Author's note: Raising Katie is longer than Saving Katie because Saving Katie was before her dad died. Raising Katie is everything after that. Also, I never planned to write more than 10 chapters so I'm winging it as I go. Health: I spent a few days in the hospital and had three surgeries while I was there. My leg was in bad shape. I brought my computer so that I could write while I was there. Well, that did not happen. I took too many naps for that.
(Marie's house)
Riot bounded over to the porch and wagged his tail happily.
Sam crouched down to pet him, "You've got to stop chasing animals. People don't like being skunked or chased."
Riot tilted his head to the side and rolled on the ground. He wiggled on his back and got up to shake the snow out of his coat.
Sam just smiled and stood up. Riot was a cute puppy. Sam always wanted one. Milo was perfect though. Their apartment wasn't big enough for a rambunctious dog. Maybe when they settled down and had a house with a yard. White picked fence, a couple of kids, a dog. When he was a teenager, that good of a life was something he couldn't realistically see. He was a little more cynical in his teen years. As he was standing outside Marie's house, he could almost picture their future house.
Jess checked on Jo, Kate and Charlie. She was interested in what they were doing but she also didn't want them going off the tracks. With three of them, they were forced to explain things step by step. Had Jo not been there, Charlie and Kate would zip through the internet without saying a word. "Maybe we should go downstairs to eat."
Jo stretched. "I could eat."
"I'm ok." Kate said.
Jess frowned. "You can eat quickly."
Kate shrugged and followed them down the stairs.
Marie had started a stew with some of the elk meat and it smelled amazing. Sadly, that was for dinner. She had a big tray with different things they could make their own burrito with.
Jo automatically knew what she wanted. That style of food was on her top three list.
Marie smiled as Stacy entered the kitchen with the kids. "Are you hungry?"
Ian nodded his head dramatically.
Jess made Ian a plate and walked him over to the table. He was being sweet after the biting incident.
Kate really wasn't hungry. That had been happening lately. She ate when other people did but she rarely felt like she needed to. She would blame it on being a nephilian but Taylor was the opposite. He, like Ian, got grumpy when he was hungry.
Taylor knew he needed to help with the nymph forest. He just didn't know how he was going to get away from Dillon long enough to do so. He could have his own space but very suddenly being gone for hours would raise red flags.
Kate ate what she could. She thanked Marie and took her dish to the sink. She sat back down because she knew that it would look weird if she went back upstairs.
Kelsey wasn't sure about the food. She wasn't used to that kind and didn't know if she would like it. She let Jess help her make her plate. She had a small serving of each thing to taste before she decided to eat it.
Marie gently touched Jess's shoulder. "You can get your own plate."
Stacy smiled. "You've already fallen victim to a mother's curse. Running around getting things for everyone else but yourself."
Jess blushed. Maybe she had picked up a few maternal traits recently. She had been around Marie and April. She didn't think it was a bad thing but she felt like something was missing.
Sam saw it written on her face. Graduation could hurry up because he was determined to wait until they graduated before starting a family.
Kelsey took a spoonful of queso and tasted the tiniest bite. She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment and smacked her lips.
"Good?" Jess asked.
Kelsey nodded. "I like this stuff."
Krissy watched Kelsey try each item. She pulled a face when Kelsey ate pico de gallo. "Ew. That stuff is so yucky."
Kelsey shrugged. "I like it."
"I don't like tomatoes." Krissy said. "And those kinds are spicy."
They did have a little kick to them. Kelsey liked spicy stuff though. When she got to pick out snacks for long drives, she usually got something spicy. "I like spicy."
"How much spice?" Sam asked.
"I think very." Kelsey said.
"There is a jar of salsa over there that is spicy. It isn't on the table because we wouldn't want a kid to get it accidentally." Sam said. He got up to get the jar when Kelsey looked over her shoulder.
"Sam." Jess scolded lightly.
"She may really like it. Kids in other countries eat curry and all sorts of spicy stuff." Sam explained. He put some on the edge of Kelsey's plate and refilled her cup of water.
Kelsey tasted it and wiggled happily in her chair. "Yum."
Taylor smirked. "Get those peppers."
Marie blew air through her nose. "That would be mean." She grew and canned peppers each year. There was one type that she used sparingly.
"I want one." Kelsey said.
Marie debated giving her one. "They are really hot. I don't want your mouth to hurt."
"I won't hurt." Kelsey said, confidently.
Marie put one on Sam's plate and one on Taylor's plate. "Since you two instigated this."
Sam popped it in his mouth. He didn't think it had spice to it but it hit him after a few seconds.
