A/N: So, while the whole family is involved in this chapter, it really focuses on Kayla. She's fifteen, and a school dance is coming up. Jess wants Kayla to go, wanting her to be more social and hang out with other teenagers. Kayla, still struggling with how she sees herself after Art, both wants to go and doesn't. Mary hears Kayla talking about it and comes up with a solution.

Kayla and Jess reach a compromise about the dance in this chapter. A friend of mine who read the chapter before I posted it here thought that Kayla was really asking too much of her mother with the compromise, but I disagree. Feel free to comment on that, but as always, while disagreement is okay, flaming or destructive reviews will not be tolerated.

The dress was gorgeous.

It was pink, decorated with red, white and pink roses. It reached her ankles in the back and came up to her knees in the front. There was a belt around her middle, and the pink shoes she had on were flat enough to be comfortable, but pretty enough that they flattered her dress just enough to make her outfit beautiful. A gasp from the doorway seemed to agree with Kayla's assessment.

"Oh, Bug! You look beautiful!"

Kayla smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

Jess was suddenly overtaken by how grown up Kayla looked. She placed a hand to her mouth and tried not to cry in a mix of joy and nostalgia.

"Mom, come on. Don't cry."

"I won't." Jess lied, even as she wiped a tear away. "You just look so pretty."

"Thanks, Mom." Kayla said again. She turned back to her mirror and frowned. "It's too bad this is the only place I'll ever wear it."

"What does that mean?" Jess asked.

Kayla sighed and took a seat on the bed. She didn't want to answer the question, and hadn't even intended on voicing that thought out loud. Kayla suddenly took an unusual interest in her shoes as Jess took a seat next to her and took her hand.

"Talk to me. What's going on?"

"I can't do it."

"What?" Jess asked.

"I can't do it, Mom. I can't go to this dance."

"Why not?"

"It's too hard." Kayla said. "I can't go to this dance and pretend like I'm this normal kid…"

"I don't understand. What do you mean, a normal kid? Why do you feel like you're not?"

"Come on, Mom."

"Bug, I really don't…"

It clicked in Jess's brain what Kayla was talking about and she was shocked. Kayla didn't want to go to because she was still struggling with Art and what happened to her. Jess had always known that Kayla would never be completely over Art, but she'd thought that Kayla was okay enough now to do somewhat normal things like school dances.

Apparently not.

"Maybe I should get grandpa to take this back."

Jess smiled at that. She had gotten quite the shock two weeks earlier when John had offered to go dress shopping with Kayla. Sam had agreed enthusiastically, and explained to Jess later that if the dress passed John's inspection, it would most likely pass Sam's too. Jess was worried that Kayla would never find a dress she liked having to run it by her grandfather, but she'd come back from that shopping trip happy and relaxed, so Jess had left it alone.

The problem that Jess had struggled with for a year now reared its head again. She couldn't force Kayla to go to this school dance, but it was important for her to start to be more social. How did she get Kayla to get out of the house and do things with people her age, but still make her feel safe and secure when she did it?

"Wow."

Kayla and Jess both turned to the doorway of her room. Sam had appeared, and was staring at Kayla open-mouthed. Kayla blushed and smiled even bigger than before.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Oh, Bug. You look so grown up."

"You guys, stop it. Seriously. You're embarrassing me."

Sam went in to join Jess and Kayla, but out in the hallway, seven-year-old Mary's brain was turning. She knew what her sister was doing. Kayla did like it when Mommy and Daddy told her she was pretty, but she wouldn't really believe it later. Mary needed to do something to help convince Kayla she really was pretty. Mary snuck down to her room and called into the hallway.

"Daddy! Can you come help me with something, please?"

"Coming!"

When Sam left to go and help Mary, Jess turned back to Kayla. "Is there anything I can do to help convince you to go to this dance?"

Kayla gave it serious consideration before answering. "No."

"Really? Nothing at all?"

"Well, it's kind of selfish." Kayla said. "It's a lot to ask."

"What, Bug?"

"Would you sit in the car at school while I go?" Kayla asked. "That way if I get there and I want to go, you guys are already there?"

Jess smiled. "That's it? Of course I'll do that."

"For three hours?" Kayla asked.

"I'll bring a book." Jess said. "Bug, I'm your Mom. If sitting in the car for three hours is the worst you ever asked of me, I'd be in good shape."

Kayla smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"You know, though, that your dad would freak out with me sitting in a dark parking lot by myself at night." Jess warned. "He'll have to come too."

"Yeah, I know." Kayla said. "It's okay."

Mary was brilliant. Sam was sure of it. She was a genius. When he'd left Mary's room, he'd made Kayla promise to stay in her dress and help Jess to get dressed too. He and Mary together headed down the street to Bobby's, where he was happy to find that John, Bobby, and Dean were all home together. An hour later, through Mary's prodding the cooperation of the three men and Sam doing the legwork, everything was ready.

Four doors was a long way to walk in a formal dress and shoes. But Kayla and Jess took the trip, stopping when they found Sam standing in the front door waiting for them, dressed in the suit he typically wore to work.

"What's going on?" Kayla asked.

Sam extended his hand and Kayla took it. "Come inside and see."

Sam escorted Jess and Kayla inside by the hand, and both of them stopped short just as they got to the living room. All the furniture had been moved to one side of the room. The books that regularly littered the living room had been put away somewhere. There were white Christmas lights strung over the walls that were lit up, while the normal lights in the house were all turned off. John, Dean, and Bobby were all in suits, similar to Sam's, and Mary stood next to them grinning in her Easter dress.

"What is all this?" Kayla asked again, her smile lighting up again.

"I heard you talking about how you didn't want to go to your school dance." Mary said. "So me and Daddy made you one!"

An overwhelmed Kayla laughed and hugged her sister. "This is great!"

"Well, I for one, want to…" Bobby started to say, a hint of grumpiness in his voice that was chased away when Sam cleared his throat and Mary glowered and crossed her arms, "…dance the night away."

Mary grinned and nodded.

"Uncle Bobby?" Kayla asked. "Will you do the first dance with me?"

Kayla went through a dance with her father, uncle Bobby, uncle Dean, her grandfather, her mother, and back to her father again. She knew that Mary had probably browbeaten all the men into participating, but an hour after everything had started, everyone was laughing and having a good time. When they had a moment to themselves a little while later, Mary admitted to her sister,

"I know you don't feel like you're pretty. I wanted to show you you are. Did it work?"

Kayla grabbed Mary and squeezed her tightly. Kayla did feel better. She felt loved and safe and secure. She loved how her sister seemed to bring out the best in her, even when Kayla was internally kicking and screaming against it.

"Thank you, Mary."

"You welcome. Come on, you gotta dance with me too."