A/N: Here you all go! The love this story is getting is amazing, thank you so much :) I'm really glad you're all liking it. I was pretty nervous putting it out there, but who wouldn't be? I feel so honored by the response it has received!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC, Katherine.

With only the strewn around supplies Tommy and his friends left behind — quite unwillingly, that is — the group did their best to set up camp for the night. If they went after the wendigos once the sun set, there was a good chance none of them would make it; not experienced hunters like Dean, Sam, and Kat, not an experienced animal hunter like Roy, and definitely not worried siblings like Haley and Ben. They collected the supplies and ruled out what they could use and what they couldn't, all while Dean came up with a game plan of what they were going to do, mostly for Haley, Ben, and a begrudging Roy's benefit.

The sun set while Dean was making Anasazi symbols in the dirt around the little campsite, so Haley started a fire with a little help from Ben. Roy, in all of his helpfulness, just stood around with his gun, waiting. Sam was drawing symbols like his brother. Kind of. He was mostly just twirling a stick in the dirt and staring sadly.

Kat had finished setting up sleeping arrangements as best as she could for Haley, Ben, and Roy — she knew there would be little or no sleep for her and the boys — when she noticed how lost Sam looked. She stopped by to ask Haley if she or her brother needed anything, which they didn't, then she walked over to Sam. She sat next to him and said nothing. He glanced at her and said nothing.

Dean came over to them, clearing his throat and nodding at Kat, who quickly moved aside so he could sit next to Sam. "You wanna tell us what's going on in that freaky head of yours?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "Dean—"

"No, you're not fine. You're like a powder keg, man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?"

Kat nodded at Dean's words, almost echoing the ones she had said just hours before. Another moment of hesitation. "Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Dean nodded, sounding almost as sad as Sam. "Tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek." The two brothers looked at each other.

"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road. Go find Dad. I mean, why are we still even here?" Sam pelted the stick he was holding at the ground.

Dean got up and moved to sit across from him, allowing Kat to move back to her spot. He took the journal out and patted it. "This is why. This book. This is Dad's single, most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it onto us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off..." He kept going despite Sam's angry look. "You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business."

Sam was clearly about to say something cruel, but stopped himself. He tried again. Then he settled for rubbing his face, sighing. "That makes no sense. Maybe he hasn't been here, but Kat was right about one thing. He's leaving these hunts for us to clean up. Why—why doesn't he just...call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?"

"—I don't know. But the way I see it, Dad's giving us a job to do, and I intend to do it." Dean was right to do this job, to help these people, but still made Kat a little sad to see the soldier he was for his father. He deserved so much more.

"Dean...no. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer." Overcome with emotion, Sam paused and looked down. "It's the only thing I can think about."

"Okay, alright, Sam, we'll find them, I promise. Listen to me, you gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul. It's gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man."

Sam shook his head. "How do you do it?" He laughed softly. "How does Dad do it?"

"Well, for one, them." Dean looked over at Haley and Ben. "I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable." He watched Sam, who was staring at the other two siblings. "I'll tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can."

Sam started to smile softly, then looked back at Kat. "How do you do it? Why—" He stopped, but she already knew the rest of that question. Why do you do it? Why didn't she leave with him? Why did she stay in this horrible life? Why didn't she run far, far away when she had the chance?

"Well..." She couldn't help but look at Dean. Sam couldn't help but notice. "Helping people is the biggest reason." Helping people. Helping Dean. "And taking out the monsters is a pretty great stress reliever." She smiled and he almost smiled back, but he didn't get a chance to.

"Help me!" It was someone screaming again, nearby. They knew better than to think it was human now, Dean readying his gun and Sam grabbing a flashlight as they stood up. Kat followed them to the edge of the area in the direction the yelling was coming from. "Please!" Sam shined the flashlight through the forest. "Help!"

"He's trying to draw us out." Dean stepped back, looking around. "Just stay cool, stay put."

"Inside the magic circle?" Roy got a glare from him.

Kat was finding she had little patience for this man. "If you want to live."

"Help! Help me!" Trees rustled and a growl that was even beyond animalistic came from the same spot, making Roy turn his gun to it.

"Okay, that's no grizzly."

A fearful Ben held Haley's hand, pulling her back as she tried to comfort him. "It's okay. You'll be alright, I promise." As she said that, something rushed past and growled, making her scream.

"It's here." Sam was remaining calm.

