Hey all! As you know, I own nothing associated with the show Supernatural. I can, however, take credit for Kate and now her father. As always thank you for returning to these updates, I am very close to finishing the rewrite of chapter 12 so for those re-reading or new readers that have skipped it, please be on the lookout for that coming update. I am so grateful to you all. Here is Chapter 20, part 1. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 20: Croatoan Part 1


Flashes of the hotel room hit her rapidly, the same one that she'd shared with the boys in Mississippi. Except it looked like the Tasmanian devil tore through it holding a ketchup bottle. Blood was splattered everywhere. A blood trail stained the carpet. It appeared as if someone had been dragged out of the bathroom through the entryway. A dead Silvia Pearlman was laid out, face up in front of the open door leading to the bathroom. Her throat was slashed wide open.

"Oh no." She heard Sam mutter from the doorway as both men made their way into the room.

"Katie?!" She heard Dean call out.

Kate could hardly make out the words they were saying when they didn't receive an answer or hear a response. She saw concern all over Sam's face while Dean's was masked in anger. Dean moved over towards the bathroom door and entered it slowly, only to come out upholding the Angel blade that Kate had been unable to grab as she was dragged out. "Son of a bitch!" He cursed as he tossed the weapon over onto his bed. Her vision was steadily fading as she saw Sam suddenly grip his head in pain. Dean moved across the room quickly to help prevent Sam from dropping to the floor as a vision seemed to overwhelm him. It was then that she lost her own, and the boys faded from view.

She slowly came to, feeling a dim throbbing from within her head, her hands were bound together in front of her at her wrists, and her legs were outstretched before her, also bound around her ankles. Other than the pain in her head and wounds, she noted how dry her mouth felt. She was leaning against the base of a sink counter. She could feel her nose was swollen, and her forehead was cut, blood had dripped down her forehead and dried there while she was unconscious. She fought to bury her growing panic, fighting to focus on herself and her surroundings. The surrounding area seemed quiet, eerily quiet.

Kate scrambled towards the nearest window and hesitantly looked out over the sill. She was surrounded by woods. She didn't appear to be in Rosedale, Mississippi anymore, she internally groaned as she turned around and slid back down to the floor again. She didn't like being alone, and without her Angel blade that she'd so recently come to rely on. Kate let out a huff, only to hear footsteps heading in her direction from down the hall.

"So, she awakens…" She dimly recognized the person's voice as the guy that had knocked her out back in Mississippi. Duane Tanner, his name finally popping into the forefront of her brain from the lower depths of her mind. "I've gotta tell you, for a human, you do have a remarkable recovery time. I had a tough time of it keeping you knocked out through the trip here."

"What do you want with me?" She questioned, ignoring his statement entirely, Kate's voice was hoarse from lack of water, and she also mentally noted how empty her stomach felt. She sent a hardened glare to the man's taller frame standing in the doorway.

"I just want you out of the way, however, a mutual acquaintance was ever surprised when I filled him in on tracking you down to that hotel. Shame about that doctor lady, she may not have died by a hellhound, but her soul was sent downstairs either way."

Kate made a move to jump up but was quickly reminded that she had no cards to currently play here as Duane's black eyes glared at her and she found herself slammed back against the wall. "Oooh hoo hoo. Touchy subject, is it?" He was baiting her, and Kate knew it. "Guess the saving people bit of the job is hard for you, isn't it?" He continues, his voice low and threatening. She mustered up the most hateful glare to send at him and just leaned back against the wall deciding it best to keep her mouth shut. A moment passed where the two remained that way before he broke the silence, "Hunting things seems to come with ease for you though. Rumour has it that somehow or other, you've recently been able to kill off, a couple of hellhounds, a demon, and an angel. All in the span of two days." As he spoke he moved in closer, until he was crouching over her unmoving legs staring into her eyes sending her body into fight or flight mode. "Now tell me, how is that possible?" He questioned as he slowly moved to brush some of her hair out of her face. She noted he held a knife in his other hand. It looked like the tip of a spear with a shortened horizontal handle on the end. He held it tightly between his fingers as he made a fist.

"Hmm. You're supposed to be nothing but a mere human, one who just… knows too much." He continued softly. Kate figured he was speaking more to himself as she hadn't uttered a word in answer. "Mmm, I'd love to jump your bones and dig out what you know. It must be fascinating in that head of yours." Kate hated being looked at as a damn science experiment by all the freaking creatures in this universe. At least Sam, Dean, and Bobby treated her like a human being. However grouchy the latter two had been initially.

"Interesting; That you're supposed to know so much, yet say so little. Perhaps everything I've come to hear about you has all been a little exaggerated." Duane continued. Kate stiffened as she made an attempt to pull as far back from him as she could as he leaned in closer to her. "Where am I?" She questioned, wanting some sort of distraction.

"Oh, look at that, so you don't know everything?" The demon asked pulling back, his eyebrows raising in mock interest as a disturbing grin bloomed over his features.

"That's enough," A new voice came from behind Duane. One that Kate hadn't heard in some weeks. Gina. She came into Kate's line of sight as Duane pulled back, turning to face off with the slim redhead. "You have a job to do." Gina reminded the man before her.

"Ya know, we could just give her the virus," Duane suggested as he glanced over his shoulder at Gina's form, currently leaning up against the doorway.

"No, that's the opposite of what we want to do, we need her lucid so she can tell us what she knows. This test, you go see it though. Azazel is counting on this." Merrick stated in Gina's darkened tone. "You better be on your way back to town. The Winchesters have gotta be knee-deep in Croats by now, and we need you to keep an eye on the younger brother. Pestilence spread it earlier so it should start beginning to be taking effect by now." Duane appeared torn, clearly, watching Kate squirm uncomfortably had brought him some sick sense of joy. He, however, slowly stood up, pulling away from Kate before walking out of the open doorway. She could hear his footsteps grow quieter in the distance until she heard silence.

