Author's note: I'm getting ever closer to 1 million words so, understandably, my memory is faulty. I also write and then delete and change so sometimes, I can't remember what was published. That being said, if I add in a birthday that I had previously said was something else, you can let me know or play along. :)

(Back at Bobby's house)

Jess had been ignoring calls from her mother and only answering once or twice a week, claiming that the cell signal was bad. She was an adult and she realized that but her mother still held a lot over her head. Once they got back to Sioux Falls she did try to call and check in but her mother's phone went to voicemail. Her father's did the same. She figured they were giving her the silent treatment again.

Sam kept an eye on Jess so she didn't get too anxious. She was quick to blame herself which seemed to be a common problem amongst everyone around him. "If they are on open water, they may not be able to accept calls."

"I know. I'm not worried. I am just annoyed." Jess said.

"I've got something that can take your mind off of it." Sam said.

Jess looked up at him. "What is that?"

Sam looked around him. "Dean, can I borrow the car?"

Dean squinted his eyes. "Why?"

"We flew here. I don't have a car." Sam said, simply.

"Why my car? Where are you going?" Dean asked.

Sam groaned. "Can I borrow the car or not?"

Dean crossed his arms. "You are being a little dodgey, Sammy."

Sam grabbed Dean's keys from the hook at the front door and held them above his head. "I'm taking the car."

Dean couldn't reach Sam's hand so he jabbed him in the ribs. "I swear to god if you do anything in my car I'm going to murder you."

Sam backed away with a smirk. "I won't do anything you wouldn't do."

Dean tripped him so that he'd stumble. "That is exactly what I mean!"

Jess laughed. "You are both children." She grabbed her shoes and followed Sam outside. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere without kids running around." Sam said.

Caleb pulled into the driveway as Sam and Jess were leaving. He got out and unbuckled Ian before putting him on the ground. "Did I just see Sam driving baby?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Caleb chuckled. "How did he swing that?"

"Hey, I can be a nice person." Dean said. He leaned against Caleb's truck. He gave a small wave to April and ruffled Andy's hair when he jumped out. "So, any word on a school bus for all of these kids?"

"We don't need a school bus. April just needs something with wheels." Caleb said.

"If you don't plan on making this one the last one you should just go ahead and get the bus," Dean said with a smirk.

Caleb turned so Andy couldn't see him and flipped Dean off. "If we have any more we can split them and you can drive them around."

Andy whirled around. "I'd be fine with that."

Dean snorted. "Andy, by then you could just stay home alone."

Andy frowned. "I like your car though."

Dean shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that."

April sat down on the porch swing and enjoyed the breeze. She still had a few months to go before she got hot and miserable and she was grateful. With Ian, she had been heavily pregnant during the hot summer months. This time around, she would have cool weather to keep her from overheating. She compared each stage to when she was pregnant with Ian but she wasn't bitter about it. Everything was just different. She wasn't scared. She knew what was happening and got to just experience different feelings.

Karen brought some iced tea outside and gave it to April. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel good." April said with a smile.

Karen ached the slightest bit because she wouldn't be able to have a child of her own. Bobby was beyond those years and she was too, technically. She loved Andy and Ian and enjoyed being around them. There was just a small part of her that wished things had been different.

April could see the pain in Karen's eyes. It was similar to the pain she felt when she saw others that were supported during their pregnancies. Life had gotten really good for her and she almost felt guilty.

Kate ran up the steps. She could feel some of their emotions so she slowed down. "Caleb said we were going to do something for your birthday."

April groaned. "We aren't. I told him I didn't want to do anything."

Kate scoffed. "Why?"

April's face turned a light shade of pink. "It just isn't a big deal."

"It is a big deal and Caleb is stubborn." Kate said.

Karen smiled. "Would you like to do something here?"

April thought about it. "I would like that. I just don't like to be the center of attention."

Andy saw that Ian was climbing on some tires and walked over to make sure he didn't fall. He held his hand and helped him balance. That worked for a few minutes until he felt Ian bite him again. He tried to jerk his arm away but Ian chomped down harder. He panicked and smacked the back of Ian's leg, causing him to let go and melt down.