Krissy giggled at Sam's face.
Taylor did the same. He quickly wondered why his abilities wouldn't heal the burn.
Kelsey ate it before either of them could tell her not too. She chewed slowly and watched the boys. They were being really silly.
Taylor drank the rest of his water. "How is she doing that?"
Sam had started to get used to the heat. He would probably like them if they were mixed with other food.
Kelsey asked for a few more and ate them with the rest of her food.
"You have a capsaicin tolerance." Kate said. "That is the chemical that makes peppers hot. Some people think cinnamon is spicy and others eat peppers like candy."
"If you eat too many you'll breathe fire like a dragon." Taylor said.
Kelsey grinned. "That's silly."
Kate slipped away from the table as soon as she could. She enjoyed chatting but had an itch in her brain that she needed to scratch.
(John and Pamela)
There was a definite blockage in the stream. It was trash and barrels. John saw an odd symbol on one of them. It was worn and he couldn't tell what it was. He didn't know if someone had dumped the stuff because it was toxic or they were hiding something. He couldn't fathom how it would have gotten there by accident.
"Do you think it will happen again if we move it?" Pamela asked.
John crouched beside the stream. "Eventually. I want to know what is in that. If something toxic is leaking from one of those barrels, we have bigger issues."
Pamela was in deep thought. She followed behind John for a few minutes before stopping him. "Could they relocate?"
John scratch his head. "I think they are attached to the trees."
"We could ask." Pamela said.
"Relocate where? They could go back to killing people." John said.
"Not if they were healthy." Pamela countered.
John walked beside her. They slowed the pace but wanted to get out of the woods before a storm hit. "I guess we could ask."
"They could settle in the woods at Marie's house!" Pamela said.
John eyed her. She was a free spirit for sure. "They could hurt someone."
"I'm a psychic, John. I read people and things." Pamela responded. "They would have clean water. They could protect the property from creatures that could walk through the warding. They could warn them if something is coming."
John smiled softly. "Did Kate get into your head?"
Pamela lightly slapped his arm. "All my own thoughts."
He called Charlie to ask her to research the nymphs to see if they were aggressive. She had a good idea in theory.
(Marie's house)
Charlie happily opened a new tab dedicated to nymph research. She had already filtered out obviously fake sites.
Kate and Jo talked about how they would get the gun from Noah's house. They couldn't trust that no one else would know what it was. It had been on that shelf for a long time but their luck, it would become an issue within weeks.
Cameron called Kate. They hadn't spoken often since he was rescued but they stayed in touch.
Kate was surprised to see his name pop up. She sat on the farthest corner of Charlie's bed to take the call. "Hi Cameron."
Cameron said hi back to her. "We have noticed weird stuff. It isn't like super weird but I think you all should know."
Kate's face fell. "Tell me."
"I think I've seen demons. I only see them out of the corner of my eye. They don't attack me. Maybe I'm just going crazy. We have bad luck. My mom got in a fender bender. My dad was injured in a weird work accident. They are both okay and didn't get injured bad."
"The spell is wearing off." Kate said.
"Can you do another one?" Cameron asked.
"I don't know. It won't be the same." Kate said. "Is your warding up?"
"My dad says it is." Cameron said.
Kate could hear the anxiety in his voice. He didn't want to get kidnapped again. "I will talk to my dad and have him call yours."
"Thanks, Katie." Cameron said with a sigh of relief.
Charlie got a notification and looked at it. She sat up straight. "Look at this."
Kate scanned the paragraph. She stepped back and let her brain zip through information. "Does it say what it is?"
"An occult object." Charlie said. "They don't say what it is."
Kate sat down on Charlie's bed again. Months of information bounced around in her head. "There is a book that may mention something like that." She could almost see it. It was something she had leafed through but didn't stop to read. She thought about the book. How did it feel? What was the cover like? What was the name of the book? "It isn't in English…. Forbidden."
"Forbidden what?" Jo asked.
Kate rubbed her face. "Give me a minute."
"Forbidden makes me think maybe we shouldn't be reading it." Jo said.
Kate had a better image of the book in her mind. She could read dozens of languages but it happened automatically. She couldn't remember what language it was in."
"Don't stress yourself out." Charlie said.
Kate had something to work with. She had a solid trail to follow and stopping herself from going off the rails was becoming increasingly difficult. She was being monitored though. Maybe that was for the best.
Charlie snapped her fingers. "I wonder if the bunker has the book we need."
"Unless it is at Bobby's house." Jo said. "Remember you guys pulled a bunch when you visited. We need to give him a chance to look through his inventory."
