Raising Katie

by amycoe37

This is a sequel to Saving Katie. Same warnings, same characters but new adventures. trigger warnings for discipline of minors and talk of abuse. (two separate entities)

106. Chapter 106

Caleb twitched. "Kate, take him inside."

Kate took Andy's hand and ushered him inside. "Upstairs?"

Caleb nodded.

Andy was hysterical. He didn't want everyone to hate him. "I didn't mean to pull it."

Kate sighed and grabbed some water before taking Andy upstairs. She gave him the cup and told him to drink. "Did you know what it was?"

Andy sniffled. "Not all the way."

"Did you know it was dangerous?" Kate asked.

"A little. I didn't know it would make a big boom like that." Andy said.

Kate sat down next to him and put her arm around him. "Take some deep breaths for me."

Andy hiccuped and dropped the cup.

Kate caught it before it spilled. She touched his arm and read him. She sighed and hugged him. "You are worried that he won't want to stay at your house anymore?"

Andy nodded.

"I don't think that is what you should worry about." Kate said. "No one is going anywhere."

Caleb was dumbfounded. He had walked to the car to grab a box and in that time, Andy nearly blew the house up. He didn't even know where the grenade came from.

Dean and Taylor walked back to the house.

"Did it go off safely?" Caleb asked.

Taylor held his hands out. "I kept the field around it." He looked at Dean who was pulling a face. "Dean is sulking because he wasn't the one to throw it."

Dean's eyes lit up. "It was cool though."

Bobby shook his head. "Idjit."

Caleb asked Taylor for more details about when he found Andy. His heart was shredded. He could have been hurt or even died.

Dean clapped Caleb on the back. "Now you know how I feel."

Caleb sighed. "I just talked to him about weapons the other day."

Dean gave him a knowing look and looked at his watch. "Send Kate down. She and Taylor can help me."

Caleb groaned and walked up the stairs. He opened the bedroom door and told Kate to go downstairs.

Kate squeezed Andy's hand and pulled Caleb into the hallway. "He is afraid this will make you not want to stay at the house anymore."

Caleb grimaced. "Thanks for letting me know." He shut the door behind him and looked at Andy. "Well?"

Andy scooted to the head of Kate's bed and looked at Caleb.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Caleb asked.

Andy just stared at him.

Caleb sat down on the bed and pulled Andy to stand in front of him.

Andy looked at the door.

"Nope. You are staying right here." Caleb said.

Andy bit his lip and looked down at his feet.

"Kate told me that you were scared I'd not want to stay at your house." Caleb said.

Andy sniffled. "Are you gonna move back here?"

"No." Caleb said. "You are going to get one hell of a spanking and then you and I are going to go back to your house. You'll have to tell your mom what happened but I'm not going anywhere."

Andy tried to step back. "I don't want one of those."

"What did I tell you would happen if you messed with the weapons again? Andy, you better not say that it wasn't a gun or knife." Caleb warned him.

Andy looked at the door again.

Caleb sighed and put him over one of his legs. He swatted him five times and asked him what he said would happen.

Andy screeched and tried to get away. "I'm sorry!"

"You can answer or I can keep doing this." Caleb said. His heart was breaking but he knew Andy was more upset than pained.

"Y..you.. you s..sa.. said I'd get a spankin'." Andy stammered.

"Why did I tell you not to touch the weapons?" Caleb asked.

"Cuz I could get hurt." Andy said.

Caleb swatted him again. "That is putting yourself in danger and doing something you know you aren't supposed to do. Add sneaking around to that. Are those things you know are bad?"

Andy put his hands back. "Yes."

Caleb tapped him. "You can't put your hands back. I don't want to hit them on accident." He pushed Andy's hands away and shifted so that he couldn't put his hands in the way. He chewed the side of his cheek. His dad could lecture the ears off of a kid but he didn't want to do that. He had heard Dean talking to Kate and decided to go that route. "Your mom would be really sad if you got hurt. I'd be really sad too."

"You would?" Andy asked, suspiciously.

"Yeah, I would. So would everyone else. That is why you have to follow the rules." Caleb said.

Andy tried to wiggle away, sure that Caleb was done.

Caleb sighed. "Not yet." He landed a dozen swats, careful not to hit too hard. He sat Andy up and put his arms around him. He felt like trash. He rubbed Andy's back. "No more weapons."

Andy shook his head and held onto Caleb's shirt. "I'm sorry."

