Dean had left the middle school and drove straight to where he was meeting Caleb. He and Caleb had a long history and it felt good to be back on the road with him.

Caleb heard the impala before he saw it. The sound of baby's engine was like a time machine. Every time he heard it he was 16 again. "Dean, buddy. Took you long enough to get down here."

Dean shut the car door. "I had to drop kids off at school. Don't start. Just keep your comments to yourself."

"I am just flattered you took time away from being Mr. Mom to come help me." Caleb said.

Dean scoffed and pulled his duffle from the trunk. "Shut up and do your job."

"I have been waiting on you. I figured we'd take out this nest of vamps and then do the ghoul" Caleb grumbled.

"How many are in this nest?" Dean asked as he checked how much dead man's blood he had.

"Four." Caleb said.

Dean smirked. "Last time we thought there were only four, more showed up and Sammy nearly took my head off taking the vamp's head off."

"You need to catch me up then." Caleb said.

They talked as they prepared for the hunt. One of the things Dean liked about Caleb was that they could go a year without speaking and fall right back into place like they had never been apart. Dean thought about Kate's blood theory but he didn't want her being used as a weapon.

"They got powers?" Caleb asked.

"Oh it is a whole mess. Kate is supposed to have some kind of psychic blood. I don't know about Taylor." He told him about the vials of liquid and the progression of the abilities. "You can't say anything about any of this."

"Yeah, of course. You have to keep them safe." Caleb understood what a typical hunter would do with the information.

"Taylor handles a crossbow almost as good as I handle a gun." Dean commented.

"Are you raising them to be hunters?" Caleb asked as they covered the car.

Dean thought about it. "They have to know how to keep themselves safe. These abilities force some type of hunting on them. I'd like them to go out and do other things but, Kate is hell bent on it."

They stopped talking so they could approach the nest quietly.

Caleb confirmed that there were four vamps sleeping in the one bedroom cabin. There had been a string of attacks that were messy and poorly planned. These vamps were newly turned.

Dean signaled that he was ready to go. He tried to turn the doorknob but it was locked. He picked the lock and slowly opened the door. The room was small so once the first head rolled, they would lose their element of surprise.

Caleb lined his machete up with the first vamp's neck and nodded to Dean. If they swung at the same time, they could knock out two and just have two left.

Dean swung and the second the head hit the floor, the other two vamps jumped up. He made eye contact with Caleb and the fight was over in seconds. "Man, you don't know how good it feels to have a hunt go exactly the way it is expected."

"I thought Dean Winchester lived for a challenge." Caleb said.

"I am tired of curveballs. This was a piece of cake."

Caleb clapped him on the back. "How about, after we take out that ghoul, we hit the local bar."

Dean washed his face and hands in the cabin's sink. "Split a motel too?"

Caleb smirked. "At least buy me a drink first."

Dean shoved him. "Do you know where the ghoul is?"

"I know where it has been." Caleb said. He tapped the top of the car. "I call shotgun."

"Sam isn't here to bitch about it." Dean said with a snort. He drove to the local cemetery and parked the car.

"My money is on the groundskeeper." Caleb said.

Dean got out and walked around. "There have been grave robberies?"

"Yup. William's narrowed it down to this area." Caleb explained.

They split up and looked for any sign of a ghoul. Dean found a disturbed grave and poked it with a stick. He wasn't about to dig it up.

Caleb heard something and whipped his head around. The ground under him started to crumble and he felt something grab his foot.

Dean heard Caleb yelp and ran to him. He grabbed his arms and pulled him back onto the grass.

Caleb hissed from the strain and the pain in his ankle.

Dean saw the ghoul's teeth sunk into Caleb's leg and let go of Caleb long enough to behead the thing.

Caleb scrambled back onto solid ground as the weight of the ghoul was released from his leg.

Dean helped him hobble back to the car. "How bad is it?" Ghoul bites could lead to someone becoming a ghoul.

"I'm alright." Caleb said.

Dean heard voices and quickly left the grave yard with Caleb. His mind was racing.

Caleb breathed through his teeth. He felt like his foot was going to fall off.

Dean drove to the nearest motel and got a room. He helped Caleb into the room and grabbed the first aid kit. He saw blood and felt his heart sink.

Caleb laid back on the bed and gritted his teeth.

