Kate walked out of the woods. She was getting better at planning where she was going to land. It wasn't exact but it was way better than hurling people through the air and hoping they didn't hit a wall or get stuck in a wall. She could hear music right away. The scent of smoke hit her and she cringed. She hated the smell. No one questioned her at the door. She was a little worried about that. Height-wise, she did see a few girls that were around her size. They were obviously older though. No amount of make up would give her that kind of figure. She called out to Taylor in her head and finally found him.

Taylor blinked. 'What the hell are you wearing?' He asked in his head.

'I'm fitting in so they don't automatically see me as a kid.' Kate said.

Taylor scoffed but didn't say anything.

Kate heard her name and turned around. "Oh, hi, Logan."

Taylor pulled a face. "Logan."

"Taylor." Logan said with a smirk. "What are you doing with these dweebs?"

Kate crossed her arms. "He's my brother so don't call him a dweeb."

Logan just smirked again and grabbed Kate's hand. He pulled her back through the crowd and into another room.

Kate had more mixed feelings. Her nerves were already frayed.

Logan handed her a cup. "Drink this. It will help."

"Oh, I probably shouldn't." Kate said.

Logan pushed the cup into her hand. "It is just punch."

Kate took a few sips. It was not just punch but it did taste good.

Taylor checked his phone. Their movie was ending so he needed to respond if Dean messaged him. He spoke to Kate in his head and asked her to go back home and make sure everyone was asleep.

'I just got here.' Kate said.

'We are both dead if Dean checks our room.' Taylor said.

Kate excused herself to go to the bathroom. She felt a little icky because Logan kept putting his hand on her. He was more mature though. Maybe she was just still a kid and that is why it felt weird. She did manage to get back into the house. Dean was asleep. She didn't compel him but she did help him dream about some of his happier memories. He wouldn't get mad about that. Bobby and Karen were seemingly in their room. She wasn't about to go check though. Bobby wasn't anywhere in the house that she could see, so he had to be in his bedroom.

Taylor and Nate got invited to play beer pong. Taylor had a natural talent for it.

Nate liked being on the winning team so he didn't mind that Taylor was the one winning.

A small crowd formed and after several games, Taylor and Nate were still undefeated. Everyone claimed it was beginners luck.

Nate got an idea. "Trick shots. I bet anyone five dollars that Taylor here can bounce the ball off of the wall and it will land in that cup."

Brannon, the baseball player, took Nate up on his bet.

Taylor felt uneasy but knew he could manage the bet. The shot wasn't that hard and he could just bump the ball a little if it went sideways.

Brannon high-fived Taylor when he made it and handed Nate the five dollar bill.

That went on for a while. The tricks got crazier and the money piled up.

Kate had gotten back to the party and got stopped by logan right away. She was hearing rumors about Taylor and pushed into his head. 'If you draw too much attention to yourself, people are going to wonder how you are doing that.'

Taylor groaned. He missed the next two shots on purpose.

The crowd thinned out and separated into different groups.

Taylor found Kate. He held up a roll of money. "This is half of it. Nate got the other half."

Kate grabbed the roll and counted it. "Holy crap."

Taylor grinned. "I've found my calling in life."

Logan put a hand on Kate's shoulder and squeezed.

Kate rolled his hand off of her shoulder. "I'm going to see if anyone brought food."

"I'll go with you." Logan said and got between Kate and Taylor.

Taylor thought that Logan was a douche bag. He heard that another game was starting so he turned on his heel to check that out.

Dean had taught Kate how to play poker. She was pretty good at it but she didn't look like she would be good at it.

Taylor played a couple of rounds but didn't make much of a scene. He had a running commentary in his head with Kate.

Kate asked if she could play and Taylor acted annoyed. "Come on, just one game."

Taylor scooted back. "I'll show you how." He knew she knew but that was part of the con. The other players were upperclassmen and would see Kate as a clueless chick.

