Hey all! As you know, I own nothing associated with the show Supernatural. I can, however, take credit for the character of Kate and her father. A big, big, big apology for how long it's taken to get this updated, but I greatly appreciate your patience, and sticking through it with me! Originally I wanted to have this be a two-parter, but after editing some bits out I was able to keep it together into one longer chapter, I do have the next one typed out and just about ready to go...
As always, thank you for reading! A particularly big, thank you to those who have been here since the beginning, you each know who you are, especially for those who have continuously reviewed! Anywho, another chapter is now uploaded and I hope you all enjoy it!
Chapter 25: Playthings
Kate sighed heavily as she stood behind the bar of Harvelle's, she'd unwittingly opened her mouth and offered a hand to Ellen earlier on in the day. If she had known then that she'd end up back here for half the night, serving beers and mixed drinks to different hunters throughout the bar she probably would have opted out. However, the promise of tips and an hourly wage had her hesitating. The bar was busier tonight than it had been two days ago when Dean, Sam, and she had gotten in from Oregon, but… that was a Wednesday night. Friday was here and it was obvious from the sudden boom in customers that walked in the door that more people were out and about in Central Nebraska tonight. Kate moved swiftly around Ellen, who was currently filling a glass at the beer tap, Kate slid an amber beer bottle across the counter towards a waiting hand with a familiar face.
"Well, hey again." A warm voice greeted her with a smile, Kate glanced up to find that familiar-looking blonde guy who had offered her a drink while being hustled at pool by Dean.
Kate let out a slight scoffing laugh as she looked at him surprised, "Uhm… Hey, Tyler? Right?" She asked slowly, fighting to recall his name from the other night before he had been rebuffed by Dean.
"You remembered," He noted his grin widening. "Hang on, do you work here? That must be a relatively new development as I haven't seen you around much since the other night." He said to her striking up a conversation, meanwhile, Kate couldn't help but notice four more people just walked into the bar.
"Ah, no actually. Just helping out for the night is all." She explained shortly as she glanced around the back of the bar for Ellen, but she was already busy gathering more glasses from the back.
"O-oh, that's cool. Does that mean you'll be around for the night then?" He asked her, his tone was seemingly hopeful, "What time are you off?"
"Never, unfortunately," Kate chuckled with a headshake. "I'm afraid, I'm just here for a bit. Waiting on some people to get here, while in between jobs. So, I'm only behind the bar to help out for a little while." Kate replied with another glance around. The trio had lunch at Harvelle's, and Kate planned to have dinner here as well but, as she'd been working the bar for the last few hours she hadn't had a chance to eat yet. She wasn't sure if Sam and Dean had gone out back to eat in the rooms they'd stayed in before, or if they went out. Either way, they were all here now, waiting for Bobby, Ava, and her fiancee Brady to show.
Kate's gaze found Dean; of course over at the pool tables, while Sam was seated at the other side of the bar reading over the case file from Ellen that he'd gotten earlier. "Ah, that's a real shame," Tyler told her as his eyes moved over her form appreciatively. However, Kate's attention was pulled away, Dean must have caught her gaze earlier, because he was steadily making his way over now.
Kate felt her nerves firing in her stomach as her eyes jumped back to the man before her. She took in Tyler's form in his blue and orange plaid flannel, over his white t-shirt, which set off his blue eyes brightly even under the dim lighting of the bar. She supposed that now, if ever, would be an opportune time to be flirtatious as she let a small smirk grow over her features before she leaned down and snagged a glass from under the bar shelves.
Kate, with earlier help from Ash, and permission from Ellen, of course, worked to make the bar a demon-free zone for the night, even if they tried to hide among the customers, they'd quickly be found out. She and Ash had worked together after getting back from the tattoo shop to ensure that the water tank in the ice maker would be continuously filled with holy water. She threw a scoop of ice into the glass and filled it with the assistance of a jigger with two different variations of dark rum, then filled it up the rest of the way with cola that Ellen had on tap at the fountain.
"Rum and coke. On me," She told him with a smile as Dean swiftly appeared beside the guy.
"There another one of those back there, Katie?" Dean asked in that low tone of his. Kate felt her parts of her body tighten at the mere sound of his voice and she inwardly berated herself.
"Do you have the 6 bucks that particular drink costs, Dean?" She asked him, using his name in the same tone as he had hers. Tyler's eyes moved over toward Dean's figure curiously as he brought the glass that Kate just handed him to his lips; slowly he took his first drink without issue. He was obviously, thankfully, not possessed by a demon. Kate breathed a sigh of relief at that.
"C'mon Katie," Dean scoffed slightly as he glanced between the two people before him, however, Kate's face remained deadpanned and serious as she quirked an eyebrow up at him. He let out a heavy sigh and reached back for his wallet before tossing down some bills. Kate couldn't help but smirk as she grabbed up the money and walked towards the register. By the time she returned, she looked over at Dean expectantly, "What kinda drink do you want?" She asked him. "Rum, Gin, Whiskey, a beer?" she offered.
"Six bucks for a beer?" He asked her with his green eyes widening while the tone of his voice sounded put off. The blonde guy seemed to choke on his drink before he put the glass down on the counter, he looked up at Kate with an amused smile, as he must've remembered Dean from the last time they played pool together. He excused himself to the restroom before he stood and walked off. Kate grinned across the counter at Dean now. "So…?"
"You just handing out free drinks to strangers now, Kate?" Dean asked in a darker tone, once Tyler was out of earshot. She wasn't keen on his sharp tone or the dark glare that he sent in the direction of the bathrooms. She was fairly certain she picked up on the low tone of jealousy in his voice and decided to nip it now before it proceeded to grow throughout the night.
"I'm sorry, I guess it's only okay for you to be on the receiving end of attention from strangers, is it, Dean?" She questioned him sarcastically. Dean rolled his eyes at her words with a scoff.
"I guess I just figured after last night that we-. Well, we were-."
"That we're what? Friends? More than friends?" Kate asked him, her tone of voice coming out harsher than she meant it to, but the words were coming out of her mouth so quickly and they weren't stopping. "I don't exactly know what the hell is going on between us, Dean. Some days we're hot, and some days we're cold. I'm particularly enjoying the whiplash, and you haven't exactly cleared up anything between us, so as far as I'm concerned, we're still all over the map, and I'm perfectly available to do as I please," she told him simply. "So... what'll it be?" she finally asked him slowly after a stunned silence on his part. The double meaning of her question wasn't lost on either of them as the silence continued to drag on. She fought to keep a slightly smug expression off her face at his unusual silence.