The thing ran past again, through the trees, and Roy shot it again and again. "I hit it!" Without a second thought, he ran out of the 'magic circle' to find what he'd hit.

"Roy, no! Roy!"

Patience for him or not, Kat wasn't going to let him die, so she ran with Dean as he gave a strict warning for Haley and Ben not to move and left the circle, Sam close behind.

"It's over here! It's in the tree!"

"Roy!" When they made it to where his voice was coming from, there was nothing. No wendigo, no Roy, and not even rustling leaves. "Damn it. Roy?" Dean held his gun up. There was still nothing.

"—it took him." Kat ran a hand through her hair. "Shit. What now?"

"We get our asses after the wendigo before it can eat him." Dean still held his gun up as he looked back at Sam and Kat, nodding. "Back to the camp. Now." They didn't argue and he took a few steps back, before turning and following them. Haley and Ben were still there, the former holding a makeshift torch as a weapon.

"Where's Roy?" She already knew by the looks that crossed their faces. "Oh, God."

"If we head out by morning, we might be able to get him back." Dean stepped over the circle of symbols, putting his gun away. "For right now, we just gotta stay put."

"There's nothing out there now. It's satisfied with Roy, so hopefully it won't try to draw us out again." Sam moved to Haley, gently taking the stick and tossing it onto the campfire. "Maybe you two should try getting some sleep."

"Sleep? That thing has Tommy and now it has Roy! How am I supposed to sleep? It could easily get us if it wanted to."

Kat could see Ben trembling behind his sister. Seeing Haley freak out couldn't have been good for him. "The best thing we can do right now is stay here until morning. Sam told you it's an even better hunter at night, didn't he? So it's not gonna be good for us to go out there, right now, without a good plan. You and Ben should get some sleep. It can't get past the symbols, and even if it does, you have three...rangers here to take care of it."

Haley looked at Ben, then back at Kat, nodding. "I...guess we should get some sleep. At least you should, Ben...come on..." She wrapped an arm around her brother, gently leading him to one of the makeshift beds.

"Nice one, Kat." Dean bumped into her gently, as they and Sam moved across the campsite. "I think she's trying not to freak out Ben, but she knows we're not rangers. I told her about me and Sam being brothers, our dad, and that you were helping us find him."

"Is that what I'm doing? Helping you find your dad?"

"—you're hard to explain, okay?"

She shook her head, sitting down in the dirt. Dean sat on a log, starting to thumb through John's journal, and Sam sat a little ways away to...think, apparently. At least, that's what he seemed to be doing as he stayed there quietly, staring at the campfire halfway across the campsite. All was pretty much silent.

Kat didn't exactly have anything fun to do, so she spent her time equally between watching Dean read, watching Sam think, and softly humming some rock song she couldn't remember the name of or get out of her head. Eventually, she glanced over at Haley and Ben to see them both seemingly fast asleep. A look at Sam told her he was sitting back against a tree, his arms crossed and eyes closed, though she could tell he wasn't sleeping.

"Hey. Come here."

She jumped slightly, assuming she was going to turn and see the wendigo trying to lure her out, but instead she saw Dean staring at her and patting part of the log. She narrowed her eyes and slowly moved to sit next to him.

To her surprise, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. "Hey, if you shoot me, I have Sam as a witness."

He rolled his eyes. "I want you to take it. Just in case."

"But...guns don't work on wendigos." She carefully took the gun from him anyway, looking at it in confusion.

"No. They don't. But if something happens, and if a bullet can distract the son of a bitch for a second, and get you, Sam, Haley, and Ben out of here...then I want you to try it."

"Why not give it to Sam?"

"Are you kidding? He'll have another mood swing and kill us."

"Shut up, Dean."

Kat laughed softly, looking at Sam to see that he still had his eyes closed, but he looked a little bit grumpier. "Alright, I'll take it." She looked back at Dean. "You're talking like you're going to sacrifice yourself."

"Well, I'm gonna lead, so I'm at risk. It's just precaution, okay? Don't freak out."

"I don't freak out, Dean." She really didn't. She could panic, sure, and even run away if she got really scared. She hadn't full on freaked out since the night when her entire life changed. She had done her best to close off the childish part of her that would happily collapse, and sob, and talk nonsense in the face of monsters. That wouldn't go over well in the hunting world. Maybe she freaked out in other ways, but at least it wasn't obvious.

"Uh huh. Get some rest, Kat."

"What? No. I'm gonna stay up with you and Sam."

"Sam should sleep, too."

"Like hell."

