Author's note: I'm sorry about the short chapter and delay. College finals, covid and horrible internet connection has me about ready to pull my hair out. The "tw" and "etw" are out of respect for those readers that like the story but not those scenes. This allows them to know that a scene is coming up and it is in bold so that they can easily skip down to the etw (end trigger warning). I tend to write as ideas enter my head so I am going to make a point of adding those from now on so that everyone can be happy.

(Bobby's house)

Dean took another look at the rift. How had they not seen it before? He watched Kate drawing on her bed. He had become desensitized to the abilities. At first, she had visions. Then, she couldn't heal people, but she could pull pain away. Along the way, she got stronger, and he accepted it. The rift scared him. That was a long way away from numbing pain. Brian likely had no idea of what Kate was capable of before he died. He looked back out the window and cleared his throat. "They are home."

Kate snapped her head up to look at Dean.

"Bobby and Karen, but dad and Taylor are on their way." Dean said.

Kate groaned. She hoped Dean had her back.

Bobby carried groceries into the house. He got Dean to help him but noticed that something was off with Dean's demeanor. "You got something to say?"

Dean rubbed the back of his head. "We have a problem."

Bobby grumbled. "When do we not?"

Dean blew air through his nose. He stepped back a few steps and pointed to the glowing rift.

Bobby squinted his eyes. "What the hell is that?"

"I figured Cas could answer that." Dean said.

John and Taylor got to the house after Dean and Kate explained things to Bobby and Karen. A quick recap filled John in as well.

"You knew it was there and didn't say anything." John said.

Dean cleared his throat. "I took care of it. She did try to tell us a few times and couldn't because you had to find Andy and stuff like that."

"Then I thought you weren't supposed to know about it. I know, that is dumb. Dean corrected me." Kate said.

John let it go. He trusted Dean but also didn't want to argue with him. "Show me."

Kate opened her window and stepped back so that they could see the rift. "I think I did this when I snapped."

Dean stepped out of the room to call Cas to help. He expected the angel to show up behind him, so he put his back to the wall to prevent it. The curtains shifted as Cas arrived. "What do you know about rifts?"

Cas tilted his head to the side.

Dean pointed to the stairs.

Cas looked out the window for a moment and then flashed to stand on the roof. He could feel the power seeping through the rift. He had heard about such things but had never seen it before. He went through the rift to see what was on the other side and reappeared a moment later. "This is a tear in the veil."

"There is another world on the other side, isn't there?" Kate asked. She showed the others the video she managed to capture.

Cas nodded slowly. "How did this get here?"

Dean explained what happened with Kate. "We don't know if that caused it though."

Cas studied Kate. "You knew before the tear happened."

Kate's eyes grew wide. "What?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh, I had visions but didn't know what they were."

"Supposedly, the veil is weak in certain areas. You may be able to sense where those areas are." Cas said.

"So, it is like having thin walls and I was 'hearing' what was on the other side?" Kate asked.

Cas confirmed her analogy.

"If there is another universe, that means there are probably thousands more. Why did the rift open to that one?" Taylor asked.

"Wait, I've had dreams of other worlds. Most are kind of crazy and only happen once. One had less civilization, like a war had happened." Kate said.

"So why do you keep coming back to this one?" Dean asked.

"The uncanny valley." Kate said, in a moment of realization.

Dean rubbed his face. "Now you are just making words up."

Kate grabbed a piece of paper and drew a straight line. She wrote 'human' and 'not human' on either side and tapped the paper. "The uncanny valley was a term that someone came up with to describe why we find certain things creepy. It was originally used for robots. If you see one that is square or metal, you aren't usually creeped out. If one has been made to look human, there is a point where it is just uncomfortable. This can explain why dolls and wax figures can be creepy. If something is too human-like, but not human-like enough, it makes us worry."

"What does that have to do with the rift?" Dean asked.

"You've experienced Deja vu, right? Well, that is another phenomenon that makes us uncomfortable because something seems familiar but not familiar enough. The drawing of you, that I showed you. I felt like something wasn't quite right. I was correct. I was drawing you from another timeline. This other timeline could be so similar to ours, that my brain notices it. It is like if someone came into the house and moved something. You'd keep looking around trying to figure out what was different."

