Author's note: Thanks for the reviews. I'm doing okay health wise although I got my gallbladder taken out January18th and another surgery on my leg January 25th due to part of the muscle dying. It has been a really, really, weird year. I am pretty worn down. Mental health isn't great but I still have two legs.
(The Roadhouse)
Ellen heard banging coming from downstairs and quickly made her way to the front door of the bar. She asked who was out there and heard a familiar voice and a name. She opened the door and scolded the man for scaring her.
The man, Thomas, had known Ellen before Bill died. He wasn't best friends with the family but he was trustworthy.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Ellen said. She poured him a glass of his regular drink.
Thomas gathered his wits and let the amber liquid calm his nerves. "I saw one."
Ellen furrowed her eyebrows. Ghosts were a common thing for hunters so she didn't know why he was so spooked.
Thomas pointed to the bulletin board that Jo had created. He motioned toward his mouth as if he had long fangs.
Ellen understood. "You saw one of those freaks?"
Thomas nodded his head.
"Did it get you anywhere?" Ellen asked.
Thomas took a shaky breath. "No. I ran."
"That was smart." Ellen said. "I've tried to beat that into people's heads. You can't fight them." She brought a small map out and had him mark where he saw the freak. They were spreading. She just didn't know if they were growing in numbers or just branching out. She wrote a note to order some flood lights for the roadhouse in case someone accidentally brought one around.
Thomas calmed his nerves. "I heard it before I saw it. Of course, by that time it already had its eyes on someone else. I couldn't help the poor soul."
"You can't save everyone." Ellen said.
Thomas had a wild look in his eyes. "They are fast."
Ellen knew he was exhausted. "I'll pull out a mat and you can rest in the store room."
"I can find a place." Thomas said.
Ellen gave him her signature look. "You'll stay here and sleep this off in the store room." Knowing what she did about Bobby's renovations at his house, she thought it would be a good idea to have a safe place to go if anything unsightly followed a hunter through the door. It could also be a place for Jo to go when some of the men got too rowdy.
(Sioux Falls)
Bobby checked on the early morning message from Ellen. He groaned and went to his desk to make a few notes. That was the last thing they needed on their radar. He did promise her that he would come up with something to make the roadhouse safer. That was easy enough.
Dean was groggy when he woke up. "What has you in here at this time of the morning?"
Bobby pointed to his phone. "A hunter showed up at the roadhouse, scared out of his mind, because he saw a freak."
Dean rubbed his face. "He lived to talk about it?"
"I guess it was after someone else and he got out of there before the freak decided to make him a snack too." Bobby said.
Dean sat down. "I'll call dad."
Bobby left Dean to make a pot of coffee. They were all on edge due to the freak situation. They didn't know how to handle them. Demons, vamps, wolves, ghouls, were all a problem but they had a way to get rid of them. It wasn't fool proof and people still died but a hunter going toe to toe with one of them had a chance of coming out on top.
Karen was the next to get up. She usually did once Bobby got up. She just didn't sleep well without him by her side. She wrapped her arms around Bobby's middle and squeezed. "I'll get some food started."
Bobby kissed her forehead. "Thanks. Ellen called because a hunter ran into a freak."
Karen put her hand to her chest.
"He lived. He's just shaken up." Bobby explained.
"I can't imagine. I'm glad he is okay." Karen said. It hurt her heart when she got news of another hunter passing away. Somehow, the guys had grown a bit numb to it. She assumed it was similar to men being at war. The loss of a friend hit hard but it was expected. She felt a little selfish but was glad that Bobby didn't hunt much anymore. She planned on keeping him around for a long time. She worried about Dean and John but it would be a cold day in hell before they gave up the hunting life.
Dean entered the kitchen. "We need to continue testing to figure out how to kill those things."
"If you have any ideas, I'm all ears." Bobby said.
Dean took in a slow breath. "Dad and I agree that Kate may need to be involved. She will just be on a very short leash."
Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know which is the worse rabbit hole for her to go down."
Dean had a lot on his mind. Was something going to happen with the freaks? His gut feeling about Kate's gut feeling told him that they were headed somewhere bad. "Older Kate said there would be ups and down."
Bobby motioned for Dean to continue.
"She told me about a vision she had. I think we are headed down." Dean said. "So is it something else or am I going to cause it by telling her about the freaks."
Karen patted Dean's shoulder. "I don't think you could possibly cause something big. I think that things are going to happen one way or another and we just get to be swept away."