Dean groaned, running a hand over his face. "You both gotta be stubborn? Don't come cryin' to me when you're bushed tomorrow."

"We won't."

The night progressed slowly and the air chilled with each passing hour. At one point, a slightly shivering Kat huddled up to Dean, who made no complaints and might have pressed against her just a little. It was pretty cold. He continued to read the journal while she read bits and pieces from where her head was pressed to his arm, and eventually he grew bored and Sam asked to see the journal, so he tossed it over.

It was probably around four or so in the morning when Kat started to slump against Dean, and Sam was blinking hard and often as he read, and even Dean was having trouble holding his head up. It turns out, keeping guard all night with nothing to do didn't exactly help someone stay awake. They were almost wishing the wendigo would come by and give them something to do.

When Dean started to doze, he immediately jerked his head up and nudged Kat. She may have grumbled a bit, but she sat up straight and they soon engaged in a rather rousing time playing the hand slap game. It passed the time and the sting when they landed slaps on each other pepped them up a bit. Unfortunately, after Kat slapped Dean's hands for about the tenth time, he growled in frustration and got up, mumbling something about 'needing air' even though they were out in the wilderness. He moved away and paced back and forth just inside the circle of symbols.

"He's such a sore loser." Sam sounded both amused and a little tired.

Kat looked over at Sam, smiling slightly. "Tell me about it." She stood before she could think about it and walked over, sitting next to him. She made the mistake of looking at him up close again; that seemed to get her every time. She would get determined, know that their relationship wasn't what it was, that he was going through things, that they had grown apart, that she was close with Dean now. But then she saw his face up close. That sweet, innocent face that still showed the Sam she knew even if he somehow looked so much different.

"I miss...Sam." Oh, God. What was that? Was she so tired that her brain forgot that sometimes words need to go between other words? Did she momentarily lapse and think she was talking to Dean? Was she just telling this Sam that she really missed that Sam, no matter how hard she tried to come to terms with all these changes? If it was the last one, it was getting to be a bit monotonous. Well, maybe 'monotonous' wasn't the right word. It was repetitive, yes, but certainly not uninteresting.

She supposed that, when you really felt something, it was bound to rear its ugly head until you dealt with it. And she would have dealt with it, were it not for a moody Sam and how different she felt from the way she was three years ago.

"I miss Kat?" Sam seemed both confused and amused, chuckling a little with his words. Clearly, he was more tired than he let on. Sam was never really a goofy sort of person — Dean was more of the goofy type, though he'd never admit it, and Kat enjoyed that side of him — and he definitely wasn't now.

Dean had stormed over to them before any deep conversation could transpire. "Alright, we're doing a few more rounds. I just wasn't on my A game, okay?"

So they did. Kat pushed aside her usual fiery competitiveness and let him win until he was satisfied, all while Sam shot them looks like they were a couple of misbehaving kids. That goofiness wore off mighty quick.

With the morning came renewal. The rising sun had been a savior to their tired eyes, giving them all a bit more energy to carry on through the hell of a day that awaited them.

Haley and Ben woke up not long after the sunrise and now she knelt on the ground examining things once more while he sat a little bit away, quiet as ever. Dean was examining things, too, touching claw marks on a tree. Kat stood by him, arms crossed, looking at Ben and wishing she could comfort him, but knowing that wasn't her job and might freak the poor kid out even more. Sam had gone off with a quiet excuse of needing the bathroom, but was really just sitting against a tree stump, staring a bit mindlessly as he played with something that was hanging off of John's journal.

"I don't...I mean, these types of things, they aren't supposed to be real." Haley sat back on her heels, resting her hands on her thighs.

Dean walked over, crouching down in front of her. "I wish I could tell you different."

"How do we know it's not out there watching us?"

"We don't. But we're safe for now."

"—how do you know about this stuff?"

He paused for a moment as he tried to figure out an answer. "Kind of runs in the family."

Kat was a little confused when Haley looked at her expectantly, before remembering what Dean had told her last night. He had told Haley that they weren't rangers, that the two boys were brothers, and that Kat was 'helping them'. She knew she wasn't part of the family. "Kind of ran into their family." See? That wasn't 'hard to explain'. Vague, sure, but it wasn't all that hard. Besides, it made Haley give a half-hearted smile that was much deserved considering the situation she was thrust into.