Caleb rushed over and picked Ian up. "What happened?" He saw Andy's arm and asked John to take a look at it. He looked Ian over and didn't see any injuries from his fall.

John carried Andy inside and sat him down at the table. He got a clean cloth and soaked it before turning around.

Andy started crying and couldn't stop.

John turned his arm. "He got you pretty good."

Andy nodded.

John cleaned up Andy's arm. It was going to have a nasty bruise. There were even a few small skin breaks. He put a hand on Andy's back. "Does it hurt?"

Andy shook his head but didn't stop crying.

John pulled a chair out and sat down. He placed a cool cloth over the bite and tilted Andy's chin. "Are you sure? You seem pretty upset."

Andy hiccuped. "I hit him."

John furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Andy pulled his chin away. "He wouldn't let go of my arm and I hit his leg. I hurt him. I didn't mean to." He frowned and sniffled.

John understood. "Stay right here. I'll get you an icepack."

Andy nodded. He just knew he was in the biggest trouble ever. He was mad that Ian hurt him but he still shouldn't have smacked his leg. He was the big brother.

John stepped outside. Ian was still crying and Caleb couldn't quite figure out why. "Look at his leg."

Caleb looked his legs over and found the Andy-sized handprint on the back of his leg. "What the.."

"Andy is going to have a nasty bruise. The skin is a little broken. He couldn't get Ian to let go so he smacked his thigh." John said.

Caleb wasn't sure how to process that.

"Do you want my two cents?" John asked.

Caleb nodded.

"Dean would have clocked Sam at that age. Now, I'm not saying Andy was right but that bite hurt. I'd talk to him and wouldn't be too mad about it." John said.

Dean scoffed. "I wouldn't have punched a baby."

John raised an eyebrow.

"Sam grew up just fine." Dean said.

Caleb sighed deeply. "He bites a lot."

John looked at Ian's teeth. "I'd figure out how to stop it now. If he bites into Kate or Taylor he is going to do a lot more damage."

"He's kinda like a baby werewolf," Dean said. "Yeah, he's gotten me a time or two."

Caleb groaned. He dropped Ian off with April and went in to talk to Andy.

Andy got upset again and pulled his feet into the chair.

Caleb asked to see his arm. He sucked air through his teeth.

Andy sniffled. "Are you mad?"

Caleb slumped. "No. John told me what happened."

Andy sniffled and wiped his face. "I hit a baby."

"You did but he has the lightest pink mark possible. I bet that bite hurt."

Andy nodded.

"I don't want that to happen again but you aren't in trouble." Caleb said.

Andy uncurled himself from the seat and got into Caleb's lap. "I just wanted to help him climb."

"I know, buddy." Caleb said. "Did you just smack him to make him let go?"

Andy looked at his arm. "I was kinda mad. I don't like being bit."

Caleb put the icepack back on his arm. "I understand."

Andy was deep in thought. "It worked."

Caleb snorted. "Bud, if you are thinking you have permission to whack him when he does something wrong, you are mistaken."

Andy frowned. "Dean did."

"Dean was left with Sam a whole lot." Caleb said. "You won't have to babysit Ian. However, if he bites you like that again I do understand."

"Is he okay?" Andy asked.

"Yes, he is okay." Caleb said.

John and Dean were talking out at the shop. "Do you think part of that is because he has something extra in his blood?"

John sighed. "I don't know."

"I mean, he is just a baby. I don't think he is wanting to hurt people but the kid has a nasty bite." Dean said.

John looked toward the house. Knowing who Ian's father might have been, it did worry him. Dean was right though, he was just a baby. He had the bracelet on that blocked abilities but that didn't keep him from burning a hole into Kate or Taylor's arm if he so much as licked them. For much of his hunting career, he saw things in simple black and white. He realized that could be problematic but this gray area made him uncomfortable. Even just having kids that far apart in age made things complicated. Kate and Taylor were close enough that things could be split fairly. Dean and Sam were so far apart that he put too much weight on Dean's shoulders. He probably babied Sam. He realized that making Dean co-parent was a mistake and was glad that Andy wouldn't have to do that as well.

