Author's note: Thank you for all the well wishes. I am looking forward to all of this healing. Ponygirl, back surgery sounds far more serious. I hope your newest surgery went well.
(Bobby's house)
Kate was sitting in the extra room, working on her art project. Everyone else was busy elsewhere but she wasn't alone.
Dean stopped to check on her and frowned. He turned to Bobby with a sigh. "Why is she so focused on this kid?"
"Maybe she feels like she is doing something to help." Karen said. "She is not out trying to save the world. She's chatting with a boy."
"A ghost." Dean corrected.
"What she is doing right now isn't much different than if she was talking to him on the phone." Karen countered.
Dean groaned. He heard a soft giggle and looked up at the ceiling. "The first boy she pays mind to is already dead."
"She noticed Taylor." Bobby reminded him.
Dean pointed toward the room. "Not like that."
Karen watched Kate. "Oh, Dean. I don't think she feels like that. I think he is a boy that shares part of her history. She is just keeping him company."
Bobby noticed Dean's arm and brought attention to it. "What happened there?"
Dean scoffed. "Taylor can throw his voice. He can mimic my voice too. Little shit said something, and dad handed Ian a branch to chase us with."
Karen's eyes twinkled. "Did you run from him?"
Dean's nose flared. "I tried to disarm him." In truth, he had taken off at a slow pace because Ian was giggling like a maniac. He had let his guard down and Ian got him on the arm. It was more of a scuff than a whack, but he'd survive either way. He had expected John to get mad but arming Ian was diabolical. Ian didn't even try to fight John when he eventually took the stick away. If Kate and John were a bad pair, Ian and John had to be even worse.
Krissy didn't want to go to bed. She was tired but had reached the dangerous point of being over tired.
Marie got Krissy to sleep on a small mattress in the room that she and Rod would be using for the night. That room happened to be Kate and Taylor's room.
Taylor heard her moving around fifteen minutes later. He opened his door and narrowed his eyes.
Krissy was standing on Kate's bed, trying to reach something on the wall.
Taylor groaned and turned on the light. He didn't want her to pull on the chain that she was reaching for. It held some of Kate's pendants that she no longer wore. He grabbed it and placed it in the closet, far from Krissy's reach. That resulted in an ear-splitting scream and a very angry five-year-old. He covered his ears for a moment before he picked her up so that she didn't jump off of the bed.
John heard the scream and started to go upstairs but the screaming suddenly stopped, and it was eerily quiet. He saw Taylor pulling her blanket over her and cleared his throat.
Taylor whipped his head to the side and grimaced. He tiptoed away from her and shut the door softly, afraid that she would wake up. "She was trying to reach Kate's pendants. She screamed and I just told her to cut it out and go to sleep."
John raised an eyebrow. "You told her?"
"I compelled her." Taylor said, hanging his head.
John snorted. It was obvious that Taylor hadn't meant to cause any harm. He stood a bit straighter and gave Taylor a stern look. "Do not compel children. That being said, just come back up and check on her in ten minutes."
Taylor let out a breath of air. "I could have compelled Ian but didn't even think about it."
"That would have been a bad choice. Ian was payback for that comment." John said.
Taylor cringed. "Pamela is a very nice lady and your relationship is none of my business."
John lightly smacked his head. He was still waiting for the news to catch up to Taylor, but he'd enjoy the lightheartedness while he could. "Pamela is going to stop by to help with the Cameron situation. Maybe you should repeat that with a proper apology."
Taylor's face turned red. "Couldn't you just beat me or something?" He asked jokingly.
John tilted his head to the stairs. "I'll keep that in mind."
Charlie tossed her blanket and pillow onto an air mattress. The three kids would spend the night in the spare room. It wasn't a bedroom, but it was big. Everyone had agreed that letting Krissy sleep outside of a locked door could spell disaster. She was curious and just wanted to see everything. Charlie had done some research and found a children's museum. They'd stop by before going back home. Krissy deserved to have one place that she could explore without being held back. Of course, a hunter's house would be restricted but Charlie saw the sense of wonder in Krissy's eyes.
Kate had dreams that night.
Cameron waited by a set of doors for Kate. He had a smile on his face. He had shaggy brown hair that reminded Kate of a younger Sam. His eyes were dark brown though. He had freckles and a birthmark on his arm that caught her eye. "Come on, it is through here."
