Author's note: I have horrible writer's block. Older Kate isn't afraid of John. She knows something is going to happen and John sees straight through her. He can't know she's hiding something if she doesn't make eye contact with him.
(John and Kate)
John sat down on Taylor's bed and took a deep breath. "Am I consistent?"
Kate gave him an odd look.
"Do I consistently react the same way if one of you kids does something?" John asked.
Kate nodded.
"Have I been consistent on coming home and being home when I tell you I will?" John asked.
Kate nodded again.
"If you know exactly what will happen, why do you still test me?" John asked, genuinely curious.
Kate looked down at her hands. "It is really important to me and I knew you would shut me down."
"When is the last time I have over reacted or shut you down without giving you any room to talk at all?" John asked.
Kate chewed her lip. "You banned me from freak research."
"Why?" John pressed.
"I made a bad choice." Kate said with a sigh. "This is different though. This is bigger than me."
"It is bigger than you. Dean gave me the update that you saw something when you were with Hannah. I was prepared to work with you on that. I told you to drop it because you were too angry to see straight." John said. "I asked that you wait so that I could get here and we could form a plan together."
Kate had so many arguments planned but kept her mouth shut because he had a point.
"I know Dean talked to you about how you treated him. You have to know that was unacceptable and telling me 'no' is unacceptable."
"But sometimes you aren't right. Sometimes I have to push so I don't wind up like Mary." Kate said.
"That day that Sam and I got into it and you blocked me from going up the stairs, what was your reasoning for stepping in?" John asked.
"You were too angry at him to talk to him….." Kate paused. "And you weren't thinking clearly."
John just raised an eyebrow.
"I was just upset and said what I said." Kate said.
John nodded. "You also just about said what you wanted to say earlier and Taylor stopped you." He held his hand up to silence her. "I don't know what you were going to say. I do know Taylor is a terrible liar."
Kate frowned. "He is, isn't he?"
"Do you have anything you want to say?" John asked.
Kate shook her head. "I'm sorry."
John leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "What should I do to fix this?"
Kate snapped her head up. "Huh?"
((TW))
"You are going to choose your punishment." John said. The battle with Kate was primarily psychological. He could wear her out and she would still fight him unless he got through that thick skull of hers.
"Dad." Kate said. "Please."
"You are old enough to control yourself. You know how this all works. So, what will it be?" John asked.
Kate groaned. "Can't you just whip me and be done with it?"
"I can if that is what you feel like you earned." John said.
Kate chewed her thumbnail until she felt a twinge of pain. "You could let me go with a lecture."
John met eyes with her. "Do you think that is appropriate?"
Kate whined slightly. "This isn't fair."
"Neither is working on yourself to be a better parent just to have one of your kids come along and act like you haven't changed in the slightest." John said.
"We used to be friends." Kate said with a sigh.
"What's it going to be?" John asked.
Kate mumbled "Half." And bit her thumb again.
"You're going to have to speak up." John said.
Kate dropped her hand. "You give us half our age when we mess up but it isn't an end of the world mess up. You may notice that there are no rips in the veil. I composed myself."
"Okay." John said and stood up.
Kate was irritated at him earlier and his little talk did nothing but make it incredibly hard to be angry. "Did Dean tell you that being nice is cruel?"
John tilted his head toward the end of her bed.
Kate flopped over the foot of her bed and buried her face in one of her blankets. Stupid Winchester psychological warfare. She was fully aware that his tactic had changed. She set herself up and dammit if that wasn't annoying as hell.
John slipped his belt through his belt loops. "One day I would like to return home from a hunting trip and not have to correct one of you."
Kate flinched with the first lick. Maybe six was a bad number. It could be worse though. She flinched again and shifted.
John really did not like having to correct them. He took it seriously though. He landed two more and reminded her how many she had left. "Any idea what happens if I have to repeat this?"
Kate lifted her head up. "You double it."
John let his belt fall right below where it had hit before. "What are you going to do when you get new information regardless of how it affects you emotionally?"
Kate bit her lip. "Share it nicely?" She yipped and stood up as soon as she could. "I think that would have been fine with three."
John smoothed her hair down where she had rubbed her forehead across her arm. "You chose the number. Are you and I on the same page?"