Dean pulled his boot off and rolled his pant leg up to his shin. "What is this?"

Caleb sat up. "A brace."

Dean tilted his head. The brace was intact. "I don't think he got you. I think the blood was from the ghoul. Why do you have a brace?"

Caleb was thankful that the ghoul had grabbed the bummed foot. "Take it off and you'll see."

Dean took the brace off and cringed. "Why the hell did you go out there like this?"

"Ah it isn't that bad." Caleb said.

Dean cleaned off his ankle and foot. "Is this broken?"

"No idea." Caleb answered.

"God dammit. You are lucky that this didn't give out on you. It is moronic to go on a hunt with your foot 10 different shades of blue. Can you even feel your toes?" Dean said.

Caleb chuckled. "If I wasn't looking at your face I'd assume John was in the room."

Dean rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Caleb's head. "You are coming home with me?"

Caleb groaned. "Why?"

"Because, dumbass, you are going to lose the foot if you don't get it taken care of." Dean said. "I know you aren't going to go to a doctor but I've got the next best thing."

"Let's go to that bar first." Caleb said. He could use a whiskey to numb the pain.

"I'm not hauling your ass out of there when you can't walk." Dean pulled Caleb's other boot off. "Get a shower, I'll grab some food and a couple beers."

Caleb grinned. "Yes, mom."

Dean threw up his hands. "Ungrateful shit."

"Ah, there he is, John Winchester made over." Caleb laughed. He hobbled to the bathroom and took his time letting his foot soak. He had been ignoring the pain but the ghoul had crushed his ankle pretty hard.

Dean found a diner and got his usual. He stopped at a gas station too and bought a couple beers. It wasn't the same as a bar but he didn't have time to be hungover the next day.

### ###

Kate brushed Millie with her finger tips. She spoke gently to her and found joy in feeling her purr.

Bobby watched Kate from his office. Had he known a cat would chill her out that much, he would have gotten one the day she showed up. He got a call from Dean and answered it.

"Hey, I am going to sleep tonight and head back in the morning. I'm bringing Caleb. He injured his ankle and I thought Kate could help before school." Dean said.

Bobby rubbed his scruffy beard. "Will you make it back before school?"

"I am going to call it an early night and leave around midnight. Can you and Taylor move the beds around?" Dean asked.

"Who are you wanting to kick out?"

"Taylor, I guess. He can bunk with Kate, just until Caleb is back on the road."

Bobby considered it. He would normally be against the idea but Taylor was no different from Sam and Dean. He hung up the phone and spoke to Taylor.

Taylor didn't mind the change. He would get to be in the room with the kittens. "I'll go move that."

Bobby told him to wait. "I'll help."

Taylor ran up and moved his pillow and blankets to the other room. He waited for Bobby but he was taking forever. Taylor picked up the mattress and slid it to Kate's room. He stacked it against the wall and went back for the box spring.

Bobby heard the bed moving and grumbled. He went to the steps and looked up. "I told you to wait."

Taylor froze in place. "Uh, sorry, sir."

"I don't doubt that you are strong enough to do it but prefer my wall doesn't get scarred up." Bobby said as he climbed the steps.

Taylor was still frozen. "Yes, sir."

Bobby tapped the back of his head. "Idjit."

Taylor grinned. Idjit was Bobby's pet name for people he liked.

"Do you want the frame too?" Bobby asked.

Taylor shrugged. "I guess. I'm happy with anything."

Bobby chuckled. "We will move the frame. When Caleb leaves you can use the other bed. That way there will always be two beds in each room."

Taylor helped him resituate the rooms and made his bed.

Kate took the kittens outside and sat down on the porch swing. She gently pushed the swing with her feet and leaned her head back against the top of the swing. She had no homework and all of her chores were done. Her mind started to drift back to research. She said a prayer to her Grigori for a sign that would help them. She felt tiny claws on her toes and scooped Millie up into her lap. The orange kitten followed suit. He was cuddly and calm where Millie was feisty and rambunctious. It would be funny to name the cat Dean but Millie had more of Dean's personality. She grabbed her phone and sent Sam a message.

Sam got the message and called since he had free time. "Hey, Kate."

Kate smiled. "Hi, Sam. How is college?"