Kate ran after him. It was a hospital but not dreary. There were murals along the walls that depicted a summer day at the park. There were zoo animals on the play equipment and surrounding areas. It had to be a children's hospital.
Cameron walked until he got to a door that led to a recreation room.
Kate's eyes widened. That room had everything a kid would want. They had games, books, art supplies, toys and small slides. There were a few kids playing in the room, but Cameron wanted to play air hockey.
A woman in pink scrubs came into the room and approached a little girl. She held her hand out and smiled, "Alright Anya, it's time."
Kate watched the little girl walk out of the room. She was younger than Krissy and had bright red hair. Kate blinked and suddenly they were somewhere else. It wasn't as cheery but there were still kids playing around. Maybe it was a smaller hospital. "Why are we here?"
Cameron shrugged. "I have a checkup every three months." He grinned. "Ice cream day is the best."
Kate took the cone that she was handed. "I've never been to one of these places. All of my doctors just have boring white or gray walls."
A boy, closer to Kate's age, finished his ice cream and tossed it into the trash. He followed a nurse out of the room and continued down the hall.
This pattern continued, making Kate feel uneasy. Two more children were taken away. The rooms were different. One time, they were even outside. She stopped the nurse that took the fourth kid. "Who are you? Where are you taking her?"
The nurse was cheerful. "Oh, honey. I can't tell you that. Our friend, Jada, is going with me for a treatment. I can't discuss patient details."
Kate woke up when Taylor did. She remembered the dreams. They didn't feel like visions, although she was lucid. She had no control over them until she talked to the nurse. She shook Charlie. "Anya, Jared, Oliver and Jada."
Charlie blinked. "Huh?"
"The names. Do they mean something?" Kate asked.
Charlie groaned. "I'm sleepy."
Kate left the room. Charlie would need a minute before she was useful.
John acknowledged Kate as she entered the kitchen.
Kate frowned. "I had dreams."
"Visions?" John asked.
"Not like normal. This felt more like a dream. I was with Cameron. He showed me around a playroom at a big children's hospital. We went to a few different ones but the only other thing that happened was I kept noticing nurses taking kids out of the room. That isn't weird though. I asked one nurse what she was doing and then I woke up." Kate said.
"What is making you focus on it?" John asked.
Kate sat down. "The nurses used the kids' names. There were other kids there but four stood out. No other names were used aside from those four and they were at different facilities." She rested her head on the table. "Can you look through the files if I give you the names?"
John got up. They had a master list. "I'm ready."
"Anya was the first one." Kate said.
John scanned the names with his eyes. He nodded slightly to tell her to continue.
"Jared. Oliver. Jada." Kate said.
"There is one Jared and three Olivers. I guess that is a popular name." John said. "Jada is here too."
"Maybe Anya is short for another name." Kate said.
John placed the list on the table. "So, all of these kids are from the trials?"
Kate chewed her lip. "Maybe Cameron knew them."
John left her with Dean and Karen so that he could continue looking into the names.
The nurses looked normal. They even seemed nice. Kate wasn't sure if Cameron remembered them as nice or if she wasn't seeing their true form.
Charlie finally crawled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. "What were you asking me?"
"I had a dream and there were four kids. Dad looked up the names and they may be from the trials." Kate said.
Charlie rubbed her eyes and looked at John's scribbling of the names. She blinked slowly. "Where did he go?"
"Office." Kate said.
Charlie shuffled down the hallway and turned into the office. "So, Kate gave you a list of names. Cool. Cool. Have you looked up files yet?"
John raised an eyebrow.
Charlie got her computer and booted it up. She clicked through a few folders and turned the computer to John.
"What is that?" John asked.
Charlie lowered her voice to a whisper. "My running list of kids who died."
John rubbed his chin. "What about Anya?"
"Maybe she isn't in this set of files." Charlie said.
John called Kate into the office. He had her sit down. "We think that these names belong to children that have passed away."
Kate's face fell. "Reapers." She felt chills run up her spine. "The nurses."
John thought that would make sense. "Reapers are a good sign. That means that these souls can continue to heaven."
"Why now?" Kate asked.
"That could have happened years ago. The dream could be just that." John said.
Kate had a gut feeling. "Maybe you could ask Tessa. You could call Cas and he'd get her. I'll stay out of the way. I'll even stay in another room."
