Here we go again :) This is a two part story co-written by the fabulous Emma Winchester 424. We wrote this one many years ago, and I'm so excited to share the final product with you. Brace yourself for an epic and hilarious twist next chapter! Please drop a line and let me know what you think so far - you all are my motivation!

If you enjoy Sam/daughter AU fics, I'm happy to share that I'll be creating a new story focused on one shots between Sam and his daughter Emily that I've written about in a few other stories before (see my profile for them). I'll let you know when it is posted in case you'd like to give it a look. All of your support is so appreciated!

Read, Review, and most importantly ENJOY.

Dean – 21

Sam – 17

Kate – 13

The Winchesters were currently holed up in a run-down motel in the middle of rural Indiana. Dean was off stocking up on supplies as they'd run out of food, while the younger two siblings were hanging out in the motel on a Saturday afternoon. Sam was diligently reviewing his chemistry notes at the table and Kate was watching TV. She aimlessly flipped through the channels, trying to distract her mind from the junior high dance tonight. She knew that she wasn't going to be allowed to go, let alone have anything to wear, so she was trying not to dwell on the fact that she'd be the only person who hadn't gone, and she'd once again be left out when everyone went back to school on Monday to talk about it. With nothing on TV, Kate sighed and turned around to look at Sam. "I'm bored."

"You could try reading instead of rotting your brain with cartoons." Sam didn't even look up from his notebook. He needed to ace this chemistry exam to stay on track with his plans.

She rolled her eyes. "Are you going to be working on that all day?" She hated to think that she would be this bored for the rest of her waking hours this weekend.

Now it was Sam's turn to roll his eyes. He knew Kate would just annoy the crap out of him from sheer boredom, and without Dean there to referee, it would end up with him getting in trouble like it always seemed to. He closed his notebook, already irritated. "Apparently not. Is your homework done?"

She mocked him in a high voice. "Is your homework done." When Sam threw her his classic bitch face, she returned to a normal voice. "I'll do it on Sunday like I do every other weekend. Saturdays are lazy days. You've just never learned that." She grinned.

"Well, some of us don't want to finish in the bottom percent of our class. When you start high school, things are going to get a lot harder. You should form better habits now."

"Or I can just wait until I get there and you can help me." She batted her eyes at him.

Sam opened his mouth, then immediately shut it. She didn't know that it was entirely possible that he wouldn't be there to help after next school year. But he couldn't say that, so he tucked those thoughts away. There was no way he could admit that he was dead set on going to college, even though he was just finishing up his junior year. He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, maybe. So, you got any bright ideas for entertainment?"

She shrugged. "There's a horror movie that came out yesterday. We can call it 'research.' Sneaking into an R-rated movie should be easy."

But goody-two-shoes Sam wasn't on board. Getting caught would have intense repercussions for them both. "Yeah- I don't think so. Could you try picking an activity that's not- oh- illegal?"

"Illegal is fun, Sam, keeps you on your toes." When he gave her an annoyed glare, she backed off. "Fine. What are your great ideas?"

"Well...we can...well." He paused. "I got nothing." He reached into his book bag, ready to get on with his homework and just suffer through ignoring his little sister. As he pulled out his calculus book, a brightly colored flier came out with it. He frowned at it, not remembering how it got in his backpack, but then it sparked an idea. "Why don't you go do this and let me get on with my homework?" He held up the paper for her to see.

Kate's nose wrinkled up as she stared at the paper, instantly recognizing it as the flier she'd seen around school. The damn dance was taunting her, a constant reminder that she couldn't be like everyone else and go tonight. She shrugged, diverting her gaze as Sam rested the paper on the table. Trying to sound nonchalant, she replied, "Nah, I'm sure it'll be boring."

