A New Friend.. I Think| Katerina and Dean

[Dean M. Winchester]

Purgatory had been a new kind of hell for Dean. He'd survived being in hell for four months in the real world. Those four months had been closer to forty years in hell. They'd been so long that he wasn't sure how he'd even done it. Purgatory really wasn't much different save for the fact that the year actually felt like a year. Of course the entire year had been spent running for his life. Truth be told, he hadn't slept the entire year he'd been there. He hadn't eaten, he hadn't done anything that a normal person should have done. The first sleep he'd gotten was when he'd come back to earth with Benny and had released his vampiric friend back into the world. Benny had been a brother to him, a good friend. Benny had been there while they searched for Cas. Benny had been there, over and over and over again. Benny had saved his ass on more than one occasion and he had been the one to pull Dean out of Purgatory.

Dean owed Benny just as much as Benny owed him. Hit had sucked a bit to have to watch his new vampire friend leave, but what choice did Dean have? He'd had to leave his friend behind to get back to the normal. Which meant finding Sammy and getting things back on the right track. Sadly, at this point, he didn't even know what the right track was. Not anymore. A low sigh escaped him as he wrapped his sliced arm after Benny'd gone. Bright green eyes darted around the empty clearing while he tried to clear his head a bit. He honestly had no idea what to do now. Where he was supposed to go, hell, he really didn't even know how long he'd been gone.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

Katerina had been walking around the empty clearing, trying to figure out where to go. Even though she's been Topside for a few months, she's still trying to get used to things. The world is different now then it was when she was human in the 1300's. She issn't sure if she likes it or not. She continues walking through the clearing and smiles when she sees that she issn't the ony one here. She walks over to the man standing there by himself looking lost.

"Nice night, huh?"

She says softly so she won't scare him. She watches as he stands there silently. She stares at him for a few minutes trying to figure out what is wrong with him. He seem lost....like he isn't sure if he belongs on Earth or not.

She can't help but smile at that, knowing exactly what that feels like from her own experience. She decides to talk to him again, hoping that this time, he'll respond to her.

"What brings you here? Couldn't sleep or are you running away rom someone or something?"

She keeps her tone soft and sweet. The last thng she wants to do is anger or insult him. She feels bad for him and wants to help him. For some reason unknown to her, she feels drawn to him. She doesnn't know why but she wants to find out. She also wants to get to know him.

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean jumped when he heard the soft feminine voice, not having expected anyone else to be here. Also, that year in purgatory where every sound meant danger kept Dean on edge. After he'd jumped, Dean twirled around, his hands coming up as if to box with whatever had come up behind him. His homemade ax/knife was on the ground by his feet and out of immediate reach. Noticing that it was a girl he hesitated. That meant nothing in purgatory and this forest? Seemed to look a lot like the one he'd been for a full year. Dean took in several quiet breaths before relaxing his stance and muttering a "sorry" to the girl before wiping his hands at his filthy face. He hadn't stopped somewhere to get changed or showered or anything yet. The arrival back to earth from his own personal hell had only been roughly an hour and a half ago and his focus had been on getting Benny back to his body.

He scratched at the back of his head before looking back to the girl when she spoke again. "I... I honestly don't know." He said, settling for honesty. What else could he say: 'Hi, I'm Dean and I just escaped from Purgatory and set a vampire loose too. Can you point me to the nearest motel?' Oh right, cause that wouldn't sound completely and utterly fucking insane. He'd just gotten back to Earth, didn't need to land himself in a nut house this quickly. "What about you? It's the middle of the night.." He commented with a tiny raise in his brow as he stared at the girl.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"I... I honestly don't know."

Katerina could see cleary from the look on his face that he was telling th truth. It broke her heart seeing him this way. She stood there quietly and just watched him as he tried to figure out whatto say to her. She smiled wen he spoke up again.

"What about you? It's the middle of the night.."

She took a fe wminutes to think about what to say. She didn't want to say anything that would sound weird or crazy. She decided to tell him the truth.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to come out for a walk. I was doing ok, until I managed to get myself lost. I ws trying to find my way out of here."

