Chapter 3 - Clouds Gather

Kat watched Sam and the demon from her hiding place behind the line of construction vehicles. Crowley hadn't come for Sam, this demon was a woman in a black dress. They were exchanging words that Kat couldn't make out, but when the gunshot rang out, there was no way she could have missed it. The demon dropped to the ground, and Sam picked up the body and threw it into the backseat of the Impala.

Kat waited to move until after Sam drove away, and then she began to walk back to the motel. It wasn't far, only about a mile, but it gave her plenty of time to think.

She hadn't been able to hear the conversation between Sam and the demon, so she didn't know whether the demon had told him what she had done.

"She didn't." Kat nearly jumped out of her skin at the gruff voice that suddenly spoke out of the dark. Crowley had appeared and was now walking beside her. "All she said," he continued, "was that a demon high up held your brother's deal. Which is only a half-truth now, of course. I reckon Sam and Dean will have a heart-to-heart chat, and Dean will be furious at Sam for killing my minion because he could have dropped dead and blah, blah, blah, et cetera. You Winchesters are quite predictable."

"Did you know I would come to exchange my soul?" Kat asked.

"I know everything. I see everything. I have a lot of lesser demons at my disposal to do my dirty work and be my eyes and ears. So yes, I knew. I knew that you couldn't stand to see your brothers like this, and I knew it would only be a matter of time until you would come to me."

"That's not a very concise answer," Kat would have smiled in a less tense situation.

"I can't tell the future, but I can read souls, and I can predict based on a soul's tendencies what they will do." Crowley explained further.

"Okay," Kat nodded. They walked for a few more minutes in silence, and Kat wondered why Crowley was still here. When they got up to the road, and she could see the sign for the motel ahead, Kat realized she had one more question.

They were in the parking lot of the motel before she got up the courage. The Impala wasn't parked in the lot; Sam must still be out burning the demon's body.

Kat stopped on the side of the lot, and she turned to face Crowley. "Why are you being so...undemon-like? I mean, I've met other demons, and you're much...nicer?"

"Katarina, there are things to come that will require us to work together." Crowley answered. "There is a war coming, and you'll need my help as I will need yours. I said your soul had potential, and it does, as does Sam's and Dean's. There are things that will be set in motion, and a fate that needs to be avoided. Your impression of me is important in forging trust between me and your brothers and future allies that will be critical for winning this war."

"What war?" Kat had a million questions. "What could possibly happen for the King of Hell to be on our side? What do you mean our souls have potential? Won't I be in Hell for eternity?"

"All in time, Katarina," Crowley disappeared with those words, leaving Kat standing in the parking lot, considering what he had said.

After a few minutes, she snuck back into the room. Dean was still asleep, having presumably remained so while both she and Sam left. Kat thought it was unlikely that Sam hadn't noticed her being gone, but she would just tell him that she went for a walk. Based on his conversation with the demon, Sam shouldn't suspect that anything was amiss.

And if Kat could help it, he wouldn't until the very end. She had considered telling Sam and Dean about her exchange, but if the demons were keeping her secret, presumably because they were ordered to by Crowley, she would be the only one to spill the beans. She knew that Sam and Dean would not be happy with what she had done, and she didn't want to cause any tension. She didn't want them to in any way feel obligated to save her, and the best way she could defend against that was to not let them even know she needed to be saved for as long as she could.

She got situated in her bed, which was a blow-up mattress on the floor. Kat found it comfortable enough, and sometimes, it was even more so than the motel beds that Sam and Dean slept on. When they were younger, she'd often shared with Sam, but when they'd both gotten bigger, Sam especially, it became easier to just carry around an air mattress.

She pretended to be asleep when she heard the Impala drive up to a spot outside the room, and Sam entered. She could almost feel the frustration rolling off of him, and she reminded herself that he was saved. She had saved them both.