"Give it some time." Bobby said.
Dean looked toward the stairs. It was a Saturday so he didn't expect the kids to wake up early. "Somebody else needs to start making decisions around here."
"That is out of my depth." Bobby said.
"It is out of mine too but here I am." Dean said.
Karen wanted to hug Dean and tell him that everything was going to be okay. "You step back and let other people make some of those decisions. We will help."
"Thanks, Karen." Dean said with a sigh. He hard Millie and leaned back to look at her. "You wouldn't know what's going to happen, would you?"
Millie purred and rubbed up against his leg.
"Useless." Dean said as he took a drink of his coffee.
(A few hours later)
Kate made her way down to the kitchen. She was tired and unsteady. "Dean?"
Dean left Bobby's office and saw Kate in the hallway.
Kate's bottom lip wobbled as she started sniffling.
Dean pulled her to one of the kitchen chairs and put her in his lap. "Are you okay?"
Kate shook her head.
"Talk to me." Dean said.
Kate leaned against him. "I'm scared."
"Why?" Dean asked.
"I don't know." Kate said. She put her palm on her stomach. "I just have a feeling."
Dean soothed her. "Do you want me to just stay here with you and you can tell me what's going on when you calm down?"
Kate nodded.
Dean felt sick. What was going to happen? Kate had been calm and collected. She was doing so well. Was this about Abaddon? She came to him. She sought him out and just wanted to be held. That meant he was doing something right. That meant that she was still a kid. He could handle that.
Kate eventually spoke up. "I just had feelings. I didn't see much. It felt like being in a car as it tumbles down an embankment or falling from a tall building."
Dean rested his chin on her head. "That must be scary."
Kate chewed on her knuckles. "I don't know what it means."
"You will figure it out or we will figure it out. We aren't in the car or on a tall building. I think you are safe from either of those accidents." Dean said, using his shirt to wipe a stray tear.
Karen placed a plate of food on the table and slid it toward Kate.
Kate thanked her. She stabbed an egg with her fork and took a bite. "I'm sorry I'm such a baby."
Dean tensed. "Why would you say that?"
Kate waved her hand to indicate that she was being held like a baby.
"Listen, you can always come get me and cry it out. I never want you to feel like a baby if you do. Besides, it makes me feel important." Dean said.
Kate ate another bite of egg. "You are important."
"Are you being nice because you are about to do something?" Dean asked.
"No." Kate said. "I don't want to rock the boat."
Dean stole one of her pieces of bacon. "Good."
Taylor stretched as he walked down the stairs. "Good morning."
"Good morning, here, I'll get you some food." Karen said.
"You aren't planning anything, right?" Dean asked.
Taylor rolled his neck. "Huh?"
"You aren't planning on going off the rails." Dean clarified.
Taylor furrowed his eyebrows. "No."
"Good." Dean said again.
John was on his way back from an impromptu hunt so the majority of the day at Bobby's house was spent doing chores or relaxing. It was a mundane day.
Taylor checked the time and got dressed and ready to go to Hailey's house. Bobby drove him which was probably a good thing because Dean liked to embarrass him. Hailey knew Dean and thought his taunts were funny. That helped Taylor relax a little and let comments roll off his back.
Dean had Kate go upstairs with him. He told her to sit on his bed and he leaned against the wall. "I have something I need to talk to you about."
Kate looked worried. "What?"
"Some stuff has come up that I think you need to be involved in but you have to work with me. I have to be able to trust you. Here, read me." Dean said. "Just my current thought."
Kate touched his hand for a moment. "That feels heavy."
"It is. I need you to be safe and for everything to be okay. We need your brilliant mind but you have proven that this is going to be an issue for you." Dean said.
Kate sighed. "I promise that I will not go rogue."
"You said that last time." Dean said.
"I learned my lesson." Kate said.
Dean sat down beside her. "A hunter saw one of the freaks. He got away while it went after someone else. He went to the roadhouse and Ellen called us. It looks like they are spreading and more states are being affected."
"So, you want me to help figure out how to get rid of them?" Kate asked.
"Yes, but you have to stay safe. You absolutely cannot do anything without permission. Dad was reluctant to admit we needed help." Dean said.
"I read your feelings. I know how hard this is for you and don't want to be the cause of that feeling." Kate said with sincerity.
Dean let out a slow breath. "Call dad and talk to him."