"Classes haven't started yet so I have just been getting used to where things are. How is school for you?" Sam asked.

Kate groaned. "Off to a bad start."

"Uh oh. Want to talk about it?" Sam asked.

Kate sighed. "I just want to be home. School takes up so much time and I just had a bad first day. Today was better and we found Kittens."

"Kittens?"

Kate told him about the kittens and how cute they were. She also told him about how boring school was and her argument with Dean.

"Hold up. You told him to what?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Uh... I.. I told him to 'f' off." Kate said timidly.

Sam snorted and laughed. "Why would you do that?"

"Well I was tired and had a bad day. I wasn't thinking clearly." Kate said.

"Oh god. You waited until I left to pull that." Sam said with a chuckle.

Kate huffed. "I had no one to complain to and lost my mind."

"Are you okay now? I mean, you are alive." Sam said.

Kate smirked. "Being that you are all grown up and the cooler brother, I could use help with the disposal of a specific slab of wood."

Sam cringed. "That rough?"

"Yes, Sam." She told him the rest of the story and made sure that he was sympathetic. "I miss you."

Sam chuckled. "I miss you too but not even I could have saved you."

Bobby stepped out on the porch and called Kate inside.

Kate said goodbye to Sam and went to see what Bobby wanted.

"Dean will be home tomorrow, early morning. He is bringing Caleb and will want you to look at his foot." Bobby said.

"What is wrong with it?"

"He didn't say. Caleb has been wearing a brace on it and Dean thought you could work your magic on it."

Kate smiled. "I will try." She sat down in one of the chairs in Bobby's office and leaned her head back to look up at the ceiling. It had ben a little while since she had mended anyone.

Taylor found Bobby and Kate in the office so he joined them. He sat down in the floor and opened one of his great grandfather's journals that had taken up a corner in Bobby's office. He read quietly as Bobby worked and Kate doodled. He got to a passage that peaked his interest. He quickly stood up and put the journal on Bobby's desk.

"What did you find?" Bobby asked.

"A description of a box and it says what is in it is benign but kept safe from dark forces." Taylor said.

Bobby rubbed his chin. He took one of the boxes down and flipped it over. There was a very faint number on the bottom corner.

Kate jumped up. "Can we open it?"

Bobby shrugged. "You two stand back just incase."

Kate and Taylor stepped back but tiptoed to see better.

Bobby slowly opened the box. "Well I'll be damned."

"What is it?" Kate asked.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it is one of those demon knives." Bobby said. He took it out and turned it over in his hand.

"That has been here the whole time?" Kate asked, in annoyance.

Taylor gave her a small smile. "The other box has something malignant in it. The only difference is the numbers in the corner that you can hardly see."

Kate shrugged. "I guess it is good we didn't open it. Does the knife work?"

Bobby gave her an annoyed look. "How would I know?" He turned the box over to remove the padding that held the knife. There was a note with the ingredients for the knife. "Well, I'd say it doesn't work yet. Seems like Nephilim are a rare commodity."

Taylor was deep in thought.

Kate seemed to be tracking Taylor's thoughts. "So, if you put your blood on it and said the words, nothing would happen, right?"

Bobby shrugged. "That seems to be how it works."

"So, if we use our blood, it wont hurt anything." Taylor said.

Bobby sighed. "It says Nephilim blood."

"The angels did something to us. It is worth a shot." Taylor said.

Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. A demon killing knife would be a game changer. If anything, he could let them try it so they'd stop wondering. "Which one of you wants to do it?"

"Me!" both shouted.

Kate looked at Taylor. "Both to be safe?"

Bobby eyed them. "If nothing happens, you two have to drop it. I'm not dealing with tantrums."

Kate scoffed. "That feels directed at me."

"It was." Bobby said. He took the knife and spell to the kitchen. He set up the items and took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kate was sure.

Taylor was sure.

Bobby sat a wooden bowl on the table. "Go ahead." He turned so he wasn't watching. He didn't like seeing anyone cut their arm or hand but it was worse with the young ones.

Kate took a knife and cut the palm of her hand and let it drip into the bowl.

Taylor did the same.

"How much do you think we need?" Kate asked.

"Not a whole lot. I have to brush it over the blade." Bobby said.

Kate pulled her hand back and washed it off in the sink. The skin was already healed.