In all honesty, a group of Kate's friends were going and had asked her to tag along too...but she'd declined, even though this was one of the first schools where she'd actually made friends in a while.. A dance meant a dress and a dress meant money, money she wasn't about to ask her dad or Dean for. They had more important things to worry about than paying for a silly outfit. Not to mention that their dad wasn't even here to ask, and Dean would never let her go anyway. He barely let her walk from the motel to the diner next door alone. Deep down, she wanted to go – to feel like she was a part of something that everyone would be talking about. The fear of missing out was strong, but she didn't have any options. "What are you doing with a junior high dance flier anyway?" She eyed him suspiciously.

Sam blushed a bit and looked away. "I...uh...well, the juniors and seniors are apparently, like, sponsoring the dance or something, and uh, Beth was handing out fliers...you know she's the junior class president, and it would have been rude not to take it..."

Eating up the opportunity to take the spotlight off her, she pressed for details, "Is Beth that girl you were walking with the other day? The one with dark brown hair who hugged you?" She knew very well that this Beth girl was the one he'd been crushing on since they'd arrived.

Sam turned tomato red and replied quickly, "Uh, yeah. So, this dance. You should go. I mean, why not?" He was clearly fighting hard to keep himself out of the hot seat.

"Because dances are lame. So Beth...are you going to finally ask her out?" She walked over and took a seat across from him at the table, turning the flier face down.

There was annoyance in his voice. "No, Kate. I'm not going to ask her out."

"Why, Sam? If you like her, why not take her out for some pizza or ice cream?"

There was a not well hidden current of anger underneath his words. "Because knowing Dad, he'll be hauling us off to another state by early next week. And so—" He turned the flier back over. "That's why you need to take advantage of these things while you can. You know- so you can see what real life is supposed to be like." He hadn't had the chance to go to his own junior high dance with John forcing them to leave the week before. He'd tried to fight him tooth and nail about it, but it only ended up with him getting in some big trouble. After that point, he'd learned to let it stew and not fight back as much. But he'd be damned if Kate had to miss out on the same dance when he had a chance to give it to her.

"I'm just fine, thank you."

Sam rolled his eyes. She didn't seem as bothered by moving around as he was, but she was still young. It would undoubtedly hit her in her high school years. He snorted a laugh. "Between Dad, Dean, and hunting, how often are you going to get a chance to go play normal with boys your own age?"

"Wait, are you encouraging me to find a boyfriend?" She chuckled.

Sam shrugged with a grin. "Well, it's not like you're going to run off and get pregnant at 13. It's just a dance, not a one night stand. Why not?" His own string of rebellion was clearly coming through on his suggestions for Kate. It was his job to make sure she knew she had options—she could fight back and try to be normal as much as she could. He just had to show her how.

"Because it's a dance, Sam. And you like have to get all dressed up and stuff. Just not for me, okay?" She crossed her arms and looked out the window into the empty parking lot.

"Well, maybe you should try it. You never know. You might like it. You might look better in a dress than a pair of combat boots and an old Metallica shirt." He grinned a teasing grin at her, but it was clear he planned to keep pushing.

"Well I don't even own a fancy dress, so I guess the world will just never know." She sat back in her chair, trying to quickly think of any way to change the subject.

"What? You never heard of a store before?"

She knew what he was implying and she also knew that it was exactly what she wanted to avoid–spending money and having to get permission to go. "Yes I have." She rolled her eyes. "It's just not worth it, okay?" There was some finality to her voice, and she then added as an afterthought, "It costs $10 to even get into the stupid dance."

Sam smirked and suddenly pushed away from the table. He went over to his duffle and dug for a moment before returning. He tossed a shiny silver credit card on the table and handed her a crumpled up $10. "C'mon. Let's go break that card in." He grinned mischievously.

She stared between the card and his brother, clearly intrigued but still reluctant. "We can't use that, Sam. That's just for emergencies...and I have a hard time believing we can justify a dance as an emergency."

His grin didn't fade a smidge. "Dad doesn't know about this one. This card is just for me. You know, in case I need it." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm the one always covering up our credit card trail. Figured I was entitled to my own card."

Kate's mind was swirling right now – she'd thought that a school dance wasn't a possibility and now suddenly it was. There was so much to process as she remained silent.

