A/N: Just to clear up any potential confusion-in the last chapter, I had first written that Kayla was flying to Washington. My thoughts at first were to have John living off in a cabin by himself in a remote part of Washington after finally retiring from hunting. I decided to change it and put him and Bobby as living together. That just made more sense, and I didn't think it would be good for John to live a solitary life. I put up the unedited document before I checked, but that has been fixed now.

John hadn't been quite sure what to expect when the plane landed, but a quiet, dejected Kayla hadn't been it. The way Sam had described the situation, he'd expected Kayla to show up angry, perhaps pouting and defiant. But instead, she'd simply walked out slowly, holding her bag and looking exhausted. It had taken a minute for Kayla to spot him, but when she did, she'd walked up to him, placed her bag down on the floor, and given him a tight hug around the waist.

"How you doing, sweetie?"

"Been better." Kayla said quietly.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" John said. "Are you hungry?"

Kayla pulled away and nodded. "Yes, sir." She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes.

"After we eat, I think someone needs a nap."

"Yes, sir." Kayla said quietly.

John knew right away something was wrong with her. Kayla had never liked taking naps, fighting her parents and him on bedtime every time the dreaded 'sleep' word was uttered. John took her to the local diner, where she answered questions with the absolute least amount of words she could use and still be respectful. John had thought about waiting until they got back home before discussing Kayla's time with him, but he decided to cut the small talk.

"Alright, kiddo. Let's talk."

"About what?" Kayla asked.

"Kayla Ellen Winchester, look me in the eye." John said.

When Kayla looked up, John was immediately transported back to her younger days. She looked like a hurt, scared three-year-old rather a teenager.

"What's going on?" John asked.

"I messed up." Kayla said simply.

"I know you messed up. Your dad told me everything. What I want to know is why you messed up." John said. "This isn't like you. Help me understand it."

For a brief moment, Kayla considered telling her grandfather everything. Telling him about the bad dreams she'd kept from her parents. About what started them in the first place. Just like he'd expected her to be angry, she'd expected the same from him. But she couldn't tell him. So she shook her head and said,

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You don't know why you snuck out of the house and went to a party and drank at thirteen? You don't know why you've been snapping at your parents, your little sisters, your teachers? Why your grades have dropped like a stone?" John asked, his voice easily dropping back into the old drill sergeant mode that had been natural with Sam and Dean, but scarce with his grandchildren. "You don't know why any of this is happening?"

Kayla, not used to being chewed out by her grandfather, had dropped her eyes back to the table. "No, sir."

"Kayla, look at me." John said again.

Kayla looked back up, worried at her grandfather's harshness.

"I don't know why you're lying to me. But I'm not going to press. I have a feeling that if I do, you'll just shut down and not talk to me about anything. But I expect you to tell me one day." John waited a moment before speaking again, taking note at the flicker of fear that went through Kayla's eyes. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Now we need to discuss the rules for when you're here. Your dad wanted me to enforce his grounding while you're here. But I'm not gonna do that." John said.

"Really?" Kayla asked, shocked at his generosity.

"Really." John said with a smile. "Bobby and I talked a lot about it last night, and we decided that you deserve a second chance here. But you're on your last chance. You're old enough to know the rules. Be respectful. Pick up after yourself. Do what Bobby and I tell you to do, when we tell you to do it, and no arguing. You don't follow any of those rules, you get one warning, and then I will put you right back on your dad's grounding. Understand?"

"I understand." Kayla said. "Thank you, grandpa."

"One more thing. If I catch you drinking, sneaking out, or doing anything else dangerous or illegal, I will not hesitate to make that whipping your dad gave you look like a walk in the park. I will spank you when I find you, and every single day for a week before you go to bed. Understood?"

"Understood." Kayla said.

"Alright." John said. "Now that that's out of the way, I have one more question for you. No getting out of this one."

"What's that?"

