Author's note: I try to proofread but typos slip by. I go back and listen to each chapter and that helps catch a few more. Please bear with me. I can spell, I just can't type.

Taylor woke up and took a shower while Andy was still asleep. He got Andy up and got him dressed and down the stairs for breakfast.

Kate jumped up and shook Taylor. "Guess what!"

Taylor blinked. "What?" His eyes widened. "Where did those come from?"

Kate looked around Taylor at a shellshocked Andy. She gently pushed his chin up. "If you keep your mouth opened like that you will catch flies. Gabriel visited me last night. The wings aren't like Cas's wings. They just look cool."

"I want wings." Taylor said.

Kate smirked smugly. "Maybe you can have some for your birthday."

Andy finally found his voice. "Do they hurt?"

"They did at first but now it just feels like sunlight." Kate said.

Karen brought Ian into the kitchen to fix him something to eat.

Ian saw the wings and screamed. He shoved his face into Karen's robe and cried.

Kate pulled the wings in. "Oh no!"

Dean flicked her. "You scared the baby."

Kate patted Ian's back. "I'm sorry. It is just wings."

Ian gave her a sour look and laid his head on Karen.

Kate sighed. "I guess not everyone is a fan."

Dean held up his phone. "Dad is on his way back." He nudged Kate. "Wait until he hears you made a deal for those."

Kate gasped. "I didn't!"

Dean smirked.

Kate bounced on her toes and whined. "You said no pranks today."

Dean's eyes twinkled. "Who said it was a prank?"

Andy ate breakfast and got his stuff together. "Are my mom and dad coming back today?"

"They are headed back today." Dean said.

Taylor opened the front passenger door and got in.

Dean snapped his fingers. "Andy gets the front seat."

Taylor acted hurt and then poked Andy. "Just this once."

Andy grinned brightly and took the seat that Dean had designated for him.

Kate was so excited about the wings but knew she couldn't show anyone. Gabriel said she couldn't fly but she did wonder if they served a purpose. She had gotten a new notebook and designated it to research and information about what she was and who she was. She developed a code language so that no one would know what the words meant if the book got stolen or taken by a teacher.

Ellie ran up and hugged Kate. "Happy birthday week!"

Kate thanked her. As they were walking she heard a new student ask for help finding a certain room. She stopped and gave her directions.

Ellie stared at Kate. "How did you understand her?"

Kate tilted her head. "She asked where the music room was."

"Yeah, but how did you understand her?" Ellie asked.

Kate slowed down and thought about it. The girl hadn't spoken English but Kate understood her perfectly. "Oh, uh, I recognized the word for where and music."

"You are so smart." Ellie said.

Kate wasn't even sure what language the girl was speaking yet she knew what she meant. It felt like the time that she suddenly learned how to read Gaelic. She did soak up information at a quicker pace as time went by. Maybe she really had learned a few phrases from a show or book.

Andy told his teacher all about the wedding and how happy he was that Caleb was his dad. He told her that he was going to be adopted and got to walk his mom down the aisle.

The teacher was happy for him too. "That is wonderful, Andy."

Jimmy Morris had to put in his two cents and that irritated Andy.

At recess, Owen asked if Andy wanted to do anything about the comment. "He can't say stuff like that."

Andy really did want to punch Jimmy but he shook his head. "I think I would just get in trouble and Jimmy would keep saying stuff."

"Are you sure? I can punch him." Owen said.

Andy considered it. "No. I'll just tell my dad what he said. I don't want to get fussed at for punching him."

Owen sighed. "Okay."

Dean picked all three kids up after school. "Andy, they are about two hours away. You'll hang out with us for a little bit and then I can take you home."

Andy couldn't wait for them to get back. He missed both of them but he was glad they got to have fun.

Kate found Bobby as soon as she got to the house. He was outside in the shop. She asked him how he was doing in Japanese.

Bobby looked up and answered her. He had learned Japanese when he was younger but he didn't know Kate had been learning. "When did you learn that?"

"This morning," Kate said. She repeated the statement in Mandarin, Spanish and German.

Bobby wiped his hands on a grease rag. "What do you mean this morning?"