However, Sam didn't want to waste any time. "Let's go get you a dress. Come on." He sat on the bedside and pulled on his boots.

She walked over and put her hands out to stop him from lacing up his boot. "Woah, woah. Now?" Everything was happening rather fast for her. "But Dean's not here, we can't just leave." She'd long ago learned her lesson on that one.

He looked at her disbelievingly. "You want Dean to take you dress shopping?"

"What?! No, of course not. I meant…we can't just leave without telling him."

"I'll just leave him a note." He jogged over to the stationary on the hotel's end table and began to scribble. He really wanted to do this for Kate. He knew that he was being a bit pushy, but he'd always had to push her a little to get her to open her eyes and realize things could be different.

"A note? And then when he comes back and I'm not even here because I'm at the dance? What then?" Her mind started to panic, trying to think through every consequence, but underneath it all, excitement started to build.

"Don't worry about that – I have a plan," he lied smoothly. He'd figure something out later, no problem. When he saw his sister hesitate in her reply, he looked up at her and asked with a touch of concern, "Do you really not want to go?" Now he was suddenly worried that he was pushing her into something she didn't want to do, and he knew that feeling all too well.

Kate fidgeted a little and took a deep breath, ready to be honest. "I do want to go, Sam. I just…I just don't want to cause problems."

He leaned down, looking her right in the eye, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. This card isn't anyone's hard earned money, okay? You're not taking anything from anyone. And you can let me worry about the problems." He stood up and shrugged casually. "That's what big brothers are for." He gave her a smirk to hide the fact that he just noticed that he didn't have to lean down as far as he used to in order to look her in the eye. She was growing up- and soon, he'd be gone. He had to do this for her, because if he didn't, then she'd never get to experience real, normal life. "So, what do you say?"

Even though she still had her doubts, the teenage eagerness to fit in took full control and a grin flashed across her face. "Let's do this."

The two younger siblings made it to the local mall, where Sam patiently let Kate look around and pick out a few dresses to try on. Although Kate wouldn't admit it, she was secretly enjoying this stolen moment with Sam. It had been a long time since they'd spent quality time together outside of bitching about hunting or helping with schoolwork. It was a carefree moment that she would remember—doing something that had only felt like a dream a few hours ago.

Sam waited outside her dressing room, letting her come out and model the three final options. The first had been…well…too short. He wasn't okay with his little sister showing that much leg, so he kindly pushed her to try the next one, which ended up being worse. Bright pink and so tight that it left the eye wondering if it had been painted on her body. No way in hell he'd let her walk out of here with that one.

Finally, she came out in the final dress: a light blue flowy chiffon dress that rested a few inches above her knees. The thick shoulder straps covered her modestly but not so much that she looked like a nun. It was a great compliment to her dark skin tones from having to train outside a lot lately. Giving it a few twirls in front of Sam, they both gave it their stamp of approval.

"Is there anything else you need?" Sam asked as they exited the dressing room once Kate was back into her normal clothing.

She tapped her chin for a moment. "Um….shoes?" she answered as a question, uncertain if she was pushing her luck, but knowing fully well that combat boots or tennis shoes wouldn't exactly complete the look.

With a wide grin, Sam replied, "Of course. Shoes." Once he found the sign for the shoe department, he led them to the left. "So, you're going all out for this, huh?" he asked casually.

Kate shrugged. "Living like the other half lives…," she quipped jokingly.

"You sure it's not because there's some special guy you want to impress tonight?" Sam pried as he bobbed his eyebrows playfully.

Kate bit her bottom lip, not daring to confess that she was secretly hoping that Kyle would ask her to dance. She'd learned not to get her hopes up for many things, and this was definitely one of those times. Shoving her brother's arm, she answered, "Shuddup," and quickened her pace toward the shoes.

Sam knew Kate was at that age where boys were starting to interest her, and he hated to admit that he was slightly hurt that she didn't want to tell him about whoever this new crush was. He'd get it out of her one way or another.

