(December 12, 1993, Taylor age 5)

Taylor rolled snow in his hands to form a ball. He pulled his arm back and threw the ball as far as he could. He rubbed his cold hands together and stomped through the snowy field so that he left prints with his new boots. He had never seen so much snow. The grown-ups were calling it a blizzard, although he wasn't sure what that meant. "David, wait for me! I'm coming."

David only slowed down a little bit. He wanted to play with his friends, not watch his little brother.

Taylor lost sight of David as the snow started to fall again. The wind was cold and his face was tingling. "David?" He tried to follow David's prints since they were bigger than his own. He'd catch up. A tree branch broke and fell, scaring him. He started running and stopped when his lungs could no longer keep up. He heard voices and started running again. He found David and his two friends. He grinned. "I found you!"

David rolled his eyes. "Great." They found a frozen pond and threw rocks across the ice.

Taylor was amazed by the sound of the rock hitting the ice. He threw one too but it didn't go very far because his hands were so cold. He had to pay close attention because David kept walking away. "Wait for me!"

David was also much too young to be out in a snowstorm by himself. None of the kids had any business being out there.

Heavy feet broke fallen branches and they stomped through the wooded area. "There you fuckwits are."

"Daniel!" Taylor shouted excitedly. Daniel was a teenager and much bigger than them.

Daniel ignored Taylor for a moment. "There is more snow headed this way. Mom wants you back at the house."

David tossed another rock. "It is just snow."

"It is cold as hell. I'm going back. Stay out here and freeze." Daniel growled. He picked up David's hat and threw it into the middle of the pond.

"Hey, asshole. Get that back." David said.

"Not a chance. I'm not falling through the ice to get a stupid hat." Daniel said.

Taylor wanted to get David's hat because he really liked that hat. He inched toward the edge of the pond. "I can get it for you."

Daniel didn't stop him but David encouraged him to go out onto the ice.

Taylor slipped and fell a few times. He heard the ice start making sounds and looked back toward his brothers.

"Just hurry and get the hat," David said.

Taylor took a few more steps and got scared.

"If you don't bring it back I'll beat you up." David taunted him.

Taylor took another step and grabbed the hat. He held it up, proud of himself for retrieving something for his brother. He started to walk back to the shore and found himself under the icy water, unable to get a deep breath. He tried to swim to the surface but he didn't know how to swim.

(Bobby's house, 2002)

"How did you get out of the pond?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember anything after falling through the ice." Taylor said.

"So you could have died and just didn't know it." Kate said.

"Maybe," Taylor said. He swallowed as bitterness washed over him. "The hat didn't make it out of the pond, I guess. Either way, David beat me up. I remember that much."

Karen gave Taylor a hug. "Oh, sweetheart. That is truly terrible."

"Water under the bridge now," Taylor said. He chewed his cheek. "So you are thinking we get stronger every time we die?"

"I don't know. I just think we have both used some of our nine lives already." Kate said.

Taylor rubbed his face. "There were a few times. I may have just blacked out though."

Karen's heart broke for Taylor. Sure, they had all had a bad hand dealt to them, but having one's family be the cause of such horribleness had to be worse. "I'm so glad that you are here now."

"Me too," Taylor said. "That was just the first part of my life. I have some good years ahead of me."

"Yes you do, hun," Karen said.

Kate tapped the table. "I'm going to do a deep dive into my memories."

"That could end badly," Bobby said. "You need to be careful."

"Which of us doesn't have horrible memories?" Kate asked. She paused. "Did we all have screwed up childhoods?"

"Not me," Charlie said. "Mine just got screwed up when my parents died."

"I had a lovely childhood," Karen said.

"You can't sit with us," Kate said, jokingly. She made a few notes in her notebook and got lost in thought. "Charlie mentioned us killing. Could that be what makes us stronger?"

"We haven't killed that many people," Taylor said. "I mean, I killed David. He's really the only one." His face fell. He drummed his fingers on the table. "I killed someone. Sometimes I forget how messed up that is and then I remember and wonder if I'm a terrible person."

