Author's note. Try as I might, I couldn't find a good point to cut off such a big chapter. I am posting these back to back because that cliffhanger was painful. I am merciful. Before reading this chapter, reflect on things you may have picked up on in chapter 62.
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Dean jumped up when he heard Sam and Kate run down the stairs.
Kate handed him a bag. "Start the car."
"What?" Dean stammered.
Kate turned to him. "Don't make me compel you. Start the freaking car."
Dean was stunned but did as she told him. He wasn't sure if he should wait at the car or go back inside.
Kate ran into the kitchen and gently grabbed Brian's arm. "Daddy, we have to go."
Brian looked at her but didn't quite comprehend what she was saying.
John stepped forward. "What is going on."
Kate gave him an odd look. "Time's up."
John sat his cup down. "The deal doesn't end for another few weeks."
Kate whipped around. "Come, don't come. Whatever, we are leaving."
John's jaw twitched.
Bobby put his hand out to stop John from moving forward. He took one look at Kate and knew she was serious. He took Brian's arm and helped Kate get him to the front door. "Kate." He whispered.
Kate looked at him with cool eyes. "Trust me." She touched his hand before opening the door to get Dean's attention. "Take my dad to the car."
Dean furrowed his brows. This wasn't sticking to the plan.
Sam took one of Brian's arms and put it over his shoulders.
Dean took the other arm and got him safely inside the impala.
John stepped behind Kate. "Katie, we had a plan. Changing things is going to backfire."
Kate leveled him with a glare. "Same plan, different timing."
Bobby grabbed his coat. He didn't think John snapping was going to help the situation. He handed John his own jacket and stepped into his office to grab his gun.
Kate darted down the steps and nearly dove into the backseat of the impala.
Bobby handed a second gun to John. "If she is panicking ahead of time, then we figure it out. If not, standing around here isn't going to do her any good."
John looked at Bobby briefly before swearing under his breath and slipping his boots on.
Dean peeled out of the driveway once Bobby and John were in the truck and following behind them. "Do you want to clue me in here?" Dean asked, glancing in the mirror at Kate.
Kate chewed on her fingers. "Soon."
Dean looked at her. "Katie. I need to know what is going on."
Kate couldn't tell him. "Something changed. Please, Dean. Trust me. I'm not going off the plan."
Dean could see the sincerity in her eyes.
Kate reached across the seat and grabbed Sam's hand.
He gave her a squeeze and pulled her closer. He wasn't entirely sure what had sparked the sudden change either.
Dean threw the car in park behind the building, right next to the exit door.
Kate scanned the surroundings and didn't see anything.
Dean got out and opened the door so the others could go inside. He led Brian to the room they had designated for the spell. He put a blanket over Brian and helped him lay back on the cot they had brought over.
Sam helped Kate set up the things she would need.
John opened the door and made his way down the hallway.
Bobby was right behind him and fixed the salt line.
Once they were all inside, John sat his duffle down.
Kate looked at him with wide eyes. He looked angry. She looked back down at what she was doing and took extra care to draw the symbols clearly. She had added something extra to the paint and hoped that no one noticed right away. She had to play it cool.
The wind outside was loud but there was no sign of demonic presence. The lights weren't flickering and the doors stayed in place.
Dean walked the edges of the inside of the building to triple check the warding.
Kate grabbed a chair and looked out the window in the front room. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand and closed her eyes.
Things calmed down and the building was quiet.
Dean nudged Kate. "Now sounds like a good time to fill us in."
Kate looked around at the mix of faces. "Time ran out."
"How do you know?" John asked.
She looked him in the eyes. "Because I do."
Dean put a hand on her leg and gave her a look. "Okay, so now what?"
Kate shrugged. She bit her tongue and rested her hand on Brian's chest.
John was irritated. What good was a plan if she was going to do what she wanted anyway.
"I'll do the spell and make sure you are resting." She said to Brian.
Brian grabbed her hand. "It is too soon."
Kate squeezed his hand and whispered something to him.
His eyes closed and he let his body relax.
Kate sat down on the floor and looked at the bowl in front of her. She was stalling. She looked at the vials of herbs and schooled her expression. The broken one had been replaced, but not by the one she had in her pocket. She sighed. "I have everything I need. Can someone make sure the warding is still good to go? Once I start this, I think things will get touchy."
Bobby got up and made another round around the doors and windows.