Finally, they were back at the motel with all their purchases. Kate locked herself in the bathroom to shower and get ready for the big event tonight. Her hair showed off its natural waves and was pulled halfway back in a silver clip. The blue dress dazzled in the mirror as she swayed from side to side, unable to take her eyes off the soft fabric. She felt amazing—but she wasn't quite done yet. She carefully pulled one of Sam's short sleeve flannel shirts over her dress and buttoned it up to prevent any mess from getting on her beloved outfit.

It had taken a bit of effort, but she was able to convince Sam to buy her a small make-up kit as well. Sam was so much more of a pushover than Dean was, and she knew just how to work that in her favor. She placed the now empty shoe box on the floor beside the sink to make room for the mascara, eyeshadow, blush, and tinted lip gloss that she delicately placed on the counter. Taking a deep breath, she opened the eyeshadows, trying to analyze the right color combination.

She chose to start with a light tan color and then came the darker brown. She put some on one eye and then on the other, but realized one eye had a darker color than the other. Well dang. So more went on the left eye, but then it was too much, so she moved back to the other eye...and round and round this went in a vicious cycle until she finally declared it done after 15 minutes. She stared at her entire face in the mirror for the first time and wanted to cry. It turned out the exact opposite of what she wanted-she looked like an actual clown. Why was this so hard? All of her friends had boasted about how they'd be wearing make-up to the dance, and she wanted to blend in and be like everyone else. Completely frustrated that it wasn't turning out right, she threw a towel at the mirror.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Sam quietly asked from the other side if she was okay because she'd been in there for a while. She muttered back, clearly annoyed, "I'm fine." She was probably the only girl on the planet who didn't know how to do make up right. It wasn't fair that she didn't have anyone to teach her.

Sam knocked again, this time, a bit louder. "Kate? What's going on? Are you okay?" The concern was evident in his voice.

She grabbed a towel she'd just thrown and wet it, then she began scrubbing at her face as a few hot tears pressed against her eyes. "I'm fine, Sam," she replied a bit quieter this time, but Sam recognized the strain in her tone-something wasn't right.

"No, you're not," he replied matter-of-factly. "What's the matter?" He wiggled the door knob. It was still locked, and he hated that. Rule number one of living like a Winchester—doors inside the room didn't get locked for safety. He never got after Kate about it, because he knew locking a door was like a way to feel an escape in their world, but it was during moments like this that he regretted it.

When she heard him try the doorknob, she started scrubbing more fervently. "Just leave me alone, okay?" She already felt a mixture of frustration and embarrassment, and didn't need to add more to that pile.

Sam hesitated, giving it another moment. When he heard the water turn off, he tried again, speaking gently. "Katie. Come on. Talk to me."

Red splotches started to appear on her face from all the rubbing, but at least the make-up was almost off. "I don't want to talk about it, Sam."

Once again, he was torn, trying to navigate waters that he was completely unfamiliar with. He jiggled the knob a bit more forcefully this time. "Let me in. Open the door, please." As his mind started panicking with a list of all the things that could be wrong, his eyes quickly scanned the room, trying to locate where he'd placed his lockpick.

Tossing the washcloth into the sink, she leaned onto the counter and stared at her reflection. Her face was irritated and would clearly need a minute or two to calm down before she could try again. She sighed loud enough for Sam to hear as she sat down on the closed toilet, picking at the hem of the oversized shirt.

"Kate, come on. Let me in. It's just me." When Kate didn't reply, she could hear his footsteps elsewhere in the room and she knew he was trying to find a way to break in. She had to hand it to him though; he held out a lot longer than Dean or John ever would have. If it had been either of them, all it would have taken was one growled Katelyn for her to immediately repent and open the door. However, she realized that she had no other options, so she reached over and unlocked the door. The sound easily hit Sam's ears and he tossed the lock pick on the table and headed straight for the door.

He took a calming breath before gently opening the door, expecting blood, broken glass, something. But when he saw her just sitting on the commode lid with her face red and splotchy, he did a double take. He asked carefully, "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Her eyes remained fixed on the tile floor. "It's embarrassing, Sam, and I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Her cheeks flushed a deep red.