"Whiskey," Was all he said, his face overcome with irritation before he squashed it under a stoic facial expression. "Neat," He added through clenched teeth as Kate grabbed a highball glass and filled it with a rather large chunk of ice. She didn't bother to measure it out with the jigger as she placed the glass on the bar and freehand poured the Jack Daniels.
"Enjoy," She told him with a tight smile as she slid the glass his way with more force than was necessary. She watched as Dean brought the glass to his lips before he swiftly stood and stalked off towards Sam. Kate sighed, feeling her anger steadily decreasing as the physical distance between them grew, she ran her hand through her long brown hair and moved on to wiping down some of the still-damp glasses that Ash had brought up from going through the washer in the kitchen.
"Any trouble tonight?" She heard Ellen's voice ask as she came up beside Kate, reaching for a new glass. Kate made an unintelligible noise as she continued staring across the way, at Sam and Dean. She knew that earlier in the day she and he had been on the same page, but once night hit Dean was back to chatting it up with the other people at the bar, some of them albeit were women hitting on him, and Kate found it frustrating to watch, but she did. She stood by and allowed Dean to be, well, Dean... However, it appeared at the first sign of someone seemingly displaying any interest in her, he was certain to waltz over and try to squash it.
"Not with the bartending," Kate replied, her voice was tight with irritation as she glanced at Ellen from the boys. Sam was predictable enough, he didn't seem interested, not in the same way Dean was. Sure, she'd had thoughts about him, but Dean had kissed her, on more than one occasion. Albeit, she initiated, but he kissed her back each time so, he had to be interested, right? Then, why isn't he making a move? She asked herself. Kate heaved a sigh at her predicament.
"Well, seems like the crowd's died down, so... If you're feeling like you want to sit down. Feel free." Ellen told her. "Also, just ring in whatever you want to eat, and we'll comp it out, alright?" Ellen told her with a hand to Kate's shoulder. "I appreciate your help tonight, it's been hectic with Jo gone so…" Ellen's voice trailed off. "Thanks, honey." She finished as she turned towards a waiting patron at the bar.
Kate made her way toward the register as she punched in her food, she left the order open for Ellen to comp out and made herself a drink. She was hoping some alcohol would help take the edge off, her shoulders were tense from her last interaction with Dean, and her upper arms and shoulders were sore from carrying the heavy crates of glasses around the back of the bar. She opted for a tall glass to make a whiskey sour- heavy on the whiskey. Once she came out from behind the bar she locked her gaze with the blond guy from earlier, Tyler.
"Mind if I join you?" She questioned. He swallowed the sip from his drink quickly as he nodded and gestured towards the stool that Dean had previously taken up. Kate smirked at the man's suddenly nervous nature.
"So, if you're in here regularly, I'll assume you know what most of the people in this bar do…" Kate trailed off. "You a hunter?" She specified for him. The man's blue eyes met her own as he nodded with renewed interest. Probably at the uncomplicated nature of their potential hook up.
"Hmmm… You in town on a case?" Kate asked, interested to hear more. The guy chuckled with a small headshake, "Well, I was… I finished up today so, I'll be on the road after tonight, at least for a little while anyway." He answered honestly.
"So then, tonight… is uhm… just tonight then?" She pressed further as she leaned towards him a bit. She watched as Tyler leaned in closer to her with his elbow on the bar and his stool turned so he faced her direction.
"That would be the offer," He said with a roguish grin as he eyed her form. Kate laughed, her hand trailing lightly over his forearm and sliding down it, grazing over his heated skin from elbow to his wrist before she moved back to pick up her glass and take another drink. Kate knew that she had poured a little heavily when mixing her drink, but she didn't care. She figured she deserved it after everything she'd been through. After rescuing Dean from Gordon and escaping Oregon with her life, she needed a break. So, when Bobby and company pulled up she assumed with it already being as late as it was, that they'd all just be staying another night either here in the back rooms again, or at a motel.
Kate couldn't help but, notice the table where Sam and Dean were posted up at and, and their not-so-surreptitious glances this way. She noted a mild amusement overwhelm Sam's features, while Dean looked on clearly irritated as the pair spoke. "What about you? What job are you in town for? Other than bartending, of course." Tyler asked her, recalling her attention back to him and their conversation.
"Ah, that's… complicated." She told him feeling a sudden unwillingness to get him too involved. She figured that tonight was just, well, tonight. She didn't want to have to explain the whole situation to him. They'd be sitting there all night, so she opted for a vague answer. "We're waiting on people to get here. There's a group of us coming together for a case." Kate told him as she downed some more of her whiskey sour before Ellen placed her full plate before her. Kate's mouth watered as she took in the simple chicken sandwich and fries that she'd ordered.
"You want a hand with the job?" Tyler offered. He leaned on the bar with one elbow, his eyebrow quirked upwards in interest. She knew that right now Dean was probably more likely to deck the guy in the jaw than to accept any help from him.
Kate shook her head not talking, as she'd taken a bigger bite than she should have. "No. No, thanks. We're all good, given the time now, I don't see us doing much besides catching up on some shut-eye before this party gets underway." Kate explained trying to swallow her bite quickly.
Tyler's light eyes seem to light up under the dim lighting above the bar area. She watched as his eyes moved over her steadily taking in her form. "What were you hunting?" Kate asked him changing the subject, quickly.
"Vampires in Lebanon," Tyler answered, his demeanor still relaxed as he finished the drink she had given him earlier.
"Lebanon?" Kate asked her brain quickly, placing the place to be where they would find the boy's bunker. "Yeah, a small town in Kansas, not much happening there, but at least it's a safer small town now." He told her with a roguish grin. Kate nodded as she took another drink from her tall glass. She wondered if there was a way to get the key to the bunker without having to wait for the arrival of the boys's grandad. The only other person she knew to have it in their possession was Lady Bevell… she was uncertain if she wanted to tango with that one as she recalled the burning of Sam while barefoot and the lengthy cold shower.