"A new girl asked for help finding the music room. She was of Asian heritage but I don't know exactly what she was speaking. I understood it and my answer came out in the same language." Kate said.

"Well, that is handy. I've got an entire shelf of books written in languages that I can't read." Bobby said.

Kate heard John's truck and ran outside. She waved and waited for him to get out of the truck.

John gave her a one-armed hug and walked her inside. "I will be going with Castiel to take care of that creature. Marty gave me a long list of precautions to take."

Kate squeezed him. "Oh my gosh, I'm so excited."

John ruffled her hair. "To be clear, this is for research. This is not a gift."

Kate shrugged.

Dean stretched. "She has something to tell you."

Kate rolled her eyes. "He makes it sound bad." She let her wings out and spun around.

John stared at her. "When did that happen?"

"Last night." Kate said.

"Tell him how you got those." Dean said in a low tone.

Kate gasped when John's face turned to stone and he took a step toward her. She squeaked and dove behind Dean. "No! It isn't bad! Dean, tell him."

Dean chuckled. "Gabriel visited. No deals were made to my knowledge."

John narrowed his eyes.

"It is April fool's day. He is being mean. I promise I didn't make a deal." Kate said.

"Then how did you get them?" John asked.

"Gabriel came to me in a dream. I made a comment about wanting wings and then he gave them to me. They just look cool." Kate said.

John walked by them and smacked Dean's head.

Dean rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"Making me angry." John said with a chuckle.

Dean drove the boys back to the apartment when he got a message from Caleb.

Andy bailed out of the car and jumped into Caleb's arms. "I missed you."

Caleb hugged him. "We missed you too."

April hugged Andy and took Ian from Dean. "Did they give you all any trouble?"

Andy shook his head quickly. "Noooo. I didn't even punch Jimmy Morris today and I really wanted to."

Dean told them both boys were little angels.

When they went inside, Andy told them about what Jimmy said. "It made me really mad but I told Owen I would tell you."

Caleb sighed. "That kid just doesn't stop, does he?"

Andy shook his head.

"I will talk to the school when I drop you off tomorrow." Caleb said. It was such a normal and mundane issue that it felt strange.

#### ###

Days slipped by and suddenly it was Kate's birthday. She got woken up by the customary loud music and a delicious stack of pancakes from Karen. She got a few small things that she asked for but she didn't want much. She wanted time to work with Marty. She had been reading through Neurology textbooks and was vibrating with excitement over what they may discover with the creature's brain. "Wouldn't it make more sense for Taylor and me to try our abilities on it first?"

John sighed. "It is still incredibly dangerous. This is the first step."

Kate frowned. "We need to look at the body too. The brain only gives us a small picture."

John shook his head. "The choice has been made. The body would be difficult to store. That would leave Marty liable if someone found it."

Kate started to say something but shut her mouth. She didn't want to get the opportunity taken away all together.

"Thank you for dropping it. I know it is exciting and you will have time to do more research later on." John said.

Dean was sitting on the couch with his head leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. He scoffed. "Thank you for dropping it? I would have gotten dropkicked with that first argument."

John threw an empty water bottle at Dean's head. "Do you want a ribbon for the child with the most unfair life?"

Dean crushed the water bottle and put the lid back on it. "I'll display it proudly."

### ####

Sam and Jess got back into their classes and had a good schedule. Sam had to admit that coming home to Jess in the afternoons was incredible. It was like all of his worries and stress melted away as soon as he walked through the door. He had called Kate on his walk back to the house and wished her a happy birthday. He was going to let Jess tell her happy birthday too but the house was too quiet when he got home. "Bug, I'll have her call you back." He found Jess laying on their bed. "Hey, what is wrong?"

Jess shook her head and pulled a blanket over her.

Sam sat down and rubbed her side. "Are you crying?"

Jess didn't want to talk about it. She was frustrated and hated that she was so emotional.

Sam pulled the blankets back and slid into the bed beside her. "Talk to me."

"Leave me alone." Jess said.

Sam wrapped an arm around her. He stopped asking questions but didn't leave her side.

Jess eventually rolled over and hid her face in his chest. "My mom said some horrible things and I'm having trouble with it."

Sam rubbed her arm. "What did she say?"