Once Andy calmed down, he went outside with Caleb. He gave Ian a skeptical look and sat down in one of the rocking chairs.

Kate approached him. She held her hand over the bite and tried to heal him. She frowned and moved her hand. Why didn't that work? She patted Andy's hand. "I must be weak today."

Andy sighed. "It is okay."

In an effort to cheer Andy up Caleb asked what they were doing for April's birthday.

"I can cook a meal here." Karen said.

Andy grabbed Caleb's hand. "We gotta get a cake."

Caleb smiled. "I would need your help with that. You are the expert."

Andy looked toward the truck. "Can we go now?"

Caleb chuckled. "April, do you want to go back to the house or hang out over here? I don't think you are supposed to see the cake."

April smiled. "I'm fine over here. My birthday isn't until tomorrow though."

Andy frowned.

"We can do the meal and hang out today." Karen said.

Andy hopped down the steps. "Dad, come on."

(Sam and Jess)

Sam parked the car next to the lake. He got out and showed Jess a well-worn path. "This way."

Jess followed him. "What is this way?"

Sam grabbed her hand. "A good view."

Jess reminded him that she couldn't keep up with his strides and laughed when he pulled her onto his back. "Don't drop me."

Sam got a good hold on her. "Have I ever?"

"No but you have plenty of time to do so." Jess said. She kissed her cheek. "Your dad said I was sticking around."

Sam grinned. "I guess that means it is set in stone."

"Do you want that though?" Jess asked.

Sam stopped walking. "Of course."

"I'm not asking you to propose just yet. I just want you to be happy. I have all of these big plans in my head and I guess I just assume you are on board." Jess said.

"Tell me these plans." Sam said and started walking again.

"You and me, a few kids, a nice house. Not too nice though. We are going to grow old together and be the old people who yell at neighborhood kids for walking across the grass." Jess said.

Sam smiled. "I could get on board with that." He let her off of his back and showed her a grassy area that overlooked the lake. The sun was warm but there was just enough shade to make it comfortable. He sat down and pulled Jess into his lap. "Worth the walk?"

Jess closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face. "Almost."

He kissed her neck. "Now?"

She grinned. "Getting there."

(Andy and Caleb)

"Dad, can we stop at the mall?"

"What for?" Caleb asked.

"Stuff for mama." Andy said.

"Do you want to pick out your own gift?" Caleb asked.

Andy nodded. He had an idea but would need to look through things to see if he could find it.

Caleb stopped and got Andy out of the truck. "What are you thinking?"

Andy took his hand. "Just followe me." He made a beeline for a department store and tiptoed to find the area he needed.

"She doesn't wear much perfume, bud." Caleb said.

"Trust me, okay." Andy said. He walked around sniffing each bottle until he found one that made him pause. He smelled it a few times. "This one."

Caleb smelled of it. It reminded him of something an older woman would wear. "Are you sure?"

Andy looked sad. "My mom had a bottle like this and she said it was her mom's. Steven got real mad and threw it at her and it broke. She was really sad about it."

Caleb's heart twisted. He sometimes forgot just how awful things were before April took the boys and ran. Andy could be a little rascal at times but he was a great kid. "I am sure she will love it."

"We can get her strawberries with chocolate too." Andy said.

Caleb chuckled. "I thought those were your favorite."

Andy looked up at him. "She likes them too."

Caleb ruffled his hair. "Let's see if we can find some."

(Back at Bobby's)

John put his phone back into his pocket. "Kate, you're coming with me."

Kate followed him to his truck. "What are we doing?"

"Going to the lab." John said.

Kate was surprised. "I thought I couldn't go."

John took a deep breath. "You can't teleport and go without someone that knows how you are."

Kate clamped her jaw shut. She was not going to sass him.

"Marty is going to be working on your stuff today. He needs a second set of eyes." John said.

Kate grinned excitedly. "You know you'll be thanking me one day when we get these monsters taken care of."

John shook his head and started the truck. He was going to be gray headed by then. Not by age but by dealing with her attitude.