"You did what you had to do," Bobby said, glancing at Karen.

"I'm still messed up though. I have blood on my hands." Taylor said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Who else has a body count at 13?"

Bobby could see Taylor pulling himself apart. "Me."

Taylor looked up at Bobby. "What?"

"I was 11," Bobby said. He sighed. "My father was one mean son of a bitch. He went after my mom went night because I spilled a glass of milk. I shot him."

Taylor's mouth got dry. "I... I didn't know. I wasn't saying that about you. I just..."

"I'm not angry at you, son. I'm telling you I've been in your shoes. You had a lot more reason than I did but I don't regret it one bit."

There was an awkward silence that Kate had to fill. "I'm guessing neither of you has a body count."

Karen and Charlie shook their heads.

Kate scooted her chair over. "Another reason you can't sit with us."

Karen gave her a small smile. "Why don't we focus on something a bit different."

Bobby squeezed Taylor's shoulder. "If you ever need to talk, you know where I live."

(Sam and Jess)

Jess sat down at the table to organize her school things. She liked to color coordinate each course. She was excited to take classes that she was actually interested in. She placed a divider in her binder and doodled the name of the class and a few whimsical drawings of stickman children and a brain.

Sam rested his chin on her head. "Psychology."

"Childhood psychology," Jess said.

"That may be too much information for you to have if you are going to be around me or any of the rest of the family."

Jess tilted her head up so he'd kiss her forehead. "If I learn how to decipher all of this psychological mess, you won't have to pay a shrink."

"I don't need a shrink." Sam said with a roll of his eyes."

Jess went back to drawing. "Oh, Sammy. We could all use a shrink."

"Really? Having your family destroyed by demons doesn't seem that damaging to me."

Jess reached for his binder. "You're almost totally normal."

Sam took his binder. "I don't need you to label my classes."

Jess frowned. "I was going to make them pretty."

"I'm a guy, so maybe don't do that." Sam said.

Jess took his hand and pulled him to her side. She turned the other chair around. "Sit."

Sam sat with his stomach to the back of the chair. "What are you doing?"

Jess picked up a pen. "I'm giving you a tattoo."

Sam crossed his arms over the back of the chair. "Hopefully you aren't going to stab me."

Jess pulled his shirt up. "Kate probably would." She flipped the pen over to use the blunt end and traced along his back, making swirls and words without ink.

Sam relaxed. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on his arms.

Jess smiled to herself. "Feel good?"

"Mhm." Sam mumbled.

Jess flipped the pen around. "Can I actually draw on you?"

Sam turned his head the opposite way to get more comfortable. "You can do whatever you want to do."

While Jess didn't think he would appreciate the variety of smiley faces that covered the upper part of his back, she did notice that he was just about to fall asleep. She patted his side. "Bed."

Sam groaned. "I've got stuff to do."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "You said I could do whatever I wanted."

Sam turned his head again to look at her. "What does that mean?"

"You're tense," Jess said.

Sam followed her but stopped to look in the vanity mirror. "What did you put on me?"

"Uh, that is a smiley face. That is supposed to be a bunny. Oh, that is a horribly misspelled incantation." Jess said.

Sam chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "You've got to be careful with those. You don't want to summon something."

"If I did, you could get rid of it." Jess said. "Come, you can teach me how to say all of that."

Sam fell back onto the bed. "Why do you need an incantation?"

Jess fell beside him. "I told you that I was going to think outside of the box with saving kids."

Sam gave her an amused look. "Ah, I see. I can teach you the exorcism words."

Jess looked up at the ceiling. "What happens if you mispronounce something or get it wrong?"

"The demon looks at you like you're an idiot and snaps your neck," Sam said. He was silent for a moment. "Or, possibly someone else fixes your mistake and you write the words over and over until your arm falls off."

Jess grinned. "You speak from experience?"

"I know it by heart now," Sam said.

Marie called Jess to update her on the kids.