"Charlie, you and Kate can talk to Cameron. I'd like to know if he remembers anything." John said.
Dean was torn. Should he keep an eye on Kate? Should he go on a run with Taylor? He assumed that was what Taylor was about to do. He finally decided to tag along with Taylor. Kate had others in the house, and he wasn't worried about her snapping at that moment.
Taylor threw a towel over his shoulders and started down the worn path. He heard footsteps and stopped. "What?"
"I'm coming. I could use the exercise." Dean said.
Taylor pulled a face. "I'm going for a swim."
Dean returned the odd look. "In October?"
"I'm tense. I'm angry. I feel like I'm going to burst into flames." Taylor said.
Dean told him to wait. "I am not jumping in with you, but I'll bring a towel just in case I have to jump in to save you."
Taylor snorted. "I'm the better swimmer."
Dean shrugged. "Humor me."
Taylor walked beside Dean. He had stuff on his mind but appreciated that Dean wasn't grilling him. Once he got to the pond, he slipped off his shoes and t shirt. He took his pants off, revealing a set of swimming shorts.
Dean took a seat on a rock. The water was going to be cold but still safe, as long as he kept an eye on the kid.
Taylor dove into the water. He quickly acclimated and found the darkness of the pond to be soothing. He swam down to the bottom and let his fingers craze the mud and rocks. He let himself float toward the surface but stopped as the light broke through. He remembered drowning in the frozen pond when he was five. He remembered seeing the light but not being able to break through. He remembered everything being blurry as the water and sediment clouded his eyes. He heard a muffled voice and for a moment, he thought he was imagining it. His face broke the water and he met eyes with Dean.
"Are you trying to die out there?" Dean demanded.
Taylor wiped his eyes. "What?"
"Don't do shit like that." Dean growled.
Taylor could see that Dean was upset. "I didn't dive straight down. I'm not dumb enough to break my neck."
Dean threw a pinecone at him. "I'm talking about not resurfacing." He realized Taylor was honestly confused. "You were down for 2 or 3 minutes."
Taylor tilted his head. "Really?" He wasn't the least bit winded.
"Yes. I was just about to drag you out." Dean said, throwing his hands up.
"I was just thinking. Are you sure it was that long? My lungs would have been screaming at me if it was that long." Taylor said.
"Are you a mermaid now?" Dean asked, scoffing loudly.
Taylor grinned. "Time me."
Dean threw another pinecone at him. "No. You'll actually drown."
Taylor swam closer to the shore. "I'll stay at the surface. I'll have my hand where you can see it. If my hand falls, you can fish me out."
Dean was curious. He and Sam had done similar things as kids. What kid didn't want to see how long they could hold their breath? He looked at his watch. "If I tell you to get out, you had better listen."
Taylor splashed water toward Dean. "I'll be able to hear. Ready?"
Dean nodded and started the timer on his watch. He kept a steady eye on Taylor for any movement in his hand. A minute slipped by, but Taylor was an athlete in good shape. A minute wasn't a big feat. A second slipped by. Okay, that was impressive. A third. A fourth. A fifth. Dean tapped his watch. He cleared his throat. "You're good, right?"
Taylor wiggled so that Dean would know he wasn't dead. He was relaxed. He felt weightless and his thoughts were clear. He still held onto a lot of anger. He even had a few thoughts about why Rod and Marie didn't take him away. They knew Craig was an ass. They were good people. If they had known, they would have kept him. Craig was good at covering things up. Kyle was so much older that he moved away before things got worse. Mike could have helped him. No, he remembered Mike as being checked out. Craig probably messed him up too. Daniel wasn't much better than David. He felt a slight burning in his lungs and pulled his head from the water.
Dean stared at Taylor. "Ten minutes."
Taylor flipped onto his back. "Weird."
Dean let him swim around for a few more minutes before he told them they needed to talk to John.
John looked into Taylor's eyes with a light. He put pressure on one of Taylor's fingernails with his fingers and watched the blood refill quickly. He asked a few questions and let Taylor step back. "You don't show any signs of oxygen deprivation." He put his kit away. "You can prolong how long you can hold your breath if you get rid of excess carbon dioxide."
Kate had read about that. "Yeah, if you hyperventilate, you'll breathe out carbon dioxide and can survive for a longer period of time."