"Hey, you… okay?" Tyler asked her. She jumped slightly as his hand touched her shoulder before she glanced back up at him. She nodded with a small smile, a steady blush creeping over her face as she realized she'd gotten lost in thought.
The sound of the front doors opening caught her attention, she turned to see Bobby and company enter the Roadhouse. The couple looked awkward and out of place. They glanced around as if they'd never been in a bar before. Kate scoffed with a shake of her head. "Well, it seems that the other half of my hunting party has just arrived. You know... if we do end up sticking around tonight, I'll come find you. Maybe, take you up on that offer…?" She trailed off with a small smirk. Tyler opened his mouth as if he wanted to say more, but Kate slid her plate to the other side of the bar for clean up and grabbed her drink as she slid off the stool, turning and making her way towards the far table where Sam was. "Bobby's here-," she began as she wormed her way through the crowd of people, however, she paused at the look Dean sent her.
"Don't you look at me like that," she said, quickly cutting him down before he could utter a word. "If you have something to say, just say it." Sam glanced between the pair with a growing expression of amusement over his features.
"So let me get this straight when I-. But, then you can-." Dean was so irritated that he wasn't saying anything.
Kate rolled her eyes. She knew what he was hinting at. She'd brought up all the women he'd flirted with the last time they were here, and now? Well, she was sitting and chatting with a guy right in front of him, and it appeared that it stung him. Good. She thought with a slight smirk forming over her lips. Now, you know how it feels. She thought to herself before changing the subject to what was important, "Look, I only came over to point out that Bobby and company are here, and they're not likely to find this little rinky dink table you've carved out for yourself in the corner." She told them as her eyes turned to scan the bar for Bobby's familiar face. "So, maybe we ought to-."
Kate didn't have to worry though as Bobby came up behind her. "If you ever stick me with those people on a 14-hour drive again. I'll hang you by your toes from the rafters in my panic room, you understand?" Kate couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from her chest as she chuckled at Bobby's irritated features.
"You have a panic room?" Dean questioned, distracted by the idea. Kate smirked as she'd wandered into it while she stayed there some months ago. Bobby groaned out the words, 'idjits' as he moved away muttering about how much he needed a beer. Sam glanced between Kate and Dean uncomfortably still feeling the tension, before he swiftly moved to join Bobby at the bar, taking his bag and laptop with him. Kate glanced up at Dean before she tore her gaze away when his eyes met hers. "I'm not apologizing." She told him plainly, stubbornly crossing her arms over herself.
"Neither am I." He agreed swiftly as he threw back the beer that Kate assumed he'd gone and gotten from Ellen.
"Good," Kate muttered quietly as she finished the rest of her drink with a single gulp.
"Great," He replied simply, his gaze meeting hers with an air of superiority.
"Ugh, whatever, Dean," Kate told him as she pushed away from the table she was leaning against, and made her way back towards the rest of the group at the bar, "What's the plan then? For tonight?" She asked as she came up in between Sam and Bobby.
She noted that Bobby and Sam both had a beer before them as she eyed Ava and Brady by Sam's other side. "Welp, it's almost midnight here, girly. So I think that I'm gonna take up Ellen's offer on a bed, and stay here with ya'll for the night. I figure we'll put together a more detailed plan tomorrow. Right now though? I'm having this beer, eating the biggest dinner on the menu, and then calling it quits for tonight. You guys stayin' out back too?" He asked gruffly. "I could just take the couch, these two can have the queen room, and you three can squeeze into the space with the bunkbeds-."
"I think I'd rather join Ash sleeping on top of the pool tables, thanks though," Kate uttered with more aggression than she meant to. She didn't even want to think about sharing a bed with Dean, and she knew from past experiences that Sam was no picnic to sleep with on a double bed, let alone a twin-sized one. Bobby rolled his eyes at her statement while Sam choked on his beer with a laugh. "Alright, princess, then what do you propose?" Bobby asked her, his rough voice annoyed.
"No Bobby, you all can take the back rooms. We'll head out to a hotel nearby. No biggie." Kate replied without missing a beat. Her eye, however, was on Tyler by the pool tables. She watched Dean move onto the corner stool of the bar on the other side of Bobby, sufficiently blocking her view.
"'Scuse me? Nu uh. You take them with you all this time. I'll stay here, alone." Bobby muttered disgruntled at being paired up with the very couple he needed a break from. Kate was going to protest, but Sam was quick to mediate.
"Fine. I'll stay here with them. You go out and find a motel for the night. I'm still here doing research on what I can about the ghost town Kate mentioned earlier anyways…" Sam cut in with a quick compromise. "Besides there's this case in Connecticut that Ellen was telling me about earlier," Sam added.
At the following silence, Sam continued, picking his words slower as he glanced from Dean to Kate. "Maybe you two can take it on your own?"
Kate and Dean's eyes met quickly across the bar counter, "What?" "-No,"
Sam immediately cut them off, "Look guys, Bobby needs to rest, and someone's gotta stay with Ava and her fiancee to make sure they stay safe… and, there's still people out there that need saving, right? We can't ignore them." Sam continued, his eyes taking on that puppy dog look that was hard for them to ignore. Kate and Dean glanced at each other. This night was not turning out the way Kate thought it would. She was hoping for some time to relax and forget everything, but it didn't appear that she was going to get either one of those things. She huffed at the thought of spending the long drive to Connecticut with just Dean for company, especially after tonight, but… she didn't think she was going to have much of a choice in the matter.
"I think I need another drink if that's the case." She muttered as she placed her empty glass down on the bar.
"We need to leave tonight?" She asked with a slight wince, her body leaning to look around Dean at Tyler behind him, but she kind of figured going on the hunt with Dean was a done deal. "Well, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get there." Sam pointed out as he looked from Kate to Dean. Kate sighed as she watched her glass get pushed back to her; half-filled. Although she wasildly disappointed that it held water.
"I'm not sending you off on a hunt, drunk," Ellen told her in a final, disapproving tone. Kate chuckled as she grabbed her glass of water in front of her.
"I suppose I should be thanking you for this." She murmured begrudgingly as she drank it down. Ellen looked at her with an amused expression before she was signaled down to the other end of the bar as more customers wanted to order. "Guess I better get my stuff from the car…" Sam said as he stood, closed his laptop, and stepped away from the barstool.