"Merrick," Kate greeted, her voice cracking at the use of her dry throat.

"Hiya Katie," Gina said with a nod. "Apologies for the accommodations, but we couldn't have you running around messing up the field test of the virus on us. If you were to alert the boys now, then all this work would have been for nothing." the demon explained, stepping into the small bathroom.

So, she was in Oregon already. She must have been repeatedly knocked out by the demon possessing Duane as it's almost a two-day drive just to get here from where she and the boys were in Mississippi. Kate figured that had explained why her face felt the way it did right now. "No matter." Gina continued, "Seems you'll be kept tied up in here, nice and cozy until this is all over. Seems that you and I will have all the time in the world to chat about your adventurous last two days. We got a lotta questions for you, Kate, like how you could murder one of our own during your narrow escape in Baltimore and how you managed to kill a couple of hellhounds, and the biggest question we got is how that Angel died in lock up with you. Gettin' some friends in high places, are we?"

Kate was half tempted to correct Merrick in saying Silvia took out the second hellhound, but… she swallowed her words. She was just biding time until she was left alone. She knew that given her current predicament, she only had one card to play now. She was going to have to call in someone for help. "What makes you think I'm making any friends?" Kate questioned.

"No human would be able to survive a hell-hound attack, not without some sort of mojo backin' them. Least of all an angel attack." He explained in Gina's voice.

"You seem to think that the Angel that died; was there to attack me," Kate stated as she took in Gina's unreadable face.

"I hear things," Merrick replied cryptically as he pushed Gina's body off the doorway and entered the bathroom. Kate suddenly found her body pressed against the wall, her legs seemingly stuck to the floor, unable to move. "I'm sure the all-mighty heavens aren't very happy that you even know of their existence, let alone shared it with the Winchesters. It's been a not-so-well-kept secret for ages. I mean only the select few have ever been clued in to the true answer to that big age-old question. God, is he real, or make-believe." Merrick continued on explaining. Kate could recall from Sioux Falls that this demon really did like the sound of his or her own voice. Gina's body was still wearing the same clothes that she had been two months back from the bar. Jeans, an edgy T-shirt, and a dark leather jacket. Quite the opposite of what Kate remembered seeing the real Gina wearing that night they met in Colorado.

"What do you know about god?" Kate asked through gritted teeth as she tried to fight Merrick's hold over her body to no avail. She knew that keeping him talking might be her only clear way to remain alive.

"You aren't the only one with friends in high places, darling." As Merrick said this he moved forwards and crouched down to get on Kate's eye level.

"What do you want with me?" Kate asked him softly, her voice barely audible.

"It's not what I want. It's Ol' yellow eyes' plan that matters."

"What does Azazel want with me?" Kate asked slowly, voice soft.

"He wants to know what weapon you have, and where it's stashed away," Merrick replied quickly. He leaned in suddenly, Gina's voice lowered but maintained the same threatening tone all the same. "Katie, you remember back when I'd bargained with the Winchester boys for the Colt? Of course, you do. You've got some permanent reminders going up your left forearm, don't ya?" She felt the light touch of Gina's free hand trailing down her left forearm that held all the scars from the broken pieces of glass he'd cut her with. "Well, genius the whole idea was to keep the weapon away from them boys. But now that you've found another one to use against him, it's making Azazel feel... let me think... uneasy? No, more like homicidal." Kate flinched back as Gina's arm outstretched quickly, like a snake on the attack, and a familiar-looking knife was jabbed into the drywall by her head. Kate heard the resounding crack reverberate through her ear. She was left pinned against the wall breathing hard as her fight-or-flight reflexes kicked it into high gear.

"If you don't tell me the location of whatever weapon you managed to get your hands on, I've been given the go-ahead to just kill you," Kate swallowed thickly, not seeing any signs of jest or sarcasm on Gina's face or tone of voice. She knew then that she needed to find a way out of here, and fast. "Azazel's figured whatever information you know isn't worth the risk of his death before the plan's completion."

"What if I could tell you when, where and exactly how he dies?" Kate questioned in the heavy silence. If Kate hadn't been pinned against the wall, she was pretty sure her body would be trembling at the threat that Merrick held over her. She watched Gina's mouth open to form a response, but a figure in the doorway interrupted him.

"Sir," Duane stood in the hall just outside the bathroom. "We've hit a snag with the test."

"What are you talking about?" Merrick asked as he turned and send Duane an annoyed look. "Nevermind," Gina's voice breathed out as her arm yanked the knife back out of the wall and she pulled away. "Guess, if you really want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." Merrick continued as Gina's boots walked across the tile. Kate stared as the demon turned around and faced off with her again, "Don't go anywhere, love. I'll be back to finish our chat." With that said, Merrick reached through the doorway suddenly and shut her in the bathroom. She heard a lock click from the outside, and then heavy footfalls of the two demons as they walked back across the hall and down a flight of stairs.

Kate tested her limbs and found they could move again. She was left shaken and pulled her knees up to her chest and hunched her head over them, her forehead just barely touching her kneecaps. As she muttered a quick prayer for help, she called out to her father in particular, and briefly, she thought of Cas but then quickly tried to push him from her mind as he was still fighting the good heavenly fight. Kate wasn't sure what she thought. She knew any sort of assistance wasn't going to be immediate, but she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to wait it out.


Azrael glanced around the surrounding yard. He'd heard Kate's whispered prayer, and he knew from the sudden loudness of her voice in his head that she was somewhere held in the house before him. He stood on the other side of a nearby tree right in the front yard. A train chugged along its railroad tracks somewhere nearby.

Azrael had a sinking feeling within him, he attributed it to the sudden amount of nearby demons, but it still hadn't settled his loud thoughts. He had been around a long time, long enough to see the creation of Earth, and the evolution of man. He looked around the house noting the warding that would be invisible to the human eyes. Huffing a sigh, he fought through the voices to locate two in particular. Kate's current bodyguards- although, he felt they were doing a rather shoddy job at keeping his daughter safe. He made quick work of finding them at the only med center within this small town, and within a blink of an eye, he was standing outside it.