"Why are you so sad?" John asked. "You've looked ready to cry ever since you got here."

Kayla's bottom lip began to shake. "They sent me away."

"Your mom and dad?"

Kayla nodded and wiped her eyes.

"I know you're upset. I don't blame you." John said. "But I can promise you that this wasn't easy on them either."

"It hurts." Kayla admitted. "They got tired of me and sent me away. Like I'm some bad gift they got and returned."

"Sweetheart, listen to me. Your mom and dad are not tired of you. They love you. But I want you to think about this. How do you think your mom and dad feel when you treat them the way you've treated them?"

"Pretty bad, I guess." Kayla said.

"And your dad said you and him have been arguing a lot more lately. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir." Kayla said.

"Well, look on the bright side. You spend a little time with me, calm down some, and maybe things can start getting better between you three." John said.

"Maybe." Kayla said, though she said it just to appease him and hoping he would change the subject. "Can we go to the house now? I'm pretty tired."

John knew right away that Kayla was blowing him off, but knew better than to press. He'd been through enough to see that something was hurting Kayla. Something buried deep, that she didn't want to let out. And in the true Winchester fashion, she didn't want to burden anyone else with it, so she told everyone that everything was okay.

I'll find out if it kills me, John thought to himself.

Back at Sam and Jess's, the atmosphere was still thick and tense. Sam and Jess sat in the car outside in the driveway, dreading walking in and talking to Mary. They had dropped Mary off with Dean the night before, before taking Kayla to dinner. Sam jumped when he felt Jess take his hand.

"Sorry." She said kindly. "You okay?"

"No." Sam said honestly. "No, I'm not."

"What are you thinking?"

Sam sighed. "That she's gonna hate us forever."

"She won't." Jess said. "I promise."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Mommy knows." Jess said, using a phrase with him that Sam had heard her use with the two girls many times.

"I don't know. I hated my dad being away all the time. I didn't forgive him for a long time."

"You said it yourself." Jess said. "It's better for her to hate us for a little while than to get that phone call that she's…" Jess shuddered, the thought of even finishing her sentence too much.

"I know." Sam said. "I know."

"And we're not abandoning her there. She can call anytime she wants. We'll go to see her. We haven't left her, Sam. She's just gonna be in a different place for a while." Jess assured him. "Okay?"

Sam nodded. "Thanks."

"You ready to do this? Or you want to wait for later?"

"No. Let's do it." Sam said. "Better to swallow the pill now."

"Hey." Jess said, squeezing Sam's hand and kissing it. "We'll be okay."

"I hope so." Sam said. "Let's go."

As they walked into the house, Kayla's words in the airport were rolling around in his head. When you tell Mary what you did tonight, ask her what she said the night she slept in my room earlier this week. Sam grabbed the doorknob, and Jess squeezed his other hand again. Sam looked over at her, and could hear the silent conversation that Jess was trying to have with him. You're a good dad. It will be okay, even if it's not right now. Sam just nodded and prepared to open the door, before it was opened for him.

"Boo!"

Sam jumped at the small fright, then started to smile when Mary laughed at him from the doorway. She had on the Halloween mask that had been part of her costume the year before, a ghost. Jess picked up Mary, making her 'silly girl' giggle as she took her over to the couch and tickled her. Sam stepped in and closed the door. Dean was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Did I scare you, Daddy?"

"You sure did, baby." Sam said with a sad smile.

"Daddy? You okay? You look sad."

Straight to the point, Sam thought.

"Daddy and I need to talk to you, sweetie." Jess said. "We need you to listen to us really good, okay?"

Mary grabbed the lobes of her ears and squeezed slightly. "Listenin', mommy."

Mary's gesture squeezed the hearts of both parents. Kayla had taught her that.

"Sam? You want me to stay?" Dean asked.

Sam looked to Jess, who simply nodded. We might need him, Jess said silently. "Yeah. Thanks, Dean."