She moved out of the bar to stand under the awning, watching Sam shuffling around the Impala trunk to gather some items before she and Dean split off from their growing group to drive to the next hunt. "So, you know what we're hunting already or..?" Kate jumped at Dean's voice coming from behind her. She met his gaze and nodded.
"And…?" He asked her, his eyes bright under the lights from above them. Kate could feel that familiar sensation of her body warming under his gaze, a blush undoubtedly blooming over her face. She'd have blamed the alcohol that she'd consumed, but she wasn't drunk enough for that. A loud crackling pulled her eyes away from him as a nearby bug zapper did its job while, hanging along the edge of the awning.
"A spirit, I don't know much other than that." She told him bluntly as she crossed her arms and turned away, back towards the parking lot as she leaned on one of the slim banisters that supported the awning. "The case was weird in the show… it-. Well, it sort resolved itself…." She told him softly.
"How does a case resolve itself?" He asked her, his tone sharp with confusion.
"Guess you'll find out, huh?" She asked him sarcastically as she moved to turn away, but she felt him grab her arm as she moved to pass by him.
"Hey, hey, hey, c'mon… we're about to be stuck in the car for at least an entire day's drive, practically across the country… let's not do it mad at each other, okay?" He asked her. As he gazed into her eyes with a deeply earnest look of concern, his eyebrows drew together upwards, conveying the gravity of the situation. Kate couldn't shake the feeling that he had a valid point. The thought of working at the haunted Connecticut inn alongside a pissed Dean was not an idea she relished. With a heavy sigh, she reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Alright, fine." She caved softly. She was uncertain what the long drive had ahead of them, but she knew that it would be no help if the two of them couldn't get along long enough to get to the next case.
"You guys heading to some hotel, or are you headed right to Connecticut from here?" Sam asked as he approached them, draping his duffel bag back over his shoulder as he glanced at them. Kate slowly pulled her arm back from Dean, as Sam stared.
"No, like you said. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get there." Dean answered decidedly.
"Sam, just... be careful here, please," Kate said as she moved forward, she stepped down the stairway which made her nearly the same height as him as he still had his feet firmly planted in the gravel parking lot.
"Yeah, you know we will be..." He told her slowly. She had a twisting feeling in her stomach, she didn't like the thought of leaving all of them here. All that she could picture in her head were scenes from the show when the Roadhouse was nothing but a burnt shell of a burial site for the dead hunters that had gotten trapped inside.
"Does- does something happen?" He asked her, concern in his softer tone as his light eyes glanced over her worriedly.
"In the show... demons come, but.. I don't know when. That's why I told Ash to stop looking into things. They shouldn't have any reason to come snooping around here if they don't think anyone knows anything." Kate explained. She heard Dean walk up behind her, listening intently to their conversation.
"Yeah, except that... Ava and Sam are both, here now. That's two of Yellow Eyes's would-be victims." Dean pointed out as his face was overcome with a stubborn determination now. His green eyes looked over Sam as he opened his mouth.
"Dean you have to take this case-." Sam began.
"I don't have to do anything-!" Dean began to protest but, Sam cut him off. Both of their voices were steadily growing in volume.
"People are dying!" Sam's last words clung onto the night air between the three of them heavily. "It's our job to save as many people as we can, right? Save people, Hunt things, that's the family business?" Sam was quoting Dean back to him. Kate would've been in a giddier mood upon hearing the line- that line. If it didn't mean that she and Dean were potentially leaving at a time when they should've been sticking together.
"Sam is right. If we don't go... then, we risk a little girl dying, and I- I don't want that on my conscience." Kate told Dean honestly. "Do you?" She asked at his silence.
In the following moments, she and Dean would reluctantly say their goodbyes. Kate opted to not say anything to the guy from earlier, Tyler, as she was unfortunately setting out for the night anyway. Once packed up, Kate had a new view from the Impala's passenger seat and she and Dean drove along highways and backroads towards the East Coast. She knew they had a long drive ahead of them and wasn't sure if they'd be stopping along the way.
Kate sighed as she walked along the aisles of the gas station that Dean had pulled into... she was currently debating between honey-roasted cashews or something on the more unhealthy side. She'd grabbed a bottle of water on her loop of the coolers around the store, but she didn't go for the giant liter bottle that she'd usually opt for as their car trip to Connecticut was a long one and it appeared that Dean's go, go, go attitude on life also applied to his lengthy driving. He'd told her that it was a good thing she was already comfortable with sleeping in the Impala as he figured if he'd need some shut-eye along the twenty-plus hour drive, that they'd just pull over, so she already assumed extra bathroom stops were a no-go.
"You find any decent road snacks?" she heard his voice, as she felt him come up behind her in the smaller center aisles of the convenience store where the pair stopped for gas.
"Depends on your definition of road snacks, I guess," Kate replied, as she quickly grabbed the package of cashews and held up her bottle of water. She'd gotten paid by Ellen before leaving for the night, but she wasn't planning on using that cash here.
"Ugh," Dean groaned in disappointment as he came up and saw what she'd picked out for food. "This is why you don't get to do the shopping..." he trailed off chuckling to himself as though he was very funny. "No, we need road food. Here..." Dean swiftly handed her a bag of Doritos, and as he maneuvered past her in the narrow aisle, she couldn't help but feel the subtle brush of him againt her back. Their rather ungraceful movements came to a halt as they inadvertently pressed against each other again while trying to exit the aisle at the same time. A moment of pause enveloped them before she gently gestured for him to proceed, allowing their brief encounter to linger in the air. "Oh yes," he muttered lowly as he moved away from her. Kate lause briefly wondering just what he was referring to in that tone, "yeah, now we're talkin'..." He trailed off as he paused to stand in front of the end cap shelf of jerky. Kate breathed out a sigh that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Ew... Dehydrated, dried-out meat?" She questioned slowly, now coming up beside him. She couldn't help that the disgust was audible in her tone.