Jess shook her head. "I don't want to repeat all of it. I think my dad is going to leave her and she is blaming me for being such a disappointment."

"Do you want me to get rid of her?" Sam asked.

Jess smiled into his chest. "Yes."

Sam rested his chin on her head. "You know that she just says stuff and it isn't true."

"She said that I'm throwing my life away by being with you. She said that I'd wind up pregnant and they'd cut me off. You'd get rid of me because you wouldn't want a kid and I'd wind up homeless." Jess said.

"Well, that is quite the jump." Sam said. "I'm sorry that she feels that way. If you somehow did wind up pregnant I wouldn't leave you. I guess we'd wind up homeless together but that is okay because I have survival training."

Jess playfully smacked Sam's chest. "Sam, I'm being serious."

Sam squeezed her. "I'm not going anywhere. If they cut you off, we will handle it."

"Stanford is expensive," Jess said.

"I said we would handle it. Just so you know, if something happened, my family would take you in. If I got hurt or worse, they wouldn't think twice about it." He pulled a face. "I'm pretty sure if we broke up, they'd kick me to the curb and keep you."

Jess laughed.

"So don't worry. Your mom is hateful and nothing she says holds any weight." Sam said.

Jess felt better and fell asleep in his arms.

Sam adjusted the blankets and his pillow. His arm was going to be asleep soon but he didn't care.

### ###

Castiel had been keeping an eye on the place that Naomi said belonged to the man that created the freaks. The windows were all covered and movement around the building consisted of people passing by and delivery of groceries once every two weeks. He had seen someone exit the building twice with a mysterious package each time. He could not enter the building. The place was warded in several layers. If Naomi was telling the truth, the original creator could still be alive and using the building as a safe house against hellhounds and demons.

2002 Crowley had been tracking the building as well. Something, besides Kate, had made dinner of a few hounds. At that time, Crowley hadn't met older Kate or learned much about the creatures that had spread. He did know the name of the man that had a demonic warrant out for him. Sometimes people ran from their deals. Some lasted an extra week but no one had lasted years. Kate was a potential problem for him. He needed to keep her in check but also needed to figure out what those creatures were. A collaboration could prove useful on both fronts. Daddy Winchester would never let his princess collaborate with a demon, such as himself, but he would find a way around that.

Friday morning, John and Castiel returned to the holding facility. "Is Naomi still alive?"

"She is in a state of stasis," Castiel said.

"Why is she still alive at all?" John asked.

"She may have more information."

John unlocked the door to the creature's cell and was met with an ear-piercing screech. The sound was similar to a mountain lion's scream and could easily be mistaken as such. The shrill sound would put anyone on high alert but preparing for a mountain lion attack would look much different than preparing for a creature attack. He was unsure if the screech was a form of communication or a reaction to having someone in the room. Was the creature warning others or was it afraid? He wasn't an expert but it looked angry, not scared. He had hours and hours of security footage to show Marty. They could study the creature's behavior without having Marty or the kids close to the actual creature. He was in frequent contact with Matt and the creature issue over there had been managed by strict curfews and extra floodlights.

Castiel quickly separated the creature's head from its body. That had been decided on as the best plan of attack.

The head was placed in a special box and sealed. It would be opened with a vent so that toxins wouldn't spread.

"It looks like beheading works." John said.

Kate was a ball of nerves and excitement. They agreed to begin the research on Friday so that she could help until Sunday afternoon. That also allowed Marty more privacy at the lab. She hit the door as soon as the last bell sounded.

Dean cringed. "Do I need to talk to you about slamming baby's doors?"

Kate apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm so excited!"

Taylor was slower getting to the car. "My head hurts because you wouldn't shut up all day."

Kate blushed. "I'm excited!"

"Are you sticking around to poke at a brain or do you want to go with me?" Dean asked.

Taylor yawned. "I'll go with you." He looked at Kate. "Stay out of my head or I'm putting cat litter in your shoes."

Kate grinned. "Okay."

Dean dropped Kate off at the lab and asked John if he was needed. He had a list of things to get for John and handed Taylor the list. "Decide the best route."

Taylor looked at the list and decided which stores they needed to go to. He planned a route and told Dean where to go.

Kate slid into Marty's office. "I'm here!"

