Sorry, I couldn't resist the tidbit at the end of last chapter. Plenty more chapters ahead.

"Now what?" Dean said to no one.

"Take a walk." John said.

Dean snapped his head toward his dad. "I'm not leaving."

John pointed to the door. "Walk inside. Go to the gym. Go to your car."

Dean bristled. "I'm not leaving."

"Yes you are. You have been hovering for hours and you need to take a breath." John said.

Sam was in a rare position of needing to mediate between the other two. "I'll walk with you. We can take Millie. She will know if anything is about to happen."

Dean dropped his shoulders.

Sam scooped Millie up into his arms and walked with Dean.

Dean got to the gym and hit a punching bag. He was livid. He had watched Kate in pain and agony and could do nothing to help her. Taylor was also struggling and his hands were tied. He hated angels for dosing their ancestors with grace. He hated demons for coming after his family. He hated himself for being so clueless.

"Dean." Sam said.

Dean hit the punching bag again. "Just go."

Sam sat down on a bench. "I can't do that."

"Then sit down and shut up." Dean bit.

Sam knew that Dean was in his own type of pain and his words were a reaction to that. He cradled Millie in one arm and used his other hand to rub one of her paws. Did the kittens know what was going on? Did they live in fear of things that humans couldn't see? He ran his finger under her chin and scratched her ears. "If you can detect ghosts, you'd make a good hunting partner."

Dean turned to Sam and watched him. Kate needed to be awake and talking to Millie. Taylor needed to be awake and sparring with him. He promised to spar with him. He was supposed to kick his butt and then go out for a few hours. None of this was supposed to happen. They were in the bunker to keep them safe. They weren't safe. They were in danger and he couldn't do a damn thing. He punched the bag again and heard a pop.

Sam approached Dean. "What was that?"

Dean held his hand up. He couldn't even feel the pain through the stress and anguish.

Sam stepped into the hallway and walked down to Kate's room. He placed Millie beside Kate and tilted his head to let John know he was needed.

Dean stepped back and kicked the punching bag a few times. He stumbled back and sat down on the bench, dropping his head into his good hand.

John approached Dean quietly and sat down beside him.

Dean stiffened.

"I'm not here to lecture. Just let me see." John said.

Dean lifted his right hand.

John winced. "You did a number on it."

Dean just dropped his hand onto his leg and turned his face away from John.

John grabbed a first aid kit and felt of the bones in Dean's hand. "I'm going to set this."

Dean nodded.

John set the two bones that he felt were fractured and splinted Dean's hand. He placed the first aid kit on the floor and rested his elbows on his knees.

Missouri could feel the hurt in the bunker. She could feel Dean's terror and Sam's worry. She could feel the confusion and disorientation. "Bobby, is there anything I can do?"

Bobby looked around. "I suspect we will need to eat eventually. I'm feeling a bit useless right now."

Missouri nodded. "I think I'll wash a bunch of that bedding and some towels."

Bobby felt her hand on his shoulder and reached over to pat it. "Thank you."

Sam got a message from Jess asking where he was. He was supposed to meet her after class. He called her. "Hey, Jess. I'm so sorry. I've got some family stuff going on."

Jess frowned. "Is everything okay? Do you want me to bring you something?"

"Oh, I'm not in my dorm. I got a ride over here." Sam said.

Jess could hear the crackle in his voice. "Okay. Please let me know if I can help you."

Sam sighed. "Thank you. I'm okay right now."

Bobby looked through the kitchen. At least they had plenty of food. He saw the leftovers from lunch in the fridge and reheated it.

Sam joined Bobby.

Bobby turned and wrapped Sam in a hug. "What did you see?"

Sam's breath hitched. He was with Kate in the darkness and then felt what she felt. He was with her in hell but had been gone before that. He didn't know what she had seen in the brief moments that he was with Dean. "She is braver than any of us."

Bobby patted Sam's back. "I don't doubt that." He poured Sam a glass of whiskey and insisted he take it. He listened as Sam described hell. "Why was she there?"

"She said that the demon was holding her there. She tried to get him to take her so that he would leave Dean and me alone." Sam said.

Bobby shook his head. "It would be nice to try to raise at least one kid who didn't throw themselves on a sword the first chance they got."

