Hello you wonderful readers! I hope you are all doing well :) I, however, am still trying to recover from the season finale, haha.

This chapter was one I started last year and just never got over the writer's block to finish it until Emma Winchester 424 came along to help! She helped me put together Part 2 of this story, so we should all pause and thank her by checking out her excellent fic Where Do We Go Now. You won't regret it! She's the best writer, friend, and all around human being.

If any of you have read my other fics about Sam's daughter Emily (The Visit and Family Pass), keep your eyes peeled for another story about that little girl. I'm putting the finishing touches on it. Very excited to share!

As always, don't be shy to review or PM me with your ideas or even just to chat about our favorite show :) Part 2 coming very soon...

Read, Review, but most importantly, ENJOY!

Dean-24
Kate-16

It was a typical Thursday evening. Both siblings had already scarfed down a bag of local take-out and were now just hanging in the motel room as the multi-colored sunset formed outside. Kate was sitting at the kitchen table, textbooks spread out all over as she scribbled fervently in her notebook, trying to solve an impossible physics equation. She had no idea what possessed her to enroll in that class this year—it wasn't like Sam had been there to pressure her into it. However, Biology, Chemistry, those were strong points for her, but physics was like trying to learn Latin in the middle of a minefield.

Completely frustrated, she launched her pencil across the table and threw herself back in the chair, arms folded across her chest. "This is impossible," she grumbled out loud.

Dean continued to flip through channels on the TV, not even bothering to look in her direction. "I figured that out long ago."

Kate ripped the sheet of paper out of her notebook, wadded it up, and hurled it toward her brother. "You could have shared that information before I signed up for physics, moron."

Dean's eyes darted to the wad that fell two feet short of the couch where he was sitting. "Maybe if you'd study more, you'd know how to actually throw paper." He flashed her a cocky grin.

"I take that back. You're impossible."

He pointed the remote directly at her. "I resent that. I'll have you know, I'm a joy to—" The abrupt ringing of the hotel room phone cut him off. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to finish the rest of his sentence, but by the second ring, he knew he had to hurry and pick up because more than likely it was their father, the only person who called. In a few quick strides, he was over between the two beds, answering the phone. "Hello?" Sure enough he'd been right—it was John.

Kate just stared at Dean's back as he pressed the phone tightly to his ear. She knew it was the normal stuff. How are things? Is Kate behaving? Blah blah. But suddenly she saw Dean's shoulder slump as his head hung down and he ran his free hand over his face. That was never a good sign. It meant that he disagreed with whatever John had just told him but he knew there was no way he could argue back. His shoulder reflected the defeat he felt on the inside.

"This weekend?" Dean confirmed, somehow managing to hide any trace of emotion from his voice.

At hearing those words, the youngest Winchester shot up out of her chair and stormed over behind her brother, grabbing his shoulder so he'd turn around and face her. "We're leaving?" she mouthed to him. "So soon?!" This time her voice was a harsh whisper.

Dean just shoved her shoulder as he turned the phone away, not wanting to risk their father overhearing anything. But Kate wasn't about to accept his lack of response. "He's making us leave this weekend?!" she seethed a little louder this time, loud enough for Dean to hear it clearly and just enough that it was now questionable if their father heard it.

He quickly turned toward her with a pissed off scowl spreading across his face and eyebrows raised as high as his hairline. The expression that always told her to knock it off before he got even more pissed.

Kate's eye locked with his as he confirmed over the phone, "Yes, sir, we'll we ready to go by Saturday."

Shaking her head, she muttered under her breath, "Unbelievable! That son of a bitch!"

At her sudden exclamation, Dean reflexively put his hand over the receiver, squeezing his eyes shut as he anxiously waited to see if his dad had overheard his sister's choice phrase. He opened them and exhaled heavily when John just continued rambling off orders of things for him to get ready for their trip that weekend.