Jess answered the phone. She sat up. "Hi, Marie."

Sam sat up too and listened to Marie talk.

Marie and Rod got back to the house and got the kids settled. She said that the dogs were getting all of the pets and treats they could handle and Ben didn't seem anxious.

"How are you going to keep him out of trouble?" Sam asked.

"I've been around this block before," Marie said. "He is not a problem."

Jess asked how the girls were doing and told Marie to tell them hi for both Sam and herself. She fell back when the conversation was over. "Do we know anything about their mom?"

Sam sighed. "No. James found a few things but nothing is certain." He rubbed the back of her neck. "Dean and dad are going to help him."

Jess chewed her cheek. "They'll be okay, right?"

"I hope so."

(A few days later)

Charlie went back to Marie's house. She didn't mind the little kids but was grateful that she was able to do her own thing. She didn't like kids enough to want to babysit. Well, she liked kids but she was awkward with them. She could connect with the twins because they liked her fantasy books. Ben, on the other hand, was a lot like a puppy. He was cute but way too much for her.

Taylor and Kate went back to school. Kate was a little sad that Dean missed the first day but he was saving lives. She also realized she was 12 and didn't need him to send her off. The first day was easy anyway. She ran into Ellie and worried about how they had grown apart. She didn't want to hurt Ellie's feelings.

Ellie approached Kate looking a little down. "Kate, can I talk to you?"

"Of course," Kate said.

"I started dancing again and Lucy and Makayla go to the same place. We have a lot in common. If I sit with them today, is that okay?" Ellie asked, looking absolutely guilt-ridden.

Kate hugged her. "Yes. You may see me hanging out with Hannah. We used to go to another school together."

Ellie let out a breath of relief.

"You and I can still be friends but I will not be upset if the ballerinas are more fun than me," Kate said with a smile.

Ellie blushed. "You are fun. I just don't love science as much as you do."

"If you want help with homework, just let me know." She gently touched one of Ellie's earrings. "I'll come to you for fashion advice." She looked down at her shirt. "I have too many guys in my house."

Ellie grinned. "Yes!" She hugged Kate and stepped back.

The bell rang and sent them in opposite directions.

Kate found Hannah. She was beyond thrilled that they had the same classes. "Hannah!"

"Katie!" Hannah yelled and tackled Kate.

"I'm so happy that you are here."

"Ladies, please take a seat." The teacher said, motioning to two empty desks.

Hannah squeezed Kate's hand and gave her a goofy grin. When she heard that they were moving to Sioux Falls, she cried because she was so happy. She missed Kate every day and now they'd get to see each other constantly.

Kate kept getting distracted and chattering with Hannah. A third comment from the teacher made her stop. Between classes, they caught up with each other. During their free time, they talked the entire time, quickly firing stories back and forth.

"My brother is still so annoying," Hannah said, rolling her eyes.

"Dean is the same as he was. Sam is in college in California and Taylor is in 9th grade this year." Kate said.

Hannah sat down on the ground and crossed her legs. "Tell me about Taylor."

"I've told you a few things," Kate said. "He is like me. He is nice. Yeah, he gets annoying but compared to Ryan, he is great."

"What all can he do?" Hannah asked.

Kate took a deep breath. "Similar to the things I can do but a little different. He can absorb electricity and shock people. He only does it to Dean and it is hilarious."

Hannah laughed. "I can't wait to meet him."

"He will probably walk down from the high school so that Karen doesn't have to drive to both schools," Kate said.

"Oh, tell me about her too," Hannah demanded.

"I will have to give you details later," Kate said, looking around at the other kids.

"Maybe we can hang out after school," Hannah said.

Kate shrugged. "I'll ask her if that is okay."

Hannah wiggled excitedly. "We are going to have the best year ever."

Kate scoffed. "Dean thinks we are going to go off the deep end again."

Hannah held out her arm as they stood up, locking her elbow around Kate's. "Well, we will have a blast doing it."