Caleb continued rubbing his back. "I know. You scared me. All done now, though."

Andy's sniffles and hiccups died out and his tears dried.

Caleb was glad that Andy was calming down. He shifted and Andy's head rocked to the side. He chuckled and carried him down the stairs.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Did you strangle him?"

Caleb rolled his eyes. "No, he fell asleep."

Dean used his shirt sleeve to wipe a few tears from Andy's face. "Are you heading back to April's?"

"Do you need me to help you pack?" Caleb asked.

Dean chuckled. "No, you have your hands full." He opened the car door for Caleb and clapped him on the back. "I'll be right back."

Caleb put Andy on the seat and covered him with a blanket. He slowly closed the door and turned around to Dean handing him a beer bottle.

Dean stepped back. "If you feel anything like I usually do, you'll need that."

Kate scoffed. "I didn't know you still had feelings."

Dean grabbed her in a headlock. "Enjoy the cute cuddly stage because this is what they turn into."

Kate elbowed Dean in the ribs. "I am this way because you torment me."

Caleb thanked him for the beer. "You do torment her."

Dean threw his hands up in resignation. "If by torment you mean attempt to keep alive."

Kate hugged him. "Same difference."

"Give him hell, Kate."

Kate gave him a thumbs up and stepped out of the way so that he could open his car door.

Dean grunted when she stepped on his foot. He turned around. "Taylor, I need assistance."

Taylor smiled. "With what?"

"Throwing her in the pond."

Caleb carried Andy inside and laid him down on the couch. He called April to check on her. "Do you need me to pick you up?"

April told him that Jody was going to. She could tell something was wrong by the tone of his voice. "Is everything okay?"

Caleb sighed. "Now, yes. Andy has a story to tell you though."

April let out a slow breath. "Great." She buckled Ian into his car seat and sat beside him. "We will be home in just a little bit." She put her phone down and felt of Ian's face. "Thank you for taking us and bringing us back."

Jody smiled. "It is truly no problem at all." She missed Owen being that small. "Is Caleb staying with you?"

April blushed.

Jody's eyes widened. "Oh, no. I wasn't judging. He seems nice."

April relaxed. "He is. He is so good with both boys."

Jody was happy for them. "Sounds like you've needed that."

April rubbed Ian's hand. "I did. We did."

"Did the doctor give you anything to pick up at the pharmacy?" Jody asked.

April nodded. "I can borrow Caleb's car though."

Jody scoffed. "Nonsense. I can run in and give them the prescription."

April thanked her. "I can't get over how nice you are. Well, how nice everyone is."

"Owen talks about Andy nonstop. We are all happy that you all are here." Jody said.

April waited in the car with Ian. He was still running a fever and his cheeks were red. "Oh, bubba. You look awful."

Ian whined and rubbed his ear.

Jody walked out of the store a little while later with several bags in her hands. "The pharmacist knows me so he let me pick up the meds. I got a few other things too."

April looked in the bag. "Jody, let me pay you for this."

Jody smiled. "No. It isn't much. Sick little ones are my weakness."

April gave one of the popsicles to Ian and smiled when he happily chewed on it.

Jody dropped them off at the apartment and helped April get the bags to the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. We should also let the boys play while we catch up."

April waved as she pulled away. She saw Andy asleep on the couch and looked at Caleb.

Caleb felt of Ian's head. "How is he feeling?"

"Rough," April said. "Double ear infection and his throat is red."

Caleb got a handtowel for April's shoulder as the popsicle in Ian's hand dripped.

"What happened with Andy?" April asked.

Caleb rubbed the back of his head. "Our weapons talk last week didn't stick."

April gasped. "He didn't."

Caleb nodded. "I told him he would have to tell you about it."

April shifted Ian onto her hip. "I hope you busted his butt for that."

Caleb grimaced.

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe he would mess with that stuff." April said.

Caleb gently shook Andy. "You've got to wake up, bud."

Andy sat up and whined. He blinked and saw his mom. His eyes grew wide and he sniffled.

April tried to put Ian down but he wanted no part of that. She sighed. "What happened at Bobby's house?"

Andy didn't want more swats. "I touched a weapon."

"What weapon did you touch?" Caleb asked.

"A grenade." Andy said.

April looked at Caleb and then back to Andy.

"Taylor walked in and spooked him so he pulled the pin. He disposed of the grenade and no one was hurt." Caleb said.

