Adam woke up the next morning to find his room empty. After he got off the phone with Dean, he let Maggie stay in his room knowing she was still upset. He played a movie on his laptop, hoping it would cause enough of a distraction for her fears and allow her to sleep. He ended up falling asleep before she did and he wasn't sure if she got any sleep.

He checked on the boys, both of who were still sleeping, and checked her room to find it empty. He even thought to check Dean and Sam's rooms, just in case she went in there, but they were empty too. He found her in the kitchen, making breakfast as she drank coffee.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

She shrugged as she looked up at him and he saw the dark circles under her eyes and knew the answer was no. "A bit," she said.

He nodded and sat down at the table as she continued to cook. "Do you want to talk to me about what's going on now?"

"Not really," she sighed.

"Mags, come on," he pushed. "I'm here so you get to be a regular kid. You don't have to worry or act like a parent, that's my job. Your job is to talk to me."

"How can I be a regular kid when we don't have a regular life?" she asked. "They don't have regular jobs, we don't live in a regular house, we aren't even a regular family. Any time someone asks me about my family, I automatically have to lie and then there goes trying to be regular. I don't even get to tell people how my Mom actually died. I have to say it was a car accident."

"I know that losing your Mom the way you did was traumatic," he said. "I know something about how that feels, and so does everyone else in this family."

"Yeah, clearly the women in this family have horrible luck," she said. "If I ever have kids I'll probably die and leave them too."

Adam raised his head slightly at her words as he studied her for a moment. "Come here for a minute," he said.

"No," she sniffed. "I'm fine."

He rose from the table and crossed the room to pull the bowl of pancake batter from her hands. "Is that what this is about?" he asked gently.

"I just don't see a happy ending for us," she said. "It's only a matter of time before their job and this lifestyle takes every one of us."

Adam's frown deepened as he listened to her. He ran his thumb under her eye to wipe away a few tears before he cupped her chin. "Listen to me," he said softly. "Life can take anyone at any time in any way, no matter how sheltered or cautious you live it can still happen."

"But the chances are much higher with this life," she said as she pulled out of his grasp.

"So are the chances if you're a police officer, or a firefighter, or if you serve in the military," he said. "You can find fear in anything if you look hard enough and that's when you paralyze yourself. Sometimes you just have to let go of the fear and focus on the good instead."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, I think the fact that you know we save people should out weight the fact that you can't tell people what we really do. And, maybe you can't bring friends over to this house but at least you all live together now," he reminded. "And, this job may be dangerous and the world may be terrifying, but we have literal angels on our side looking out for us."

"And, you stay with us when they're on the road," she said with a small smile.

He grinned and wrapped an arm around her. "Exactly," he said. "The best part of this life is that it brings us closer together. We're a much tighter knit family than most and I think that's something really special."

Maggie smiled and leaned into Adam as he kissed her head. He hit the nail on the head and was always pretty good at knowing what to say. Sam was the best at talking things out with everyone in the family, but Adam was a close second. Maggie walked the line between being reserved and closed off like her Dad, but also being easily emotional when it came to family like her Mom.

"What's wrong?" Luke said from the doorway. "Are Dad and Uncle Dean okay?"

"Yeah, bud," Adam said as he walked toward his youngest nephew. "They're fine. I talked to them last night."

"Why are you crying?" Luke asked Maggie, not completely buying that everything was fine.

"I was just thinking about my Mom," she answered honestly to ease his anxiety. "I'm okay, now."

"Sometimes I think about my Mom too," Luke said as he sat down at the table. "I don't have any memories of her, so I always wonder what she'd be like, or how it would be different if she was around."

Adam ran a hand down the back of his head in a comforting act. Maggie frowned as she handed him a plate of food and sat down at the table with him. "I think about that too," she admitted.

"Maybe it's easier I don't remember her," he shrugged. "It's hard to miss something you never had."

"I think it's hard either way," Maggie said. "But, you had your Grandma, and we have Jody."

"And, you have each other," Adam reminded.

"Ugh, what's with you guys and the chick flick moments all the time?" Ben groaned as he stumbled into the kitchen half asleep.

"Morning to you too, sunshine," Adam said as Maggie and Luke grinned at the way Ben always seemed to lighten the mood.

"So, can I go to the party tonight?" Ben asked the second he sat down with a plate full of food.

"Rookie mistake, Ben," Maggie said. "Always let Uncle Adam finish his coffee before you ask for favors."

Adam smirked. "You can go, but you better be home on time and no drinking," he said. "Something jumps off you call me for help, got it?"

"Got it," Ben nodded with a grin. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he turned to Maggie. "You can go on your date too, but I'm not letting you get in a car with some guy I've never met. I'll drop you off and pick you up."

Maggie shrugged. "I don't know if I'm going. I'll see how I feel later."

OOOOO

Adam left the bunker to take Luke out for dinner and to a movie. He wanted to spend some extra time with him one on one, because being the youngest he could be overlooked easily, and because he had a hard time with Sam being away. Maggie said she was tired and cancelled her date, she said she was heading to bed early when they left. He didn't give it a second thought given how little she slept the night before. But, she really just wanted a night out without guys in her family constantly hovering. Dating was hard enough, but she was also in a new school and the date was with the quarterback. Her social status depended on the date going well.