(Taylor)

Taylor had gotten used to being one of the big fish as an 8th grader. Stepping foot into the high school made him feel like a little fish all over again. It wasn't that he was much smaller than any of the other guys but half of them looked like full-grown men. Gone was the seniority that made him feel confident in the hallways. He did run into a few of the guys from the football team and that helped.

Nate was just as lost. High school was much different than middle school and it was nerve-wracking. "Please say you have chemistry next."

Taylor looked at his schedule. "I do!"

"Oh thank god. I suck at chem and my dad expects me to get a b this year." Nate said.

"I can help," Taylor said. "You need good grades to be on the team anyway."

Nate nudged Taylor as a girl approached them.

"You're Taylor, right?"

Taylor put his books down. "Yes."

"Cool. We are planning a few things for homecoming and my sister wanted me to be paired up with you. I'm Hailey."

Taylor forgot how to speak for a moment. "Oh, uh, why?"

"She's cheer captain this year but she is a senior. Typically, the captain walks with the quarterback but since you're a freshman, you're stuck with me." Hailey said with a bright smile on her face.

"What do I need to do?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to put a face to the name. The cheer team plans most of the stuff so you just have to put on the uniform and walk." Hailey said. She bounced on her toes and squeezed the textbook she had pressed to her chest. "It was nice meeting you, I've got to get to my class now."

Taylor stammered. "Uh, nice meeting you too."

Nate shoved him. "Cat got your tongue?"

"What? I was caught off guard." Taylor said.

"Man, I can't wait to see her in a uniform," Nate said to himself.

Taylor punched his arm. "Dude, don't be a creep."

"Why, do you like her?" Nate asked, laughing.

"You'd get mad at someone for making a comment about Ellie. Respect, dude." Taylor scolded his friend.

"Fine, I'll keep my thoughts to myself," Nate said, tossing his bag on the ground. "Wouldn't want to offend your future wife."

Taylor discretely flipped him off and kicked him under the table. "Pay attention, teacher's talking."

(Dean)

Dean stopped the car next to John's truck. James looked rough. "Have you found anything else?"

James shook his head but didn't speak. He had lost hope but needed to know what happened to his wife.

John looked at the evidence that James had and the notes that were written down. He looked into the woods and rubbed his neck. Did they need more backup? "Who went out there with her?"

"Walt and Roy," James answered.

John snorted and shook his head. He didn't regard those two as excellent hunters. They seemingly shared one brain cell and took turns using it. "Dean, I'll have you send out messages."

Dean got his phone out. He sent a detailed message to Sam, Bobby, and the kids. He sent another to Ellen. They would not make the same mistakes that others had.

John tossed James the anti-demon kit and let him stamp himself. He also gave him a vest that would help protect his chest and neck. Too many hunters had gone missing.

James showed them the path that he took, pointing out several markers along the way.

Dean didn't hear any birds and that gave him a bad feeling. The sun was high in the sky, giving them hours to look around before going back was necessary.

John kept a close eye on where they were. He made notes on coordinates and had Dean update Bobby at regular intervals. If something happened, Bobby would have an idea of where to look. James knew Desiree went into the woods but the area spanned miles in either direction. He saw a tree with deep scaring and pointed it out.

Dean got a good look at it. Animals could scratch up a tree but those cuts were several inches deep.

James hadn't noticed it the last time he was out. "That is new."

John looked around them. "Be on high alert."

Dean felt something in the pit of his stomach. The last time he saw cuts like that, his best friend was laying in the bunker's infirmary, dying. Could they have gotten to California?

John had the same thought that Dean did. "James, that tree was sliced up by what I think it was sliced up by, we have a problem on our hands. We call them freaks because Dean decided that's what they are called."

James slowed down.

"You've probably heard rumors floating around. They are fast. They are powerful and have claws big enough to do that to a tree." John said.

"How do you know about them?" James asked.

John looked behind James, at Dean. "One almost got Dean and Caleb."

Dean felt a shiver run up his back.

"We don't know how to kill them but the one we saw didn't like light very much. They don't like being tased either but that doesn't slow them down. You should know, that if they don't kill you, they will turn you." John said, in a serious tone.