She smiled when she saw that the man seemed to believe here. She got an idea in her head and decided to go with it.

"Its obvious that neither of us have anywhere to go for the moment. Why don't we get out of here and go get some beers. We can continue getting to know one another."

She wasn't sureif he ws going to go for this idea or not. To make things better, she decided to tell him her name.

"My name is Katerina by the way. You can call me Kat, if you want to"

[Dean M. Winchester]

Of course he was telling the truth. He really had no idea. It was so hard to know what was going on right now. What was he supposed to say? Dean frowned a little when she spoke before nodding. She was just walking around and then gotten lost. "I honestly don't know how to point you outta here. I don't know where the hell I am." He said with a quiet laugh and shake of his head. A hand rose to scratch at his cheek before turning to look around him and attempting to get his heart-rate slowed down a little. Dean needed a shower, he needed a change of clothes and access to a phone to get a hold of Sammy. He needed a billion things at this point and he had no idea how to get any of them right now.

His tongue brushed over his lips before turning to look back at her as she spoke. "Umm.." He muttered gruffly. Right now probably wasn't the best time for him to make an attempt at 'friend' time, not when he looked, smelled and felt like crap. Then again, maybe the girl could help him. "Sure.." He said with a tiny smile before reaching down and grabbing his handcrafted ax to tuck into his jacket when she wasn't paying that close of attention. He didn't want to set off a ton of red flags and have the girl freaking out on him. "I'm Dean." He said with another faint smile before stepping closer to her, enough that he could see her face better in the dark and she could see his own filthy one. "Gotta warn you, though. I'm broke." He said with a little laugh.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"I honestly don't know how to point you outta here. I don't know where the hell I am."

Kat couldn't help but smile at that. He kept geting cuter and cuter by the minute. She looked at him.

"It's ok.We'll figure out how to get out of here together"

She could see it in his face and hear it in his voice that he was a little unsure of trusting her. She didn't blame. From what she could see, he seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to being back from wherever he came from.

"Um, sure"

He said with a soft smile. He reached down and picked up his ax and put it in his jacket. Kat pretended she didn't see him do it.

"I'm Dean"

He said with another small smile before moving close to to see her face in the dark. She was happy when he agreed to get out of there and go for drinks with her.

"Gotta warn you, though. I'm broke."

He said with a soft laugh. Kat looked at him.

"Don't worry about it. It's my treat"

She loked around the cearing andsmiled when she saw some lights up ahead. She looked at Dean.

"We're not too far away from town. Ican see some faint light up ahead. Come on"

She turned away from him and started walking towards the lights that were up ahead. She got a few feet and looked back. Dean was still standing there. Kat went over to him and genty took his hand in hers. She led him away from where they were currently standing and towards the light that was up ahead.

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean chuckled as she spoke of them getting out together. Whatever worked, right? He scratched at his cheek lightly. "Sounds good to me." He said gently while letting his eyes wander. It wasn't so much that he didn't trust the girl, it was more that he didn't trust himself. He had been gone for what seemed like a very long time and in that time he'd been through some unspeakable things. Hell, unthinkable things. Maybe for a hunter they weren't so unthinkable, but when it's happening every moment for an entire year? It wasn't normal. Dean had gone through hell and it was going to be a little difficult to re-adjust to everything back in the real world. He knew that.

Green eyes followed the girls movements as she laughed quietly and looked up at him. He didn't say anything, was just glad that she'd cover a beer. Maybe this way he could at least figure a couple of things out. Like what the date was, or if he could get to a phone and call Sam. That was the most important thing right now. Finding his brother. God only knew where Sammy was and what had happened to him while Dean was gone. He just had to hope that it was nothing too bad. He couldn't stand the thought of something happened to his brother while he was't there to protect him. Of course, Dean knew that Sam could protect himself, but as the elder brother, it was his job to make sure his brother was safe, right? He glanced up when her voice pulled him out of his reveree. "Would ya look at that.." He muttered almost inaudibly. That was the first thing he'd seen, those lights, that made him realize that he really wasn't in Purgatory anymore. Honestly, he became a little dumbstruck by the site and didn't snap back to reality until her hand clasped his. "Right, right. Drinks. Sorry." He said almost bashfully as he walked beside her. It was odd holding someone's hand, but he couldn't think of a polite way to pull himself from her grip.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"Right, right. Drinks. Sorry."

