Hello! This story is in honor of Kate's 10th anniversary on this site! I cannot believe that it has been that long since I published the first chapter. Thank you so much to anyone who is still following me from the beginning and to all those that have joined along the way. None of this would have been possible without you and your support.

This chapter is dedicated to my grandma. She was an amazing, strong woman who escaped a labor camp three times in Poland during WW2 before making it to safety. As you read the story, please pronounce "Genna" with a hard G (not like Jenna) to honor her :)

If you haven't done so already, please be sure to check out my new story, The Reason to Believe, which is an AU Sam-daughter fic with my OC Emily.

Finally, happy birthday to Dean Winchester!

Read, Review, and most importantly ENJOY!

Dean – 12

Sam – 8

Katie – 4

Genna stocked up her cart in the supply room like she always did at the beginning of her Saturday morning shift at the Sleep Inn in Nebraska. She'd finally gotten into the groove of her new job, a fresh start as a housekeeper at a rundown hotel. It wasn't a job for the glamorous, but luckily, she didn't need that. She'd survived much worse and knew what to value in life. After fleeing her home country of Croatia as the civil war broke out not too long ago, she'd finally set up camp in Elwood—something about the small town life gave her some much-needed peace. And the housekeeping job had come at the right time. The type of work didn't bother her at all—she only needed a job that helped her provide for her family. Or what was left of it anyway.

The thirty-one-year-old skimmed the clipboard on top of her cart for today's tasks. Twelve rooms to clean—not too bad. However, there was one room number that jumped out at her. 124. That number rang a bell. It had been one of the strangest requests she'd received so far: only able to clean the room if one of the habitants were there. The front desk had gossiped right and left about Room 124, but try as she might to keep away from that kind of talk, it was pretty easy to overhear. A gruff man had showed up a week ago in June with three young kids in tow. He'd paid for two months upfront in cash without batting an eye. The whole family seemed to keep to themselves and were pretty invisible to the other guests. Gossip flowed about what they were doing and why they were in town. From rumors about being homeless to the dad being on the run for the law, the front desk crew would talk about anything to pass the time. But Genna didn't judge. She knew everyone had a story, just like herself, and not everyone needed to know the details.

Her supply cart rolled down the hallway toward the mystery room. She thought it would be better to start and see if anyone was actually there today. As she stopped in front of the door, she couldn't help but overhear the voices inside through the paper-thin walls. She didn't like to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it.

"Katie, quit climbing on the damn table," scolded a young male voice with more annoyance than anger.

"But—but—it's my boat, De," came the innocent reply from a little girl.

"That's a stupid idea," retorted a third voice.

Genna bit her lip to keep from laughing at the banter and lightly rapped on the door. "Housekeeping," she announced.

At hearing someone knock, Katie bolted off the table and headed for the door. "I got it!" she hollered along the way, but was quickly intercepted by Dean's hand against her chest.

"Get back over there," he pointed to the kitchen. She knew better than to answer the door. That was only for Dean and their father to do. Dean and Katie's green eyes locked for a moment in a silent battle before the little one knew she'd never win and huffed her way back over to the kitchen to play. "That's what I thought," Dean grumbled under his breath as he made his way to answer the door.

The door cracked open ever so slightly and Genna could see a young boy's eyes staring at her. "Yeah?" Dean asked with little emotion.

Genna was taken back by how young the brown-haired boy was. He had expected someone much older from the way she heard him interacting with the others. Someone like a father. She quickly shrugged off her assumptions and threw on a smile. "I'm housekeeping, here to clean your room. If that's okay," she said with her thick accent.

Dean turned around as if scanning the room for particular items before he replied, "Uh, sure," and opened the door for her. He walked away, leaving the maid to gather her items, but he quickly spotted his sister. With a loud groan, he marched over to the table, placing his hands firmly on it so his arms were locked straight, and he stared at the kid sitting with crossed legs on top of the table in front of him.

Katie was intrigued that Dean had left the door open—there was someone on the other side! Daddy never let anyone in the room, so her excitement was getting the best of her. She tried to lean to the right to be able to see, but Dean's stupid body was in the way as he leaned with her to cut off her line of sight. Finally, she huffed and met his eye. "But you said to go back to the kitchen," she tried to defend herself, knowing he was clearly upset at where she was now sitting.

