Nightmares plagued her that night each one ending with Dean in Hell. Some times he burned in a fiery pit others in he was sucked into a black hole. But every time he was dead. She even saw Sam, a knife in his back.
She stared at the wall with a dead expression. Her eyes were damp and her nose red. I can't save him. she kept thinking over and over again. She could feel him next to her, but she never felt more alone. She would lose Dean, and if she didn't lose him she would lose Sam. She would never be able to say she wanted one over the other.
She blinked hard, tears were no use. Crying never solved any problems but she couldn't stop them last night. The desperation that had gripped her the night before had caused a flood. Now she felt numb and cold.
Dean snorted in his sleep and it startled him awake. He turned his head around.
Katie was laying still on her side and he knew she wasn't sleeping. He sighed and reached over to touch her shoulder. She didn't respond to his touch.
"Katie..." He whispered in her ear.
She didn't say anything but continued to lay still.
"I don't know what to say." He murmured.
"Don't say anything." She said back her voice rough and cracking.
"Okay." He slid of the bed and she rolled over to look at him with red rimmed eyes.
Guilt assaulted him and his eyes grew sad.
She managed to fake and smile and sat up. Don't think about it, she repeated to herself over and over again. Just don't think about it Katie.
Dean looked at her with a confused expression, "You sure you're okay?"
"No" She answered honestly, "But someday I will be."
Dean smiled with pride in her and thought, brave little soldier.
"I'm going to get cleaned up." When he didn't she continued in a slow voice. "So get out of here."
"oh" He walked out and shut the door behind him.
The fake smile she was wearing slipped off leaving her with a tired look. She definitely was not 'okay', but like she told Dean she would be okay someday. There was just no telling when that day would be.
She showered slowly letting the hot water soothe her tired muscles. When she was done and went back into the spare room and found clean clothes waiting for her. Sam must have brought them for her.
With wet hair she pulled on the gray grey skinny jeans and faded black Van Halen T-shirt.
She padded down the hallway and stairs barefoot. When she entered the kitchen Sam, Dean and Bobby looked up from their breakfasts and Sam pushed a full plate of eggs and bacon to the empty seat.
"Thanks." SHe said sitting down. They watched her sit down in silence and she looked up with a scowl. "Stop it. I'm fine."
She stabbed at her food bitterly. Sam looked at his brother and Dean gave his signature shrug.
Bobby got up from the table and walked into the study. He came back a moment later with a rolled up kitchen towel. He held it out to her, "Here."
She frowned and set down her fork. He placed it into her hand and she unrolled it. Her stele rolled out and clinked on the table.
She smiled, "Looks good." She commented. One end of the crystal like rod was pointed like the tip of a pencil.
Dean eyed it warily, "What does that thing do?"
She grinned at him mischievously, "Wanna see?"
"Do I?" Dean questioned with a nervous laugh.
She didn't answer. She twirled the stele expertly in her right hand and held it like a pen. She closed her eyes for a moment in concentration and smiled. Opening her eyes she held the tip of the stele right above the upper part of her left arm.
She touched the tip down lightly and winced when it burned her skin. She moved it in a curved line about an inch long before looking at her brother's expressions.
They were staring at the black tattoo like mark on her arm. She drew an adjoining line from the middle of the first. From there she continued to draw parallel to the first line. In between the two curving lines she drew a circle. With one last expert flick of her wrist she drew a hook like bend connected to the edge of the circle.
Setting down her stele she smirked. "Well?"
"What in the world?" Bobby breathed staring at the black mark burned into her skin.
Dean was glaring at her arm now but she could not tell if it was in anger. She answered her eyes locked on Dean's face. "It's a rune. Each one means a different thing. Some are permanent and others fade when they have been used."
He met her eyes at the word permanent. "I don't like it." He said evenly. "I don't want you covered with black lines."
She sighed, "If its any consolation, this one just means speed and it will fade."
Sam spoke up for the first time that morning. "What do you mean fade?" She couldn't tell by his tone wether or not he was as offended by the idea as Dean.
She frowned tying to find a way to explain it. "Well, take speed for example. If I don't use speed on need to have extra speed it will stay black. The darker I draw it the longer it lasts. So if we are on a hunt and I need to run, it will make me faster until it's used up. Understand?"
Dean leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful expression and she guessed he was thinking about her safety on hunts.
"No permanent ones." He said quietly.
Katie looked to him in surprise, here we go she thought. "This one's permanent." She showed him where Castiel marked her.
"And that's different." He said in a voice that indicated it should be obvious.
She flexed her fist, "I will use whatever runes I have to, Dean."
He got up from the table leaving her with Sam and Bobby. "Fine."
She sighed, "I'll get my stuff." She said to Sam. "Let's go home."
Upstairs she shoved her things into her bag with a scowl. It wasn't Dean's fault that he didn't want her to look like a pen exploded on her. He would just have to get used to seeing her with black lines on her skin. Besides she wouldn't have them all over her face and neck. Mostly they would be hidden and the ones that won't be hidden will be battle runes, the ones that fade.
She slid on her boots with a sigh. She was going to do things the way Dean wanted them, she vowed, at least for now.
Katie wasn't sure how Sam felt about all this yet. She and Dean knew he had demon blood in him, but they still weren't sure what that would mean for them. No matter what he was still her brother and if the demon blood would do strange things to him she would be there to help.
She took the steps two at a time and came into Bobby's kitchen. She shrugged on her black leather jacket that made her look just like Dean.
"Sammy" She called sticking her head out the back door. "Where's Dean?"
Outside Sam was standing there with Dean who stuck his arms in the air as if to say, right here dummy. "Oh." She said.
She walked outside and stuck her stele in the front pocket of her jeans. Kate reached to check the gun in the waistband of her pants. "Any cases?"
Dean glanced at her with an amused smirk at her attempt to sound normal.
Sam answered her, "Yeah get your butt in the car squirt." Rolling her eyes she went back in through Bobby's back door.
"She's a good actress." Sam noted with a grin.
"She has to be." Dean walked away from Sam and into the house with a grim expression.
When Sam walked into the house he heard his sister telling Bobby goodbye and he followed Dean to the front door. Bobby shook Dean's hand then shook Sam's. "you watch out for that girl." bobby warned them and they nodded.