Kate hopped up. "I've got ideas." She said as she ran out of Dean's room. She returned with her notebook. "Lots of ideas."
"As long as those ideas do not involve you feeding yourself to them." Dean said.
Kate smirked. "What if I feed you to them?"
Dean chuckled. "Let's just work on theories first."
Kate called John and spoke with him for an hour. He was surprisingly supportive of her ideas. She had some wild ones but reminded herself that she was on thin ice with trust. "Hey, Dean. We should try the dragon sword on one of them. You could wear chainmail so it can't bite you."
"I prefer having my full range of motion. Beheading one with a sword sounds fun though." Dean said.
John gave the go ahead for Kate to work with Marty that afternoon. He really wanted to trust that she would follow directions. If she didn't that time, then he'd know she wouldn't any other times. It was a test.
Dean dropped Kate off at the lab. He stayed for a bit but decided to venture out to a bar to play some poker or pool.
Kate showed Marty her list of ideas. "I'm so glad to be working again."
"I'm glad to have you here." Marty said.
"Lauren's cord blood is crucial." Kate said. "I read the results from one of your trials."
"She appears to have immunity." Marty said.
Kate tapped her fingers on the lab table so that she wasn't tempted to chew on them. "We would do well to replicate it on a larger scale. We can't take any more from Lauren."
Marty was on the same page. "See what you can do with those samples." He said as he pointed to a tray of petri dishes.
Kate happily conducted her own experiments. Some science took a week or two to complete. Bacteria took days to grow. The suddenness of what they were working with was helpful since she had a hard time waiting around. Lauren's blood was a mix of Caleb and April but Caleb's blood had been mixed with Taylor's and Kate's blood. He also got scratched. Did the incubation period of pregnancy alter something? Could they toss the ingredients into a bowl and recreate the correct reaction? "Have you ran DNA?"
"Of course." Marty said. "Some of it looks human. Some of it doesn't look human at all."
"So, the DNA that is human is why they look sort of human but everything else changes as it is rewritten. We need a way to stop the change." Kate said, partially to herself. That was easier said than done. It would not be ethical to have someone be bitten and then try to cure them. They had evidence with Mary the vampire but they didn't know if that trick would work with other creatures or simple humans. In a perfect world, they'd develop a vaccine. That would help people that the freaks didn't kill outright. It wouldn't do anything to save someone if one was hungry. Well, they could create something that made humans toxic to the freaks. There were a lot of humans and there was no way to disperse a cure without attracting attention. The water supply was an option but that was risky. It would be diluted and some people filtered their water. What if there were a negative reaction and dozens of people died? Starting with hunters was probably the best option. "If we poisoned the freaks they could die off."
Marty looked up from his microscope. "Poison them how?"
"I don't know. I was thinking with a bioweapon but a deadly poison that works on humans could work on creatures too." Kate said. She spun in her chair. "Like ricin."
Marty tensed. "That is some nasty stuff. I wouldn't want anyone handling it."
"Maybe we won't go KGB on them but it is a thought." Kate said.
"How do you know about the KGB and ricin poisoning?" Marty asked.
"Karen likes to watch true crime documentaries." Kate said. "I get curious. If we find what makes the freaks sick, we can use it. I wonder if colloidal silver supplements would render a human less tasty to werewolves."
Marty loved that Kate thought on a large scale. He just needed to steer her toward safer avenues. "That sounds like a wonderful thing to test one day."
"Bear mace." Kate said suddenly. "They have mace for bears so hikers do not get eaten if they run into a grizzly. Frankly, I think that is rude to the bear because they are just out enjoying a walk through their neighborhood and someone blinds them."
Marty smiled. "You have a point."
"Holy water burns demons but how concentrated does it need to be? Would an aerosol can do enough damage to stun them? Like a smoke bomb filled with creature specific ammunition." Kate was lost in her own world. "Hunters won't die if they do not get close to creatures."
"It would be comical to go in with a weed sprayer to fight a demon." Marty said.
Kate snapped her fingers. "Yeah, but it would hold them back for a good moment. I'm going to run that by my dad. It isn't exactly easy to lug around though. Well, someone could have one of the sprayers that you carry on your back. We are onto something."
Marty knew about Kate's demon issues and was pleased that she wasn't brain storming ways to get rid of Abaddon. He had been warned by John before Kate was allowed back into the lab. "Have your samples reacted?"
