Charlie looked up at the sky as it quickly turned into a spiral of blues and whites. She pulled her head forward and laughed. She put her feet down and stopped the swing before she got too dizzy.
Kate handed her a tennis ball. "Okay now hit the target."
Charlie giggled and threw the ball, completely missing not only the target but also the entire side of the building. She folded over and sat down on the ground. "Did I hit it?"
"Not even close." Taylor said.
She laid back and shielded her face from curious dogs. "When are you ever going to be that dizzy and trying to hit a monster with a ball?"
Kate stood over her. "You might not but it is really fun watching you try."
"I want to see you do it." Charlie said.
Kate took a turn and got much closer, although she didn't hit the target. "She may have a point."
Taylor smirked. "You are just rusty."
Kate picked the ball up and beamed him with it. "Hey, look, Charlie. Maybe you should try throwing it at Taylor next time."
Taylor rubbed his arm. "You sure as hell aren't using me as a target when we move to knives."
"Knives?" Charlie asked, excitedly.
"Yeah, knives are basically the first weapon we learned to use," Kate said. "I take that back. We learn to fight and then learn to use weapons. There is a lag phase because kids aren't always responsible with sharp objects. I think, though, if we hand you a knife, you aren't going to stab yourself in the eye."
"I know how to use a knife or sword... kind of.. probably not good enough. Never mind, show me what to do." Charlie said.
Taylor tossed her a stick. "What do you mean kind of know how to use a sword?"
Charlie showed them a few moves.
"That is cool." Kate said. "I can't say we have used swords. Where did you learn that?"
Charlie blushed. "I like movies."
"Hey, it is a start." Taylor said. He gave her his knife and asked her to show him what she knew. "We can work with that."
"You shouldn't ever have to fight anything but you should keep in mind that whatever it is, is probably bigger and stronger than you are," Kaet said. "Dean gave me the same speech."
"Yep, and if you are fighting a human, most won't grab at the knife. They will grab your wrist. If you are not up against a human, you may get it knocked out of your hand more easily or they will just grab the sharp part of the knife. I stabbed a qareen in the chest and it didn't phase it. I learned that lesson the hard way. In general, if you are fighting with a knife you need to be quick and make the cut do enough damage."
"What is a qareen?" Charlie asked.
"Something that he got his ass kicked by this month. It is kind of like a shapeshifter because it can change shapes but it isn't phased by silver. A witch has to capture its heart and put it in a box. Then, the witch can control it. That is why stabbing it in the chest did nothing." Kate explained.
"How do you keep all of these things straight?" Charlie asked.
"Practice I guess. I have read a ton of books and have had some writing assignments. Usually, when Taylor doesn't run in before knowing what he is fighting, we do research and know what we are fighting before going in." Kate said.
Taylor shoved her playfully. "Clean slate, remember?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "A lot of creatures overlap and that can make it hard to know at times."
"Is there a database for this stuff?" Charlie asked.
"Not really. There are so many databases but we have to read through things and decide if they are accurate or not. Bobby has an entire library of books and the bunker has even more." Taylor said.
"So, in theory, if you created a database, you could just type in keywords and pull up information that you knew was true," Charlie said.
"In theory yes." Kate said.
"I can create one. I think I can create an algorithm that will sort through other things too." Charlie said.
"How?" Taylor asked.
"The same way that a normal search engine runs." Charlie said.
"But how do you create an algorithm?" Taylor asked.
"I have skills." Charlie reminded him. "I can't give away my secrets."
Kate was wrapping her head around the idea. "So you could type in vampires and it would give you accurate information?"
"Not only that, but you could type in 'eats hearts' and the algorithm would spit out every creature that eats hearts." Charlie explained.
"How long would it take to do something like that?"
"A few days to get it set up. Maybe not even that."
Kate hugged Charlie. "I'm going to start putting together stuff for it. I'm guessing the best way to know something is accurate is to start with things we know."
Dean was getting ready to leave. The plan was that the kids would stay with Rod and Marie for a few days and then go back home when they celebrated Taylor's birthday. He stumbled when Kate barreled through the door. "Good grief, slow down."
Kate scoffed. "Think more quickly."
Dean held the door open for Charlie and Taylor. "What's up?"