There was the crunching of sticks and dirt as Sam came back to the campsite from wherever the hell he'd been. "Hey." His presence seemed to make Haley and Ben aware that things were about to progress, as they both stood up. "So, we've got half a chance in the daylight, and I, for one...want to kill this evil son of a bitch." His words were reminiscent of Dean's the night before. It seemed to have actually gotten through to him.

"Well, hell," Dean looked pleased. "you know I'm in."

Another expectant look, this time from Sam. It was almost like rectification. Like something clicked last night and their relationship was on the right track. That look, the extended hand it may have figuratively been, hardly made it past one track, though. Things were likely to move, still, at an agonizingly slow pace. But slow meant time, and time meant healing, and healing meant no rush of things that would cause unhealthy outbursts later.

Maybe.

"I'm right behind you."

Satisfied with their answers, Sam opened up John's journal to the portion on wendigos and pulled a pencil from the book, walking over to show Haley and Ben. "What we're dealing with is a wendigo. 'Wendigo' is a Cree Indian word, it means 'evil that devours'."

"They're hundreds of years old." Dean chimed in, gathering a few things off the ground as he moved over. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, or other times a frontiersman, or a miner, or a hunter."

Sam wandered over to Kat while Dean continued grabbing things. Haley looked confused, gaze flitting between Dean and her brother. "How's a man turn into one of those things?"

"Well, it's always the same." Dean sighed, picking up a beer bottle. "During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies and help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."

"Like the Donner Party." Ben finally had something to say, albeit something creepy, and he and his sister looked at Sam.

"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives the person certain abilities; speed, strength, immortality."

"If you eat enough of it, over years you become this...less than human thing. You're always hungry."

"So, if that's true...how can Tommy still be alive?" A heartbreaking doubt had crept into Haley's tone.

Dean looked at Sam, who immediately walked away to avoid the explanation, then he looked to Kat for help. She nodded, so he turned back to Haley. "You're not gonna like it."

"Tell me."

"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there." He gestured behind himself to Kat and Sam, who had rejoined them.

"And then how do we stop it?"

"Well," Dean chuckled. "guns are useless, so are knives..."

Kat was all too aware of the gun tucked into the waistband of her jeans. Useless. Dean had given it to her as a way to distract the wendigo if nothing else, but in this situation, it was still just that. Almost completely useless. A last-ditch effort.

"Basically..." Dean lifted up the items he had gathered; a beer bottle, a cloth, and a can of lighter fluid. The perfect ingredients for a molotov cocktail. "We gotta torch this sucker." He gave them a grin, then went to quick work making it. "We head out now. We stick close together, okay? No wandering off. If something happens to me, you stick with Sam. If something happens to Sam, you stick with Kat and fight if you have to, but I'd prefer you all just leave." He gave Kat a look when she opened her mouth to protest. "All of you." He knew Kat could handle herself and the two Collins, but the thought of her facing a wendigo technically on her own scared the shit out of him more than he'd admit. "If something happens to all three of us, you run like hell and don't look back. Understand?"

Haley and Ben just nodded. Not listening was too much of a risk.

They all headed out with Dean in the lead, following an awfully consistent trail of bloody claw marks that were slashed into trees. Something wasn't right about this — the fact that they were hunting down a wendigo aside — and Kat could feel it. She was walking alongside Sam in the back of the group and could tell by the way he looked around that he could feel it, too. He glanced at her, before moving ahead of everyone as they came to a clearing.

"Dean! Kat!" The two ran over to Sam, who had stopped to look at several trees. Almost every single one had claw marks in the bark. Dean wandered a few steps away to get a closer look while Kat stayed back with Haley and Ben. Sam followed his brother, clenching his fists and speaking in a whisper through his teeth, "You know, I was thinking, those claw prints, so clear and distinct," He gave a humorless laugh. "they were almost too easy to follow."

The distance was small enough that Kat could hear him, and she opened her mouth to agree, but immediately froze when growling started to come from all around them. She was between Haley and Ben and put her arms out to guide them back with her, as all five of them backed away from the noise and rustling leaves. Suddenly, she heard a different noise. Pat, like the sound of a heavy raindrop. She slowly looked over to Haley, seeing little drops of an easily identifiable red liquid. Both girls looked up to see a body hanging overhead, about to drop.

Haley screamed and Kat immediately shoved her forward, using the same momentum to stumble back into a tree as Roy's body fell between them. Haley had fallen and rolled onto her back away from the body, while Kat pressed tightly against the tree's trunk, both of them staring at the body. Seeing a dead body became less terrifying over time, but it never became less shocking.