"The plan hasn't changed. It is just sooner." Kate said evenly.
John crouched down beside her. "I can still do this for you."
Kate shook her head. "No thanks."
"Dean, is the car ready for once she does this?"
"Yes sir." Dean replied.
Kate placed her hand on Brian's face and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for a few minutes.
Sam touched her elbow.
She opened her eyes. "I don't need you to pull me out. I'm just saying goodbye."
He pulled his hand away and gave her some space.
Dean was worried with the level of calm she was exuding.
Once she was done she looked around the room and gave everyone a weak smile.
Bobby walked back in. "Katie, are you sure?"
Kate nodded. "Yep."
Dean knew she had information that he didn't but didn't have the heart to call her on it during such an awful moment.
Kate recited the words she had seared into her memory. She didn't flinch when the wind began to pick up. She focused on the words.
Sam looked around as the doors and windows started to shake. He wasn't sure if the disturbance was the spell or the hounds.
Bobby scrambled to wrap another chain around the door handles of the biggest door.
Kate shuttered as the barking grew near. She could hear them outside the building. She wiped a tear from her face. She had to focus. She took the crystal from her neck and placed it in the bowl. She finished the spell and lit the match. The bowl burst into flames and fizzled out.
Everyone watched, frozen as nothing happened.
John walked over and put his hand on Kate. "You should go now."
Kate stepped back. "I said, stay back."
Bobby pulled John back toward the door. "Just give her a minute. Let her say goodbye."
Kate pulled crystal from the bowl and held it to her chest for a moment before holding it over her dad's chest. A blue light seeped from Brian's body and swirled around the crystal before bursting into a ball of light. Kate turned her face from the blinding light but didn't drop the crystal. She turned back as the blue light inside the crystal swirled around and then settled. She held the crystal back to her chest and let a few tears fall.
John stepped forward. "Dean, she has to get out of here. Now."
Kate backed up.
Dean gently took her arm. "Kate, I have to get you out of here before those things break down the door."
Kate could hear the claws grating at the metal doors and flinched.
John held out his hand. "Sweetie, it is time. Give me the crystal and I'll steer them away from you."
Kate wrapped the leather ends around her hand. "No." She tore her arm away from Dean and backed away.
"Katelyn, give me the crystal." John demanded.
Kate steadied her breath. "No."
Dean tried to grab her arm but she did something that made him step back.
John was losing patience. "Did you just compel him?"
Kate didn't respond.
Bobby stepped into the room. "Katie, please hand it over. That chain isn't going to last much longer and we are sitting ducks."
Kate saw the fear in Bobby's eyes. She hoped she was right about this. She darted from the room, into the second large room. She ducked as the windows shattered. She wanted to freeze in fear but forced herself to focus.
John moved Bobby out of the way. "Kate, last chance, hand me the damn thing before you get yourself killed."
"Go to hell." She spat.
John saw red. He slipped his belt from his jeans and doubled it. "Katelyn, do not make me physically remove it from your hand."
Dean grabbed John's arm. "Dad, come on. She is scared."
John threw his hand off. "You are on a suicide mission, little girl."
Kate stepped back a few more steps.
Bobby pleaded with her. "Kate, think clearly here. All of us need to get gone."
John took a few steps towards her.
Kate giggled.
John stopped. "What is wrong with you?"
Kate stepped along the wall. She tried to tune out the snarling and the weakening chain. "I'm not giving you the crystal. He is my dad and I'm not going to just leave his soul up for grabs."
Dean gave her an exasperated look but grabbed John's arm again. "Threatening her isn't helping."
Kate was where she needed to be to escape. "That isn't your dad."
Dean looked at her like she was crazy.
"Stop being an idiot and give me the crystal. What are you talking about? We listened to your little plan under the condition that you do what you are told." John nearly yelled.
"Hmm, no, I don't think I will. See, John wouldn't threaten me with that." She said, pointing to the belt doubled over in his hand.
"Are you insane? This isn't a game." John responded.
Dean tried to get between the two of them. "Kate. You have kind of pushed your luck here, I think you've moved passed the whole switch thing."
Kate shook her head. "What is on your shoe?" She asked, nodding at John's boots.
Bobby wondered if she had finally snapped and gone insane.
John stared at her.
"Show me the bottom of your shoes. If they are both clear I'll hand over the crystal. Hell, I'll even let you whip me with that thing." Kate said.