Bobby turned back and grabbed the bowl. He brushed the blade and picked up the paper to read the incantation. He finished the spell and sat the paper town.

A rush of wind whipped through the kitchen and blew cabinet doors open and kids out of their seats. A red light engulfed the table and swirled like smoke from a dampened fire.

Bobby gripped the side of the table and put his arm in front of his eyes.

Kate and Taylor scrambled off the floor and peered into the basin that held the knife.

The light faded and the wind stopped.

"What was that?!" Taylor asked.

"Magic." Kate whispered. She was less shocked by the light and wind, although she wasn't expecting anything to happen.

Bobby looked from the knife to the kids. "Are you... are you two Nephilim?"

Kate shrugged. "Now we need a demon to try it out on."

Bobby was stunned. "We are not going to look for a demon tonight."

Taylor got excited. "No, but if we tell John, I bet he will be more than happy to test it out."

Bobby picked the knife up and rinsed it off. "Well I don't know if it works but... something happened."

"We have to tell Sam and Dean!" Kate said with a grin. She grabbed her phone and dialed Sam's number. "Sammy!"

"Hey again." Sam said.

"You'll never guess what we just did!" She told him about the journal and how they did the spell.

Bobby took the phone and rounded out the details.

Sam was amazed. "That is... wow." He mulled it over in his head before chuckling. "When you call Dean you should tell him that Kate opened the box."

Kate heard him. "He would kill me!"

"That is why you do it before he gets home." Sam said.

Kate grinned. "As long as I have someone to back me up that I did not open the box."

Bobby shook his head and smirked. "I have your back."

Taylor was down for operation 'torment Dean.' He grinned. "You should do it to John too."

Kate gasped but clapped her hands. "Let's do it."

Sam laughed but let them go. He would never be brave enough to mess with his dad or brother when said brother had just put him on a week of John worthy restrictions.

Kate took a deep breath and centered herself.

Bobby handed her the phone after he dialed John's number. "Remember, you have to sell it or it will not be entertaining for Taylor and me."

Kate rolled her eyes. "If I have to go into witness protection because of this, I'm holding you re- Hi!"

John furrowed his brows. "Hi, Kate. Do you need something?"

Kate bit her lip. "I was wondering if you would bring a demon home with you."

John leaned against the side of the truck. "Come again?"

"We found something that may help with fighting demons but need a demon to test it on." Kate said.

"Where did you find this?" John asked.

"Um... in one of those boxes." Kate said.

John sighed. "Report."

Kate grinned sheepishly at Bobby. "I was in Bobby's office and the boxes were just there and I had to open one but it is okay because I found a knife and I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have opened it but we have a knife now."

John was silent for a moment. "Give the phone to Bobby."

Kate gave Bobby a look and handed him the phone.

"What is the real story with that box?" John asked.

Bobby chuckled. "What gave her away?"

"If she had opened a box behind your back and called me she would have started with a list of reasons she was doing the right thing and avoid telling me that she did anything." John said.

Kate stomped her foot. "Maybe I have learned to just 'fess up."

John chuckled. "So, Singer.. tell me what is going on."

"Taylor found proof in one of those journals that that one box was harmless. I opened it, found a knife and we did a spell. John, I think we have a working demon knife." Bobby said.

John felt blood rush through his body. "I thought you needed Nephilim blood."

"We improvised. Kids' idea." Bobby said.

"Hand the phone back to Kate."

Kate took the phone. "Hi."

"Why try to take the blame?"

"Sam thought it would be funny." Kate said. "It is a bit of a prank on you and Dean."

John chuckled. "When you tell Dean, try not acting like you already feel bad about it. You were a bit too contrite to not be suspicious."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a killjoy?" Kate asked.

"Not to my face." John said with a laugh.

"Oh, I wont do that. I have some level of self concern." Kate said with a giggle.

John felt like they might actually get a win if the knife worked. He didn't mind the prank and was a little amused by it. "Kate, don't open the other boxes. I wont laugh about those."

Kate sighed. "Yes sir." She hung up the phone and let out a huge breath.

Bobby chuckled. "That could have gone worse."

"I was too contrite." Kate said with an eye roll. She cracked her knuckles. "Lucky me, I know how to get under Dean's skin."