"Right." John said. "Oxygen is important but getting rid of carbon dioxide is more important. The reason you start feeling sick from not breathing has a lot to do with the carbon dioxide building up in your brain. That will kill you in a hurry."
"I didn't feel sick." Taylor said.
"Some professional divers can free dive without a tank. It takes a lot of practice and good genetics." John said.
"Could he just be able to heal himself each time the carbon dioxide builds up?" Dean asked.
Kate tried to remember a time where she had to hold her breath for a long time. "Can I try it?"
"Here, not in the pond." John said.
Kate scrunched her nose. "That water is cold."
Charlie wanted to take part in the experiment and did the hyperventilation trick when John told her to. He was right, she made it almost three minutes without feeling the need to breathe. That paled in comparison to Kate's ten minutes.
"I don't think I've always been able to do that." Kate said.
Bobby took a deep breath. "I'll add that to the list."
Kate had theories. She always had theories. It wouldn't happen that day, but they'd figure it out and it wouldn't be pretty.
(Later that day)
Charlie was a little shy when all the attention got turned on her. She couldn't help the blush that crept up her neck.
Marie gave her a necklace and helped her put it on. "The C is for Cooper; it could be for Charlie too."
Charlie smiled. "Thanks."
Krissy's bottom lip stuck out.
Rod gave her a necklace with a butterfly on it. "We didn't forget you."
Taylor grinned. "This makes you my aunt."
Charlie shot him a look. "That means you have to do what I tell you."
Taylor scoffed. "Don't I already?"
Krissy just wanted cake. She could do without the boring adult chatter.
Rod gave her a slice and sat with her.
Everyone was relaxed and happy for a time.
Charlie swallowed a bite of cake and closed her eyes. "So freaking good." She thought about how quickly things had changed. "When I agreed to meet Dean and Kate, I kind of thought I was about to wind up in a bathtub with my kidney missing. I didn't foresee this."
Dean flicked her. "I thought the same."
"You are huge." Charlie said, motioning to her smaller stature.
"I had money bet that you were some middle-aged dude." Dean said.
Charlie's eyes brightened. "That is why I chose my name. If I had a girly name, people wouldn't take me seriously."
"You don't have to worry about that now." Taylor said.
"Uh, yeah I do. I am still working online. I'm still going to run into situations where someone will see my name but not me." Charlie said. "Ash needs me sometimes." She realized she hadn't mentioned the newest gig. "Uh, so, he needs me to break into a website for a company."
Rod tilted his head.
"Totally safe." Charlie said.
"Why can't he do it?" Kate asked.
Charlie smirked. "He's not me."
John sat his plate down. "What exactly were you looking into that caused you to run?"
Charlie blushed. "Experimental trials and medical malpractice that got swept under the rug."
"Are you certain that those people aren't still looking for you?" Dean asked.
"I covered my tracks." Charlie said. "I built a new system so everything I do now is separate." Had everyone gotten more protective or were they always that way? They wanted a detailed list of things she had done to prevent someone from finding her.
Kate leaned over to Charlie. "They were hesitant to ask you all of this when they thought you may decide to leave."
Charlie's eyes widened. "Did you read my mind?"
Kate smiled. "No. You have a very expressive face."
Dean decided to look at her adoption papers. He gave her a fake stern look. "I see your actual birthday is here."
Charlie shrunk. "Obviously."
Dean nodded to himself. "Charlie Celeste, is it?"
Charlie reached over to take her papers away from him. "Celeste was my birth name. I wanted to honor my mom and dad by keeping it as a middle name."
"Charlie Celeste Cooper sounds good." Taylor said.
Charlie put the papers into a folder. "Let's just stop using my full name why don't we."
Kate crossed her arms. "They all know it now. It's all over." She glared at Dean.
"Hey, I rarely use yours." Dean defended himself.
Kate mocked his tone. "Alright Eric, keep telling yourself that."
"Dean Eric?" Charlie asked.
"Uh huh." Dean said. "Got the middle from him." He motioned to John.
"Taylor got his middle from his birth dad. Where is yours from?" Charlie asked.
Kate chewed her lip. "My mom named me after my grandmother or something."
Charlie liked learning about their names and families. She knew a good bit but John hadn't really spoken about his family very often. "I have heard about Mary's family a little. I know your dad was a Man of Letters. What about your mom?"
John let his mind float back to a time when he was a boy. "She was a single mom for most of my childhood. She was hardworking. Her name was Millie."