Sam looked over and saw the makeup scattered around the sink, the wet and colored washcloth, and her face. He put two and two together easily, and it broke his heart to see her upset. He gently knelt down beside her. "Hey. So...having some trouble?"

She looked up at him in horror. "You're mocking me."

He should have known. She was super sensitive right now, and he should have chosen his words better. "Sorry. I didn't mean to," he apologized sincerely. "So talk to me- what did you try? With...all that?" He gestured to the makeup strewn all over the counter.

She snapped defensively, "I tried to put it on but it didn't go well. Can't you see that? It's not as easy as you think." If she was going to go to this stupid dance, she wanted to look good for Kyle and she wanted to dress like everyone else.

"Okay. Okay." He closed his eyes for a moment, praying Dean didn't walk in, and went for it. "So this," he held up the eyeshadow palette, "This is eye shadow, right?" He wasn't mocking her- he was honestly asking. He didn't know what the hell he was doing.

"Yes it is, Sam." She reached out and snatched it from him. "Can we not do this. Please?" She just wanted to be alone.

"Oh. Okay." He stood there, awkwardly shifting his feet for a moment. "So...what can I do? What can I...what do you need?" He was totally at a loss- he wanted to help her, but he just didn't know how.

She put the makeup back on the counter and stood up in an effort to shoo him out without actually doing it. Her next words came out with little emotion. "There's nothing you can do unless you know a woman who can teach me to use make-up." She took a step toward him, knowing he would take one backwards to keep their personal bubble intact. Kate knew it was taboo to bring up their mom in any way, shape, or form in this family, but the words had just fallen out before she knew what she was saying. She missed her mom—she really did. But what she missed more was the idea of her, of having a female in her life to help her navigate all this girl-stuff. She yearned to have someone that she could ask all these questions to instead of having to figure it out on her own.

That hit him hard- because there was literally nothing he could do to make it right. The moment of silence hung in the air as they both reflected on who that woman should be—a mom. A mom should be the one to teach her little girl about this crap that men so misunderstood. Finally, Sam found his voice again. "I'll just...I'll be over...I'm here, if you need me…." Sam took a few steps back, now standing just outside the bathroom door, feeling utterly useless. He hated not being able to fix this—it was one of the worst feelings in the world.

She sniffed back some tears as she went to close the bathroom door again. However, Sam's hand stopped the door from fully closing. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat—he wasn't sure he'd even be able to get it all down. Swallowing all of your pride in its entirety was a hard thing to do. He would deny what was about to come out of his mouth if ever asked, but it was the only stupid idea he had left. And he'd be damned if he let his little sister cry over something he couldn't fix.

"What, Sam?" she asked impatiently, thinking she had been clear that she wanted to be left alone.

"Hey, um." He squared his shoulders, trying to look more confident than he felt. He took a deep breath and blurted it out as quickly as he could before he lost his courage. "Did you want to practice on me?"

She froze for a moment as her brain processed the words. "What?"

He gritted his teeth. He'd rather take a baseball bat upside the head than do this, but it was his only baby sister, and she needed him. And this was the only card he had left to play. He swallowed hard. "If you wanted to...practice...with the face stuff…you can. On me."

She stared at him for a long minute. The guy looked confused and also slightly petrified about his offer. Sam had a big heart (most of the time) and it filled her to the top with love that he would even offer this, instantly bringing her mood out of the gutter. Without giving it a second thought, she wrapped him in the tightest hug.

He wrapped his arms around her as well, completely thrown by the whole thing, but just for a moment. He then squeezed her hard, if briefly, in return. But he didn't drop his arms.

Once she'd soaked up enough affection that she so rarely received, she let go and looked up at him. "As much as I want to put makeup on you for blackmail purposes, I'll let you keep your dignity." She could visibly see Sam's shoulders relax in relief. "I got this," she declared with a hint of fake confidence that only a Winchester could show.