Kate chewed her thumbnail as she thought. "The bunker has it."
"Do you remember every book in that place?" Jo asked.
"No." Kate said. "If someone has it, it is the bunker. If it isn't there, we return to trying to find it."
"So, we will tell John and he can go look for it." Jo said.
Kate sighed. "I can literally grab it and be back before you can blink."
"I know but you are still bruised. I just think that we should give it a bit. It would be a shame to go to the bunker just for Bobby to find it at his house." Jo said.
Kate shuffled her feet on the rug below Charlie's bed. She could feel each individual fiber. It was soft. Charlie had picked it out. She stopped moving her feet and let them settle on the rug. It wasn't soft. She could feel the fibers. They were sharp like steel wool. No, she was experiencing the feeling as a million little feelings. She could see time as little specks floating in space but she could do more than that. She could train her eyes or ears to pick up faint movements from far away. She could focus on a smell and pick apart the chemicals that made the scent unique. She could see and hear and feel everything in the room and it made her feel like her body was starting to phase out of a solid state and into those specks that she saw floating in space. She suddenly stood up and opened Charlie's door. "Your room tastes like green jolly ranchers."
Charlie followed her, a little alarmed by her friend's sudden change. "Thanks?"
Kate switched to her other set of nails because she had already chewed up the ones on her left hand. She made her way down the stairs and opened the front door. A shock to the system could help it reset. She let the cold air enter her lungs and felt it warm as it acclimated to her body temperature.
Jo nudged Charlie. She was also worried. "Has she done this before?"
Charlie shook her head.
Kate gradually calmed down and reigned in her senses. The world got a little quieter and the sun looked a little less bright. She wiggled her toes and looked down at the ground. Through all of that she forgot that her feet were freezing. Her toes were turning red and the bones started to ache. She walked back up onto the porch and then to Jo and Charlie. "Still human."
"What?" Charlie asked.
"We get a little less human every day. We heal. Getting cold feet is a human thing. It is an animal thing." She scratched the back of her head. "That isn't human. That is just part of being a living creature. Although, if you think about it, I'm not that either."
Jo slipped away to get Sam and tried to tell him what was going on. She wasn't sure what was going on.
Sam quietly approached Kate and gently took her hand. "Let's sit down so you can explain what is going on."
Kate followed him. "Sometimes my senses get overloaded and I suddenly realize nothing is real and everything is just atoms bumping around in space."
"Alright, existential crisis." Sam said. "Happens to the best of us."
"Imagine being blind folded. You can hear everything and feel everything and you know something is on the other side of the blind fold. You compensate and your hearing gets better. You are more observant. I have a blind fold. I have a road block. I need a book." Kate said.
"We found something and I just messaged Bobby to ask if he minds looking to see if he has it at his house." Jo explained.
"You've gone through this before." Sam said.
"I had abilities." Kate said, ruefully.
"Even without abilities. I know you are anxious to figure this out and this looks like a panic attack." Sam said.
"I am panicking. I just have everyone's lives on my shoulders. I definitely feel panicked." Kate said.
Sam sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We are actively figuring that out. I want you to take a few deep breaths and find the start of your path. You know, where you started before your brain took off."
Kate steadied herself. "Someone powerful set up a massive line of dominos. One falls, another falls…. I haven't decided if someone else came along and knocked them over or if that was the plan all along. We are in the period of time where a domino is falling but hasn't quite reached the next domino. Things fall fast."
"Nope, back to the path." Sam said.
Kate frowned. "We know that Jo's boyfriend's family owns the colt. We know that older Taylor gave Ellen the papers about the colt on the same night that Jo saw it. Obviously, the gun is important. We need to find the ammo and acquire the gun."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "So that we can put it away where it can not cause you harm."
Kate let out a big sigh. "Yeah, whatever. Anyways, on a possibly unrelated note, weird stuff is happening. The protection spell might be wearing off. Maybe Abaddon is getting antsy. I don't know. That is why my atoms need to disperse."
"Sorry, kiddo. All of your atoms must remain together. The gun could be related but it is a short term issue. We can find the ammo and lock it away. Then, if we need it FOR DEMONS we can use it." Sam said.
Jo tilted her head.
Kate rolled her eyes. "I made one comment about them using the gun on me and suddenly he turns into dad."
"Kind of seems more like Dean adjacent to me." Jo said.
Sam shot her a look.
"The book I want to find may have a reference to where something is hidden." Kate said.
"I don't know what the thing is exactly. It is on the other side of my blindfold. However, like the ammo, it is important that we find it before Abaddon does. It is more important that she doesn't know we know about it. She might not even know about it." Kate said.