Maggie had a feeling this plan of hers wasn't the best idea, but she ignored her gut and now she wasn't sure what to do. The date started off good. He picked her up, she pretended she lived at a house a few blocks from the bunker and waited outside. He took her to a diner for dinner, but then he took her to a party and things quickly deteriorated. He drank too much and now he was being pushy and obnoxious. He kept trying to get her to drink and he was getting increasingly angry that she wouldn't. He kept grabbing her and hanging off her, and it didn't take long for Maggie to realize he wasn't going to be able to take her home.

"Hey," Ben answered his phone on the second ring. "Tell him I'm about to leave, I'll be home on time."

"Ben," Maggie interrupted.

"What's wrong?" he frowned.

"I need you to come pick me up. I went out with that guy, we're at this party and he's wasted." She said. "I want to leave and he can't drive me home."

"I thought Uncle Adam was driving you?" he asked.

"He doesn't know I went out," she said. "Look, I know you'll be late if you come get me, but Ben, please. I really don't want to be here."

"Yeah, I'm on my way." He said. "I'm leaving right now."

Maggie knew Ben was about fifteen minutes away from her right now, and she were about thirty minutes from the bunker, so she knew he was risking being almost an hour late to pick her up. She tried to keep her date at bay while she waited, but when she told him she was getting picked up he started to get really annoyed and she ended up leaving the house to wait outside.

"Why are you waiting out here alone?" Ben asked when she climbed in the car.

"Because, it's a frat party in there," she said.

"It's safer than standing on the road in the dark," he said.

"No, it really isn't." she said.

He frowned as he glanced at her as he drove. "Did he do something to you?"

"No, and I can take care of myself," she sighed. "Even without the witch side, Dad taught us how to fight and defend ourselves from things far worse than drunk football players."

"Maybe, but you're still my sister," he reminded. "It's my job to look out for you."

She glanced over at him briefly. He had a deep frown painted on his face as he glared at the road ahead of him and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Yeah, thanks for picking me up." She said. "I'll tell him what happened, so you'll be off the hook."

"No, you covered for me all the time at Jody's," he shook his head. "I got it this time, you've been through enough tonight."

"Give me your phone," she said as she held her hand out.

"Why?" he frowned but handed it to her.

"I'm going to run your battery down playing games and videos," she said. "You can tell him your phone died and you lost track of time."

"Good idea," he said.

Ben pulled into the garage at the bunker and Maggie headed inside through another way as he entered through the normal way. It was the loudest way to enter the bunker with the metal staircase and he knew it would immediately get Adam's attention so Maggie could get in from the garage to her room without running into him.

Adam was waiting up for Ben and he was more annoyed than anything else. He wasn't particularly worried anything happened to his nephew, he knew he was probably running late because he wanted to stay out longer. If he had been more than an hour late, then Adam would have started to worry.

The lights were on in the bunker and Ben saw Adam rise from the table in the other room and come toward the bottom of the stairs as Ben came down. "What time is it, Ben?" he asked.

"Twelve forty-five," he answered.

"And, what time is your curfew?"

"Midnight," he said.

"Why are you late?" he asked calmly, which only made Ben more nervous.

"My phone died, and I lost track of time," he said as he pulled it from his pocket. "And, then a friend called me and needed a ride. They were in a bad situation."

Adam held his hand out. "Phone and keys," he said simply. "You're grounded for a week."

"Yes, sir," Ben sighed. "Sorry, Uncle Adam."

Adam nodded. "Go on to bed, we'll talk about this tomorrow."

OOOOO

A few days later Maggie, Ben and Luke filed into the bunker after school and Adam's quiet working environment went from peaceful to chaos in a matter of seconds. Ben headed into the kitchen like he normally did after practise so he could get something to eat. Maggie went to her room to get changed and grab her laptop. And, Luke sat down at the table with Adam.

"How was school?" Adam asked.

"We had a pop quiz," Luke said nervously. "You have to sign it."

"What was the quiz on?" Adam frowned, picking up on Luke's nerves.

"It was on homework from the weekend," he said.

"Well, it shouldn't have been a problem for you since you told me you finished all your homework, right?" Adam raised a brow.

"Not exactly," he admitted. "It was a lot and I don't get it, and I was tired after soccer on Friday and then, I don't know, I guess I just wanted to spend time with you on Saturday."

"Let me see it," Adam held out his hand and Luke forked over his test hesitantly. "Hmm, well, get a piece of paper and write out the correct answers."

"Why?" Luke whined.

"Because, that's how you learn." Adam said. "And, when I tell you to do your homework, you better do it next time instead of lying to me."

"Yes, sir," Luke said.

"Good boy," he nodded.

"Uncle Adam, can I meet up with some guys later?" Ben asked.

"Not unless you want to explain to me why you missed curfew on Saturday," he said.

Ben sighed. "I told you why, why can't you accept it?"

"Because you're lying," Adam said.