Azreal was easy enough to spot, his tall, thin frame was only exacerbated by the black clothes he wore on the outside. He remained in this vessel for the last twenty-odd years. At least half of those years were spent in the non-magical universe, happily, with his newfound family. He'd been thrown out all those years ago, the higher-ups in heaven hadn't liked him towing the company line as it were. He came too close to amassing followers in God's absence- Zachariah mostly, found him threatening.

Azrael stood before the glass door, he moved to enter the building and was greeted by the shocked faces of the two people he had been looking for.

"Who're you?" He heard the shorter one ask gruffly. A taller man stood behind him, also wearing a surprised facial expression.

"I believe you know my daughter, whom, it seems you've lost." That was all Azrael had said in response.

He watched Sam, and Dean- whichever was which he was unsure, take a step back from him as he blinked in his direction.

"I'm sorry, daughter?" The shorter one asked, not quite putting two and two together just yet.

"Kate. You're Kate's father?" The tall one questioned incredulously. "So- so- so, you're like-? An angel?"

Azrael didn't respond verbally, he just nodded. "Do you know where Kate is?" He asked, his mind seemingly returning to himself long before the shorter one had.

"A group of demons have her in a house, not far from here. Just out of town up the road. Aspen way, I believe it was called."

The brothers before him shared a dumbfounded look. "We were there earlier. We didn't hear anything." The short one stated in a final tone, his short-cropped hair was spiked, giving him an extra quarter of an inch in height than he really had. Azrael stared at the brothers before him, unimpressed.

"I heard her. Loud and clear." He responded, his voice was low as he tapped a temple with his pointer finger. Azrael didn't come here to be questioned, not by a mere human, one that according to Kate jump starts the end of the world here as they know it. Azrael could sense some anger from the shorter of the two, the taller one still stared at him as if he'd come flying down from heaven with a scythe.

"Look, sir, finding Kate is our top priority, that's why we came all the way here. I had a-."

"Sam." The shorter one had quickly cut off the taller man that was speaking. "Don't you think sharing a little too much isn't caring, it's just oversharing-."

"It's his daughter, Dean." The taller one- Sam stated. Azrael was growing antsy. He had wished he would've been able to just rescue Kate himself, but with the sigils, he saw on the outside of the house, he knew that demons must've connected Kate with working with some angels.

"Look, guys, I'm afraid I don't have the time-." He began in a hushed voice, only to have the angry short man interrupt him, again.

"Yeah, well you'll have to just make time then, because, compadre, the town has been infected with a virus. One that has no cure, and causes all the townspeople to go all out psycho and murder anyone they can get their hands on."

Azrael paused as he stared down at what he knew now to be Dean. He tilted his head to the side slightly, "Croatoan?" He questioned. Azrael knew he'd seen flashes of reapers in some parts of the town, more than usual but he'd been so caught up in his more personal problem that he hadn't thought too hard about it.

"I'm sorry?" Dean questioned an eyebrow up in confusion.

"There's more than just Kate calling out to me. I can feel some of the souls as they're-," He hesitated but pushed on with gentle words for the humans before him. "Guided on…" He trailed off staring out the same glass door he'd just entered from. He saw a line of reapers across the street, with more appearing by the minute. A massacre was about to take place here. He needed to get to Katie, and fast.

"Hello?" He heard Dean ask, calling his attention back to the two boys before him.

"We need to get to her. Now." The boys could hear the change in the tall thin man's tone. Azrael briefly wondered just how much trouble Kate was in, would demons try to infect her with this virus in the off-hand it would cause her to tell them what she knew.

"What is it?" Sam asked slowly.

"This has happened before. Centuries ago."

"Roanoke," Sam whispered. Dean glanced behind him, up at his brother, and then back at the Angel before him.

"Alright, so… how do we stop this?" As he asked he clapped his hands and rubbed them together as if ready to get to work. Azrael glanced behind the pair to see a doctor woman working over a crying blonde, and a nurse seemingly taking samples of blood from a man, that appeared to be dead.

"One moment," Azrael muttered before he moved further into the medical clinic. The boys were hot on his heels, unsure what he would do. The woman doctor met his gaze as he entered the exam room.

"-wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?"

Azrael stood, waiting for an answer. The woman very shortly nodded her head, it was almost imperceivable to Azrael, "They beat me, tied me up." She answered quietly, clearly still in shock.

"I don't believe it." The blonde nurse in the corner said, her face void of emotions.

"Pam-." The doctor held out her hand as she stood in front of the crying, older woman seated over the patient bed.

"Beverly, do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?"

Beverly seemed to shake her head, "No, of course not. I don't know why, one minute… they were my husband and son, and the next… they had the devil in them."

Azrael could have stopped breathing at her statement. This woman either knew already or she was more in touch with her sixth sense than most. He could sense a good lot of demons within the house Kate was stuck in, even more, were on the outskirts of town, probably to prevent any escape attempts. The Croatoan virus was a particularly nasty thing that the horseman, Pestilence had cooked up from within himself. This time was not the first time that demons had gotten ahold of it. The last time it had been unleashed on gods creation, the angels had been able to quarantine it to a single town, some settlers from England had already died, and some of the nearby settling natives had also been pulled into trouble with the demons. Azrael almost shuddered at the memories of the war that were recalled at the idea that it was being released again.

"Hey, you got any ideas you'd like to share?" Dean asked him gruffly. Azrael would've liked to answer his smartassery with his annoyance, but he was more focused on the bigger problem in the room. The woman, seated before him was infected. He could smell the familiar scent of decay on her as he had the day he'd touched down in the Roanoke colony.

"Ma'am, I'd like to ask you a few questions." He spoke now, singularly addressing the woman.

"Hey-," He saw the shorter of the two- Dean. Start to move further into the room, but Sam pulled him back instinctively.