"It is a treasure hunt for a thought." Charlie said. She gave Kate a sheepish grin. "I mean, I'm down for a treasure hunt but it might be easier with a map."
"The book." Kate said. She knew they wouldn't want her to teleport over to the bunker. She had been told as much. She was grounded in the literal sense.
Jess had been on the phone when Jo asked for Sam's help. She had a nice conversation with the future owner of one of the bunker cars. She thought her ear would fall off by the end of it. Things were quiet so she didn't think that Sam was helping with an emergency but she went to see anyway. She saw him sitting beside Kate with Jo and Charlie looking at them. She didn't want to mess up their conversation so she approached them from behind Jo and Charlie. She'd just sit on the protruding portion of the fireplace so she was close by but not in the middle of everything. Her sock on her left foot got snagged on a hardened piece of candy or something the kids probably left behind. When she went to step her leg lagged behind her before suddenly being released by the hardened substance. She felt blood shoot into her head and gritted her teeth as her foot connected with the corner of the fireplace.
Sam jumped up to go to Jess. "Babe, are you alright?"
Jess whimpered and sat down on the bricks surrounding the fireplace. She could already see blood pooling on her sock. She had whacked her toes pretty hard and she had to hold back the yelp she wanted to let out.
Sam carefully removed the sock and sucked air through his teeth.
Kate hovered over Sam before kneeling beside Jess's foot.
Jess shook her head. "If you so much as think about trying to heal me I will call your father."
Kate sat back on the ground, shocked. "Huh?"
"You are healing. You do not need to expend energy to heal me." Jess said.
Sam helped Jess limp over to the couch.
Kate crossed her arms. "Healing is literally nothing."
"No." Jess said, firmly. "People survive stubbing their toes all the time. This isn't something you need to fix."
Kate sighed. "Your toes are broken. I heard the bone fracture."
Jess studied her foot. "If I went to the doctor, they'd give me pain meds and tell me to stay off the foot. It is just the two smallest toes. I'll be okay."
Kate raised an eyebrow and looked at Jess for a moment before shaking her head and walking away.
"Where are you going?" Jess asked.
"To get you some ice for your foot. Unless that will require more energy than I'm allowed to expend." Kate said. She came back with a bag of ice wrapped in a dish towel.
Sam met eyes with Kate and gave her a subtle head tilt. It was one movement but said a lot. Jess had snipped because she was in pain. Kate shouldn't take offense to it.
Kate was well aware but wasn't her true self without making some kind of comment. She fell back onto one of the couches and propped her feet on the coffee table. "Is there a full moon this week?"
Sam flicked her foot. "Kate."
Kate tilted her head to look at Jo. "If you see them grow sharp teeth or sprout fur, I'd run."
Jo grinned. "I'll be on the lookout."
Jess reached for Kate's hand. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. Broken toes are such a minor injury and I knew you were about to heal me."
Kate shrugged. "I assumed that was the reason but I don't like when you talk to me like you are an adult or something."
Jess smiled. "Sometimes information gets out faster if you don't sugar coat it."
"I have to save my energy for when I snag that book from the bunker later." Kate scrambled and jumped over the back of the couch before Sam could grab her. "Laugher is the best medicine, Sam."
Krissy moved from where she was standing because the girls were going back to Charlie's room. She wasn't sure if Sam was really mad. He didn't look mad but he did get mad at Andy. That whole conversation was a little too complicated for her to understand right away. She knew what healing was. Why wouldn't Jess want Kate to get a band aid for her foot? What was a bunker? Demons were for real. She knew that too. She didn't know you could shoot them though. She filed all of this information away for a later time. Secrets were hard. She knew adults didn't like for her to listen to conversations but she had to talk to someone. She bit her lip. She had seen a real angel and didn't tell anyone. Did adults know? Kelsey was her new friend. She could ask her about it. If Kelsey didn't know, surely the twins would.
(Dean)
Dean was in a good mood. He had his fun with Olivia, who was 100 percent human, by the way. She was indeed just a small town girl in need of fun. He left John and Pamela to deal with the nymph situation. He had other things he could do but Pamela had a keen interest in the creatures. To Dean, John choosing to stay back had little to do with Dean succumbing to the nymph's charms and more to do with Pamela wanting to spend time with them.