"I can't believe him!" Kate hissed. Not knowing what else to do, Dean reached out his leg and tried to kick her in the shin, but she took a step away at the last second, throwing him a death glare. And not even three seconds later, the call had ended and he turned to face his sister's livid expression.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he barked, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. If their dad had heard her little outburst, things wouldn't have gone well for either of them, and she knew that.

"What?" she scoffed, brushing him off and walking over toward the kitchen. "I didn't do anything!"

Dean trailed behind her and they stood on opposite sides of the kitchen table, ready to face off. "Dad could have heard you! Do you even want to imagine what would have happened?"

"Like I care."

"Yeah, I doubt you'd be saying that if he'd heard you."

She stared directly at him, her face serious. "We're leaving," she said it as if it were a statement, but they both knew she was looking for a confirmation.

"Yeah. On Saturday."

Two days. They were going to pack up and move out of this town in less than 48 hours. Kate's blood started to boil as her mind quickly processed everything. Finally, she just threw her arms up in complete exasperation. "What the hell, Dean! We've barely been here a month!"

"Why don't you tone down the bitch attitude," he bit but was met with an irate glare. He hated when she got pissed off like this because her stubbornness and inability to listen to any reason was thrown out the door, leaving him with an irrational teenager. And that made him lose his temper in the snap of his fingers. "I don't make the rules, Kate."

"No, you just blindly follow them," she snapped without thinking.

There was a beat of silence as they continued glaring at one another, anger radiating off their skins. "Watch it," he warned in a low voice, already sensing that this argument was about to go off the deep end. And that was the last thing he wanted to deal with as he now had a long list of other things to take care of by Saturday morning.

But Kate wasn't about to heed his warning. "You just don't understand, Dean. This is hard on me every single time we move. I'm sick and tired of it!" she yelled, unable to hold back anything. The moving around had come with the life and she was used to it, she really was. But she'd already been in two schools during the last three months alone. Being in this town for a month just added to her rage. Did her father not think about how all this affected her? Like she could just pack up and move from one place to another with zero ramifications on her self-confidence or grades. She didn't stand a chance of passing physics at this rate.

Dean's eyes narrowed at her outburst, his own blood reaching its boiling point. Taking two large strides around the table, he stood directly in front of her and snapped, "And you think I'm not tired of all of this?! Having to argue with you every damn time? Going to the school to get your paperwork, just so we can turn around and enroll you in another one? You act like this is the end of the freaking world. I dealt with this, Sam managed it, so you sure as hell can suck it up and quit making this shitty for the both of us!"

The moment after he finished, he immediately regretted ever voicing a single word. He didn't really mean anything he had just said. He had just hit his breaking point and everything came tumbling out without a filter. The shocked look on Kate's face made him realize just how deep his words had cut.

There was a beat of silence as neither of them knew what to say next. Finally, Kate took a step backward, inching toward the door. She spoke in a voice that was low, almost inaudible, but Dean heard it clear as day. "I never knew I was such a burden to you."

"Kate…," Dean called out, trying to reach and grab her arm, but she quickly pulled away. Grabbing her jacket, she made a dash for the door, managing to get halfway outside before a firm grasp on her upper arm pulled her to a halt. "Katie..," he pleaded again, his green eyes filled with remorse, silently begging her to listen to his plea.

She used all her strength as she struggled against his hold, trying to pull free, but to no avail. "Let go of me," she hissed.

"No," he responded flatly. He wasn't just going to let her run off like that. Nothing good had ever come from a Winchester storming out of the room. He had to fix this.

But to Kate, she knew she had to get away, clear her head outside the confines of this room. Now there was no other option. For a moment, there was no way out because his eyes showed just how determined he was to not let her go. So Kate did the only other thing she could—the one thing that John had drilled into their heads to never do. Without another thought, she quickly pulled her right elbow forward and then threw it back with might, nailing Dean in the stomach. And as she had planned, he was completely taken off guard and the sudden impact to his abdomen caused him to loosen his grip momentarily. She easily ripped her arm from his grasp and threw her brother one last glance before she took off running across the parking lot underneath the light lamps that had just turned on.

