Chapter Six

One Week Later
Bobby's House

"I know you're itching to hunt, Dean, but don't you think you should let yourself recover a bit? You've already pulled your stitches twice since you checked yourself out of the hospital."

Dean scowled at Bobby. "Barrister Enterprises isn't going to wait for me to get back to 100% before they come at me again."

"True, but they will use any mistakes you make against you. You're hurt, so you're more likely to make mistakes. I need you here training the girls."

"I want to hunt. I don't want to be cooped up training the girls right now."

"I don't know if you've noticed, Dean, but hunters aren't exactly a dime a dozen, especially these days. You helping me train more of them is the best thing you can do to help in the fight. You're great with the girls, and they listen to you."

"I don't want to train right now. I want to be out there doing something. Sam's already been on a job since I got back."

Bobby gave Dean a look. "Sam doesn't have a gaping hole in the side of his torso."

"I knew you'd bring that up again. I'm fine, Bobby. I can fight."

Bobby shook his head unhappily. "I was hoping I could make you come around so that this would be your decision. It'd be so much easier on everyone if I didn't have to make you stay here. I can tell that's what I'm gonna have to do, though. Dean, you're training the girls. You're not going out on a job. That's final."

Dean stared at Bobby, jaw ticking angrily. "Is that an order?"

"It is."

"And you just expect me to follow it?"

"You'll do what I say, Dean. I've no doubt about that. You don't want to find out what happens when you cross me."

"We'll see about that."

"I guess we will."

XXX

Another Week Later

"What did you do wrong, Aly?" Dean asked.

The girl indicated looked up from where she'd been knocked flat on her back and shrugged.

"Anyone else?" Dean questioned. "What about you, Brenda? Did you see what Aly did wrong?"

Brenda was examining her fingernails with a bored expression on her face. "She died," she replied without looking up.

Dean glanced around and noticed most of the girls weren't even paying attention. He sighed. "Alright. Let's call it a day," he said.

"But," Katy protested, "half of us haven't even fought yet."

"I'm tired," Dean replied. "Bobby's worried I'll pull my stitches again if I try too much. Plus, I don't really feel like being here."

"Then take us on a hunt with you. We'd get some real experience, and you could be doing what you want to."

"You're not ready to go on hunts," Dean insisted.

"You could take us on a hunt for something that's not too dangerous. It'd be like hunting for beginners."

"There's no such thing as a safe hunt," Dean told her in a severe voice.

"Even when we're with you?" Katy asked sweetly. "I think you could handle Lucifer himself."

Dean shrugged. "I don't know about Lucifer, but a run of the mill ghost got the best of me just a few weeks ago."

Katy sighed. "Don't you have anything we could do? It's so boring here. We feel like we're drowning. Bobby treats us like we're little kids. It drives us crazy."

"So, you're speaking for the group now, huh?" Dean asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide his amusement.

"Well, they aren't going to speak for themselves, so I guess someone has to."

Dean wavered. "I'm not taking you hunting, so what else is there to do?"

Katy smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "You could take us to C-bar with you. I know Ellen would never let us into her bar, but you could probably get us into the other place."

Dean shook his head. "You girls get me into more trouble," he scolded lightly. He thought about it and caved. "Fine, but if so much as one of you does something I don't think is appropriate, we're all coming home. Got it?"

Katy smiled. "Got it," she said. She looked around at the other girls expectantly.

"Got it," they reiterated.

XXX

Katy watched Dean from across the table. The other girls had gone off to flirt with other guys, leaving Dean open for the taking.

"So, are you feeling okay?" she asked. "I heard that you left the hospital early against your doctor's advice. You seem fine to me, though."

Dean's gaze slid over to Katy. "I am fine. It was a stupid thing to do, but I'm fine."

"Of course you are. Doctors don't know what they're talking about half the time."

"Sam and Bobby didn't quite see it that way."

"Well, I think it was brave. A real testament to how strong you are."

Dean snorted. "Yeah, that, or a testament to how stupid I am."