Kate skipped from the truck to the lab as soon as they parked. Marty understood the way her brain worked more than anyone. He didn't think her ideas were too wild although he was constantly amazed. She was a little thrown off to see someone new at the lab. She waved awkwardly and asked Marty who she was when she found him.

"Her name is Sophia. She is just here for a few weeks as an intern." Marty said.

"Does she know about what you are working on?" Kate asked.

"No she does not and we should keep it that way." Marty said with a wink.

Kate found her groove and relaxed. They were able to work with Sophia in a way that let her help but didn't show her what they were truly working on.

"Kate, what brings you to a place like this?" Sophia asked.

"I just like science." Kate said.

"Well it is lovely to see another girl around. Most of these labs are just full of men." Sophia said.

Kate thought she was nice. "Where are you from?"

"I'm British," Sophia said. "I am just interning for the summer to see if I would like to apply for a job on this side of the pond."

Kate chatted with Sophia for an hour or two. Most of the research and testing didn't appear to be abnormal so she felt comfortable with her being around. "How do you like Sioux Falls?"

Sophia side. "It is a bit different and kind of in the middle of nowhere. I haven't had the chance to look around."

Kate chewed her cheek. "What do you like to do?"

"Well, normally my friends and I would go to a bar or somewhere to hang out. I think ours are much different than here though." Sophia admitted.

John had been quietly sitting at one of the lab tables working out things for a hunt. He looked up as he could almost hear the wheels turning in Kate's head.

"Well, my brother knows all the best ones." Kate said.

"He does?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah. I could probably ask him to show you around." Kate said with a smile.

When John got back to Bobby's house he was curious to see what Dean would say. He got out and walked over to the car that Dean was working on.

Kate skipped over. "I have something for you."

Dean slid out from under the car. "What is it?"

Kate handed him a slip of paper. "The number of a very pretty British intern."

Dean sighed. "Kate, I'm not looking to date anyone right now."

Kate rolled her eyes. "She is just here for a few weeks and then is going back to England."

Dean looked at the number. "Why do I have her number?"

"I may have told her that you know where the best bars are." Kate said.

"You let her do this?" Dean asked.

John shrugged.

"She did the annoying thing girls do when they see a photo of you. I almost gagged." Kate said.

"You showed her a photo?" Dean asked.

Kate smiled. "Well I had to sell it."

Dean smacked her with the dirty grease towel. "You've got to stop playing matchmaker."

Kate scoffed. "Will it kill you to take a pretty girl out? No. Is she human? Yes." She screeched and jumped when he tried to grab her. "Dad! Tell him I'm only looking out for him!"

(Jess and Sam)

They walked back to Dean's car to head back to Bobby's house. They were both hungry and tired.

Sam gave Jess an odd look.

Jess grinned and took off her shoes, lightly stamping them in the dirt.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

Jess opened the back door and laid down on her back. "Messing with your brother." She found a spot that looked believable and touched the soles of her feet to the ceiling of the car.

Sam got in and looked up. His face turned bright red.

Jess rolled out and put her shoes back on. "Don't be a prude. Besides, we didn't actually do anything in the car."

Sam snorted. "When he tries to kill me, you are going to have to explain that to him."

Jess laughed. "He can't say anything. I know he has used the backseat at least a dozen times."

"Well, maybe but I think he maybe would have thrown the girl out for leaving footprints," Sam said.

Jess heard her phone and answered it. "Hello?" She could hear her mom's voice but couldn't understand her. There were several voices and static. After trying to get her mom's attention a few more times she hung up. "I guess she accidentally called."

Sam looked back at Jess's footprints. He smiled. Pranking Dean was fun until he exacted revenge. He drove back to Bobby's house and got there right as Caleb did. He helped him get the cake out and carry it inside.

Andy was so excited to show his mom her gifts. He had thought really hard about them.

Karen finished up dinner and put it on the table. "Do you want happy birthday sung or is that too much?"

April blushed. "That may be too much."

"We can just skip the song then," Karen said with a smile.

Andy offered the gifts to April before everyone went inside. "Can you open them now, mama?"

April took the bag and pulled out a box of strawberries. "Thank you. I love these."

Andy looked at Caleb and smiled.

