Author's note. Sorry for the slower update than normal. I am having a bad case of writer's fatigue. Sorry for the shorter chapter.
Kate thought that the bunker needed a radio. At times, it was just too quiet. Part of the issue was that it was massive. Dean and Taylor were in the garage replacing baby's window and John was somewhere. Kate was sitting in the library with a pad of paper on top of the table. She needed to draw but there was a disconnect between her thoughts and her hand. Killing the hellhound was jarring. She didn't regret it. Seeing the claws dig into Dean's chest removed any sympathy she had. It was just the way that it happened. Each time something big or new happened, she felt a little less human.
Dean walked into the library to find John but found Kate instead. He watched her from the doorway.
She had her elbow rested on the table and the side of her head in her palm. She was tapping her pencil against the pad of paper and appeared to be deep in thought. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah." Kate said
Dean turned her chair around. "I don't believe you."
Kate sighed. "You are annoying."
Dean gave her a crooked smile. "I know, so tell me what is going on."
"I can't draw." Kate said. "I want to but everything is fuzzy. I guess it would be like you trying to draw a smell."
Dean shrugged and pulled another chair out to sit down. "I can't even draw a stickman."
Kate grumbled.
"Say something." Dean said.
Kate groaned. "I just can't get some things out of my head but I can't think clearly. I am glad I killed the hellhound. I just can't move past how I did it. The power I felt rushing through me was unnerving. I borrowed some of Taylor's but I didn't think about it. My body just did it. Dean, I don't feel human."
Dean sighed. "You are human, though. Even if you weren't, Cas isn't. Cas is an angel."
"You have even said that you were afraid I would lose what made me.. me." Kate said.
"That isn't what I meant, though." Dean countered.
"It is." Kate said.
Dean chewed the inside of his cheek. "You are cuddly and bubbly. As you get older, I'm sure you'll lose some of that. You'll go through the teenage phase and we will butt heads. You will always be you though. I don't care how powerful you get. I've met you as an adult. You are still you. You still have the same light in your eyes and still try to go toe to toe with dad.
"I'm sure that makes him happy." Kate grumbled.
Dean ruffled her hair. "If you weren't at least a little bit of a pain in the ass, we'd worry."
Taylor finished cleaning the inside of the impala and closed the doors. He wiped his hands on his jeans. He wondered what kind of car he would get to drive when he was older. He had ideas but not everyone just got handed at '67 impala. He had been reading on the drive from Missouri's house to the bunker. Mary's family had a few books on abilities and powers. One was an encyclopedia of known abilities. Well, what was known at that time. Familiars were human/animal hybrids that could shift between their two forms. They were different than skinwalkers and shapeshifters. Then, psychics came in all kinds of flavors. Some could read minds while others could move things with their own mind. He wrote down a few abilities on some scrap paper. He went down the list and checked the ones he knew he had and added a second row for Kate. Phasing through things was something that interested Taylor. He held his hand out and tried to pass through a cup. It didn't work. He could plant memories in people's minds. He smirked and leaned back against the garage table.
Dean was headed to the garage when he heard glass shatter. He rounded the corner and saw the front window of the impala shattered. He blinked and looked at Taylor.
Taylor grinned sheepishly. His eyes grew wide as Dean's face darkened. "No, no, look at it."
Dean turned back around and the window was fine. He whipped his head back around to Taylor. "What did you do?"
Taylor pointed to the book. "I planted memories in Craig's head. I just was wondering if I could do it in real-time and make someone see something that wasn't there."
Dean snorted.
Taylor backed away from him. "Just a prank."
Dean had to admit that Taylor got him.
John heard a strangled scream and laughter. He shook his head and checked it out.
"Help me!" Taylor fought against the headlock that Dean had on him. He managed to knee the back of Dean's leg and get free from his hold. He sped past John and down the hallway.
"What did he do?" John asked with a chuckle.
"Planted an image in my head to make me think that the windshield was broken." Dean said. "I'm going to kill him."