John cleared his throat. "The rift needs to be sealed."

Kate frowned. "You don't want to check it out?"

Cas spoke up. "The rift should not be there. It is unnatural. We were not supposed to have access to other timelines, and it is odd that you were able to do this. I can't even do that. To my knowledge, and research, the only way for an angel to do something of that magnitude, they would require grace from an archangel and a few other hard to acquire ingredients. There have been whispers of a spell, but no angel has attempted it because it is impossible."

Kate chewed her thumbnail. "I have the archangel grace."

Cas nodded. "I will return. I have much to learn."

(Charlie)

Charlie yawned. It was nearly bedtime, although she didn't have a bedtime. She liked her sleep. She noticed that Krissy didn't seem very happy and decided to talk to her.

Krissy crossed her arms and turned her back to Charlie.

Charlie got two cups of chocolate milk from the kitchen and placed one next to Krissy. "Can you tell me why you are angry?"

Krissy took a big drink from the cup and licked the top of her lip. "It isn't fair you are taking them."

Charlie sipped her drink. "Rod and Marie?"

Krissy nodded her head.

"I'm not taking them." Charlie said.

"They pay you attention and adopt you." Krissy said with a pout.

"I don't have parents. That is why they want to adopt me." Charlie said.

Krissy slumped. "I don't have a mom. I kinda don't have a dad cuz he sent me far away."

"He wants you to be safe. I'm sorry about your mom. I know how much that hurts your heart." Charlie said.

Krissy spilled her grief and warmed up to Charlie. "I feel special. Please don't take it away."

Charlie patted the seat beside her. "I won't. See, I'm a teenager. I don't need a ton of stuff. You are still little. You require more attention. They can split it though. When I need something, I can ask for it. The same goes for you. I don't get carried around on Rod's shoulders or play dress up with Marie's stuff."

Krissy liked doing that. "I wanna get adopted."

Charlie smiled. "You have a dad. I bet, though, if you asked them, they'd want to be your adoptive grandparents. We could have a small party and you could have it written on a certificate."

Krissy gasped. "We can do that?"

Charlie gently patted her leg. "I'd say so. Why don't you go ask?"

Krissy shot off the couch in search of Rod and Marie. She never had grandparents. She didn't know people could adopt grandkids.

Charlie finished her chocolate milk. Her life was safe for the night, until she managed to anger Krissy again. She decided to organize files before bed. She sat down at her computer and got distracted. She could cross reference names with obituaries. She wouldn't see any that matched and that would totally ease her mind. She typed in the first name and let out a breath. No match. She entered information into a spreadsheet and typed in the second name. Her heart sunk. Maybe it had nothing to do with the files. Maybe the person died for another reason. She looked at the date of death and the date that the file ended. They were the same.

(Bobby's house)

Cas returned with information about how to seal the rift.

Dean looked into the box that Cas handed him. "Please tell me that those are the bones of an animal."

Cas didn't answer him. He had learned that sometimes, humans asked for things they didn't want. It was called sarcasm, he thought. Dean used a lot of sarcasm.

"Couldn't I seal it since I opened it?" Kate asked.

"No. It is best to do it this way." John said. He didn't need to say that she was being banned from interacting with the rift again.

Taylor went downstairs with Kate. He wanted to watch too but didn't want to leave Kate alone. "So, you can open interdimensional portals and I can throw a football really far."

"That seems to be working out well for you. I can't say the same for me." Kate said.

"Ah, it is boring if you think about it." Taylor said.

Kate flopped down on the sofa. "Here is an idea, you could do something stupid so that dad's attention is taken off of me. Then, maybe I'd get ungrounded and be able to attend a game."

Taylor sucked air through his teeth. "I am not going to do anything stupid. I bet, if you ask, he will let you go to my game."

"You could ask and tell him that you want us all to go." Kate said.

A burst of energy caused both kids to jump up. Taylor held his arm out to stop Kate. "I think it is sealed."

Kate rubbed her hands down her arms. "That energy feels different."

Taylor agreed. "Yeah, it does."

Dean opened the bedroom door. "You can come up. Cas closed it."

Kate was a little sad. There was an entire universe to explore. She, of course, wanted to study it.

