When Katie woke the next morning it took her a moment to realize she was in her own room. She heard shouting in the hall and she opened her door to find her brothers shouting at each other with red faces.
Dean was in the middle of yelling something at Sammy when she opened the door, "-don't understand!"
"Why can't you just let us help you?! I have the power to do it and so does Katie! Why won't you let us?" Sam said loudly his despair outwaying his anger for a moment.
"What the Hell is going on?" Katie said loudly preventing Dean from forming a reply.
"Nothing." Sam scowled at Dean and turned down the hall. He turned the corner and Katie jumped when she heard the front door slam.
Dean was staring at his toes shoulders tight with tension.
She looked at him sadly, "Dean." She sighed.
"Please" he choked, "Don't."
He ran his fingers through his hair and walked slowly into his room, shutting the door behind him.
"Great." She huffed, just a way to start the morning. It happened more and more often since their dad had died. Sam and Dean differed in their definitions of raising a teenage sister. Although even the year before dad died she had been living on her own. Up until the time Sam left to go to Stanford she had gone a few weeks at a time to each school just like her brothers. John got the house when Sam left because he didn't want to have a falling out with Katie too. During the time Sam was at Stanford Katie had kept in touch him. Dean knew but John never did, and she was grateful to Dean for that. But now they were fighting, and for al the wrong reasons. All the Winchesters had the same stubbornness. Dean would die for Sam or Katie, heck he was dying for Sam.
Her brothers were so stupid, Dean and his stupid pride and Sam not understanding Dean's pain.
Katie was making omelets for the three of them just in case Sam came back soon. Dean was drawn to the kitchen after smelling the aroma of bacon and eggs.
Dean went straight for the omelet on the counter before he had the back of his hand slapped with a spatula. "I'm not done." She scolded him.
"Aw come on, you make something that smells that amazing and you don't let me eat it!" Dean whined. He had the gift for complementing her and complaining at her at the same time.
"Well... if you wait it will be even more amazing." She said with a chuckle. "Go sit down, I'll serve it to you in a sec."
Dean gave her a half smile half pout. Dean did not have the gift for waiting patiently, he started tapping his fingers on the table the minute he sat down.
"Be quiet." She said in an exasperated voice, "Consider yourself lucky to have a sister who loves you enough to cook for you. Especially a sister who can cook well." She placed his plate in front of him on the table and handed him a fork.
Dean dug in immediately, "Mmmmm. s' good" he moaned with his mouth full of eggs. She ruffled his hair affectionately.
"What do you want to drink?"
"juice." He grunted.
She gave him his juice and sat down next to him. They ate breakfast in an easy silence.
Dean leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grunt. "Damn, that was good." He commented, "thanks, kid."
She smiled at him, "I wish I could do it more often." She reflected sadly.
Dean sighed, "How much did you hear?"
She sobered immediately, "Just what Sammy said."
"Look, hun, I know you agree with Sam on this but please, please" He begged. "I just want things to be normal."
Katie scowled her mouth forming a firm line. "For now." She warned. she picked up their empty plates and glasses and set them in the sink. She turned the water on and rinsed the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.
A crazy thought just popped into her head, "Dean."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I just had an idea, about 'my gift'" She leaned up against that counter with a thoughtful smile.
"Sam, answer your damn phone" Katie said irritably into the phone when Sam's cell went to voicemail for 8th time. Katie was sitting on Bobby's kitchen counter trying to get ahold of Sam. "One more time." she muttered. She pressed the redial button and held the receiver to her ear. He answered on the second ring with an irritated hiss, "What, Katie?"
"Don't you 'what, Katie' me! Now get your ass to Bobby's pronto or I will personally kick it." She yelled.
"Is Dean there?" He asked stubbornly.
"Yes he is, but get over it Sam. This isn't about Dean it's about me." Katie growled she didn't give him time to answer snapping her shut.
"He coming?" Dean asked.
"He better." She snapped. "So Bobby, you have everything right?"
"Yes Ma'am." Bobby laughed.
She nodded in approval and Dean cast her a skeptical eye. "You really think this is going to be able to make one of those blade things."
She shrugged unconcernedly her fingers playing with the amulet around her neck. Sam and Dean gave it to her for her 10th birthday and she had worn it everyday since. Dean told her it had protective charms on it. She also had a silver protective ring on her right ring finger, Sebastian had given it to her the year before when they had first started dating. She felt suddenly guilty that she hadn't thought about him much and hadn't talked to him since the week after the accident. She pushed her troubled thoughts away.