The woman hesitated as she looked Azrael over, he knew that there was an unearthly quality about him. His wife had always told him so back when he lived his happier, nonmagical life with her and his children- the boys of course had already been around by the time he met Kate's mother, but he had wholeheartedly accepted them as his own.

"I am inclined to believe that your husband and son were infected with something. A virus not seen in this area for, some time now."

"Are you from the CDC?" the doctor asked, interrupting. Azrael knew humans well enough to know that the truth was never something they could handle- even in his life away from all this, he'd never mentioned to his wife all he knew. He never told her that at one time he was an angel of the lord. That he had memories that would send her worst nightmares running. He had tried once, but he had quickly found out that most humans, could only know so much.

"I am," He acknowledged shortly before turning his attention back to the woman seated before him. "Now, did their blood enter your wound?" The woman gasped in surprise.

"You- you don't think that I have whatever they did, do you?" She asked, the terror clear in her voice.

"I'm afraid that I do, and the more troubling part is that there is no cure for it."

"What is 'it'?" the doctor questioned, her voice snapping.

"Please, Beverly. Take my hand." Azrael asked as he offered her his hand. When she took it she passed out within seconds. He caught her upper half and laid her back down over the patient bed.

"Hey!" The doctor shouted as the two boys behind him seemed to react with the same outrage.

Azrael had been as gentle as possible in moving the woman's limbs, "She was infected." He stated simply with a glance in both directions, one at the doctor woman, and the other to the pair of hunters. "She is simply passed out. Check her blood in about two hours if you don't believe me. You will see something very interesting."

The doctor hesitated, unmoving as she continued to glare, "Pam, please grab a vial of blood from Beverly." Azrael held his hands up fending off the doctor's glare.

"You've been through this before," The angel turned and his eyes met Sam's. He had caught on that the angel knew what he was talking about in learning through his own experience. "You know what this is…" He trailed off, his voice low.

"We need to take this outside," Dean uttered, his glare of mistrust still pinned on Azrael. With a quick glance at the two women bustling around the office, Azrael then followed the men.

"So, what is this? Night of the Living Dead?" Dean asked his eyebrows up, Azrael had just closed the door behind him to the exam room when Dean was standing toe-to-toe with him. Azrael's eyes seeming flashed a neon blue color at the challenge. Dean thought better of getting defensive with the guy and took two steps back

"This virus is demonic in nature, it stemmed from Pestilence, my brother horseman. It is particularly nasty as there is no cure for it. Anyone that has it in their system turns very violent in a matter of 4 or 5 hours upon contracting it, they try to spread it with blood-to-blood contact. Hence why I- assisted in knocking out Mrs. Beverly."

"Oh, great; that's just friggin' great," Dean muttered sarcastically, now turning and walking away. "A demonic virus."

"More like demonic germ warfare…" Sam trailed off in disgust. "Look, is there any way to stop it from spreading?" Sam asked, he stood by the counter in the waiting room, Azrael shook his head, "Last time it was unleashed containing it was the best we could do, and that was a garrison of angels."

"If you're powerful enough to have fought this before then how come-?" Sam began.

"If I'd gotten here earlier in the spread of this thing, maybe I could do something on my own, but now? The only thing I'm focused on is getting my daughter out of that house. If they're looking to gain any insights from her, they have the means to do it. Especially with this virus."

"Well, let's go then," Dean stated suddenly snatching up his sawed-off shotgun and cocking it.

"Hold it, what about them?" Sam asked nodding into the other room.

"They have their jobs to do and we have ours," Azrael stated cooly.

Dean sighed heavily, "Alright then Sam, stay here. We'll handle getting Katie,"

Sam opened his mouth to probably protest, but Dean didn't stick around to hear whatever it was Sam wanted to say. Dean stalked out of the building with his duffle bag clasped in his hand. Finally. Azrael thought as he followed Dean out to his car.


Kate had been sitting in this godforsaken bathroom for some time now, and she was kept on her toes in terror. She occasionally heard the sounds of other people in the house, but she hadn't had the chance to check things out. She was still searching the bathroom she was in for anything she could use to cut the ropes binding her limbs. She'd searched through the cabinet under the sink but found nothing sharp enough to help there.

She made a move to pull herself up, but the wound she had received two days ago in Mississippi was still a hindrance. Demons apparently had no thought of human necessities as her wound hadn't been looked at once. She had two puncture wounds over the front half of her abdomen, she remembered Silvia saying they weren't deep enough to need stitches, thankfully, but the wound continued reopening and bleeding out whenever she moved around too much.

The lower half of Kate's tank top was now scratchy and rough against her open wound. It had absorbed blood from the bite wound and was left to dry there. Kate finally managed to get her bound-up feet under her as she pulled herself up against the sink counter. She slowly pulled open the cabinet above the sink and found what she was initially looking for, a small wrap of gauze. Kate spotted some nail clippers, and a pair of scissors so she worked at trying to cut herself out of her bindings before replacing the two things back in the shelves. Kate froze when some medicine bottles clattered down into the bowl of the sink below, but with no response from outside the bathroom, she released her tense breath and moved to turn on the tap, very gingerly. She rinsed off her hands in the cold water and cleaned what she could from her wound. Grimacing as she pulled her shirt up with one hand she splashed water from the faucet on her fingers and tried wiping away some of the blood there.

Reaching for the hand towel she found on a nearby rail she dampened it and pressed it gently against her side. She heard the sound of wood splintering as a door was broken downstairs. Kate dropped her towel to the floor with an audible 'plop'. She wondered briefly if the boys were here to rescue her, or even her father. She wasn't sure but knew to prepare either way. Her shaky fingers moved quickly unraveling the gauze and circling it around her lower torso. She didn't have time to search for the clasps to keep the gauze around her midsection so she settled for tying it tightly along one of the previous layers of gauze. Kate could hear the grunts and groans of fighting getting closer now.