Katy furrowed her eyebrows the slightest bit. This was not going how she wanted, so she tried a different tactic. "So, why's Bobby all up in your grill? You're the best hunter he's got, so why won't he let you hunt?"

Dean sized her up. "Katy, why are you sitting here talking to me when you could be over there with your friends having fun? Surely you don't want to waste your time with me. I'm an old man compared to you."

Katy glanced at the other girls. "I'd rather talk to you. Boys my age are just so…immature."

Dean barked out a laugh before he could catch himself. "And you think I'm not? That's funny, Katy."

"What?" Katy demanded huffily. "You are hot and strong and a hunter. You've got all the qualities I look for in a man."

"I'm nearly twice your age."

"Some women like older men," Katy rebutted.

Dean sighed. "Katy, I'm gonna go to the bathroom now, and when I come back, I think you should be over there with your friends enjoying your night."

Katy glared at him. "You can't make me go away just because you want your life to be uncomplicated."

"Yeah, I can," Dean said and stood and headed to the bathroom. When he came out, Katy was waiting for him. She pushed him back against the wall and kissed him.

Dean forced himself to keep his mouth closed and not respond even though he desperately wanted to. He gently shoved Katy away. "Katy, don't do that again."

Katy licked her lips. "Why not?"

Dean ignored her tongue running across her lips. "Because I said so."

Katy pouted. "But…"

"Katy, we can't do this. You're a very pretty girl, and in another situation or another life, I'd be jumping at the chance to take what you're offering. As it is, I can't do this with you. I'm sorry."

Katy looked like she was going to cry, but she managed not to. "You'll change your mind," she said with conviction. "Give it some time, and you'll come crawling after me." She left him and went to join the rest of the girls.

Dean watched her go and sighed. Nothing like dealing with a schoolgirl crush to make him feel old. He took stock of his condition and determined he was fine to drive, so he pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the girls.

"Let's go," he told them.

"Ah, Dean, it's early. Can't we stay just a little bit longer?" Madison begged, giving him puppy dog eyes for good measure.

"It's almost one," he reminded her. "The bar'll be closing before too long. Let's go."

"It'll be closing in over an hour," Shaniqua whined. "Please let us stay."

Katy rolled her eyes at the other girls. "Dean told us to go, so let's go."

Aly got in Katy's face. "Who appointed you queen of the world?" she asked.

Dean pushed himself between the two girls. "I don't feel like messing with this crap," he told them. "I'm going home now. If anyone else wants to go home, you can ride with me. We took more than one vehicle, so the rest of you can come home later. Enjoy your night, ladies."

"Really?" Brenda asked, surprised. She got an excited look on her face.

"I could care less. Do what you want."

"I'll ride with you," Katy told him.

Dean wanted to say no but didn't know how to without making it into a big deal. "Fine. Any other takers?"

The rest of the girls avoided looking at him.

"Well, that's just great," he muttered to himself. Audibly, he said, "Okay, then let's head home, Katy. The rest of you had better be back to Bobby's by six. Don't make me come find you."

The girls nodded their understanding then went back to what they were doing before Dean had interrupted them.

Katy gave him an eager look. "Ready to go?"

Dean took a deep breath. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked.

She grinned. "I have a few suggestions."

Dean gave her a severe look. "I can leave you here," he reminded her.

"You don't have to do that," Katy huffed. "I'll be good. Promise."

She followed him to the Impala and waited for him to open the door for her. He unlocked it but that was it. She tried to hide her disappointment as she opened the door herself and crawled into the car.

When she was seated, she pulled her arms around herself and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Brr, it's cold in here. Can I borrow your jacket?"

Dean took in her shivering form, clad in a sparkly tank top and jeans before answering, "No."

She looked surprised. "But, I'm cold," she protested.

Dean shrugged. "Then you should've worn more clothing."

Katy's jaw dropped. "Are you really not going to give me your jacket?"

Dean rolled his eyes and got out of the Impala. He walked around to the trunk and dug around in it. He found what he was looking for after a moment and slammed the trunk closed. He got back into the car and tossed a dark piece of clothing at Katy.

"There you go," Dean told her.

