Chapter Four: Hoodoo, Voodoo, Rituals & Secrets

Present day…

Main POV

Dean leaned down to kiss me again, lips wrapping around mine in post coital bliss. His chest was still burning hot and the little amulet thing he always wore dangled between the two of us, the warm metal occasionally hitting me as it swung. It struck me as odd, he'd heard everything I had to say, and he didn't care. In fact he didn't care so much he'd slept with me again. He was still buried to the hilt inside me, and I sincerely hoped he'd grow hard again like he had last light, and we could go for several rounds. I did feel a little guilty, Lex was still sat at the library, working away and waiting for his hard earned burger while I was essentially fucking a coworker.

''Dean,'' I said, my tired voice breaking our lips apart.

''Yeah baby?'' He asked softly, voice sounding like it did when he was freshly awoken from sleep. He had every right to be tired, I'd been working him out today and last night.

''Does it really not bother you? I just regaled a tale from the Old Testament and you're just… kissing me, if you'd told me the same thing I'd think you were nuts,'' I said and he chuckled then.

''Well yeah, that's because I'm a guy, it's a biological impossibility,'' he said and I laughed too.

He had a way of making me feel so at ease, a way I hadn't felt in such a long time. He always had. Part of me wondered what would have happened if I'd met him sooner, if he'd have gone in all guns blazing when he'd found out what had happened. If I'd have let him. But he was just a boy then, the few years between us meant nothing then, but I was still basically a child, and he would have been even younger. Domestic life flashed through my vision as he leaned down to kiss me again and I realised I was playing a very dangerous game. This had to stop.

He started to move his hips and I could feel I'd gotten my wish, making me lift my legs up off the bed again and wrap them around his waist. I locked my ankles behind his back, digging my heels into the skin as I whined. Oh how good it felt to be touched like this. My head dropped down onto the surprisingly push motel pillows behind me and I felt my lips part to let out a moan. My whole body was covered in goosebumps and as he rocked forwards I felt myself unwinding. For once all the stress held captive in my body was being released and I felt so good. While all the knots in my shoulders had dissipated, a new one began to form in my abdomen. My stomach scrunched and I clenched, close to my end already.

''There you go baby, that's it,'' Dean praised, leaning down to kiss me deeply. His mouth was enough to muffle my deep, guttural groan and I felt a liquid gushing from my cunt. ''Sweet.''

''Sorry,'' I murmured , shaking my head. ''I'd have warned you but I didn't think it was going to happen.''

''Don't worry about it, I think it's hot,'' he told me, hips continuing to thrust. He kept his even pace, chasing his end before he cried out, dropping his hand down beside my head to grip the mattress. He pulled out then, dropping down beside me and relaxing onto the pillow. He leaned over to give me one last kiss and I lay for a few moments, not letting the impending hunt spoil things.

''Should we go get Alex?'' I asked with a sigh. He nodded slowly. Putting an arm around my waist, he pulled me closer. Pressing a kiss to my temple, he held me to him for a moment.

''You should rest, I'll get him and pick up lunch on the way back,'' he told me and I felt myself melting. He paused, stopping when he saw the look on my face, sighing after a minute. ''I know, I know, I'm not his father, I should mind my own business. Katie I'm just trying to help.''

''I know,'' I nodded, smiling up at him. ''And I'm going to let you this time.''

''Seriously?'' he asked and I nodded, snuggling into the pillow closer.

''Your hunt, you're the one who has to work it. I'm just coming along for the ride,'' I said with a shrug. ''And ride I did.''

''As I recall, it was me who did most of the work, but you rest,'' he teased, climbing out of the sheets.

Lifting and dropping the covers caused a draft to hit my naked body and I shivered. He wandered off to go and get dressed in something other than that suit he hated so much, returning fully clothed after a few moments of raking through a duffle bag. Closing my eyes, I decided to take that nap he was offering, since it wasn't often I actually managed to get some sleep. While Lex wasn't a little kid anymore and therefore not waking me or keeping me awake, I still found myself restless, worrying about keeping him safe, despite him being six feet away at most times.