Sam blew air through his nose. "I guess we all have that in common."

Dean was numb. He couldn't stop the racing thoughts in his mind. What was the point of it all? Why were the kids even required to accept grace? Why were they turned into Nephilian? Just... why? He knew that John was beside him but was glad that he wasn't fussing about the broken hand. Dean was careless and hit the bag full force with bad form. He didn't care though. He just wanted things to be okay.

"Go check on her." John said. He put his hand on Dean's back and let him go.

Dean sat beside Kate and felt of her face. She was cool to the touch and looked peaceful. He checked on Taylor too and found the same scene. Taylor was resting quietly. He was torn on which room he needed to be in. What if one of them woke up and he was in the wrong room?

"I've got Taylor." John said. "If Kate wakes up and you aren't there, we will all hear about it."

Dean gave him a small smile. Taylor was less picky. He and John had some type of a relationship and that was fine by him. Kate depended on him in ways that Taylor didn't. He noticed that her skin was still cold and frowned. He took off his flannel and gently put it around her. He pulled a chair over and rested his elbows on the bed. He was quiet for a while but decided to tell her a story, just in case she could hear. She loved Sam and Dean stories.

Bobby was going to ask Dean if he was hungry but smiled. He tilted his head at Missouri to call her over.

Missouri smiled too. "I'm guessing he gave in."

Dean's head was resting on his folded arms at Kate's side.

"My back would be out for a month if I fell asleep like that." Bobby said.

Missouri nodded. "Mine too."

Ruth wrapped her daughter in her arms. "I am so sorry."

Kate melted. "Why?"

"You are in so much pain and confusion and I couldn't help you." Ruth said.

"Am I dead? Is this heaven?" Kate asked.

Ruth smoothed her hair. "No."

Kate studied her mother's face. "Please help me."

Ruth hummed Kate's song as the clouds drifted by.

"Do you know what I am?" Kate asked.

Ruth stopped humming. "I do."

"Did you know before?"

Ruth paused. "I did. Kind of."

"Why didn't you tell dad? How did Azazel get me? Why did you have to die?" Kate said with increasing anxiety.

"I do not know why some things happen. Azazel has an army of children that he will try to turn. He knew about the Nephilian lineage and got to you and Sam as well." Ruth said.

Kate rolled the information around in her head. She picked at a piece of skin on her thumb and took a deep breath. "Is Sam a Nephilian?"

"Not quite. He had the potential to be but he had a different purpose."

Kate listened as Ruth and answered questions that she had been seeking the answers to. "Will things be okay?"

"I do not know." Ruth said, gently.

Kate swallowed hard. "I'm scared."

"I know. You have to go back. I'll be around." Ruth said.

Kate felt Ruth's arms grow lighter. "Mom? Mom!"

Dean sat up and slammed himself into the back of the chair. "Kate!" He caught her as she threw herself at him. "Hey kiddo."

Kate sobbed into his shirt. "I want my mom."

Dean rubbed her back. "I know. I want mine sometimes too."

Kate shoved herself off of him in a panic. She was confused and couldn't make sense of where she was. "She was just here."

Dean grabbed Kate before she fell back against the wall. He whistled and snapped in her face. "Look at me!"

Kate stopped fighting and blinked. "Dean?" She squinted her eyes and reached out to touch his face. He had scruff and his hair was messy.

Dean touched her hand. "I know. I could use a shower."

Kate pulled her hand back. "How?"

Dean felt of his jawline. "You've been out for a while."

Kate took off out of the room and ran down the hallway.

Dean caught up to her and stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"I was gone for thirty minutes! Where is Sam? Where is everybody!"

Dean ducked his head as the light above him shattered. "Hey!"

Kate looked down at her hands and then hit her knees.

"Sam had to go back to Stanford. We made him. Missouri went home. Bobby will be back tomorrow and dad is out getting supplies." Dean said.

Kate stumbled. "No... it.. it is Saturday. No, it is Friday. What day is it?"

Dean turned her toward her room. "It is Tuesday."

Kate stopped. "I've been gone for... four days?"

"Kid, you were asleep for two weeks." Dean said.

Kate looked at him with glassy eyes. "Where is Taylor?"

Dean sighed. He directed her to Taylor's room and opened the door.