April was somewhere between fuming and realizing how dangerous the action was.

Andy saw the look on her face and his lip quivered. "Caleb done gave me a spankin' and I promise I won't ever ever do it again."

April sighed. "Andrew, this better be the last time."

Andy moved to hug her. "I learned my lesson."

April rubbed his back. "Did you apologize?"

Andy looked at Caleb. "I said I was sorry."

"We can give Bobby a call tomorrow and you can apologize to him." Caleb said.

Andy studied his feet again. "I'm really sorry."

Ian sneezed and coated April's hair.

She cringed and wiped his face with the bottom of her shirt.

Caleb grimaced.

April shifted Ian so that she could rinse her hair but he was grumpy and threw himself back.

Caleb offered to take him.

"I'll hurry." April said.

"You can get a shower or whatever. He will be fine." Caleb said.

April decided to take him up on the offer. "Thank you."

Caleb patted Ian's back like he had seen April do. His little face was warm and he rubbed at his ear. "Andy, do you have homework?"

Andy got his backpack. "A tiny bit."

Caleb sat down at the table. "Do you want help?"

Andy placed a small book on the table and read through it. He only needed help with a few words. "Now I have to answer these questions."

Caleb checked his paper. "I think you got it."

Andy smiled and pushed the paper back into his bag. "I want to go to the park."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Well, Ian is sick and after the grenade incident, do you think you earned park time today?"

Andy frowned. "No."

Ian was overtired and increasingly grumpy. Caleb called Dean and asked how to get Ian to sleep.

Dean chuckled. "Try humming. That used to knock Sam out when he was sick." He looked at Kate. "Works for Kate too."

Caleb heard Kate protest in the background and snorted. "Does Dr. Kate have advice on ear infections?"

Kate told him to put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave. "Just be careful because it can get really hot."

Caleb did that and felt of the sock to make sure it wasn't too warm. He put it on the ear that Ian was messing with and hummed a song his mom used to sing.

When April finished her shower, the house was quiet. She entered the living room and grinned. Andy was glued to Caleb's side and Ian was passed out in his arms.

Andy sat forward. "Mama."

Caleb nudged him and looked at Ian.

Andy wiggled off the couch and whispered. "He put rice in Ian's ear."

Caleb chuckled. "Kate said it would work as a heat pack."

April touched Ian's face. He was flushed but sleeping peacefully. "Thank you. Do you want me to take him?"

Caleb shook his head. "He is fine."

Andy followed April. "I'm hungry."

April let him help make spaghetti. She noticed that he was in deep thought. "What is wrong?"

"Can we stay here forever?" Andy asked.

"Oh, I don't know. We will have to move once I'm on my feet." April said.

Andy gave her sad eyes. "Far away?"

"No, I think we can stay in this area. I just think that another family may need this apartment once we are doing better." April answered.

Andy glanced toward the couch. "Can he stay forever?"

Caleb heard Andy's question and it tugged at his heart.

April ruffled his hair. "Why don't you go wash up and then you can help me set the table."

Andy washed his hands and face and stopped by the couch. "Caleb?"

"What is it, buddy?" Caleb asked.

Andy looked at the floor and bit his lip. "You know how you said you'd be sad if I got hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'd be really sad if you leave." Andy said.

Caleb gave him a small smile. "I'll be around."

Andy looked at Ian and then at Caleb. He smiled a little and then went to the kitchen.

### ###

"I'd feel better if we could come with you." Kate said.

Dean poked her in the ribs. "You two have school."

Taylor tapped powder into a shotgun shell and capped it. "We learn quickly. We could make up work."

Dean looked at him. "You aren't helping."

"When you were our age, did you want to go to school? What did you learn in school that made waiting to leave worth it?" Taylor asked.

Dean zipped his duffle. "Dad made me stay in school. I'm making you stay in school. When you get older you can make someone else stay in school. It is tradition."

"If something goes south, I can get there in seconds." Kate said.

Dean sighed. "If we need you, we will let you know."

"You can't let us know if you are in too much danger." Kate said.

Dean stacked a few boxes of ammo. "You have my permission to scry. If you are worried you can scry for five seconds at a time. If you see something that is worrying, you can do the morse code thing to dad. If he confirms that we need help, you will contact Cas. If he does not answer, you may show up. That is to be your absolute last resort and if you use any of those things inappropriately, you will have to deal with me and dad both."