"To the kitchen. Not to sit on top of the table," he corrected. The last thing he needed was for her to fall off the table again. That was not something he'd like to have to explain to his father.

Meanwhile, Genna breezed past the Winchester children and disappeared into the bathroom to start cleaning. However, she couldn't help but notice the curly brown-haired girl sitting on the table. The maid's eyes brightened at how adorable the girl was but also pricked in pain at the nightmare that was her reality. She gently closed the door halfway behind her, needing a quick moment to collect herself as she started cleaning.

Katie was clearly distracted by the human waltzing into their room. She turned back to her brother and tugged on his sleeve as if he wasn't already glaring at her. "Hey Dean?" she asked her infamous question.

"Stay off the table."

"Who's that?"

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Are you listening to me?"

"But who's that?"

"Quit climbing on the table, got it?" he tried one last time, already reaching his limit with patience today.

"Um, okay," she lied, "but who's that?" She looked over at the bathroom in wonder.

Knowing this was another lost cause, he wrapped an arm around the four-year-old and placed her back on the ground safely. Kneeling down to eye level, he explained matter-of-factly, "That's the lady who cleans the place, okay? Just let her do job and stay out of her way. Kapeesh?"

Katie nodded but her eyes kept drifting over to the door where the mystery woman was. Dean ruffled her hair and then made his way back over to the bed to keep looking through this cool book about antique cars he found at the stupid library.

Once Genna had been able to push back the tears, she started to get to work. For being a room with three kids in it, they shockingly had things pretty tidy in the bathroom. It didn't take her more than ten minutes to get everything the way she wanted it to be. She took one last look around to make sure the bathroom was in order when she realized she'd forgotten the mini soaps and shampoos. Given they were staying at this hotel, it probably meant they lived life on a rather tight budget, so she made a mental note to get some extras for them.

Exiting the bathroom, she about ran into the little girl, who clearly had been peering into the room the entire time to watch. "I'm so sorry," Genna apologized, hoping she didn't hurt the little one.

Dean glanced over his magazine at the two and called out, "Katie, I said stay out of her way." Before his eyes disappeared behind the pages again.

Katie glanced at the floor timidly, not able to reply.

Genna felt her heart melt in more than one way. Rubbing the little girl's arm, she replied with a smile, "My fault." She took off for the cart but there was a distinct sound of pitter patter behind her as Katie followed along, staying off to the side to be "out of the way" like Dean said.

Katie casually stood to the side of the door, leaning around it to see what the new woman was doing. Everything she did was so intriguing. Grabbing a handful of small bottles, Genna turned to drop them off and spotted her observer. She leaned down with a smile, asking genuinely, "Want to help?"

It was like she had asked the most important question in the entire world. Nobody liked to help more than a four year old, especially this four year old. Katie quickly glanced over to her big brother to silently ask for approval. When he gave her a nod and indifferent wave of the hand, Katie nodded her head wildly, still feeling too shy to speak.

Genna grinned ear to ear and leaned over with a handful of small shampoos and conditioners. "Oh good! Because I have a lot of things and only two hands."

Katie saw the mountain of tiny containers and being the resourceful little girl she was, she pulled out her shirt in front of her to create a makeshift basket to help her carry them all. Genna winked at her. "Great thinking!"

Once the items were securely in their spot, Katie cautiously walked toward the bathroom, wanting to be extra careful so the nice lady would think she was a good helper. Dean looked over his magazine and glanced between his sister walking like an idiot and the housekeeper on her trail with some towels in hand. It seemed innocent enough and as long as the lady seemed to enjoy it, he was happy to have the kid out of his hair for a bit.

The housekeeper was fully aware that when she enlisted the help of a four year old, her job was about to take twice as long as it normally did. But she'd gladly work through her lunch if it meant she got to enjoy some time with the brown haired girl. She sat the towels down on top of the closed toilet. "Let's put the containers up here, okay?" She motioned toward the countertop. Katie nodded wildly while still gripping her shirt firmly. As Genna placed the items on the counter, she said casually, "My name is Genna. Do you have a name?"

Katie nodded as she watched the lady continue to put the containers in their place. Genna waited with eternal patience for her to respond when she was ready. Katie looked at the nice lady once more—she really liked her. Maybe it was okay to answer her question. She responded quietly but with pride, "I'm Katelyn Elizabeth Winchester and I'm four years old."