He said almost bashfully. Kat smiled. She kept her pace slow so Dean could keep up with her. It was clear to her that he wasstill having trouble getting used to being away from wherever he was before. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't let anything bad happen to him while she was around.

After reaching the lights, Kat smiled when she saw that they made it out of the clearing and into town. She looked straight ahead and saw a bar. She stopped walking and looked at Dean.

"We just got to town. There's a bar straight ahead. We can stop for the those drinks I promised you from earlier"

She saw him smile at the mention of the bar. They continued walking until they were standig outside of it. In the window there was a small sign that said: Rooms available. She smiled, figuring that both she and Dean could use a shower and some sleep. Judging by the way Dean looked, it was obvious that he hasn't gotten much sleep in while. She looked at him and spoke softly to him.

"According to the sign, they have rooms that are available.We should probaly get one for the night. We could both use a shower and some sleep after some much needed alcohol."

She probably sounded like she was hitting on Dean and she wasn't..not really. She was just being friendly and flirty. She hoped he didn't get the wrong idea about her suggestion.The last thing she wanted to do was freak him out or scare him.

She pulled the door to the bar open and let Dean walk inahead of her. Once he was in,she walked in and looked around. The place was dimly lit and crowded. In the corner, Kat could see a couple of pool tables. She smiled then looked at Dean.

"I'll get us some drink while you get us a table, ok?"

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean easily followed along beside her while she lead the way through to the town. A faint smile did appear on his lips at the mention of the bar being not far ahead. While walking along beside the girl he happened to catch a glimpse of himself in one of the darkened windows on his left causing his brows to furrow. His face was dirty, he needed a shave, his clothes were filthy and torn in some places. Dean had never thought of himself as homeless, even though he lived in his car, but seeing himself like this? He felt like a homeless man. A dirty, unshaven homeless man in tattered clothes. Guess that's what happens when you spend a year in purgatory without having the ability to shave and change clothes. Sure, he'd been able to 'bathe' whenever they found a stream and had enough time for him to wash up, but needless to say he looked like hell, and Dean was only just now realizing it.

When she mentioned getting a room a brow quirked up for a moment wondering if she was making an attempt to hit on him. If she were then it would be a boost on his ego; to be hit on while he looked like hell. But then after thinking about it for a moment he came to the conclusion that she was probably taking pity on him. Who wouldn't with the way he looked right now? Dirty, scraggly, lost. He would have taken pity on him. "Thanks.." He said with a faint smile. He released her hand while stepping into the bar ahead of her, his emerald gaze danced around to take in.. everything. It'd been a long time since he'd been in a place like this. Surrounded by people, none of whom were supernatural at all, loud noises, the smell of cigarettes and beer heavy in the air. Testosterone flying. He let out a faint sigh before turning to her when she spoke again. Instead of answering and attempting to shout over the music he nodded and then turned his gaze around the bar for an open table.

His gaze landed on the pool table and instantly memories of him and Sam, him and Bobby, him and Jo all flooded through his mind causing his jaw to lock up. Two of those people were dead and he couldn't be sure on the third. A low sigh slipped out as he shook himself back to reality and managed to find them a table not far from the stairs that lead to their rooms for rent. After flopping down he looked around, listening to the conversations around him and trying not to seem too twitchy or jumpy. Someone who had gone through the same as him would be twitchy.. and he was, only he was trying not to show it. A few minutes later she'd stepped up to the table with alcohol and he easily spotted both bottles of beer and a couple of shots as well. A faint laugh slipped through his lips, quickly grabbing one of the shots and downing it without hesitation. "Thanks." He said gruffly due to the burn it had caused. Oh whiskey, would he ever tire of you? Next he grabbed the beer and turned toward her. "So you on some kind of pay it forward mission?" He asked, hoping for an answer for why she was being so nice to him. Still, he assumed it was pity.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"Thanks."