"Charlie is a genius and has a genius idea," Kate said.
Dean shut the door. "What is this genius idea?"
"I can create an algorithm to help with supernatural searches. I know that there is a lot out there about different creatures but Kate and Taylor mentioned it isn't always true. So, I can make a database and only allow true or proven information into the database." Charlie said.
"Yeah and that would make it easier for other hunters to find what they were after because you could type in the creature name OR a characteristic and the algorithm would spit out anything related to that," Kate said.
"Boy, Bobby would like that. His phone might stop ringing for five minutes." Dean said.
Taylor spoke up. "Kate and I could help input information from dad's journal and Bobby's books. That would get it started."
"What do you need to do something like that?" Dean asked.
"My computer and a good internet connection," Charlie said with a grin.
"The little college in town has a tech lab," Taylor said. "They let non-college people go there. I bet they have great internet."
"Can you take us over there?" Kate asked.
Dean rubbed the back of his head. "I was about to head out."
"If you drop them off, I can pick them up," Marie said.
Dean narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if I can trust these two without adult supervision."
"I'm almost an adult," Charlie said.
"We will be focused on helping her," Kate said.
"Fine," Dean said. "Grab your stuff."
(John)
John felt at ease while hunting. He could display his habitual anger and aggression and no one batted an eye. Before Azazel, he was a different man. He was gentle and had a positive view on life. Even after the war, he still had a vibrance to him. Mary heightened that. She was so beautiful and he stumbled over his words while talking to her. Everyone that knew him after Azazel would say he was confident. They'd say he could silence a room just by walking through the door. That man was nothing like the one he used to be.
He'd kill for his kids. When Sam and Dean were younger, he dropped the ball on a lot of things. He left them alone too often. He was too harsh. He kept them alive though. Kate made the first chip in his armor the day that she blocked him from following Sam. He saw his reflection in her eyes and realized she was scared. Once that first chip was made, the rest followed. He was still the same hunter but he saw the kids for what they were... kids. Dean had always been a perfect soldier and looked up to him. Dean was different after Kate. That was obvious but his relationship with Dean was different. Dean was able to crack jokes with John like he hadn't before. More obvious was Sam. They had been headed toward never speaking again but ended up not only civil but enjoying each other's company. Taylor was the calm to Kate's chaos. John had no desire to pick up any more kids but the addition of the latter two was just what the family needed.
Hunting was still his safe place. He grabbed the demon knife from his truck and turned it over in his hand.
The other hunter, Wayne, had hunted with John before. They worked well together. He was a little surprised to be offered a temporary tattoo. "My girls love those things."
John nodded. "This one has a certain kind of ink and keeps demons out of your meat suit."
Wayne had John put the tattoo on his arm. He flexed his arm to see if the temporary tattoo cracked. "Where did you get that?"
John held up the kit with temporary tattoos and the stamps. "My daughter's idea."
"Now what are those for?" Wayne asked, picking up a stamp.
"The stamp is the same design but faster. The temporary tattoos last longer. The stamps can be used when there is a bunch of people." John explained.
"That is nifty. Tell me about this daughter. The last time I saw you, you just had the two boys." Wayne said.
John slipped the stamp kit into his back pocket. "Did you ever hunt with Brian O'Connor?"
"No, but I met him." Wayne said.
"He asked me to look after his girl when he was gone. A while back, he died and Kate has been with us since. Well, I say us. She lives at Bobby's house and is glued to Dean's side. She is 12 now. I signed the adoption papers but Dean can take the credit for her." John said. "Then, Taylor is just about 14. That is a long story but I signed papers for him too."
Wayne listened to the story John was telling him. "Huh, with people passing information along, you never know what is true. Sounds like you did a good thing."
"Sam is in college. He got into Stanford on a full ride. He and his girlfriend have been hanging out at Bobby's house this summer but they'll go back. Sam and I butted heads until Kate knocked some sense into us. He and I can be in the same room and my head remain on my shoulders." John said with a chuckle.
"And Dean is?" Wayne asked.
"He hunts. He manages the two younger ones most of the time but that is a full-time job."
Wayne smiled. "My girls are a handful. I know how that goes."
They walked down a dirt path and talked.