Kate ran over and put her hands on Taylor.

Taylor woke up with a gasp and shoved Kate away.

Dean had them both sit down. "You both have been out for two weeks."

Taylor looked at Kate. "No, that is impossible."

Kate hugged him. "I had a conversation with my mom for a half hour and then woke up."

Dean sent John a message to let him know that both kids were awake. He got a call back in record time.

"Both of them?" John asked.

Dean held the phone out so they could say hi. "I must say they look right as rain."

John hurriedly finished the list he was fulfilling and sped back to the bunker.

"Are you hungry? Do you still eat?" Dean asked.

Kate felt her stomach growl. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, you were in a coma for two weeks and required nothing." Dean said.

Taylor shrugged. "I could eat."

Dean hugged both of them. "How do you feel? Do you hurt? Do you feel different?"

Kate touched her own face. "I don't know."

"You said you talked to your mom. Did you go to heaven?" Dean asked. His calm voice hid the emotional turmoil that he had been pushing down.

"I don't know where I went. She told me some things though." Kate said.

Dean pulled food from the freezer and heated it. "Really?" He sat down at the table and leaned back. He felt his defenses slipping as the weight of the ordeal crushed him.

Kate moved to stand beside Dean and sniffled. "I'm sorry."

Dean pulled her to him. "For what?"

"Scaring you and being asleep for two weeks. I busted your lip and scratched you. I ignored you in hell and I-I."

Dean sighed. "There is no need to apologize."

John entered the bunker and hurried down the hallway. The sight of both kids awake made him choke. "I wasn't sure if I believed you."

Dean glanced at John. "I'm not sure I believe me."

Kate ran and hugged John. Knowing that she was gone for two weeks hit her like a ton of bricks.

John rubbed Kate's back and went to greet Taylor. The look on Taylor's face caused him to pause. "What is wrong?"

Taylor swallowed hard. "I am sorry. I couldn't explain. I had to go outside to help Kate."

"What? Oh. Castiel told us that the demon you caught was Azazel." John said.

Taylor shifted. "He had Kate and the guys trapped and she had to knock him off his feet."

John put a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "I understand. I'm not upset with you."

Taylor eyed him wearily. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I didn't understand at first but I understand now." John said.

Taylor relaxed. "So, um. When I ran and got outside, I had a lot happening at once and I could hear your thoughts."

John put his hands over his face. "I'm sorry you heard that. I was pretty angry that you were trying to run again but this wasn't a normal circumstance."

"Thank god." Taylor mumbled.

Dean chuckled. "You went through all of that and thought he'd be mad at you?"

Taylor sat forward. "You didn't hear his thoughts, Dean."

Dean shrugged. "Don't need to. His nonverbal communication is pretty clear."

John smacked the back of Dean's head. "I know two people who would be more than happy to get a phone call. Missouri will want to know you are awake too."

Dean looked at his watch. "We can call Bobby. Sam is in the middle of class for the next hour."

Kate sat on Dean's leg. She dialed Bobby's number and held the phone up for Dean to speak.

"Hey, Dean." Bobby answered.

"Hey, Bobby. So, there has been a slight change." Dean said.

Bobby felt his heart sink. "What is it?"

Dean nodded.

"Hi, Bobby!" Kate said.

Bobby clutched his chest. "It is so good to hear your voice."

Taylor said hi too.

"Both of you? How?" Bobby said.

"We don't know." Kate said.

"Well, what happened? How are you feeling?"

Taylor cleared his throat. "We don't know. We just woke up."

Bobby couldn't wipe the smile from his face. "I'll be there tomorrow morning. Boy, I wasn't expecting this."

Kate grinned. "Should we go back to sleep?"

Bobby scoffed. He happily chatted with the kids and was so grateful that they were seemingly okay. "I'll let you have your talk. I have a hunter stopping by. Please call me back later."

Kate scrunched her nose. "You need a shower."

Dean poked her ribs. "You do too."

John looked at the timer. "How about all three of you get cleaned up and I'll put food on the table.