She looked around for anything she could use as a potential weapon but was coming up short. She paused her eyes taking in the shelves above the sink she'd previously scoured for medical supplies. She snagged up a couple of items, lipstick, and some random men's body spray, and moved quickly. Kate was quick to draw out a devil's trap under the rectangular mat in front of the shower stall. She left it in front of the doorway. If it didn't keep the demons out altogether, she figured it would at least slow them down. Kate made yet another mental note for things to buy when she was out of danger, she should just start carrying rosary beads with her, at least then she would've been able to turn all this water into a weapon.

She moved quickly as more noises of wood splintering reached her ears. She could hear scuffling and slamming outside the bathroom door. Kate grunted from exertion as she pushed open the bathroom window. A quick glance out told her that if there had been any demons out there on patrol earlier they were very preoccupied with whatever had made its way into the house.

"Kaydence, you're okay." She stilled hearing the voice of her dad behind her. She turned facing off with him. His tall frame leered over hers.

"Da-." The word cut off in her throat as she hadn't wanted to call him such a familiar name just yet. "Wait, if you're in here, then who-?"

"Your friend, Dean Winchester, and I came to get you."

"Dean-? You can't just leave him back there!" Kate hollered as she moved to sidestep her father to get to the door. Azrael gripped Kate's arm and pulled her back. Within the blink of an eye, Kate found herself by the Impala, probably some ways down the road. Kate noted quickly that while her clothes still showed exactly all that she'd been through in the last forty-eight hours, her body felt brand new. She supposed she had her dad to thank for that.

"We're going back to get him." Was all Kate said with a glare.

"We came here to get you out," Azrael answered, he opened his mouth to continue, but Kate crossed her arms as she leaned against the Imapala and looked around the dead empty road. "No. We are getting him. Now."

"Kaydence Emily." Her father stated, in an actual serious tone.

Kate couldn't hold back the scoffing laughter that escaped her mouth even if she'd tried to, "It's a little late to pull the middle name card, don't you think?"

Azrael stared at her open-mouthed at her statement. He knew his daughter had a point, but she had to understand. "Look, it's not as if I don't want to, but I sensed another presence back there. A powerful one, and if I'm right going back wouldn't just put you or myself in danger."

Azrael didn't say any more on the subject, but Kate had assumed it was Castiel he was referring to. She barely spared him a glance as she reached into the back of the Impala, where she found her duffel bags. She rummaged around for a minute before pulling out Uriel's Angel blade, well… her Angel blade, actually.

Damnit, she thought to herself. She was betting Cas was here due to her earlier praying. She'd tried not to think of the angel as she called out for help, but even her split-second thought of him while praying must've put her on Angel's radar. Kate's eyes moved around the empty road they were on. "I don't care. Dean needs help. He- he can't take on Cas all by himself, at least not now anyway. Castiel is still just an obedient little soldier. Dad, he'll slaughter Dean and not think twice."

Kate hadn't even realized she'd called him dad until after she'd finished the sentence, but Azrael had. She saw his face change in a split second, a smile seemed to stretch over his mouth as he stared at her intensely. He suddenly straightened up, and Kate reacted quickly gripping the outside of her father's arms. Before she could release her breath she found herself standing before the front door of the house she'd been locked in for the majority of the day.

"Damnit Katie." Her father gritted out between clenched teeth. "Stay behind me."

Kate just nodded, her Angel blade was out and at the ready. Her father slowly pushed the door open and was instantly on the defensive. Kate wasn't entirely surprised by what she found before her. The living room was littered with bodies. Each person was seemingly murdered. Bloody and harsh.

"You don't seem to understand what's at stake here, friend." While Kate recognized that voice and knew instantly that it wasn't Castiel.

Kate heard Dean grunt and the sound of something thudding to the floor.

"I-It's Merrick." She muttered. Her father swiftly turned to her holding his finger over his lips telling her to 'shush'. He pulled her with him up against the wall near the open doorway leading into the kitchen, where Dean and two other people appeared to be.

"Hm, well Dean? It would seem that the only person to know of their whereabouts would be you."

"As I said earlier. I have no idea where they went, even if I did… why would I tell you?" Kate could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. She heard him spit out what she assumed was blood. Kate could see it as though she were back home watching the show on tv. Kate hoped to hell that Gina made it out of this alive but, her hope was waning.

"Alright Dean. Say I believe you, say I believe that Kate just vanished from here. Why all of a sudden would she leave you behind? After everything that you all have been through together?"

"Sounds like a question for Katie," Dean muttered back cheekily. Kate heard him groan in pain again and made a move to rush into his defense, but her father threw his arm out across her chest and pushed her back against the wall. He stood slowly and moved into the open doorway.

"You know what Dean-o? I don't think she'd leave you behind at all. No, no, no… Not with the way she feels about you."

"And how would you know anything about that?" She heard Dean question in a strained voice. Kate felt heat flooding her face at how the conversation was changing in the other room.

"Uhm. Hellooo?" Merrick replied in a slow drawn out sarcastic tone. "Psychic here. You're forgetting that pretty little Katie came running to see Gina here, months ago during your hunt for those vampires in Colorado. Admittedly, she was searching for a way back home, but Gina here also saw a couple of snippets of her life on the road, with you and Sam more notably, that first kiss you two shared and how she felt about it." A pause passed when Kate heard Gina release a breath out in a whistle, "Talk about puppy love. That girl would do anything for you, man, and you're just leading it all on. You must get a kick outta having her all twisted up for you, huh?"

Kate's face was undoubtedly redder than it had been in quite some time. The demon enjoyed using Gina's knowledge of Kate's life, whether it was to break Kate down or embarrass her, it was clear that it got a kick out of it.

"I don't know how she feels, but Gina sure does, and there ain't no way that girl planned to leave you here to fend me off by yourself. She'll be back, and I'll be here... waiting." Kate heard a grunt from Dean, and then silence. Her brain instantly thinking up horrible scenarios to fill in the blank visual.