John tossed his duffle into his truck. "Just make it quick. We have to get back on the road."
Kate packed up her drawing supplies and narrowly missed getting tackled by Taylor. A moment later, Dean rounded the corner.
"Where is he?" Dean asked.
Kate shrugged.
Dean cleared his throat. "Taylor, come out here so I can kill you. We are on a time crunch."
Taylor slid into the hallway. "It was hilarious. Admit it."
Dean narrowed his eyes. "Go get in the car."
Taylor inched closer. "If I run by you, are you going to grab me?"
Dean shrugged. He did manage to grab Taylor before he could get away. He put him back in a headlock and kept him there until he tapped his arm. "Pull all the pranks you want, I can still kick your ass."
Taylor popped his neck. "Only because I let you."
John looked up right as Taylor stumbled into the garage.
"I'm riding with you." Taylor said.
John had heard most of what happened. Dean wasn't actually upset and Taylor wasn't actually scared of him. "I should make you ride with him."
Taylor's eyes grew wide. "He will stop beside the road and dump my body in a ditch."
John chuckled. "You did choose a prank that involved his car, right after fixing it from breaking the window in the first place."
Taylor ducked as a paper ninja star was aimed at his head. He didn't escape the second one and rubbed his arm where it hit. He flung it back at Dean. "What are those?"
"Kate folded them. She wouldn't let me use the real ones from the armory." Dean said.
Taylor scoffed. "Kate, the voice of reason." He was hit in the forehead by another star.
Dean smirked. "Good shot."
Kate fist-bumped him. "Who am I riding with?"
"Dean. I don't want to ride with him." Taylor said.
"Wimp." Dean grumbled.
Taylor showed Kate what she did.
Kate laughed. "Oh man, Dean, you should have seen your face." She placed her pillow and blanket in the backseat of the impala. "You'll have to show me how to do that."
Jess marked another day off of the calendar. "I wish it was spring break already."
"Just a few more days." Sam said and kissed her cheek.
Jess wanted to get away from her parents but also really liked Sam's family. At least one of them would call every few days. Sometimes, they'd get to talk to Dean and the kids at the same time. That was always chaotic but she loved it. Her phone buzzed for the fourth time that morning and she ignored it.
Sam frowned. "You should answer her."
"Why?" Jess asked.
"You don't know why she is calling. If she gets too catty I'll create a diversion." Sam offered.
Jess groaned and answered the phone. She didn't care what her mom had to say.
Sam sat down and pulled Jess to sit next to him.
Jess ignored most of what her mom was saying and kept her answers short. When the call was over, she slumped and hung up. "That was a waste of time."
"She will stop calling though." Sam said. If they were not supporting her college education, Sam would have told her to just ignore them. They used the money to control her. "Andy is having a birthday the 13th. Do you want to go look for something to take him?"
Jess leaned her head on Sam. "That is this Wednesday. We won't get it to him in time."
"I don't think he will care if we bring it when we go up there. What kid says no to presents on more than one day?" Sam said.
Jess got up quickly. "Let's go."
Shopping was something that Jess loved to do. Sam didn't but he liked tagging along just to spend time with her. "We are not stopping at the baby clothes."
Jess scoffed. "Yes, we are."
Sam chuckled. Jess had a habit of walking through the baby things. She loved the tiny clothes and shoes. "I'm sure Caleb and April wouldn't mind if you got something for Ian."
Jess grinned excitedly. "Come on then."
Krissy had been with Marie and Rod for a while and settled in nicely. She missed her dad but she was comfortable.
Lee was anxious to get out of jail and pick up his daughter. When he got a phone call, he always called her. She was thriving. It made him feel less guilty for leaving her with them.
Marie adored Krissy although she was rambunctious. She brought a light to the house that had been missing.
Chester was a pony that had been on the farm for years. Krissy loved when she got to ride him. "I wanna see Chester."
Marie put Krissy's shoes and coat on and walked with her to the barn.
Rod was always more than willing to saddle the small pony for Krissy.