Kate sniffled but hugged him. "Yes, sir." She took a deep breath and finally let go of him. "I can't promise I won't get prickly over this stuff. This really bothers me."
"As long as you cool it when you are told to. You have ways to blow of steam that do not involve being disrespectful." John said.
Kate started to say something on the sassy side but didn't go through with it.
((ETW))
"Dean has a drone." John said, opening her door.
Kate's mouth fell open. "A what?"
"Older you dropped it off." He held his hand out to stop her from running out. "When Dean does not let you touch it, you will not compel him."
Kate narrowed her eyes. "You have abilities."
"No, I just know you." John said. "If you or Taylor can't figure out how to make it less noisy, call Charlie."
Kate looked out the window. "Can I go get Charlie?"
"Why?" John asked.
Kate slowly turned around. "It is a drone, dad. Even if I work on it, it would be cruel to not let her know it exists."
John gave her a quick nod. He blinked and she was gone but returned a few moments later.
"A freaking drone?" Charlie asked as she darted by John.
Kate ran after her. She skidded to a stop. "Thanks, dad."
John let the girls continue on their way. The drone was something safe for Kate to focus on. It didn't have anything to do with demons and might give her another outlet.
Dean whirled around. "Charlie?"
Charlie was wide eyed. "A drone!"
Kate ran outside. "Dad wants us to make it quieter."
Dean brought the drone back to him and carried it inside. "If any of you break this, I'm kicking your asses."
Charlie scanned the manual that came with the drone and looked at the pieces. Over the next half hour, she and Taylor would have the drone dismantled and put back together.
Dean leaned against the wall next to John. "Kate seems okay."
"She just needs to focus on anything that isn't a demon." John said.
Dean agreed but he knew Kate would be back on Abaddon's trail the minute she forgot about the drone. "I noticed older Kate ditching me once you got here."
John sighed. "I know she is up to something. I don't know what it is yet."
"So, she is avoiding you so you can't read her?" Dean asked.
"I think so." John said. "Or she knows something is coming and can't change anything. I don't know which one is worse."
Dean has mixed feelings. He saw pain in older Kate's eyes when she dropped the drone off. He should have tried to talk to her. She obviously didn't want to talk though.
John had Dean go to Bobby's office to discuss the hunt he needed help on.
Dean showed John the information that Bobby had given him. "We could knock them out on the same trip."
John looked at the distance and agreed with Dean. "Who is this friend?"
"An expert." Dean said.
John scratched his head. "She thinks there is something medieval out there?"
"I swear to god if it is a dragon I'm going to lose it." Dean said.
"Dragon?" Charlie asked in a squeaky voice.
Dean snorted. "Why are you in here?"
"I want to fly the drone." Charlie said.
"I already told them it isn't a toy." Dean said.
Charlie shot him a look. "If you trust me hacking into data bases to find information for you, you can trust me with this."
Dean took a deep breath. "I don't know."
"I have to see it fly to know what needs to be worked on." Charlie said.
Dean turned to John. "It is like having another Kate."
Charlie grinned. "I'll take that as a yes." She spun around and ran back to the kitchen.
"Let them have their fun." John said.
"To keep Kate in line?" Dean asked. He got a nod in response.
(A week later)
Dean tossed his duffle into the back of his car. He put the drone in the trunk and made sure it would travel well without getting knocked around. He went back inside and grabbed a few more things. "Kate, Taylor!"
Kate slid into the kitchen. "What?"
"I'm going with dad on a hunt or two. Can I trust you to not go off the rails for a few days?" Dean asked.
Kate scoffed. "I don't know, can you?"
Dean wrapped his arm around her neck and ruffled her hair. "Karen can rat you out if you do anything."
Karen snapped the lid onto a coffee cup for Dean. "Surely we can handle these two for a few days."
Taylor smiled. "I plan on not doing anything what so ever."
Dean flicked his ear. "Yeah, you plan on it and plans change." He left Bobby's house with hot coffee and breakfast to go. Things had been quiet on the Abaddon front but he was waiting on the other boot to drop. He headed out of Sioux Falls and got onto the interstate. He'd drive for a few hours before having to make any turns. That was the best type of driving. He turned the music up and leaned back. He really needed to be out on the road more often.