Kate slid the first one under the microscope. It looked the way it normally did. "You should let me try the ricin."
"We do not want to have a lab accident and one of us die in the process." Marty reminded her. "There are chemicals and compounds that I will not allow in this lab."
"Noted." Kate said with a sigh. "I guess we need to decide which angle we need to work on. Do we try to cure someone that has been bitten or do we find a way to prevent the initial infection?"
"Let's go with prevention." Marty said.
"Pregnant women do not get eaten." Kate said. "That is a start."
"So we should look at what hormones and pheromones the freak could be reacting to." Marty said.
"Dean and Caleb were stupid when they were younger and got caught in this slime stuff that is awful. My dad has a jar of it. It might not harm a freak but it would be really funny if it slid around." Kate said with a smile.
"Ah yes, that is something we will be testing the components of." Marty said. "I think you would need a lot to trap a freak."
(Stanford)
Jess wasn't as jumpy after a few good days with Sam. She felt more comfortable leaving the house and enjoyed the nice weather they had that week.
Sam found a small restaurant they had never been to and borrowed a car to take Jess there for a nice dinner. The ring on her finger caught his eye quite often. It looked right. It felt right. The food smelled amazing. It was supposed to be authentic Italian food but he had never been to Italy so he couldn't tell if it was real or not.
Jess had a better understanding of the fancier foods although what they ordered wasn't fancy. She got up to use the restroom and walked by two men who had papers scattered across the table. They were talking about old cars and that got her attention. When she returned to the table, she had a huge grin on her face. "Those two guys over there are looking for 50s era cars."
Sam looked over at them. They did have car pictures and they did look to be from the 50s. "That is a good hobby for them, I guess."
Jess dramatically rolled her eyes. "Sammy, we have access to some of those."
"I don't know it we have one that they want and we can't sell them. They will want to know where it came from and why it looks as good as it does. A mint condition car from the 50s is going to raise questions." Sam said.
Jess took a few bites of food. "Okay, hear me out. If they got a really good deal on it, they wouldn't ask many questions. If I act like I have no idea what I have, they will take advantage of that. I'm just a college kid who's rich grandpa left her the keys to his prized possession and I don't want it."
Sam sat back. "We are supposed to be relaxing."
"Come on. I can pull it off. We can put the money toward the family." Jess said.
Sam sipped his drink. "They may not even want to buy a car. Maybe they just talk about them."
"The one in the button up shirt said he had a savings fund for cars." Jess said.
"I'm a little uncomfortable with how much you mirror the rest of my family right now." Sam said.
Jess grinned. "Let me try. If it doesn't work out, I'm just some clueless girl."
Sam sent John a message but figured Jess could have her fun.
Jess waited until the end of the meal to walk back by the two men. "What kind of car is this?" She asked as she pointed to one of the photos.
The men were flattered that she wanted to talk to them so they told her about each car.
Jess picked up one of the photos. "The one I have like this is red."
Both men perked up. "You have a car like that?"
Jess shrugged. "I'm an only child and my grandfather didn't like my dad very much. He left me an old car when he died. I don't know what to do with it." She could see the wheels turning in their heads. "It isn't worth anything or I'd sell it to get myself a new car that was made in this century."
Sam joined Jess. "I paid so we can leave now."
One of the men wrote down his number and gave it to Jess. "You just call me if you want someone to come look at that car."
Jess smiled and slipped the paper into her pocket. She took Sam's hand and walked back to the borrowed car with him.
"Who knew you were a con woman." Sam said.
Jess was happy. "Men are dumb. All you have to do is have a pretty smile and act like an airhead and it is a done deal." She kissed Sam's cheek. "You are the exception."
Sam gave John a call as they drove back to their apartment.
John was both amused and impressed. "She fits right in."
Jess took it as a compliment.
Sam snorted. "Yeah, deceit is the skill I wanted her to pick up from us."
"I guess someone could transport the car somewhere." John said. "I'll get back to you."
Back at the apartment, Sam held the door open for Jess. He shut it behind them and took off his shoes. "You fall deeper into the darkness each day."
Jess smiled. "Maybe I like the darkness."
Sam smiled back. "That is what I was trying to avoid when I came out here."
Jess pulled on his shirt. "Let me show you how fun it is."
"You know that sirens used to lure men to their deaths." Sam said.
"Then you'll die happy." Jess said.