Footsteps nearby alerted me to Dean's return shortly after his hurried dressing. There was the sound of fabric hitting fabric as something dropped beside my head on the pillow. Opening my eyes a crack, I noticed there was a green t-shirt in a pile. Dean leaned down to press another kiss to my head, soft lips connecting with my temple.

''I like that shirt, so don't steal it,'' he said, and without another word, he turned on his heel and headed out the door.

Reaching for the shirt, I pulled it on and relaxed, breathing in the scent of him. He'd always done the same when we were younger, he was a man of little words, but his very sweet actions were much more important. He often tried to play the bad boy, but he was good to me. I didn't believe for a second there wasn't a marshmallow heart trapped inside that rough exterior.

Dean POV

Lex slumped into the front seat of Baby and immediately glared at me. He was going a little hard on the sullen teenager thing for my taste, but it was a little entertaining I could cause this amount of angst filled rage solely by existing. He crossed his arms over his chest, huffing out so hard his long dark fringe blew up in front of his face. It surprised me a little, that Katie let him dye his hair dark, given his hair was the same shade of blonde hers was, but it was also super rad she was letting him do whatever he wanted. My dad would'a never.

''Where's Katie?'' he demanded, exchanging no pleasantries. Peeling out of the parking space, I headed for a diner where I was likely not to get slapped to get a bunch of burgers. See, that's what I liked about this Katie chick, she wasn't into the salads and diet culture crap, just ate like a hunter, drank like a hunter.

''Taking a nap, she's been pretty worn out, so I told her we'd pick up grub,'' I told him and he nodded, seeming suspicious but accepting. He relented a little, pulling on his seatbelt, despite there being little point.''So, you find anything out about this weird, half man, half goat?''

''I have my suspicions, but I don't know how to kill it yet,'' he told me, and then nodded to the cell in his hand. ''I just need Katie's permission to call Pastor Jim. He'll probably know, it's kinda a religious thing.''

''Religious thing?'' I asked, glancing away from the road for a second to look at him with confusion. ''And why do you have to ask permission? She gave you her cell.''

''She doesn't like me talking to other hunters without her say so, I don't know why she's so suspicious, I've known him all my life. And Bobby for that matter,'' he said and I nodded, going back to staring at the road. I knew why, and she had every reason to be suspicious. Not of Bobby, or Pastor Jim for that matter, but being wary was what kept people alive. She was keeping things need to know, and the little contact Lex had with others outside of her secret the better. I was honestly just surprised she trusted me. ''But yeah, I think best way is to separate the head from the body, and remove its powers via ritual, but I'm not sure what which one to do.''

''Well, maybe I can take a look at it, or ask my Dad what he thinks, he's got some experience on the job,'' I suggested and he looked surprised. ''What?''

''Why are you being helpful?'' he asked and I snorted.

''Am I not supposed to be?'' I asked and he shrugged. Considering my suggestion for a moment, he tilted his head from side to side as he thought.

''Katie did tell me your dad saved mom's life once, okay, you can ask him,'' Lex said, giving me his angry seal of approval. Pulling out my cell, I pressed down the speed dial for my Dad, glancing over at Lex again while I drove.

''What's this thing called again?'' I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.

''Literally a Goatman,'' he replied.

''Right,'' I said, just as my dad answered.

''Dean, how's the hunt going, are you finishing up?'' he asked and I shook my head.

''No, it just got more complicated. What do you know about goatmen?'' I said and he paused for a second. I'd never made the man speechless before. ''We've found a Goatman, Katie's brother says I need to cut off its head and perform some kind of hoodoo ritual, but he's not sure which one.''

''Son…''

''What?'' I asked and he scoffed, I could see him shaking his head at me on the other end of the line.

''I just didn't think they were real, like aliens, I thought it was just an urban myth. Uh, let me get back to you, I'll make some calls. Did you say Katie, as in Abigail Shepherd's daughter?'' he asked and I paused.

''Uh… maybe? Lex says you saved her mothers life once on a hunt, I met Katie through Bobby and Pastor Jim,'' I said. It occurred to me only then, that in all this time, I'd never learned Katie's last name.

''That's the one, don't get her too involved, son, you need to keep her safe, it's important,'' he said and I wondered if he knew what I did. ''Keep an eye on the boy though.''