John took another step toward her. "You aren't going to have a choice, little girl."
Kate tested the metal grate behind her with her foot. "It only takes a few seconds. What is the harm in humoring me?"
Dean pushed John back. "Dad, remember. She is just a kid."
Bobby stepped between them as well. "What would be on his shoes?"
"Ask him." Kate said. She looked across the room at Sam who was frozen in place.
Bobby looked down at John's feet.
John didn't take his eyes off of her but turned his foot over.
Bobby touched the sole of his right foot. "What is this?" He held his fingers up to the light. "Pine tar?"
Kate sucked in a huge breath of air. She was right. She kicked the grate and it fell with a clatter.
"Don't you dare run." John hissed.
Kate stood her ground. "You aren't John"
Dean had to use all of his strength to keep his dad away from her.
"It isn't pine tar. It is an adhesive. The only way for you to have gotten that on your shoe is if you tried to smudge the symbols around the bowl." Kate said.
John stepped back. "Or I got it on my shoes trying to chase you down."
The metal bars on the windows snapped and Kate bit into her tongue. "Dean, Bobby, get away from him."
Dean grunted. "Kid, if I step away he is going straight for you."
Kate flicked her eyes to Sam. "Bobby, you have holy water on you... why not just test him."
Bobby looked back and forth but grabbed the flask from his pocket. He felt the air leave his body as he was thrown against a wall. He tried to get back to Kate but he couldn't move.
Dean tackled John into one of the devil's traps.
John's eyes turned red. "You little bitch." He grabbed Dean around the neck. "Give me the rock or I snap his neck."
Kate grabbed her knife and drug it across her arm. "Come and get it."
John laughed. "I can't, seeing as how I'm stuck in this little trap of yours."
"Let him go." Kate demanded.
John laughed again and crunched his hand, causing Dean to double over.
Dean groaned as the air was squeezed from his lungs. He felt his vision growing blurry.
Before anyone could react, Kate had sent a knife across the room and landed it in John's side.
John hissed as he pulled the knife from his side.
Dean took the opportunity to roll out of the trap.
"I hope that burns." Kate yelled.
John's eyes flashed red again. "What did you do?"
Kate held up her arm. "Holy water, virgin's blood... that's like kryptonite.. right?"
Bobby scrambled across the floor to Dean.
The chains on the door burst open and claws scraped across the concrete.
Dean tried to lunge toward Kate but she was already gone.
Sam took off running after her.
Kate ran as fast as she could away from the building. She had to get them away from the others.
John laughed as the hounds left the building.
"You son of a bitch. Call them off." Dean yelled.
He merely laughed.
"Stay here." Dean yelled at Bobby.
Kate crossed a stream and knew that her vision was coming true. She just needed to make sure everyone else was safe. She couldn't change her own fate. She could hear the branches breaking behind her. She froze in one spot as she felt herself being surrounded. She blinked and could finally see them. There were two hellhounds circling her a few yards away. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them. She cringed when she heard Sam's voice. He wasn't supposed to be there. She tried to back away but tripped and landed on her back. She scooted back as fast as she could but within a fraction of a second, one of the hounds was hovering over her, dripping acid onto her face. She wanted to scream but couldn't.
Sam caught up and froze. It was just like in her vision. He fired his gun but it didn't seem to help.
Kate felt claws shredding her leg and cried out. It was slow and deliberate. She pushed herself back and tried to get away from the razer sharp claws. She managed to get her leg free and push herself several feet back. She lost her shoe and her breath hitched as it was torn to shreds, like toilet paper. They were toying with her.
Sam hit an invisible wall and couldn't get to her.
Kate turned to try to escape but the hound grabbed her ankle. She tried to jerk her foot away but the second hound closed in and snarled, inches from her face. She held on tight to the crystal in her hand and closed her eyes. She felt a snap around her ankle and then the crystal in her hand shattered, bathing the entire forest in pure white light. The ringing was deafening. She couldn't hear or see anything. She couldn't even move. She wondered if she was in Heaven. People talked about the white light. Maybe this was it.
Dean stumbled as he got to Sam. He saw the white light and grabbed Sam, pulling him away from a wave of energy. It was as if a bomb went off. They couldn't get to her. Dean feared that he was too late.
The light began to fade. Kate was laying on her back but was too weak to move. The hounds were gone. She let tears fall as feeling returned to her body. She was terrified. As the white light was absorbed into the night, her eyes focused on two separate balls of blue light.