"You got a good look at it?" James asked.

John couldn't explain what actually happened. "They were terrorizing a town and one of the homeowners caught them on camera. Everyone has a curfew before night falls and they keep the streets lit up. To my knowledge, they've been doing okay."

Dean feared very few things. However, the freaks scared the shit out of him. He kept thinking about Caleb sitting on the ground, propped up by the car. He almost lost him. He should have lost him. That made him sick. He didn't update Kate on what they thought the creatures were. They'd have to knock her out to keep her from showing up. He did tell Bobby though.

John looked at the map again. If the freaks were out in the woods, they likely had somewhere to take their prey and hide from the sun. He turned slightly to walk to the nearest rocky area.

Dean kept an eye on the sun. There were a few clouds. He didn't know just how much sunlight the freaks could stand. If they hit an area of dense shade as a cloud covered the sun, would they be vulnerable? He whipped his head to the side and searched for the source of a sound. He saw something move in the trees and relaxed. It was a squirrel. He caught something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head again, peering into the trees, struggling to see beyond the rays of sunlight that blocked his view.

"What is it?" John asked in a low voice.

Dean crouched down and then walked closer to the object that had caught his eye. He felt sick to his stomach and turned his face away.

John looked up into the tree and saw what was left of someone. He held his hand up to stop James.

James ignored John and looked as well. His face turned white. "Is that?"

"A man, judging by the boot," Dean said. "No way of knowing who it was."

James closed his eyes for a moment to pay his respects to the person in the tree. He swallowed hard. He also sent up a quick prayer up for Desiree and himself, along with John and Dean. He couldn't stomach returning to his children and telling them that he never found Desiree, or worse. He also couldn't stomach being taken from them as well. They deserved more than that.

John stopped at the mouth of a cave. There were markings around the entrance that told him something was inside. He turned on a bright flashlight and had James and Dean do the same. The light was all they had going for them. He banged a rock on the side of the cave to lure them out but there was nothing. He stepped into the cave, staying close to James and Dean.

The men made it deeper into the cave and heard a sound. They froze for a moment.

John saw it first, moving unimaginably fast. He got in front of Dean and held his light in the creature's face.

Dean ducked under his arm, hitting the creature with a taser before severing its head with a machete.

James started at the creature's body. It was like nothing that he had hunted before and it did move quickly. Had he ventured into the cave alone, he would have been dead.

Dean crouched beside the body. He used a cloth to pick up its hand. "Yeah, those would shred someone."

"Keep the head away from the body," John said. They continued into the cave and stumbled across Roy. Well, what used to be Roy. John confirmed it by taking his wallet from his back pocket.

James felt faint. He stopped himself from vomiting but covered his mouth and nose.

Deeper into the cave they saw where the freaks were hiding. They were not there but it was clear from the carnage and deep gouges in the walls.

John saw something move and flicked his light.

James gasped. "Desi."

Desiree was weak but ran to James, sobbing hysterically.

"Did they bite you?" Dean asked, checking Desiree for wounds.

She shook her head.

John moved back. "We need to get her out of here. Is there anyone else alive?"

Desiree shook her head again.

James lifted her and held her like her life depended on it.

"They'll come back." Desiree managed to get out.

John told them to move quickly. They needed sunlight and to get her to safety.

Dean couldn't breathe through the nerves. Something didn't feel right.

As James stumbled into the sunlight with Desiree, Dean fell back as one of the freaks hit him.

John grabbed Dean's shirt and jerked him into the sunlight, his gun poised to shoot the freak that hit Dean.

Dean quickly felt his chest and stomach. He was in one piece. "It's not stopping!"

John fired off a shot but it didn't stop the creature from lunging.

Bright light flooded the opening of the cave.

James dropped to the ground, shielding himself and his wife.

