Author's note: Update because you all are very kind and asking. I am okay. I have something going on with my throat that makes me not able to swallow food. I have muscle pain and stuff too but the leg that caused all of this is looking so sooooooo much better.
Frank, Kelsey's father, called Marie's house to check on his daughter before he got out of his car. He still felt guilty for losing his temper. He promised her that he would find Simon and be back as soon as possible. He knew he shouldn't make that promise but he did anyway.
John pulled beside Frank's car. They had driven deep into a wooded area and pulled over into a dirt semi-circle that was meant for vehicles. The trees were thick and seemed to reach the clouds. The air was heavy and damp. The forest was quiet.
Pamela had a chill go up her spine. The place was probably comforting in the summer but at that time, it just looked foreboding. The temperatures were still low and even lower at night. If the boy survived the creature attack, it was likely that he would fall victim to the elements. The only shred of hope remaining was that he had survival skills.
John followed behind Frank down a trail. They walked for a mile before Frank turned and started to go down another trail that was not well worn. The sound of sticks breaking seemed to echo through the damp trees. If they were hunting, they would take care not to make noise. However, they were on a search and rescue mission. If Simon was out there, he needed to know that other humans were as well. They reached a run down building and John asked Pamela to stay outside the door.
Pamela thought his protective side was attractive. She kept an eye on the forest but stayed outside the building. She heard John say it was safe to enter and stepped around trash as she walked through the door. She knew that Arachne used webs but seeing the stringy substance on the wall made her skin crawl. She didn't like spiders of the normal variety so large humanoid spider creatures didn't sit well with her.
Dean arrived in the nearby town and chatted with a pretty cashier to see if she knew anything about the missing hunter. The station was positioned at the edge of the town. Anyone coming or going would likely stop to fill up their car before heading out on the endless stretch of highway.
The cashier showed Dean a board with several missing persons' fliers. "People tend to drop off the face of the earth out here."
Dean studied the pictures of young men, not too different than himself. "Are you sure they don't just take off?"
"There are rumors." Olivia, the cashier, said. "What small town doesn't have rumors?"
Dean leaned against the counter and gave her a wink. "Do you mind telling me a few of those rumors?"
She looked at the clock on the wall. "I have a lunch break at 12. The diner across the road has decent food."
Dean smiled. "Decent food it is." He called John to let him know where he was and what he was doing. He blew air through his nose, causing trails of steam to hang in the air. "I will head over there as soon as I'm done with this research." He smirked. John had questioned his motives although both of them knew that Dean was taking the job seriously. He waited around until Olivia left the gas station. He walked across the road with her and got a table for two. "So, what do you know about the rumors?"
Olivia thanked the waitress as drinks were placed in front of them. She took a sip and turned her attention back to Dean. "People go into those woods and don't come back out."
Dean had seen his fair share of woods that people vanished in. He never understood the appeal of camping. "Have any bodies been found?"
"One or two but that hasn't answered any questions. Most go for a walk and don't meet up with their friends or family when they are supposed to. I've met a few of the missing. It's always the same type of guy. Young…. A little cocky." Olivia said.
"Are there stories about those woods? You know, the kind that get passed down from generation to generation?" Dean asked.
Olivia smiled but looked bashful. "The old folk around here, at least the superstitious ones swear they know what takes those men."
Dean leaned closer. "What do they think it is?"
Olivia blushed and covered her face.
Dean heard a mumble and sat back. "The fae?!"
Olivia hushed him. "Obviously that isn't it but that is what they say."
Dean held back his real reaction to the news. "So you all have a bunch of Tinkerbells flying around snatching full grown men?"
"Hey, you wanted to know." Olivia said.
They finished up their meal so Dean walked her back to the gas station. "I appreciate your time." He wrote his number on a slip of paper and handed it to her. "Will you let me know if you hear anything else?"
Olivia put the paper into her pocket. "How long are you staying?"
"Oh, just until I get some answers." He smirked and backed away, not dropping his gaze until she did. Okay, maybe he had steered slightly off the path of research but how could he not? He drove down to the spot in which John had directed him to. He was supposed to wait for them to come back out of the forest. He couldn't wait to see John's face when he told him fairies were responsible for kidnapping people. The tip wasn't helpful in the slightest but it amused him.