Kate groaned. "Noted."

"Why can't you do that to him?" Taylor asked.

Kate shrugged. "I can't push into Dean's head like I can with John's."

### ###

Ian felt a little better and ate some noodles and bread. He was still cranky and warm.

April gave him some Tylenol for the fever and gave him a bath.

Andy got ready for bed with no complaints and crawled into his bed. "Is the baby okay?"

April sighed. "Yes. He is just sick."

Andy picked a short story and let April go after that. "I love you, mama."

April kissed him. "I love you too." She dressed Ian in his pajamas and got him settled. He almost fell asleep but startled and started crying again.

Caleb could see the dark bags under April's eyes. "You didn't sleep much last night, did you?"

April sighed. "No. He has been sick for a few days."

"Go get some sleep. Ian can hang out with me. I have some research to do." Caleb said.

April wanted to say no, that it was too much to ask of him but her body was exhausted. She kissed Ian's cheek. "Thank you, Caleb."

Caleb patted Ian. "Go get some rest."

Dean got a call after he had been on the road for an hour. "Hey, Caleb."

"I was looking at the stuff that you gave me. If that is a pack of wolves, it is not like any I have come across."

"That is what dad needs backup for. He isn't certain they are werewolves." Dean heard Ian whine and switched his phone onto speaker. "Is Ian still not feeling good?"

"No, I told April to get some sleep. Ian is helping me research." Caleb said.

Dean smiled.

"Don't say anything." Caleb said.

"No, I wasn't going to. I get it. They are something else." Dean said. "I give you grief but this is good for you."

Caleb sighed. "In the way that Kate and Taylor are good for you?"

Dean scoffed. "God, Kate." He shook his head. "Yeah, I guess so. Hunting is one thing but kids are a different kind of difficult. I raised Sam and I think that gave me an edge in some situations but it is different with those two. I'm happy for you."

Ian wrapped his arms around Caleb's neck and laid his head on his shoulder.

Caleb patted him. "I didn't plan on slowing down this fast but dammit if this doesn't make me want to throw it all away."

"You are on protection duty. So, you aren't throwing it all away." Dean reminded him.

"I am still reading through this. Let me know when you get there."

Dean chuckled. "Okay. Sleep when he sleeps."

Caleb rubbed his face. "I plan on it."

### ###

Kate checked in to see that Dean was still on the road. She curled up in her bed and looked into the darkness.

Taylor heard Kate tossing and turning and sighed. "The hunt hasn't even started."

"I am still worried though." Kate said.

"It isn't just Dean and John. They have hunter buddies." Taylor said.

"I don't need you to reason with me. I'm going to be worried regardless." Kate said.

Taylor shrugged. "Worry more quietly."

Kate threw a pillow at him and rolled toward the wall.

Kate opened her eyes and she was in the middle of a room. If she couldn't sleep, she could explore. She just wanted answers. The air was warm but pleasant. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt so it must have been summer. She could feel gravel rocks under her feet and other children playing. The afternoon was interrupted by a distant howl. She knew the howl right away. A flash of black zipped by the playground and into the trees. She heard yelling and then woke up.

Kate ran her fingers down her thigh. The scars were long gone but she could almost feel them. Sometimes, when she couldn't think clearly, she retraced the scars onto her leg. Of course, she healed instantly. She sat up in her bed and grabbed her knife. She had no desire to hurt herself and the knife didn't sting as it replaced the lines. She didn't have a good reason for doing it other than part of her mind needed the lines to be there. She couldn't see in the dark but her brain stopped yelling for a moment. She pulled her covers over her and went back to bed.

Taylor woke up the next morning and stretched. He nudged Kate and told her it was time to get ready for school.

Kate groggily threw her blanket off of her and stood up.

Taylor grabbed her. "Oh my god, your leg."

Kate looked down and gasped. Why didn't it heal.

Taylor called for Bobby before Kate could tell him not to.

Bobby ran up the steps and stopped in the doorway. "What happened?"

Kate sat down on her bed and groaned into her hands. "Long story."

Bobby grabbed the first aid kit. "Make it a short story. Did this just happen?"

Kate shook her head. "No, last night."

"Then why is it still open?" Bobby asked.

Kate was embarrassed and certain Bobby would get upset. "I had a vision about hellhounds and I couldn't get my scars out of my head so I did that but I don't know why it isn't healing because it usually does."