''Got it,'' I replied and he hung up without another word.

I'd say by what he'd said about Alex, he probably did know what I think he did. Which led me to believe this wasn't as well a kept secret as Katie thought. But then again, maybe Abigail had mentioned something to my dad, they seemed like they were friends or something. Who knew, the man was full of secrets. Turning to Lex, I wondered if I could get him to tell me what happened on that hunt or if I should ask Katie.

''Do you know the details?'' I asked, he shook his head.

''Katie keeps a lot from me, says the further away from the front she can keep me the better for me, I wish she'd stop trying to protect me, she takes being my guardian too seriously, it's not like she's my mom,'' he huffed and I shook my head. If only he knew.

''No,'' I agreed, trying not to cause suspicion. This was a conversation better left to Katie, or not had at all. ''So, burgers huh?''

''Look, I know you like my sister or whatever, so you're not gonna trash her when she's not around. I'm not asking you to, but it sucks okay? I'm almost an adult and she's still babying me, it sucks,'' he said and I nodded. That I could understand. While frustrating, I was a little envious. My dad had Sam and I growing up way earlier than we needed to. But that was the job. Someone had to do it.

Main POV

The door banged as opened, followed by some swearing. Looking up from my notepad, I saw Dean looking at me sheepishly. He relaxed a little, when he saw I'd been up for a while, and was now sitting fully clothed on his bed, and came over. Handing over the folded t-shirt, he looked a little surprised at the green fabric in his hands.

''I figure you'll let me borrow it again sometime if I return it,'' I said with a smile. He scoffed, shaking his head.

''Food's next door,'' he said, turning on his heel again and walking out of the room without another word. Man of few words, Dean Winchester, few words. Climbing up off the bed, I grabbed my notepad and shoes and headed for my own motel room. Lex was inside, already scarfing down what was his, and I smiled, watching Dean start to dig in. Lex looked up and almost choked.

''Woah, you don't have bags under your eyes,'' he said and I glared at him. ''What happened?''

''Thanks Lex,'' I said dryly and came over for my share. Dean got up a few minutes later at the sound of his ringing cell phone, heading out the motel room at the sound of classic rock metal. ''So, any luck?''

''You've got a Goatman, I thought it was just a creepy pasta from 4chan,'' he said and I raised an eyebrow.

''A what from where?'' I asked and he rolled his eyebrows at me. Young people. ''Is that that message forum place, I thought that was called read it.''

''Reddit,'' he corrected and huffed. ''You're not old, why do you always sound so decrepit?''

''Because I don't have time to busy myself with internet nerds like you seem to,'' I replied, pulling a cheeseburger out of the brown paper bag. ''Now, the goat men.''

''Goatman and you have to find it, I suggest a honey trap. We go camping similar place to those kids, and when he shows up, you chop off it's head, and remove the powers from the skull with a ritual, bada bing, bada boom,'' he said and I raised an eyebrow at the 1920s accent he did for the end of his cliff notes.

''Right, so what do we need for this ritual?'' I asked, stuffing a few fries inside the lid of my burger before closing it again. Taking a hefty bite, I waited for him to tell me more but he immediately got distracted by Dean bursting back in the door. He gestured for my notepad and I handed it to him, giving him a pen and watching him scrawl down a list of ingredients.

''Arlight, thanks,'' Dean said, closing his flip phone shut and sitting back down to resume eating like nothing had happened. He handed the notepad to Lex and Lex hummed as he read it over. ''Tell you which to do?''

''Yeah, I can have instructions written up before dinner,'' he said and I raised an eyebrow. The hell had happened between those two while I slept. ''Now, about this hunt.''

''No,'' I said firmly, shaking my head. ''You're not coming, you can stay here, stay up as late as you want. Whatever you want on tv, eat whatever you feel like, but no. You're not coming. We don't know this creature, anything could go wrong, no. We'll start you out on something simple, because then if it does go wrong, we can minimise the damage.''

''But I do get to start, right?'' he said, perking up immediately. Sighing, I put my elbows down on the table, resting my head on my hands. ''You said it.''

