What if it only works for the person who did the first one? Putting me on a bench isn't fair. I know it is dangerous but please listen to me." She buried her head in Sam's side.

They talked for a while before John and Brian decided on a proposition. "If we are careful, and do things right, we could have you do the spell, hand me the crystal and Dean would get you far away."

Kate considered it. "They could come after you if you have the crystal."

John nodded. "Which is why we don't want you to keep it on you."

"That seems okay." She frowned. Everything was happening too fast.

Dean said. "We could do the spell a bit early, just to make sure she is away from the action."

Brian cleared his throat. "Once I no longer have a soul, I'll be like those men that Hellen used. I'll be a threat."

John agreed. "If we did it early, we could make sure you are locked up for a bit, just to make sure you don't hurt Kate."

Kate slammed her fist down. "No!"

John was shocked at the outburst. "Chill, we are brain storming."

"We are not going to lock my dad up like some animal." Kate said through tears. She ran out of the room and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

Sam cringed. "I'll just go check on her."

Brian sighed and downed his glass of whiskey. He could drink all day and nothing was taking the edge off.

"How much time do you think we have?" John asked.

Brian poured another glass. "I think we need to find a place for this to go down."

Bobby laid out a map. The plan was for Dean to take Kate back to Bobby's house before things went down. Bobby's house was warded and safe. Hounds would eventually make it through if Brian was there but they wouldn't be after her at that point. Bobby pointed to a small abandoned warehouse. "This is away from town so no chance of civilians getting mixed up in it."

Brian nodded.

John looked at the map. "Dean and I can go up there and check it out. We can ward the place to make sure nothing ugly gets in when we aren't expecting it." He gave Brian's shoulder a squeeze but didn't say anything.

Dean looked toward the stairs. "Should I go up there?"

Bobby grunted. "Let your brother talk to her first."

Sam sat beside Kate and rubbed her back. "We aren't going to lock your dad up."

"Sam, I hate this. It isn't fair. He doesn't deserve this. He should have let me die!" Kate cried.

Sam grabbed her shoulders and sat her up. "Don't you ever say that."

Kate tried to wiggle away. "If I was never born, my parents would both be alive."

Sam wrapped her in a hug. "You don't know that. None of this is your fault."

Kate cried into his chest. "It isn't fair."

He rocked her back and forth. Nothing he said would fix the pain. He hummed the song that her mother used to sing.

Kate calmed down as she heard the tune. The crystal around her neck pulsed like a heartbeat and it helped to calm her own heartbeat down. "I think maybe your dad should sign the papers today." Kate said.

"I think that is probably a good thing." Sam agreed.

Kate laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for being my friend, Sam."

"No problem at all, Kate. I'm glad you are here, although I wish it was better circumstances." He said.

Kate went to Brian's room and grabbed the folder. "Let's do this."

Sam smiled warmly at her and helped her down the stairs.

Kate calmly walked to the table and sat the folder down. She scooted it toward John.

"You want me to sign these?" John asked.

Kate nodded her head.

Brian sighed in relief and held his arms out. They could forge papers but having some kind of legal backing was better than making all of it up.

John put his signature on the appropriate lines and sat the pen down. He offered Kate a weak smile.

The house was awkwardly quiet.

Dean cleared his throat. "We should probably leave so we can get back before it gets late."

John stood up. He put a hand on Kate's shoulder and handed Brian the folder.

Kate pulled the edges of Dean's flannel over her face. Her heart hurt. She knew her dad wanted John to legally adopt her and had planned on letting him, but the vision had given her understanding that she didn't have before. She had come to grips with certain things and just needed to keep her wits together.

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

Dean turned the impala off at the entrance of the warehouse. "This feels dirty."

John sighed. "I know, son."

They got out and broke the chain on the door. The metal doors opened reluctantly. There were four main rooms that were used for storage with two offices at the end of a hallway. There were two exits that would work for getting Kate out before things got hairy.

Dean ran his hand down a wall. He had been in a lot of run down, condemned buildings but this one seemed worse.

"This will do, let's get started." John said.

Dean took a can of spray paint from his duffle and started covering the walls in sigils.

John lined the doors and windows with salt.

They mapped out the entire building and ironed out a plan. They planned out which room they would use and the direction that Dean would remove Kate from. It was a very detailed plan of attack that they both felt somewhat comfortable with.

John put the top back on the salt. "What do you think?"

Dean looked around. "I think this sucks."

John put his hand on Dean's shoulder. "It does." He wasn't any happier with the situation than anyone else. Death was part of the job but he felt like he was sacrificing a friend. There was no way around it and he reasoned that this was the best way to let him go.

Back at the house, Kate paced the living room. She had gotten control of her emotions and told herself that she could save the tears for a later date. She had to be calm and rational. She had to prevent herself for making her dad feel worse. She would ease his transition and try to make the whole ordeal less painful for him. It was the least that she could do.