"The cat got named because my grandmother Amelia went by Millie." Kate interjected.
Dean listened intently. He knew very little about his grandmother.
John knew they wanted more. "We thought that my dad abandoned us. She never fully recovered from that. She worked hard and bought an old bed and breakfast. She ran that until she passed away. She taught me how to handle a knife. She whittled little toys and key holders for kids."
Kate rested her elbows on the table. "We want kid John stories."
John smiled slightly. "Another time."
Kate whined. "But why? Just one? You said you learned lessons the hard way. You could expound."
John got up. "I'll think about it."
Dean was just as curious. Surely some of the choices he made when he was younger were a direct result of how John was as a kid. Winchester kids didn't just start being hellions the day that Dean was born. There was a legacy he had merely helped keep alive.
(The next morning)
Kate had dreams again. They were similar to the night before and made her tired. She had school and had already missed several days so she couldn't get out of it. She shared the dreams with John again and promised to stay out of her head. Her heart was heavy, but she didn't want to lose her privilege of talking to Cameron.
Krissy was grumpy and bored that morning. She wanted to look at stuff and all she heard was No, No, No.
Marie and Rod said goodbye to the kids and got the four of their own group on the road.
Charlie was excited for Krissy to go to the children's museum. She'd make sure to do more science stuff with her. Hopefully, her dad would return soon but Charlie could work with her until then.
Dean, John, Karen and Bobby were left once everyone headed out. That gave them a chance to talk without guarding their words.
"Once things calm down, I think Taylor is going to slip." Dean said.
"The ten minutes under water wasn't slipping?" Bobby asked.
"He wasn't trying to hurt himself. At first, he was honestly confused." Dean said. "Although I think he was going through some of what his file held. He won't talk to me." Dean said with a sigh.
"Kate is too focused on Cameron to worry about herself." John said. "I don't think she's going to snap over her file. If she slips it will be because she thinks she can solve something."
"I'll try to talk to them." Karen said. "Kate, especially, expects one of you to crack down on her. She will be more comfortable with me."
They couldn't disagree with that.
Bobby pulled her into a side hug. "Have I ever told you that I'm happy you are back?"
Karen leaned her head to the side and rested it against him. "A few times."
Cameron's pendant hadn't lit up again. It only seemed to if one of the younger ones were around.
Dean put his cup to his mouth to take a sip of hot coffee but a surge of energy behind him made him jump and spill it on himself. He hissed and pulled his shirt away from his skin.
Cas touched his head and healed the minor burns.
"You could appear anywhere. Why do you do that shit?" Dean demanded.
Cas just looked confused. "You requested communication with Tessa, the reaper. She is willing to talk but this house is warded against angels. That is, except for me."
They moved the focus group to the front porch.
Dean blushed slightly when Tessa appeared in the driveway. She was wearing jeans that hugged all the right curves.
John smacked the back of his head in warning. "Control yourself."
Dean motioned to the reaper. "Do you see how she tricked me?"
John blew air through his nose. Tessa was very beautiful and very much Dean's type. "Do I need to remind you about the demon you slept with?"
Dean grimaced. "No."
Tessa stopped as she ran into an invisible wall. "Castiel says that you have questions for me."
John took over. "Yes. Kate has concerns."
Tessa's posture changed. She looked worried. "What type of concerns?"
"She is having dreams." John explained the dreams. "A ghost of a child has visited. He may be one of the children that this doctor worked on."
Tessa confirmed that six souls had been taken to their final resting place. Thousands of souls got picked up per day but those six stood out. Any child stood out. Most of the time, children were so peaceful and pure that they did not turn into ghosts. "Those children have been stuck in the veil for a very long time. Only recently, have we been able to remove them."
"What changed?" Dean asked.
"I am not sure. Each reaper is given a list of names each day. Sometimes, we are unable to reap who is on our list." Tessa explained.
"Do reapers kill?" Dean asked.
"A reaper is an angel." Tessa said, giving him a look. "We do not cause death. We guide souls to their final home."
John and Bobby traded looks, neither having missed the flirty look that Tessa gave Dean.
John cleared his throat. "Seeing a reaper is still bad news."
"We are seen by those that we are about to reap. However, we can make ourselves visible when we want to." Tessa said.
"So, this Cameron kid. Who is going to reap him?" Dean asked.