Kat smiled. She knew that some whiskey and a bottle of beer would make Dean happy. It would also help him relax a little more. She noticed that he was looking at the pool table and got an idea. Maybe she can challenge hm to a game of pool before they leave.

She watched him down th shot of whiskey without hesitation.She looked at him.

"You're Welcome"

She watched as he picked up his beer bottle up and turned towards her.

"So you on some kind of pay it forward mission?"

It just dawned on her that Dean thought she was taking pity on him. She wasn't. She was flirting with him. She was being nice to him because she knew what it was like to be in Hell and wanted him to know that he wasn't alone. She took a swig of beer then looked at him.

"Not a mission. I happen to know that you've just come from Hell or someplace worse and you're emotions are all over the plac at the moment. I know what that's like because I was once in Hell for a while too. I know what its like to come back and feel out of place. I know what it's like to doubt yourself. I'm helping you because I like you and I want to help you."

She took another long sip of beer and sat there quietly. She was hoping that Dean wouldn't freak out on her and leave. She was glad that she was honest with him. She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone and that she wanted to help him get back to whoever he was worried about.

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean watched the girl as she spoke, a brow slowly raising. He honestly didn't realize that she meant literal hell. He didn't realize that the girl sitting in front of him was a demon. Maybe it was because he hadn't picked up that sulfuric scent from her, or because she just didn't seem the type. She seemed like one of those goody-two-shoe girls who knew all about heartache. Truth be told, Dean couldn't help but picture her as a country singer, babblin' on and on about this guy who broke her heart. The thought brought a faint smile to his lips just as she finished speaking. "You've been in hell? Lady, trust me, you've never gone through the same crap I just did." He said with that smile before looking away from her. Green eyes danced around the bar as her words slowly sunk into his head. Slowly, slowly, slowly. If she were waiting for them to actually register, the moment they did would be obvious.

His gaze landed first on a man who looked just like Sam from behind, albiet shorter hair, but Sammy-style none-the-less. When the male turned, Dean frowned, noting that it wasn't his brother. Again. Slowly, slowly, slowly. Click. His eyes widened slightly, jaw locked as the beer hand froze half way to his mouth. Every muscle seemed to tense up as a light flicked behind those startling emerald green hues. His eyes turned toward her face before his body followed suit. There wasn't a hint of fear, only mild shock, moderate annoyance and even a small fraction of anger. "You gotta be shittin' me." He muttered just barely above a whisper. "What's a demon want to help a Winchester for?" He asked with a faint curl in his lip.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"You've been in hell? Lady, trust me, you've never gone through the same crap I just did."

Dean said with that smile before looking away from her. Kat simply smiled as she took another sip of beer.

"Yes, Dean. I was in Hell for a while. I know exactly what you've been through 'cause I've been through it myself. I have the scars to prove it. I can show them to you if you want"

If he wanted to see proof, she had no problem showing him her scars from her time spent in Hell. She wasn't ashamed of them anymore.

"You gotta be shittin' me."

Dean muttered just barely above a whisper as he figured out what she was.

"What's a demon want to help a Winchester for?"

Dean said with a slight curl of his lip. Kat finished her beer and looked at him. She thought carefully before answering him.

"Like I said before Dean, I like you and I wanna help you. I never had anyone wanna help me. I'm a demon but I'm different then the others. I know you've heard this before but I'm telling you the real honest truth. I don't want to see mankind suffer at the hands of demons. Like you and all the other hunters in the world, I want to get rid of the forces of evil. I also want to stop the upcoming war."

Kat kept her tone light as she spoke to him. She watched the look on his face and wasn't sure of what to make of it. She didn't know if he believed her or if he wanted to take her out back and kill her. She sat there quietly trying to figure out if she should continue to sit here or if she should get up and leave while she had the chance. After a few minutes, she decided to stay and see what happens. She looked at Dean.