Dean looked up and saw her laying in the leaves but the field around her was preventing him from getting close to her.
Sam knelt on the ground and watched the lights swirling above Kate's head.
The lights danced around above her briefly. She felt her body giving in to the exhaustion. The lights spun rapidly and intertwined before shooting into the sky.
Dean fell forward as the wall fell.
He ran to Kate and wrapped her leg in his shirt. "Kate, stay with us."
She had a small smile on her face.
"Sammy, she is going into shock!" Dean yelled.
Sam fell beside her and helped Dean pack her leg.
Kate blinked. "It was her." She said.
Sam looked at her. "What?"
Kate whimpered when Dean picked her up. "My mom. Did you see the lights?"
Dean got a good grip on her and walked as quickly as he could back to the warehouse. "Yeah, we saw them."
Kate smiled. "It was my mom's soul. Dad is with her now. Everything is okay."
Dean gave her a smile but fought back his own tears. She was incredibly pale and shaking.
Sam busted through the door of the warehouse.
Bobby was sitting beside John and holding pressure on his side.
John looked up and crawled over to Kate. "Katie, honey. I'm so sorry."
Kate held her hand out to try to touch his face. "I know you it wasn't you. Where did he go?"
Bobby was still trying to comprehend what had happened. "I was going to exorcise him but all of a sudden John here lit up like a Christmas tree and it was like.. like the demon was burned away."
Kate giggled. "Christmas trees are fun."
Dean swept her up and ran to the car. Sam got into the backseat and took her from Dean.
"Oh no, baby." Kate mumbled.
Dean turned the key and fishtailed as he drove away from the building. He didn't care that she was getting blood all over the seat. He needed to get her to the hospital.
Bobby handed John a clean cloth to hold his side with. He walked into the room Brian was in and checked his pulse.
"Is he...?" John tried to ask.
Bobby nodded his head. "I'm guessing she let him go peacefully before all that mess started."
John winced. "God, Bobby. The things I said to her. I would have killed her if I had gotten the chance."
Bobby stopped him. "No, John. You were possessed."
John looked at the cut on his side. He grinned. "She threw a knife at me."
Bobby looked at the wound. It was deep but likely hadn't nicked anything important. "I can stitch that up. You're lucky she didn't get you any farther over." He noted the slight gap between the wound and where the wound could have been fatal.
John put the cloth back on his side. "She aimed and hit what she meant to." He was shaken but damn proud.
Bobby helped John move Brian to the truck.
Both of them wanted to be at the hospital with Kate but they needed to move Brian's body and get John patched up.
John handed Bobby the keys and pulled his phone out. He sent a message to Sam.
Dean took from Sam and cradled her in his arms. She was so small and so pale. He spoke softly to her as he ran through the doors of the ER. "Somebody help!"
A nurse turned around and yelled for additional help. Kate was taken from Dean's arms and whisked away behind a curtain. Doctors and nurses rushed to her bedside.
Sam stood in the middle of the triage room. He felt himself slipping into shock. She had lost so much blood. She fell asleep in his arms no matter how hard he tried to wake her up. She wasn't okay.
Dean paced back and forth. He was supposed to save her and he failed. He didn't know John was possessed. He should have known.
A nurse stepped around the curtain. "What is her blood type."
"O negative." Dean said without hesitation.
Someone ran from the room and came back soon after. "We don't have much left."
"Dammit." Someone else yelled over the chaos.
Dean caught the arm of one of the nurses that ran by. "I'm her brother. I'm O negative too."
The nurse stared at him for a few moments before understanding.
Sam watched as Dean was pulled behind another curtain. He vaguely registered someone talking to him.
A doctor grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "What happened to her?"
He blinked. "I-I don't know."
The doctor left him and went back to Katie.
Kate was whisked away from the triage room up to the OR.
Dean told them to take extra blood from him and no one argued with him. She needed it more than he did. He felt himself becoming angry.
Sam felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and struggled to read the message. He flinched when the phone buzzed again and Bobby's name popped up. "Hello?"
"Sam? Sam! Is she okay?" Bobby asked.
"They took her." Is all he said.
Bobby could tell that Sam was not going to be able to answer questions. "You keep us updated. We will be there as soon as possible."
Dean looked at Sam with tears in his eyes.
Sam walked over and sat down beside Dean.