Kate blew the first round on purpose, acting like she had no idea what she was doing. This allowed her to create a persona so when she acted like she didn't have a good hand, they'd believe her. The next round, she absolutely wiped the floor with the other four players. She acted like it was a complete surprise and she thought the cards she had were bad cards.

Taylor wanted her to do another round. 'You won fair and square.'

'No. Too much attention. If both of us are winning all of these things, people will ask questions. A lot of these guys are drunk and can get violent if they feel like they are being cheated.' Kate said as she shoved a bunch of cash into her pocket. She frowned. The shorts she was wearing didn't have much of a pocket. 'Give me some of your money. I'll take it home so it doesn't get lost.'

Taylor split his haul in half and let her take it home.

Kate felt like they had swapped bodies. Taylor was always the one that was reasonable and thinking ahead. She heard movement outside the bedroom door and gritted her teeth. She wrapped a blanket around herself and stepped into the hallway. She saw Dean.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Dean asked.

"Millie woke me up. I think she just wanted food or her litter box." Kate said with a yawn.

"Cats." Dean murmured.

Kate went to the bathroom and fumbled around for a little while before shutting the bedroom door so that Dean could hear it. That bought them some time because Dean had seen that she was going back to bed. She leaned her head against the wall. She wanted to spill. She knew she needed to spill. Nothing bad had happened though. They went to the party with no money and she had just shoved a big bundle of money into her dresser. Dean would be proud of that, she thought. Well, he'd still be mad but he was always hustling pool and playing poker for extra cash. They hadn't needed it as much since Marie and Rod started helping them but he would understand. She hoped he would understand. When she got back to the party, Logan asked where she went. "I was just seeing what all was here. This is my first party."

"I looked for you." Logan said.

"Oh, my bad. I kind of get lost in here." Kate said. She thought it was sweet that he had looked for her. Maybe he wasn't a bad guy.

Taylor ate a cookie that was given to him. He felt funny after a little while and realized it wasn't just a cookie. No big deal, the high would pass. He kept an eye on Nate though. His human body would not process the weed like Taylor's did.

Nate was walking on clouds. Everything was funny. "Man, we should do this more often."

Taylor laughed. "Oh, we should."

Kate pushed into Taylor's head. "Look at the time, will Nate's mom wonder where you are?"

Taylor groaned and said something to Nate.

"She won't check my room." Nate said. "She goes to bed before I do."

'We should probably head home. We didn't plan to stay so long.' Kate pushed.

'Head home then.'

Kate chewed on her thumbnail. The plan only worked if they had time to get home before the others woke up. Each minute they spent away from the house was another minute that Dean could decide to check on them. If Millie went back upstairs and scratched on the door, that could wake Dean up and then he'd open the door and see that they weren't there. She felt herself start to panic. Oh god, they needed to shower. It might be easy to brush their teeth after alcohol had been involved but the smoke was clinging to her skin. She was lucky that Dean hadn't noticed it when he saw her in the hallway. Maybe the blanket helped. 'Taylor, how are we going to get cleaned off?'

'What are you talking about?' Taylor asked. He was getting annoyed by her constant interruption.

'The smoke is so strong. If we go to bed and then wake up, someone is going to smell it. We would have to get a shower before anyone noticed it. How are we going to pull that off?' Kate said.

'Just go home. You're getting on my nerves.' Taylor said.

Kate found Taylor so she could talk to him face to face. His eyes were red again. "Are you high again?"

"I ate a cookie. I think they had weed or something in them." Taylor said.

Kate swallowed hard. "This is getting out of hand. Things are getting crazier. I really think we need to go home. We had our fun. Nate's mom may not notice if you shower there." She remembered that Taylor was supposed to be with Nate and not at home so as long as Dean thought she was there, they were safe. That did make things easier. She relaxed slightly. "Nate doesn't look too good."

Nate giggled. "I'm great."