"Wanna know what makes me different then the other demons?"

She asked him in a half flirty, half sarcastic tone. She was baiting him to see how he'd react to the question. If he wanted to know, all he had to do was ask her and she'd tell him. She has no agenda and no secrets.

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean refused to believe that she'd been in hell, at least not yet. At her comment he rolled his eyes only slightly toward the cieling, the gesture so miniscule that it would more than likely go unnoticed. He wasn't stupid. If she were a demon then they only scars adorning her body would be those of her host. If she'd been in hell and somehow miraculously pulled from the flames, any scars she'd had prior to death would be gone and nothing but the mental scarring would remain. He'd love someone to attempt to show him that one without splitting their skull wide open. So instead of responding, Dean simply ignored the comment. At least until he realized that she was a demon. He fought to keep the look of disgust off of his face but was struggling inwardly to do so.

When she spoke again a brow arched lightly before laughing. "You're damned right I've heard it before. Last time all it was was a slutty little demon doing everything she could to yank me and my brother apart so that she could kick start the apocalypse. You see how well that worked out for us, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm having a hard time believing you." He snapped quietly with that sneer at his lips. Right a demon that wanted to help rid the world of evil. That sounded plausible. Ruby had said the same thing to Sam so many times and his brother simply fell for it. Dean wouldn't. He wasn't as naive as his brother could be, he didn't bother looking for the good in people. Not anymore.

At the question that fell from her lips he turned back to her with a frown. "What? Your heart of gold? Your hatred for things like you? I've heard it all before, sister." He stated with sarcasm filling his tone. The girl was simply lucky that he didn't have Ruby's knife, or that he didn't have holy water. Or feel like attempting to exorcise her in a crowded bar. Instead he took a long drink from his beer while staring at her.

[Katerina A. Spencer]

"You're damned right I've heard it before. Last time all it was was a slutty little demon doing everything she could to yank me and my brother apart so that she could kick start the apocalypse. You see how well that worked out for us, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm having a hard time believing you."

Kat understood why Dean was having a hard time believing her. She didn't blame him. She could only imagine what Ruby did to pull him and Sam apart. Kat stood up and took off her leather jacket. She put her jacket on the chair. She looked at Dean.

"See these scars. These were from my time in Hell. I was tortrued and abused relentlessy and mercilessly"

Kat saw the way Dean was still loking at her in disbelief. She sighed and sat down. She realized that she needed to tell him everything in order to get him to believe her. She took a deep reath then spoke.

"Dean, I know you dont trust me and that you have no reason to believe me but I'm telling you the truth. When I was human I was a witch. My coven and I worshipped a demon. The black plague swept through my villiage and killed everyone in it, including my family. I was devasted when I lost my family. I convinced myself that it was my fault that my family was dead. Hurt and angry, I turned my back on my coven. Angry that I reused to worship him or practice magic anymore, the demon demanded I be killed. My coven captured me and killed me. I was sent to Hell. I was put on "The Rack" and tortured non stop for a long time until I broke and became a demon. One day the demon who tortured me, offered me a deal. I finally accepted it and was taken off "The Rack". I didn't waste anytime. I did to others what was done to me. I enjoyed it at first until I realized what I became. I freaked out and refused to torture anyone anymoe. The demon got fed up with me and locked me up in The Cage."

Kat took a few sips of her beer then took a few deep breaths befoe continuing to talk.

"I screamed, cried and begged the demon to let me out. He ignored me. I sat there and prayed for someone to rescue me. Nothing happned at first. After a while my prayer got answered. I was suddenly no longr in The Cage and no longer in Hell. Iwas back on Earth in a motel room with a mysterious man. I asked him who he was and he told me. He told me he was an Angel and that he was the one who pulled me out of Hell. He also said that he was there to make me a deal. I was skeptical at first but agreed to hear im out. He said he'd give me back my humanity if I agreed to attone for what I did while I was in Hell. I thought it over for a while then agreed. The Angel smiled and I got my humanity back.