Bobby slowly looked up at her. "It usually does?"

Kate cringed. "When my mind is fuzzy, sometimes I redo the scars."

Bobby wrapped up her leg and sat beside her. "Taylor, go get yourself some breakfast." He took Kate's hand. "Have you done this anywhere else?"

Kate shook her head. "Don't look at me like that. It isn't like I'm just trying to hurt myself."

Bobby sighed. "You are though. If you did that to your leg, that is the definition of hurting yourself."

Kate pulled her hand away and got up. "Well, it didn't hurt. It isn't like I have mental problems."

Bobby could see that he wasn't the person she needed to talk to. "Call Dean."

Kate spun around. "What? No!"

"Then call Sam. I don't think it is as simple as you say it is. I also don't think you need someone to crack down on you for it." Bobby said.

Kate chewed her thumbnail. "They'll think I'm crazy."

Bobby took her phone and dialed Sam's number. "Sam ought to understand."

Sam answered, surprised to get a call from Kate so early. "Hey, bug."

Kate didn't want to talk about it. "Hey, Sam."

Bobby told him that Kate needed to talk about something and asked if he had a moment.

Sam sat up in his bed and pulled a t-shirt over his head. "Yeah, of course. What is wrong?"

Bobby gave Kate space and left the room.

"I cut my leg and Bobby is overreacting." Kate said.

Sam furrowed his brows. "That doesn't sound like Bobby."

Kate let a few tears fall. "I'm not, crazy."

Jess sat up and gave Sam a look.

Sam shook his head and put a finger to his mouth. "Come on, tell me what is going on."

Kate spilled about her habit of redoing the scars and how she didn't want to harm herself or anything. She had no idea why it wouldn't heal and just wanted everyone to forget about it.

Sam sighed. "Okay, I understand. You may not have wanted to injure yourself but your brain is trying to shut itself off. I get it. You aren't crazy. You are human and have been through so much. You feel guilty and worried. I don't know why you had that vision but those scars were a big part of your history. Have you tried drawing them on?"

Kate was surprised that Sam was so calm. "Yeah."

"Henna is a powder that some people use for temporary tattoos. People from India use it for some pretty awesome ones. It leaves a brown or orange stain on your skin for a while. Would something like that help?" Sam asked.

Kate chewed her cheek. "Maybe. Sam, is Dean going to be mad?"

"He is going to be worried about you. You hid that from everyone. However, he isn't going to be angry at you. I know he's big on not putting yourself in harm's way but I think he will understand." Sam said. "Do you know how many times he has scarred up his knuckles from punching a wall when he is scared that one of us is in danger?"

Kate hadn't thought about that.

"You can't keep doing it but I'm glad you told me." Sam said. "People get into car accidents or witness abuse and need therapy. That doesn't make them weak. It just means that those things left a mark. You have really been through it and you are still a kid. I want you to talk to one of us instead of hurting yourself though. I'm going to check in on you and I'll know if you are lying."

Kate scrunched her nose. "You don't have abilities."

Sam chuckled. "No, but I was eleven once."

Jess leaned forward. "Kate, if you ever want to talk I am here. I won't even tell the guys what you said."

Kate grinned. "Thanks, Jess."

Sam scoffed. "No, that isn't how this works."

Jess smiled. "Solidarity Sam."

Kate felt better and could feel the wounds starting to heal. Maybe guilt kept them open. "Can you let Bobby know that I'm okay?"

Sam laid back. "Yeah, I'll call him in a bit."

Jess waited for Sam to hang up the phone and rolled on top of him.

"You can't team up with my sister." Sam said.

Jess grinned. "Why not?"

"She gets herself into enough trouble without anyone helping her." Sam said. He grabbed the back of Jess's thigh.

Jess laughed and kissed him. "You're no fun."

### ###

Dean met up with John and transferred weapons to the hotel room. "How many are there?"

"I don't know for sure. The hearts are classic werewolf kills. Something isn't adding up though." John said.

"Some of them can attack outside of the lunar cycle, right?" Dean asked.

"Purebloods," John answered. He took Dean out to the area that most of the victims had been found in.

Dean picked up the same clues that John did and was just as puzzled. "Henry and Collins have been on this hunt for a while?"

"Henry is the one that called me in. No matter what kind of wolf this is, there is more than one." John said.

"Are you thinking it could be what we've been after?" Dean asked.