"If you say another disparaging thing about beef jerky, you will be walking to Connecticut from here, okay Trouble?" He told her with a glance in her direction with both his eyebrows raised in offense as he grabbed up a giant Slim Jim and a bag of bite-sized pieces. "Besides, have you ever actually tried it? These are delicious," He mumbled as she scoffed at his overdramatic attitude. Dean moved around her towards the coolers behind them to grab a drink. Kate glanced over the shelving unit again as she bent down to grab the same red bag of bite-sized beef jerky that Dean had. She shrugged, eyeing the other options but, figured she could start with the same one he grabbed.
As she turned around to look up at him, she noticed his piercing gaze slowly roaming up her figure. The small store left them pressed in close quarters, intensifying the already charged atmosphere between them. She couldn't help but notice a sudden change in his demeanor as he studied her. Kate's eyes started to roam over him as she felt herself unconsciously biting her lower lip. Just as the tension between them was reaching palpable levels, the door to the store suddenly swung open, setting off the alarm and jolting her out of the moment. "We uh... We should probably just get moving," Kate muttered softly as she instinctively pulled away, breaking the spell between them.
Currently, Kate and Dean shared the room that had the giant wedding gown posted up on the wall. She'd chosen to begin by going over what they knew already about the case.
"Ugh, that thing gives me the creeps," She said staring up at the dress. It was along the side wall from where she was seated. Dean chuckled at her statement, glancing over at her. Kate sat near the coffee table in the makeshift seating area, she had some papers in a file that they'd printed out at a library, on the way here Ash had sent it in an email. Dean stood over the opposite side of his bed as he laid out his weapon parts. He was currently passive-aggressively cleaning them, working through his leftover tension about having to leave the Roadhouse.
"Victim number one- Joan Edison, 43 years old. A realtor that was handling the sale of this hotel, and victim number two was Larry Williams, moving some stuff out to goodwill."
"Well, there's a connection," Dean pointed out as he gestured in her direction with a gun part. "They're both tied up with shutting the place down."
"Maybe the ghost just doesn't want to leave?" she asked, recalling the other little girl that haunted this hotel. Kate sighed heavily.
"You have anything you can add?" Dean asked in a bit of a tone. Kate sent a slight glare in his direction, but she didn't say anything as she glanced back to the files she had before her.
"Uhm. Susan only has one daughter. Tyler. Maggie is the spirit." She mumbled absently to him.
"The spirit? It's a little girl?" Dean asked her, voice full of disbelief.
"Doesn't it make sense?" Kate began as she put down the paperwork entirely now. "The building is selling and about to be demolished, that would make anything haunting the site pretty pissed off."
"Especially if the ghost is someone from the family that's owned the place generations back." Dean agreed.
"It's Rose's sister," Kate told him as she moved to get up from her chair and sit by him. "Susan's mother, Rose. She was taught hoodoo, and she's kept the spirit away, for a long time. Until she… recently suffered from a stroke…" Kate trailed off, slowly as she'd snatched up the elderly lady's medical records that she'd also had Ash email her.
"And, can't be hands-on with the hoodoo any longer," Dean added in as Kate's voice trailed off. She moved towards him, showing him the paperwork. "And, now the spirit's back and raising hell…" Dean said as he looked up at her from the paperwork.
Kate nodded, her gaze meeting his for the first time since they'd pulled into the hotel. "So Kate, how do we gank it? An easy salt and burn the bones type of deal, I hope?" he asked as he handed her the files back.
Kate slowly shook her head as she pulled away to return the files to the table again. "No, unfortunately. What I remember from the show… You guys didn't do anything. Rose, herself, made a deal with her sister's spirit. She agreed to die and stayed here with her forever in exchange for the spirit not to kill Tyler."
"Tyler?" He asked, his voice rising in volume with a panicked tone.
"The spirit uses the little girl," Kate told him lowly, she glanced away before meeting his gaze again. "You have to remember that the spirit itself is another little girl. Just- just scared of being left here alone."
"Either way, we gotta get rid of her, Kate." Dean pointed out, his tone serious.
"There's one more thing," Kate told him softly, "The guy that's here to have Susan sign paperwork for the sale... He's the next person on the spirits hit list. He's supposed to die tonight." Dean glanced at her with an uneasy look, his weapons laid out forgotten momentarily.
"We gotta find out more about this spirit then, don't we?" Dean told her, "And we've only got…" he trailed off as he checked his watch, standing up from the bed. "A couple of hours, give or take depending on what time this happens. Do you know when he dies?" He continued as he moved across the room, closer to her.
She shook her head slowly. She knew from the show that it was the same night, but not what time specifically.
"How does it happen?" Dean asked her as he leaned in even closer suddenly, his eyes on the papers strewn out over the table. Kate, however, kept getting distracted, whenever he moved in closer to her she could feel her heart rate pick up a bit, and her brain would get distracted by the mere scent of him.
"Uhm… Voodoo," Kate replied in a breathier tone. "I thought- I thought you'd already knew that… you saw the same five-spot I did on the way in here." She told him leaning back slightly. She'd wished her body didn't always react like that around him. It was only making her trying to focus on the case that much more difficult, especially with not having Sam there… The drive here alone was hard enough.
"Since when do ghosts use voodoo?" Dean asked, as he straightened himself now standing over her with a slight cocky smirk stretched over his lips as his eyes moved over her face slowly.
"Since now, I guess," Kate responded as she moved to walk away from him, over to her duffel bag. "Somewhere around here is a room full of... Porcelain dolls. I think one of them is the key to getting rid of the spirit." She told him as she recalled the memory of the doll from that haunted painting case in New York.
The two of them exited their room and, moved down the hall as they looked around to inspect the place, Kate had already told Dean that the room marked 'Private' was the one he needed to gain access to. It held all of the dolls. Kate followed him uncertain of what Dean's plan was, but she was willing to go along with it. Before she could react Dean had knocked right on the door.
"Wha-?" She began, her face displaying shock. The door opened and Kate swallowed down the rest of her words as Susan, the front desk woman, answered the door last night. "Hi there," Dean greeted with a smile.
"Hi." She greeted as she pulled the door all the way open, "Everything okay with your room?" She asked them, her glance moving over Kate and then Dean.
She and Dean stood awkwardly, looking at the room behind her, "Uhh, yeah, yeah." Dean answered.
As Dean spoke Kate muttered, "Everything's great," More awkward silence seemed to stretch out before Susan began to pull away a bit from the door.
"Well, I was just… packing," she began, but Kate interrupted.