"She should be able too no problem." Bobby added full of confidence in her, confidence she didn't really have in herself.
KAtie looked up hearing Bobby's screen door open and shut. "Why am I here?" Sam asked with a tired look on his face.
"God, Sam you could at least pretend you want to be here." Dean snapped.
"I'm here aren't I?" Sam said through his teeth.
"Cut it out both of you! I'm sick of playing referee." Katie shouted. "Sam's here," she continued in a much softer voice, "so let's get started."
She walked out of the kitchen expecting them to follow her into Bobby's office. She moved the bowl of holy water to the middle of the desk.
"What is all this?" Sam asked in concern.
KAtie didn't seem to hear him while she was silently looking over the supplies laid out over the desk.
"You would know if you bothered to stay this morning." Dean said arrogantly.
"Shut up Dean." Katie muttered. Everything was there the holy water, piece of iron, matches, a bowl of herbs and the silver knife.
"Okay I think I'm ready." Katie took a deep breath and picked up the piece of iron in her right hand.
"Ready for what?" Sam asked apprehensively.
"I'm making a stele Sam." Katie sighed.
"You know how to do that?" Sam scoffed.
She glared at him. "Those books I read explained the process and Bobby says I should be able to figure out the rest on instinct."
Sam just stared and Katie sighed focusing on the metal in her hand.
She dipped the iron into the holy water slowly and pulled it back out. She closed her eyes her lips soundlessly forming phrases in Latin. Her eyes opened and she reached for the bowl of herbs. She dipped her finger in the water and dropped a few drops of it onto herbs whispering again. She lit a match still whispering and lit the herbs on fire. Slipping a heat resistant glove on her hand she picked up the iron and held it in the flame. The orange flames changed to blue and purple, sparking when she twisted and turned the metal.
Sam Dean and Bobby watched her in entrapped silence.
She picked up the knife in her hand and pulled the iron from the flames, quickly she etched runes into the soft metal. The runes shimmered gold. She dropped the knife and lowered the metal into the water. It steamed and hissed. She chanted softly still speaking in Latin letting the metal sink drop to the bottom of the glass bowl. When the water stopped steaming she reached into the bowl and drew out the metal.
Except it wasn't metal anymore. Somehow the rod of iron had been transformed into a crystal looking rod. It had a faint glow surrounding it and the the runes etched into it shimmered with golden light. KAtie was no longer chanting but she was staring at the stele in awe. Turning it over in her fingers.
She sank into the chair behind her, her energy spent. Dean came forward and put his hand to her clammy cheek. She let the stele roll onto the desk.
Bobby's eyes flickered between Katie's pale face and the crystal that was rolling around on the desk, his brows furrowed in concern.
Sam took a cautious step forward and hesitantly picked up the stele. "How did you...?" He whispered.
"Instinct." She whispered back casting a knowing eye at Sam.
"Come on." Dean said hoisting her up, "I need to get you to bed."
She leaned on him heavily in her exhaustion. "Guest room." Bobby said to Dean who nodded.
Bobby watched Sam while he studied the stele with a frown. Bobby sighed, "Why are you idjits fighting?"
Sam scowled and set the stele on the desk. "Dean won't let us save him, I'm just surprised Katie's taking his side."
"She's not taking my side." Dean entered the room with a tired look. "I made her promise to just let it go."
"Dean." Sam hesitated. "I don't want to fight, I just want to save you." Sam had tears in his eyes but was determined not to let them fall this time.
Dean sighed and shared a knowing glance with Bobby.
"What aren't you telling me?" Sam asked suspiciously.
"If you save him-" Bobby was cut off with an angry growl from Dean.
"Don't Bobby."
Bobby ignored him and cleared his throat. "If we save Dean, you die."
Sam choked in surprise and stared into Dean's guilty eyes.
"One year to live, if he gets out of it you go back to the land of the dead." Bobby explained. "Those were the terms.
Sam choked on tears in his despair. "Does Katie know?"
Judging by the even guiltier expression on his brother's face Sam laughed bitterly. "Don't tell her." Dean begged.
Sam shook his head angrily on his way out the back door he talked over his shoulder. "She deserves to know, but you need to be the one tell her."
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked. Sam waved his hand in answer and Dean sighed sitting down heavily in his chair.