He hit the road driving back toward Marie's house. He had a few detours but he'd wind back up there within a few days. He drove for a few hours before stopping for a lunch break. He saw a sign advertising hot wings and that appealed to him at the time. He stopped the car and used his sleeve to gently wipe away some mud that had made it onto Baby's mirror. His head was turned to look at another car parked across the street. It was sleek. It was white. Still, Baby was and always would be the best car ever made. He pushed the door open and stepped into the small restaurant. As he did, he stumbled. He looked down and felt his blood run cold. He immediately tried to retreat from the open door but it was pulled from his hand and shut behind him so that he couldn't leave the establishment. His eyes darted around. There was no movement although there had been moments before. He looked down at the body at his feet. He crouched down and felt of the guy's neck. No pulse. He assumed the rest of the body's strewn across the restaurant were also without a pulse. He saw a slow movement from the corner of his eye and slowly turned his head.
"Dean, have a seat."
Dean carefully stepped over the body. He very much wanted to run but he knew he was well and truly trapped. He slid into the seat opposite the only other being left standing. The man before him was one of the few men that he feared. He swallowed hard.
"Eat." Death said, pushing a platter toward Dean. "We should talk."
Dean tentatively took a hot wing and bit into it. He closed his eyes. Death had excellent taste in food. "About what?"
"Katelyn." Death said. He took a sip of his iced tea and studied Dean.
"You've going to have to be more specific." Dean said. His shoulders shot up to his ears after he made the comment.
"I have taken a special liking to you. Only someone very brave or very stupid would consider sarcasm at a time such as this." Death said. "You interest me because I have not decided into which category you fall."
Dean placed his hands in his lap. "She has a lot going on."
"That she does. Busy little thing." Death said. "She is tenacious."
Dean nodded, not trusting his voice not to break.
"Tension." Death said, patting the side of his mouth where sauce had gathered. "Is building. I can feel it. I'm sure you can as well. Tension can build like a lake being held back by a dam. Small chips in the stone may let some of the water trickle through without ever allowing more than a small stream of water to reach the city below. If something changes, those small chips could become larger chips. If that happens, it is truly a matter of time before the whole dam collapses and the lake is free to reclaim its former home."
"Is Kate the water or the stone?" Dean asked.
Death gave him a subtle look of exasperation. "Kate is dangerously close to bumping into just the right rock."
"Do you know what that is?" Dean asked.
"No." Death said, simply. "I just feel the tension as the water tries to exceed the strength of the stone."
Dean sat back. "What do I do?"
"You steer her away from it." Death said.
Dean looked defeated. "How?"
"You are a resourceful person." Death said. "I'm sure you'll find a way."
"How can I do that if I don't even know what to look for?" Dean asked.
He leaned over the table slightly, handing Dean a dry napkin. "You're sweating, Dean. I can smell the fear seeping through your pores."
Dean shivered. "Well, I'm face to face with Death."
Death sat back and picked up the last fry on his plate. "Fear is what keeps you humans alive. That brings us back to the bravery versus stupidity debate, doesn't it?" He chewed and swallowed the fry. "Stop looking for an object. Start looking for a sign."
Dean blinked and he was gone. People groaned and sat up from their positions on the floor. Everyone was confused. Dean looked down at the table and scoffed. "Death ditched me with the bill."
A pretty waitress approached Dean. "Can I get you anything?"
Dean begrudgingly pulled a credit card from his wallet and handed it to the waitress. Once he got his receipt, he went back to his car. He started to open his door but paused. The white car was gone. Did death drive? He met eyes with someone and groaned loudly. "Now what?"
Tessa smiled at him and got closer so that they could speak. "It's nice to see you too, Dean."
"No. Death showed up and now you are here. That doesn't sound good for me." Dean said.
"You were given a task and I am just here to help you." Tessa said.
Dean felt his phone buzz and opened his car door. He sat down and answered it. "Hey, Katie."
"Hey so I know I'm on the mend but there is this book that we need. I need to go to the bunker to get it. Dad is busy so I need your blessing." Kate said.
"Absolutely not." Dean said.
"I'll be there and back. I have enough energy. I've done it dozens of times." Kate said.
"Kate, do not go to the bunker. I just spoke to Death and there is some stuff going on." Dean said.
"If death is near, we need to get ahead of this even more. It is one book." Kate whined.
"Katelyn Amelia, listen to me. Stay at Marie's house. I will get the book." Dean said.
Kate ground out an "okay." Before ending the call.
Dean motioned for Tessa to take the passenger seat. "I'm guessing that wasn't a coincidence."
"No." Tessa said.
Dean rubbed his face out of frustration. "Over a damn book?"
Tessa shrugged. "I don't know details."
"Is it the book or is it her traveling there? Is she going to die? Is that why you showed up? Will she die if she teleports?" Dean asked, feeling anxious.