"You check on Dean. I'll handle the demon." Azrael's voice cut into Kate's thoughts.

Her father moved to pull away from the wall and spin away into the kitchen, but Kate scrabbled at the back of her dad's overcoat quickly she pulled him back, "You can't kill the vessel. Gina, she's- she's a friend, of sorts."

She heard her dad groan softly and saw him roll his eyes, but nodded nonetheless and moved to enter the kitchen doorway.

"What in the hell-?" Kate heard Gina's voice question. She didn't stop to look, she stayed low and made her way towards Dean's unmoving form over the floor. She was crouched behind the island, unseen by the distracted demon. She reached out steadily and managed to pull a half-conscious Dean closer to her by his arm, also hiding him away behind the Island in the kitchen. She pulled him into a sitting-up position, leaning back against the Island for support.

"Guess, little Katie does have friends in high places, after all, Angel." Gina's voice greeted icily.

"Where's your ring leader?" Kate heard her father question, cutting right to the chase.

"Hmm… How to say this nicely? How 'bout you take a flying leap, right back behind those warm and safe pearly gates, you winged prick." Kate could hear the tinge of fear that overtook Merrick's tone under the facade of a threat.

She heard a low chuckle come from her father, "Oh, I'm not just any winged prick," Kate couldn't help but poke her head around the corner of the island to see her father stand up just slightly straighter, appearing larger and more threatening than she'd ever seen. Flashes of giant black wings seemed to unfurl from behind him.

"D-death?" Merrick questioned, a look of confusion overtaking Gina's facial expression. "No, but, h-how were you-? It can't be, not yet." Kate could see panic plain as day on Gina's once frightening features. She watched as Gina's head was jerked backward and black smoke flew from her mouth and out the nearest shattered window. Her body then crumpled to the floor, and an eerie silence engulfed the house.

"Kate?" She heard her father call out.

"Here." She said her attentions quickly returning to Dean in front of her. She cradled his head in her hands as she gave him a once-over. He was still breathing, which was all Kate could ask for. His face appeared bloodied and bruised. It was obvious that Dean had fought his way through some of the bodies out in the living room. "Help him. Please." Kate asked her eyes meeting her dad's similar ones as he rounded the corner of the island. She moved away as he kneeled quickly and held his now glowing hand over Dean's face, which quickly healed itself.

"What about Gina? Is- Is she-?" Kate began to ask but cut herself off.

Her father's face appeared solemn as he slowly shook his head back and forth. Kate felt a sadness overwhelming her at that. She had hoped and hoped that they would be able to separate Gina from the demon in her within the time for her to be saved, but Kate also knew it had been a few months, and the chances had been getting slimmer and slimmer with every passing day. Kate couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for Gina's death, after all, she'd been the one to leave her there with a demon in her home.

"You're death?" Kate asked, her brain moving on to the next topic.

Her father's face briefly changed to an annoyed expression, but he nodded nonetheless. It was obvious to her that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, I was death. A long time ago. Guess I haven't been doing much lately in regard to that title. I was gone a long time. I've only just been released from-."

A gasping intake of breath interrupted her father's words as Dean sat up straighter. "Dean?" Kate asked her voice jumping an octave with worry, her hands instinctively going to his upper arms to steady him against the counter behind him. "Hey, you're okay." She reassured him as he glanced around the kitchen with a confused expression.

"Katie?" He asked as their eyes met, she saw relief flooding his face. "You're okay? Good." She felt the warmth as Dean's hand covered one of her own. The pair just stared at one another for a second or so, taking each other in, before Kate heard her father clear his throat softly as he stood. Kate quickly stood back up a split second later, now offering a hand to Dean as well. "Thank you, Dean. It appears I owe you a debt now." Her father said, directly addressing Dean himself.

Dean glanced around, "Hey, you just needed someone to break the sigils, right?" Kate picked up on the tightness in his voice as if the two of them had argued prior to rescuing her. She briefly wondered if that was why her dad had actually considered leaving Dean here.

The three of them jumped as light bulbs began flickering and then bursting from the charge of power entirely all around the house. Azrael began to open his mouth to tell the pair to get the hell back to the med clinic, but another's voice interrupted him in the eerie silence. "How long did you think you could remain undetected, brother?"

Kate glanced behind her father to see Castiel standing there.

Kate watched her father's face change to one of annoyance, as he rolled his eyes back as they closed, and he let out a short huff of breath.

"If you came for a fight, I hate to tell you this, brother, but I think you'll find yourself slightly outmatched," Azrael stated turning to face off with Cas slowly.

"Who says I came alone?"

Kate's eyes glanced around the room, but could not find any signs or clues of any other angels with Cas at the moment. The sound of wings fluttering reminded Kate of a flapping sheet on a clothesline, but then she felt hands gripping her arms tightly and found a man in a business suit standing behind her. She and Dean seemed to have gained their own Angel over their shoulders.

"I'm not here for a fight, Azreal. I came to bring you back to heaven. To face judgment. You can't kill another angel and continue to be free."

"Castiel. Uriel, he-."

"There is no excuse for harming a fellow soldier of heaven."

"Say you bring me back up to heaven, Castiel. It is believed that God himself released me. What in the world makes you think your superiors would even agree with you? I'm the only Angel in heaven that can get-."

"Enough, Azrael. You need to face punishment for your crimes, and all of heaven agrees with that. We will find another way to-."

"Start the apocalypse?" Kate interrupted, she figured distraction would be as good a tactic as any for the other two in the room to come up with some clever plan to get out of this.

Castiel turned to look at her slowly, his blue eyes sending a chill down her spine. She almost wished she hadn't spoken up. "Whoever gave you the impression we want it started?" Cas questioned.

Kate's eyes turned down as his blue eyes bore into her own. There was a powerful energy radiating around Cas and Kate was unsure how to react to it. She stiffened as the angel suddenly stood before her. She heard a struggle from across the room but was unable to tear her eyes from Cas's.

