Hello! Yes, yes, I am still alive! Things have been crazy since I graduated school. I've been working a lot, but I have been able to spend 2 or 3 lunch breaks a week working on some stories in my notebook! This chapter is the product of that time so far :) I'm not sure if you will think it's up to par with the other chapters, but I hope so. It has been awhile since I was on the writing train, so bear with me. Please give me any feedback…it motivates me to keep on going!

This chapter was a special request from Punkrockerbabe95. You are such a sweet person and I hope you like it! If anyone else has a request, please let me know! I love working with you guys to come up with ideas.

Again, I apologize for taking so long. A special shout out to all of you amazing people who have messaged me to keep in touch and give me special encouragement along the way. I wouldn't be posting if it weren't for you guys! Lots of virtual hugs for everyone!

Read and Review…but most importantly, enjoy! Happy Easter :)

Dean-21

Sam-17 (not in this chapter)

Kate-13

The day had eventually arrived—the one Kate had dreaded for so long. Ever since she realized she wasn't completely in charge of her body, she had still prayed that this day would never come and for the love of all things holy, that no family, much less Dean, would be around.

It was a Friday like any other, filled with boring quizzes and tests like usual. Around mid-morning, Kate started to get a strange feeling in her stomach. Writing it off as just a stomach ache from her less-than-nutritious breakfast of Oreos and milk, she didn't give it a second thought and tried to tough it out. That was until she went to the bathroom after getting a weird sensation…and realized that Aunt Flo had finally come by for a visit, taking her completely off guard. That was the last thing she had expected her pains to be.

After the initial panic attack that she was going to need a blood transfusion and then the few tears that followed, she collected herself enough to think logically. She was obviously far from prepared for this drastic change of events, but she figured the school nurse would be a good place to start, and luckily this small-town school actually had one. It was fate.

She made her way to the main office and went over to the nurse's door. "Hello?" Kate asked softly as she lightly knocked.

"Come in!" Mrs. Baker chimed from the other side.

Slowly opening the door, Kate slid in before closing it behind her. She didn't want her business to be overheard by anyone because this was already embarrassing enough as it was. The nurse was sitting at her desk over in the corner, combing through a stack of papers, clearly in search of a specific one.

Kate awkwardly played with the hem of her shirt, avoiding eye contact and unsure what she should say. There was a loud thud as Mrs. Baker moved the stack of files to another table, causing Kate's gaze to jolt over to her.

"What can I help you with, Kate?" she asked, her eyes softening after she picked up on the girl's body language.

She felt momentarily more comfortable that the nurse at least knew her name, which wasn't hard for a school with only 50 people in each grade. She must have had a good memory since Kate had only been in here once before; ironically, when they first moved here, she was forced to fill out a medical history with her father by her side. A cold shiver passed down her spine at the mere thought of recalling her dad's question: "Uh, well, it says to put the date of…your last period. So do you…eh, have that already?" She had never wanted to evaporate into thin air more than she did in that moment…well that was until now.

"I've uh…ran…into a little bit of trouble. I mean, I've, well, more like it…," Kate couldn't get the words out as she took new interest in the white tiled floor in front of her, still stumbling over the information. Personal matters were never discussed in her family, so how was she ever going to be able to explain this to a complete stranger?

"You started your period," the nurse cut in, hating to see her suffer and stutter over it even more.

As she offered a kind smile, Kate felt her shoulder relax a little. "Yes," she confirmed, letting out a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Baker had been some sort of angel sent from above. She never even asked why Kate had been so petrified of everything; there was a special ease in her voice as she explained everything Kate needed to know. She even helped stock her up with 'supplies' for a few days until she could go get her own. As sweet as she was, she had even offered to let Kate go home for the day, knowing she wasn't going to be able to focus in class, not to mention deal with painful cramps for the first time. Mrs. Baker sent her out to the secretary so they could call Dean and have him come him, since her father was out of town.

Kate felt her heart race as the secretary began pressing the ever-familiar numbers of Dean's cell phone. "Um, Mrs. Johnson?" She turned toward Kate as she had just finished dialing. "You can just say it's a stomach ache," She shyly begged. Seeing the pleading look behind her eyes, she nodded before turning her attention back to the gruff voice that had just picked up on the other end. Mrs. Johnson hadn't been made fully aware of the circumstances and didn't even know what was wrong with Kate other than "she wasn't feeling well", so she didn't see anything wrong with saying that and Kate was beyond relieved.

