𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀𝐍

𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

"What if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?"

Sam's voice is quiet...not hopeful. Afraid. Concerned.

Katherine slowly looks up from her gun and she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Stop looking at me like that." She holds up her fingers apologetically and nods. Reaches for some more trail mix to chew on as she thinks. "She said you have abilities? I mean, maybe she was referring to your magic."

She laughs a little. "Yeah, me and my two little spells. What, you think you're gonna give her the Carrie stare and Lilith goes poof?"

"I don't know. That's my point. Maybe we should just go ask her." Sam shifts his weight. "We just gonna let her rot in the workshop?"

"That might be the best idea we've had in a little while, Sam," Katherine chirps. "That bitch hasn't stopped screaming since I locked her ass in there."

Sam frowns, looking towards the workshop from the kitchen window. "I haven't heard her."

"I have." Katherine taps her temple. "I put a spell on the barn while you were snoozing. Didn't want her to attract attention and all, so I put a silencer over the whole thing." She shrugs. "Like a bubble. She'll wear her meat suit's vocal cords out and by then, the spell will be over."

Sam looks her up and down. "So you've just been quietly learning magic, then?"

"Nothing terribly helpful like a demon vaporizing spell," she murmurs, locking her slide into place. 

"Thanks for the progress reports, Nerd."

Katherine smiles. "I just didn't want to freak you guys out."

"You didn't want Dean looking at you the way he looks at me."

She cuts her eyes at him. "He doesn't look at you any kind of way, Sam. Anyway, as for Ruby...There's a pattern with you Winchesters. Sellin' your souls every time one of you gets close to death. Ruby knows it. She's just jerkin' your chain...or there's something in it for her. And I don't like either of those ideas."

"What are you afraid's gonna happen?"

She sets her gun down and looks carefully at him, flattening her palms on the table. Her eyes used to have so much warmth in them. Happiness, humor. Innocence and so much confidence. She was so sure of herself...maybe it was that touch of arrogance that made her a little dangerous. But she looks afraid now. Cold, removed. Terrified.

"You mean in general, or...if we let Ruby help?"

"Both."

"You want it straight?" Sam's eyebrows twitch, and he nods. "Anything demonic is bad, Sam. And you've got volatile demon juju in you." His heart sinks so low. "Visions were fine. Whatever. But whatever the hell she wants to do?" Katherine shakes her head. "That kind of power comes with a price, Sam. I've seen it time and time again. One little spark is enough to get someone hooked and spiral down the wrong path. A path none of us are gonna be able to pull you from. I think we should ignore that part of you."

Sam looks down at his shoes. "Even if it could help now?"

After a moment, Katherine nods. "Quick fixes aren't good for anything but the now. Maybe this causes a whole slew of problems down the road, maybe it doesn't. And we don't even know if you can control it, all right? I mean, you haven't used your abilities in a year." Katherine shakes her head. "Even if it saves Dean, I don't think we should flirt with the idea of using a demonic-given thing. He doesn't want that either." She sits up on the table with him and sighs.