Marty laughed. He gave her a few layers of personal protective equipment so that nothing from the head could pass through to her eyes, nose, or skin. When he removed the lid to the box he gasped.

Kate was unphased because she had seen them in visions.

Marty got everything set up and scanned the head before removing the tissues.

Kate watched the monitor and made notes. It was certainly different than a typical human brain. "Vampires and werewolves are both humanoid creatures so their brain structure would be human."

The structure was human but warped. The density in several sections was less than it should be. Marty used a cranial saw to remove the top part of the head.

Kate watched every movement. She had theories but just had to wait to test them.

The brain was a different color than a typical brain. It was darker and the tissue was shriveled.

John tapped on the window. "Let me know when to pick her up."

Marty waved him off and went back to work.

### ###

Gordon spoke to David more than once. He wanted to be sure that he got all the details before hunting Taylor down. Sure, most hunters would think twice since Taylor was a kid but a young monster was still a monster.

David had told him that he had been working with a couple of demons to figure out what Taylor was.

Gordon set up a devil's trap and summoned a demon. He tortured it until it spilled. There was talk around hell about Taylor. He also found out a few things about Kate. It seemed that the Winchesters were hiding a lot from the rest of the world.

Taylor shoved a box into the backseat of the impala. They were almost done with errands. "I think I'm going to go bow hunting soon. I'm sure we could use a deer or two."

"Let Bobby know. He is an excellent hunter, of the supernatural and the Bambi variety." Dean said. He looked at the list. "One more store and then I say we hit up the pizza parlor."

Taylor fist-bumped him.

They were a few miles out of town when the engine started to stall. Dean patted the dashboard. "Oh, come on baby."

Taylor felt a demonic presence and tapped Dean. There was a woman standing in the middle of the road. "That is a demon."

Dean groaned. "Figures."

The demon walked up to the car and motioned for Dean to roll the window down. "Dean Winchester, aren't you just scrumptious."

Dean raised the knife. "This kills demons. What do you want?"

The woman waved at Taylor. "I've come to help you."

"With what?" Dean demanded.

"My name is Meg. It is nice to meet you. Geesh, Dean, some conversation wouldn't hurt you."

Dean pressed the tip of the knife to her chest. "Talk."

Meg stepped back. "Word around hell is that Taylor, here, has a hunter on his ass."

Taylor got out of the car before Dean could grab him.

"Get back in the car," Dean growled.

Meg put her hands up. "No need to worry. I can't lay a finger on Taylor."

Taylor approached her. "How do you know about the hunter?"

"One of my buddies got summoned. They had a nice chat. He spiled some secrets so now my boss is pissed." Meg said.

"Taylor, get in the car," Dean repeated.

Taylor ignored him. "Who is your boss?"

Meg smirked at Taylor. "I'd do as he said. We can still chat."

Taylor made eye contact with Dean and then got back into the car.

"Crowley." Meg said. "The name should ring a bell."

"Why would Crowley care?" Dean asked.

Meg shrugged. "Consider it an olive branch. A gift of sorts. Anyway, he knows about Kate too." She bit her lip and winked at Dean. "Lighten up, grumpy. Your face is so much prettier when it isn't so scrunched up."

Dean swung but she was gone.

Taylor was quiet as he processed what Meg had said.

Dean started the car again and pulled away. What was going on? Why were demons helping them?

Taylor slowly turned his head to look at Dean. "Was she... was she hitting on you?"

"Taylor, I swear to god if you make a comment I'm going to stop the car and kick your ass." Dean growled.

Taylor blinked.

"Maybe I should since you not only got out of the car but ignored me when I told you to get back into the car." Dean said.

"I am sorry. Gordon is after us. How does he even know enough to come after us?" Taylor asked. His face darkened. "David."

Dean grabbed Taylor's arm. "Taylor, cool it." When Taylor didn't respond, Dean called John.

Taylor was so out of it that he didn't feel the hand pulling him out of the car. He didn't hear John's tone and didn't mean to swing at him.

John dodged the punch and spun Taylor around so his arm was behind him and he was pressed to the side of the car. "Taylor!"

Taylor suddenly realized what was going on.

John felt Taylor's body relax and spun him back around.