"Kat!" Dean's concerned yell was met with a reassuring nod, so he ran over to check out Roy's body.

Sam rushed over to Haley with Ben behind him, crouching down to help her up. "You okay? You got it?"

"His neck's broke." Dean stood up. The growling continued. "Okay, run, run, run, run, go, go, go!" He quickly pushed Ben and Sam ahead, waiting a beat for Kat as she pulled out that useless gun, before pushing her ahead of him, too. "Go, Kat, now!"

They ran like their lives depended on it; which they did. They dodged trees and plants as best as they could, but Ben tripped over some underbrush and tumbled to the ground. Sam was quick to turn back for him just as Kat was. He turned her right back around. "Go."

"But—"

"Go!"

She hesitated and ultimately listened. She was stubborn, yes, but just like Haley and Ben, not listening was too much of a risk. Her feet pounded against the ground as she left Sam and ran to catch up with Haley and Dean; she was met by the sound of Haley's scream and the sight of the wendigo right in front of the poor girl and Dean. She skidded to a stop too quickly, stumbling and landing right on her ass as the pale, gangly, all-around horrifying thing grabbed the two like it was nothing.

She didn't have much time to think, her instinct taking over as she raised the gun and shot at the thing. It was too damn fast. If she did get any hits in, it didn't even notice, and just darted and jumped around, dragging Haley and Dean away at the speed of light.

Click. Click. Click.

The gun was empty, bullets essentially wasted, and the wendigo was out of sight. She let out a yelp when a pair of hands grabbed onto her arms, immediately twisting around to shoot whatever it was and silently thanking the heavens for that fourth click when she saw it was Sam who had a hold of her.

"Hey, hey, it's me. It's okay." He hauled her to her feet easily.

"It has Dean!" There was an edge of panic to her voice. She wasn't freaking out, just panicking a little, which she felt was perfectly okay given the situation. Losing Dean scared the hell out of her more than most monsters could.

Ben had come up behind Sam, looking around worriedly. "Haley?"

"—it's okay, Kat." Sam seemed to be reassuring himself with that, as he picked up a broken piece of Dean's molotov cocktail. "Dean!" It was worth a shot, though they all knew that Dean and Haley wouldn't come running over.

"Where's Haley? Where's my sister?"

That broke Kat out of her panic. If there was one useful thing that John taught her, it was that you didn't show your fear in front of civilians. It didn't matter that she wasn't often prone to full on freaks out, just a little fear was enough to spur a whole lot of fear into someone who wasn't used to this. It was like being a cop or a parent. You keep calm, no matter how dire the situation is, to keep the innocent from getting scared. Even if your sort-of best friend was now in the clutches of a cannibalistic monster.

Ben was just a kid. She was that kid once. Confused, scared, alone. She didn't know if John was afraid that night when he rescued her, but if he was, he didn't show it. He just protected her and saved her.

Her empathy would always beat out her fear anyway.

"It's alright." There was still a little fear in her voice. She cleared her throat and put the now even more useless gun back into the waistband of her jeans. "It just took them, so if we move fast, I know we can get to them before it's hungry again." Dean affectionately called it 'beast mode' when she got like this. She did her best to be good and nice, if not happy to participate in a bit of witty banter, but she was protective. She was tough. Sometimes she had to push aside other feelings to get the job done. It was what she was taught. Like when she was completely willing to punch open the Impala's window to somehow get Constance away from Sam back in Jericho.

Sam nodded, dropping the bit of glass and cloth. "She's right. Which way?"

"Straight ahead."

"We stick together. Got it?" With Kat and Ben's agreement, the three started ahead in the direction Dean and Haley had been dragged off in.

They walked silently for a little while, maybe a few ragged breaths here and there from the rough terrain they were trekking over. Ben eventually spoke up again, saying more words than he had in the entire time since they met him, "If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?"

"Honestly?" Sam looked at him. "I think because Roy shot at it, pissed it off." He then gave Kat a look, knowing she had done the exact same thing.

"I know. I'm grateful." She could hardly be sweet or banter. Her mind was too focused on the tasks at hand; protect the kid, find Dean, kill the wendigo.

Given that it was a forest, 'straight ahead' could only last them so long. There were a dozen ways the wendigo could have taken them and it hadn't left marks for them to follow, so Sam went to the right, Kat continued straight, and Ben went to the left. They searched for any signs, being sure to stay close.

"They went this way!" Ben's almost gleeful call had the two hunters running to him, and he handed a peanut M&M to Sam.