Frank, John and Pamela showed up a half hour later.
"Any luck?" Dean asked.
Frank looked distraught. "No."
"Olivia, my informant, said that several men have gone missing. What ever happened may not be related to the Arachne at all." Dean said.
John wasn't sure if that was good news or bad news. He didn't want to find the boy in a web, drained of his life force but they were back at square one.
Dean remembered an important piece of equipment that he had stashed in his trunk. "A bird's eye view might help us out."
John turned to Frank. "We got a retired military drone from an old Marine buddy of mine." That was a lie but Frank couldn't know that an older version of Kate time traveled back to their time and gave them a futuristic drone.
Dean brought the drone over to the edge of the forest and carefully maneuvered it through the dense trees. It was faster than walking and gave them a broader view of the ground below. The camera was clear but everything was camouflaged with fallen leaves and sludge. He changed the filter to pick up heat signatures. He saw small orbs and flicked back to a normal view for a moment. Squirrels. Not fairies. Of course, it wasn't fairies. "So, uh, I guess the older generation here thinks the fae is responsible."
Pamela bit back a laugh as John whirled around.
"The what?" John asked. He had heard Dean but was certain that he didn't mean what he said.
"Fairies." Dean said.
John snorted. "That's not it." He did tell Dean to call Charlie to see what she could find out.
Dean landed the drone so he could look at his father. "You want me to call Charlie and ask her to research fairies?"
"All fairy tales start from a shred of the truth." John said.
Dean raised the lever on the remote in his hand. He brought the drone back out of the woods and sat it in the back of his car. He had to mentally prepare himself for the conversation with Charlie.
(Marie's house)
Kate sat crossed legged on Charlie's bed. She felt like her brain storming had turned into a tropical storm. There was too much info floating around for her to focus on anything. Dean's number appearing on her phone pulled her attention away from the storm. "Hey."
Dean took a slow, deep breath. "We need you and Charlie to look into something."
Kate waved to Charlie. "What?"
"Well Simon wasn't the only one who is missing from here." Dean said.
Kate shrugged. "Okay, Charlie can look at other missing people."
Dean was quiet for a while. "There's a myth the older people believe in. It is obviously just a myth but dad wants you to look into it."
Kate furrowed her brows. "What is it?"
"Uh." Dean started. "Fairies."
Kate's mouth dropped open. "Fairies?"
Charlie quickly rolled her chair back and grabbed Kate's phone. "Fairies?!"
Dean sighed. "Yeah, but it isn't true."
"What kind of fairies are we talking about? Is there a specific place they think the fairies are from? Are they proper fairies like a redcap or tink? Do they think it could be changelings? Wait, changelings take small kids. Probably not those. Banshee? Has anyone heard screaming? Wood nymph." Charlie paused. "I mean… if it is a wood nymph I wouldn't mind being involved on this case."
Dean rubbed his face. "Charlie, none of that is real. We just need to figure out why the myth got started."
"Some of it has to be real." Charlie said.
"Wait, why wood nymphs?" Dean asked.
Charlie grabbed a book from her shelf and opened a page about wood nymphs. There was a very detailed drawing of what one looked like.
Jo tilted her head and studied the drawing. "I don't know Dean. I think you'd want to be involved too."
Kate was disgusted. "Naked woodland people of the female variety."
Dean looked back toward the trees. They had a point. If he was going to be led into the woods, away from safety, a naked woman would have to be involved. He shook his head. "Just do some research and find me something realistic."
Charlie frowned. "I just think I'd be a valuable asset."
"You are a child." Dean reminded her.
Kate scoffed. "You were a child once too."
"Charlie has to be protected. You might as well email me a copy of that drawing. I want to keep an eye out just in case." Dean said. He stumbled back as Kate appeared in front of him holding the book in question. "A little warning wouldn't hurt."
Kate opened the book to the drawing and held it up for Dean.
Dean looked from the book into the woods. If they were going to face something in those woods, a nymph wouldn't be so bad.