''Fine, but you shut up about all of this until I find the right hunt, do you understand? And you don't let this make you lose focus on your studies. Schoolwork comes first, if you slip on that, you sleep on the hunt, you understand? You're going to college,'' I said and he rolled his eyes at me, again. Slamming my fist down on the table with a hard thunk. ''Lex, take this seriously. You have a chance, an actual chance to get a better life than this crap, eat food that isn't microwavable in the gas station, sleep in a bed that's yours and doesn't have a stranger's blood soaked through the mattress. You can afford to own things, rather than steal them or do without, please don't throw this away to get what you think you want.''

''I do want it, it's the family business, you can't just keep me away from it, it's not fair,'' he said, throwing himself out of his seat. I stood up calmly, mirroring his stance despite being shorter than he was now.

''I can, and it is fair, I'm your sole guardian and it's my job to keep you safe,'' I told him, making him scoff and walk away from the table.

''Oh yeah, your job to go on the run from Dad, to do a flit in the night and keep me from the only family I had left. It's so your job to force me into a future and a career I don't want, and to keep me captive, hanging out with random old people or chillin' in a motel room alone, rather than meeting people my own age. Wouldn't shipping me off to boarding school have been easier, get you your diabolical plan of an office job?'' he bit at me and I shook my head. Pressing my lips together into a thin line, I tried to keep myself from blurting out anything in the heat of the moment. Shaking my head, I tried to figure out what to do, no matter what I said or did, he was going to be unhappy.

''Trust me, when I say you don't wanna be around him, Lex, he's not the man you think he is, he's not the man I thought he was, and that was a harsh truth I wasn't ready for,'' I said, folding my arms over my chest. Rocking back on my heels, I waited, trying to come up with some kind of compromise, defuse the situation. ''I think this is too dangerous for you, not because I don't think you're capable, you're growing up so fast and so well, you've had to deal with a lot of things kids your age shouldn't have to, and I'm sorry. But this just isn't the one. Last year I broke my leg dealing with a run of the mill violent spirit and it went wrong, so badly wrong. There's no way I'm ever going to let anything like that happen to you, Lex. You're not just my responsibility, I love you. Don't fight me on this.''

''Fine,'' he huffed, going over to his queen and grabbing his duffle. He started raking through it before he grabbed some clothes and marched off in the direction of the bathroom. ''I'm going for a shower.'' he said, slamming the door after him.

''You okay?'' Dean asked, holding the burger he'd been eating mid bite. I nodded slowly, coming back over to eat my lunch. ''Katie, wouldn't it be easier if you just told him?''

''No,'' I said, shaking my head again. ''I can't tell him, because he's going to ask why. No boy is going to understand why the man he thinks is his father tried to kill him. He's not just going to accept it and move on, he's going to want to know why. And then I'll have to tell him everything, and if he knows, it'll put him in danger.''

''Do you really think if he knows…'' Dean started and I shushed him, wandering over to the bathroom door. Putting my ear up against the hollow wood, I listened for the sound of someone getting undressed. All I could hear through the side of the door was breathing and I tried the handle. He hadn't even locked the door.

''Nice try, Lex,'' I said, pulling the door open to reveal him fully clothed with a glass in his hand. ''Go have that shower you were so amped about.''

''Tell me what?'' he demanded as I closed the door in his face. He pulled it back open, storming after me. ''Tell me what?'' His hand wrapped around my bicep and he pulled me back, startling me a little. Dean shot up from the table.

''Hey! Hey!'' Dean barked, coming over to pull Lex's hand off my arm. ''Calm down.''

''Stay out of this!'' Lex screamed at him and Dean shook his head, standing in between myself and him. ''This doesn't concern you, Winchester. Stay out of this, it's a family matter.''

''Alexander,'' I said in a low and deep voice. ''Take a step back, this isn't going to go well for any of us. Walk it off, have a shower, we can talk about this later. Now is not the time.'' He made no move to step back and Dean squared his shoulders.

''You heard her,'' he said, staring down Lex. How did things escalate so quickly? Lex relented eventually, after several moments of flared nostril and heavy breathing, staring at my hunting partner. Once he went back to the bathroom, Dean grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, the notepad and put a hand on my lower back. Steering me out of the motel room, he used a gentle but firm hand. ''Are you okay?''