Sam stepped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her to make her stop pacing. "You aren't alone, you know."

Kate pulled away. "I know."

He steered her outside onto the porch. "Let's talk. You tend to do dumb stuff when you get caught up in talking to yourself."

Kate huffed. "That is rude."

He gently shoved her shoulder. "Am I wrong?"

She crinkled her nose but didn't argue.

He grabbed some of the throwing knives and walked her to a large tree. He handed her one. "Spill."

She threw the knife. "I'm upset."

He handed her another one. "Go on."

"I'm angry and sad and feel helpless." She said as she landed the knife a few inches from the first one.

"You're getting pretty good at this." He said, handing her another.

"I'm going to read my dad. I need to know how much he is hearing." She said, looking at Sam.

Sam grimaced. "Kate, you can't do that."

"I'm going to. That way I know when things are going to happen."

Sam touched her arm. "Katie, come on. You were told no more reading people. He can make that choice, you can't."

Kate glared at him. "If you try to stop me, I'll just erase this conversation."

Sam leaned back against a fence post. "You really want my name on that list, don't you?"

Kate grinned. "You are too nice, Sam."

He grinned back. "You are right, I'd just tell my dad."

Kate pushed him. "I promise I wont do that to you again. I was just kidding."

Sam ruffled her hair. "I know." He gathered the knives and let her throw them again. "You should ask your dad first. I can help build a case for it but I really don't want you to be sneaky about stuff. This is important and this stuff is dark. If you go off on your own, I may not be able to pull you back out of a vision safely."

Kate threw one of the knives as hard as she could. It landed dead center of the x Dean had drawn months before. She smiled. "Got it."

Sam walked over and pulled the knife out of the tree.

Kate held her hand out for it. "Thank you for getting me back to earth and everything."

Sam smiled. "Life would be boring without you."

She smirked again and threw another knife. The explosive energy helped calm her nerves. She wondered if she could use the laser focus and energy psychically. Then, she wouldn't get swept away by the current. Missouri had told her to save her strength but she still wasn't sure why. She landed the last three knives and shook her arm. "I want to talk to my dad now."

Brian was sitting at the table having another beer when Sam and Kate walked in. He looked at Kate and knew she had something to say.

"So, dad." Kate began. "I want to read you. You are seeing and hearing stuff again and it can be difficult for you to tell what is real. If I read you, I can help you. Then, I can alert the others."

Brian sat the bottle down and looked at Sam.

Sam shrugged. "She made a good point."

"Kate, I am a grown man who has hunted for a decade and this stuff startles me. I'm not going to let you go through that." Brian said.

Kate crossed her arms. "I have already been to hell and I have already seen what you are seeing."

Brian sat back. "You had a vision. You didn't go to hell."

Kate put her hands on the table. "Dad, I can cope. I will know that it is a hallucination. If I get overwhelmed, Sam can pull me out of it."

Brian looked at her for a few minutes. Did she realize she was only ten and not forty?

Kate leaned across the table and grabbed Brian's hand. "Dad, for this to work, we can't get blindsided. If the time I saw was right, it is before the day that you said you made the deal. All of my work would be in vain if we do not take this opportunity."

Bobby chuckled when he walked in. "You've been reading too many books."

Kate squinted her eyes at him. "Do I not have a point?"

Bobby held his hands up. "That is between you and your father."

Kate looked back at Brian for an answer.

He sighed and scrubbed his face. "I'll think about it. Even if I say yes, there is no reason to do that today."

Kate stood up straight. "Thank you."

He rested one elbow on the table. "You, little girl, are getting too big for your britches."

Kate scoffed but walked around the table to hug him.

Sam side eyed her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I didn't do it, Sam!"

He squinted his eyes.

She held up her hands. "Wanna read me?"

Sam grinned. "No, just making sure."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You need to learn some of this."

Sam tilted his head. "You can teach me, just nothing sneaky."

She walked by and tiptoed to smack his head. "You are getting old and boring like Dean."

Bobby shook his head. "Where did she get all that attitude?"

Brian smiled. "Must be from her mama." He felt himself relax as Ruth's memory washed over him.

Bobby watched Brian from the counter. He saw his body relax and settle into the chair. He had been flinching and dodgy the whole morning so it was good to see him at peace. "I'm going to make a few calls." He said as he left the room. He called John and gave him an update.

John listened to Bobby and then gave him the run down of the building. The plan was in place and all they needed to do was wait. He could deal with demons but hounds were another thing. He had never faced them and was weary. "Bobby, is this a suicide mission?"

Bobby sighed. "I don't now John."

John heard a heavy metal door close and picked up his duffle. "I guess we will find out."

###########

sorry for the short chapter. I am trying to get a feel for how I want to end/or continue this.