Kate looked at a list of materials that she had made. She filled a small crate with art supplies and placed it on the table. "I'm ready."
Bobby looked into the crate. "The school is funding this, right?"
Kate smiled. "Yeah. They will provide the paint. I just have to start with small stuff."
Karen agreed to take Kate over to the high school. It was a somewhat sunny Saturday and the perfect day to begin working on the mural that Kate was doing for the school. Taylor tagged along to get out of the house but also to keep an eye on things.
Karen let Kate and Taylor out. "I'll be right down the road. Let me know if you need anything."
They weren't completely on their own. The principal and a few other teachers were in and out of the school for one reason or another. That was a little difficult considering Kate needed to hide supernatural symbols in her painting. "Hannah is going to meet us here."
Taylor groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Her mom is staying." Kate said with an eye roll.
Taylor relaxed. "Uh, tell me what to do."
Kate looked at a rough sketch she had worked out on a slip of paper. She had Taylor measure the wall and stepped back. Having Taylor as a work partner proved useful because she didn't have to give him detailed instructions. She shared an image or idea in her head and he automatically understood what he needed to do.
Hannah ran down the sidewalk and hugged Kate before she completely stopped moving. "Hi."
Kate grinned. "Hi." She looked around Hannah and waved to Mandy.
Mandy waved back. Hannah's involvement had been cleared by John as long as one of her parents were there. No one wanted the girls to hype each other up. She unfolded a camping chair and sat it to the side of the wall. "What are you going to do?"
Kate handed her the slip of paper. "Something like that."
Mandy thought that Kate was incredibly talented. The drawing was a rough draft but still amazing. "I'll help too if you need me."
Between the three kids, the first phase of the mural was completed in 15 minutes. The next phase was mainly Kate's doing. She drew thin lines to outline each part of the painting. She could trust the other two to fill in a wing or two of an Eagle. She had them paint everything white as a base and waited for that to dry while Mandy took them to get something to eat. Once they returned, Kate was able to start adding symbols.
Taylor could produce heat from his hands and helped dry the small areas of paint before any of the faculty saw it. A quick coat of paint over the symbol kept it under wraps.
"How will these work if we paint over them?" Hannah asked.
"These are like the ones you use to ward a house. They do not have to be visible." Kate said. She startled slightly when a man's voice called her name. "Oh, hi."
The principal stopped by to check the progress. "You work quickly."
Kate gave him a small smile. "I have good help."
He nodded his head and took in what had been completed so far. "It looks good."
Kate smiled again. "Thanks." She let out a breath of air when he went away. "It is a shame we can't freeze time and do this without anyone seeing."
Mandy cleared her throat.
Kate turned around. "I can't do that….. yet."
Mandy tsked. "If you did that, someone would want to know how you got it done so fast."
Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "I could compel them."
Mandy chuckled softly and shook her head. "I see why you needed adult supervision for this."
Hannah shot Mandy a look. "Mom."
Mandy just went back to a book she was reading.
"Hey, she is cooler than any of the adults at my house. Karen is cool but they wouldn't leave her in charge." Kate said.
Taylor didn't necessarily agree with that. "She brought us over here."
"Karen is the sweetest." Kate said.
Taylor smirked. "Test her. I want to see if she has as much patience as you think she does."
Kate's mouth fell open. "You do it."
Hannah shrugged. "Why not have Andy do it?"
Mandy shut her book. "Do I need to split you up?"
Kate slowly met eyes with her. "We are talking out loud. That should count for something."
Mandy knew they were teasing each other. "Speaking from experience, we lose patience the more you push."
"I don't know. You seem to be just as cheerful as when I first met you." Kate said.
"I'm cheerful but am well aware that you two will burn the house down if given a chance." Mandy said.
"One might call that wisdom." Taylor said.
Kate smacked him. "Don't act like you haven't done anything enlightening."
"I learn from my mistakes." Taylor said.
Hannah wiped some paint on her pants. "If we plan on going down, we will take you with us."
(Dean)
Dean made it to his turn and left the interstate for a small town a few miles off the beaten path.
John met him at a farmhouse. "You can come inside. I am talking to the couple that lives here."
Dean followed John. The house was old. It was weathered. It was comforting though. It reminded him a bit of Bobby's house and Marie's house.