"Hey, are those… antique dolls?" She didn't wait for an invitation as she moved into the doorway, looking around Susan. "'Cause this one here, He has a major doll collection back home…" Kate trailed off with a gesture over her shoulder to Dean. "Don't you? Huh?" Kate said to him in a teasing tone, with a glance at him over her shoulder.
Dean glared at her at first, looking rather uncomfortable as he begrudgingly muttered lowly, "Big time."
Kate smirked to herself as she faced off with Susan's confused expression. "You think he could- Well, we could come in, and take a look?"
"I- I don't know. I'm- I'm awfully busy…" She trailed off slowly.
"Please? I- I mean, he loves them… He- he won't tell you this, but he's always dressing them up in these tiny outfits…" Kate trailed off getting a perverse sense of joy in how uncomfortable Dean was getting as she used his own tactic from the show against him. Susan still didn't look convinced, but she stepped aside and let the two of them in with an, "Alright, I guess…" Kate and Dean began to walk around looking along the shelves at all the dolls.
Dean had gotten distracted as he asked about the doll house in the center of the room, "This the hotel?" He asked Susan. She nodded quickly.
"Yep, an exact replica. Custom built." She explained.
"You know my uhm… my grandmother used to make antique dolls like this…" Kate began as she leaned up, grabbing a familiar-looking one with blonde curls and a blue dress.
"Yeah, that one. My- uhm… My family had made it specifically after one of my family members who had passed away young." Susan said as she moved to grab the doll and place it back on its shelf. "A lot of these dolls have been in the family for… generations."
"That's great," Dean muttered, "and, not super creepy at all…" He trailed off with a glance around the room.
"Yeah, I guess they are kind of creepy…" Susan laughed out. "But, they've been in the family forever… A lot of sentimental value…" Kate and Dean moved on after that. She muttered to him about how the doll that Susan had put back needed to be burned, meanwhile Dean wanted to look up what he could on the death of the sister. She figured she'd let Dean do his research on the girl, and where she was planted… if she had been planted somewhere…
Kate had heard Dean leave the room in a hurry earlier while she was still towel drying from her shower. He'd found out that the sister was cremated after she'd drowned in the pool house on the property, they both knew that this case was as good as done when he realized the only thing keeping her here was the doll. Kate opened the bathroom door to find the hotel room empty. Night came on early as she noted the sun setting beyond the windows of the hotel room. Her phone was going off now, she grabbed it up, checking the name on the screen wondering if he'd dialed her on accident. "Sam?" She asked into the phone feeling confused. She could somewhat make out his voice.
"Kate," He greeted his voice low and abnormal. She paused quickly placing the sound of his tone. Kate knew that during this episode, he'd been drinking. She knew from the show that Sam took it pretty hard that he couldn't save everyone, but… it had more to do with himself than anybody they didn't save. Besides, Sam wasn't here... he stayed back at the Roadhouse so… she was unsure if there was something wrong, or if this was all just getting to be a lot for him. "Sam, what- what's wrong?" She asked. Luckily for her, Kate knew one good point that she could tell him, that they were able to save Ava. At least in this timeline… All Kate was greeted with was silence and breathing.
"Are you okay Sam?" She asked genuine concern for him welling up in her chest.
"I'm fine," Sam stated quickly. Kate moved, now walking across the room she shared with Dean to sit in the cushioned armchair. "I- I don't know why I even-."
"Are- are you drunk?" She asked him with a heavy sigh.
"I should have saved them." She heard Sam mumble, more to himself than her...
"Saved who?" She asked uncertain of which person he was referring to.
"All of them, all of the people that we failed…" She could hear the tightness in his tone. She heard the guilt as he spoke, "That guy in- in Baltimore, the kid in Oregon, hell, even the doctor in Rosedale... we- we just murdered 'em." Sam continued. Kate felt her chest tighten, two of those people were the ones she'd killed herself.
Kate could feel her own guilt rising at his statements. "We can't save everybody..." Kate said into the phone softly.
He spoke quick to interrupt her. "That's an excuse. It doesn't matter. You told us what was coming. I- I should have found a way to save them." Sam continued to mutter, his speech was a bit slurred. "It's the only way…" his voice trailed off as Kate gripped the phone tightly in her palm. She was uncertain of what to say to soothe him.
"I-I should've been there to prevent you from being taken too." He told her, his voice tight with regret. "I should've gone with them to save you." Kate paused as his tone of voice changed at those last words. It was softer. She instantly felt her face softening. Since the two of them left Nebraska there's been a lot of long, and lingering silences between her and Dean, so talking to, even a drunk Sam was a nice reprieve. "Back in Oregon, Kate. I- I'm sorry-," Sam added as if she didn't know what he was referring to. She realized quickly that the guilt of it might've been weighing on Sam like it had Dean.
Kate took in a slow breath. She hadn't talked much about what she'd been through when she'd been grabbed right out of the hotel room. "And, Silvia?" He continued with a heavy sigh. "We worked so hard to save her only to have her die…" He paused taking in a deep breath. "Everyone around me dies." He seemed to keep bringing up those that they'd failed recently.
"Hey, at least Ava's okay though. We did some good there, Sam." Kate pointed out to him referring to the girl that she knew was supposed to have been kidnapped. She noticed his silence, as it stretched on.
"Yeah, yeah we did. We make a great team, Kate," he muttered to her over the phone. She suddenly noticed a shift in his tone, a change that made her uneasy, especially considering his current state. His voice became breathy and low as he uttered her name once again.
"Sam," Kate muttered, her voice faltering, as she tried to make sure he was still there and conscious. "Sam, I- I can't do this right now..." She told him softly.
"Kate, I-." He began but she shushed him quickly.
"I can't have this conversation right now for many reasons, but the first and most important one is that you, my friend, are hammered." She explained with a small chuckle.
She heard Sam stutter as he tried to speak again, but Kate cut him off, "Drink water okay? Lots of it. Then you need to go to bed, okay?" She asked.
Sam hesitantly agreed, "Kate?" He asked, just as she was about to say her goodbyes and hang up.
"Hmm?"