Tessa was silent as she listened to angel radio. She looked confused and concerned. "I will return."
Cas waited to be spoken to.
"What was that?" Dean asked.
"She is looking for Cameron." Cas said. He nodded once. "I will return as well."
(The kids)
Kate focused throughout the day. It was hard but she didn't go into any visions. She worried about Cameron. She reasoned that his ghost was okay. He had passed a long time ago and she couldn't do anything to help him.
Taylor tried to stay out of his head. Being under the water brought back memories. Some were literal. Some were about the way he felt when he was on the cyanide pills. How different would life have been if they had not tried to drug him? They didn't even try to drug him; they did drug him. He placed trust in people that didn't deserve it. That thought made it harder for him to trust anyone else. He trusted his new family. They were transparent.
(Andy)
Andy and Owen had discussed the ghost story. It still sounded dumb. If it was a real ghost, Bobby would know about it. He knew about everything. They could just check it out to prove those older kids wrong.
Andy wasn't sure exactly what they needed for a ghost. They didn't plan on fighting one, but he wanted to be safe. He put holy water and salt into his backpack and borrowed an emf reader as well. He didn't dare bring any of the weapons. He didn't know how the emf reader worked but he knew it would light up if a ghost was around.
Owen was fully on bored with Andy's plan. He knew about ghosts, but Andy knew more. He'd just follow along.
At recess, the two boys slipped back into the school and snuck down the long hallways. There was a temporary wall blocking that wing of the school. It took both of them to get the wall to budge enough for them to slip by it. Thankfully, it had wheels.
Owen turned his flashlight on. It was dark.
Andy peaked through a door. There were a few desks, but the room looked empty aside from that. It was definitely colder in that hallway. Was that a ghost sign? He stayed close to the wall and to Owen. "What door number was it?"
Owen looked at his hand. "110."
Andy fumbled with the emf reader, attempting to get it to turn on. It whined and lights flickered on it before it calmed down. He held it in front of him as they got closer to the room. The lights flickered again but he didn't know what that meant.
Owen touched the doorknob and tried to open the door. It was locked or stuck.
Andy peered through the window. All the stuff was still in the room. Why didn't they take stuff out to use for other rooms? Maybe that stuff was haunted. He pressed his back to the door and pushed as hard as he could. Owen helped and they got the door to budge.
Owen grabbed a board that was resting against the wall and wedged it between the frame and door so that they could slip back out.
Andy stepped into the room. It had a funny smell. He shivered and looked down at the emf reader. He sneezed and coughed. The lights flickered again and spooked him. He looked around. "Hello?"
Owen got close to Andy, being a bit spooked as well. The windows had boards over them, so it was very dark. He reached for the light switch and turned it on.
Andy looked up just as the lights in the room flicked on and sparked. One burnt out with a loud pop. The sound of electricity filled the room and caused both boys to scream. Andy grabbed Owen and ran for the door. He shoved Owen through and ran back down the hallway.
A security guard heard the scream and moved the half wall just as two boys barreled through the barrier.
Andy wasn't expecting the guard and thought it was the ghost for a second. He accidentally threw the emf reader and cringed as it hit the ground.
The guard crouched down to get the boys to calm down. "What are you two doing?"
They both just stared at him.
"Owen Mills?" The guard asked. He shook his head. "You just follow me." He picked up the strange gadget that Andy had thrown and took them back to his office. He knew Jody very well and could call her before turning the boys in for whatever they were doing. They were rambunctious little boys, and he was certain that their mischief was not malicious.
Andy looked at the broken emf reader on the guard's desk. He was so dead.
(Bobby's house)
Pamela had made her trip to Sioux Falls and spent a few hours with John before going to Bobby's house to help with the Cameron situation. She thought that it was hilarious that her underwear had been found under John's truck seat. She lightly scolded John for handing a stick to Ian. Taylor was so pure and was probably shocked to find something so risqué. She was not a shy person and was thrilled that John hadn't gotten mad at the boys. She had always known a different side of him, but the new John was even more fun.
Cameron spoke to Pamela, but he was weak.
Pamela couldn't tell where Cameron was. She got a little information from him and felt sorry for the kid. Even if she couldn't help with Cameron, she planned to help with Kate and Taylor. Those kids were hurting, even if they acted like they weren't. John had shared his concerns and Kate, especially, Pamela could crack.
