Kat sat on the bed that her and Dean had shared the previous night in their Colorado motel room. The Winchesters were gathered around the desk their father sat at. Maps, newspaper articles, books, photographs covered the walls and various surfaces around the room. Kat twisted the Cult in her hands; her eyes scanning the text on the nearby walls.

"So, this is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon, right? And not a trace, just nothing….until about a year ago. For the first time, I picked up a trail" John gestured to all the papers in front of him.

"That's when you took off" Dean asked, Kat rolled her eyes. Abandoned his children would have been her choice of words.

"Yeah, that's right. The demon must have come out of hiding or hibernation"

"All right, so, what's this trail you found?" Dean's voice held a tone of excitement.

"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California—houses are burning down to the ground. It's going after families….just like it went after us"

"Families with infants?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah—the night of the kid's six-month birthday" John nodded.

"I was six months old that night?"

"Exactly six months" He told his youngest son.

"So, basically, this demon is goin' after these kids for some reason—the same way it came for me? So, Mom's death, Jessica—it's all 'cause of me?" Sam rose from his seat.

"We don't know that, Sammy" Kat told him.

"Oh, really, 'cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure" He huffed. He didn't mean to talk to her like that. She stood up, placing the Cult on the bed and opened her arms to him.

"What happened to them is not your fault ok Sammy" She spoke softly to him. She was having this very internal debate a few weeks ago. Her family, Jack it was her fault. She had come to the conclusion that there was no point crying over spilt milk. She couldn't change the past.

"Yeah, you're right, it's not my fault, but it's my problem" He shrugged at her. "You of all people should understand that" She nodded.

"No, it's not your problem, it's our problem!" Dean told him sternly.

"Okay. That's enough" John stood up. The boys fell silent.

"Why is it doing this John? What does it want?" Kat was not about to start taking orders from him.

"Look, I wish I had more answers. I do. I've always been one step behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save…" He trailed off.

" All right, so, how do we find it before it hits again?" Dean asked.

"There's signs. Look, it took me a while to see the pattern, but in the days before these fires, signs crop up in an area—cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked, and…" He sighed.

"These things happened in Lawrence" John nodded.

"The week before your mother died ... and in Palo Alto….before Jessica. And these signs—they're starting again"

"Where?" Kat was eager for a hunt, take her mind off of things.

"Salvation, Iowa"

Kat jolted forward, her eyes shooting open as the Dean made a sudden stop. They had not long entered salvation, Iowa.

"Dean what's wrong?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Don't know yet" He nodded to John's truck. They got out of the Impala.

"Damn it" John exclaimed.

"What is it?" Kat stretched.

"Son of a bitch!" John ran his hands threw his hair.

"What is it?" Dean demanded.

" I just got a call from Caleb"

" Is he okay?" Kat had worked with him on several occasions.

"He's fine. Jim Murphy is dead" John sighed.

"Pastor Jim?" John nodded at Sam's question.

"How?" Kat asked the question on everybody's lips.

"Throat was slashed—he bled out" The brothers looked horrified, Kat began to feel a strange sensation. She imagined all the blood; the dark, sweet liquid. She felt a slight burning hit the back of her throat. "Caleb said they found traces of sulphur at Jim's place"

"The demon" John nodded slightly at Dean. "Thedemon?"

"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're gettin' close"

" What do you want to do?" Dean asked, Kat took a deep breath.

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health centre in this county. We split up, we cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's gonna be six months old in the next week" Kat rubbed her throat, as she nodded at John.

"Dad, that could be dozens of kids. How the hell are we gonna know which one's the right one?" Sam didn't like this plan at all.

"We'll check 'em all, that's how. You got any better ideas?" Kat huffed, she wouldn't let him speak to her like that.

"No, sir" Kat rolled her eyes at Sam's surrender. John turned to face his truck, he began to walk towards it, he stopped.

"Dad?" Dean called, he turned to face them.

"Yeah….it's Jim. You know, I can't… This ends. Now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes" He got into his truck.