Katy held the cloth like it was radioactive. "What's this?"

"One of Sam's shirts that he left in my car."

"It's got pearl buttons on it."

Dean laughed. "You said you were cold. Beggars can't be choosers."

"You could wear the shirt, and I could wear the jacket," Katy suggested hopefully.

Dean laughed again. "Like I would be caught dead in that shirt," he told her. "Try again, Katy."

Katy crossed her arms unhappily and looked out the window. "I'll just tough it out," she pouted.

XXX

When they got back to Bobby's, Katy headed for the building that served as a dormitory for her and the other girls without even stopping to tell Dean goodnight.

Dean watched her go with a worried look then went to find Bobby. He found him in what he referred to as 'Defcon One.' He was sorting through a pile of papers and mumbling to himself.

"Whatcha doing, Bobby?" Dean wondered.

Bobby glanced up briefly then went back to shuffling through the papers. "Going over reports I received this week. Sometimes it sucks being the leader."

Dean pulled up a chair. "Anything I can help with?" he asked.

Bobby thought about it for a moment then grabbed a pile of papers. "See if anything in this stack looks legit."

"Okay."

Dean started reading. After about ten minutes of that, he put the papers down and fidgeted in his chair.

Bobby cleared his throat and gave him an annoyed look. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

Dean ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do about Katy."

"Katy?" Bobby's voice was wary. "I'm not going to like what you're about to say. I can already tell."

"Probably not," Dean admitted.

Bobby rubbed his temples. "What happened, Dean?"

Dean avoided answering the question. "That Katy, she could charm the devil, huh?"

Bobby looked increasingly concerned. "Just as long as she's not charming you."

Dean got an offended look on his face. "She's nineteen, Bobby."

"And that should reassure me, why exactly?" Bobby wondered.

Dean opened his mouth to respond then closed it and nodded. "Fair enough, Bobby. I told her no."

"Glad to hear it. Let's keep it that way."

"Still…"

"Don't finish that thought, Dean," Bobby warned him. "Anyone with a set of eyes can tell that Katy's got a crush on you. Hell, I'd say at least half if not all of the girls have a crush on you. That doesn't mean it's okay for you to do anything about it."

"I hadn't planned on it, Bobby. I'm just saying—"

"Well, don't. Don't even let yourself think about it. I want to be right about assigning the girls to you. Keep thoughts like that out of your head."

"You're right, Bobby. I shouldn't even think about it. It's hard when a beautiful woman has herself pressed against you and is offering you a night to remember."

"Dean, think long and hard about whether you feel you can trust yourself around Katy right now," Bobby said. His research was forgotten as he watched Dean with a look of open concern on his face.

"I told her no, Bobby," Dean reminded him angrily. "I can say no to a woman."

"You just usually don't," Bobby said. "Everything I've seen tells me that Katy can be relentless. Do you think you can withstand her advances?"

Dean laughed humorlessly. "I couldn't do anything about it right now, even if I wanted to. Having a big, giant knife stuck in your side kind of makes physical activity a bitch for awhile."

"Dean, this isn't a joke."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. Katy was bold enough to kiss me in a public place. She's definitely got it on her mind that nothing's going to stop her."

"That could be a problem."

"You're right; it could."

"I think you should limit your time alone with her for the time being."

"That's probably a good idea. She's the one that's going to have the problem with that, though."

A car came up the driveway then, breaking Bobby and Dean from their discussion.

"It's probably the rest of the girls," Dean guessed. "I told them to be home before six."

Bobby glanced at the security monitors. "Not unless they stole a cop car," he said.

Dean looked up at the monitor in alarm. "What could the police want with us?" he wondered.

Bobby looked very tired as he stood up and slid a knife into his back pocket. "I guess we better go find out."

Dean grabbed a gun and followed Bobby out of the room. "I'll get the door. You go out the back and swing around."

Bobby nodded his agreement and slipped out the back door.

Dean started toward the front door. The doorbell rang while he was on his way there, causing him to tense. He continued to the door and pulled it open. A couple of men in police uniforms were standing on the other side. One was a tall white man, the other a shorter Hispanic man.