Kate chewed her lip. She really didn't want to leave them there. Neither of them was sober enough to make a good decision. Not that the decision making was stellar when they were sober. The music was deafening. Why did people play music that loud, wasn't that what always brought the cops? Oh no, what if the cops showed up? She could get them out of there but she would have to get them to cooperate. "Taylor, Nate. Look at me. If something happens. If the cops show up and I grab you, do not fight me. I can get you out of here. Do. Not. Fight. Me."

Nate rolled his head back and giggled again. "Just say cops and I'll go."

Kate rolled her eyes. High Nate was obnoxious. She got caught up watching a guy do card tricks. The tricks weren't that interesting but her mind needed to know how he was doing them. She broke down each movement and recreated them in her head. Andy would be amused if she showed him. She could do real tricks. She could make a card completely disappear and reappear on the other side of the house but that was another story.

Taylor was outside with Nate. He wasn't big on the party but the games were fun. He knew he was impaired because he was stumbling slightly. Walking a straight line was complicated. It was fun though. They played four square at school all the time. It was way more fun with drinks. He played for a while before seeking out more refreshments. He popped some candy in his mouth and chewed it up. He drank some punch to wash it down.

Kate ran into Taylor again. She could see something was very off. His eyes were dialated but he was in a room that had a bright light. "Taylor?"

Taylor didn't respond to her.

Kate put her hand on him to read him and gasped. What he was seeing was not what he should be seeing. "Why are you hallucinating?"

Taylor blinked and recoiled when he looked at her.

Kate tried to stop him but ran into Logan. She lost her grip on Taylor and cursed silently.

"I invited you and you keep ditching me." Logan said.

"I'm not ditching you. I'm just trying to manage everything." Kate said.

Logan guided her to the stairs. "Relax. You are tense."

Kate looked around Logan. She pushed into Taylor's head. 'Something is wrong with you. Find somewhere to sit down and don't move.' She had read about djinn. They could make you hallucinate. Could a djinn be there?

Logan grabbed Kate's chin and turned it to face him. "Hey, don't be rude. I'm talking to you."

Kate was getting annoyed. "I told you I'm trying to manage things."

Logan kept bugging her. He handed her another drink. "Chill out. This is a party. Taylor is trying to have fun."

"Taylor is sick. Something is wrong." Kate said.

He put the drink to her mouth and tilted it.

Kate swallowed a big gulp. "I can drink by myself."

Logan laughed. "Hey, I'm just trying to help you out. School is out. It is summer. Relax."

Kate mindlessly finished the drink. She did start to relax a little and forgot about Taylor. She talked to Logan for a little bit. She was really tired. She needed to get home. She felt static in the air and held her breath. That was never a good sign. She pushed away from Logan and looked for Taylor.

Taylor had been in his own head since he talked to Kate. Logically, he knew that he wasn't walking through hell. It felt so real though. He scratched at his skin and stumbled around as screams filled his ears.

Kate grabbed both of his arms and nearly fell back when he jerked his arms back. "Taylor, look at me. What you are seeing isn't real."

Taylor's eyes flashed blue.

Kate whipped her head around. "Taylor, calm down. People will see your eyes."

Taylor looked at her for a moment. He could hear her voice but it didn't make sense.

Kate closed her eyes to get them away from the house but she couldn't go anywhere. She felt dizzy. She was too intoxicated to teleport. Since when was that a thing? She was in full panic mode. How could she contain Taylor? If he saw David or Gordon or Craig, he could do some serious damage. She pressed into his head. 'Taylor, come on. This isn't real.'

Taylor's eyes flashed blue and stayed blue for a moment.

A light above Kate's head shattered.

People gasped and looked around for another source of light. "Wow, his eyes are lights." One of the guys said.

Kate panicked. "Party trick! Contacts!"

The few people in the room were not sober enough to question that and decided that it was cool.

Kate couldn't get Taylor to move. She ran to the bathroom and locked the door. She dialed Dean's number. She didn't care how much trouble she was going to be in. She needed help.