"Katie!" came the reprimand from the other room and her green eyes immediately fell to the ground, knowing what she'd done wrong.

Genna was shocked at the finely tuned hearing the young boy seemed to have. Seeing that the girl was clearly embarrassed for doing something wrong, she tried to lighten the mood. "Your brother must call you Katie. That's a great name."

Katie half smiled and felt the need to explain why she'd gotten in trouble. "Dad says I'm not supposed to say my whole name to strangers."

The housekeeper leaned over, resting her hands on her knees. "That's my fault. I should have only asked for your first name." Her warm smile quickly washed away Katie's embarrassment and she grinned widely in return. "Now then, I'll need some help with these towels." She pointed to a pile of used towels on the floor. "You up for the challenge?"

Of course she was! "I'm really strong!" she exclaimed, holding up her arms to prove her point.

"Why yes you are. Okay, let's try this." Genna reached out and grabbed a heaping pile of used towels, being sure to leave enough for Katie to grab, too. Once she was sure the little girl was ready, they headed back to the room door to toss them in the cart.

Katie then shadowed Genna for another twenty minutes while they changed the sheets and wiped down end tables and the kitchen. Genna kept trying to find small things for her to help with, keeping them both entertained. Finally, she had completed all the tasks in the room. Standing at the door, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, saying in exaggerated fashion, "I don't know how I would have done that without you today, Katie."

Katie couldn't hide her smile. It wasn't often that someone thanked her for helping rather than telling her to get lost. And she had even been good at it! "You're welcome, Miss Genna."

She felt her heart skip a beat at how polite this little one was already. "Maybe you'll be here next time and you can help me again."

Katie nodded her head fervently, already excited about the next time that she'd get to see her new friend. They said their goodbyes and Katie gently closed the door before turning to her brother still resting on the bed. "Hey Dean?" She didn't wait for a response. "Did you see that I was a good helper?"

The only response was an unenthusiastic, "Yeah, good job."

Genna couldn't help but stifle a laugh on the other side of the door.

About six weeks passed and Katie started to learn the pattern, with Dean's help of course. The nice lady came two times a week and it was the happiest of moments for both the little one and Genna.

Katie's forehead and nose were pressed against the window as she anxiously stared outside. When she didn't see what she had been hoping for, she turned around and asked loudly into the room where Sam and Dean were playing army men. "You said today was Tuesday!" she accused.

"Yeah, that's because it is," Sam replied as he lined up his army men, preparing to go to battle.

"But Miss Genna's not here," she countered.

"The day isn't over yet," Dean replied as he placed his sergeant at the front of his troops. "Prepare to eat your insides!" Dean commanded. "Charge!" he yelled, followed by an onslaught of gun noises by both boys.

Completely uninterested in their game, Katie returned her attention to the window and sighed. She waited for a few more minutes, that seemed like an eternity, before she finally saw Genna rolling her cart toward their room. Squealing, she jumped up and down and started banging on the window in excitement. Genna returned a very eager wave as she approached. The little one had learned her lesson from before, so she sprinted over to Dean, who was effectively wiping out Sam's army, and tugged on his arm with as much force as she could. "She's here! SHE'S HERE!"

Dean tried to keep his composure during this serious battle, but her incessant tugging was making him lose focus. He groaned in annoyance. "Okay, pause!" he declared.

"Ten seconds only," Sam declared.

Upon hearing that, Dean took off running as fast as he could to the room door with Katie hot on his heels as Sam started to count to ten loudly. Dean ripped open the door, looked both ways, and saw that it was in fact the housekeeper that had arrived. Satisfied that all was well, he politely said hi before rushing back to the game just as Sam hit ten.

Thrilled that her friend was back again, Genna knelt down and wrapped the girl up in a hug. They went about their usual routine together - carrying in new bottles, switching out the towels, changing the sheets, she found a way to make the little girl a part of everything.

Finally, they'd completed all their tasks for the day as they stood in the doorway. "You were such a great help today as always, Katie," she praised.

The little one soaked up the praise like a sponge. "Thank you! I want to be like you when I grow up!" she declared. Genna felt her heart swell and her throat tighten at once. This little girl had brought her so much happiness during a very dark time. Unbeknownst to Genna, she was the first woman figure to make a true bond with Katie in her young age.