Kate turned the book around so he couldn't see it. "Focus, Dean."
"Oh, I'm focused." Dean said. "Get out of here before someone sees you." He took a step and nearly fell from a string that had been looped around his feet. He didn't know when Kate got the chance to do it but it was a good prank. Maybe she had learned how to stop time.
After lunch, the kids all went their separate ways. Taylor and Dillon ventured back into the fields. There was still plenty of untouched snow for them to drive over.
Kate, Jo and Charlie left the computer but stayed in the house for a while longer.
All of the younger kids bundled up and ran outside to build a snow fort.
Most of the heavy lifting fell on Andy and Zachary. That was okay with them.
Krissy found sticks and leaves to decorate the outside of the fort.
Ian did his best to wreck the fort as it was being built. He took a pinecone from Krissy's pile and started playing with it.
Krissy grumbled and took it back. "That is for the fort."
Ian was quickly annoyed. He screeched but walked away to find his own pinecone. Without Ben, he got frustrated that the older kids seemed to leave him out of the loop.
Riot ran with Timber to see what the older two boys were doing in the field. His ears flopped as he hopped through several inches of snow, desperate to keep up with the older dog.
Taylor kept an eye on the dogs so that they didn't run them over. Timber would move but Riot was still in the awkward puppy stage where he rarely knew what was going on.
The dogs ran into the trees so Dillon stopped the ATV for a few minutes. He wanted to walk into the woods to explore.
Taylor took the key out of the ATV and followed behind the dogs. He pointed out random things as they walked. "I shot that arrow up there a few years ago. It is out of my reach so I never got it down."
Dillon looked up to see an arrow coated in ice. It looked glittery and magical. "We could try to get it."
"Nah." Taylor said. "It is a memory now."
They found hoof prints and an imprint from a set of wings. The hooved animals were likely staying out of the snowfall by hiding in the trees. The bird that left the wing prints likely scooped up its prey and flew back into its home along one of the tree tops. Aside from Dillon and Taylor's prints, the scene was untouched by humans. There were no tire tracks or buildings. It was serene.
"Do people live back here?" Dillon asked.
"Not over here. There are houses on the property or nearby but my grandparents know the owners." Taylor explained.
Dillon thought that was cool. Where they used to live, they were in a crowded subdivision. He liked having neighbors but he was never allowed to explore. "Is it safe out here?"
"Pretty safe." Taylor said. "You have to watch for animals but most creatures can't get in. I guess, if something nasty wanted to show up, it could."
Taylor heard the dogs barking and picked up the pace to see what they were barking at. He had to weave his way through the trees as they had gotten off of the known path.
Back at Marie's house, Charlie had found a ton of information but figuring out what may be true was difficult. She wouldn't be able to find anything reliable right away.
The kids were hard at work on their fort. A wall had been formed and windows were placed so that they could see anyone or anything approaching the wall.
Andy was getting frustrated with Ian but tried to be nice.
Krissy tied a cloth around a stick and tip toed to place it at the top of the wall. She felt a weight behind her and fell forward, breaking part of the wall. She growled and got up.
Ian had fallen on top of her and pushed her through the snow.
Krissy dusted herself off and looked around for the flag. She saw it in Ian's hand and demanded he give it back.
Ian had forgone trying to be helpful and set his mind on being a menace. He didn't hand her the stick and screeched at her when she got close to him.
Krissy reached for the stick and yanked her hand back, tears forming in her eyes.
Andy whipped his head around. "What happened?"
"He bit me!" Krissy yelled.
Andy dropped the shovel in his hand and walked around to see Krissy's arm that she was holding. The jacket had padded Ian's teeth but a small bruise was forming. He turned around and scolded Ian. "You can't bite!" He tried to grab Ian to make him go inside but it was a bit like wrestling a pig. He got ahold of Ian's jacket and dragged him toward the house.
Sam heard screaming and stepped outside.
Andy fell and lost his grip on Ian. "He bit Krissy."
Sam grimaced. "Is she okay?"
Krissy frowned. "No!"
Sam stepped off the porch to wrangle Ian. It was clear that he was in no mood to make apologies. He picked him up to take him inside to cool off. He got to the steps and felt a pain in his upper arm. He gritted his teeth and opened the door.