"Molly is 8 now and never stops talking. Kyra is 7 and spends all day outside, rain or shine. The wife is good as well." Wayne said.
"That made me remember. Taylor's grandparents are good people. They ran a foster home for years and are now retired. Lee Chambers had them keep his daughter for a few months and she was spoiled rotten when he got her back. The house is about as warded as Bobby's is. If you ever need a safe place for the girls, they'd love to have them. That goes for the whole family."
"I will tell Annie. I try to keep the hunting stuff away from them but things get hairy sometimes."
John nodded. "It never hurts to have a backup plan." They made it to a house and stopped outside.
Wayne crouched so he wasn't seen. "When I got the call, there was a lady and her children in there. They are being held hostage by a couple of demons. One of the kids escaped after a day and called for help."
"How long have they been in there?"
"Four days," Wayne said, sadly. "Demons don't usually hold people hostage unless they are using them as leverage. No one has seen the husband lately."
John could imagine how terrified the kids were. He unsheathed the demon knife. "This knife will kill a demon. I've got it if things get bad. I'll mark the doors with the stamp and that slows them down or blocks them."
"I've got to get me one of them. I will make sure the kids and lady are okay."
"A demon could be in one of them so watch yourself." John reminded him.
John approached the house and knocked on the door. Any demons that they could get outside, he could stab. The door opened and a man with a visible gunshot wound to the side of the head stepped outside. Definitely a meat suit. He grabbed him and stabbed the knife between his ribs. He then lowered him to the ground and swung the door open.
Another demon rushed out and was stopped by John. He hit the ground and alerted the other demons.
Wayne followed John inside and quickly got his bearings. He splashed a demon in the eyes with holy water and let John use the knife. "Behind you."
John swung his arm back and dropped another one. He marked the front door and cleared his throat. They didn't hear anything so he decided to watch Wayne's back as he searched for the kids.
Wayne followed the directions the child that escaped had given him. They were being held in a bedroom in the back of the house. He slowly opened the door and saw the scared faces of three kids.
John followed him through the door and stopped to salt it. He did the same to the window in the room.
Wayne looked at each of their faces. "We are just going to put some water on you. It won't hurt."
The mom and first two kids were clean so John stamped them. The third kid backed away. The child was four or five and adamant that they not put the water on her.
John swore under his breath and splashed the girl, causing her to scream and sizzle.
Wayne picked up the other two kids and moved them to the closet. "Stay here with them. She will be okay."
John grabbed the girl and restrained her. He quickly said the exorcism and black smoke shot toward the ceiling. He stamped the girl and moved her to be with her family. The demon was trapped in smoke form due to the salt lines and inability to possess anyone. He said the last line of the exorcism and sent the smoke out of the room and straight back to hell.
The woman broke down with her children. "Thank you. Thank you. Where is Noah?"
"He is safe. He found help and everything is okay now. Do you know how many of those things were here?" Wayne asked.
The woman wiped her face. "Five."
"Do you know what they wanted?"
The woman shook her head.
The older of the three kids held onto her little sister. "That thing made Elle have tea parties."
"Tea parties?" John asked.
She nodded. "She made us too and made us call her princess Lillith. She would keep Elle up for hours and hours."
That was strange. Demons usually didn't do that sort of thing. John cleared his throat. "We are going to get you somewhere safe. Then, we will make sure your house is safe."
John stopped to get food for the family and let Wayne drive them to the motel. He had fought a lot of demons in his life but had never heard of one playing children's games. Yes, sometimes they toyed with people but not like that.
(Dean)
Dean got back to Sioux Falls and started to lug his duffle up to his room. "Bobby, I'm back."
Bobby grunted to acknowledge Dean.
Sam was in the kitchen helping Karen fix the ceiling fan. It was something that Bobby could do but Karen insist they use the perfectly capable young man in the house while they had him. "Well hello to you too jerk!"
Dean walked into the kitchen. "Hey, bitch." He met eyes with Karen and grinned sheepishly. "Hey, Karen."
"I'm glad you are back. You can help your brother with a list that I've made."
"I can. I'll just take my bag upstairs first." Dean said. He stepped into the hallway again and heard something fall down the stairs. He looked around but didn't see anything. He did see Millie at the top and it was possible that she dropped one of her toys. He ran up and deposited his duffle onto his bed. He walked back by Millie and down the stairs. On the last step, his foot landed on something sharp causing him to hop on his other foot. "Son of a bitch!"