(Rod and Marie)
As days ticked by and they got closer and closer to Christmas, they had to start planning how they were going to celebrate. Their house was already well decorated at both Krissy and Charlie's insistence. They had the rooms and the food. They just needed guests. Oh, and presents.
Krissy was asked if she wanted to help pick out gifts for Caleb's kids. That was an automatic yes. They'd need some for Desiree's family too. It was a good thing that Krissy was an expert on those types of things.
Marie left the house with Charlie and Krissy. She had plenty of ideas of what Krissy would like but Charlie was a little bit harder.
Charlie knew exactly what she was getting for Krissy because Krissy was her shadow. She would get matching bracelets or necklaces. Little kids were easy to fascinate. She split up and left Krissy with Marie so that she could sneak away to purchase Krissy's gift. She'd get something small for Rod and Marie although they told her not to. None of the adults wanted money spent on them but she owed them so much. She found a store that sold handmade jewelry. She liked the pendants that had wire rapped around crystals or stones. Those could be dangerous. She called Kate to ask her about crystal safety. She felt better after Kate explained what to look for. Most of the crystals were not even real crystals and that was perfect for Krissy. She sat down in the floor and looked at each item in a case. She was totally out of it and didn't notice someone beside her.
Another teenager apologized to Charlie.
Charlie looked up. The girl reached her hand down to help her stand and Charlie got a little faint.
"What are you looking for? My mom owns this shop." The girl said. She smiled. "I'm Aislinn."
Charlie blinked a few times. "Charlie. I'm Charlie."
"Well, Charlie, you look like you can't make up your mind." Aislinn said.
Charlie's face turned red. "I want to get matching things for a 5-year-old. She's not my sister but she follows me around."
Aislinn had Charlie follow her to another section of the store. "These are less heavy and have no sharp edges.
Charlie picked up a rock wrapped in wire. The rock was a soft pink with pearlescent swirls. "Oh she will love this."
"They are fairy charms." Aislinn said.
Charlie was going to ask if they were actually fairy charms but that would sound really weird. Were fairies even real? What would make a rock a fairy charm? Did it attract fairies or did the fairies create it?
Aislinn removed a charm and attached a leather string to it. She held it up so Charlie could see how it looked while being worn.
Charlie met eyes with Aislinn. "Um, I'll take two of those."
Aislinn smiled and placed the necklaces in a box for safe travels. "Do you go to school here?"
"I graduated early." Charlie said.
"I wish I had done that." Aislinn said. "I'm stuck for a few more months."
Charlie cursed her social anxiety and stared blankly at Aislinn.
Aislinn wrote something on Charlie's receipt and told her to come back if she needed anymore help with crystals.
Charlie was on autopilot as she left the shop. She found Marie and Krissy and had Marie put the box in her bag.
Marie took the receipt and folded it to fit into an organizer in her purse. She read the note and looked at Charlie. "You made a friend?"
Charlie blinked. "Huh?"
Marie held the folded receipt up for Charlie to read.
Charlie froze. Had she missed signals? Was she reading the note wrong?
Marie got Charlie's attention and had her focus on something else before she passed out.
Krissy found a stuffed bear and decided that Lauren would like it. She found trucks for Ian and was struggling to find something for Andy. Andy was boring and didn't like good toys.
"We can talk to April and find out what he likes and then we can come back another day." Marie said. She paid for the gifts and had Charlie help her carry them to the car. She figured that the interaction with Aislinn would catch up with Charlie as they got back to the house. Charlie was brilliant but forgot who she was during certain situations.
(Sioux Falls)
Kate exhausted her ideas for the day. They'd have to let a few things build overnight or for a few days to see what they did. She felt lighter after talking non stop for a few hours.
Dean picked Kate up. "Did you cure cancer?"
Kate scrunched her nose. "No."
"How about we grab something to eat and you attempt to explain what you guys talked about." Dean said.
Kate was on board with dinner and scientific advancements.
Taylor had gotten used to Hailey's family and didn't feel so awkward. Her mom was a decent cook although he got spoiled with his nana and Karen. Her dad enjoyed guy talk which was something Taylor could easily keep up with.
Hailey grabbed Taylor and pulled him into the living room. There was a movie on and she had waited all week to watch it. She handed Taylor some popcorn and took her spot right under his arm. He'd have to go home after the movie ended.