Dean covered his ears and tried to look away from the cave. As the light started to fade he saw that the freak was no longer there. He squinted his eyes, his heart beating so hard that it blurred his vision. Deep within the cave, far from the edges of sunlight, he saw a soft glow. He blinked twice and rubbed his eyes. "Kate."

They got James and his wife to their cars and said they'd meet him at the motel.

John told him to get her cleaned up. "If they scratched or bit her, she could turn. We will be there as soon as possible."

Dean all but ran back to the cave. He walked into the mouth of the cave and grunted from the impact. He wrapped his arms around older Kate and regained his balance.

John let them have their moment. "Are they gone?"

Older Kate let go of Dean. She gave John a quick hug as well. "Yes." She walked back into the cave, telling them to follow her. "Desiree will tell you what she witnessed. The freaks are gone."

"Did you kill all of them?" Dean asked.

Older Kate studied him for a moment. "No."

John looked for Walt's body but didn't see anything that would confirm that he was there. "The other hunter."

Dean got a good look at Kate's face, speckled with blood, making her hair stick to her face. "What happened in here?"

"I took care of it." Older Kate said, weakly.

Dean wiped her face with his shirt sleeve. "You can't keep showing up to save my ass. I'll lose my street cred."

Older Kate whimpered as she let out a small laugh. "I didn't save you this time."

John looked at the walls of the cave.

Kate turned to look at him. "There's nothing here that will be useful."

John shined a light on her arm. "Did one of them bite you?"

Kate stepped away from him. "I'll be fine."

"Kate, you could turn," John said. "Let me see your arm."

Kate pulled her arm away. "I'll be fine."

"Katelyn, give me your arm, now," John said.

Kate turned her arm over so that he could look at it.

John nodded. "We are going to the truck."

Dean talked to Kate as they walked. He tried not to think about the bite.

Kate sat on the back of the truck and let John clean the wound. "I'm going to be okay. It burns but I'm not going to turn."

John studied the bite. "How do you know?"

Kate looked down at her feet. "Trial and error, I guess."

John tilted her chin. "Start talking."

Kate pulled her face away from him. "They are like rattlesnakes. The babies are more dangerous as far as venom goes. This will heal." She slid back down to the ground and paced for a moment.

"If you didn't come back to save us, what did you come back for?" Dean asked.

Kate chewed her lip. "You survived. You just let an opportunity to capture those freaks slip through your fingers."

John narrowed his eyes. "Come again?"

"You didn't tell me what took Desiree. I found that out the hard way. So, I came back to do this the right way." Kate said, challenging John.

John got into her personal space. "You got bit."

Kate held up her arm. "It will heal."

"You don't put yourself in danger like that. You just said that we survived." John said.

Kate crossed her arms. "Go home and tell younger me that you caught them and can run tests."

Dean tried to mediate. "If we do that, you're going to go off the deep end."

Kate snorted. "Like I didn't the first time. If you don't trap a freak, younger me will do it for you."

John grabbed her arm, "19 or not, you need to cool it."

Kate smirked. "Maybe use some common sense so we don't have to keep meeting like this." She vanished before John's hand connected with her backside.

John angrily blew air through his nose.

Dean's lip twitched, betraying the laugh that was creeping up his throat. One glare from John made him swallow and clear his throat. Damn older Kate for always leaving him with a pissed-off John.

Desiree was able to tell them that she and the other two hunters were attacked in the woods. The creatures attacked in a way that they had no chance of fighting back. Walt was lost in the woods and Roy was brought back to the cave with her.

Dean cringed. "I'm guessing that was Walt we found."

Desiree told them that they didn't speak but communicated. She couldn't tell them Roy's fate without sobbing.

James held her. "You don't have to talk about that."

"They didn't hurt you?" John asked.

Desiree shook her head. "I fought and I got hit but they didn't tear into me."

Dean and John traded looks. That made absolutely no sense. They thought of the freaks as feral creatures that attacked anything that moved. Now, from what Desiree was saying, they had a higher level of thinking.

"Did you see anyone else?" John asked.

"There was a woman," Desiree said, hiding her face in James's chest.