Kate put her hand under the flowing water to check the temperature. She felt her heart race. She remembered the invisible current that swept her away. 'You're okay.' She stepped under the spray and put shampoo in her hand. She rubbed the suds into her hair and felt along her skull. 'It wasn't real.' She repeated the shampoo process twice and then used the conditioner. She fought the urge to scrub her skin. 'It isn't blood.' The warmth of the water was soothing but part of her mind was stuck in the humid pits of hell.

Dean shaved first. He really was scruffy and rarely grew out a beard.

Taylor took a quick shower. He could feel every droplet of water and it was uncomfortable.

John looked up when Dean and Taylor walked into the kitchen. "Where is Kate?"

Dean ran his fingers through his hair. "Still in the shower."

John tapped the table. "Eat." He walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. When he got no answer he walked inside. "Kate?"

Kate sniffled. She was sitting on the floor with a towel wrapped around her.

"What's wrong?" John asked as he crouched beside her.

Kate started crying again. "I can't do it."

John looked at the brush and the mop of tangles. "Do you want me to?"

Kate frowned. "Sam used to do it."

John took the brush. "I can figure it out. Get dried off and put some clothes on."

Kate pulled one of Dean's shirts over her head and finished getting dressed.

John motioned for her to sit on a bench. "Are you tired?"

Kate shrugged.

"Are you mentally tired?" John saw her shoulders move and sighed. He gently worked the tangles from her hair and noted that she flinched when the bristles crazed her scalp. "Does your head hurt?" He waited. "I need you to talk."

Kate sighed. "I have the memory of it hurting."

John put the brush down and squeezed more of the moisture from her hair. "You're good to go."

Kate turned and hugged him. 'He is okay.'

John bent a little lower so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I've got you."

Kate let him carry her to the kitchen.

Dean frowned. "What is wrong?"

Kate slumped in her seat.

John squeezed her shoulder. "Just get some food in you."

Dean watched Kate as her emotions ran across her face. He knew that she was dealing with what she saw while she was asleep. She seemed fine at first but the way that she looked at each of them told him that she had seen some awful stuff.

Taylor ate three servings of the lasagna that Marie had made. He tried to pace himself but his human stomach caught up to him.

John's eye twinkled a little. "Dean, I'd think he was catching up on two weeks without food but you were the same way at thirteen."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

Taylor smiled. "My nana says teenage boys are bottomless pits."

John nodded.

Kate picked at her food and took a couple bites before asking to be excused.

John shook his head. "You need to eat a little more. We don't know how your body is going to react but it is a good idea to treat it as you did before all of this."

Kate sat back and crossed her arms.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. If she was too compliant he would worry more. "Just a few more bites."

Kate turned her eyes to him and held his gaze.

John tapped the table. "Would you like some soup or broth?"

Kate scooted her chair back. "No." She spun on her heel and walked out of the room.

Dean looked at Taylor. "Any idea what that is about?"

"Maybe what she saw. I saw some stuff and it is confusing. Two weeks went by and I had no idea." Taylor said. "Are we going back to school?"

John sighed. "Not for a while. A lot has happened and Castiel doesn't feel as though it is safe for you two to be out and about."

Taylor frowned. "What about Nate?"

Dean held up his phone. "We told them that one of Craig's old buddies had made some threats and we were laying low. I sent a few messages from 'you' so Nate wouldn't worry."

Taylor rubbed his face. "Thank you."

"Bobby is bringing more of your stuff when he comes." John said.

Taylor felt a little queasy. He had been frozen in time while the world marched on. "Any word on David?"

Dean snorted.

John sent Dean a glare.

Dean leaned forward. "Dad scared the shit out of him."

Taylor brightened. "What did you do?"

"I just talked to him." John said with a shrug.

Taylor looked at Dean.

Dean winked. "I'll tell you later."

Kate looked around her room. Someone had put a few shelves on the wall and covered them with carpet. Millie was on the highest one looking down at her human. Kate assumed Dean was the culprit and it was his way of trying to make her happy. She frowned and curled up on her bed. It was simple. Things could be simple.

Dean knocked on Kate's door and walked in when she didn't answer. He sat on her bed and put a hand on her leg. "I want you to tell me what is going on."

Kate pulled her leg back.

"Did I make you mad?" Dean asked.

Kate rolled over, away from him and pulled her blanket over her head.

"Did dream me make you mad?"

Kate pushed his hip with her feet. "Go away."