Sam ran into the hallway. "What happened?"
Dean sat down on the step and looked at his foot, a red patch quickly spreading across the bottom of his sock. He looked around him and found the culprit. He quickly looked up the stairs. "Did you do this?"
Millie slowly blinked her eyes and opted to go lay on Kate's bed.
Dean slammed the button into Sam's hand. "The damn cat planted that." It was the button that had been on Kate's shorts. He didn't think Millie could remove it but she sure as hell waited until he got home to drop it down the stairs. He hobbled to the kitchen and got the first aid kit to patch up his foot. He called Kate. "Your cat planted that button from your shorts right in my path and now I am bleeding."
Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"
"You heard me. She did it on purpose." Dean said.
Kate laughed. "She likes you. She brought you a moth. I'm sure she was just trying to bring you something shiny."
"Did you take it off?" Dean asked.
"Yes." Kate said. "I didn't want to fall and get stabbed."
"So you leave it out and I'm the one who gets stabbed." Dean said.
Kate sighed. "Are you really bleeding?"
Sam talked over Dean. "He is barely bleeding."
Dean scoffed. He had a small cut on the arch of his foot that a bandaid quickly remedied. It didn't hurt that bad but he wouldn't pass up a chance to bug Kate. "One day she is going to trip me and I'm going to break my neck."
"If you break your neck it will be because your big head did you in." Kate said.
"I should make you run laps for that."
"We are at the school still. If your foot falls off before I get home, I'm pretty sure I can put it back." Kate said.
Dean snorted. "Brat."
Kate smiled. "Uh-huh, bye Dean."
Dean got up and shook out his foot. "Now, what about that list?"
Jess called Ross to ask about a service for Martha. The conversation went better than she expected. Ross wasn't very talkative but he wasn't cold either. He just sounded sad and ashamed. He told her the reason he hadn't done a big service was that Martha died by a drug overdose. That was embarrassing for a family such as theirs. He explained things to those that asked by saying that she had a heart attack. They were on the cruise so her body couldn't be transported. They would have a memorial service at another time. That explanation worked for Jess. She wanted to know what would happen to the house since her parents had fought about money. She didn't ask though. As long as she was with Sam, she didn't care.
"Jess?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Bobby had something for you to read," Sam said.
Jess had been waiting on a list of children they could help. She was glad to have the others on board. She still wanted to find missing children but starting closer to home was a better place to start. "All of these are hunting families?"
Bobby nodded. "I'll leave you to find out the details you need."
Jess took the list and sat down in the living room. She called the first number and introduced herself. It was somewhat easy since Ellen had helped put the list together. She got specifics about the children and the general location they stayed. She did the same for the other people on the list. Once she had a good set of notes, she emailed them to Charlie.
Dean finished a few tasks and dropped a cloth into a bucket of soapy water. He saw Sam with his back turned. He smirked to himself and grabbed the cloth from the bucket.
Sam's shoulders shot up to his ears when something very cold and very wet landed on his back. He grabbed the cloth and hurled it back at Dean. "Why would you do that?"
Dean caught it mid-air. "You looked sweaty."
Karen stepped to the back door when she heard a scuffle. She decided it was not serious and chuckled. She figured, with Taylor and Kate gone, Sam would become Dean's next target. Remembering her own brothers, they did have the habit of tormenting the younger siblings. Heaven help anyone who hurt one of them but especially the oldest brother would happily mess with them. She had still talked to some of her siblings before she died. Maybe they weren't as close as they were as kids but she did call them from time to time. She had not been able to track any of them down since she returned. She knew she couldn't see them if she did. She had been frozen in time. Even the younger brothers were quite possibly older than her. That was one of the pains of returning to earth.
(Caleb)
Riot was a regular member of the family. He had gotten the hang of waiting to go outside and now slept at the foot of Andy's bed. Both boys loved throwing things for Riot to fetch and Ian particularly enjoyed when Riot tugged him around by his socks.
Caleb stumbled as a black ball of fur barreled into his ankles. He chuckled and picked the ball up that had made its way into the kitchen. "Andy, take the ball outside."