Taylor blinked. "Oh god. I tried to hit you."

John nodded.

Dean rubbed his lip that had swollen considerably. "Did more than try with me."

Taylor's mouth dropped open. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He looked around. "We are home."

"Yup." Dean said.

"Dean, go inside. I'm going to talk to Taylor." John said.

Taylor just knew he was going to get his ass beat. He messed up.

John snapped his fingers and directed Taylor to the shop. "Sit."

Taylor sat on the work table. "I am so sorry."

"I don't want to hear an apology. I want to know what happened." John said.

Taylor rubbed his face. "A demon showed up and told us that a hunter had summoned a demon to get information on us. I think David is helping Gordon."

John saw Taylor's eyes start to turn blue again and shook him.

Taylor grabbed the sides of his head. "Help."

John opened the shop door. "Run."

Taylor didn't expect John to run with him. "How many laps?"

"Just run." John said.

Dean called Kate to tell her what Meg said.

"So how did Gordon find out about me? Are we assuming this is Gordon hunting us?" Kate said.

"We are assuming a lot. I haven't had a chance to ask those questions. Taylor kind of lost it." Dean said.

Kate got details from Dean. "Where is Gordon?"

"I don't know," Dean said. "Make sure the doors are lucked just in case."

Kate tapped her fingers. "So a demon hit on you too?"

Dean sighed. "Shut up."

Ellen got the alert from Dean and started trying to track Gordon down. She couldn't make a scene because not all hunters could be trusted. She asked Ash to track him down using a card that he had used at the Roadhouse. "You keep those kids safe."

Dean sighed deeply. "Ellen, you may want to keep a close eye on Jo too. He knows that she is Taylor's sister."

Ellen bristled. "If he sets foot in here I'll blow his head off."

Dean chuckled. "I don't doubt it. Uh, do you mind explaining this to her? If you put her on lockdown she is going to push back unless she knows why."

Ellen smiled. "You worry about your girl, I've got a handle on mine."

Digging around in the creature's brain told them a few things when they referenced what they knew about the behaviors. The creature likely felt no fear. Its metabolism would skyrocket when it ate. That was why it had so little body fat. What they didn't know, was why it stayed muscular when it hadn't had access to food for weeks. The brain was more animal-like than human in a lot of ways. It would take time to fully study it. Marty needed time to look at the scans before they took the thing apart.

"I will read a little more and then I'll be back tomorrow." Kate said.

"I will run these samples so that they are ready for the morning." Marty said.

Dean left to pick up Kate but stopped to ask John if everything was okay.

John stopped Taylor. "I'm running him until he can talk."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to survive that?"

"I am in good shape. If he is still running when you get back you can run with him instead of running your mouth."

Dean nodded. He turned the car on and shut the door. "The old man's still got it."

Kate shifted from creature worries to Gordon worries. "I can scry." she said as she slid into the front seat.

"No. We are running off the words of a demon. Gordon is an issue either way but he may be expecting interventions." Dean said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. They were going to have to get Taylor and Kate on the same page or everything was going to blow up.

Kate chewed on her knuckle. "We have to act before he does."

"Katelyn, we are going to drive to the house and talk as a family." Dean said. "If you try anything before then you will get it from me and then turn around and get it from dad."

Kate frowned. "I won't."

Dean eyed her. "Taylor is struggling to keep it together. Dad has him running. His eyes are flashing. I need you to be the calm one this time."

Kate sighed. "I will. I promise."

John's chest was on fire but he was determined to run with Taylor.

Taylor could sense John slowing down and stopped. "I think I'm okay."

"Kate and Dean are on their way back. We need to sit down and talk about this sensibly." John said.

Taylor groaned. "Can you.. can you get it over with before they get back?"

"What?" John asked.

"I punched Dean. I tried to punch you." Taylor said.

John nodded. "You realized your brother might be working with a hunter. You lost control of yourself for a moment. If you can keep yourself in check we will leave it at that."

"Oh." Taylor said. He swallowed. "What about Dean?"

"He will be on the same page." John said.

Taylor walked with John back to the house. He picked up his bag and carried it inside.

Karen offered them both some water and stepped back.

Taylor excused himself to take a shower and finish cooling off.