"Dean, you go with him" Kat gestured for him to join his father. He handed Kat the keys and kissed her forehead softly.

"Be careful"

"Always am" She smiled.

Sam returned to the Impala with his hands full of files. "Next" He told Kat. She started the engine.

"Sam ... you shouldn't blame yourself" She smiled at him weakly.

"Kat please" She interrupted him.

"I know exactly what you're going through and believe me ... and I know it feels like its your fault ... but we didn't chose to be ..." She struggled to find the appropriate word.

"Different" Sam answered for her.

"Exactly ... so we had no control over this, you were a baby ... you couldn't have done anything"

"And what about Jess huh? If I wasn't ..." He closed his eyes.

"Different" She had no answer for this one.

"Then she's still be alive"

"True" That wasn't the answer he was expecting. "But you still couldn't have stopped it, not on your own"
"If I would have just stayed with Dad and Dean then –" He rested his head in his hands.

"Would have never meet her, you wouldn't have had all that time with her, got an education, you wouldn't be the person you are now" His only response was a sigh. "You can't change the past and you can't spend the present blaming yourself"

" I know your right and I know that Jess and Mom wouldn't want me to but ..."

" I know ... look I'm here if you ever need me" She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you are, thank you Kat. I think I would have gone insane by now if you weren't here"

"Or killed your brother or both" They laughed. Kat pulled up at their next destination. Sam placed his fake ID back onto his jacket and got out of the car. Ten minutes or so went past and Kat watched as Sam exited the hospital. He stopped suddenly, grimaced in pain. Kat got out of the car and ran over to him. He massaged his temples, blinking several times. His breathing was heavy.

"What is it Sammy what do you see?" She rubbed his back.

"Train…." He gasped.

They returned to the Impala and began to check the map. They found a railway line and drove till they found the house from Sam's vision.

"Are you sure that's the one?" Kat questioned.

"Positive" A woman was walking down the street, pushing a baby carriage and holding an umbrella. "And that's the woman I saw" He got out of the Impala. Kat watched as he spoke to her on the other side of the street. She saw him waving goodbye and he returned to the Impala.

"What's going on Sam?" Kat could tell by his face there was something wrong.

"It's Rosie's six month birthday today" Kat sighed slamming her head into the back of her seat. Sam watched as Monica greeted her husband. He clutched his head again.

"Sam! Sam?"

Sam sat at the table in the motel room massaging his temples. Dean and John were watching him from their beds. Kat stood behind. Ready to defend him when John found out the truth.

" A vision?" John sounded unsure.

"Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling" He sighed.

"And you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because…?" John wasn't convinced. "Because these things happen exactly the way I see them"

" It started out as nightmares, and then he started having them when he was awake" Kat told John.

"Yeah. It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get"

"All right, when were you gonna tell me about this?" John looked over to Dean.

" We didn't know what it meant" He shrugged.

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone, and you call me" Dean stood from his seat on the bed and walked over to John.

"Call you? Are you kiddin' me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, all right? Sam called you when I was dying. Gettin' you on the phone—I've got a better chance of winnin' the lottery" Kat smiled, in your face John!.

"You're right. Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry"

"Look we can sit here all day and argue but the fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight" Kat's words caused the boys to calm.

"And this family's gonna go through the same hell that we went through" Sam looked from his dad to his brother.

"No, they're not. No one is, ever again" John told them all proudly.

"Right, I'm going to go and get a drink from the machine anyone want one?" Kat walked to the door. Sam's phone began to ring.

"No thanks" John replied, Sam shuck his head as he answered his phone.

"You want me to come with ya?" Dean offered.

"No it's fine" She shut the door behind her. The fresh air would do her good, she was thirsty. Really, really thirsty. She placed her money in the machine and pressed the button. She quickly gulped down the entire bottle. It wasn't enough the pain still remained. She was thirsty for blood. She thought that maybe a normal drink would service but obviously not. She crushed the bottle with ease. She had been experimenting in the past few weeks, trying to find out what she could and couldn't do. She figured that using her new found abilities was what had weakened her, made her thirsty. She slowly made her way back to the motel room. John handed the phone back to Sam. Anger plastered on his face.