"Katelyn!" he yelled after her, his voice a mix of desperation and frustration. He took off sprinting, but it was too late. She had a far enough head start that she'd already disappeared behind the building up ahead, leaving him standing on the sidewalk, staring out into the dimly lit sky, unsure of what his next move would be.

Kate's worn down shoes continued to pound on the pavement as she turned corners, zig-zagging across town to make sure Dean wasn't on her trail. Options flew through her head—where to go? She had already ditched the main road, because that was likely where Dean would come looking for her in the Impala next. He thought he knew her so well, but it went both ways.

Then she spotted a viable option: up ahead on the left, a dense area filled with trees and bushes—the perfect place for someone who just wanted to fall off the grid for a while and disappear. She continued running until her lungs burned and her legs refused to carry her any further. Unable to continue on, she slid down and sat up against a tree. Pulling her knees into her chest, she let the tears she'd been holding back pour over the brims—for the anger she felt against her dad for making her move, for the hurt she felt from Dean's harsh confession, for the regret she felt for having physically hit her brother, her caregiver. Tears streaked down her face as she wrapped her arms around her knees more tightly, trying to seek out the comfort that she desperately needed. Closing her eyes, she buried her face between them, wishing everything would just fade away.

However, it wasn't long before drops suddenly began to fall on her hands, mixing with the tears. Over to the west, the sky had started to darken, not just from the sunset, and the distant sounds of thunder resounded through the trees, seeming to echo forever. Kate knew she had to figure something out now or risk getting drenched to the bone. To go back to the motel, to Dean, just meant she had to face her reality sooner than expected, and that wasn't an option. She wasn't mentally ready to cope yet. There was a part of her that wanted him to suffer—to worry about where she was, to inflict even a small amount of pain in his mind as he had in hers. That was the only acceptable payback.

She rapidly scanned her surroundings with hunter-like precision, trying to find something that could provide shelter. And that's when she saw the faint outline of a cabin off in the distance. Knowing that most cabins around here were just weekend homes for holidays and hunting season, she took her chances that it'd be empty and went to seek shelter.

She quickly checked out the small cabin, doing a lap around and searching inside the windows. Once she was convinced that it was abandoned, she headed back to the porch to make her way inside. Although it took her longer than she'd ever be willing to admit to her family, she finally managed to pick the lock of the front door using a bobby pin. She slowly opened the wooden door and peered inside. As she had suspected, the cabin was dark and seemingly vacant of any life.

The cabin was dark except for the lightning illuminating its corners every now and then. It had a dusty smell to it, like it hadn't been properly cleaned recently. Its contents were minimal—a solid wood table and matching cabinets that were probably hand crafted. The open area also had a small living room with a brown couch and TV with antennas spread out in both directions. The only other rooms in the place were a small closet, bedroom with a queen sized bed, and bathroom.

Kate decided to plop down on the couch, staring out the window just behind the TV. The darkness and growing storm in the distance strangely brought tranquility to her. It freed her mind of having to deal with what was really going on inside. The darkness let her hide from herself.

She closed her eyes as her head rested against the multi-colored couch, listening to the rumble of the thunder as it neared. There was something peaceful about the moment. It was the calm before a storm.

It hadn't taken Dean long to get into the Impala and start searching up and down the roads. He'd been honked at enough for driving so slowly, but each honk was met with the flip of his finger as he inched along, scouring every centimeter of the area. It didn't take him long to realize that she wasn't going to be on the main roads. She probably thought she knew where he'd look, but he was one step ahead, like always.