An elderly woman offered Dean a drink. "Kids sneak around and throw coins down that well. Some just don't return home."
Dean got caught up on the conversation. The couple had lived on that farm for decades. There was a well at the back of the property that they had boarded up after someone fell into it and died. Stories got passed around and it was a hot spot for nosey kids.
With permission, John and Dean walked back to the well. It was a half mile away from the house and the boards covering it were broken and rotting away. They found a few cans on the ground that told them the last kids to visit the place had done so while not completely sober.
Dean got the drone out and slowly inched it down into the well. It was a tight fit and he would have to get someone else to retrieve it because he wasn't about to set foot in the well until he knew nothing was going to grab him. That situation was about as bad as dolls were. He turned the light on and looked around with the drone. They could see the floor of the well using the screen attached to the remote. Dean saw something along one wall and paused. He recognized the strange material.
John saw it too but didn't say anything.
Dean got a closer look and bit the inside of his cheek. There well widened at the bottom and there was a tube leading to what used to be a water source. The source was gone or something was preventing the water from flowing. He noted the strange vines climbing one wall. He didn't need to touch it to know it was a moss that would dissolve into slime once it touched human skin. He also saw shells and bones. He pulled the drone back and made sure it was clean. He sat back on the ground and studied his hands. "Is this why you wanted me on this hunt?"
John had his suspicions but hadn't recruited Dean maliciously.
(Flashback)
Years ago, a younger Dean and Caleb were going stir crazy in a run down motel room. The air conditioner had stopped working and nothing worth watching was on TV. John was a few towns over taking care of something but Dean had over heard him talking to another hunter about missing kids. Maybe Dean was a little angry at his father for ditching them again. Perhaps he thought he was old enough and skilled enough to take on a creature without an adult. It could have also been that 15 year old boys didn't always think things through before pouncing on an opportunity.
Dean and Caleb left Sam at the motel and promised to hurry. Of course, Sam was being a little bitch about it and Dean told him to shut up. He had Caleb by his side and both of them had been trained well. The kids that went missing were just that…..kids. 15 was pretty close to 18 and that was enough reason for Dean to take off in the direction of the disappearances.
The evidence seemed kind of witchy. Plenty of creatures ate kids if they were nearby but only certain ones sought kids out for snacks. Witches were pretty much human and they could handle it by themselves. The search lead them down a worn path. The trees were thick and it was foggy. Dean looked at the map in his hand before folding it and shoving it in his pocket. "We are close."
Caleb was second guessing their plan but wouldn't admit it. He was going to be a man and not chicken out.
The path lead them to a swamp. It was a small swamp but it looked gross. There was a house that had been condemned to the left. Obviously, that was where kids were missing from. They walked carefully so that they didn't fall into the murky water. The smell made both of them sick to their stomachs.
Dean got to the house and peered in one of the windows. He waved to Caleb to direct him to look into another window. There was trash and all kinds of junk in the living room. Dean wasn't ignorant. He knew that some teenagers went to places such as that to have privacy. Dean had a small shred of class and would never take a girl out there. He stepped onto the porch and cringed when it creaked. He pulled a gun from his back and flicked the safety off. A simple tilt of his head told Caleb to watch his back.
Caleb followed Dean. He was on high alert and looking for any signs of movement.
Dean saw vines against one wall. He wasn't surprised since moss and mold covered the other walls. He got a closer look and pulled a face.
Caleb reached out to touch the strange vine. He gagged and pulled his hand back.
Dean smacked him. "Dude, don't be a dumbass."
Caleb shrugged. "It looked weird." He wiped his hand on his pants but the vine had left a residue behind that he couldn't get rid of.
Dean cleared the other rooms and returned to stand beside Caleb. "I guess we look for clues."
Caleb turned a few pieces of trash over with his boot. "Well, here is a shirt."
Dean was expecting to see a woman's shirt but it was too small for a woman. "Maybe it belongs to one of those kids." He crouched and poked at the shirt. "Where is the rest of him?"
Ten minutes into the search brought very little evidence and both boys were bummed that their hunting trip was a bust.
Caleb thought he felt something touching his foot so he lifted it. He blinked and he was laying on the floor with the wind knocked out of him.
Dean doubled over in laughter but reached for Caleb to help him stand.