Dean watched Sam closely as he sat down. The two of them had been through things that most other people could scarcely imagine, but Dean could see the way this was weighing on Sam. His shoulders sagged, his face was still puffy from crying, and Dean could see that he wanted to cry again and was just holding it in for Mary's sake. Dean had watched his niece's change in behavior almost as closely as Sam and Jess had, and while he had been surprised with Sam's decision to send Kayla to live with John, he secretly agreed with it. He saw nothing but a bleak future for Kayla if something drastic wasn't done. But clearly, it tore Sam's soul and broke his heart. Though Dean didn't have any children of his own, he had raised Sam, and wanted nothing more than to take his brother's pain away from him.

Oh, little brother. We'll get through this together. All of us.

"Mommy, where's sissy?" Mary asked. "Why wasn't she home when uncle Dean brought me back?"

Jess looked over at Sam, who looked pained at Mary's question. Jess touched his shoulder. I got this. Sam nodded, staying silent for the moment.

"Sweetheart, Kayla's not gonna be living with us for a while."

"What? Why not?" Mary asked, her cheerfulness from just a few seconds earlier changing to bewilderment and fear. "Where's she?"

Jess took a deep breath and explained as simply as possible, "Your daddy and I decided that it was best for your sister to go live with your grandpa John for a while."

"What?" Mary asked. "You mean you really did send her away?"

"What do you mean 'really did send her away'?" Sam asked.

"Sissy had a bad dream that you were gonna send her away because you didn't want her anymore."

"When was this?"

"Two nights ago." Mary said. "She was really scared and I told her not to be." Mary started crying, but when Sam tried to rub her back, she pushed his hand away. "I feel really stupid now."

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Because I told her mommies and daddies don't do that. They don't send you away." Mary said, glaring at both of them.

"Honey, I know it's hard to understand, but this is for the best…" Jess said.

"How?" Mary asked. "You always said you loved us no matter how bad we were."

"I do. Daddy and I both do."

"How do you love Kayla when she's not here?" Mary asked, tears starting to come down quickly. "You're supposed to make bad dreams go away. You made hers come true."

Mary leapt off the couch and ran down the hall towards Kayla's room. Her stunned parents heard her jump on the bed and start weeping. Sam propelled himself up off the couch and out the door, while Jess ran a hand through her hair, grateful that it was Saturday and no one had work or school to go to. Even if that would be a good distraction right now.

"You okay?"

Jess laughed humorlessly. "I'm not sure I even know what 'okay' is right now."

"Fair."

"Dean? Did we do the right thing here?" Jess asked.

"She's not my kid. It's your call."

"You raised Sam. You get a call." Jess said.

Dean sighed. "It's not like there's a handbook for this. But yes, I think you did the right thing. And I think, eventually, Kayla will see that too."

"I expected her to fight us, but she didn't. We told her, and she just went quiet. She didn't say a word to me or Sam until she was leaving."

"What did she say?"

"To ask Mary what she said the night they slept together in Kayla's room." Jess said. It suddenly occurred to her that Mary had answered the question without it being asked. "Damn it."

"What?"

"What Mary said. 'Mommies and daddies don't do that.' How the hell do I explain this to her?" Jess asked.

Dean moved from the kitchen to sit next to Jess. "Just tell her that Kayla had to go away for a while to get herself sorted out. That she'll come back happier and more like herself. That it might hurt for a while, but in the end it'll be worth it."

"Was that for me or for her?"

"Both." Dean said, smiling. "Why don't I go talk to Sam and you go talk to Mary?"

"Deal." Jess agreed. "Hey, Dean? Thanks. For everything."

"You got it."

Jess headed down the hall to Kayla's room, where she found a heartbroken Mary on top of Kayla's bed, gripping Kayla's teddy bear in a suffocating chokehold. Jess walked in and sat down, but Mary either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge her mother's presence. Jess reached over and started to cautiously rub her back, and was relieved when Mary didn't back away like she'd done with Sam in the living room.