It wasn't like Kate to run off in the first place. Sure, she needed her space from time to time, just like he did. Being crammed inside a motel room for weeks took its toll on them. He'd give her space, most of the time, when she needed it. But this time was different. He'd said words that he hadn't actually felt. It was the fire from a heated moment that spewed out of his mouth. There wasn't an ounce in his being that had ever thought of his siblings as a burden. The fact that his little sister had even thought that for a moment, implied it from his harsh words, it cut him deep. Subconsciously, he pressed his hand against his abdomen, where she had hit him. The momentary sting had long ago dissipated, but it was a sharp reminder that he had pissed her off so much that she'd actually taken drastic action against him—to get away from him.

His thoughts went round and round as the guilt only built higher and his determination to find her grew stronger. As the storm continued to brew in the distance and the rain started to fall, he knew he had to find her quickly. The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers continued as Dean stared from right to left and back again through the dashboard. Finally, he spotted something worthwhile—a wooded area. When Katie wanted to get away from him, she tended to seek out the most secluded place possible to tone out the world. She was in there somewhere. Don't ask how, but his brotherly instincts roared with confirmation.

Pulling the Impala off into the graveled area at the entrance, he parked it next to a beat-up red pick-up truck. Dean quickly hopped out, knowing he'd have to do the rest of the search by foot. He took one last glance at the sky and cursed under his breath. This storm wasn't stopping as the sky continually lit up in the distance. It wouldn't be long now before the clouds opened their pores and rain consumed them all. After grabbing a flashlight from the trunk, he reflexively picked up his .45 and placed it in the small of his back without thinking twice. Not that he thought anything would be after his sister, but even his subconscious knew that you just didn't go into a dark, wooded area without some kind of back-up.

He took a deep breath and was off, forging into the unknown as the soft rain continued to wet his hair and leather jacket. Unaffected by any drop of rain, he marched ahead. He had to find her.

Kate was completely in her own world. She was so focused on the thunder that she didn't notice a figure walk onto the porch. However, the sudden sound of a key jingling in the lock of the front door was enough to bring her back to reality—in a panic. It took a few seconds for her mind to register what was happening: someone was trying to unlock the door with a key, not a lock pick; there was a subtle telltale difference that she instantly recognized. This meant that there was no way it was Dean…it was someone else.

Her heart raced as she quickly jumped off the couch and searched around in the remaining milliseconds she had. There was nowhere to go—the only way in and out of this place was through the door that was about to be opened. For lack of better judgement and options, she did the only thing she thought she could do—hide.

Rushing across the room, she entered the bedroom that was diagonal from the main entrance, in opposite corners of the cabin. She threw herself on the ground and shimmied under the bed, making sure she was completely out of sight.

Not even a second later, a man entered the cabin, slamming the door behind him with a grunt. He mumbled to himself how he had been so stupid to leave the door unlocked before, which was very unlike him in the first place. He tossed some grocery bags on the counter next to the sink, not caring to put the things away just yet.

Moe was a simple man, one who kept to himself. He basked in the openness and quiet that the woods provided him. He didn't have any family, or friends for that matter, but it was all the same to him in the end. If it hadn't been for his job at the mill up state, he'd be at this cabin every day. Instead, he was forced to only enjoy it on the weekends. By some miracle, the machines had crapped out and wouldn't be fixed until Monday, which left him with a much needed four-day weekend.

Shrugging off his damp jacket, he hung it over a chair to dry. He was thankful to have worn his flannel shirt, otherwise he might get cold tonight with this storm that was coming in. Not wanting to waste any time, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and aimlessly walked over to his rifle that sat near the door. If his luck continued, he'd be able to get some deer hunting in this weekend, even if it wasn't in season.

Kate's heart was literally pounding in her throat as she tried to keep her breathing to a bare minimum and inaudible. She peered ever so slightly at the older man as he opened his beer. His gut showed that he'd had one too many in his lifetime. But when she saw the rifle, her heart stopped and she instinctively pushed herself back further under the bed and out of sight. How was she going to get out of this, alive?