Caleb was upright for two seconds before he hit the ground again, pulling Dean with him.
Dean scrambled back "What the hell is this stuff?" He lifted his hand and the strings of slime stretched before breaking as his hand lifted higher than his head.
Caleb knew he couldn't stand so he tried to scoot over to a dry spot. He had no traction as his pants were now covered in the thick slime.
Dean whipped his head around. "What was that?"
Caleb froze. There was a faint sound. "Uh, an animal?"
Dean saw his gun just out of his reach. He tried to lunge for it but there was no escaping. The vines started to shift along the wall. He pushed off of Caleb and grabbed his gun just as a figure appeared from the vines.
Caleb sucked in a breath of air and flailed as a vine wrapped around his ankle.
Dean tried to fire the gun but he couldn't keep his finger on the trigger. He threw a trashcan and hit the creature square in the chest.
Caleb was desperate to get away from the strange vine creature. The vines had crept up his leg and were working their way along his chest and back.
Dean felt his legs being pulled as well. He swore loudly and slammed his fist against his leg in hopes that the creature could feel it. He tried to fire his gun again and a vine coiled around it, pulling it from his hand.
A burst of fire spread across the room, over their heads. The creature screamed and the vines left.
Dean covered his face to protect it from the flames. Only after the creature stopped screaming did he think to look behind him. He paled. "Dad."
A very angry John glared at both teenagers. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Dean started to explain but his mouth refused to open.
"Do either of you know what that was?" John demanded.
Dean licked his lip. "A witch?"
"Well, you aren't as stupid as you look right now. Swamp witch." John spat.
Dean swallowed. "That does make sense with the swamp outside." He winced at the look on John's face. "What is this stuff?"
"Those vines produce a slime like substance." John said.
"Yeah, but why?" Caleb asked.
"To trap the witch's prey." John said in a low tone. "See, this thing has the same idea a spider does. What happens to a bug caught in a spider's web?"
"It gets eaten." Dean said.
"Except this type of witch lets you get yourself good and stuck. Then you slowly starve to death before she chows down." John said. "That is, unless she drowns you in that gunk and you suffocate."
Dean tried to wipe his hands off.
"You can't shoot the damn thing and both of you know that. You have to burn them. Did either of you even bring a match with you?" John asked.
"No, sir." Dean said, looking down at the floor.
"I got back to the motel and saw you weren't there. I grilled Sam and he finally told me where you went. Had I not gotten here, both of you would be witch food. After you die, you get absorbed into those vines. I wouldn't have found you." John said, taking a deep breath.
Dean was miserable. He hated disappointing his dad and felt bad for getting Caleb in hot water too. "How do we get out of this?"
John saw a wooden chair and pulled it out. He sat down and leaned back with his arms crossed. "Figure it out."
Dean's mouth fell open.
"Dad-" Dean was interrupted.
"You got yourself into this mess, so get yourself out." John said.
Dean didn't see how that was possible. He looked to Caleb for answers.
John waited a half hour for them to make it to the dry floor. He bit the inside of his cheek when Dean stood up triumphantly and landed back on the floor. There was no immediate danger. Well, the boys were not in danger of getting eaten by a witch.
Caleb sat down on the floor to catch his breath. "This washes off, right?"
"People usually don't survive the witch or are smart enough not to step in it. I guess we will see if a shower cures you." John said.
The walk back down the path was difficult as their feet slid around in their boots. The slime was itchy and disgusting but didn't seem to be having a negative effect on them.
Sam jumped up as the door opened. His eyes were wide and he wanted to know what happened. He met eyes with John and kept his questions to himself.
John shut the door behind them. "Get yourselves cleaned up. Sam and I are going to grab food. Clean up the boot prints too."
Dean turned the hot water in the sink on. "Look, dude-"
Caleb stopped him. "I went with you willingly." He sighed in relief as the hot water started to dissolve the slime. It was going to take more than one shower to rid them of the vile substance. He sat down on the edge of the tub to take off his boots and yelped as he fell backwards into the tub.
Dean cracked up but steadied himself before he slipped on the floor.
Caleb carefully reached for the faucet to turn on the water. There was no way he was getting those boots off until he got through the slime. "You know, I saw your dad just about laugh."