Marie went back inside and left Krissy with Rod.
Rod knew that Marie would be sad to see the kid leave. "Did you bring him an apple?"
Krissy struggled to remove the apple from her pocket. She held it out proudly. She fed it to Chester and kissed his nose. "When is dad coming back?"
"I don't know." Rod answered. "He misses you."
Krissy wrapped her arms around Chester's neck. "Can I have him?"
Rod chuckled. "Chester has to stay here but you are welcome to visit any time you want."
Krissy got on the pony and let Rod lead them around.
"We are going to see Taylor and the rest of those guys soon." Rod said.
Krissy hadn't gotten to know them very well but Kate was nice to her. She scrunched her nose and pursed her lips with attitude.
"Now, what is that look for?" Rod asked with a chuckle.
Krissy didn't like John very much. He yelled at her that one time and she still held a grudge.
Rod shook his head. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She was the cutest little girl but had an attitude the size of Texas. She'd cross her arms and pull a face any time things didn't go the way she wanted them to. "I don't know who all will be there but we will have fun."
While on the road, Kate asked how Dean's chest was feeling.
"It is better." Dean said.
Kate offered to take care of the scars.
"We can't have you heal people every time they get hurt. We have to be careful because word gets around. People may wonder why I don't have scars." Dean said.
Kate smirked. "How many people do you intend to show your chest to?"
Dean flicked her ear. "I'm not talking about just my chest."
Kate rubbed her ear and flicked him back. "Fine. I get what you mean." She felt lighter and her brain fog started to lift. She got her drawing pad out and relaxed so that her mind would tell her what to draw. She drew the stream. The stream just looked like any other stream. There were weeping willows draping their branches across the stream. Some even dipped into the water. They reminded her of the grandmother tree from Pocahontas. Rocks disrupted the flow of water. At one spot in the stream, the rocks were situated in a way that created a slow spinning pool. This is where the orbs would end up. They'd spend a few moments in the pool before drifting farther down the stream. She wondered what was on either side of the pool. She knew there was a meadow before the stream but hadn't explored elsewhere. She and Taylor would need to do that.
Dean glanced at the paper every now and then. Kate was so talented and it was effortless. "What are you drawing?"
"The stream." Kate said.
"It looks peaceful." Dean commented.
"It is. I don't know if it is a set place or I just see a stream because part of me remembers something or what." Kate said.
Dean processed that sentence and shrugged. "That is all above my paygrade."
"Mine too." Kate said with a sigh. She turned the page and started doodling again.
Dean caught Kate's head before she headbutted the dashboard. He slowed down and put a jacket behind her head so she could rest against the window. He half-smiled when she made a face and let her head rock forward. At least she was asleep and not passed out. They still had several hours to go and she desperately needed the rest.
Taylor kept reading as they drove. He combed through each journal for clues. "I'd like to meet the being that cooked all of this up."
John nodded. "I do wonder what else is out there. Are there more families like ours?"
"Maybe this is a fever dream and we will all wake up." Taylor said as he looked out the window.
"That would put you back in the house with Craig."
Taylor flipped a journal page. "Well then the fever dream is better than real life."
John turned the music off. "What happened, Taylor."
"I told you." Taylor said.
"No, you told me something happened. You told me a little bit of what happened." John said.
"I don't see you running around telling us your life story."
John slowed the truck down and cleared his throat. "Do we need to make a stop?"
Taylor sat up straight. "No sir." He palmed his forehead. "I am so sorry. I am just bitter and I didn't even realize."
John nodded slowly. "If you are not going to tell me, that is your right."
"Some things just change the way people look at you." Taylor said.
John tapped his fingers on the wheel. "Like pity?"
"Yes." Taylor said.
"I'm not going to do that to you. I know you had a rough childhood. I'm not going to baby you because I feel bad about something that happened." John said.
Taylor sighed. "I wouldn't be against some free passes."
John snorted. "I think you got your free pass this week."
Taylor grimaced. "Maybe so."