Kat looked at Dean and wasn't sure if he was believing her or not. He had an expression on his face that she couldn't read. Then finally he spoke as he frowned at her, answering he question she aed him earlier ith qustios of his own.

"What? Your heart of gold? Your hatred for things like you? I've heard it all before, sister."

Hearing the sarcasticness in his voice made Kat realize that he sill didn't believe he. She frowned then took another sip of beer. She looked at him again.

"I bet you never had a demon claim to have their soul back. Well, guess what sweethart? I have my soul back. I got it back after I made the deal with the Ange that pulled me out of Hell. After I got it back, I stuck to my promise that I made. I started attoning for what I did in Hell by aiding and assisting hunters whenever I could since I've been back on Eath. Some hunters like you, refused to trust or believe me that I was on their side. Others trusted me and believed me. I've only been back on Earth for a few months. In that time, I've done more god then harm. I'm not Ruby. Lke I told you earlier Dean, I'm here to help you stop the apocalypse from happening."

She sat there quietly and finsihed her beer. She noticed that Dean had finished his as well and decided that they could both use some more. She stood up and went up to the bar to get more alcohol, leaving Dean there to process everything she just told him.

Up at the bar, she ordered them two more beers, two more shots of tequila and two more shots of wiskey. As she waited for their drinks, she looked around. She spotted two demons walkng towards the bar and panicked. She looked at the barender and told him to bring her order over to her table. He smiled and ndded at her. She wet back over to Dean and sat down. She leaned in close and whispered softly to him.

"Don't look but the two guys over at the bar are demons. I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen in the next five minutes"

The bartender came over and set their drinks down on the table in front of them. Kat smiled at him and watched as he walked away. She grabbed her shot of tequila and downed it quickly She kept her gaze on Dean waiting to see what he was gonna do.

[Dean M. Winchester]

Dean stared at the demon who sat before him until she stood and removed her jacket. As she pointed out scars on her body he couldn't help but to laugh out loud. It took only a moment but he stopped laughing long enough to look at her and shake his head. "Demons need a host. Those aren't your scars, they belong to whatever chick you're riding. You act like this is my first time in this rodeo, demon." He said before shaking his head once more. As she began to tell him about her past he listened, but still didn't seem to believe her. He had spent a lot of time on the rack, he'd spent time torturing people and he'd been yanked out of hell. He knew all too well how that went and her story was far too similar to his own. Well, save for the cage. "You may have lived back then and you may have been on the rack. You may have been locked in the cage but what angel would pull you out of hell?" He asked, eyes narrowing lightly. He didn't believe that bit for a second. Why should he?

He laughed again when she spoke, still with a sarcastic edge to his voice. "What angel would give you your soul back? Especially knowing that you gotta jump some poor girl's meatsuit to keep going." He stated. If the girl lived back during the black plague her body was probably gone. Dean had been lucky to be able to jump back into his own body. He doubted if the girl would make it that long. Besides, even if it was her own body, she still wouldn't hold scars from hell. Those scars were on the soul, not the body. He wasn't stupid, he knew better. Dean had been there before he knew it all too well. Hearing that she wanted to stop the apocalypse? His eyes rolled up slightly. "You can't be serious? The apocalypse has been averted for years now.." He stated with a shake of his head and roll to his eyes.

Dean watched as the girl stood and walked off to get them more beers. WHen she returned and leaned in close to whisper he pulled back with a sneer on his lips before turning his eyes toward the bar at the mention of other demons. Green eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced between the six men around the bar before landing on two in particular. Brows furrowed as he turned his eyes quickly back to Katerina, keeping his face fairly hidden from the demons. No one knew he was back yet and if these demons spotted him then Crowley would be here soon, he had a feeling on that one. Unless Katerina was the one that had called them here. Which wouldn't shock him much. "Rambo and Terminator?" He asked, of course talking about the demons. One reminded him of Arnold Swartzenagger and the other Sylvester Stallone. Dean reached into his jacket pocket and wrapped his hand around the wooden handle of his home-made knife.