''Fine,'' I nodded, tugging the door closed. Running my hands over my face, I wondered how things got so bad so quickly. He'd been such a sweet baby, a lovely child, perfect temperament. This was clearly more than being a teenager, how had I let things get this bad?

''Sure looks like it,'' he said dryly and I looked up at him with a glare. ''Sorry, look, come on, let's try pick up these things. There's a Voodoo shop nearby, run by some lady who used to live in New Orleans. It's just a stone's throw away, in the city about an hour from here. Plenty of time for Lex to cool off and we're not too far from him.''

''Okay,'' I said softly, nodding. Marching off towards the Impala, he didn't look back to see I wasn't following. It was wrong of me to let him get this involved in a hunt, especially when I knew what lurked out there. Pushing off the concrete, I slowly wandered after Dean, pulling open the passenger side and letting him drive. I was in no condition, even if he had've been likely to let me.

The ride there was silent, save for the gentle rock music playing at a low volume. Shaking my head as I stared out the window, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about how all this came to pass. Of course I knew I'd made the right decision on running from my step dad, Lex deserved every chance, after all, he was my blood. It didn't matter what had happened, half of him was me.

''So what happened between your mother and my dad?'' Dean asked as we pulled into the next town, slowing down for a red light. Which was probably a first for him.

''Hunt went bad,'' I said with a shrug. I'd been just a teenager then, it was before Lex was even born. It was crazy that that night had changed so much. ''My stepdad ran into your dad at a bar, found out they were hunting the same thing, and it didn't make sense to run against each other. They pooled their resources, tried to get the job done quicker. I was home alone at the time, I… I just.. They didn't tell me I couldn't go, but I always felt like I should have known better than to go out to the motel arcade after dark. After all, I knew what was out there.''

''Been there,'' he said, a flash of guilt flashing over his features. ''Sorta. Sammy was a kid, and dad did tell me not to leave him, but I figured it would be fine. And I regretted it, so I get it.''

''I called my mother, I was all distressed, I knew I wasn't supposed to bother them on a hunt unless it was an emergency, but this felt like it. And she picked up, she freaked, wanted to skip out on the job and leave my step dad so she could get home, he told her to stay, that he'd go back and check on me and your dad and her could keep working, she was the more experienced hunter anyway,'' I explained and he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road as he prowled around town, looking for the little out of the way shop. The town seemed ordinary, it was odd to think there was a random occult shop sitting around somewhere, it didn't seem like there would be much market for it. ''He won out, came back for me but she was distracted, worrying about me. She knew something was up. It was a violent spirit, nothing either of them hadn't dealt with before but it scratched her. Cut her real deep, and your dad managed to scare it off and get her to the hospital, dug up the bones and salted it, finished the job, you know. Wasn't even mad, told her he'd be just as worried if his boys were in trouble.''

''Funny way of showing it,'' Dean muttered bitterly. ''So was that the night…'' he stared and I nodded slowly. ''Right, well, from the sounds of it, you had every right to call her, and no right to feel guilty. You were a kid, Katie. You needed help from an adult for a very real problem.''

''Still, she could have died, and it's not a good feeling. Especially since three, almost four years later she died,'' I said and he nodded. ''On a hunt with your dad actually.''

''I still wish there was something I could have done, but I was four, how could I have stopped a nursery fire,'' he said and I nodded again. He pulled into an angled parking space by a shady looking alley. Ten bucks said we were going in there. It didn't seem to matter how much time I spent in the dark, how many dirty, scungy places I went, places like this still gave me the creeps.

''She was so thrilled,'' I said, when I got out of the car, shutting the door with a soft slam. ''She didn't understand at first what I was telling her. Thought I was just like her, it took my step dad to properly get it out of me. He always told me, it didn't matter he wasn't my blood, I was always his little girl and I could tell him anything. Sometimes I wished I hadn't. Not the whole truth.''

''How'd he go from the guy that put your hair in pigtails to trying to kill Lex?'' Dean asked, standing very close as we walked down the alley over the wet garbage and the dirty concrete.