"Am I too much of a hardass?" John asked.
Taylor gave him an odd look. "No. See, if Kate was here she would have said yes."
John chuckled. "I have high expectations but I do not want you to look at me the way you looked at Craig. I am human and I will and have made mistakes."
Taylor clicked the pen he had in his hand and acted like he was looking for a clean sheet of paper.
John smacked the back of his head. "If you write that down I'm going to pull the truck over."
Taylor grinned.
"I'm going to separate you and Kate." John grumbled.
Taylor relaxed. "I'm sorry."
John shook his head. Taylor being able to joke around with him meant he trusted him. "Stop deflecting and talk to me."
Taylor groaned. "What do you want me to say?"
John knew that David's time in lock up was coming to an end. He wanted to know some of what happened so that he had a better feel for just how messed up he was. "I'm not going to repeat anything."
Taylor tapped the pen on the edge of the journal. "I think he knew something wasn't normal about me."
"I may ask some base questions." John said. "Did he ever.."
"Bad touch me? No. Not like that." Taylor said.
John let his shoulders relax slightly. "He just tortured you."
"Yup." Taylor said. "I thought it was because I annoyed him. You know how an older brother may do things to a younger one for the hell of it. Stuff like tripping them or putting hot sauce on their toothbrush."
"Yes." John said.
"Well, I didn't really know what was normal and what wasn't. I knew he was mean. Lately, I have looked back and I think he knew something and was trying to prove it." Taylor said.
"How would he have known and not your mom?" John asked.
"Who knows what my mom knew. I just thought we were a normal family with an abusive dad until suddenly we weren't." Taylor said. He pulled at the strings that crisscrossed the hole in the knee of his jeans.
Part of John wished he could go back and not kill Craig, just so he could beat the shit out of him. "What did he do to you?"
"You know the standard burns, hitting me, cutting me, shocked me a time or two." Taylor said. He stopped messing with the strings and started picking at a dry spot on the palm of his hand.
"Those are things that POWs are subjected to." John said.
Taylor chewed his cheek and took a deep breath. "I have a theory."
"What is that theory?"
"What if my mom did know somehow? Or what if David found out and the reason he hates me is that I got the abilities and he didn't. The common bloodline is through my mom. Then as we got older, he wanted to know what I was and why he wasn't able to do anything." Taylor said.
"Taylor?" John said.
"Yes, sir?" Taylor asked, tentatively.
"Have you been deep diving in memories lately?" John asked.
Taylor fidgeted with his thumbnail.
John tapped the breaks.
"In a way. Not in his head though. I promise I haven't messed with David." Taylor spat out.
"Then what?" John asked.
"The stream." Taylor said with a grimace.
"You were able to look through memories there?"
"Yes." Taylor said. "I'm sorry."
"Well, I wish you would tell us if something like that comes up." John said. "Right now you are talking. I'm not angry."
"That stream has memories that are related to both of us and some that are only related to each of us. I don't know what else is there. The ones that are for me are a little hazy. I was able to look at some memories from a different point of view and it made things more noticeable."
"Would this have happened before you got into that argument with Kate?" John asked in a growl.
Taylor shifted. "I don't think this conversation is going well for me."
"Taylor, I whipped you for it already. Just get everything off your chest now because I may change my mind if you keep anything else from me." John said.
"So I just saw some stuff and it did make me irritable. I didn't mess with his head or make him see things that weren't there or anything."
John narrowed his eyes slightly. "Continue."
"I realized what I was seeing was messing with me so I stopped." Taylor said.
"Until?" John asked.
Taylor swallowed. "I was just cross-referencing something."
John stopped the truck before Taylor said anything else.
Taylor froze.
John turned in his seat. "What did you cross-reference?"
"Can't we keep driving?" Taylor asked.
"No, because I'm close to taking my belt to your ass again if you don't give me an honest report right now. You are choosing your words carefully and not answering the question." John said.