"What? What's happened?" She looked over to Dean.

"It's Meg, she err she's the one who killed Jim and Caleb" Kat could feel the rage inside of her building.

"I knew it, I told you when we saw her that there was something wrong with her!" She shouted to Sam.

"She's in Lincoln, she wants the Cult" John told Kat.

"She can't have it" Kat sounded like a spoilt child.

"Kat if we don't she is going to kill anyone who has ever helped us, gave us shelter, anyone we've ever loved. They'll all die unless we give her that gun" Dean's eyes moved to Kat instantly.

"Where is she?" He watched her eyes flashed that familiar red. He frowned.

"A warehouse in Lincoln, on the corner of Wabash and Lake" John slammed down into the chair.

" So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam directed his question at Kat.

" Either that or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter" Kat looked over to John. "What do we do?" This wasn't her fight, it wasn't her decision to make. But the Cult was hers.

"I'm going to Lincoln" He told his boys.

"What?" Dean and Sam exclaimed in unison.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die"

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we've got. You can't just hand it over" Sam pleaded with his father.

"He didn't say anything about handing it over" Kat smirked. John nodded.

"Look, besides us and a couple vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like" John and Kat were on the same page for once.

"So, what, you're just gonna pick up a ringer at a pawn shop?" Dean scoffed.

"Antique store" Kat corrected. "You're gonna hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice?" Kat was all for not giving her the gun but a fake ... she wasn't so convinced.

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference" He assured her.

"Yeah, but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?" Kat was not about to take his orders.

"I just—I just need to buy a few hours, that's all" John looked over to his sons.

"For them?" John remained silent. "You want them to stay here….and kill this demon by themselves?" Kat raised her eyebrows.

"No, I want to stop losing people we love. I want Sam to go to school. I want Dean to have a home" He turned away as tears filled his eyes. "I want Mary alive" He turned back to face them. "I just….I just want this to be over" The brothers exchange tearful looks.

John and Sam were at the truck, getting their weapons ready. Dean pulled up next to them. He and Kat left the car and approach them.

"Did you get it?" Kat pulled out the fake gun, it was wrapped in paper, she handed it to John.

"You know this is a trap, don't you? That's why Meg wants you to come alone" Kat asked him directly. She wanted to get him alone as to not worry the boys but the opportunity had not arisen.

"I can handle her. I got a whole arsenal loaded—holy water, Mandaic amulets—"

"Dad…" Dean interrupted.

"What?"

"Promise me something" He smiled weakly.

"What's that?"

"This thing goes south, just get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed, all right? You're no good to us dead." John paused briefly.

"Same goes for you. All right, listen to me" He took the real Colt out of his coat pocket. "They made the bullets special for this Colt. There's only four of 'em left. Without 'em, this gun is useless. You make every shot count" He handed it to Kat.

"Let me come with you" The boys were shocked. Kat never gave the impression that she would put herself in danger for John. Hell she never gave the impression that she even liked him.

"I've been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here, and I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you and the boys now. I want you here to look after them for me" He smiled.

"I understand" She nodded. She had made that same promise to Mary. John turned to the boys.

"It's your fight. You finish this. You finish what I started. You understand?" They nodded.

"We'll see you soon, Dad" Sam said with confidence. John nodded and smiled.

"I'll see you later" He got in his truck and drove away.

"Later" Dean muttered to himself.

The gang sat in the Impala; parked across the street from Monica's House.

"Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak. Might get 'em out of the house for a few hours" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us?" Kat huffed at Dean's tone.

"Could always tell 'em the truth" Sam's tone was serious. Dean and Kat exchanged glances.

"Nah" They announced in unison.

"I know. I know, I know. I just—with what's coming for these people—" Kat rested her chin on his shoulder from her seat in the back. A frown on her face.