"You're not supposed to be in Sissy's room unless she says it's okay." Jess said gently.

Mary hiccupped and turned her big, wet, brown eyes on her mom. "She doesn't like you and daddy in here. She said I could come to her bed when I didn't feel safe."

"Why don't you feel safe?"

"'Cause I thought mommies and daddies was supposed to take care of you 'till you're all growed up." Mary said. "Even when you're acting bad."

"Honey, I know this is hard for you to understand."

"What about if I don't eat my dinner? If I don't take a bath or I get in trouble at school? I'm scared, mommy. You'll send me away too." Mary said.

"Sweetie, stop. Take a breath." Jess said. She led Mary through a few deep breaths, then explained, "Daddy and I did not send Kayla away because she was in trouble."

"You didn't?"

"No. We would never do that, to you or to her." Jess said. "We sent Kayla away because something is making her really, really sad."

"But you guys hug me or hold me when I'm sad."

"And we would have done that for Kayla if she'd let us." Jess said. "For some reason, Kayla couldn't get better staying at home. So we sent her to grandpa's to give her some space and help her get better. Okay? Does that make sense?"

"I guess." Mary said. "Why didn't you let me say goodbye?"

"Because everyone was already upset enough." Jess said honestly. "But I promise you can talk to Kayla tonight before you go to sleep."

Mary nodded. "Okay, mommy."

"Do you have any other questions?" Jess asked.

"Will Kayla be back tomorrow?"

"No. Not tomorrow. But one day. I promise." Jess said.

"Can we go see her? Can she visit us?"

"We will definitely go and see her. If she's gone long enough, yes, we will let her come visit." Jess said.

Mary nodded, apparently satisfied with Jess's answers.

"I think someone needs a nap." Jess said with a smile.

"No nap." Mary said with a familiar pout.

Jess smiled and decided to try a different route. "Mommy needs one. Will you lay down with me?"

"Will daddy come too?"

"I bet he would if you asked him." Jess said. "You want to go outside and ask?"

"Sure." Mary said. She looked at the teddy bear in her hand. "Mommy? If Kayla wants Jackie, can we mail him to her?"

"We sure can. Come on." Jess picked up the sleepy Mary and took her outside.

As Jess talked to Mary, Dean stepped outside and found Sam leaning against the trunk of his car. He looked more exhausted than Dean had ever seen him. Sam's head was down when Dean first approached, and Dean hoped he wasn't crying again.

"Hey."

Sam looked up and smiled sadly. "Hey."

"How's it goin'?"

"Well, neither of my kids wants anything to do with me. They don't even want me to touch them. So things are just perfect right now."

"Come on, Sam. You're being too hard on yourself." Dean said.

"Am I?" Sam asked. "Dean, what kind of parent…?"

"Daddy?"

Sam turned to find Jess holding a tired Mary on her shoulder. "Hey, bug. You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay." Mary said. "I'm sorry I gotted mad at you, Daddy."

"It's okay." Sam said sincerely. "Did mommy talk to you?"

"Yeah. She said you guys sent Kayla to grandpa's 'cause she was sad and couldn't get better here. Is that right?"

"That's right." Sam said.

"Mary was worried we'd send her away too just because she got in trouble."

"Never." Sam said firmly. "Never, baby. We would never punish you by sending you away from home."

"You promise Kayla's coming back? It's not forever?"

"It's not forever." Sam promised.

"'Kay, Daddy." Mary said. "Me and mommy's gonna take a nap. Will you come wif us? Please?"

"Sure, baby." Sam said.

"I'm heading home." Dean said. "Call me if you need me. Okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Dean."

As Dean went to the Impala to head back to his own apartment, Sam accepted a hug from Mary. As good as it felt to be back in a somewhat good place with Mary, Sam couldn't help the thought that crossed his mind, that made his heart hurt every time it beat.

Kayla should be here.