"I found something in one of the journals that mentioned siblings." Taylor said. "The Campbell family had a few people that were believed to be psychic. One wound up in a mental hospital. Another left home when they were young. Even in the older journals, not many couples had that many kids. A set of twins were born and only one showed signs that something might be wrong with them. Overall, it didn't seem like the family had the best view of abilities."
John nodded for him to continue.
"We were looking at Mary's room and I started thinking. I was just reading and one thing made me wonder about David knowing he didn't have abilities. That sent me down that rabbit hole. The other was about Mary and her brother. I can't find where her brother went but that isn't what made me think." He sighed. "The room looked like a safe room so that she could hide if something attacked."
"Yes." John said.
"What if it was meant to keep her in?"
John rubbed his face. That thought made him sick but it also made some sense.
Taylor let John process and then slowly closed the journal on his lap. "Can we drive now?"
"Why did you act guilty?" John asked.
"I didn't really want to think something like that without proof but also... can I be honest for a moment?" Taylor said.
"Yes." John said.
"You did threaten to take your belt to me. I can be brave in a lot of situations but I'd really like to avoid that. I think you have misread my guilt as my deep deep desire to not get my ass handed to me again." Taylor said.
John let out a slow breath of air. "Why didn't you talk before I threatened you?"
Taylor ran his fingers over the journal's cover. "I was trying to think."
John thought for a moment. "Your thinking looks a whole lot like Dean's guilt."
Taylor tilted his head. He could see why John thought he had done something. "I have kept my hands and thoughts to myself about David. Yes, I did go looking. My stuttering was because of the Mary thing."
John nodded. "Then I apologize for the misunderstanding." He saw Taylor's thumb go toward the top of his pen. "Boy, you are on thin ice."
Taylor grinned sheepishly. "Dean and Sam both whine because you were, by their words, a hardass when they were younger. I just think that it is worth noting."
"You can gloat without writing it down." John grumbled. "I'm just about tempted to call Dean to see if Kate is still in the car because you sound a whole lot like her right now."
Taylor gasped. "We can't give her that idea."
John raised an eyebrow.
"If she gets mad she could make me say things that are actually her words but I would get blamed for them." Taylor said.
"So if either of you cop an attitude I should just whip you both to make sure the guilty party is included?" John asked with a smirk.
Taylor looked horrified. "Now, I never said that."
John opened Taylor's water bottle and smelled of the liquid.
Taylor put the lid back on.
"I was half suspecting that to be liquor," John said.
Taylor scoffed. "Like I'd be stupid enough to drink while in the vehicle with you."
John raised both eyebrows. "Have you been drinking?"
Taylor shook his head. "No, sir." He rubbed his eyes. "I got the rest of my energy back and I feel really good."
John chuckled and got back on the road. He could have chosen to count some of that conversation as disrespect but he just felt like it was a form of trust that Taylor had been able to hold onto. Now, if he found any written notes he was going to kill the kid.
Andy woke up on his birthday with bright eyes and a huge smile. He jumped out of bed and ran to wake Caleb and April up.
Caleb jumped out of bed when something hit the door. He unlocked it and wasn't expecting to see Andy sitting on the floor. "What in the world?"
"I was going to wake you up. Why is the door locked?" Andy asked as he rubbed his head.
Caleb cringed. "Uh, Happy birthday, buddy."
Andy forgot about hitting the door and jumped on the bed. "Momma, I'm seven!"
April hugged him. "You are! How did that happen? Just yesterday you were a tiny baby." She tried to cradle him.
Andy flailed and laughed. "No, I'm not a baby."
Caleb lifted him by his feet and dropped him on the foot of the bed. "Do you feel older yet?"
Andy felt of his chest and sides. "Nope."
Caleb rubbed his lower back. "I think I do."
Ian rolled out of his bed and toddled into the room. He climbed on the bed and bounced on his feet.
Caleb lifted both boys into his arms. "If you two don't stop jumping, the neighbors are going to think we have monkeys in here." He spun around, making both of them giggle.