Tessa held out her hand to Dean.
Dean looked from her hand to her face. "What?"
"I just need you to trust me." Tessa said.
Dean shoved his keys into his pocket and growled before taking Tessa's hand. Trust the reaper. Just trust death's word. He missed the time where his biggest worries were trusting Sam or Caleb not to rat him out over something. He no longer felt trust. He just felt acceptance because he had nowhere to run.
(Kate)
Kate settled back onto Charlie's bed. She seemed calmer. She was more focused. She was quiet as Charlie and Jo looked through files. She started to feel the fibers on Charlie's blanket and grew impatient. "I'll be back."
Jo whipped her head around. "Don't." She swore loudly. "Sam!" She was on team Kate but was concerned for Kate's wellbeing.
Charlie cringed. She was originally thinking that Sam shouldn't be called because Kate could be right back and they could cover for her. This was big though. She was sick. She bit her lip as Sam showed up in the doorway.
"She's gone." Jo said.
Kate got to the bunker and aside from being a little dizzy, she felt fine. All the lights were off. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and walked down the long hallway to the library. She touched a shelf and let her fingers drift over the spines of the numerous books. She found an area she thought the book would be in. She could make out shapes in the dark but she let the pads of her fingers read the name of each book. She touched a book covered in parchment paper. The edges of the paper were frayed. It was old and worn but had been taken care of. She moved her fingers to the top of the book and pull it from the shelf just as she realized that she wasn't alone. She spun around and gasped loudly. "Tessa."
Tessa was standing next to the large table that took up most of the free space in the room.
Kate covered her chest with her hand. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
A light turned on in the corner of the library, ten or so feet from where Kate stood. The light bathed a writing desk in a yellow hue.
Dean was sitting in the desk chair with his feet on the desk, crossed at the ankle. He was chewing the end of a toothpick and making eye contact with Kate. John had often scared the daylights out of Dean while he was growing up. There were a few occasions that had been burned into his mind. The first of which took up permanent residence at the periphery of his short term memory. He had oh so carefully entered the cabin in which he and his family were staying. He was probably 13 at the time. John was not due back for a week so he was only trying to be quiet for Sam's sake. The terror he felt as a light turned on while he was midway through the room stuck with him. At first he thought that he had let his guard down and a creature had gotten into the house. A split second later he realized that his first thought would have probably had a better outcome. He met eyes with a pissed off John, poised in the same position that he found himself in shortly before Kate arrived.
Kate tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. She grimaced and looked to Tessa. "Are you here to reap me after he kills me?"
Tessa shifted so that she was standing with her arms crossed. "No."
Dean dropped his feet so that his chair rocked forward. He dropped the toothpick into the glass that had held a shot of whiskey not too much earlier. He did not miss her relaxed reaction to having Tessa there. He also didn't miss the look on her face when they made eye contact. "Is there a reason you breath a sigh of relief when you see a reaper?"
Kate licked her lips. "She is nice."
"She's a reaper." Dean said. "Nice or not, maybe you should be concerned enough about your life that it makes you pause for a second."
Kate raised her hand to her mouth and ran the side of her thumb against her lips. She had no nail left so she was feeling the ridges that made up her thumb print. Her keen senses had failed her seconds before but seemed to all be kicking in now that she had identified who was in the room. She dropped her eyes and looked at the floor.
"So why are you acting like I'm the one to fear in this situation?" Dean asked.
Kate slowly looked back up at him. "Because you told me not to come here."
Dean tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Ya think? I had a lovely chat with Death. He scares the shit out of me. I'm not fond of reapers either but our conversation involved you. I got the sense that he wanted me to be afraid. It was a teachable moment."
Tessa nodded.
"Give me the book." Dean said.
Kate looked down at the hand that hadn't crept up to her mouth. She was holding the top corner of the book. She raised it to grab it with both hands. "I don't even know if this is the right one. I was looking for it."
Dean narrowed his eyes.
Kate considered her options. If that was the book they needed, she needed to protect it. They'd still use it but without her. Her synapses fired at a faster rate. She had fixated on this book all day and had it in her hands.
"Do not zap out of here." Dean said. "Hand me the book."
Kate held it to her chest.
"I was tasked with preventing you from blowing a hole in the side of a dam." Dean said.
Kate blinked slowly. "It's just a book."
"Kate." Dean warned.
Tessa's eyes flashed blue for a few seconds before fading back to their normal color.
Dean looked between the two. Kate looked uncomfortable like she was tired.