(The day of the game)

Kate was ecstatic to be able to attend the game. Her plan worked so well that she wondered what else Taylor could convince John to do. It used to be her that could talk him into just about anything. She talked him out of following Sam that one time. She talked him out of strangling her for telling him to fuck off. Maybe her impulsiveness was catching up to her. He forgave but never forgot.

Taylor got through his school day and geared up for the game. He was somewhat used to the process. He had his own routine that got him in the zone. He'd listen to a few songs as he warmed up and take a moment to look at the field. It was kind of a lame routine, but it was comforting. He noticed a man with sunglasses, standing by the fence. Something caught his attention, but Nate pulled his attention away from the man. When he looked back, the man was gone.

Dean and John both picked up on the man watching Taylor. At first, they thought he could be nobody but became clear that he was focused on Taylor.

John approached the man standing by the fence. He cleared his throat. "Why are you watching my son?"

The man didn't turn his head but acknowledged John. "Which one is yours?"

John bristled. "Why are you watching my son?"

"I could be a talent scout." The man said, removing his sunglasses.

"You aren't. Scouts don't watch kids leave the locker rooms. Scouts don't stand on this side were no one can see them." John said.

"You saw me." The man said.

John turned to face the man. He stood to his full height and crossed his arms.

The man smirked and held his hand out for John to shake. "My name is Kyle."

John looked the man over. He had on jeans and combat boots. He shook his hand firmly. "Again, why are you watching him?"

"I'm Taylor's brother." Kyle said. He spit tobacco spit onto the ground. "Sorry excuse for a brother."

John studied Kyle's demeanor. "Why are you here?"

Kyle couldn't believe that Taylor had grown up as much as he had. "I should have shown up years before this. Maybe that makes me a coward. I was 15 when Taylor was born. I joined the Army and got the hell out of dodge as soon as I could. I knew my dad could be a mean son of a bitch but I didn't… I didn't know it was that bad."

John heard a note of regret in the young man's voice.

"So, you call him your son?" Taylor asked.

"I adopted him. I'm more of a dad to him than Craig ever was." John said.

Kyle spit again. "I don't doubt that. I didn't come here to cause any issues. I'd like to talk to the kid but as you said, he's your son. You know him better than I do, since I made a point to stay gone."

"Why now?" John asked.

Kyle closed his eyes against the soft breeze. "You know, after the towers fell, the government wants to retaliate. I know you're a former Marine and know how to keep those things a secret but I'm set to deploy on the first wave."

John knew a man who expected to die, just by looking at him. "You don't think you'll be back?"

"Well, I don't know that. I know I'll be over there for a long while. I was in Europe for a few years. I landed back stateside and started trying to find family. That is when I learned about the house blowing up. I can make assumptions. You know, my mom was going to divorce that bastard and before she could…. He didn't give her the opportunity. I have no proof of that but I have that feeling in my gut." Kyle explained.

"You just want to talk to Taylor?" John asked.

Kyle pulled a thick folder from his jacket. "I had some stuff to give him. I guess, I could just give it to you. I don't want to cause him any kind of stress."

John took the folder and flipped through it. "What is this?"

"I knew Taylor wasn't my dad's son. There was another man. He seemed nice enough but my dad wasn't happy about it. He moved us so that man couldn't find us again. I was a curious kid so I snooped around."

John watched Taylor launch the ball down the field, to a teammate who made a touchdown. He was always impressed by the spiral that Taylor manage to add to the ball. He saw Taylor look to the stands and whistled so he would turn his head.

Taylor gave John a huge grin and ran to the bench to get some water. He wondered who John was talking to. It worried him a little since it was the same mad who had been watching him earlier.

John couldn't control the smile that crossed his face.

Kyle noticed that. "He's doing good, isn't he?"

John nodded. "He's 14 and the quarterback for the team. He has a girlfriend. He's got straight A's."

"Good. It was time he got something good in life." Kyle said.

At Kyle's request John left him to watch the end of the game. He'd ask Taylor if he was okay with talking to Kyle. Was it just David that was screwed up? One of the others, Daniel, seemed off too. Of course, the icy pond memory could be skewed. He didn't think Craig could have raised a kid that didn't have massive issues. Kyle and Taylor were likely the outliers.

Dean made eye contact with John. "So was he watching Taylor?"