Nate was sitting through the boring news that his dad liked to watch. He preferred something with a bit more action. He didn't care what the weather was going to be. Breaking news flashed across the T.V. screen and it caught his attention. The story was about a unit that was attacked overseas. Most of the men died but so did most of the enemy's guys. That was sad. He didn't know why people would want to sign up for the military. It was honorable but he was going to chose a different career. He was in the kitchen when a name made him freeze. He sprinted into the den and looked at the face on the screen. He felt his heart fall to his feet. He grabbed his phone and told Taylor to turn on the news. He did the same for Kate just in case Taylor didn't hear his phone.
Kate and Dean were back at Bobby's house for all of 20 minutes when she got Nate's text. She jumped over the couch and turned to the news channel. She didn't see anything that would make Nate tell her to watch it. She sat down and watched until the end of the reel. A few minutes passed before the same news story played again. An investigation was being done on the mysterious deaths of a unit that was deployed overseas. The story was vague and that did get her attention.
Dean skidded into the living room when Kate yelled for him. He froze and stared at the screen.
'Kyle Abraham Kuznetzov killed in action' rolled across the T.V. screen. There were other names but that one was a problem. That one was a huge problem.
Taylor got Nate's text but waited until the movie was over before he asked someone to turn to the news.
Hailey's dad made a comment about the same news story being played all day.
Taylor had a sinking feeling building in his stomach. He saw Kyle's name and felt as though he was leaving his body. He was blank. He couldn't feel. He couldn't breathe.
Hailey quickly turned the T.V. off and hugged Taylor. She looked over his head and mouthed, 'that is his brother.' She tried to comfort Taylor but he wasn't doing anything. He wasn't blinking. She called Kate and kept their conversation short so Taylor didn't get upset.
Dean was already on his way to Hailey's house. Since the text came from Nate, he assumed that Taylor had gotten a similar text. He didn't want Taylor to lose control and expose himself to Hailey's family. He was welcomed inside. He touched Taylor's shoulder. "We saw. Let's go home."
Taylor stood but didn't respond. How could he respond? Kyle was the only one of his previous brothers that ever gave a damn about him. He was the only good one.
Dean got Taylor outside and into the car. He ran back to the house and thanked Hailey's parents for having Taylor over and promised that they would get updates. He drove toward Bobby's house but stopped when Taylor's eyes started glowing. "Are you okay?"
Taylor's head slowly turned toward Dean although his eyes didn't quite land on him. "He's dead."
"I know." Dean said. "Nate told us to turn on the news."
Taylor's thoughts were so far beyond Kyle being a casualty of war. It was never that easy. Something happened. "Demons."
"He was in a fire fight." Dean said. "I don't think demons did this."
Taylor finally let his eyes focus. "No."
Dean started to drive again. Was this the downhill slide that they all knew was coming? Taylor lost so many people. He didn't deserve that. The loss of Craig and David was a good thing. The loss of his mom was bittersweet. Kyle could be a sore spot since he gave them a folder before he deployed. It had to be simple. It couldn't be as complex as the rest of their lives.
"Stop." Taylor said suddenly.
Dean tapped his breaks. "What?" He grabbed Taylor's arm. "Do not get out of the car."
Taylor pulled his arm away and got out of the car. He walked away from the road and into a stand of trees.
Dean swore and pulled the car to the side of the road. He quickly approached Taylor and tried to talk him down from whatever he was about to do.
Taylor turned his back to Dean and screamed out of frustration. He punched a tree and shook as scalding hot anger flowed through his veins. "Where is he?" He growled.
Dean was very careful not to trigger Taylor. "We can find out."
Taylor whirled around. He looked at Dean and then to his feet. "Come out and face me you son of a bitch!"
Dean ducked as wind whipped through the trees. He felt the hair on his neck stand up and rolled out of the way as a stray limb sailed over his head. The wind stopped and his skin crawled.
Taylor looked into the shadows. "Where is he?"
Meg blew a bubble with her gum and popped it before stepping into the moon light. "Who?"
Taylor growled. "This is above your paygrade."
"I suppose it is but Crowley sent me." Meg said.
Dean tried to back away so that he could grab the demon knife. He cringed as he feet stopped moving.
"Dean, sweetie, we are just having a conversation." Meg said. She popped her gum again. "Usually, when someone wants to talk, they are a bit more polite."
Taylor's eyes flashed blue. "Where is my brother."
Meg raised her eyebrows. "David? Oh, we are good friends. He's my special little pet."