''You know, when we were on a hunt, or going to the next, it didn't matter how much of a time push we had, if we passed a park on the way, he'd stop and push me on the swings for a little while. It was just ten minutes, every so often, but it was one of the most amazing things in the world,'' I told him and he wore a soft smile on his face as he listened. I'd really loved him, he was my dad, blood or not. There was no one who'd treated me better. ''They were married before I was born, they met through Pastor Jim, he was always a bit of a religious nut. When she told him what happened, he was cool about it. Real cool, cooler than even the most accepting man oughta be. And then when I was born there were no secrets, I didn't always know how I was conceived, but I did know he wasn't my dad. But he adopted me and that was it. It was after my mom died that he started doing more research into what happened to me. I don't know what set him off, what he found out but he fell into this hole. And when he came out, he was a different man. He couldn't separate Lex from the man who hurt me, and wanted to rid the world of him, got even more nutty and religious.''

''Well, be fair Katie, it wasn't really a man who hurt you, those things are bad news, regardless of their plans, you're lucky he decided to fill you in, gave you time to get out,'' Dean said and I nodded. That was true. If we hadn't had such an open and honest relationship, I would have just come home one day and found Lex dead, and that would have killed me. I don't think I would have survived.

Dean pushed open the shop door and a bell jingled overhead. We climbed up a steep flight of stairs and rounded a corner before we found the right door to the actual shop, again, opening another door with a bell. This one had a clear pain of glass showing the owner all who entered before they did. We stepped over a thick salt line, heading for the counter where there was a rather old woman sitting behind it. She smiled at us, showing a toothy grin, as if she knew us well.

''Well, don't you look just like your mother,'' she said, nodding to me. ''Come, let me see that list of yours. I know you're here about those kids a town over. Bout time somebody stopped that thing.''

Okay, maybe she did know us. Or me. At least she wasn't being overly helpful like all the others in this city had been. It was super creepy. She took the piece of paper from Dean and started going about from drawer to drawer in the shelves behind the counter, pulling out various ingredients for this ritual we were supposed to perform to the point she had to fill up a box. She tossed in a bag of bones I had to assume were runes thanks to the carvings on them and even handed me a thick, leather bound book. It was like something straight out of Harry Potter and I raised an eyebrow.

''Don't tell me you think you know the right ritual by heart. This is a good book, easy to follow, you can do it tonight,'' she told me, not looking up from the cash register, typing in buttons rapidly. I watched with horror as the numbers added up and reached for my wallet, pulling out note after note. Begrudgingly, I handed over the stack when she finally got to the total and knew I'd be sulking for the next month. This was why I liked Costco, I could get all the bulk salt and lighter fluid I needed with little question about why I was buying in such large quantities. And shotgun shells. Walmart, they were good too, I liked the good deals I could get there. Support local, pfft. Not on my budget.

We headed out of the shop, Dean carrying the heavy box without me even needing to fight him on it and we headed back to the car. It was like she seemed to know we didn't want to involve Lex. With this book, we could head straight out to the woods, not even go back for Lex. There was food money in the tin by the bedside, plenty on TV, and we wouldn't have to have a blazing row before we left. Although it did mean upsetting him. I opened the trunk for Dean, watching him slide the impressively sturdy cardboard box in with the rest of his gear before I shut it again. Sighing, I leaned against the back of the Impala, reaching out for him.

''What?'' he asked, looking at me like I was a foreign species.

''Come here you asshole,'' I said, wiggling my fingers towards him. ''I had a hard day, just give me a hug, moron.''

''Oh,'' he said, awkwardly coming over and giving me a hug, despite looking super uncomfortable the whole time. It made me laugh, and so I stood, clinging on tightly to him as laughter gently rumbled out of my chest. ''Dudes don't hug, Katie, how was I supposed to know you were going to be all chick flick?''

''Because I am a chick, and occasionally I like physical affection,'' I said, shaking my head. He let go of me then, almost stomping broodily around to the driver's seat. Laughing, I went to my own side, taking my seat and pulling out the map to give him directions straight to the woods where we could catch this thing. The Goatman or whatever…