"I'm not lying, I just can't tell you the details because I promised them I wouldn't," he said. "I was helping a friend."

Adam crossed his arms. "Why would some friend of yours care if you told me, and why would you stick your neck out for someone you just met?"

"Because it's private," he said.

"Then, the answer is no, Ben." Adam said as Ben followed him around the bunker. "You broke curfew, you have no valid reason as to why, so you are grounded for a week."

"I was barely late!" Ben argued.

"You were almost an hour late," Adam corrected. "And, you ignored my phone calls."

"I didn't have service!" he continued with the excuses. "Uncle Adam, you're not being fair. Please just let me go tonight, I'll come home on time, early even!"

"Ben, enough." Adam said firmly. "I am not having this conversation with you again, but I suggest you come up with a better version of events when your Dad calls."

"You're going to tell him?" Ben asked.

"No, but you are, and trust me he won't accept this little tale of yours." Ben sighed and glanced briefly at Maggie. She looked like she wanted to say something, and the exchange and the slight shake of head from Ben didn't go unnoticed by Adam either. "What is going on with you two?"

"What?" Ben deflected. "Nothing."

"Ben," Maggie said.

"No," he cut her off. "It's fine. I was late, it's my fault, I'll stay home."

Ben headed to his room quickly before Adam could stop him and ask more questions. Maggie hesitated and looked torn as Adam watched her, but she eventually followed Ben and it was enough for Adam to know something really was going on now. He sighed as he pulled out his phone and called for back up.

"What's up?" Dean asked.

"Your kids are conspiring," Adam said. "Ben was late from that party Saturday night and he won't tell me why. Maggie seems to know something about it."

"Did you ground him?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, still nothing," he said. "He's hiding something and I don't know how bad it has to be for him to protect someone he just met a few weeks ago."

"Oh, little brother, you're missing what's right in front of you," he said.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Think about it," Dean said. "Who were the only people I'd stick my neck out for when it came to punishments from Dad?"

Adam sighed as it suddenly dawned on him. "Me and Sam."

"Bingo," he said. "I'd throw everyone under the bus, but not you two. I'd risk it to protect you guys. He's protecting her."

"Yeah, but from what?" he said. "She was here the whole night."

"Was she?" he asked. "Did you physically see her?"

Adam sighed. "No," he said. "But, why would she sneak out? I told her she could go."

"I don't know, little brother." Dean said. "But, you need to go talk to them and find out. If they won't spill, you call me."

Adam headed to Ben's room and could hear them fiercely whispering behind Ben's door. He knocked once before opening it and barging into the room, effectively silencing both of them. "Alright, why are you protecting your sister?" he asked while looking at Ben.

"You told him?" Ben asked as he turned to Maggie.

"No," she frowned. "I haven't said anything."

"Well, one of you better start talking," Adam said. "I don't know what is going on and I don't know what you are hiding it from me, but I've had enough with whatever little scheme this is."

"It's not a scheme." Ben said. "She just knows who I was helping. It's a friend of hers."

Maggie sighed. "I am the friend," she admitted.

Adam raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"He was late because I called him to pick me up from a date," she said.

"The date you told me you weren't going on?" Adam frowned.

"I told you I was sleeping and snuck out to meet the guy," she said. "He took me to this weird party and got drunk and was being annoying, so I called Ben to come and get me and that's why he was late. I snuck back in through the garage."

"I'll get to you in a minute," Adam said to Maggie, clearly annoyed, before he turned to Ben. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"She just wanted a night out without a chaperone," he said. "The guy ended up being a jerk and she was upset, so I covered for her because I didn't think she needed a lecture after what she went through."

"Alright, I understand, but you should have called me and told me from the beginning that you needed to give someone a drive," he said to Ben before he turned to Maggie. "And you should know that you can always call me if you're in trouble. I might not be happy, but I will always be there if you need me. That goes for both of you."

"I know," Ben nodded. "I shouldn't have lied, I just didn't know what to do."

"You did the right thing," Adam said. "But, you did it the wrong way."

"That's my fault," Maggie said. "I called him for help, I made him late, and I told him to lie. And, he did it to protect me, so he shouldn't be grounded. I should be."

"You are, for the record," Adam nodded at her. "And, Ben, you may have done the right thing, but you still lied to me and this covering for each other isn't something I want to encourage, so you are still grounded."

"Yeah, I figured," he sighed. "I'm going to start dinner."

Adam turned to Maggie with his hands on his hips. "You want to explain to me why you lied to me and snuck out?"

"It was stupid," she sighed and sat down on the bed. "I didn't want you hovering around me on my date, but turns out I really could have used you."

"Did something happen I need to know about?" he raised a concerned brow.

"No, he just turned out to be a jerk," she said. "And, I'm an idiot for getting myself into that situation just because I want to fit in at school."

Adam sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "I'm always here for you," he said. "And, sometimes you need to remember that we hover because we care and because we want to make sure you're safe."

"I know," she said as she leaned into him and he kissed her head. "How long am I grounded?"

"I want to say two, but I'm going to say one, because I think you already learned this lesson the hard way," he sighed. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Love you too."