"Kaydence, we want it prevented, while we still can prevent it." He told her as his fingers under her chin tilted her face upwards before his hand fell to his side again.

"I don't think your superiors would agree with you on that, Cas." She said, her soft voice using the nickname Dean gives him in the show. She watched his dark, thick eyebrows knit together in confusion as his head tilted to the side. It was obvious that she just threw him a curveball.

"If you really want to know a bit about the future, let me assure you that when Azrael killed Uriel, not only was he saving me, but he was saving countless more Angels in the process." Kate continued to him.

She could see Castiel's face changing into one of anger at Kate's suggestion. "Uriel would never-,"

"He does-. Or would have. Maybe not right away, Castiel, but he goes on to kill at least seven other angels, ones that don't choose to join him in his support for Lucifer. He tries to kill Anna, even you."

"He- He goes rouge?" She heard Castiel question softly. He appeared torn, but well enough convinced by Kate's knowledge.

"How do we know she's even telling the truth?" The businessman angel holding back Dean questioned, obviously skeptical of Kate's knowledge.

"Oh, trust me, pal. She is. It's usually the stuff you don't wanna hear." Dean replied. Kate would have rolled her eyes if they weren't stuck in their current position.

"How else would I know who Anna is? How would I know that your superiors are betting on the other team? Zachariah can't wait to light this place up and watch it burn." Kate continued.

"No, no, it's our job to protect humanity," Castiel said softly. Kate could see the gears behind the angel's eyes turning slowly as he seemed to begin putting some puzzle pieces together.

"The Angels are not the good guys in this story, Castiel, trust me on that," Kate told him, her tone serious.

"Castiel don't listen to her-." Kate felt the fingers of the Angel holding her tighten on her arms as a glow began emitting from the middle of the room. Her dad must've had enough of the talking and took advantage of them being distracted. Kate knew that she still had her Angel blade tucked away in the waist of her jeans, she just needed to reach it.

The Angel holding her didn't see her as much of a threat in comparison to Azrael apparently, because when the light began to dim, he released her, pushing her aside as he charged towards Kate's father along with Castiel. She rebounded to her feet off of the wall and moved quickly. She pulled out the Angel blade with a flourish and saw Dean struggling against the angel holding him back. He had Dean pressed against a nearby wall. His palm pinned Dean there by his head. Kate came up from behind and jabbed the Angel blade into the man's back. She heard the sickening squelch as she hit the heart of the vessel, and as he screamed yet another light was emitted throughout the rough-looking kitchen. Once it dimmed Kate watched the man fall to the floor like a bag of bricks.

"Thanks, for that," Dean said hurriedly, his voice breathless from the fighting.

Kate nodded, she saw Dean's face change as he yanked the angel blade from her right hand and spun her behind him by the same- now empty hand. He blocked a slash from the Angel that previously had a hold over Kate. Azrael and Castiel, were still brutally battling it out. She heard the sound of drywall cracking and knew one of them had gone through the wall into the living room.

"You, humans-. You- You dare to kill one of our own and take his weapon?"

Dean ignored him entirely as took a swipe at him. Kate wracked her brain trying to remember which sigil from the show it was that would send all the nearby angels back to heaven. Images of it came swimming up from the depths of her brain. She glanced around the walls and found some of the sigils from the demons were still left, smudged or scratched through, but for the most part, Dean wasn't able to wipe them all completely.

While Kate hadn't wanted to leave Dean on his own against the angel, she knew, however, that the fastest way to get rid of them all would be the banishing sigil.

In a frantic rush, Kate sprinted towards a clean section of drywall in the kitchen. While attempting to grab her, the angel was tackled to the ground by Dean. Kate seized a piece of glass from a shattered window and promptly cut her hand. Despite the pain, she soldiered on, uncertain of how long Dean and her father could keep the angels' distracted. She drew a circle over the wall and then added the small squiggle that took up the space in the middle of it. Kate was unsure about a couple of the small details but didn't have the time to fret over them. She added the three 'N's over the outside of the circle and the big triangle on top of it before she slammed her hand down on it as she turned to see bright lights flashing throughout the house. Dean was left laying on the floor, the Angel no longer poised above him, ready to slam the Angel blade down into his chest. She watched Dean's head fall back to the floor as he continued to breathe hard.

"Sorry, Dad," Kate muttered into the sudden screaming silence of the house.

"Kate, we gotta see if there's any way out of town. This place-." As Dean spoke he pushed himself to his feet, she met him in the middle of the kitchen helping him to stand. "This whole town it's-." Her dad may have healed all the damage caused by the demons earlier, but Kate could easily see that Dean would have a few bruises from taking the hits he did from the angel.

"Croatoan virus. I know." She cut him off, as he handed her the blade back.

Dean seemed to blink down at her in surprise at her statement. "Of course, you already knew that." He muttered. "You don't happen to know of anything to cure this thing, do you?" He pressed, she could see it on his face. The hope.

Kate shook her head slowly. "Dean. There- there is no cure. It was designed to wipe out the human race entirely. Anyone infected doesn't maintain the mental capacity to think logically enough to come up with one. The borders of town are also blocked off entirely. We can go check it out anyways, if you want, but I know that there will be infected people gathered in droves there. Specifiaclly to prevent people from leaving."

"Hold on, did you say designed?" He questioned. Kate opened her mouth, but no words came out. At that, he sighed scrubbing a hand over his face, stressed by her answer. "Look, we gotta get back to Sam. I left him in charge of the only sane people left in town, they're hiding out at the med clinic in town. We'll talk there, where it's safer, alright? " Kate nodded as she followed him out of what was left of the front door, and down the road some ways where he'd parked baby.

"The streets… they're completely empty," Kate muttered from the passenger side as she looked out the window.

"You know what that means?" Dean questioned with a glance in her direction.

Kate didn't look his way as they turned down a side street, "Yeah, that the infection has probably taken over the whole town."