"That is one theory." John ran his fingers down a tree that had been tagged by some type of claw.

Dean noted the size of the gouges. "If these are those things, I'm surprised there aren't more people missing. They seem to eat just about anything and never left bodies behind without hearts before."

"To our knowledge." John said.

They pulled off the road and settled in for a late night. If there was an attack, they were hoping to see it and put an end to it. Dean held a silver bullet in his hand. He rolled it around and studied it. "The person who found out silver works was one lucky son of a bitch."

"Unless he just pissed the wolf off." John said.

Dean put the bullet in his gun. He looked out the side window when a trashcan turned over.

A man was walking down the sidewalk. He was twitchy and seemingly paranoid. He jumped when a car went by.

John watched the man.

The man screamed and then disappeared into an alleyway.

John got out of the car and ran over with his gun poised to fire. He knelt down beside the man. It was too late.

Dean joined him and kept an eye out for the wolf. "It looked like he knew it was coming."

John prodded the man's chest. "Ripped the heart right out of him."

### ###

Kate had been a hot mess all day. She had checked in by scrying but nothing was happening. She was sitting at the table eating dinner when worry hit her like a freight train. She searched through Dean's eyes but it was dark. Something was off.

Bobby tapped the table. "You can't keep checking in."

Kate ignored him and pushed harder. She saw John's face and a body on the ground. She heard a scream and Dean's head swiveled toward the sound. Her nose started to bleed from the effort and Taylor knocked her out of the scrying session.

"Hey, he said five seconds." Taylor said.

Kate slammed her fist down on the table and glared at Taylor. "Touch me again and I'll break your hand." She pushed back into Dean's head and saw a figure zip by him and run down the street, only to hear another scream. "Hellhounds."

Bobby handed her a tissue and told her to take a breath.

"It isn't a pack of werewolves. It is a hellhound." Kate said. She was dizzy. "Call John."

Taylor fumbled for his phone. "I'm sorry."

Kate waved him off and coughed.

John's phone buzzed and he answered it. "In the middle of something."

Kate grabbed the phone. "It isn't a werewolf. It is a hellhound."

John froze and whistled for Dean to stop. "How do you know that?"

Kate grabbed her head and hissed.

"Dean told her she could scry a few times. She saw it." Taylor answered.

John waved Dean over. "It is a hellhound."

Dean suddenly connected the dots. "Why are they taking the hearts?"

John heard a noise and told Taylor they'd call back.

Kate was in so much pain that she couldn't hear anything.

Dean made it back to the car and handed John a salt rifle. "Silver isn't going to do us much good."

"It still doesn't make sense," John said.

They tried to meet up with the other two hunters but they wouldn't answer their phones.

Dean shined a light down a trail and saw blood. "That ain't good."

John recognized a strip of cloth belonging to one of the men. "Dammit."

Dean was hit by something and hit the ground with a crunch. He gasped for breath and winced when salt hit him in the face.

John couldn't see the hound but fired off the shot to get it away from Dean. He scrambled to his son's side and helped him sit up.

Dean had lost his gun from the hit and could see it a few feet away, directly below trails of steam, undoubtedly coming from the hellhound's nose. He swallowed hard.

Another scream was heard up the hill. "There's more than one." John said.

Dean was frozen. He had no weapon and no way of seeing if any more were around.

Leaves crunching caused John to turn his head. They had at least two on them.

Dean swore under his breath and pulled his knife out. He said a silent prayer to Cas and held his breath.

A light flooded the street and caused them both to cover their eyes.

"Crowly, get your ass over here!" A woman's voice yelled.

A man in a black suit appeared. "Katelyn, sweetheart, we have talked about this."

"Call off the hounds." Kate hissed.

"I'm not the one who sent them." Crowley said with a smirk.

Kate twisted her hand and sent one of the hellhounds flying.

Crowley tsked and put his hands in his pockets. "You should really teach the girl some manners while you can. All I needed was a please." He flicked his hand and another unseen hound disappeared. He held out his hand so that John couldn't fire the rifle. "Now, now, you can't shoot me after I just saved you."

"The other one too." Kate said.

Crowley rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Peaches, darling, run on home."

Dean jumped when the ground to his side shifted and leaves hit him. How close was the hound to his face?

John was still being held by Crowley and couldn't react. He couldn't see Kate because he couldn't turn his head.