Genna hesitated for a moment as her hand rested on some white material on her cart. She quickly glanced over to the eldest boy and silently wondered if she should have asked him for some kind of permission first. Dean was still wrapped up in his world war with Sam that she shook her head - he was too preoccupied and she felt it in her soul that she wanted to do this.

Genna grabbed the item and knelt down in front of Katie, grabbing onto one of her small hands. "I have something for you," she shared with a grin.

Katie's eyes wide at the unexpected announcement. "Like a…like a present?" She didn't get many of those, so her mind was already exploding with glee.

She chuckled. "Exactly."

Katie took a step closer. "Can I see it please?" she asked politely.

"How about you close your eyes first and then I'll let you see?" Genna asked playfully.

"Okay!" Katie exclaimed loudly, causing Dean to look over ever so briefly. Seeing that they were just talking and his sister was being obnoxiously loud per usual, he returned his focus back to the battle at hand.

Once Genna was satisfied that Katie had her eyes firmly closed, she released her hand and opened up the material. It was a small white apron with a silk ribbon to tie around her - she'd made it by hand over the weekend, knowing that she wanted to do this for her. It had brought back many good memories from her past life, but numerous tears had been shed during the process. Once she'd tied a big bow behind the girl, Genna announced as she clasped both her hands, "There we go. All ready. You can open your eyes."

Katie obeyed and immediately looked down to see what she'd put on her. Oh my gosh! It was amazing. Her green eyes went wide as saucers. "IT'S JUST LIKE YOURS!" she screeched with pure childhood glee as she reached out to touch Genna's apron.

It was hard for Genna to contain her smile - oh how she missed the pure innocence that children brought to this world. "You're right, it's just like mine." She felt her heart start to tighten, and she knew she had to get something off her chest even if Katie might not understand. "My daughter had one just like this, too." Tears pricked her eyes.

However, Katie was too young to pick up on the pain that flashed across the lady's face. "Can she come play housekeeping with us too?"

Genna removed her hand as she wiped away an escaped tear. "I'm sorry she can't join us, sweetie. She's in Heaven." Saying the words out loud made her knees go weak and her throat close up momentarily. She tried to swallow down the pain, pushing the memories of her five year old daughter down as far as they could go. If only they'd been able to escape the war torn country faster, then she'd still be alive. She became consumed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the little girl reply until she felt a tug on her own apron. With an almighty swallow, she asked, "Oh, I'm sorry, little Katie. What did you say?"

Not even fazed that she had to repeat herself, Katie replied, "Do you have a picture? My daddy says that even when people go to Heaven, we can see them in pictures so we 'member what they look like." It was explained with such confidence that it became clear the girl had lost a loved one, too.

Brushing another tear away, Genna leaned down and pulled a silver locket out of her shirt. She opened it up and revealed a picture of a beautiful five year old girl. "This is Katerina," she explained. "She had curly brown hair like you." She ruffled her hair affectionately.

Katie giggled in delight. "I like her name. I bet she liked playing housekeeping too."

"You're right - she loved helping me around the house." Genna paused as she stared lovingly at the photo of her only daughter.

With the confidence of a four year old who cannot comprehend death, Katie stated matter-of-factly, "I bet she can play housekeeping with my mommy. She's in Heaven, too!"

Without another word, Genna reached out and wrapped that precious little girl into a warm hug, neither truly understanding how much they needed it at that moment.

Twenty Years Later

Dean - 32

Sam - 28

Kate - 24

The siblings had just wrapped up a case in Texas and Dean had hoped to high tail it back to Sioux Falls, but by the time it hit 3:00am, he begrudgingly admitted that they needed to stop before they ended up in a ditch and hurt his precious Baby. With no complaints from the peanut gallery, Dean pulled off on the next exit and into the first motel he saw.

The car parked near the lobby, where a dim light could be seen. "Kate, go get us a room," Dean instructed as he got out of the car.

Kate yawned wide enough to about split her face in half while she replied, "Why can't Sam do it?"

Dean groaned, wanting to get into bed as much as they did. Without wasting any more time, he opened the back door and yanked her out by the arm before giving her a shove toward the door. "Because I said so," he replied for good measure as he sent her on her way.