Dean eyed him. "You did?"
"Yeah, when you jumped up and hit the floor again." Caleb said, dodging a bar of soap that had been thrown at his head. "Hey, maybe he will find it funny."
Dean closed his eyes and groaned. "He doesn't have that good of a sense of humor." He stood at the sink and rubbed soap over his arms. "He might find it funny one day but that day sure as hell isn't today."
(John and Dean)
John knew Dean was reliving that memory. "Do you have a plan this time or do you want to ice skate again?"
Dean snapped his head up. "We torch the bitch."
"You don't want to call Caleb up to have him take care of this with you?" John asked.
Dean ran his fingers through his hair. "I learned my lesson. You laughed a little bit, didn't you."
"Sam thought it was funny." John said with a twinkle in his eye. He had told Sam about them slipping and sliding. He didn't burden him with the dangerous part. He did make sure to drill it into Sam's head that he shouldn't hunt without an adult. "It is a little bit funny looking back on it."
Dean instinctively rubbed his hands down his pants. "That stuff stuck with me for a while." He meant the lesson but also the substance. After ridding themselves of the bulk of the slime, they both had a thin film that they couldn't get rid of. It reminded him of the way skin feels if you spill bleach on it. It made holding a fork a pain in the ass. "I guess we need a flame thrower."
John nodded. "Go get it." He pinched the bridge of his nose as Dean walked away. Dean was smart. He didn't give himself enough credit. He was a good hunter but had a dumb streak during his teen years. It was a wonder they all made it to adulthood.
Dean returned with a makeshift flame thrower. He wasn't going to go down into the well while the witch was still alive. He had a solid plan. He had a glass bottle with fuel in it. He dropped it down into the well and heard it shatter at the bottom. He sent a column of flames down the well and stepped back as the flames shot back up toward his face.
John heard the witch's scream and nodded in satisfaction. Round two with a swamp witch worked out far better than round one.
Dean crouched down and watched the flames die out. "Are you going to make sure that it is actually gone?"
John raised an eyebrow.
"How do we know?" Dean asked.
"If you are trying to talk me into going down there, it is not going to work." John said. "They are solidary creatures and from the sounds of it, I'd say she's long gone." He paused. "You might as well grab a sample of that slime."
Dean narrowed his eyes.
"Now that we have a lab, it would be a good idea to find out what it is made of." John said.
"You mean you want to get a sample?" Dean asked.
John walked to his truck and grabbed a long rope. He tossed one end to Dean.
"I'm not going down there." Dean said.
"I outrank you. Hop to it." John said.
Dean was glad that John had grown a sense of humor but it was warped. "You are going to pull me out before I get coated, right?" He didn't get an answer. "God dammit."
John lowered Dean into the well. He heard a loud, 'son of a bitch!' and felt the rope tighten suddenly. "Don't fall."
Dean looked up toward the light. "You come down here and try to stay on your feet." He found a good place to gather a sample from without stepping in the gunk. He carefully tightened the lid to the jar in his hand and wrapped it in a cloth. He dropped the stick that he had used to scrape the slime into the jar and walked back to the opening. "Pull me up."
John snorted. He let Dean panic for a few seconds before helping him get back to the top. "Did you get it?"
Dean tossed him the jar.
John caught it but kept his hand away from the top of the jar. He held it up. "Jar any memories while you were down there?"
Dean blinked slowly. "Very funny. You are going to have to transport that. I can't risk it breaking in my car."
John placed it in an empty cooler and wrapped a strap around the cooler.
Dean asked for a bag and held up a smaller container of the strange goo.
"What is that for?" John asked. He held open a bag and let Dean drop the container in. He made absolutely sure the lid wouldn't come off of it on the drive back.
Dean smirked as he placed the small container into a box in the back of his car. "Caleb's door handle."
John actually laughed. "He is going to kill you."
Dean cracked his knuckles. "It might be worth it."
(Sioux Falls)
Kate washed wrapped her brushes before going back to Bobby's house. The mural was coming along nicely. It would need another day or two of work but the blobs were starting to form an eagle.
Taylor saw that he got a text from Dean. He stopped walking so that he could read it. He pulled a face and showed the phone to Kate.
"Why would he be telling you about a volatile substance and not me?" Kate asked.
