Dean passed Bobby on the stairs to Kathleen's room.

"Where you goin'?" Bobby asked.

"Sam thinks I should talk to Kate."

"Don't pick a fight with her, boy."

"I won't, Bobby. We just need to talk."

Dean knocked on her door, but there was no answer. He slowly made his way into the room. She was lying on her bed, but she sat up when she saw Dean. He closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not gonna ask you if you're okay. I know you're not."

"No, I'm not."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Why wouldn't John tell me about my dad?"

"I don't know."

"Why wouldn't my dad tell me? Why did he hide all of this?"

"He was retired. He probably decided to get out when he met your mom. Or when she got pregnant with you. He probably didn't want you in this life."

Kathleen hugged her knees, thinking of her father. Dean had to work his way into the reason he came up.

"So, did you really love Tim?"

"As much as a fifteen year old can love her boyfriend."

Dean hesitated, unsure of how to continue. He figured straight forward was the way to go.

"Do you love me, Kate?"

She diverted her eyes. "You shouldn't believe everything a demon says, Dean."

"That's what I told Sam when he said it... until he told me he was thinking it before the demon showed up." Kathleen didn't respond, so Dean kept going. "He thinks you're in love with me, and that you think I don't feel the same way, so you're running... What if I told you that I realized I was falling in love with you while we were lying in front of the fireplace?"

"I'd ask if you're just telling me that, or if it's really true."

Dean put his hand on her ankle. "It's really true. I realized then that I could lay with you like that every night, just holding you."

"Some of the things you said... You made it seem like it was all about sex."

"Sweetheart, that is why we were there."

"I know, but... I was already falling for you."

"So you do love me?"

"Yes, I do."

"And I love you, Kate." He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Dean, I'm so sorry I ruined these last two days. With everything that's happened, all I wanted was to be in your arms and have you tell me it would be okay."

"I heard you tell Sam you were tired of running to me for support."

"I lied. These last couple of days have been miserable for me... on so many levels."

Dean pulled off his shoes and slid up next to her on the bed. They laid down together and Dean wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"What about you quitting hunting? Do you still want out?"

"I never did, Dean. I thought you'd try to stop me if I told you I was going back to hunting alone. I figured you'd be more understanding if I said I wanted to quit altogether. I guess I was wrong about that."

"I just couldn't figure out what happened. Everything was going great... and then you started shutting me out again. Then you hit me with wanting to leave."

"Do you really love me, Dean?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then let's not talk about me leaving anymore. I'm not going anywhere. Just hold me a while."

She nuzzled her face into his neck, and the urge to kiss him was just too strong. Her lips kissed his skin wherever they could reach without her moving away. Desire washed over her when she heard Dean let out a breath, and she knew they had to stop. This wasn't the time. She kissed his lips lightly as she pulled back a little.

"We have to take care of Tim."

"You still wanna burn his bones?"

Kathleen nodded. "I wanna make sure he's at rest."

Sam watched as Dean and Kathleen came down the stairs hand-in-hand. He smiled to himself, silently praying that they were finally honest with each other... and themselves.

Kathleen insisted that they give Tim's remains a hunter's funeral. Now that she had the chance to speak to Tim, to know what he experienced, she realized that he was a victim just as much as she had been. More so. She held one of Dean's hands in both of her own as she watched the flames. He kissed her head, and she smiled.

The demon was dead. Tim was at peace. Now, so was Kathleen. She would never forget, but the memories would no longer drive her life. She had new memories, with Dean. Some were already made, some they still had to make. She would see to it that most of them were good memories.

Sam volunteered to handle cleaning up after the funeral. Dean and Kathleen walked through the yard.

"What do you say to us spending some time alone together?" Dean asked.

"Sounds great. Hotel?" she asked with a smile.

"I can try to get the same room if you want."

"Whatever's close. I don't wanna waste anymore time."

"There's actually a nice little place not that far from here. I've never stayed there, 'cause it's so close to Bobby's, but it looks like a nice place. Wanna check it out?"

"I'll go pack," she said with a smile.

A/N: That's all for this one! Story complete. Let me know what you think!