"If-. If something happens and we can't stop everything from crashing down on us, I want your focus to be going home. Getting yourself home, and staying safe." He told her quietly. Kate paused touched by his concern for her. After that, she heard him mutter out his quick goodbye, and he hung up the call. Kate blinked down at her phone, feeling weird about the random conversation, she shook her head slowly, as she ran a hand stressfully through her hair with a sigh. She knew that after something like this, she wasn't going to able to sleep so she threw a zip-up jacket over her tank top and moved out into the hallway to take a walk.
The hotel was almost empty, aside from her and Dean, the only other guest was the man who had been sent to close the sale of the hotel. She didn't blame Susan for selling the old family home, she guessed that it was likely that the money it was costing to keep the business in place was far more than Susan was raking in. Kate continued quietly moving down the stairs meandering around for a while there. She stood in the foyer when Dean and the older bellhop, Sherwin walked in. They appeared to be looking over all of the old photos that had been set out all over the place of Susan and her family. She could hear Sherwin speaking about Ms. Rose, and how the only home she'd ever known was being sold off.
She heard the men stop talking as Kate slowly came up beside Dean. Sherwin sent Dean a look that Kate could figure out before he told him, "Well, boy, guess I best be heading out. My shift is over for the night." With that, he pleasantly said his goodbyes and moved out of the quiet inn. Kate noted that the fireplace had a roaring fire going, and she noted there was a heap of something doll-like in the center of it. It seemed as though Dean had finished the job without her help.
"Guess Sam's more determined than ever to save people, huh?" She questioned awkwardly at Dean's silence. He glanced her way with a small nod. He moved away from her back over towards the fireplace mantle, just staring into the fire now. She knew Dean was not happy about them leaving the roadhouse. He wanted to be back there as soon as he could, right beside Sam and the others.
Dean scoffed bitterly, "He's taking this whole destiny thing to heart, as I'm sure you knew he would," Dean said as he swirled the highball glass in his hand. Kate was starting to wonder just how much he'd had to drink tonight.
"Dean. I'm sorry." She began softly, "I was just trying to-."
"Help. Yeah, I know, and- hey, look… I get it. I do. I just-." He cut himself off as he turned and faced off with her. "I don't know, Kate. The whole demon blood thing? These visions? If I didn't know him, as a hunter myself, I'd start researching him." Dean told her, she could see the pain in his eyes as he said those words. "Not to mention, Once he starts to really dig into all of this? Who the hell knows what else he'll find? Demons are bad mofos as you well know. You know this is all only going to go downhill from here... " He paused at that, but she could see the gears turning in his head as he searched for the words. Kate was surprised to see such a display of raw emotions on his face, Dean was normally harder to read, but… she knew that when it came to Sam, he usually wore his heart on his sleeve. "Look, Katie I- I'm worried that-. That-. What if I can't save him from this?" She wished she could tell Dean something, anything to comfort him, but she already knew that Dean was doing all he could to keep Sam safe, even if it meant keeping Sam safe from himself. She wondered if she was Sam's only drunk dial tonight… with the way Dean was talking, she had a feeling the conversation where Sam made Dean promise the impossible to him still went down. Just as it had in the show.
"I'm sorry, Dean." She began again. "Look, I - I didn't mean for this to happen... I just felt-. Well, I thought Sam had a right to know..." She said tightly, as she realized they'd never gotten to talk about all the information she gave up to Sam back in Oregon.
Dean nodded as he finished whatever it was he'd ordered from the bar in a single gulp. "Yeah, I get it. If he knows; then we can do something different." He admitted with a shrug. He moved across the room, back towards the table she stood by, and placed his empty glass down amongst the photos. "But, what if doin' something different though, is not digging into it? Can't we lay low? Just for a bit? Get our bearings? Is that so much for me to ask?" Kate knew this was coming. She'd heard Dean talking to Sam after she'd spilled everything back in Rivergrove. He was growing tired of carrying this colossal weight on his shoulders, and Kate couldn't blame him. Hell, not long ago at that hotel in New Castle, that was all she'd been asking for. Just a break.
"I mean really? We work ourselves to the bone, and for what? We don't get paid; hell, we don't even get thanked more than half the time. This job, it- it's just draining," He continued as he moved in closer towards Kate now.
"Sometimes you just want a break…" She trailed off, her faint voice loud, in the quiet that surrounded them.
"Yeah," Dean agreed lowly, his eyes meeting hers. Kate was acutely aware of the familiarly charged atmosphere that was steadily enveloping them as she took a deep breath. She felt her heart racing as Dean's gaze locked intimately with hers, increasing her nervousness. She observed Dean's hand slowly, starting to extend toward her, reaching out, and in response, she impulsively lunged forward pressing her body against him. The suddenness of her movement surprised them both; forgetting their surroundings, she urgently pressed her mouth against Dean's. As she did, her body temperature seemed to spike intensely. Kate instinctively wrapped her arms around Dean, pulling him in closer. She relished feeling that every contour of her body seemed to fit perfectly against his as they kissed.
Kate heard the smallest, slightest of moans escape her throat when she felt Dean's hands slide slowly down her sides, moving over her hips, then around pressing firmly against her lower back as he pulled her up against his body. Any sensible thoughts that Kate had left swirling around in her brain had dissipated at that exact moment.
After what felt like forever, Kate was forced to pull back and gasp in a breath of air. She blinked up at Dean's surprised face. Her mouth hung open at her actions, her brain working on overdrive trying to think of something- anything to say, but her mind was drawing up blanks. After that kiss, talking with him was the least of her concerns. So, she moved in once again. Her mouth moved towards his slower than before. She took her time so that this kiss was softer and drawn out. As Kate pulled back again she moved just as slowly, her feet flattening out solidly over the floor as her arms slid back from around Dean's shoulders to return to her sides. A moment passed between the pair, they just stood there breathing heavily, and staring at one another. Dean's stone-cold silence was the crystal clear message Kate needed to comprehend his feelings regarding her advances.
"Right, I- uh. I'll just- uhm. I'm sorry, I'll just go-." Kate began stuttering out some incoherent words as she started to turn away in a hurry, her attempt at a quick exit to save her any further embarrassment. Dean, however, was quick to grip her arm and yank her back.