"Because it is volatile." Taylor said.
Kate huffed and dialed Dean's number. "Why am I being left out of the loop?"
"I trust Taylor a little bit more than I trust you." Dean said, lightly.
"I'm a scientist!" Kate said.
"Hey, you'll get to look at it when it gets to the lab." Dean said.
Kate bounced on her toes. "What is it?"
"Uh, slime." Dean said. "A swamp witch uses it to trap prey."
"So why are you wanting Taylor to handle it?" Kate asked.
"Let's just say Caleb and I weren't always as smart as we are now. I just want to remind him of a run in with one of these." Dean said.
Kate smirked. "What do you want us to do?"
Dean had driven to a motel to stay for the night. "I'll explain when you get here."
Kate showed up in Dean's motel room. "Tell me."
Dean explained what he wanted from them. "Do not, for the love of god, get it on you."
Kate looked at the small container. "Does it burn?"
"No. You just can't get it off of you." Dean said. He flared his nose. "Katelyn."
Kate looked a bit bashful. "I won't touch it." She saw Dean narrow his eyes. "Or use it against you."
Dean nodded and sent her back to Sioux Falls to do his dirty work.
Kate showed Taylor the container. "He says not to get it on us."
Taylor got the details from Kate and figured out how he was going to transfer it to Caleb's truck door without getting it on him. Thankfully, they both had the ability to make things float midair.
(John and Dean three hours later)
Dean sat down in a chair opposite of John. They noticed a Chinese restaurant in town and decided to skip take out for once.
John ordered what he wanted and left Dean alone to wash his hands.
Dean's phone buzzed just as John was walking back to the table. He schooled his features. "Hey, man."
"You mother fucker." Caleb growled.
John snapped his head up.
Dean closed his eyes. "Wow. Hello to you too."
Caleb took a deep breath. "I know it was you."
Dean sighed. "Do you want to tell me what I did?"
John hid a smirk.
"You, a man obsessed with his car, decided to do this to my truck!" Caleb said.
"I'm not even in the same state." Dean said. "What happened to your truck?"
"I can't get the damned stuff off of my hand." Caleb said.
Dean bit his cheek to keep from laughing. "What do you mean?"
Caleb stomped back into his house to use hot water to wash the slime away. "Stop acting like you don't know. I don't know where you got it or how you got it on my truck but I'm going to murder you."
Dean cracked up. "I just thought it would remind you of our teen years."
Caleb growled. "You are a coward."
"Come again?" Dean asked.
"What? Did you have Kate zap over to you to get it? You weren't man enough to do this by yourself?" Caleb asked.
John shook his head but chuckled.
"Dad thinks it is funny." Dean said.
Caleb finally got the slime off of his hand but the residue was annoying. "You know what? Payback is a bitch."
Dean grinned. "Nothing you can do is worse than that."
Caleb was quiet for a long moment. "I think I can find a skunk or two."
Dean's face turned red. "That was your kid's fault." He ended the conversation with Caleb and ate his food. He was pretty proud of himself. Caleb was the only one who would have that kind of reaction to a bit of slime. Of course it was a special kind of slime and Dean had a hatred for it but he was thoroughly amused.
(Sioux Falls)
Kate had Karen brush her hair after she got out of the shower. She was pleasantly tired from painting all day. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as Karen gently worked the tangles from her hair.
Taylor saw light seeping through the trees as someone drove up to the house. He peaked outside and bit his cheek. He shuffled down the stairs and slid into the kitchen. He gave Kate an uncomfortable smile. "Caleb is here."
Karen sat Kate's brush down. "It is getting late. I did say I was going to send over some food for them. He may be here to grab it."
Taylor shook his head. "Dean ordered us to prank him."
"You should know by now that pranks tend not to end well." Karen said. She welcomed Caleb inside. "I'll get the food for you."
Caleb said he could carry whatever she had. He stopped by the table and eyed both Kate and Taylor. "I know he had one or both of you help him."
Kate blinked rapidly. "Huh?"
Caleb placed his palms on the table and narrowed his eyes. "Don't play dumb."
Kate noticed the slight twinkle in his eye. "We were following direct orders."
Caleb stood up. "I'm going to get some stuff from the freezer. You are both going to go out there and get that off of my truck door."