Dean rolled over and answered his phone. "Hello?" He shot out of bed when he heard Kate's voice. He swung the bedroom door open. "Kate? Where are you?"

Kate started to panick more. She got out a few words at a time.

Dean threw clothes on. "Kate, you are at a party. I got that. Where? Calm down. I'm glad you called me. I'm on my way." He cursed when the phone went dead. He ran down the stairs and opened the front door. He ran straight into John.

"Dean, what the hell?" John asked.

"Something is terribly wrong. I'll try to explain on the way there."

John got into the passenger seat of the car.

"I think the kids went to a party. Kate is upset and I couldn't understand her." Dean said.

John gritted his teeth and blew hot air through his nose. "Where?"

"I think I know where." Dean said.

John wanted to fire questions at Dean but stopped himself. Dean looked terrified. If he had answers, he would have given them to him.

Logan had grabbed Kate again, causing her to drop her phone.

"Logan, not now." Kate said.

Logan cornered her. "I've been nice to you. The least you could do would be to be nice back."

Kate had alarm bells going off in her head. She felt his hands moving up the side of her ribs. "Logan, I can't do this."

Logan didn't stop.

Kate could see her phone was ringing but she couldn't reach it. "Get your hands off me."

Logan put a hand over her mouth. "Seriously, relax."

Kate was weak. She was tired and dizzy and holding on by a thread. She closed her eyes and her legs wobbled. A familiar presence brought her back to her senses. She shoved Logan away and shouldered through people until the brick wall that was Dean Winchester stopped her.

He pulled her outside and checked her over. "Where is Taylor?"

Kate stared at him.

Dean lightly shook her. "Where is Taylor?"

Kate wasn't sure. "He was upstairs. Dean, something is wrong. I think a djinn is here." She saw John and stopped breathing.

Dean tapped the side of her face. "Kiddo, stay with me. Why do you think that?"

Kate couldn't explain.

Dean smelled her breath. "Are you drunk?"

Kate blinked.

Dean grabbed her arm and moved her further away from the house. "The car is right there. Park your ass in the backseat and do not move."

Kate shook her head. "Taylor. I have to help."

Dean spun her back around. "We will handle him. Get in the car." He ran inside to help John look for Taylor, leaving Kate to get into the impala.

Kate was frozen in her spot. She tried to warn Taylor but she was getting increasingly sleepy. She got into the backseat and pulled her knees to her chest. Why was she so sleepy?

Dean found Taylor first. He grabbed his shoulders and tried to speak to him but the kid was somewhere else.

John pulled Dean's shoulder. "I've got him."

Dean saw Nate and grabbed him by the back of his neck.

Nate protested.

Dean pulled Nate's ear closer to him. "You can go with us and we can drop you off at your house or you can wait here and the cops will drag your ass to jail again."

Nate gave in and let Dean lead him outside.

Kate saw Nate and opened the door. "Where is Taylor?"

"Dad is bringing him." Dean said.

Kate traded looks with Nate. She chewed on the side of her knuckle until she tasted blood. She ran the events of the night back through her head and told Nate to stay in the car. "I have something to take care of."

John had gotten Taylor into the hallway but Taylor was using abilities in bursts. He put his hand on the back of Taylor's head and got in his face. "Boy, I am this close to taking my belt off and beating your ass in front of God and everybody. Sober up and walk."

Taylor blinked. That did sober him up a little. He blinked and finally saw John's face. "Oh, shit."

Dean stopped on his way up the stairs. There was a guy kissing a girl. She was obviously not sober if she was even awake. He grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt and shoved him into the wall. "She's not sober asshole." He pulled his knife out. "She can't say yes if she isn't sober."

The teenager held up his hands with wide eyes. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

Dean let him go and made sure the girl wouldn't choke if she fully passed out. He met eyes with John. Taylor was sheet white. He nodded and held the door open.