"Sam, we've only got one move, and you know it, all right? We've got to wait for that demon to show itself, and then we get it before it gets them" Dean told him. Sam nodded. Kat sighed.

"I wonder how Dad's doing" Sam looked over to Dean.

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backin' him up" Dean slouched into his seat.

" I'd feel a lot better if he were here backin' us up" Kat smirked. The brothers said nothing and continued to watch the house. After a few minutes of awkward silence.

"This is weird" Sam almost sounded happy.

"What Sammy?" Kat sat nervously picking at the black paint on her nails.

"After all these years, we're finally here. It doesn't seem real" He shrugged.

"We just got to keep our heads and do our job like always" Dean told them both.

"Yeah, but this isn't like always, is this how you felt Kat? When you finally killed Luther?" Sam turned to her.

"Yeah" Was her only response. Killing a pack of vampires was a walk in the park compared to killing a demon. Even with the Cult.

"Guys, uh…." Sam turned so that he could see them both from his seat in the front. "I wanna thank you both" He smiled.

"For what sweetie?" Kat was confused.

"For everything. You've always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone, I could always count on you two. And now….I don't know, I just wanted to let you know—just in case" He lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you kiddin' me?" Dean shuck his head.

"What?" Sam looked upset that his emotional speech was interrupted and the sentiment not returned.

"Don't say, "Just in case somethin' happens to you", I don't wanna hear that freakin' speech, man. Nobody's dyin' tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody—except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't gettin' any older than tonight, you understand me?" Sam nodded.

"Sammy were a family, it's what we do" Kat smiled. They resumed watching the house.

"I'm going to call dad see what's going on" Sam got out of the car and walked to a nearby bench.

"I'm guessing that if I asked you to go back to the motel you'd sat no right?" Dean asked Kat through the rear-view mirror.

"Nope" She smiled.

"Thought so" He smirked. She leaned forward and kissed his lips.

"I love you Dean Winchester" She smiled brightly.

"I love you too Kat Elkins" He kissed her again, passion increasing. Sam returned to the car. Kat sat back in her seat.

"Dad's not answering" He attempted not to draw ant attention to what he had just interrupted.

"Maybe Meg was late. Maybe cell reception's bad" Kat attempted to reassure the boys.

"Yeah, well…." Silence filled the car as the radio turned to static.

"Dean, wait. Listen" Kat leaned over and turned the dial. The reception had completely gone. The leaves outside begin to blow around. The lights in the house began to flicker rapidly. "It's coming" Kat could sense it. They all got out of the car.

Kat picked the lock quickly and they entered the house. Monica's husband entered the room with a baseball bat. He swung at Dean, but Kat pinned him against the wall. She was getting stronger.

"Get out of my house! Get out of my house!" He shouted.

"Mr. Holt, please" Sam pleaded with him.

"Be quiet and listen to me. We're trying to help you, okay?" Kat stared into his eyes. She could feel his resolve begin to sway.

" Charlie, is everything okay down there?" Monica's voice caused him to look away from Kat's eyes.

"Monica, get the baby!" He called back struggling against Kat.

"No, don't go in the nursery!" Sam called to her.

"You stay away from her!" He warned Sam.

"Dean go with Sam, I've got this" She gestured with her head for him to follow Sam up the stairs. She grabbed his jaw and forced him to look into her eyes. She knew vampires could compel people she had seen it a dozen times. She took a deep breath and concentrated. "Were here to help ok?" Her tone was soft and gentle. He nodded slowly.
"Your here to help"

"Yes we are, now you're going to be a good boy and remain still"

"I'm going to be a good boy and remain still" His voice was flat.

"Now let's go outside"

"Let's go outside" He began to walk to the front door.

The bedroom window exploded, sending glass and debris everywhere Kat ran and tackled Charlie out of the way running faster than she had ever ran before. Glass cut her back. She began to feel weak, the more she used her powers the easier it become to use more. The more she used the weaker she became. She stumbled to the ground, her hold over Charlie breaking.