"You couldn't?" Taylor asked.
Caleb grabbed him by the back of the shirt and walked him out to the truck. "Touch it."
Taylor cringed. "It looks gross."
Caleb grabbed his wrist and made him touch the door handle.
Taylor nearly gagged. He tried to wipe his hand off. "What the hell?"
"Dean thinks he is hilarious. When we were teenagers, we got the bright idea to take care of a hunt by ourselves. There was a swamp witch that trapped us in that stuff. It doesn't wipe off. It spreads." He pulled his shirt sleeve up to show Taylor a scar. "Nearly broke my arm trying to get out of it."
Taylor accidentally cracked a small smile.
Caleb smacked his head. "Get some hot water. I had better not find a particle of this stuff left behind when I come back out here."
"I don't know why you are mad at me. I just did what he said to do." Taylor said.
"Oh, I'm not mad." Caleb said. "You're still going to clean it though."
Taylor got some hot water and some soap. It was quite the process and he understood Caleb's reaction a bit more as each minute passed without the slime being completely gone. He walked back into the house and announced that the handle was spotless.
Caleb sat the large dishes of food on the table. "Kate, go get the rest of it."
Kate slowly stood up. "How do you know we didn't use it all?"
"I just know." Caleb said.
Kate returned with the small container. "Here."
Caleb noted how much was left before washing it down the drain. "Just so you know, when Dean wakes up, he's going to have just about this much slime in both boots."
Kate tilted her head. "Why?"
"I respect the car too much to use her as revenge." Caleb said. "I wish you the best of luck."
"What?" Taylor asked.
"You used the rest of what he gave you to slip into the room while he was sleeping and dump it into his boots." Caleb said.
Kate's mouth dropped open. "No, we didn't!"
"Who is he going to believe?" Caleb asked. "You, Kate, are the only one who can zap back and forth."
"… but… but… you washed it down the drain." Kate said.
"Oh, but John has more of it." Caleb said.
"So, he will know dad did it." Taylor said.
"When he calls me cussing up a storm tomorrow morning, I'm going to tell him I caught you two and turned you against him." Caleb said.
Kate whined. "Noooooo. He'd kill me."
"You chose sides." Caleb said with a smirk.
"Bobby! Tell him he can't do this." Kate said.
Bobby had just gotten back into the house. "What is going on?"
Caleb gave him the short story.
Bobby whistled and shook his head. He had seen the state of both teenagers by the time they made it back to Sioux Falls. "You are lucky Caleb here didn't rattle your heads."
"Dean made us." Kate said.
Caleb lightly tapped both of their heads. "For the record, I'm not angry at you. You just chose the wrong side."
"Dad won't do it." Taylor said. "He wouldn't ruin Dean's boots."
"Dean needs a new pair and I already talked to John about it." Caleb said.
"Bobby, you can vouch for us. You can tell Dean that we didn't do it." Kate said, tugging on his shirt sleeve.
Bobby patted her shoulder. "I'm not vouching for anyone unless they are in immediate danger."
Taylor scoffed. "We are in immediate danger!"
"I won't let him harm you." Bobby said.
Kate sat down at the table as Caleb left. She was deep in thought.
Karen sat down beside her. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
Kate sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "He got us."
Karen wasn't sure why Kate looked as lost as she was.
"We have abilities. We read people. I can see the future. In no way did I see this coming and I'm pissed." Kate said.
"Why are you upset?" Karen asked.
Bobby smiled. "She's mad he out thought her for once."
Kate cracked her knuckles and stood up. "Challenge accepted."
Bobby rubbed his face as both kids went upstairs. "You and I should take a nice little vacation somewhere down south."
Karen wrapped her arms around him. "Why is that?"
"Kate doesn't know it yet but Caleb might be her match." Bobby said.
"Caleb is a sweetheart." Karen said.
Bobby took in a slow breath. "You just wait. John was looking for ways to get Kate's mind off this demon stuff. Oh, it is off of it. She's just up there scheming payback against Caleb." He kissed the top of her head. "It's going to be like 1995 all over again."
Karen stepped back. "What happened in 1995?"
Bobby shut off the kitchen light and opened their bedroom door for her to walk in. "A lot. A whole lot."