April opened a necklace that had three letters on it. "I love it. One for each of you kids."

Andy chewed his lip. "Now the other one."

April felt something heavy in a box and pulled it out. She slowly opened it and a wall of emotion hit her.

Andy's face fell. "Did I make you sad? I'm sorry, mama."

April hugged him so hard that he squeaked. "No, sweetie. How did you find this?"

"He smelled half of the bottles in the store." Caleb said.

"Did you come up with this?" April asked.

Andy nodded. "You were really sad when Steven broke the other one."

April sprayed some of it on her arm and took a deep breath. "Andy, you are so smart." She hugged Andy again and thanked Caleb. "You two are the best."

Andy glared at Ian for a moment.

Caleb nudged him. "Ian is the best too. He's just not old enough to come up with those kinds of ideas."

"He hasn't bitten anyone else." April said.

Dean grabbed the keys from Sam and asked him how their 'date' went.

Sam smirked. "Great."

Dean looked around the inside of the car to make sure Sam hadn't damaged it. He saw the footprints and stood up quickly. "Samuel, get your ass over here."

Sam laughed. "What?"

"What are those?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "No idea."

Dean grabbed him in a headlock and jammed his fingers into his ribs. "They look like footprints."

Jess cracked up. "Don't worry, Dean. I just put them there after we got back to the car to mess with you."

Dean let Sam go. "You thought it was a good idea to let her do that?"

Sam put his hands up. "Hey, I don't let her do anything. She makes her own choices."

Dean put his hands on his hips. "You gotta get control of your woman Sam. First, it is mouthing off to dad, and now this?"

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "It is just dust."

Dean feigned horror. "Inside my car. On the roof of my car. One of you had better remove every speck or your toothbrush is getting tampered with." He tossled Jess's hair, messing it up. "Why is it that when somebody gets comfortable with this family, I am the one that gets tortured?"

Jess smiled. "I think it is because you tend to torment people until they get comfortable with it."

Dean tilted his head. "Yeah, that could be it."

Karen told the guys not to sing, as it embarrassed April. "Just come on in and have a seat."

Dean ran upstairs to put a few things away and saw his plaque. He tore the paper away from it and carried it downstairs. "Which one of you wrote 'dumbest' on my plaque?"

They all looked at each other.

"Andy, did you see one of them with the things needed to write this?" Dean asked.

Andy shook his head.

Dean narrowed his eyes and looked at John. "You're going to have to take over parenting these kids because every one of them is a menace." He was kidding and wasn't mad about the car or plaque. It was his job as the oldest sibling to act as though he was angry though. He didn't have proof on which of them did the writing so he'd just have to get them all back on principle.

The conversation around the table was lively but light.

April was thrilled and grateful. Next birthday, she would have a baby girl. She had gained so much since her last birthday and it amazed her.

When it was time to cut the cake, Andy insisted that he should cut it. "I have knife skills now." He held his tongue at the side of his mouth and sliced the cake into triangles. He gave April the one with the purple flower on it.

April thanked him. She shared hers with Ian and just enjoyed the evening.

As the sun started to set, both of the younger boys started to get tired.

Caleb gathered them up and got them buckled into the truck.

April thanked everyone again and got in herself.

Kate shared creature information and explained why they needed a body.

"We can't just grab a body." Dean said.

Kate gave him a deadpanned look. "I know what you mean but how many bodies have you dug up and burned?"

Dean scoffed. "That isn't the point."

"I know. These things are dangerous. I am just saying that somehow, we need to take that next step. You guys messed around and threw the book at it and it giggled. We will need to approach this from a scientific angle."

Sam stretched. "Technically, hitting it with random things was some kind of science."

"Sam, as a fellow intellectual could you just hush?" Kate said.

"Matt hasn't been able to safely trap one." John said.

Kate blinked slowly.

"No, you will not be assisting in trapping one." John said.

Kate slumped. "I'm just saying..."

"No." John said.

Kate made a zipping motion across her mouth. She had plenty of arguments but the common sense not to use them.

Dean leaned over like Jess had said something to him. "Jess wants to know why you are being unreasonable."

Jess gasped. "I did not say that!"