"Uh uh. Ain't no way you're leavin' now." He muttered before his mouth crashed to hers once again. Kate felt Dean's arms surrounding her as he pulled her against him. His hands were swift as he pulled her up into his arms. She groaned as his hands slid down her sides over her hips to her lower half, before pulling her up onto him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, holding her weight sturdy against his body. Kate's arms were around his shoulders in an instant, they crossed over the back of his neck, holding him close.
Before she knew it they were moving up the steps. Kate's mouth was preoccupied as she began kissing back over his jawline before moving down over his neck, then back up to his earlobe. She heard Dean groan lowly as the pair of them stumbled against the wall across from the stairwell. His back took the brunt of the force, but she felt him readjust her up against his body before their mouths collided once again. His hands held her to him tightly. She could feel him walking down the hallway, and she idly wondered how he knew where he was going, but her brain was far too preoccupied to question him aloud. Kate gasped, her mouth abruptly pulling away from his, when she felt her back suddenly pressed against a solid, cool surface. She hadn't realized they'd reached their room already.
Kate was quick to brace herself to stand on her own two feet, as soon as she was Dean swiftly spun her around, her back to his front, before leaning against her to push the door open. She felt his hand move again to grip her hip as he walked her into the room.
"Dean," Kate whispered in a breathy tone as he'd surprised her with his open mouth running up over the left side of her neck, towards her ear. Her right hand jumped upwards to caress the back of his head as she felt his free hand come around her and pull the zipper slowly down her torso at the front of her sweater. She groaned once his hand quickly slid under the sweat jacket to touch her through her tank top. Her head fell back against his shoulder as she vaguely heard him kick the door closed behind him. She felt the weight of her jacket get pulled down her arms and heard it drop to the floor.
She felt pressure on her hip as Dean spun her back around to face off with him. Kate clashed her mouth over his as a battle for dominance overtook the pair. Kate spun them around, all the while, their mouths still firmly attached. Dean's roaming hands kept Kate flush against his body as she backed him up toward his bed. She pulled back ever so slightly before pushing him back onto the bed behind him. She watched Dean's body rebound slightly off the mattress springs. She moved on, quickly, before her brain could talk her out of it, and yanked the tank top over her head letting it fall to the carpeted floor below. The cool air caused her exposed skin to break out in goosebumps, she noted her newly exposed form appeared to be the sole focus of Dean's attention now.
She paused as her hands moved as though they had a mind of their own as she ran them back down over her own body. Kate studied Dean for even the slightest of reactions. His eyebrows slid up briefly before she watched his eyes darken, and his jaw flex as a sudden seriousness overtook his features. She noted that he was now a bit more attentive as Kate came around the corner of the bed frame, moving to kneel atop the edge of his mattress. Dean's outstretched arms encircled her middle as he pulled her over him gently. Her hair hanging all around him now as if blocking out their surroundings. Kate leaned down and pressed her mouth against his once again before he swiftly rolled them over. She felt his weight over her pull back as he sat back on his knees to slide his flannel off, before shedding the second layer of his t-shirt as well. The groan that tore through Kate's throat was louder than she'd realized it'd be in the quiet of the room as Dean's mouth moved slowly, but steadily back up over her torso, leaving her abdomen burning with each press of his gentle mouth. Kate could feel her lips part as her breathing changed, it deepened and sped up. Kate's fingers slid through his cropped hair with ease before moving down over to the back of his neck and trailing out across his bare shoulders as she arched her back up towards him. Dean had paused briefly, lingering his mouth over her more sensitive areas along her torso and halting up into the crook of her neck. She heard the drop of each of his boots as they fell heavily to the floor.
Kate was reminded of that dream she'd had some months back when the trio were on their way to Red Lodge, Montana when she'd actually giggled and pulled away from his nuzzling of her neck. She heard a soft chuckle rumble through Dean's chest as the corner of his lips pulled up slightly. He moved back to look over her, she could see his green eyes steadily roaming over her body, even in the dimly lit hotel room. She also took a moment to ogle him under the moonlight that spilled in from the windows. It cast a silvery, radiant light throughout the older-styled room.
Kate's hands moved slowly as they slid down the sides of his bare torso and around to the front of his abdomen, she was half convinced that her hands shook ever so slightly as she moved them over him.
"You okay, Kate?" She heard him rasp from above her. She hadn't realized that he'd been staring intently at her face, studying her reaction. His voice broke the silent spell the pair had long fallen under and all she could do was nod in response. Kate's eyes met his own for a split second before she pulled him down over her again. Her arms tightening around his neck, she could feel her body warming under his touch as his hands roamed over her freely.
Their lips were locked in a messy, open-mouthed kiss. Dean swiftly taking advantage of the fact that he was on top, allowed his hands to roam downward toward Kate's yoga pants. She felt the rough feel of his fingertips slowly slipping underneath the waistband of the fabric as he backed away quickly to pull them down the length of her legs in one fluid motion. Kate gasped as the cool air reached the skin of her legs. He stood over her, his eyes taking in every inch of her form.
"Dean," Her voice was breathless as she called his attention back up to her face. "Dean, please." She could feel the intense need for him coursing through her body. She could feel her heart hammering away in her chest the feeling reverberating throughout the rest of her body. She watched his hands move at almost a snail's pace to the waist of his jeans before popping open the button and shoving them down his legs. Dean returned swiftly, hovering over her as they quickly shed their remaining clothes, leaving them strewn about and forgotten across the floor.
When Kate woke up the next morning, she found herself intertwined with Dean in a way that felt incredibly intimate. Her leg was draped over his, and his arm was wrapped around her, holding her close. As she lifted her head from resting on his shoulder, she moaned softly in response to her body arching and stretching. Kate became more aware of the soreness along her body, a familiar feeling from all of those training sessions back at Bobby's. It was a physical reminder of the events of the previous night, and as her senses gradually returned, she reflected on the events that had led to this moment.
She was torn between wanting to stay there with him basking in this newfound happiness and wanting to disappear entirely. She'd had many, many fantasies about the man currently naked in the bed next to her, but last night was not something she'd foreseen happening in any reality, including this one. She briefly considered the consequences of last night and decided that a swift exit was the best option. She figured avoiding the whole awkward morning-after situation would be in her favor anyway. She swiftly packed up her duffel bags as quietly as she could and took one last look around, her eyes automatically moving towards Dean, appearing peaceful and content lying in the bed before she turned and ran.