Sam and Monica came out of the house, followed by Dean, he was carrying Rosie.

"You get away from my family!" He shouted at the brothers.

"Charlie, don't! They saved us" She took Rosie from Dean. "They saved us" Charlie kisses her forehead. "Thank you" Dean ran to Kat.

"Are you alright baby?" He winced at the sight of her back. The blood had began to pour down soaking her black t-shirt. Sam turned and looked up at the bedroom window. His eyes widened. The silhouette of the demon could be seen.

"It's still in there" He began to move back towards the house; Dean reluctantly moved away from Kat and grabbed him.

"Sam, no!" They wrestled with each other for a minute.

"Dean, let me go! It's still in there!" Kat's vision began to blur.

"Burning to the ground—it's suicide!" Dean shouted.

"I don't care!" Was Sam's response.

"We do" Kat's weak words caused them to separate. They looked up at the window to see the demon once more before it disappeared. Kat passed out.

They returned to the motel room. Dean lay Kat down on the bed; face down. He ripped her t-shirt open with ease. He then began to gently remove the pieces of glass. He and Sam watched in awe as the wounds instantly healed. He got a towel from the bathroom and wiped the remaining blood from her pale skin. He gently shook her.

"Kat, Kat baby are you ok?" He brushed her hair from her face.

"Dean ... err ... I think she needs ... blood" Sam sat down on his bed. He shrugged as Dean's face dropped.

"What?" He spoke as if what Sam was suggesting was stupid but in-fact it made perfect sense.

"Dean she lost blood, she healed that's gotta take a lot of energy right?"

"No, no she wouldn't want that" Dean shook his head.

"I think she would Dean; she's a vampire" Sam's spoke in a blatant stating the obvious manor.

"No we'll leave her for the night ... when she wakes up she can take her iron supplements" He nodded trying to convince himself that it would work.

"And what if she doesn't wake up?" Sam frowned.

"Sam she'll be fine alright!" He slammed down on one of the plastic chairs that surrounded the coffee table. He took his phone out of his pocket and rang John's number.

"Come on, Dad. Answer your phone, damn it" He hung up. "Something's wrong" Sam didn't answer. "You hear me? Something's happened"

"If you had just let me go in there, I could have ended all this" Sam clenched his fists.

"Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life" The worry for his father and now Kat was grating on him, his fuse was getting shorter.

"You don't know that" Sam told him calmly.

"So, what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?" Dean was getting increasingly angry.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're damn right I am" Sam stood up.

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen—not as long as I'm around" He pointed to himself.

"What the hell are you talkin' about, Dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about ... apart from Kat and Jess" He frowned as he glanced over at Kat's still form.

"Sam, I wanna waste it. I do, okay? But it's not worth dyin' over" He sighed.

"What?" Sam would have.

"I mean it. If huntin' this demon means you gettin' yourself killed, then I hope we never find the damn thing"

"That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom" The anger in Sam's tone increased as the sentence went on.

"You said yourself once….that no matter what we do, they're gone. And they're never comin' back" Sam grabbed Dean by his shirt and pinned him up against the wall.

"Don't you say that! Don't you—not after all this, don't you say that!"

"Sammy, look….the four of us—that's all we have. And that's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holdin' it together, man" He began to get emotional. Sam, with tears in his eyes, let go of Dean. "Without you, Kat and Dad…" Sam turned away.

"Dad…." They both fell silent for a minute. "He should have called by now. Try him again" Dean picked up his cell phone and dialled John's number.

"You boys really screwed up this time" Meg teased, Dean became infuriated.

" Where is he?" He demanded.

"You're never gonna see your father again" She hung up.

" They've got Dad" The brothers exchanged a look of concern and anger. Dean swung his arm across the sideboard; causing the porcelain vase to shatter. A single shard dug into his arm. Kat rose from the bed, eyes deep red, fangs exposed.

To Be Continued