Kate met up with Logan outside the house. "Did you put something in my drink?"

Logan laughed. "Wow, you are crazy."

Kate used her full strength to punch him in the stomach. "After that last drink, I got dizzy and sleepy. So, did you put something in my drink?"

Logan grunted in pain. "Crazy bitch."

John and Dean heard Kate's voice and then a volley of punches.

Dean tilted his head. He assumed the kid deserved it.

John shoved him. "Go get her before she actually kills him."

Dean regained his wits and grabbed her. "To the car."

Kate kicked Logan. "He put something in my drink."

Dean pushed her. "Car." He crouched down and pulled Logan up by the shirt. "You know, I'd really love to beat the shit out of you too but judging by the state of you, I think she did a fine job of it. If you so much as try to speak to her again, I won't bother stopping her."

Nate was dropped off first. John made sure that he didn't have alcohol poisoning or anything of that sort. He told Anna to call one of them if any issues arose before her husband got home.

Before Dean had walked out of the house at the party, adult Kate had stopped him. She said that she would do damage control and no one would remember Taylor's glowing eyes or anything incriminating. She hugged him and apologized for her younger self. "Just remember my heart was in the right place."

Dean eyed her. "You are aware that that isn't going to save your ass, right?"

She gave him a sad smile. "Just believe me when I explain everything. Believe me when I say that I am truly sorry."

A blue light filled the house as they pulled away.

Once they got to Bobby's house, Dean explained that to John.

John sat Taylor down at the table and mixed up some activated charcoal. "Drink this."

Taylor's stomach was in knots. "I don't want to." John managed to twist his arm behind his back and press his face to the top of the table before he got the whole sentence out of his mouth.

"I do not have any patience left. You either follow the order or I blister your ass and then you follow the order." John said.

Taylor blinked. "Yes, sir."

Dean briefly wondered if John had some Nephilian blood bopping around inside of him. The man moved wickedly fast. He could see concern etched into the creases around his eyes. He was being harsh with Taylor but Taylor still wasn't completely back down to earth. If he tried to be gentle, Taylor wouldn't react to it. He got John's methods, even if they were hard to watch.

Taylor drank the disgusting black liquid and started throwing up soon after.

The charcoal was to soak up whatever was in his stomach so it didn't continue entering his bloodstream. John stayed with him until his body stopped shaking. He gave him water and a clean cloth.

Kate had stayed on the peripherals. She was sobering up in a hurry.

Dean turned his attention to her. "Did that boy drug you?"

Kate nodded.

Dean growled.

Kate swallowed hard. "I'm feeling better though."

Dean took a look at her for the first time. "What are you wearing?"

Kate looked down at her legs. "I was trying to look older."

Dean wanted to make so many comments but stopped himself. No matter how she was dressed, no boy had the right to put his hands on her. "Go shower and put on something that actually covers what it is supposed to. He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "You are in so much trouble, I don't even know where to begin. That being said, I am proud of you for calling me. I wish you had sooner. Hell, I wish you hadn't gone in the first place but you did the right thing. You will never ever get in trouble for calling me. I want you to understand that."

Kate nodded. "I'm in trouble for everything before that."

"Yeah," Dean said. He tilted her chin up. "What am I going to do with you?"

Kate grimaced. "Nothing fun, I assume."

Dean shook his head. "Go get cleaned up. Dad will likely have something to say about that outfit."

Kate sighed deeply. She let go of him and trudged up the stairs. Her older self sucked.

Bobby and Karen both woke up and were shocked at the turn of events.

Karen busied herself making coffee and something to eat. Even if Taylor didn't feel like eating, he needed something to help with the effects of whatever was in his system.

John asked him questions about what he drank and what he ate.

Taylor finally got to the part where he ate some candy.

John's eyes darkened. "So there wasn't a djinn there."

Dean's eyes grew wide. He motioned to Taylor... "That.. that is an acid trip?"

John crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I'd say so."

Dean's breath hitched. He and Sam had both drank. He may have tried a tiny bit of weed and a cigarette or two. Even he wasn't dumb enough to try the hard drugs.

"I didn't know." Taylor said.

"So you just went around drinking and eating anything you were handed?" John asked.

Taylor nodded pitifully.

John covered his face to calm himself down. The vein on the side of his neck was pulsing and his jaw was set so firmly that his teeth hurt.

Karen eased a cup of coffee across the table to John.

John finally spoke. "Taylor, you are going to get a shower after Kate does. You are both going to go to bed. I mean actually go to bed. You are going to sleep this off and then we are all going to have a very, very long discussion."

"Yes, sir." Taylor said.

Kate got dried and dressed and went downstairs. She wasn't sure what was going on.

Dean followed Taylor to the stairs. "I'm assuming that we have just covered the tip of the iceberg. Don't hide anything. You are scared right now and honestly, I would be too. You messed up so badly. Dad may yell. He is most certainly going to kick your ass five ways to Sunday but he cares."

Taylor gave him a sad look.

"I know how you are. All I am saying is you aren't going to get kicked out or abandoned." Dean said.

Taylor whimpered out of self pity. "Maybe that would be the better situation."

Dean snorted. "I can't argue with you there. Go do as he said. Maybe you'll think more clearly after some rest."

John had Kate sit down so he could check on her too. He asked how she was feeling. He was pissed about the boy slipping something into her drink too. "How much did you drink?"

"I'm not sure. I kind of lost track." She said.

"That happens," John said.

Kate shuffled her feet. "So, when should I start talking?"

"I think we need some sleep." John said. "I drove all night. I got here right as Dean was leaving."

Kate looked at her hands. "I'm sorry."

"You're going to sleep off the rest of this. I want you fully sober when we talk." John said.

"Dad, you can take my bed. I slept most of the night." Dean said.

John took him up on the offer. He needed sleep, for sure, but he also needed time to think.

Dean looked at Kate. "So, when Millie wanted food, was that in my head?"

"No. I stopped by a few times." Kate said.

Dean nodded. "So you teleported."

"Yes. I was going to get Taylor back here, safely but I guess the drug I drank kept me from being able to." Kate said.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is a sentence no one should say at twelve years old."

"I watched a hellhound eat a man is another sentence that a twelve year old probably shouldn't say," Kate said, sadly.

"No one is accusing you of being normal, Kate." Dean said.

Kate chewed her lip. "Is this even on the 'Kate scale'?"

Dean sighed. "On a scale of one to ten, this has to be a ten for you. I don't even know where to begin. The only thing going for you is that your older self told me to listen when you spill. Apparently, you were peer pressured, or so you claim."

Kate huffed. "Before I left I told older me to stop me if it was a bad idea and older me didn't do a dang thing."

"Young you should have been responsible enough to know it was a bad idea," Dean said.

Kate groaned and put her head on the table. "I'd ask for a lawyer to write my will but I own nothing."

Dean put an elbow on the table and smirked evilly. "You aren't going to die. Besides, if you did, you'd heal and get brought back to life."

Kate scrunched her nose. "That is mean."

"Sorry kid, you can't take the easy way out," Dean said. He heard Taylor moving around upstairs. "Go to bed. Might as well avoid talking to each other."

Kate sighed. "Okay."

Once Kate was upstairs and in bed, Karen started a pan of eggs and bacon. "You are good with them."

Dean gulped his coffee. "I don't think so. They got into deep shit and I had no idea until it was too late."

Karen put butter on toast. "Well, I think all teenagers do that. You can't keep an eye on them at all times. I know you are angry. I can see it in your face. You held it together though. You talked to both of them without yelling."

Dean slowly blew air through his nose. "I'm saving that for later."

"She called you. She didn't call anyone else, just you." Karen said.