He gave her a sarcastic smirk in response, but inwardly, he was overjoyed by her response. But then he gave her an encouraging smile. "Damn straight. You got this." That was all he could bring himself to say. He wanted to say more, but it'd just embarrass the hell out of both of them.

Without another word, she disappeared into the bathroom to give this whole make up business another try.

It took her about 30 minutes to get through her make-up, because she was extra careful with every step, not wanting to overdo it again. She'd managed to get on mascara, some light eyeshadow, a hint of blush, and lip gloss. She gently removed the flannel shirt, not wanting to mess up anything. She wrapped the make-up inside the shirt, ready to stash it inside her duffel before she left. After a calming deep breath, she looked at her reflection and grinned ear to ear. The reflection both felt and looked beautiful for once.

She stepped into the room and did a twirl for her one-man audience. Sam thought he was prepared, but he was wrong. He couldn't help the moisture in his eyes. She looked stunning- and he may not see her like this again- ever. He cleared his throat and said quietly, "You look fantastic, kid."

She twirled again, the words falling out of her mouth without warning in the blissful moment, "If Kyle doesn't like me now, then I give up."

A wide smirk spread across Sam's face. "Kyle, huh?" he repeated playfully. Kate's cheeks immediately flushed a deeper red. Before she could reply, Sam added genuinely, "There's no way he won't like you, Katie." He didn't press the topic further, content that he at least knew the kid's name now. "So, what time is the dance supposed to be over?"

"I think it ends at 11." She realized how late that sounded and knew there was no way she'd be able to stay the whole time. "Dean will be back before then…"

Sam thought it over for a moment, not wanting to ruin her one night of fun, but also having to be realistic. "Hey, I told you I had that taken care of, okay? Don't even worry about him. You go and have fun, and I'll meet you outside the school at 11 to walk back."

Kate hated the idea of having to be "picked up" by her brother as if she were a little kid. But she knew that she didn't really have a choice and didn't want to argue with Sam after he'd gone out on a huge limb for her tonight. "Okay, fine. You come at 11...but can you at least wait out by the road away from the school?"

"Not a problem. I'll be sure to hide in the shadows." There was a touch of sarcasm with his statement, but he still grinned at her.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have asked Dean to do the same when you were my age." She placed one hand on her hip.

"The Sam at your age didn't get the option. So, live it up while you can." Kate nodded, fully realizing that he was right.

Shortly after, Sam called her a cab, so she could meet up with the group at a local restaurant before the dance. Before she opened the door, she turned and gave him one last hug. For the first time in a very long while she said, "I love you."

Sam's smile wobbled just a bit, but she didn't even notice. "Love you too."

About an hour had passed since Kate had left the motel, and Sam was relaxing in front of the TV when he heard the familiar sound of the Impala pull up. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was about to come. His plan? Lie his ass off for as long as he could and hope for the best. It wasn't a great plan, but it was the only option. Within moments, Dean opened the door, greasy bags of fast food clutched in his fists. "Alright younglings, I'm back." He did a quick scan of the room instinctively, seeing Sam sprawled out on the couch, but Kate was nowhere in sight. After tossing the food on the table, his eyes flicked to the bathroom door, which was wide open. He nonchalantly asked, "Where's Kate?"

Sam replied as casually as ever, "She went out with some friends."

"Out with some friends?" Dean repeated back incredulously. "She's thirteen. She doesn't have friends to go 'out with'."

Sam kept his cool. "It's a shame you haven't realized that she has, actually, made friends here." He glanced over at his brother with an accusing look as if to dare him to challenge the statement. He was technically not lying to Dean.

Dean ignored everything that Sam said because it wasn't what he wanted to hear and he didn't like the accusation that he didn't know Kate well enough. "So, tell me then. What kind of friends is she out with? Where did they go?" There was a slight undercurrent to Dean's voice that let Sam know that he was about to tread on thin ice if he didn't start answering with specifics.

Sam recognized the tone after years of experience, but he wasn't about to retreat so easily. "Just some friends from school that she gets along with. They went out to eat and hang out. What's the big deal?"