Andy ran by him, grabbing the ball. "Sorry dad!"
April leaned against the counter. "I'm not so sure he is sorry."
"If we do not wind up with at least one broken window by the time those two are grown, I won't be convinced they had a real childhood," Caleb said. He kissed April and put his hand on her stomach. "Rest today. If the boys get too hyper, Jess has offered to watch them."
"I'm not an invalid yet, Caleb." April said, lightheartedly.
"You don't have to be before you accept help." Caleb reminded her.
"You worry about work. I've got the kids. Yes, I will rest if I get tired."
Caleb stepped outside. "Andy, I've got to go to work."
Andy ran over to him and hugged him. "Love you dad, bye."
Caleb scooped Ian up and kissed his cheek. "Be good for your mom."
Ian giggled.
Caleb put him down and sent him on his way. Just a few more months and he'd have a third kid to say goodbye to. He'd stay home with all of them if he didn't need to make money. His job had good hours. Aside from a few hunts a year, he didn't need to leave them. He could be there more often than his dad was. He wouldn't give up those bedtime stories and goodnight hugs for the world.
(The kids)
Charlie typed so fast that Taylor wasn't sure how the computer had time to figure out what she was typing. She created the framework for their database within hours.
"Can you teach me how to do this stuff?" Taylor asked.
"You'd put me out of a job." Charlie said.
"I just want to understand some of it. You're great at this." Taylor said.
"Thanks. I can show you a thing or two." Charlie said. She did explain a few things as she typed.
Kate worked on translating Jess's list into a neat table that would be easy to read. Charlie was busy looking at a computer screen so she explained what she was working with out loud. "It would probably be good to have a standard protocol."
"For what?" Taylor asked.
"We have one for a bunch of different things. Having this list will help us check in with people and familiarize Marie and Rod with the names. If something happens and they have enough time to plan ahead and drop them off or if they are able to flee and get to the house that is all good but it doesn't always happen like that. My dad knew he was going to be in danger so he dropped me off at Bobby's house. What about those times of extreme emergency? What about those times where a kid is in a motel room and the parent dies or realizes they cannot get back to the room? What if they are attacked like we were at Bobby's house. Not everyone has a super safe room in their basement."
Charlie looked away from the computer. "You have a super safe room?"
"Yeah, Taylor and I designed it based on instinct before... so that is a long story. The whole house is warded. The basement has a normal safe room but there is also one that is deeper and hidden." Kate said.
"You guys are so cool." Charlie said.
"We have so much to show you." Taylor said. It was nice having someone a little older than them around that also happened to be new to their world. She was amazed by everything they showed her and that was good for morale.
"I want to see everything. I'm so excited."
Kate snapped her fingers. "I can teleport to the kids and bring them back."
Charlie blinked. "You can teleport?"
"Yes." Kate said. "I don't know how to control it well yet but I can move other people too. I even sent Dean back in time the other day."
"You did what?" Taylor asked.
"I accidentally sent him back to one day when I was really little. I got him back and he was fine."
"No one told me that!" Taylor said.
Charlie cleared her throat. "So, you can send me back to before my parents died?"
"They died?" Kate asked.
"Car wreck." Charlie answered.
"I'm not supposed to mess with time. Nothing changed when Dean went back because I was little and running a fever. No one else saw him. You know, butterfly effect and all." Kate said.
Charlie got sad. She blamed herself for their death and she just wanted one more hug. She wanted to smell her dad's jacket again.
"One day, when I can control it more, maybe you can go back and not change anything." Kate said gently.
"So, are you not supposed to use certain powers?" Charlie asked.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that list is long."
"Why?"
Taylor nudged Kate. "We don't always have good control over them. So, people could get hurt. Other things may have a negative effect on us. Kate has gotten a bunch of new abilities lately but I guess it is like going through puberty for us. Sometimes they work, other times they don't. It would suck if she teleported someone and accidentally dropped them in the ocean."
"Cas helps." Kate reminded him.
"Cas is?"
"Our angel buddy." Kate said.
"Oh, like a real angel?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah. He is different than you'd think he'd be. He wears a trenchcoat and isn't a fan of hugs." Kate said.
Charlie rubbed her arm. "I keep expecting to wake up and find out this was all a hallucination."