"Sammy."
Sam shook his head. "I don't know what happened."
Dean felt his own head becoming fuzzy. "She got mad at me and ran off, we found her in the woods."
"Right." Sam said absently.
Dean rested his head on the top of the chair.
Someone came in and unhooked the tube from his arm.
He opened his eyes. "No, that isn't enough."
The nurse patted his arm. "Honey, you are white as a sheet. You are no good to her if you are passed out on the floor."
Dean groaned. "She has to be okay."
The nurse didn't respond to his comment. "I'm going to get you something to snack on and you are going to stay right here."
Dean didn't argue.
Sam looked at Dean and noticed that he was drenched. He looked down at his own clothes and felt himself crumbling. He backed away from Dean and walked out of the ER. He stopped at the impala and rested his hands on the hood. The ground was moving under his feet. He stumbled over to the bushes and threw up. He forced himself to compose himself and walked back in. He stopped someone who didn't look busy. "M'am... is there anyway we can get a clean shirt?" He motioned toward Dean.
The woman took in the site and quickly grabbed two clean scrub shirts. She helped him wash the blood from his neck and arms before pulling the shirt over his head. "What happened to that poor girl?"
Sam broke down in sobs. "I don't know. One minute she was okay and now she isn't."
The nurse put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was in shock and what mattered was Kate was getting help. She assisted Dean in a shirt change as well and bagged up their clothes incase they were needed for evidence at some point.
They were put into a family room as they waited for an update. There was a couch along one wall and a few chairs. Sam took a seat and put his head down on the table.
Dean reluctantly laid down on the couch as his head spun. The adrenaline was wearing off and being replaced with pure terror. He fell asleep from the sheer exhaustion.
Bobby wrapped Brian's body in a shroud and put him on the cot that he had in the basement. He pulled out the first aid kit and quickly sewed John's side up. The cut was a clean cut but long and deep. "That should hold."
John pulled on a clean shirt. "It is fine." He wrapped extra gauze around the wound and pulled on a flannel just incase the wound seeped. He didn't need questions being asked about it.
Bobby drove as fast as he could to the hospital.
John walked ahead of him and stopped at the front desk. He asked to be directed to where the kids had gone.
The receptionist looked at the clipboard. "You are the father?"
John was irritated. "Yes, my son called me and told me there was an accident."
A nurse pulled him to the side and briefed him before she led him to the waiting room.
Bobby followed along behind John and tried to stay out of the way.
John thanked the nurse and opened the door to the family room.
Sam picked up his head. "Dad!"
Dean startled and got to his feet, drawing his knife.
Bobby rushed over and grabbed it from him. "You idjit! Put that away."
Dean's eyesight settled. "Is..is he?"
Bobby put his hands on Dean's shoulders. "Yeah, son. It is just your dad."
John caught Dean in a hug before he stumbled.
Sam turned around. "They didn't have enough blood so Dean gave her some."
John sat him down on the couch. "Looks like more than some. Son, just stay there."
Bobby took Dean's knife and confiscated the rest of the weapons he had hidden. "They are going to raise a lot more questions if they find these."
Sam handed his over as well.
Bobby wrapped the items in a bag and discretely took them outside to the truck.
John blanched at Dean's jeans. He noticed the scrub shirt and wondered what the scene had looked like before he got there. "How bad is it?"
Dean's voice broke. "Bad."
John sent Bobby a quick message.
Bobby read the message and reluctantly went back to the house to grab some extra clothes. He grabbed some for Kate too.
Kate felt herself floating through the air. She remembered being in the car and then floating. Everything was a blur. She saw the blue lights again and walked toward them. The lights flickered and then she saw her mom and dad standing in front of her. Ruth wrapped her in a hug. She enjoyed the warm embrace.
Brian put a hand on her head. "You did it." He said.
Kate blinked. "They didn't get you?"
Brian shook his head. "No, baby girl. You did it."
Ruth smiled brightly.
"What... what happened?" Kate was confused. She listened as Ruth explained the bright light. "Are you sure I'm not dead?"
"You have so much ahead of you. No, you are very much alive." Brian said.
"What does that even mean?" Kate asked.
They faded slightly.
"Wait! Where are you? Why am I here? Help." Kate cried.
Ruth grabbed Brian's hand. "We must go before the vail closes."
Kate reached for them. "What vail? Mom! Dad!"