He looked at it and laughed, tossing it aside. "It's better than breadcrumbs."

'Beast mode' faltered for a second as Kat squeezed Sam's arm, all three of them sharing a grin before they followed the trail of M&M's. It wasn't long until it lead them down a little slope that they climbed down carefully. A push past some small trees and there it was. It was a little mine shaft with a sign that warned of toxic materials, but it was perfect. Dark, hidden, and safe.

Sam looked back with a shrug and stepped in first, followed a bit hesitantly by Ben, with Kat taking up the rear. It certainly was dark. Not to mention dank and full of unidentifiable, unpleasant smells. Luckily, Sam still had the flashlight from the night before, and turned it on once the light from outside faded away.

They were following a track through the mine when there was suddenly a growl. Both Sam and Kat quickly grabbed Ben and lead him into a tunnel off to the side, the three of them pressing tightly against the wall to avoid being seen. A now familiar lanky figure began to pass by.

"Holy—"

Sam clamped a hand over Ben's mouth, shoving him back. "Shh." They waited in silence until the wendigo walked the other way and disappeared, then moved fast to continue on down the main shaft of the mine. Of course, they could only make it so far before the sound of creaking beneath their feet made them pause.

Snap.

Old, weak wooden boards gave way beneath their weight, sending them tumbling down to the hard ground below. The fall wasn't far enough to do lasting damage, but it was just far enough to hurt, which Kat couldn't help noting when she landed and rolled next to Sam, both of them groaning from aching spots that were sure to bruise.

"Sam?"

"I'm fine." At least he meant it this time, now that it was physical rather than the mental effects of losing Jess. "You okay?"

"Could be worse. Could be Roy."

They both sat up when a noise of fear came from Ben, and the kid was scrambling backwards onto their legs. "Hey," Sam grabbed onto him. "It's okay...it's okay, it's okay." There were bones and skulls on the ground around them. But that didn't matter as much as the two very important people hanging by their wrists just off to the side.

Sam was up and running first, then Kat. 'Beast mode' was deactivated as soon as she saw Dean there, mostly safe. That was one thing that differentiated her from him and John. She was well-trained, but she wasn't trained for life. Her emotions were still there a little too much, and she could only be hardened for so long, and usually only when it was absolutely necessary. Sam had been the same way; she couldn't be sure if he was now.

"Dean." Sam grabbed onto his brother. Ben went to Haley and did the same.

"Haley, wake up!"

"Dean!" Sam gave him a shake and the older Winchester opened his eyes with a groan. "Hey, you okay?"

He gave a wince of pain, but nodded anyway. "Yeah. Kat—?"

"She's here." Sam stepped aside, letting him see Kat. He stayed close still to cut the rope that was around Dean's wrists. He fell the moment he was released, both Sam and Kat each catching a side of him and helping him to a more level spot of ground, where he immediately dropped with a grunt of pain. Ben had helped Haley down and brought her over to the same spot. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah." Pain was evident in his voice, and Kat reached out to smooth back his — admittedly sweaty and grimy — hair to comfort him. She was so relieved to see him, she would have hugged him if he weren't obviously in pain. "Yeah. Where is it?"

"It's gone." Sam looked around. "For now."

Haley, with Ben's help, was getting the ropes from around her wrists when she looked up and saw Tommy hanging there, completely limp. Her tears were immediate as she easily assumed the worst, getting up and walking over to him. Sam followed to survey the situation and help however he could. Kat sat next to Dean and watched on sadly.

"Tommy..." Haley sniffled, reaching up to touch his face. But he suddenly jerked up the moment she touched him, gasping, making her scream and everyone in the room jump in surprise. Haley's tears turned to a smile as she grabbed onto her brother and looked back at Sam. "Cut him down!" He didn't hesitate to do what she asked.

Even more relief flooded Kat, knowing Tommy was okay. She always hoped the hunts would turn out okay, and so far, this one was turning out better than expected. She turned to look at Dean, who was leaning on her a bit too heavily. "Hey..."

"I'm fine, Kat." He opened up to her more than most people, but it was still barely anything — again, he would rant sometimes, which was about it, so sure that he had to keep things kept in. That vulnerable feelings were weak — and physical pain was, unfortunately, included in that. "—Kat." His tone changed, almost excited. She looked around him to see that he had grabbed a bag—no, not just a bag. Their bag of weapons that the wendigo had stolen. He took out a couple guns, standing with one of Kat's hands on his arm and the other one on his back, helping him up. "Check it out!"