Dean could see her though. He groaned as he tried to stand up. His shoulder was dislocated and he was sure that his shoulder blade was broken.

Kate glared at Crowley and nodded toward Dean.

Crowley gave her a smug look.

"Please, Crowley." Kate said.

"There we go. The magic word!" Crowley said. He touched Dean and healed his arm.

Dean scrambled back and grabbed his own weapon. "What the hell is going on?"

Crowley chuckled. "Good guess. Hell is in fact, going on."

Kate walked into John's line of sight and gave him a strained smile.

John expected normal Kate, not the older version.

"Why are your hellhounds attacking people?" Kate asked.

Crowley rocked onto the toes of his shoes and then back to his heels. "They are my hounds but they are not working on my orders. I do not break the deals that I make. "

Dean scoffed. "You are a demon."

Crowley looked at John. "He's bright, you have to give him that."

John was seething. A demon was that close and he couldn't lift a finger.

"It seems as though some other demon has been reneging on deals and covering it up by removing hearts." Crowley said.

Dean thought that that would explain the signs.

"As you know, I don't like when they do that. No one is going to want to sell their soul if they know that they won't get the reward for it. So, I am here to deal with them." Crowley said.

Kate looked at John. "Let him go."

Crowley scoffed. "He will shoot me. This is a new suit."

Kate gave John a pleading look. "Can you wait to shoot him?"

John glared at him but nodded.

"As I said, I will deal with the miscreants," Crowley said.

"If another one of your mutts goes after any of us,"

Crowley interrupted her. "They'll show up at my doorstep in a doggy bag?" He sighed. "Anyway, lovely chat. I've got demons to do away with."

John stumbled as the last of Crowley's hold on him vanished with him.

Kate hugged Dean and then John.

"What did you do to the hellhound?" Dean asked.

Kate cringed. "You don't want to know."

John held Kate's arm. "How well do you know that demon?"

The look on John's face never failed to send her back to when she was ten years old. "It is a long story."

"That isn't what I asked you." John said.

Dean touched his arm. "Dad."

John rolled Dean's hand off his arm. "I'm waiting."

"We have common enemies." Kate said.

John loosened his grip.

"Our family is," She mimicked Crowley's accent "A massive pain in the arse." She could see that John wasn't as amused as Dean was. "I can't give you details. The time travel thing comes with rules. Don't trust a thing he says but sometimes, in war, an enemy can be a friend."

Kate hugged Dean again. "One of you should call Bobby. Young me is about to have a nervous breakdown."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dean, call."

Dean reached for his phone and patted Kate's arm as she faded.

"That is who you have met with?" John asked.

Dean nodded. "Your death glare still works." He gave John a nervous grin when the glare got turned on him. "Like a charm. Hey, Bobby. Yeah, we are okay. Well, that is a long story. Katie, calm down."

John let Dean do the talking as he tried to make sense of everything. In what world would anyone from his family be even remotely friendly with a demon? What war was she talking about? What enemy could they have that would make Crowley look like a good partner?

Dean assured Kate that they got rid of the hellhounds and they were both in one piece. "I don't have a scratch on me."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Who healed you?"

Dean sat down in the front seat of the car. "A demon."

Kate let out a breath. "That sounds like a long story."

"It is a long story. Dad and I need to find the other two hunters. I want you to get some sleep." Dean said.

Kate groaned. "That isn't fair."

"Yes, it is. You need to rest after scrying that long." Dean said. He spoke to Taylor too and got them both squared away. "I'll call Bobby once we finish up."

John got into the car and stared out the window.

Dean sighed. "I'd like one hunt to go as expected."

"She time travels." John said.

Dean nodded. "I told you about that."

John shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "A damn, demon, Dean."

Dean nodded again. "He is different I guess. He let us out of April's old house. He let the kid go."

John snapped his head around and glared at Dean. "If you ever for a second let your guard down because you want to buddy up to some demon, hell will look like a vacation."

Dean swallowed. "I didn't say I wanted to do that."

John didn't drop his gaze right away.

Dean could feel John's eyes burning holes in the side of his head. "We need to find the others."

John grabbed his rifle and got out of the car. "A damn demon." He muttered as he walked down the trail.

Dean blew air through his nose and locked the car. "Geeze, Kate, just leave me here to deal with him." He mumbled to himself. He snorted and shoved his phone into his back pocket, if John snapped one day and actually strangled him, he was certain it would be Kate's fault.