Ian absolutely lost his mind when they got inside. He didn't want to go inside. He was probably a little tired and all sense of reason had left his body.
Jess tried to help but Sam bumped her hand back so that Ian didn't bite her.
He got Ian to a safe place and did his best to talk to him. 5 minutes into the meltdown he called Caleb.
Caleb was sitting next to April on their sofa when he got the call. He started to simply say hi but the sound Ian was making made him tense.
"Uh, Ian is a little upset." Sam said.
Caleb sat forward. "A little?"
"He just bit Krissy and when I brought him inside, he freaked out." Sam said.
Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know how to get him out of this. I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself." Sam said.
"You bust his butt and put him in time out." Caleb said.
Sam sighed. "You know I can't do that, man."
Caleb grumbled. "So, you want to let him keep acting like that?"
Jess sat down next to Ian and he started to calm down slightly. She spoke softly to him and felt like she might be making progress. She must have made him angry again because he scratched and bit down on her leg right above her knee. She sucked in a breath of air and put a pillow between them.
Sam knew Ian was a handful but had never seen him that wild. "Hey, don't bite her."
Caleb groaned. "Tell Kate to come get me."
Sam was uncomfortable. If they could just calm Ian down, he was sure that they could avoid the drama.
"Sam." Caleb growled.
Sam asked Jess to go get Kate.
Although Ian wasn't having a power surge, Kate still felt like her energy was being siphoned. She left Marie's house and fought her way back through the current.
A moment later, Caleb's feet hit Marie's floor and he followed the sound of Ian's crying to Sam and Jess's room. He opened the door and cleared his throat loudly.
((TW))
Ian stopped mid screech and looked up at Caleb. "Uh oh."
Caleb approached him and crouched down. "Uh oh is right. Did you bite them?"
Ian shook his head.
"Ian Grant." Caleb warned.
Ian pushed his hand away.
Caleb turned him around to give him a swat. "You do not bite."
Ian temporarily forgot his concern and got mad again.
Caleb picked him up and sat him down on the bed so they were on the same eye level. "Cool it."
Ian slowly started to cool down enough that Caleb could talk to him.
"Did you bite someone?" Caleb asked.
Ian's eyes flicked to Sam.
"Sam, show me where he bit you." Caleb said.
"Oh, it wasn't a hard bite." Sam said.
Caleb gave him an exasperated look.
Sam relented and rolled up his sleeve.
Caleb nodded. "How bad did Krissy get bit?"
"I think her jacket protected her." Sam said.
Caleb looked to Jess and had to give her the same look he gave Sam. "Just tell me."
Jess reluctantly rolled up her pant leg and grimaced. He had nearly broken the skin with his teeth and she had long scratches on either side of the bite.
Caleb narrowed his eyes at Ian. He was frustrated with his son but also felt bad that damage had been done.
Ian tried to wiggle down from the bed but couldn't escape Caleb's grip.
Caleb took a deep breath. He tucked Ian against his side and swatted him five times. That was the most he had ever given him but it was clear Ian knew what he did was wrong. He sat him back down but spoke gently. "Do you need to go home and not stay here?"
Ian sniffled and shook his head.
((ETW))
"Are you going to bite or hit anyone?" Caleb asked.
Ian shook his head again. He accepted the hug Caleb offered him and frowned slightly. "I go say sorry?"
Caleb held his hand but let him down. "I think that is a good idea."
Ian found Sam and reached his hands up so Sam would pick him up. "I sorry I bite."
Sam assured him he was forgiven. He hated that the little guy got in such hot water.
Jess got the same apology.
Caleb had Sam take Ian out to apologize to Krissy since he couldn't be seen without raising questions as to how he got there. He asked Kate to get him back home.
Krissy gave Sam a dirty look and hugged Ian. She narrowed her eyes and took Ian's hand to guide him back to the fort.
Sam rubbed his face. Of course, he was going to get blamed for all of that.
Taylor stopped in his tracks. He whistled for the dogs. "Come back! No!"
Dillon stepped around Taylor to see what he was looking at.