April just watched them. When she was a little girl, she dreamed of having a house of her own with a husband and kids. She dreamed of waking up to laughter and so many other things. It was just odd seeing those dreams come true in real-time.
Speaking of a house of their own, Caleb had been trying to find another place to live. With his job, he was making a decent amount of money. They couldn't stay in the apartment forever because another family would need it someday. Bobby was helping him look at places and narrow down which houses would be a good fit. He sat Andy on top of the table and grabbed the pans for a pancake breakfast. He had wanted kids but always saw himself as a hunter. Then, he was worried that he'd struggle with being a father to the boys. However, he felt right at home with Ian on his hip as he warmed up the stove.
Andy swung his feet. "I want sprinkles."
Caleb nodded. "Of course. What are birthday pancakes without sprinkles?"
April offered to take Ian from Caleb. He was getting so big so fast. His little feet outgrew the shoes that they had gotten only weeks before. His hair was getting longer and was starting to get caught in his eyelashes. "I think someone needs a haircut."
Andy ran his fingers through his own hair. "Dean cuts hair."
Caleb laughed. "He cuts his own hair."
"Karen offered." April said.
"Karen it is then." Caleb announced. "I should get mine cut too."
"After school though." April said. She kissed Andy on the top of the head. "You should get ready while the pancakes are cooking."
Andy ran off to get dressed and made a pitstop in their bedroom. He grabbed a glass bottle from Caleb's dresser and put a little in his hand.
April smelled him as soon as he walked back into the kitchen. "Did you get into Caleb's cologne?"
Andy nodded. "Just a tiny bit."
Caleb made a face. "That seems like more than a tiny bit."
Andy shrugged. "I like how it smells."
Caleb handed April the spatula and walked Andy to the bathroom. "Let's get some of this off of you."
Andy frowned. "Why?"
"You won't be able to taste your food with how strong that is." He used a warm cloth to wipe Andy's neck and arms. "Ask me next time. I don't mind you using it but you just have to use the tiniest amount."
Andy grinned. "Now that I am seven do I have to shave my face?"
Caleb chuckled. "No buddy. That is when you are 17." He tossed the wet cloth into a clothes basket and turned the bathroom light off. He felt another cold chill in the living room and slowly looked around. He grabbed an emf meter but the chill and any sign of a ghost were gone before he got back.
Bobby stopped by after Andy went to school. They had gotten him a bunk bed and Caleb needed help putting it together while Andy was at school.
Karen brought her scissors and trimmed Ian's hair. She took a lock of it and put it in a bag for April to keep. "He looks so much older now."
April looked at Ian's face and got a little sad. The short hair did make him look older. "We would have to put bows in his hair if we didn't cut it."
Karen caressed the side of Ian's cheek. "He is still precious."
While Bobby was in Andy's room with Caleb, Caleb asked him something. "The other day when I said the window had a draft. Do you think it was just a draft?"
"I don't know." Bobby said. "As a hunter, I always worry about sudden cold spots."
"The emf reader didn't pick up anything." Caleb said.
Bobby rubbed his chin. "Maybe it is just a breeze."
April and Karen decorated the house for Andy's small party after school. "Thank you again."
Karen hugged her. "It is no problem at all." She excused herself to use the restroom and gasped as she walked through the living room. She blinked and looked out the window. She put a hand over her chest and continued toward the bathroom.
Bobby saw her when she walked out of the bathroom. "How is it looking?"
Karen looked at Andy's bedroom. "Oh, he is going to love that. You got a blanket with those robots."
"Transformers," Caleb said. "He will have to show you what they do." He heard April call for him and left the room.
Bobby wrapped an arm around Karen. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Karen shivered. "I could have sworn I just did."
Bobby put his hands on either side of her arms. "What do you mean?"
"I think I just miss Lauren. I was headed back here and must have caught my own reflection." Karen said.
Caleb stopped in the living room and slowly blew warm air out of his mouth and watched it billow and swirl in front of his face. "Okay, that is no breeze."