"Well, that's… optimistic." He muttered in response.

Kate nearly was sent flying as Dean slammed on the breaks, bringing the Impala to a screeching halt, "Hands where I can see 'em!" Kate recognized the man standing at the hood of the Impala with a rifle pointed right at Dean.

"Son of a-." Kate heard Dean mutter as she shared a glance with him

"Get out of the car!" He hollered, "Out of the car!"

"Crap," Dean mouthed, he threw the car in park before the pair both slowly got out of their seats, being sure to keep behind the doors of the car. Kate followed his lead. "Alright, easy there, big guy," Dean said as he raised his arms in surrender. Kate knew the only thing she had on her was the angel blade, which would do no good for long-ranged fighting. Before Kate could blink, Dean had his pistol out and pointed at the guy. Commence the yelling, Kate thought with an eye roll to herself as memories from the show came to mind.

"Put it down!"

"Lower it, now!"

"Put it down!"

"Are you one of 'em?"

"No! Are you?" Dean answered the guy before Kate could mutter a single word.

"You could be lying!"

"So could you!"

It hit her quickly, memories of the show flashing before her eyes. Diane Tanner sitting passenger side of the man's truck, slicing his throat open and hefting a goblet under his torn throat. "We're not one of them," Kate told him slowly as she returned to the moment before her. She kept her hands raised in surrender from earlier, "Why don't we all take it easy before someone here gets hurt? I'd say enough people in town have been killed today, no?"

Both men eyed each other for a moment before the tension between them eased up slightly. Their guns were still trained on each other, but Kate noted their grips relaxed ever so slightly, and their fingers were no longer on the triggers.

"What's going on with everybody?"

"I don't know," Dean answered.

"My neighbor, Mr. Rogers-," Kate could see pain lance over the man's face as he spoke, his words cut off as he breathed hard.

"You got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?" Dean asked with his eyebrows furrowed, causing Kate to roll her eyes.

"Not anymore." The guy answered. "He came at me with a hatchet. I had to put him down to stop him. He's not the only one-. I mean, it's happening to everyone."

"We're heading over to Doc's place. There are still some people left."

"No. No way, I'm getting the hell out-." The guy responded quickly.

"There is no way out, they've got the bridge covered," Kate stated quickly.

"I don't believe you." He told her with a glance in her direction. He seemed to have finally taken in her clothes. "What the hell happened to you?"

Kate glanced down noting her shirt that she hadn't changed out of was still covered in blood- her blood. "What d'you think?"

"Look, you don't wanna join us? Fine, stay here. Be my guest." Dean said as he slowly returned to his seat. Kate quickly followed suit. They watched as the guy appeared frustrated with his lack of options and switched out his rifle for a smaller handgun as he moved toward the rear of the car. Kate was quick to catch Dean's gun that he thrust at her as she turned in her seat to keep the armed man in her sight.

"You got him?" Dean asked with a worried glance over her. Kate nodded as the man slid in behind the passenger seat, his gun pointed at Dean while he glared hard at Kate.

"Well, this ought to be a relaxing drive." With that, Kate felt the car slowly lurching forwards.

Luckily for them, it was only a five-minute drive the rest of the way to the med clinic, and no one said a word the entire way. Dean had been glancing between the road and the rearview mirror the whole drive. The trio was quick to get out, as Dean banged on the door to the clinic, "Sammy? Open up!" He called.

Sam was quick to greet them at the doorway. Dean made sure to pull Kate in with him, the guy following behind her. "Thank god, Kate. Glad, you're okay." Sam greeted her as he looked her over.

"You find a phone, or- or anything?" Sam asked his eyes going to Dean.

"Roadblock," Dean answered quickly. He glanced over at the guy they'd picked up in town and said, "I'm gonna have a word. Docs inside." He said, his thumb pointing threw the further doors. Kate noted they were standing in a waiting room.

"What's going out there, guys?" Sam asked, his eyes moving from Dean to Kate.

"Kate's father brought me to that house we were at earlier, it's where Kate was being kept. That- That Merrick demon was there."

"Merrick? From Sioux Falls? The one that took the Colt?" Sam questioned, he quickly placed the name.

"The very same," Dean answered. "The guy seems to have a real hard-on for Katie." He said as he glanced her way. Kate had begun searching through the duffel bag that Dean had grabbed for her from the car as they came in. She'd needed a new shirt, at least.

"He's tied to Azazel," Kate stated as she turned to face the boys. She had a shirt and flannel hanging over her forearm. It wasn't nearly as warm here in early November as it had been in Mississippi. "He does all his dirty work, which is exactly what all this is."

"What're you talking about?" Sam questioned. "Yellow Eyes?" Sam spared a glance at Dean, but his focus remained on Kate. "What's this got to do with him?"

"He's looking to test you, Sam," Kate said quickly.

"Kate-," Dean tried to cut her off, but she continued. "This whole thing, it's a test run. A, for the virus itself, and B, to see if you're immune. He's looking to test you."

"Are- are you saying that this was some sort of trick? To get me here?" Sam asked as Dean opened his mouth.

"The vision probably was, yes," Kate told him, her tone harsher than she meant it to be.

"Vision or no vision, we'd already be here because you were taken." Sam pointed out. "So either way, here we are."

Kate took in a calming breath knowing Sam had a point. "Look, the whole thing is a test run. At least that's what I gathered from my slim run-in with Merrick himself. He sent someone back here to keep an eye on the whole thing. Duane. Duane Tanner. He's also the guy that stormed the hotel room in Mississippi and killed Silvia."

"Duane Tanner? Th- That's the kid from my vision." Sam said.

"I know," Kate told him quickly, but Sam interrupted her.

"No. Like he- he's here now." Sam finished, his voice low.

"What?" Dean asked, his voice changing. Kate heard the anger in his tone and saw his brow furrowing. The anger radiating from him was palpable.


Thanks all for reading! Your read throughs and reviews are greatly appreciated!