Dean accepted the plate that she gave him. "I know. I'm glad she did."

Bobby sat down across from Dean. "I don't think this was the beginning of it."

Dean swallowed his eggs. "What do you mean?"

"I caught Kate with sleeping pills. Well, I caught her putting them back. She claimed that she was getting them down so she could ask me if it was okay for him to take them." Bobby said.

Dean's brow creased.

"I dealt with it. I'm not sure if she was taking them for Taylor or covering for him." Bobby said.

Dean thought about a few things over the recent weeks. "Taylor was in the shop the other day. He smelled like beer and said he was using it to clean screws."

"Was he?" Karen asked.

"I don't know. He showed me a bucket with beer in it. It had screws in it. I don't know if he drank part of it before pouring it into the bucket or if he just made me think I saw a bucket of beer."

"He hasn't been Taylor since David was dealt with." Bobby said.

Dean rubbed his face. "That makes all of this harder to deal with."

Karen patted his shoulder. "You all will work it out."

#### ####

Older Kate finished cleansing the party. She hated that house. It held one of her worst memories. She did want to go back and prevent herself from ever going to the party but she couldn't. When she and Taylor learned how to control time, or how to move through it, they started with small things. They played around with minor details that didn't change much. Then, things happened and they tried to change major details.

Then, Fate showed up. Well, one of the fates. Each culture had some version of 'the fates'. In reality, they were goddesses that maintained the integrity of the original timeline. Reapers showed up after or just before someone died. They did not harm them and just gently guided them to the other side. Fates, however, decided how that person would die. They often had a warped sense of humor. They were strict and did not like when people escaped death, essentially cheating fate. Imagine the gasket that was blown when they met Kate, a teenager who could warp destiny. There was a battle between the Nephilian and the fates for a while before a conference was held and an agreement was made. Kate and Taylor could go back and change certain things. It helped that Kate and Taylor both had the ability to harm the fates. That left them two against three, and it was manageable.

Atropos, the youngest fate was tasked with watching what Kate and Taylor changed. She was bitter. No one should be able to change destiny, yet she had to stand by and watch as they did. Lucifer was an enemy of the fates as well and that helped them work alongside Kate and Taylor. Kate and Atropos had a working relationship but it was rocky. Kate could prevent deaths if it served to better their chances against defeating Lucifer. Each move had to be okayed by Atropos or the move would be undone or negated. So, Kate wasn't able to save her mother or father. She wasn't able to save Mary. As time went on, those choices became harder to swallow.

To Kate, the night of the party wasn't an important detail in her life. She could easily go back and stop it. If young Kate and young Taylor didn't know, they may have gone to another party. That party turned dangerous and some teenagers drowned in the lake. Kate reasoned that if she had been there, she could have saved them but Atropos wouldn't allow it. Their lives wouldn't serve a purpose in the fight against Lucifer. Also, Atropos wanted Kate to have that memory. It was something she could control and something she knew was a major regret of Kate's.

Kate saw Atropos standing outside the house and joined her. "I'll still have the memory. My younger self just won't get flayed."

"Your younger self needs that experience or I fear you will never learn to control yourself," Atropos said.

Kate looked at her. "You're full of shit."

Atropos acted taken aback by her language. "Go ahead, change it. I'll make sure it is so much worse."

Kate took the gold thread that Atropos gave her. She shoved it into her pocket and parted ways with the bitchiest being she knew. She stopped by Bobby's house and watched the house for a few minutes. It was quiet. She wanted to go in and talk to Bobby and Karen. She wanted one of Karen's hugs. She looked up at her bedroom window. A freight train was headed right for her and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Older Taylor was reading when Kate got back from her trip through time. "I'm guessing Atropos was her usual self."

Kate squeezed his shoulder. "Yep. Try as I might, I couldn't save either of us."

Taylor snorted. "Screw fate."

Kate looked at the photos along the wall. "Yeah, screw fate."