"I wouldn't try to stop time." Tessa said. "You're much too drained to do that."
Kate met eyes with Dean again and frowned. "I really need it."
"You are going to hand it over for now. You and I are going to talk and then when your head is screwed on straight, we will address the book." Dean said. He picked up his phone without looking at it. He pushed a button and held it to his ear. Sam was on the other end of the call, rather panicked. "Yeah. I'm sitting here looking at her. She's fine."
Kate didn't feel fine. She could typically explain things or weasel around issues so that they could see her reasoning for not following an order. He had given her a pretty clear order though. She hadn't agreed with it but it wasn't like she stumbled and fell into the bunker. No one was in immediate danger when she left. "Dean."
"Book." Dean said.
Kate tiptoed closer to him and held the bottom corners of the book so that she could hand it to him but also stay as far away from him as possible. She knew she was going to get her ass kicked and that made her anxious but Dean cut through her worse than anyone. The disappointment on his face was a knife being driven into her heart. The fear he expressed, however well hidden, made her blood burn. While she had a good relationship with John, him being mad at her didn't dig as deeply as it did with Dean.
Tessa sighed and looked at Dean.
Dean nodded slightly.
Kate looked at the spot that Tessa had left. The fact that death and a reaper had stepped in to warn Dean about her had suddenly set in. She stepped back, feeling like Dean's emotions were eating her alive.
Dean slipped his jacket off and folded it neatly in half, placing it on top of the book that he had just sat on the desk.
Kate bounced on her toes. "We can talk this out."
Dean rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt and sat forward with his elbows on his knees. "Start talking."
(((I was so tempted to stop the chapter here for a cliffhanger but Tami insisted that I don't do that)))
Kate shifted from foot to foot. She wanted to think of a way out of her situation but she had walked right into it.
Dean motioned to another chair. "Sit so you don't fall."
Kate sidestepped over to the chair and sat down.
"You don't have shoes." Dean said. "Or a jacket."
"You were never one for insisting we wear them." Kate said.
"No, if you want to freeze your feet that is your prerogative but I'm pointing out that you were not prepared to be here. What if you had only been able to teleport halfway and you got stranded without the energy to get back." Dean said, gently.
"My decision to come over here happened maybe five seconds before I jumped." Kate admitted.
Dean sighed. "Kate. What am I going to do?"
Kate frowned deeply. "What do you mean?"
"Death was very vague when he talked to me but you know Death doesn't show up for just anybody. He said the universe is like a lake held back by a dam. Typically, strong but the right rock being moved could cause enough water to rush out so that the whole dam breaks." Dean explained. "He thinks you are about to find the rock in question." He was in a difficult spot. She usually argued which made it a little easier to deal with the broken rule. She was contrite but Death had talked to him. They both understood the gravity of the situation. Dean more than Kate. "Why do you think we are having this conversation right now?"
Kate bit her lip. "You usually talk with me beforehand."
Dean shook his head. "Where did you go wrong but also this is big stuff. The action may have been small but you're walking too close to the edge."
"How do I know where the edge is?" Kate asked.
Dean smirked. "You listen to people who love you and warnings from ancient beings."
"It is hard. You guys can be overprotective." Kate said.
"We can. We always want you to be cautious. Dad and I will always be that way. We are all worried." Dean said.
Kate sat back and tilted her head back. "Oh no." She sat forward. "Jess kind of snapped at me but like the way you would. She told me if I healed her, she'd call dad. Jo has disagreed with me all day. Charlie looked worried. I missed it. Of course, you and dad will be worried. I'm used to that. My friends are worried. They know something is happening."
"You have good friends." Dean said. "So, we have a right to be worried if they are also worried?"
Kate chewed the side of her finger. "It does make it a little worse."
"Give me the run down of what you did." Dean said.
Kate really didn't want to. "I came over here when you told me not to."
"Yep." Dean said. "Why was that not a good idea."
Kate slumped. "I could have gotten really sick again. I wasn't at full power. A lot could happen with that. I ignored an order."
Dean nodded. "Why do we give orders?"
"To keep us safe." Kate said, sadly.
"Bingo." Dean said. He studied her. She had a rap sheet a mile long with times she had ignored orders. "This book is important. I know. However, you could have given me a chance to get here. You could have told me what it looked like. I could have been here and maybe let you teleport. I'd be here to make sure you're okay."
"Hindsight." Kate mumbled.
"Decide how we remedy this." Dean said.
Kate groaned. "I hate when you do this."
"It makes you think." Dean said.