"Surely there are better things to hallucinate," Kate said.
"Are you kidding me? This is awesome. Knowing monsters are real is scary but you guys are freaking superhumans." Charlie said.
Someone walking by the computer room stopped and looked at them.
Kate cleared her throat. "I really like that line. I'll add that to the story."
Charlie covered her mouth and ducked her head.
"We should probably save these kinds of talks for nonpublic places," Taylor said in a whisper. His phone chimed alerting him that Marie was waiting outside. "Our ride has arrived."
Charlie saved her work and shut her computer down.
Taylor waited for her and Kate. "Ther is an ice cream place in town that I used to go to when I was little. I'm going to use you as an excuse to go."
"Marie would take you anyway, dork," Kate said.
"Yes, but we can also go because I want to share this special place with Charlie," Taylor said.
"I'm down." Charlie slipped her computer back into her backpack. "Feel free to use me as a scapegoat."
"For anything?" Kate asked.
Charlie shrugged. "Sure."
Kate high-fived Taylor.
"Wait, what did I agree to?" Charlie asked
Kate grinned. "Haven't decided yet."
Marie was more than happy to take them to get ice cream. She hadn't gone with Taylor in years. Once they got there, she said hello to the owners.
Taylor smiled. The owners had owned the place for far longer than he had been alive. He just hadn't seen either of them in years.
"Who is this young man?" The wife asked.
Taylor accepted her hug.
The woman looked him up and down. "This can't be little Taylor."
Kate snickered at the name.
She smiled at the girls. "You've brought friends?"
Marie held her hand over Kate's head. "This is Kate." She moved her hand to Charlie's head. "This is Charlie."
The woman introduced herself as Fay. She pointed out a photo on the wall of a younger Taylor, Marie, and Rod.
Kate looked at it. "You were a cute kid."
"And he is now very handsome." Fay said.
Taylor flicked Kate. "Yeah, what she said."
Charlie was quiet but felt comfortable. She never felt comfortable with new people but it was nice having Taylor and Kate act as a buffer.
Fay told them to sit down. The family always ordered the same thing and she assumed they'd want their usual.
Kate started to look at the flavors but Taylor pulled the menu from her hands. "No. She will bring the good stuff."
"You're so weird." Kate said.
"Just wait."
Charlie got pushed into the booth beside Kate. She looked around and figured the decore was from where the owners were from.
Fay returned with a large bowl and placed it on the table. She gave them each a smaller bowl and spoons. "Please enjoy."
Taylor dug his spoon into the bowl and scooped cookie and ice cream into his own bowl.
The dish had a giant, gooey chocolate chip cookie at the bottom with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup.
Charlie licked her lips. "Oh man."
Kate tasted the ice cream and closed her eyes. "Why is that so much better than usual?"
Fay chuckled. "Gelato made from our secret recipe."
It didn't take long for the dish to disappear between the four of them. Both girls vowed to visit the shop whenever they could.
Back at Marie's house, everyone settled in for the evening.
Charlie curled up on the couch. "I don't think I can make it to my room."
"I can drag you." Taylor offered.
"I can teleport you." Kate quipped.
Rod cleared his throat. "No, you will not."
Kate stuck her bottom lip out. "Ah man, I thought with Dean gone I'd get to teleport more people. What about setting stuff on fire?"
Rod smiled. "I think you can find better things to do with your talents."
Kate shrugged and pulled Charlie off the couch. "What the fantasy books don't tell you is that kids with superpowers never get to use them. They all expect me to be benevolent. I could have been a supervillain but no. I guess I'll just have to manage and not accidentally teleport people into the ocean."
"That is probably for the best," Charlie said. She put an arm around Kate's shoulders. "Supervillains aren't as cool."
Kate grinned. "Forget that. We are going to save the world. We just have to start with kids and computers."
Taylor rolled his eyes. "Excuse me while I go throw up."
Marie looked at the clock. "Perhaps save that for tomorrow. You should all head to bed."
Taylor ran by them, playfully shoving Kate on his way by. "I call dibs on the shower."
Kate ran after him.
Charlie cringed when she heard Taylor hit the ground. "Do normal siblings do that?"
Marie smiled. "Oh sweety, they are a lot of things but normal isn't one of them."