Dean looked at Sam, his overprotective big brother side roaring into action. "The big deal, SAM, is that our thirteen-year-old little sister is off doing God knows what with God knows who! What time is she supposed to be back?"

Sam held his hands out and moved them back and forth as if pumping the breaks. "Woah, man. Slow down. She's a good kid. She's not going to be off doing anything bad. And she'll be back at 11. I'm going to pick her up. You can trust her." Sam knew very well that he was pushing his brother's buttons, but he didn't have many options. He'd hoped that continually laying on some guilt – about not trusting her, not knowing that she had friends – would cause him to let it be without more details.

"I do trust her. It's the other sons of bitches she may be 'hanging out' with that I don't trust. Where is she? Where did they go?" He was really only half hearing what Sam had said. He was more pissed that Kate had left without his permission. It was his job to keep tabs on both of them, and he really wasn't liking that he didn't have all the details he demanded.

"I already told you. She's just hanging out with her friends. They went to eat and then probably to the park or someone's house to hang out. You're making it into a bigger deal than it really is."

"A park? At night?! Someone's house?! Are there adults there? Was she with boys?!" The questions poured out uncontrollably as Dean struggled with not being in control of the situation. Dean remembered all too well what he was like when he was 13, and he started to see red.

It was clear to Sam that his brother was on the verge of exploding. He stood up and walked over to him, trying to keep his demeanor and tone calm. He decided to approach the question truthfully. "Yes, there are boys there. But there're girls, too. She's okay, I made sure of it. Just let her enjoy a normal night out, okay?" He stressed normal significantly, trying to make a point.

And it did the trick. It was enough to at least make Dean pause for a moment and really think. Honestly, Dean was torn. If anything happened to Kate on his watch, John would turn his ass into grass. But at the same time, she did deserve to have a little bit of fun, especially if she really had made friends for once. He exhaled angrily, plopped down at the table, and snatched his burger. After he took a huge satisfying bite, he said with his mouth full, "Whershegemoneetoea?"

Sam gave him a bitch face for his lack of manners, but after years of trying to decipher his mouth-full speech, he knew what he'd asked. "I had some extra cash that I gave her." He kept his face as indifferent as possible; he wasn't about to confess to having a secret credit card because that wouldn't end well.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "And where did you come up with money?"

"I had ten bucks lying around." There was a hint of defensiveness in his voice as he returned his attention to his food.

"Ten bucks isn't going to get you far at a restaurant, dipshit," Dean replied flatly as his eyes narrowed. Sam wasn't telling him something, and it was driving him batty. He knew that boy better than anyone, and he was clearly covering something else up, alongside the fact that his little sister was out without his permission. "Who's house is she at again?"

"I don't know – Alyssa, Alice, Allison, something like that." When Dean was about to jump in over Sam clearly not remembering the name, Sam added, "Don't get on me about not remembering the name. You can hardly recall your one night stand's name." Dean shrugged – Sam had a point. But if he had been here, he sure as hell would have remembered better where she was going. Sam gave a soft smile, trying to ease things over. "I demanded all the details just like you would have. She was going to wait and ask you, but we didn't know when you'd be back. She's fine. Trust me, okay?" He stared at his brother expectantly, hoping to get him to back down with the trust comment.

Dean growled inarticulately under his breath before shoving the final bite of burger in his mouth. He pushed away from the table. "Get started on those salt rounds. Dad wants 200 before he comes back," he commanded, because if he couldn't control Kate, he'd feel better if he could control Sam.

"200?!" Sam groaned. "Dad's not coming back till Friday, so between the three of us, it'll be fine," he replied as he went over to the couch and sat down, wanting to enjoy a weekend free from all things hunting.