John made notes. Were they saving her? Most of the victims were male, but the attack of a female laid waste to that theory. Mary, the vampire, was female but she wasn't human. Did they try to turn her? Did she just get lucky and get away before they ate her? He had so many questions with no answers. He checked Desiree and found that she was in decent health, although dehydrated and hungry. He spoke to James outside. "I'd keep her away from the kids for a few days at least. She is going to be jumpy and shaken up but this is odd. If anything changes, absolutely anything, you let me know. That means a fever or any physical change."

Desiree broke down into a fit of tears as she heard her girls' voices over the phone. "Yeah, mommy is okay. I love you so much."

Dean gave her some privacy. He went to talk to James. "You know, Marie and Rod would let you guys stay there for a bit. You'd have help with the kids and she would be able to heal."

James thanked them again. He got his wife back and she was in one piece.

John went back to his truck and put the first aid kit back together, slamming it into the seat.

Dean leaned against the impala. "Where are you headed."

John growled. "Bobby's house."

Dean grimaced. "Maybe you should visit Pamela first. You seem tense." He saw John slowly straighten to his full height and sighed, leaning his head down. He rubbed the back of his head after getting smacked. "It was just a suggestion."

"I'm going back to Sioux Falls because older Kate and younger Kate are both keen on doing stupid shit," John said.

"They're the same person," Dean said. He held up his hands. "I'll just stop talking."

"What happened along the way for her to be that damn cocky?" John asked.

Dean made a zipping motion across his mouth.

"She didn't say what she did with them," John said.

"I'm assuming they are at the facility the other one was at," Dean said.

John grumbled and rubbed his face. "None of this makes a lick of sense."

Dean crossed one ankle over the other. "We are all alive."

John met eyes with Dean. "For now."

"You can't kill her or she wouldn't live to go back through time and save us," Dean said.

John snorted. "Do you need to sleep or can you drive?"

"I can drive," Dean said.

"Are you stopping to visit Sam?" John asked.

Dean smirked. "I planned on it."

John jingled his truck keys. "I'll check out the facility and meet you in Sioux Falls."

Dean got into his own car and gave John a slight nod, their version of goodbye.

(Sam and Jess)

Sam heard something in the house and quickly sat up. It was near midnight and the sound was so light that he thought he could have imagined it.

Jess sat up too.

"Stay here," Sam said.

Jess pulled the blanket up to her chin and got onto her knees. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Sam said. He was going over a list of possibilities in his head. The house was warded. They had extra locks. He would have heard someone break a window. As he entered the living room someone tackled him to the ground. It was pitch black so he couldn't see who or what it was. The fight lasted a minute before his arms were pinned behind him.

"Getting rusty."

He recognized the voice and threw his head back, catching Dean in the mouth.

"Easy there, tiger." Dean said with a laugh. His head rocked to the side and caused him to lose his balance.

Jess flipped the light on. "Dean Winchester you scared me!"

Dean rubbed his head, his vision blurry. "You hit me in the head."

Jess tossed the book at him, hitting him in the chest. "I should have used a frying pan."

Sam helped Dean up. "What the hell?"

"I was just making sure your home security was up to snuff. It's not." Dean said.

Sam shook his head. "I could have stabbed you."

Dean rubbed his head. "I'm more worried about your girlfriend and frying pans."

Jess gave him a side hug. "I could have used Sam's law book. I heard your voice and chose a softer one."

"Wait, you hit me, knowing it was me?" Dean asked.

Jess huffed. "You scared me."

Sam handed Dean a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"We found Desiree and she's with James. I just thought I'd drop in." Dean said.

"Use the front door," Jess said.

"Eh, this was more fun," Dean said, dodging the book as it got thrown at him again.

Jess relaxed. She asked Dean if he was going to stay overnight. She got him some blankets and a pillow. "You can crash on the couch."

Dean yawned. "I'll show you how I got in tomorrow. I'll just stay out here to protect you since your security system is crap."

Sam clapped him on the back. "Jerk."

"Bitch."