Kate hadn't planned to leave Bobby's house but felt herself being pulled to Taylor. She couldn't fight it and it took her breath away.
Taylor clinched his fist.
Meg winced. "Now, that is no way to treat a lady." She stepped back and gave him a coy smile. "You have questions. I might have answers."
"Where is Kyle?" Taylor demanded.
"Oh, that brother." Meg said. "I've seen him around."
Taylor wanted to vaporize everything around him.
Dean tried to reason with Taylor. "Walk away. We will handle this."
Taylor ignored him. "Why is he in hell?"
"Most people wind up there. There aren't as many saints in this day and age." Meg said.
Taylor was shaking.
Meg spit her gum on the ground. "Why do you want to know?"
Taylor knocked the breath out of her. "Release him."
"I can't do that." Meg said. "A deal is a deal."
Dean stumbled as the ground shook. "Taylor, walk away, NOW." He hit an invisible wall.
"What deal?" Taylor asked in a dark tone.
Meg looked like she was bored. "Oh, you didn't know. He made a little deal to protect you. Craig and David wouldn't be able to trigger any of your abilities until you were big enough to fight for yourself."
Everything started to click into place in Taylor's mind. That is why he survived drowning but had dormant abilities for years. He felt a hand on the back of his neck and tensed.
Dean moved between Meg and Taylor and made Taylor look at him. "Snap out of it and get back into the car."
Taylor flicked his eyes away from Dean. "What happened overseas?"
Meg picked at one of her nails before letting it fall to the ground. "When a few demons went to collect him, he fought back. It will look great in a newspaper. Single soldier takes out an entire platoon of men before perishing from his injuries."
Taylor knocked Meg onto her back and gritted his teeth. "Unbind his soul."
Kate ran through the trees as she heard voices. She stopped so suddenly that she almost fell over. She slowly turned around and met eyes with a rather large hellhound. She stood up straighter and crossed her arms. "A hound, really? Are you that much of a coward?"
Crowley stepped from behind a tree. "Darling, one doesn't live to be as old as I am trying to be the hero. Heroes die young."
"What do you want?" Kate asked.
"Taylor, over there called us here. I was in the middle of a nice dinner in the middle east. You can understand my annoyance." Crowley said. "He wants his brother to be released from hell. Kyle was a hero; hence heroes die young. It would be a shame for you to find the same fate."
Kate was terrified but hiding it. "I can disintegrate you."
"You could but the hounds are loyal. They'd just go make a meal of everyone you care about." Crowley said.
Kate swallowed hard. "Just leave."
"I'm a business man, Katelyn. Offer me something." Crowley said.
"I'm not going to make a deal with you." Kate said.
"Not a deal, dear girl. You must think I'm daft. Kyle's soul is in hell but I haven't found the motivation to torture him yet. He isn't interesting." Crowley said.
"So let him go." Kate said, firmly.
"He's a bargaining chip now. Why would I give away something so valuable?" Crowley asked.
Kate was deep in thought. "What do you want?"
"A partnership." Crowley said.
Kate felt her stomach drop.
"I knew you as a young child. I told you that I would be back." Crowley said.
"I was too young to understand." Kate said.
"I'm a demon, Katelyn. Do you think I care what your cognitive ability was at the time?" Crowley asked.
"Yes, I do. You want entertainment, not a mindless puppet." Kate hissed.
"Get rid of Abaddon." Crowley said.
"Already on it." Kate shot back. "However, if I don't, you lose your kingdom."
"Why make threats when we could have a beautiful working relationship. We want the same things and I have resources." Crowley said. He whistled and waited for another demon to show up. He took a box from the other demon and showed it to Kate. "One human soul for one partnership."
Kate stared at the box. She couldn't trust Crowley.
Crowley raised his hand and summoned the rest of the hounds.
Kate jumped. "You are just going to kill them anyway."
"Silly girl, I'd rather not. They can be helpful with your mission to rid the world of Abaddon. I am just showing you my cards." Crowley said.
Kate was quiet for a few minutes. "I have stipulations."
Crowley was intrigued. "What would those be?"
"You do not attack my family. Kyle goes free and the hounds go back to the dog house." Kate said.
"Those are big demands for such a small girl." Crowley said.
"Option B is I let Taylor shred every demon you have." Kate said.
Crowley produced a vial from his coat pocket. "Seal the deal."
Kate felt dizzy. "I'm not giving you my blood."