Bobby looked at John. "How many laps was that?"

John pressed on his side. "I stopped counting."

Dean pulled up outside and opened the front door. He was glad to see that John and Taylor were back.

"Taylor is upstairs getting a shower." John said.

"What are we going to do?" Kate asked.

"We have to figure that out." John said.

Taylor knew everyone was downstairs and forced himself to join the others.

"Are you cool?" Dean asked.

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry about your lip."

Dean told him it was okay. "Kate patched me up."

John pointed to the couch. "Sit. First, no one is going to go off on their own. No one is going to do anything without agreement."

Taylor and Kate nodded.

"So far, all we know is that Gordon summoned a demon to get information." John said.

"David has to be behind it or Gordon wouldn't have went to demons for help." Taylor said.

"That is likely." Dean said. "Just like anything else, we have to think our way through this. Gordon is a good hunter. He is smart. He is a loose cannon but he is good at what he does."

"I can track him down." Kate said.

"Wait." John said.

"Why?" Kate said.

John narrowed his eyes. "Because I told you to wait. Do you want to ask any further questions?"

Kate blanched. "No sir."

"Ellen is tracking him down. I told her to keep an eye on Jo as well." Dean said.

"What if he is nearby?" Kate asked.

"Then we will be cautious," John said. "Gordon is just a man. You both will remain with one of us until the threat passes."

"I could end everything right now," Taylor said.

"No," John said. "We have no proof and we don't just kill humans."

"Tonight, we will be on lockdown. We will get an idea of what is going on and then act off of that. If either of you tries something, you will be giving him proof that his suspicions are right. You two need to act like every other kid in this town."

Taylor knew Dean was right. He had no doubt that they were right. It hurt though. It hurt like his entire chest had been shattered. He was angry and he didn't even have proof that David was involved. He had to be involved though.

"What did you find out about the creatures?" John asked.

Kate gave them a synopsis of what they had seen. "Marty is running samples and looking at scans. I have to go back tomorrow."

"I will go with you." John said.

### ###

David heard a scream and smirked.

A nurse opened his door. "You are free to go." Her eyes flicked to black.

David went through a back door and ran out onto the street. He turned and flipped off the detention center. He'd never spend another day behind bars or padded doors.

Gordon met David at the gas station that they had agreed on. "Get in."

David warmed his hands by the vent. "When do we do this?"

"We don't do anything," Gordon said. "If they see you, there will be no questions asked."

"You killed your sister because she was a vampire. I get to kill my brother." David said.

Gordon knew that David had a few screws loose but he had been helpful. "Not yet. Soon. We need a bargaining chip."

"Why? Why not blow the whole house up?" David asked.

"Taylor and Kate are monsters. An explosion may not do anything except piss them off." Gordon said.

David ate two plates of food when they stopped. "Ward food is shit."

Gordon studied the information he had. He needed a concrete plan.

David finished his food and tossed his napkin on top of his plate. "So, that bargaining chip. I have an idea."

John managed to keep Taylor and Kate under control through the night. He traded with Bobby and Dean to make sure someone was awake and on high alert. He knew enough about Gordon to know he was a real threat.

Dean checked on both of the kids at least a dozen times throughout the night. He wasn't sure which one he should be more worried about. Taylor was volatile but Kate was protective. Both were bad things at that moment.

Taylor woke up later than he usually would. He was tired and needed something to ease the pain in his head.

John gave him a small cup of coffee. "See if this takes the edge off."

Dean nodded. "I know how tall you wind up being. You better pray that stunts your growth so I don't have to take out your knees."

Taylor smiled. "Thanks for the coffee."

Karen made bacon and eggs. "Is Kate awake too?"

"I heard her threatening to snap her hairbrush in half before I came down here." Taylor said.

Karen patted him and went upstairs. "Katie, do you need help?"

Kate opened the bathroom door. "Please."

Karen brushed the tangles from Kate's hair and braided it. "There you go."

Kate grabbed her phone from beside her bed and heard Taylor's vibrate. She carried it down to him. "Marie is calling you."

Taylor grabbed the phone from Kate and accepted the call. "Hi, nana."

The other end of the line was silent for a long moment. "Guess again little brother."