Bobby set up shop in his office with a stack of books. While they were worried about freaks and ghosts; other hunters were still fighting the rest of the supernatural world. He had directed a few to Charlie's website and they all seemed to like it. Most of that was beyond his abilities but he knew how to run a web search. He'd just give information to Charlie to add. It did give him a bit of a break if people decided to use the site instead of bugging him.
Karen wasn't as involved. She didn't have the skills or experience, but she was excellent support. No one was going to go without coffee or food. She was a caretaker by nature.
The adults were at a standstill until the kids got home or the angels returned. Angels... they had two they were friendly with. Friendly? Acquaintances. Cas had helped them. They all thought he was good. It just felt wrong. He was so powerful and could easily rid the world of any of them, but he didn't. To be fair, Kate and Taylor could probably do the same, but they were used to them. Tessa was a wildcard. She seemed nice. She seemed a little too nice in John's opinion. That didn't mean that she was evil. It just meant that his oldest son was an idiot.
John got a call and walked outside to answer it. Pamela was at his side on the porch swing. "Caleb?"
Caleb needed to clear his head before he strangled his own oldest son. Jody had gotten the initial call and was able to sweep the incident under the rug by saying they had watched a ghost movie and been told the wing was haunted. Part of that was true but it was framed as though they were silly little kids who thought ghosts were real. There was no ghost. The lights shorted out because the wing had water damage and had been shut down until the school could raise funds to repair it.
John listened as Caleb explained. Caleb was understandably frustrated. Andy had gone on a hunt, even if it was a false hunt. He took the emf reader and broke it. John had grown accustomed to Caleb asking him for advice. He hadn't adopted Caleb, as he was nearly grown when his father died, but he saw Caleb as another one of the gang. He gave the situation a lot of thought and told Caleb what he thought. It was difficult. Had he not gone through it with his own kids, he wouldn't have had much to say. Dean had sauntered off on his first ghost hunt around that age and John hadn't been pleased.
Pamela twisted so that she could put her feet over John's legs. "What is it with boys and thinking they can take on the world?"
John leaned his head back. "Have you met Kate?"
Pamela smiled. "Don't bring her into this. Kate is her own person. I happen to think she is great."
John ran his hand up her leg. "You would. I think, when kids are raised around this stuff, they forget that they are just kids. Thankfully, the school didn't have a real ghost. Those boys could have electrocuted themselves though."
Pamela sat up and dropped her feet shortly before Tessa and Cas reappeared. She was in no way used to the angels. The power that rolled off of them was exhilarating.
John spoke to them and checked his watch. They'd need the whole crew around before he attempted to explain what he had been told. He wasn't expecting that.
Dean picked the kids up as soon as school was let out. He had been about to go get them when John announced that Tessa had given him some new information.
Kate ran up the steps. She knew they had something and wanted to know right away.
Pamela leaned against the porch railing. She smiled at Taylor and winked at John when he averted his eyes and blushed. He was far easier to tease than either Dean or Sam.
John told Bobby about Andy's ghost hunt while he was waiting on Dean to get back.
Bobby grumbled. "Ghosts seems to be the theme for the day."
Kate heard that and yanked Taylor toward the office. "Ghosts?"
John motioned for them to gather in the living room. "Caleb called because Andy and Owen decided to go on a ghost hunt at the school."
Taylor and Kate both looked horrified.
"There is no real ghost at the school." John said.
Taylor grimaced. "I'm guessing Caleb isn't happy about that."
John nodded. "Tessa checked on Cameron's ghost. You were right about the reapers. Some of the souls are being taken to heaven."
"What about Cameron?" Kate asked.
"She didn't find his soul. That isn't his ghost. That is his consciousness." John answered.
Kate's face went blank for a second. "He's not dead?"
John shook his head. "He's alive... barely."
Dean rubbed his face. "You know, the lack of actual ghosts should make me feel better, but this doesn't, not at all."
Kate brought Cameron's pendant back to the living room. "Where is he?"
"We don't know." John said. Tessa had been unable to pinpoint his location due to warding.
Kate held the pendant to her heart and closed her eyes. "Just hang on. We will find you."
The pendant lit up but faded quickly. It seemed, as each minute passed, the light grew dimmer. Cameron was weak and vaguely aware that Kate had spoken. He understood the message and felt his body ache for the first time. Just hang on.