Dean recognized grumpy Kate. "Do I need to make you tell me?"

Kate kicked him in the hip.

Dean shook his head and smacked the back of her leg.

Kate sat up. "Ow, Dean."

"Stop kicking me." Dean said.

"Go away and you'll be nowhere near my feet." Kate said.

"If you were scared you would be seeking comfort. If you were worried you'd be doing the same thing. So, either you are mad or just like being prickly." Dean said. He caught Kate's foot before she kicked him again.

"I don't want to talk." Kate said.

"I listened to you not talk for two weeks. Now is the time to talk." Dean said.

Kate groaned and yanked her blanket over her head.

"What did you see?" Dean asked. He pulled her blanket away and grabbed her shoulders to sit her up.

"Everything." Kate said.

Dean tilted his head. "Can you narrow it down?"

Kate twisted to get out of his grasp. "You are so annoying."

Dean smiled. "I've been told that before. Now, talk."

Kate threw herself back and pushed him away with her feet.

"Talk or I start swatting." Dean said.

Kate glared at him. "I nearly died and you are threatening me."

Dean smirked. "Because I know you. I know that you want to talk but have a wall built up. I know that if I just say okay and walk away, you are going to fester and wind up snapping. So, talk."

Kate sighed. "If I say something, you have to promise me you won't get mad."

Dean shrugged. "Go for it."

Kate took a deep breath. "You can be a real dick sometimes."

Dean flinched and then snorted. "I walked right into that. Fair observation."

Kate put her head on his leg. "I saw my mom. She explained a lot of things. She showed me different timelines and it is so hard to understand. It is hard to know what is real and what isn't."

"What happened after you hit Azazel?" Dean asked.

"I woke up in a field. That is when my mom came to me."

"Give me the short version for now." Dean said.

Kate closed her eyes as he worked his fingers along her scalp. The phantom pain was fading as she accepted this reality as the true reality. "She knew what I was."

Dean frowned. "She knew you were a Nephilian?"

"Kind of. She knew that our family had some kind of genetic defect that created abilities. That defect is what allowed Ada's daughter to withstand the first run in with grace. Same with Ewan. My mom was visited in a dream when she was pregnant with me. The being explained things but she thought it was just a dream. Azazel felt some sort of power on me when I was born and tracked me down. He gave me his blood so that he could try to control me eventually. Same with Sam." Kate swallowed.

"He can't now, though. He is in a box." Dean said.

Kate sighed. "You and Sam are supposed to be vessels for this apocalyptic fight between two archangels. You are supposed to sell your soul and go to hell and open a seal then it is dominos that lead to you killing each other."

Dean stopped rubbing her head. "What?"

"Something knew this would happen so they created us. We are supposed to prevent that." Kate said.

"So I'm a vessel and you are supposed to stop me?" Dean asked.

Kate clicked her tongue for Millie and scooped her toward her chest. "Archangels are powerful. A typical angel cannot defeat one of them, let alone two. So, something else is needed. Nephilim are supposedly powerful enough but easy to find and get rid of if one does exist. So some angels decided to mess around with humans and make fake Nephilim. I saw you burn in hell for 40 years. I saw Sam get high on demon blood and turn into Lucifer. I saw it all and it was awful, Dean. So we are supposed to be able to take down an archangel if one of them tries to make a power grab. Each thing I do could alter things. Some of it is good, like you not going to hell, some of it is bad like getting my dad killed."

Dean listened to Kate as she spoke. "You didn't get your dad killed."

Kate looked up at him. "Basically." She rubbed Millie's ears and sighed. "There is too much information for me to explain. I don't care what happens, I'm not going to kill you."

Dean nudged her. "I'd hope not."

Kate sat up and looked Dean in the eye. "I need you to promise something."

Dean pulled his head back. "What?"

"We will get an angel blade, melt it down, soak it in holy oil and I'll show you the symbol to draw on it." Kate said.

Dean blinked. "Why?"

"If I go bad, you'll shoot me in the head." Kate said.

Dean felt his heart drop. "Katelyn Amelia Winchester, don't you dare talk like that."

Kate flinched. "Promise me!"

"I won't. I am not going to shoot you." Dean said.

Kate growled. "I saw things that you didn't."

"I don't care. I am not going to kill you." Dean said.