Kate could never come up with a great answer. He could ground her but she didn't really go anywhere besides school and Bobby's house. She had a horrific thought cross her mind. What if they kicked her off the case? She wouldn't be able to cope. She would implode. Just having the book tucked away under Dean's jacket made her anxious.
((TW))
"What's it going to be." Dean asked.
Kate slid down in her seat. "You already know."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"
"We can get it over with and I can go back to Marie's house or even Bobby's." Kate said.
"You aren't going back today." Dean said.
Kate snapped her head up. "Why?"
"You are going to drive back with me. I don't want you to teleport and I think it's a great way to reinforce a lesson." Dean explained.
"Okay." Kate said, sadly.
"In here or in your room?" Dean asked.
Kate looked around them. "Where is Tessa?"
"China as far as I know." Dean said.
Kate shivered. "My room. I don't like feeling like someone could walk in."
Dean shuttled her to her room and flipped on a light. He would much rather be driving than having to kick Kate's butt. He hated it. Sitting down, he guided her over his thigh. "You are aging me, kid."
Kate gritted her teeth. He was using his hand but started out pretty hard. She knew it would be bad because of everything that was going on. She had to compartmentalize things. She was being pulled in too many directions.
"I'm not going to lecture you." Dean said.
Kate squeaked. He was doing an excellent job of getting her mind off of other stuff but she would have preferred it happen on its own. She was quiet because she knew she deserved it. She had no fight left.
Dean heard a sniffle and cursed himself. He stopped and shook his hand out. "You are going to listen to us. There is a reason you got sick. Something new maybe."
Kate nodded.
Dean shifted her and landed another volley of swats on the backs of her thighs. He finally stopped and let her crawl into his lap. "I feel like an ass."
Kate bit her tongue. "I'm sorry."
"Me too, kid." Dean said.
((ETW))
Kate didn't realize how weak she was when she got there. Her muscles burned and her eyes felt heavy.
Dean patted the bed beside him. "Take a nap. I'll contact Tessa." He stayed with her until she fell asleep although it only took a few seconds. He returned to the library and sat at the desk. He moved his jacket and looked at the book. Of course, it was in a language he couldn't read. He flipped through pages and looked at drawings. He found a small slip of paper. He didn't know if it just got stuck there or someone used it as a book mark. He read the paper. It was in English. Could that be the clue that would make the dam fall? He made a mental note of the page number and what the note said. He tucked it away in his pocket. If they needed it, he'd know what it was. Like most of the other books, the front cover had a card that people signed when they took the book and when they returned it. He looked through the small list of names. He paused. Henry Winchester was the last person to sign the card. He ran his finger over the signature. That was his grandfather's writing. He looked at the date on the card. He check it out on August 1, 1958 and returned it August 15, 1958. Since they had news articles about the mysterious deaths of the Men of Letters, Dean knew what day they had died. They were attacked on August 12th. He slowly shut the book as if it was made of fine glass. Maybe it was a mistake and he got the days wrong. Did someone find the book after their death and write the date for Henry? All scenarios he could come up with didn't make sense. He had one theory he was trying to handle. Maybe Henry survived the attack or he wasn't there. That would be great if he did but that left Dean to wonder where he went after August 15th. He should have gone home. What if he didn't because that would lead demons to his wife and child? What if he tried to but was killed before he could get back? His head was pounding. He checked on Kate before calling Tessa.
Tessa appeared a few seconds later. "She looks peaceful."
Dean started to agree but his stomach twisted. On the desk in the room was a patch of dust. It wasn't normal dust. It looked like someone had used a chisel to chip away part of the brick wall. It was subtle but he was sure it was a sign. A bad sign. He scooped Kate into his arms and nodded to Tessa.
Kate woke briefly but quickly fell back to sleep in the backseat of the impala.
Dean cleared his throat. "I saw something."
Tessa motioned for him to continue.
"Well, I found a weird note but that doesn't matter right now. Death said she was going to knock a rock out of place. Did you see the dusty rubble on her desk?" Dean said.
Tessa touched him so that she could see what he was talking about. She grimaced. "Hopefully it won't grow to pebbles."
Dean sighed. "Yeah, hopefully." He started the car and pulled back onto the road. He was between a rock and a hard place. Did he mention the note to John now? Did he wait? It was a healing moment when John realized that his dad didn't abandon him. Would the knowledge that he was alive at least for a few days after the attack cause him to go back to the abandonment theory? Death had trusted him with fixing everything. He didn't know if he should be terrified that he was given that task or flattered that Death thought he could do it. He scoffed and dropped his voice to imitate Death. "That brings us back to the bravery versus stupidity debate, doesn't it?"