Kate sat impatiently on a couch outside of the nurse's office, bouncing her leg up and down. As much as she tried to calm it, nothing worked; the intense anxiousness was getting the better of her. What would she say? How would she even get money to pay for the stuff she needed? Could she manage to steal it without anyone finding out? Could she keep this all a secret for the next 50 years? So many questions poured into her mind and they only stopped when she heard the ever-familiar footsteps of heavy brown boots, causing her leg suddenly freeze, waiting for what was about to come. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes when he entered the room. Slouching down even further in the chair, she muttered a simple "hi" as he took a seat beside her, his attention fully focused on his sister.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" he asked, genuine concern clear in his voice. It wasn't like the school called very often to say one of his siblings was sick, so it was always cause for some worry in his book. Even though the secretary had told him she wasn't feeling well on the phone, he wanted to hear it from her because he didn't trust anyone else.

"Just a stomach bug or something. It's been going around I guess," she mumbled, her eyes staring down as she picked at a faded stain on her jeans.

"Are you good to go home? Cuz we can wait a bit if not…," he asked.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, knowing what his real concern was. Sure, he cared about her, but there were more important things in life too. "Don't worry, I won't puke in the car."

"Yeah, well, I don't need it coming out of the other end either, you know," he added, playfully pushing her arm in an attempt to lighten the mood and cheer her up.

But it had the opposite effect. Her eyes shot up immediately, a horrified expression on her face. She quickly scanned the area around her, nervous that anyone might have overheard his embarrassing comment about bodily functions. Satisfied that no one was paying much attention to them, she met his gaze. "Stop it," she hissed under her breath, shoving him back in anger.

"See, you're feeling just fine!" he joked, standing up. She seemed to be good enough to travel on home, so he was ready to get going. No need to be here any longer. He waited for her to stand up also before adding, "Why don't you go get your stuff and I'll sign you out."

Thankful they would be leaving shortly, she nodded and went to collect her homework and belongings from her locker down the hall. Just as Dean was about to go over to the secretary's desk to sign out, the door behind him opened and the nurse stepped out, almost running into him. "Oh, I'm so glad you could come right away," she smiled, instantly recognizing him. "I'm sure Kate will be much more comfortable at home."

Returning her friendly gesture, Dean smiled back and replied, half joking, "Yeah, nothing like having the flu at school to make you appreciate home more."

Visibly taken back by his comment, her brow scrunched up and she repeated, "The flu?"

Confused as to why she was questioning this, after all, she was the nurse who saw Kate, Dean added, "Yeah, Kate said it was going around the school or something."

Mrs. Baker knew she was treading in unsafe waters now. Clearly Kate hadn't wanted to tell her brother about her period. She wanted to respect her privacy, but if he were to directly ask any questions, she had the obligation to tell him the truth, no matter how much she wanted to avoid it. John had made sure that she and the other school administrators knew that Dean had permission to handle any matters related with Kate or Sam. So in this case, she could be obliged to tell the truth; minors didn't have the privilege of real privacy anyway.

Unable to figure out why she seemed so confused, Dean asked, "It is the flu, isn't it?" In a split second, every possible scenario ran through his mind—each one thinking that she had something more serious going on.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mrs. Baker didn't have any other choice but to truthfully answer that rather direct question. "No it isn't." There that wasn't a lie and she hadn't spilled Kate's secret. They could just leave it like that and he could take it up with Kate later.

However, Dean wanted answers now. He waited for her to continue, but when she didn't offer up any more information, he demanded, "Then what is it?" Slight annoyance was clear in his voice at having to play a game of 20 questions to figure out what was really going on.

And now she had no choice. She hadn't wanted to tell him the truth, but the law was the law and she couldn't lie about it. "Well, Mr. Winchester…," she began.

"Dean," he interjected. "Mr. Winchester is my father," he added as an afterthought. That name always made him feel older and as far as he was concerned, he was still a young piece of meat. According to him, he'd never be old enough to be a Mr. Winchester.

"Ah, Dean. Well actually, today Kate became a woman and is entering a new stage of her development," she explained, trying to make it sound positive, like some sort of new adventure.

Dean took a few moments to process exactly what was being said. What kind of school was this? Nobody asked them to put Kate into a new developmental stage, much less anything that made her more of a woman. What in the hell was this?! "Uh, I'm sorry—come again?" Too much information was being implied and if there was only one thing that Dean was bad at, it was implying information that dealt with feminine topics.

Knowing that Kate would be back anytime now, Mrs. Baker lowered her voice slightly as she explained, "She started her menstrual cycle. The first time is always more uncomfortable because it's all new, which is why I said it would be best for her to go home."