John chuckled. "If she stabs you, I can't say it wasn't deserved."

Kate grabbed her notebook to doodle. She closed her eyes and let her mind decide what to draw.

Thunder rolled across the trees and seeped into the house.

"Looks like a storm coming in." Bobby said.

Taylor liked storms. He had always been drawn to them. He got close to the window and looked at the clouds, barely visible by moonlight. There was a bright flash and he stepped back.

"Ohhhh, lightning," Kate said excitedly.

As the storm got stronger, Taylor couldn't take his eyes off the flashes of light. He felt something inside of himself and shoved himself away from the window. He asked John if he could talk to him. "I want to touch the lightning."

John looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

Taylor sighed. "I mean, I don't but I feel like I need to."

"You are not attempting that." John said.

Taylor groaned. "I'm not asking to. It is like I feel really hungry and there is a juicy steak in front of me."

John nodded slowly. "Is this an ability thing?"

"I don't know. Since I got zapped pulling powerlines off that car, I have been drawn to electricity. Usually, it is just subtle. I really want to go outside." Taylor said. "I am telling you because I don't know if it is going to get stronger."

"Okay. You need to stay away from the windows." John said. He called Dean into the kitchen and explained what was going on.

"I think Kate does the same thing with fire." Dean said, lightly.

John gave him a look. "You are the one that looks at fire like a maniac."

Dean snorted. "I don't want to touch the fire though. I want to touch things with the fire."

Taylor rubbed his hands together. "Boy do I know how that feels."

Thunder shook the house shortly before the lights went out.

Bobby stood up to get a flashlight but bumbled around due to things being moved.

Kate pulled her wings out.

Bobby blinked. "Well, that works."

Sam and Jess gasped.

"I told you I had wings." Kate said.

"Whoa." Sam said.

Kate grinned. "They are useful now."

Bobby got a lantern and turned it on so that Kate could put her wings away.

Taylor looked out the window again but stayed far enough away from it. "Maybe I should go to bed."

Dean eyed him. "Do I need to handcuff you to the bed so you don't try to go outside?"

Taylor laughed. "No."

"I could put you in a straight jacket." Dean offered.

"I'm good. I can manage as long as I don't watch the lightning."

Kate felt a pit in her stomach. She placed her palm over her chest. She felt something dark but didn't know what it was. She wasn't getting any visions but something down deep in her bones made her anxious and afraid. She didn't think it was the dark.

Jess's mom called back so she answered it. "Mom?"

Martha's voice was easily heard in the quiet living room. "Jessica."

"Sorry, I tried to call a few times and my calls didn't go through. There isn't the best service here and I am sure on a cruise the service is spotty." Jess said.

Martha told her that the service was fine. She talked to her but seemed annoyed.

Kate put Jess's phone on speakerphone so she could hear it better. She scooted right next to Sam. "Do you hear something weird on the phone?"

Sam shook his head.

Kate tiptoed out of the room to get Taylor. "Listen to the phone call."

Taylor knelt next to Jess and listened. He shoved into Kate's head. 'Why does she sound like that?'

Kate had heard something similar before but she could not remember where. She pressed on her closed eyes and willed herself to remember. She suddenly remembered and lost her breath. She grabbed Jess's phone and put it next to her ear. She could hear it clearly now. She quickly hung up the phone.

Jess asked why she did that.

"Something is really wrong." Kate said.

Sam touched her so she didn't trip. "What is it?"

Kate scratched at her skin. "I could hear something on the call, like static but it isn't static."

"Yeah, we could hear it too. It is just from cell signal." Jess said.

"No, it's voices," Kate said.

John joined them. "Kate, what do you mean?"

"When I would talk to Hellen over the phone, I could hear that static. I didn't realize it was voices until later on. This time, though, I could hear what was being said." Kate said.

John sat her down. "Kate, what did you hear?"

Kate chewed her lip. "Have you talked to your dad?"

"No. He wouldn't answer his phone." Jess said.

Kate leaned forward and held her stomach. She gritted her teeth as the pressure built from her stomach into her ribs. She could place the dark feeling and it terrified her. "I'm sorry but I think I know why."