Her feet stumbled a few steps before opening the door, too tired to retort anything. The lobby was dimly lit, but she could see a lamp turned on around the corner. A bell rang when the door opened, and a middle aged woman suddenly appeared with a friendly smile. "Hi, welcome to Sleep Inn."

Kate politely returned the smile. "Hi, do you have any rooms with double beds and a pull out couch for tonight?"

"Let me check," the lady replied as she scanned a notebook on the counter below. "Yup - 124 is available. Cash or credit?"

Kate patted all her pockets and muttered a curse word under her breath before quickly giving the lady an embarrassed apologetic smile. "Sorry, uh, let me go get it." She walked over to the door and stuck her head out, not caring to walk more than she had to when she was this tired. "Dean!" she yelled to her brother that was rummaging through the trunk. She groaned when he didn't answer. "Dean!" she tried again. Hearing the commotion, Sam got out of the car and stuck his head over the hood and threw up his arms as if to say what the hell? "Sam - tell Dean to bring me some money," she instructed. When Sam nodded, she ducked back inside. "It'll just be a second," she explained to the receptionist with a weak smile. The woman just smiled back, contemplating where she'd heard that name combination before - Sam and Dean.

As they stood awkwardly in silence at the counter, the woman couldn't help but glance up at the girl. Her brown hair was thrown up into a messy bun, but a few strands had fallen out, making it clear that she had some soft curls. She looked exhausted - like she'd been up for days with bags under her eyes. Her clothes were as worn out as she looked. Before she had a chance to ask the girl if she was okay, a man threw open the door and came up to them on a mission.

"Seriously, Kate?" he asked, annoyed that she left her wallet in the car.

Kate? Sam and Dean? And it hit her - the beautiful curly haired little girl from all those years ago. There was no way that this could be the same one after all this time. It had to be a coincidence. A strange and rare coincidence. The little girl from all those years ago who had up and left one day with no warning - no goodbye. She'd thought about her so many times over the years. But this couldn't be the little girl. Before she had a chance to mull it over, the words slipped off her tongue, "Katelyn Elizabeth Winchester?"

Kate and Dean both froze at hearing a stranger spew her entire name. Dean's hand instinctively went to the small of his back, and he inwardly cursed himself for not having his gun on him. He protectively took a step forward, now at the counter and a step in front of his sister. Before she could reply anything, he charged in, "Who's asking?"

And then Genna knew it. This was that same overprotective brother that never let the little girl open the door, always looking out for her. Her chest tightened and her heart about burst. The girl that had filled her broken heart was alive and in front of her again. "Katie - it's me, Genna."

Dean looked between the two of them, completely unsure of what was going on here. Not only did this lady know her full name, but now she knew her childhood nickname?

Kate stared at the lady for a moment, taking in all her features to try and jog some part of her memory. And then it hit her. She could count the number of impactful women in her life on one hand - and a lady from a motel decades ago had been one of them. "From housekeeping?"

Genna clapped her hands in joy. "Yes, yes it is! Only now, well I'm the manager, but yes, from housekeeping."

A smile spread across the young girl's face as the joy brought some life back to her complexion. "Wow, I can't believe it's you."

Dean couldn't help but chuckle and interject now that he was recalling who this lady was. "You were the one who gave her the cleaning apron, huh?" Genna blushed and nodded with pride. Dean chuckled at the memory. "Best gift ever." He held up his hand in emphasis before draping it over Kate's shoulder. "Got this kid to pick up and clean our rooms for months because she wanted to be just like Genna."

The older lady felt her heart swell as tears threatened to prick her eyes. She had felt such love for this little girl and seeing her after all these years was a blessing, even if it did open an old wound that reminded her she'd never see her own daughter grow up. She reached out and gently touched Kate's hand that was resting on the counter. "It would be such a treat to catch up. Would you join me for lunch tomorrow?" she asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping.

Kate's green eyes quickly flickered toward her brother's and silently asked for permission, knowing it meant they'd be getting on the road a lot later than usual. Genna didn't miss that some habits must never have changed in this family. After a very subtle nod, Kate turned back. "I'd love that."

It didn't matter to Dean that they'd be rolling up to Bobby's six hours after he had hoped to arrive. There was always an exception to the rule, and hell if this wasn't one. It wasn't every day that they ran into someone from their past that sparked good memories rather than triggering nightmares.