"Yes. That is Kyle, Taylor's oldest brother." John said. "He seems to only have good motives. He wants to talk to Taylor before he deploys."

Dean felt uneasy. "Will that set him off?"

"I'll talk to him. Kyle wanted me to okay it before trying to approach him." John said.

Dean snorted. "So not all of them are assholes."

Kate looked at Kyle. Reading him wasn't an option. Well, it was but John would not be happy about it. From his posture, she thought he didn't seem aggressive. She hoped that Kyle wouldn't upset Taylor.

The mess with David nearly broke him and she wouldn't let it happen again. Did Kyle know something? If she remembered correctly, Kyle was a good bit older. He may have moved out before things got bad for Taylor. There were two other brothers. David obviously saw a lot. The other two could be young enough that they would have witnessed a few things.

Dean tweaked Kate's nose. "Stop thinking so loud."

Kate blinked. "Stop being annoying."

Dean smirked. "Let dad handle it."

Kate crossed her arms. "Don't assume that I'm trying to handle something."

"I can see the wheels turning, kiddo. I'm worried too. Dad interrogated him and will talk to Taylor first." Dean said.

Kate sighed. "Fine. If things go south, I'm stepping in."

Dean shook his head. "No you will not. If things go south, I will be the one stepping in. I saw, first hand,

what David did to him."

John sat forward so he could look at both Dean and Kate. "Neither of you will be stepping in."

Dean matched Kate's expression.

"You'll get in my way." John said.

Dean cracked a smile. "You were never that protective of me."

"Did I have anyone to protect you from?" John asked.

Dean snapped his fingers. "Hey, that one history teacher from that one school."

John raised an eyebrow. "Didn't he suddenly retire?"

Dean's eyes grew wide. "Did you kill him?"

John didn't look amused. "No, I talked to him though."

Kate scooted closer. "With your fists?"

John sat back. "I had a civil discussion with him about his treatment of Dean."

Kate nudged Dean. "He probably killed him." She held her hands up and gave John a sheepish grin. "I'm just going to watch the game.

Dean flinched as one of the cheerleaders flew into the air. He tapped Kate's arm. "Are you sure you don't want to do that?"

"Do you see those skirts?" Kate asked. "I wore short shorts one time, and you lost your head."

Dean scoffed. "I did do that."

"I wonder at what age you can start pole dancing. You know, not for show, but as a full body workout." Kate said with a smirk.

John turned his head. "I wouldn't push him, Kate."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "I wonder at what age they let you join a convent."

"I'd make a terrible nun." Kate said.

Dean couldn't argue with that. "I think you would be really good at some kind of tumbling."

"Stunts." Kate said. "I could be a stuntwoman."

"There you go." Dean said. He stood up to cheer when everyone else did. "Man, they are killing this other team."

Kate whistled loudly. She was glad that she wasn't missing the game, like she had before. Taylor was amazing, even though he was holding back his abilities. She could feel how happy he was. She didn't want Kyle to ruin that.

Taylor ran over to celebrate with his team as soon as the game was over. He jumped up and bumped chests with his running back. He had a few guys walking with him and planned on going back to the locker room.

John stepped down from the stands. "Taylor." He got touched Taylor's arm and got his attention.

"What?" Taylor asked in an annoyed tone. He met John's eyes and froze.

John waited for the other boys walked away. "What?"

Taylor's face turned red. "I'm sorry. I was caught up."

"Uh huh, that sounded like a whole lot of teenage attitude." John said. He raised an eyebrow and gave Taylor a moment. "I had something to talk to you about."

Taylor rested his helmet against his hip. "I'm all ears, in the most respectful way."

John chuckled. He thought for a moment and rubbed his face. "Your brother, Kyle, is here. He wanted to see you before he deployed."

Taylor whipped his head around. "Why?"

"He mentioned not realizing things got as bad as they did until it was too late. It is your choice." John said.

Taylor fidgeted. "Uh, I'll just shower off and change."

John nodded. "If you don't feel comfortable, shoot me a message. It was his idea to ask you first, although I'd do so anyway."

Taylor wiped his brow with his jersey. "Uh, thanks. Sorry about snapping."

John waved him off. He didn't appreciate it but also didn't hold it against Taylor. He'd take the normal teenage crap with no complaints.