Kate jumped off the bed. "I'll just find someone who would then."

Dean grabbed her and swatted her twice. "Are you out of your mind?"

Kate glared at him. "No! Every molecule in my body was burned away and rebuilt. I spent two weeks in a coma with my dead mom. I saw hundreds of timelines and things you couldn't even imagine. If I turn bad. If I hurt people. If I cannot control myself or worse, someone else is controlling me you have to know how to end it."

Dean took both of her arms. "If there is a way to stun you or put you into a sleep until we can figure something out, I will do that. I will not kill you though."

Kate started crying. "What if I am processed by a demon and trying to kill someone else?"

Dean shook her gently. "We will figure something out." Dean had spoken to Castiel and had been cautioned that the amount of power that the children held could be disastrous if they were aimed at the wrong thing. "What happened with the grace?"

Kate wiped her face. "That is fuzzy. I think, my body started changing and Castiel had to act quickly."

"I cannot comprehend how you survived that." Dean said as he pulled her to him.

Kate rested her head against his shoulder. "We didn't."

Dean twitched. "What do you mean?"

"I think I died." Kate said. "But I think all of my cells were rebuilt to be able to handle all of this."

Dean rubbed her back. "You are still Kate."

Kate nodded. She took his hand and ran it over her arm. "Feel."

Dean felt her arm. It was smooth. He felt of her leg through her pajamas. "The scars are gone."

"Yep."

"That is great, right?" Dean said.

"I don't feel like me. I don't feel like anything besides a puzzle piece. I'm not even human." Kate said.

"I don't care what you are. You are still Kate."

Kate frowned. "I'm a time bomb that was created to stop a war that started before the planet even existed. Why me?"

Dean thought about it. "Why any of us?"

Kate sighed. "You guys have some of the same genes that I do. You could have been Nephilian."

Dean cringed. "We are vessels though."

"It is complicated."

"Do you want to call Sam?" Dean asked.

Kate nodded.

Dean walked her back to the kitchen. "Eat."

Kate sent him a glare.

Dean put her plate in front of her. "Want to lose that impala bet this soon?"

John snorted.

Kate took her plate. "John, please speak to your son. He is a pain."

John gave her a crooked smile. "I'll make sure to do that."

Dean held up his phone. "I'm going to call Sam."

Kate zipped her mouth.

Sam was walking with Jess when he heard his phone. "Hey, any news?"

Dean grinned. "There has been a slight improvement. I told you I'd call if anything at all happened. It isn't much."

Sam stopped walking. "What is it?"

Jess was holding Sam's hand when he stopped walking. She saw the concern on his face. She knew the younger kids were sick but he hadn't told her much.

Dean held up his hand and counted down from three.

"Hi, Sammy!" Kate and Taylor yelled.

Sam let go of Jess's hand and put his hand on his chest. "Kate? Taylor?" He blinked away tears. "Dean, you asshole."

Jess tilted her head. His family was confusing.

Sam remembered he was with Jess. "I'm so glad that you guys are better. Wow, that is so good to hear." He paced excitedly.

Dean could tell that Sam wasn't alone by the effort he was putting into dampening his excitement. He mouthed 'Jess' and motioned to tone it down.

Kate cleared her throat. "No fevers or anything. We got a clean bill of health today."

Sam grinned. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."

Kate smirked. "Dean nearly peed his pants."

Dean scoffed. "I did not."

Sam chuckled. "Taylor, how are you feeling?"

Taylor leaned toward the phone. "Good as new."

Jess watched Sam filter through emotions.

Sam asked the others to hold on. "They are better. They aren't sick anymore."

Jess smiled. "That is great."

Kate snatched the phone from Dean. "Hi Jess!"

Sam blushed.

"Hi, Kate." Jess said with a smile.

Dean pinned Kate's arm so he could get the phone back. "As you can tell, she is feeling herself again."

Sam laughed. "Give him hell, Katie."

Kate stuck her tongue out at Dean.

"I can call you guys later tonight," Sam said. "I'm so glad to hear your voices."

An alarm bell sounded from somewhere deep in Heaven. It caused a stir amongst heaven's hosts as it was not an alarm they had heard before. Naomi put her pen down beside a folder. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Aphrim?"