"One day you will understand." Ruth answered.
Kate wanted to understand then, not one day. A wave of peace floated over her as Ruth led Brian into a bright light. Tears slipped down her cheeks but she knew that things would be okay.
A doctor knocked gently on the door of the family room and was met with four very weary sets of eyes. He wasn't aware that the other two would be there.
John stood up and shook his hand. "Are you Kate's doctor?"
The doctor looked at Dean and back to John. "Yes, sir. Are you her father?"
John nodded. "How is she?"
"She lost a lot of blood but the wounds will heal. She is a bit of a miracle. I have never seen anything quite like it. Somehow what ever cut her missed her femoral artery, but barely."
John felt his knees get weak. "Is she going to be okay?"
The doctor sighed. "She isn't out of surgery yet but thanks to your son, she has enough blood for tonight. We wont know for sure if she is out of the woods until tomorrow."
John thanked him and turned back to Sam and Dean.
Bobby sat back in his chair and let a breath out. "She will be okay."
Dean sat up. "None of this is okay." He slammed his fist down on his leg.
Bobby moved over and put a hand on Dean. "What happened out there?"
Dean hung his head and tried his best to describe what he had seen.
John dropped down into a chair and put pressure on his side. "Do you think she knew?"
Sam spoke up. "She knew enough. She knew something was wrong but I don't know if the light bomb was planned."
Dean chuckled. "She did it though."
John looked at him. "Yeah she did. I guess that means Brian is with his wife."
Dean looked at John's side. "How is that?"
John showed Dean his side. "She got me good but clean."
Dean leaned back and rested his head. "I wonder if that is why she was practicing this morning."
John put his shirt down. "I guess she will have quite the story when she wakes up."
Kate was watching fireworks explode over her head when she heard a beeping sound. She looked around for the source and her vision went dark. She felt stiff and her throat hurt. She blinked a few times and squinted against the bright light. She wondered if her mom came back for her. She heard her name and felt hands on her face. She struggled to focus as her eyes were blurry.
"Sammy! She is awake!" Dean yelled.
Kate blinked rapidly but smiled weakly at Dean. "Hi."
He let tears fall from his eyes. "Hey."
She tried to sit up but realized she was hooked up to wires and tubes. The events flooded back into her mind. "Did I die?"
Sam appeared beside her. "No. You fought like hell and survived."
Kate read the worry on their faces. She furrowed her brows. Dean was scruffy. She reached up and touched his cheek.
Dean blushed. "Sorry kid, I haven't really shaved in a few days."
Kate frowned. "How long?"
Bobby walked in the room. "Oh Kate."
She smiled at him too.
Dean patted her arm. "Three days."
Kate was confused. She wracked her brain to remember everything. "My dad?"
Bobby held her hand. "He is gone, sweetie but they didn't get him."
Kate relaxed her neck. "John?"
John showed up in her field of view. "Right here."
She blushed. "I stabbed you."
John laughed. "You did but I'm glad you did."
She looked at him. "What?"
"You are one hell of a kid."
She blinked in a daze. "You aren't mad?"
He brushed her hair back. "No, of course not. I'd love to hear the story behind all of this but no one is mad. I do have a question, did you intend to get me in the side?"
Kate smirked. "Yes."
He smirked back. "Good."
A nurse came in and checked Kate's vitals. "You are one lucky little girl."
Kate wasn't sure if luck was the right word. Once the room was cleared again she tried to piece together the events of that day. She pulled the blanket away from her leg and frowned at the large bandages.
"That is going to be one badass scar." Dean said.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Scars are only cool on guys."
Dean handed her a cup of juice. "You survived actual hellhounds and somehow managed to burn them and half the forest without so much as a blister."
"The light?" Kate asked.
"Yep, the locals are saying it was a lightening strike but there is a perfect circle all through that area that is charred." Bobby said.
Kate handed the juice back to Dean. "I'm guessing I have a lot of explaining to do."
Sam sat down on the bed beside her. "We are dying to know how you managed it."
Kate had been so afraid they would be mad but they all just looked interested and... proud. She took a deep breath. "So, it started a few days ago..."
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AN: Endings are hard. I will start a new story (maybe call it Raising Katie?) that dips into how she found out about the demon and focuses on her life as a Winchester. Thank you for taking this journey with me. (Edited to add: I answer my private messages and if anyone has a better name for the sequel I'm all... eyes.)