The tender reunion between siblings took a pause as everyone looked over.

"Flare guns." Sam smiled. "Those'll work."

Dean, being the goof he didn't know he was, spun the guns on his fingers like a cowboy from an old Western movie, grinning. After several reassurances that he was okay, he took the lead in the group's escape, carrying one gun and Sam carrying the other. Kat turned her attention to the obviously worse-off-than-Dean Tommy, helping Haley support his weight through the mine. She felt Ben suddenly clinging to her and Tommy as a growl came from somewhere ahead of them.

Sam raised his gun and Dean looked around carefully. "Looks like someone's home for supper."

"We'll never outrun it," Haley said with a bit of a glare at Dean's words.

He looked back at them, then at Sam. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright, listen to me." He met Haley's eyes. "Stay with Sam and Kat, they're gonna get you out of here."

Kat knew what that meant. "—Dean, no."

"What are you gonna do?" Haley's question was met with a wink, before Dean ran off.

"Dean!"

"Chow time, you freaky bastard! Yeah, that's right, bring it on, baby, I taste good." He waved for them all to leave and then disappeared down another tunnel.

"Dean!" Kat made sure Ben could slip in to help support Tommy, stepping forward. Sam grabbed her arm before she could make it more than that one step.

"He knows what he's doing. He's gonna be fine."

She knew Dean. She knew that, and Sam knew that she knew that, and God bless him for trying to comfort her, but one thing was clear. Dean in danger terrified her. It didn't matter if he was better at this than her.

But, once again, it did matter that Haley, Ben, and Tommy were there. Dean could handle himself and they couldn't, not without her and Sam. She didn't enter 'beast mode' again, but was going to make damn sure that they got out of there safe and sound, and hoped the same for Dean.

Sam released her and walked down the tunnel to make sure Dean had gotten far enough ahead. "Alright, come on. Hurry!"

Kat went back to support Tommy, giving Ben's untrained frame a rest, so they could go as quickly as possible. And go they did, until a growl that was too close made them stop, and Sam raised the gun. He turned to them, looking directly at Kat.

"Get him out of here, now."

"Sam, no!" It was Haley who protested first.

Kat was torn. She knew she had to get them to safety; she also knew that Sam was so, so important to her still even if they were no longer close, and leaving him was just as bad as leaving Dean. "Sam..."

She hardly had an argument to give since Haley, Ben, and Tommy relied on her. Sam didn't give her room for one in the first place, looking at her sternly and almost apologetically. "Go! Go! Go!"

"—come on." She lead them in the opposite direction, to what they were sure was the exit of the mine, where Ben was already impatiently tugging his sister. There was the hiss of a flare going off then an inhuman roar, and Kat looked back in panic as Haley called out for Sam.

It was a damn good day for relief as Sam's figure came running down the tunnel after them, pushing them forward. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The wendigo that followed him provided a bit less relief. They ran as fast as they could and turned down a tunnel, only to come to a complete dead end. "—get behind me!"

With one arm around Tommy, Kat put the other around Ben, huddling close to fit behind Sam as he spread out his own arms protectively. She could sense his own fear, though. He had no weapon now, no plan, no way to really fight back. All he could do was protect them with his larger stature and leave them to all hope for a miracle.

Less relief and more resignation to their fate when the wendigo turned down the tunnel.

"Sam?" Kat wished she could do something. She was in the same boat as him. The only weapon she had was the empty gun, and at least Sam had his height to give him the slightest advantage.

"It's okay...it's okay..." He was panting harshly, pushing them back farther.

The wendigo stopped, and roared, and then—

"Hey!" There was that miracle. Dean Winchester, the light at the end of the tunnel, shooting a flare at the creature as soon as it turned to look at him.

It went up into flames, screaming again and again as it burned, and it wasn't until it crumpled to the ground that Sam lowered his arms.

"Not bad, huh?" This time, Dean's comment made them all grin. It was easier to find joy when there wasn't a nearly invincible creature after them. Ben was staring at the wendigo in horror and wonder, but he probably would have grinned, too.

Kat maneuvered Tommy so he was being supported on one side by Ben again, now that they weren't in immediate danger, and she stepped around Sam. Then she ran. She skirted around the still-burning wendigo, so overwhelmingly glad to see Dean alive that she threw her arms around him, making him groan in pain.

"Kat! Kat— Jesus—" He laughed slightly, patting her back. "I'm fine."