Full on deer-stuck-in-headlights look, Dean quickly shook his head to snap out of it. This hadn't even been in the realm of guesses he had moments earlier. He uncomfortably coughed, trying to buy himself more time before responding, "Oh, uh, so does it go away on its own or does, uh, she have to do something?" It wasn't like he had ever been forced to deal with this stuff before and it was never exactly on the list of topics to discuss before he got it on with his one-night stands. He was unsure what he should ask and felt his life enter a whole new level of awkwardness that he didn't even know existed. Why did he get cursed with a sister? To make his life forever awkwardly uncomfortable?

Neither of them had known that Kate was approaching the office, and even though she had tried to keep her voice lowered, they both had carried through the silent hallway and Dean's uneasy, faltering tone had sent millions of alarms off for Kate. She didn't even need to hear the words, her instincts just sensed that her brother knew, he knew. So now she realized that she would not only have to deal with this period nonsense but also have to handle it with an awkward brother around. It wasn't like she was going to talk to him about it because he clearly thought that it was some disease that you could cure and make it go away. He was so smart for some things, but he sometimes lacked in the common sense department.

Kate slowed her pace toward the door, wanting the conversation to be over with before she appeared. Mrs. Baker let out a small chuckle before pulling herself together again to answer seriously. This poor guy was beyond clueless. "Well, how many days it lasts varies from girl to girl and you can't 'speed' it up, but she can take some over-the-counter pain meds to help ease the cramps." Dean nodded his head, as if he instantly understood everything, but what he really wanted to do was wash his brain with soap and forget this ever happened. "But I'm sure your mom can help answer any questions too," she added.

Noticing a sudden change in his facial expression, a pang of guilt washed over her, immediately realizing what he was about to say. "Our mom passed away," he explained with almost an emotionless tone. It was automatic, something he had had to say time and time again at each school they went to.

"Oh my, I am terribly sorry," she apologized genuinely. She vaguely recalled John mentioning that in their initial meeting, but it had entirely slipped her mind in the moment.

"Thanks," he responded reflexively. He had learned to just deal with the sad looks and apologies at every school. He couldn't expect every staff member to know about their messed up family situation in the millions of schools they'd been to. Mrs. Baker made a mental note to call Kate into the office tomorrow to help answer any other questions because it appeared she wouldn't be getting much help at home.

The sudden shift in conversation topic from Kate's up close and personal mess to just her family was the perfect leeway to her entering the room, giving neither of them a chance to return to their previous topic.

As she entered the office, Dean awkwardly shifted his stance, running his hand down either side of his jaw line. Wanting to avoid another girl stuff chat, he offered Mrs. Baker an appreciative smile and a thank you before making his way to the secretary's desk to sign her out, thus putting an end to any further conversation.

Kate took a deep breath. Things were about to get weird. That was the thing with Dean. It was impossible to predict how he was going to react. In any other situation, it was like clockwork. Mad Dean, Pissed-the-eff-off Dean, Sad Dean, Annoyed Dean…they could all be predicted with no effort. But Awkward Dean? That was the wild card. His uncomfortable scale varied so greatly from situation to situation—and they were about to enter unchartered territory that she had never wanted to step foot in.

Her eyes locked with Mrs. Baker's for a brief moment. At first, hers narrowed in resentment for sharing her secret, but then she remembered that she needed her help in the coming days and how nice she had been earlier with everything, so her glare softened and she smiled lightly before Dean interrupted.

"Ready?" he asked, now standing in the doorway. Kate waved a quick goodbye to the nurse and secretary before heading out the door.

As they walked down the hallway, the only noise that echoed off the walls was the squeaky sound of her shoes. They were each shoved on either side of the hallway; like there was a river of lava between them, they chose to walk as far apart as humanly possible. Distance seemed to be the best option for now because there was no need for conversation, and that plan had worked for Kate until they were in the small confines of the car.

Dean reached to turn the key in the ignition, but paused, faltering for a moment until he asked, "So…do you…."

"No," Kate interjected harshly, not even wanting to hear the end of his sentence because it was likely to mention something that she wasn't ready to deal with. Unable to face him, her eyes drifted out the window to the other cars in the parking lot.

"What?" Confusion laced his voice, taken back by how forceful her answer had been.

Not turning around, she replied, "No. Dean." Emphasis placed on both words with extra determination.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask." She had wanted to shut down all attempts of communication on his part, but apparently the message wasn't received. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "I never knew you to be one to turn down ice cream."