"Can I help you with something?" Dean asked.

The taller of the officers nodded. "Are you Dean Winchester?"

Dean nodded, trying to figure out what was going on. "Yeah. Why do you want to know?"

"We need you to come with us."

Dean took a step back into the house. "Why?"

The other officer held up a warrant. "You are under arrest for the murder of one Elizabeth Barrister, a.k.a. Liz Barrister." The officer started into the Miranda rights' statement, but Dean was no longer listening. Everything seemed to switch into slow motion as the taller officer started handcuffing him.

All Dean could think was that this was a surreal dream, and he would soon wake up.

XXX

"What are we going to do, Bobby?" Dean wondered. "If I go to jail, I'm a sitting duck. In fact, right now I'm a sitting duck."

"Your attorney feels that the judge is not going to grant bail in this case. You know what that means, right?"

Dean nodded. "It means that I'm going to die in that crappy cell I've been stuck in for the last few days."

Bobby gave Dean a scolding look. "I'm working on getting some protection amulets through security. So far, this place has been pretty strict on what they allow in."

Dean snorted. "I wonder why," he said sarcastically. "It couldn't possibly be because Tom has everyone in this place in his back pocket."

"You gotta stay positive, Dean," Bobby told him. "I know that it doesn't look good right now, but I'm working on it."

"Well, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," Dean replied. His voice was thick with sarcasm.

"We're going to get through this," Bobby insisted. "You'll see."

"I don't understand, Bobby. Liz has been dead for five years, so why did they wait 'til now to have me arrested?"

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. There isn't a statute of limitations on murder, though, so they could have waited another ten years and still had you arrested. Why they chose this particular moment in history is beyond me. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, though. Until then, I have three hunters on an around the clock watch of the building. I put up as many wards and protections as I could. Hopefully it'll be enough to hold off whatever they've got planned. I'm still working on getting something past security."

Bobby's phone rang, and he glanced down at the caller id distractedly. He took a step away from Dean before he answered the call.

"Hello," he greeted with a cautious note in his voice. He listened for a moment then sighed.

"I'm handling it," he replied in a clipped tone. He glanced at Dean and turned his back to him when he realized that he was listening intently to the conversation.

"I said I'm handling it," Bobby insisted. "Don't do anything stupid. We can talk about this later, Lindsey. I'm in the middle of something right now."

Bobby glanced at Dean. "Goodbye, Lindsey," he said and hung up.

When Bobby turned around, Dean was watching him thoughtfully.

"Who was that?" Dean asked.

Bobby remained calm. "An overeager hunter wanting to prove herself," he explained.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "You said her name was Lindsey, right?"

Bobby nodded. "Right."

"Have I met her before? Sandy mentioned a friend named Lindsey. She was under the impression that we'd…" Dean trailed off as he realized what he was about to say to Bobby about one of his hunters. "…met," he finished lamely.

Bobby looked amused at Dean's attempt to cover what he was going to say. "Well, if you've met her, it's news to me. That doesn't mean you haven't, though."

"Is she another Cassie?" Dean wondered. "Am I going to keep asking and asking to meet her and keep getting the runaround, or is this someone I can actually meet face to face?"

Bobby sat down across from Dean and tried to steer the conversation away from Lindsey. "I think we should focus on getting you out of prison before we worry about contacting my hunters to, uh, 'meet,'" he suggested with a smirk.

"I just hadn't heard of this Lindsey chick until Sandy mentioned her. Now you're talking to her. It seemed like a weird coincidence, that's all," Dean explained a little sheepishly.

Bobby shrugged. "It may be less of one than you think. Lindsey's in a tizzy over Sandy's death, and she's gonna get herself hurt in her quest for revenge. She's letting her emotions get the best of her. I've tried to talk to her about it, but she thinks I'm trying to hold her back. Sound like anyone else we know?"

Dean glared at Bobby. "I can't get myself hurt. I'm locked in a tiny cell, remember?"

"I remember," Bobby assured him. "Let's hope we can keep you alive long enough to get you out of it."