"I know. I'm just glad you're okay..." She pulled back a little to just look at him. He was so damn important to her that it was almost insanity; the thought of him being taken away from her was devastating. Just the thought made her emotions physical, a burning loss squeezing in her chest. But he was here and everything turned out okay.

"I am. Seriously. But...maybe lighten up a little?" He gave another grunt and she quickly stepped back to avoid causing him more pain. Sam, Haley, Ben, and Tommy had made their way over to them.

Sometimes it takes a split second to do something really big. That split second could be filled with many different things; bravery, want, need, love, or simply not caring about the details or repercussions. It could make you confess a secret, take a step, face your fears, or even jump off a bridge to avoid getting run over by a ghost in a car.

Kat was full of relief and she didn't care about the details or the repercussions as she turned and hugged Sam tightly, her fingers grasping the material of the back of his jacket. It didn't matter that things were weird, or strained, or distant in that moment, she just needed to hug him because they made it out alive. Together.

There was just a moment of hesitation before his arms slipped around her in return. He gave a sigh that didn't sound annoyed so much as...content. Like he had needed the embrace that he had refused to accept because of his shoved down feelings, even more than the night he sobbed in her arms.

The hug felt like a promise. That things weren't going to be the same for a long time, and maybe not ever, but that they could move forward. They could find some sort of friendship again someday.

The theme of relief carried on in Dean's slightly weak smile as he watched the little bit of healing before him. "Alright, alright. Let's get outta here."

They made it back to the campsite and then back to the Impala by the time the sun was setting, where they all piled in and made their way to the ranger station where the police were immediately called. Tommy was, of course, the first to be checked out by paramedics and hauled into an ambulance given the state of him. Dean and Haley were patched up, then they looked over Sam, Kat, and Ben, who were all pretty much fine aside from a few scrapes and bruises. Sam and Ben spoke with the police, lying about some grizzly bear out in the forest, Haley and Dean walked together, and Kat leaned against the sign for the station.

Sam walked over to stand next to her, hands in his jacket pockets, looking around quietly for a moment. "—I get it."

"Huh?" She looked at him. "You get what?"

"What you said. Last night." He cleared his throat, jaw clenching. "You miss Sam. You miss who I was before I left...and I miss you, too, Kat, but you gotta understand..." He turned to face her fully. "It's been a long time, and with everything now...I just..." He faltered, still not ready to open up. "I want us to be us again, but it's hard."

Kat blinked. Were they...dealing with their feelings? It shocked her a little bit. She had obviously spent too much time with Dean and John. "I know, Sam. Things have changed. We have changed." And grown apart, and grown close to other people, and suffered, and all of those fun things.

"I just...I don't want us to be awkward, you know? I can't promise that it's gonna be the way it was before, but I want us to try. You were my best friend."

"Try." She smiled. "I'd like that, Sam." She really would. Some switch had been set off by this hunt and it was for the better. It was the start of something new and old, and while it wouldn't automatically make them close and perfectly okay again, it was still damn good.

From afar, she saw Dean leaning against the Impala and receiving a kiss on the cheek from Haley. "Looks like they're heading out." She pushed off the sign and walked over with Sam close behind, both of them moving to stand next to Dean.

Haley had her arm around Ben, the latter of which nodded to Sam and Kat in apprecation for what they did. Haley smiled softly. "Thanks, Sam. Thanks, Kat." Then they turned away and got into the ambulance with Tommy, a paramedic closing the doors.

"—man, I hate camping."

Sam just quirked his eyebrows a bit at his brother's words. "Me, too."

"Make that three...and I still don't like forests. Wendigos are totally worse than Jason Voorhees could ever be."

A moment of silence passed before Dean spoke again, "Sam, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?"

"Yeah. I know. But in the meantime..." Sam turned to look at Dean with a smirk. "I'm driving."

The keys were tossed to him with a fair amount of reluctance, but he caught them easily and got in the driver's side as Dean moved to the passenger's side. Kat's smile was similar to Dean's before, watching the sweet exchange between the brothers, before she climbed into the back of the car.

"Pick good music, Sam."

"—Sammy, I swear to God, if you pick something cheesy..."

A/N: Yay! A little healing is happening :) Nothing major, but things are starting. I hope I conveyed things well and I'm sorry this took a little long, I was figuring out directions I wanted to take it in. A new episode starts next chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Sorry if there are any mistakes, I tend to write a lot late at night lol. Review if you want!