Taylor showered off and changed into his normal clothes. He towel dried his hair and sat on one of the benches. Why was Kyle there? Did he know about Craig? Was he going to ask about David? He had good memories of Kyle. He wasn't like his other brothers. Maybe he really did just want to check in. He shoved his gear into his bag and walked out of the locker room. He saw John right outside and approached him. "I want to talk to him."

John nodded and pointed to the stands. "Over there."

Taylor walked over to the stands and slowly climbed the stairs.

Kyle stood up. "Taylor."

Taylor stopped. "Kyle."

Kyle wrung his hands before shoving them into his pockets. "Uh, you looked good out there."

Taylor furrowed his brows. "Thanks."

Kyle was uncomfortable due to guilt. "Look, I know this doesn't help you now but I'm sorry I didn't check in enough. Had I known…. Well, I can't change it now. I talked to John… your uh, dad." He sat back down and motioned for Taylor to do the same. "I ran for a while. I got back and thought I'd check in. Found out about the house and your mom."

Taylor stiffened.

"Craig was a nasty man. I don't know what all happened but none of it should have." Kyle said.

Taylor relaxed. "You are deploying?"

"Yeah." Kyle said. "Right now, no one knows exactly when. There is just chatter."

Taylor wasn't getting a bad feeling from Kyle. "So, did you find anyone else?"

Kyle bounced his leg. "Mike, I spoke to him. He graduated and is job hunting. Uh, Dan's wife left him and took the kids. I didn't talk to him but the kids are doing good. David, I assume got into something."

Taylor's eyes flicked away from Kyle.

"I heard he was in and out of jail. He and Craig had a lot in common. I'm glad you're doing good, though." Kyle said.

Taylor was grateful that Kyle didn't ask him about David. "I'm happy. Dad has a reputation but he is really cool."

Kyle smiled. "I was about two seconds from having a gun in my back before I told him why I was really watching you."

Taylor smiled. "He is protective."

"It's about time that someone protected you." Kyle said.

Taylor nodded.

Kyle chewed his cheek. "I gave him a folder." He took a deep breath. "I saw some stuff, I guess. I know you know that Craig wasn't your real father. You lucked out there. I wrote everything down for you to go over with John."

Taylor stared at the ground. "You knew?"

"Depends on what you are asking." Kyle said.

"You didn't tell me about my dad."

"Ah, kid. I was 15. I was afraid of Craig too. Then, it just didn't seem important." Kyle said.

"Do you know other things?" Taylor asked.

Kyle gave him a sad smile. "I put all of it into that folder. I don't know anything. I saw things. I heard things but I don't know anything. I have to be back to post before the morning. I just drove down here to make amends."

Taylor stood up when Kyle did and hugged him. "You'll let me know when you get back, right?"

Kyle swallowed. "Yeah, sure, kid."

(Later)

Taylor ate his dinner in silence. He had not expected to see Kyle. It brought up a lot of old memories.

John let Taylor have time to process before he pulled him to the side. "Are you going to be okay?"

Taylor furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah. I just haven't seen him in a few years."

John talked through what Kyle had told Taylor. He cleared his throat. "He gave me a folder of stuff that he collected."

Taylor nodded. "I want to look at it."

"Not yet." John said.

"What? He drove all day to give that to me." Taylor said.

John settled Taylor with a stern look. "Kate has not seen her file yet. I will look through yours too. David and Craig did awful things to you. While you and Kate are different people, you are both children. I do not want you to look at something and get sent back to that place you were in."

Taylor let himself phase through emotions. "I'll get to see it though, right?"

John nodded. "Not tonight."

Taylor wanted to argue but saw where that got Kate. "Okay."

John gave him a pat on the back. "I'll review it tonight and we can discuss it tomorrow."

Taylor left John to step outside. He figured Kate and Dean were both about to die from not knowing what was going on.

Kate hugged Taylor as soon as he walked outside.

Taylor hugged her back. "Kyle gave dad information. He won't let me look at it until after he does."

Kate sat on the porch swing. "Well don't get mad and open a portal. They'll just make you close it."

Taylor smiled. "You know, shocking someone would boost my mood."

"And kicking your ass would boost mine." Dean said.

Taylor leaned against the railing. "Killjoy."