Her head turned around in surprise. Clearly there was no point in saying 'no' and pretending to have a stomach bug anymore. Thankful the topic was ice cream and nothing else, she matched his childish grin and replied, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"All right then," he announced, starting up the car and heading across town to the nearest ice cream shop. The awkwardness that Kate had felt slowly drifted out the window as each second passed. Things were going much better than expected—no uncomfortable talks and now she was getting ice cream, which was exactly what she was craving and it would undoubtedly make her feel better. Chocolate could cure all, right?

At the ice cream shop, Dean had insisted that she get anything she wanted, waving a $20 bill in front of her, as if she needed convincing. A banana split with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup on top it was. He just chuckled lightly at hearing her order and proceeded to order his own simple vanilla cone.

Ice cream in hand, they slipped into either side of a nearby booth and Dean laid the spare change on top of the bills in front of him on the table. A wave of silence washed over them, each in their own world, enjoying their snack. Moments later, Dean took a deep breath and without saying anything, his free hand covered the change and slid it across the table to his sister.

Brow furrowed in confusion, she nodded her head at him, quietly asking what he was doing. "For you," he answered casually, like it was no big deal.

Her perplexed expression didn't change. Dean never gave away money willingly. There was never enough of it to just start passing around to everyone. "Uh, thanks, but I don't need money, Dean." She rejected his offer, sliding the money back over to him.

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat, annoyed that this wasn't as simple as it had been in his mind. Sliding it across the table a bit more forcefully this time, he explained, "Take it to buy…you know…things and shit."

And there it was. Kate froze at the mere mention of 'things and shit'. Her eyes grew wide as she racked her brain for ideas of how to disappear into thin air. She knew exactly what he was hinting at. When she came to terms with the fact that there was no escape possible, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she reluctantly accepted his offer and grabbed the bills and change off the table, shoving them in her pocket before mumbling a quick "thank you."

"We can stop by the convenient store on the way back. I gotta pick up a few things anyway," he suggested nonchalantly, trying to keep his calm. He was sure he could find something he needed to buy in that place.

"No thanks…I, uh, don't need anything," she half lied. Truth was she would have to go to the store to get 'supplies', but she wasn't about to embark on that journey with her eldest brother in the same 5 mile radius, let alone in the same store. She would take the cash and just ditch school early tomorrow and grab what she needed. At least the nurse had helped her out with stuff for today.

There was a short beat of silence while Dean gathered the necessary strength to ask the question he never wanted to ask, but felt like he had to do it. "So, do you…have any questions?"

Her cheeks flushed a deeper red in embarrassment, if that was even possible. "Don't, please don't," she begged, just wanting this entire conversation and day to be over with. For a guy who didn't like awkward situations, he sure seemed to be creating a lot of them himself, but little did she know that he only did it because the big brother inside was forcing him.

Dean closed his eyes momentarily and breathed a quick sigh of relief that she didn't have any questions because there was no way in hell that he would have been able to answer anything, and now he had completed his brotherly duty of 'caring'. Thus, in an attempt to show that he was really making an effort in all of this, he defended himself, "I just want to help…I think."

"Do us both a favor and don't think," Kate shot back, averting her eyes as a signal that this conversation was over.

They both fell into a more comfortable silence as the worst of it was now behind them. Kate stared down at her ice cream before taking another bite. Her eyes slowly drifted up toward her brother as she suddenly realized they hadn't cover one, very important topic. "Hey, Dean?"

"Mmm?" he replied, not bothering to form any actual words as he bit into the cone.

"Can we, uh, just keep this between us?" she asked, hope radiating behind her eyes.

Dean paused for a moment, trying to figure out if she meant the whole 'wasting' money on ice cream thing or him giving her the change or her starting her you-know-what. But quite frankly, it didn't matter which one she was talking about because there was no way he was about to bring up any of those with their dad or anyone else for that matter. "Yeah, don't worry," he assured her, flashing a quick reassuring grin.

Kate had no idea how she was going to make it through all this 'monthly girl business', but in the meantime, she would figure it out one day at a time and as far away from her family as possible. She hoped the secret would last as long as her life, even if in the back of her mind she knew that wasn't likely. As for Dean, even though he just wanted to drink himself into oblivion tonight to erase any memory of this afternoon from his mind, he would do it all over again. He may not plan to sit around and talk about this every month, but he did intend to take her out for ice cream every now and then to convince her to keep some of the leftover change for herself. He may not be able to give her everything she wanted in life, but he would always make sure she had what she needed. That was what a big brother did, and no matter how awkward the situation, that would never change for him.