Dean tried to bite his lip, not wanting to turn this into another yelling match with his brother about his damn attitude. He headed into the bathroom, but stopped suddenly. Something brown caught his eye on the floor - something that was out of place and he hadn't seen before. Why was there a damn shoe box in their bathroom all of a sudden? He grabbed it, confirming that the shoe size was indeed his sisters, and sauntered casually back into the room, even though his body was filling with rage. He dropped the box on the coffee table right in front of Sam. "Wanna explain this?" he demanded with folded arms.

Sam inwardly panicked and scolded himself for not thinking to sweep the bathroom for evidence. The walls were starting to cave in on his master plan, but he forged ahead, determined to stall as long as possible, so hopefully Kate could enjoy the dance before Dean inevitably showed up. Despite his inward nervousness, he replied matter-of-factly, "It's a shoe box. You know, for shoes."

Dean's face hardened. "So either you've suddenly developed some foot fetish that I don't even want to know about, or Kate's out somewhere with new shoes. Start talking."

"So, she has new shoes, and? She hardly ever gets new things, so I don't see the issue, Dean."

"She didn't need new shoes, Sam. And are you really going to try to hand me some other crap answer on how you got the money for that too? Cause buddy boy, I'm getting tired of whatever this is you're trying to sell to me."

Sam felt his insides turn at being called 'buddy boy' like he was some chubby 5-year-old again. Not liking the intimidation factor, he stood up to his full height, showing Dean that he wasn't a little kid anymore. "So what? I took her out to get some new shoes because she wanted to look nice with her friends tonight. We all have a fake credit card, so why not use it?"

"Because you know damn well what we're supposed to use those credit cards for. And it ain't new shoes to look nice for your friends! How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Dad when he comes back?!" he growled, his mind already spinning out of control with anxiety at how this was all going to end when John inevitably found out.

"Easy." Sam shrugged like it was obvious. "Dad's not going to find out. I'm the one who covers up our credit card scams."

"And when he sees designer sandals on her?! Dad always finds out, Samuel. Why did you let her do that?!"

"Dad's not coming back until Friday, so if it's such a big deal, I'll tell her to throw out the damn shoes before he gets home."

Dean glared at his brother. "And what if Dad comes back tonight? What then?" Because that was what had been running through Dean's mind since the second he found out that Kate wasn't here. John always found out about anything they did – it was hard to cover anything up. And it made it immensely harder when John would return earlier than anticipated. Dean could just picture John showing up any second now, seeing that Kate wasn't here, and that Dean clearly had no idea where she was. He would be as good as dead.

Sam noticed the silent flicker of fear behind Dean's eyes that disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. "That's not going to happen, Dean. He's knee high in some hunt, and he's not coming back anytime soon. Kate can cover her tracks. She's smart. And…" He paused for a moment before confessing, "And I caved, okay? She wanted something new so I let her have it. Don't you want to give your sister nice things, too?" That was his last card before it all came crashing down—try to take him on the ultimate guilt trip.

Dean threw up his hands in exacerbation and turned away. Of course he wanted to give Kate everything she wanted. But he also really liked his skin attached to his body, and if their father found out, that would no longer be the case, seeing as his father would skin him alive. He finally huffed out exasperatedly, put his hands on his hips, and flipped back around to face Sam. "Fine. Give her whatever she wants. But she doesn't go out anymore without my permission, got it? You don't get to tell her that she can just go wherever the hell she wants, understood? Cause if something happens to her on my watch, it's my ass Dad will tear up, not yours. So you don't call those shots. End of discussion." His green eyes ripped into Sam with fire.

The younger brother's nose flared innately in anger at Dean's authoritative tone. Deep down, he knew Dean was right—John wouldn't come after him for any of this. He'd go straight for Dean, just like he always did when John thought they'd screwed up. But Sam's mouth kept moving before the logic could arrive. "Okay, fine. Message received." However, he felt the need to justify his actions today. "But we weren't just going to sit around all day and wait for you to show up to get your written permission. It's not like we do this kind of crap often, so let her enjoy the night. These events don't come around all the time, you know."

Instant regret flashed across his face at his choice of words.

Suddenly, in a low, deadly tone, Dean repeated, "'Events?' What exactly does 'events' mean?"