Crowley pulled a scroll from behind him and let it open. "Section 190 paragraph 2."
Kate read the ancient language. "You can't do anything with my blood unless I fail to get rid of her."
"I think the terms are fair." Crowley said.
Kate was frozen until she heard Dean yell. She snapped her head up. "Call it off."
Crowley shrugged.
Kate growled. "God dammit." And cut into her hand, letting blood flow into the vial. She didn't want to be his partner or make a deal but her hands were tied.
Crowley capped the vial and opened the box. "Well, it was a lovely chat but I have dinner plans."
Meg looked into the dark trees. "It appears that we have had a change in our itinerary." She held her hand out and let a blue smoke circle her palm.
Taylor was wide eyed. "Is that?"
"Kyle." Meg said.
"How do I know it is really him?" Taylor asked.
Meg looked beyond Taylor, "Katie, would you mind verifying this soul so I can get back to what I was doing?"
Dean spun around and locked eyes with Kate. He didn't drop his eyes as she approached Meg.
Kate took the soul from Meg and cupped her palms. She nodded and gave it to Taylor. "That's him."
Taylor let the soul go and watched it rise above the trees. When he looked back at Meg she was already gone. He collapsed and sat on the forest floor.
Kate wrapped her arms around him.
Dean crouched down and placed his hand on Taylor's back. "We need to get out of here before something nasty comes back." He put his arm under Taylor's and helped him back to the car. He wanted to start yelling his frustration but kept it to himself until some of the angst blew over.
Kate sat in the backseat with Taylor and took his hand.
Taylor grabbed her elbow and wrist and stared at her forearm.
Kate shook her head and pulled her arm back.
Taylor knew Kate was responsible for Kyle's rescue. He couldn't wrap his head around it though. What had he done? He summoned a demon. He put people in danger. He groaned and folded in half.
Dean stopped the car. "If you are going to throw up, do that outside but I swear to god if you do not get your ass back in the car when you are done I will strangle you."
Taylor opened his door and stumbled over to a guard rail.
Dean approached him after a few minutes. He handed him a bottle of water and a dry cloth.
Taylor was finally able to stand up straight.
Dean expected him to talk but nothing came out. "Tonight, we are going to calm down." Truthfully, Dean was in shock. He didn't know where to begin. He was out of his depth. He didn't want to be the parental figure and make the hard decisions. He wanted to take over the older brother role where he got to try to make things right again. He would be out of sorts if he found out Sam or the younger ones were taken to hell. Taylor was irrational but how could he not be?
Kate's head was pounding. Everything happened so fast. She felt like she had no control over her future. She could make all the choices she wanted and still wind up repeating the same mistake. Stupid fate. She felt like she was falling and there was no end in sight. The vision made sense at least. She was worried about Taylor.
Karen quickly got warm drinks started and presented them to everyone at the kitchen table. She got bits and pieces of what happened but didn't know what to do or say.
Taylor sipped his hot chocolate but stayed quiet. Kyle was in heaven. He was dead though. He knew about Taylor's abilities but when he spoke to John, he made it seem like he didn't know much. He had thousands of questions and no way to get answers.
Dean spoke quietly with Bobby. There was no good way to handle the situation. Taylor was grieving. He did summon the demons but he didn't do it by spell. He kind of just yelled and they showed up. What was he supposed to do with that? Was that an ability? Did Taylor know it would work?
Bobby put a steady hand on Dean's shoulder. "Let your dad be the parent."
Dean rubbed his face. "Shit, I've got to call him."
Bobby didn't envy Dean or Taylor. John wouldn't be as calm as Dean was. Dean looked defeated and worn out. "I'll talk to him."
Dean's shoulders slumped. "I can."
"No. You go make sure Taylor is okay and I'll handle John." Bobby said.
Dean slowly stood up. "Thank you."
Bobby waved him off. Dean really needed to step back more often.
Taylor rested his head on the table. "Everyone dies."
Dean sat beside him. "I have noticed that too."
"It's always demons." Taylor added.
"They have a type." Dean said, lightly. "I think Kate should help you remain calm for the night."
Taylor didn't argue. He didn't want to get worked up and endanger people again. He didn't want to think about his grief.
Dean left Kate and Taylor to go outside. He needed fresh air and a chance to think. He saw a note left on his car and sighed. "That doesn't look good." He unfolded it and felt a lump form in his throat.
The note read, 'Trust me, it will be okay one day.'