Taylor rested his elbows on the table. "Isn't that like doing cartwheels in a mine field?"

Bobby laughed. "Kate is the only one who would try that."

Kate shrugged. "What can I say? I seek thrills."

Bobby dialed Dean's number. "Hey, Kate has something she needs to tell you."

Caleb was sitting at the small motel room table when Dean answered his phone.

Dean wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair. "What does she need to tell me?"

Caleb heard a much higher voice reply.

Kate squeezed Bobby's hand. "Dean, it isn't a big deal."

Caleb watched the vein on Dean's neck start to move.

"What?" Dean asked.

"So, I was in Bobby's office and just helping him with stuff. You know, I heal and stuff so if something dangerous was in one of those boxes I'd be okay." Kate said.

Dean leaned forward in his chair. "Did you open a box?"

Kate winked at Bobby. "Don't get grumpy with me. I am trying to tell you something."

"Katelyn Winchester, did you open a box?"

Caleb smirked. He had heard that tone from the older Winchester but with different names.

"Dean, calm down. There wasn't anything bad in the box. I mean, I knew that and I have been telling you guys that for weeks and weeks." Kate started.

Dean felt his blood pressure raise. "God dammit. It doesn't matter. You have been told over and over again that you were not to touch them."

"I did, can't go back and undo it. So, I found a knife and it looked like the demon knife so I did the spell that was on the paper and-"

Dean stood up so quickly that his knee hit the table. "What did I just talk to you about? God, Kate. When I get home-"

Bobby took the phone and chuckled. "She is pulling your leg. She didn't open the box."

Dean's mouth dropped open. "What the hell, Bobby?"

Kate gigged in the background. "Maybe John was right."

"She called John first and he picked up on the prank right away because she was, in his words, too contrite." Bobby said.

Dean smacked the table with his hand. "Did she or did she not open the box and do a spell?"

Kate squeaked excitedly. "John will be so proud of me."

Caleb laughed at the look on Dean's face.

"Will you tell me what is going on before I lose my head?" Dean said, incredulously.

"A box did get opened but I'm the one that did it. Taylor found a reference to it and when I opened it we did find a knife. The paper inside essentially said that all we needed was the blood. The kids wanted to try theirs and I said it was alright so that when it didn't work, they would stop wondering about it." Bobby said.

"Well did it work?" "Dean asked.

"Something happened, we just don't know if it will kill a demon." Bobby said.

Dean rubbed the back of his head. A demon knife was something he would like to use. "Wait, why did she have to rile me up?"

Kate giggled in the background. "Sammy said it would be funny. It was!"

Dean smirked. "Why not just wait until I got back to tell me?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "You move faster than Bobby does."

Dean rubbed his face. "I ought to skin you just for lying."

"You can't. Bobby promised me immunity." Kate said.

"I move faster than he does." Dean said with a chuckle.

Caleb watched in amusement at the back and forth. Dean had changed.

"John told me to not act contrite when I told you so I was following a direct order from him. That trumps your opinion." Kate said.

Dean groaned. "Fine. Just know that payback sucks." He got off the phone with them and sat back in his chair.

"So what was that?" Caleb asked.

"I don't even know. Sam gave her the idea to rile me up. I just had a... discussion.. with her about attitude and defiance. So, they found something, they meaning Bobby too. Instead of just telling me that they found something, she called and acted like she had broken the 'don't open the boxes' rule. I swear she is aging me." Dean said.

"She did the same to John? Damn, I don't think I'd have tried that. I didn't, and still don't, have that much of a spine." Caleb said.

Dean finished his food. "She is something else."

Kate was in good spirits. She had gotten to mess with both John and Dean and it was harmless. They found the demon knife and proved that their blood was special. The only downside was she wanted to know more about the blood. Was she a Nephilim?

### ###

Aphrim watched the spell take place and was blown back by the release of power. The success of the spell would alert others that the level of power needed for the spell was, indeed, on earth. Nephilim power was like nuclear power. There was a reason that Nephilim were hunted. He was not given all the details of the mission but he knew that it had something to do with harnessing the power in another way than creating a Nephilim in the traditional way. He felt as though someone, besides god, was playing god. He stayed at his post and watched over the house. If they kept sending off shock waves like the one that came from the spell, not even he could protect them from the powers that they were alerting.