Taylor stepped back, causing Dillon to step back.
A very large animal was very angry and very annoyed with the dogs.
Both dogs took off running in the direction they had came from.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Run!" Taylor shouted. He had to keep pace with Dillon so he didn't leave him behind to get trampled.
Sounds of branches breaking reverberated through the forest as the boys ran and the animal ran faster.
Taylor hoped he was going the right direction or the ridiculously large bull elk would get tired of chasing them. He would stop and admire the massive animal if it wasn't pissed off and charging through the trees. He had a knife on him but that would do nothing to a beast that size.
As soon as Kate arrived at Caleb's house, she got an SOS from Taylor. She zapped back and bounded up the stairs to retrieve Taylor's bow. The plan was to get it to him but he was in such a panic that she wasn't sure where he was. She ran outside and looked out toward the tree line. She heard the ATV and trained her eyes on the speck at the edge of the field. She jumped the fence and ran out onto the path. Then, she saw the largest deer she had ever seen in her life. Was it a moose? She squinted her eyes. No, that was an elk. She pulled the bow string back until she heard it begin to pop. She waited until she could clearly make out the shape of the animal. She steadied her breath and sent an arrow a questionable distance across the open field.
Taylor heard the thing hit the ground and chanced a glance behind them. He saw that it was stumbling to get up and kept driving. He got to where Kate stood and climbed the fence with Dillon. "Holy shit!" His heart was in his throat.
Dillon was in a panic too but started laughing. "Dude!"
Taylor hugged Kate. "I think you got him."
"Go check." Kate said.
Taylor scoffed. "I'll just give him a minute to stop kicking."
Kate tossed Taylor his bow. She was getting a call from Dean. She answered but the phone crackled. She darted into the house and into Charlie's room. It was easier to teleport without extra eyes around. She hit the ground in a forest where she assumed Dean was. She winced and felt a pain in her ribs. Ian zapped a bit of her power, so did her trip to and from Caleb's house. Add the lightning-fast reaction to Taylor and she was drained. She was unsteady. She called Dean back and held her stomach as she walked.
Dean answered. "I found something. Dad is on his way but is running through swamp area."
Kate winced. "Where are you?"
Dean tried to explain. "I'm going to walk your way." He heard something in her voice that made him uncomfortable. He saw movement to his side and stopped. He turned his head. An enchanting young woman was standing beside a tree. She was without clothes and distracted him for a moment. "Nymphs." He wanted to check that out but Kate was out there too. He finally found her, walking slowly.
Kate was happy to see him.
Dean tilted her chin up. "What the hell happened to you?"
Kate tried to smile but it hurt.
Dean grabbed both of her arms. "Your mouth is bleeding."
Kate heard movement and whined. "Something is out here."
"Yeah, naked ladies." Dean said.
Kate paused. "What?"
"I think Charlie's wood nymph theory is right." Dean said.
"Oh, so you are having the time of your life out here." Kate said.
"You don't need to be out here." Dean said.
"I can't zap back." Kate admitted.
Dean sighed and lifted her into his arms. "Why do you look like you got beat up?"
Kate leaned her head against him. "Ian lost his mind. I had to get Caleb. Taylor got chased by an elk. You called…."
Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "He got chased? Couldn't he wrestle it?"
"It was big. I shot it with an arrow." Kate said.
Dean shifted her so that she was more comfortable. "That's my girl." He made it all the way back to where he saw the nymph. "Here." Before he called Kate, he had found something that could be linked to Simon.
Kate looked down. There was a shoe. She wanted a closer look. Maybe she could read it to find who the owner was.
Dean let her down but immediately hit the ground as his feet were ripped out from under him. He slid across the ground and choked as something wrapped around his throat.
Kate got up quickly but was dizzy. She stumbled toward him and tripped over roots.
A woman grew from the tree and stood over Dean. She tightened the grip on his neck and looked to where Kate was walking from.
Dean watched the previously bare woman grow leaves to cover herself. Well, that was a neat trick.
Kate coughed. "Let him go."
The nymph studied her before looking down at Dean. "Did you harm this child?"
Dean pointed to his neck to say he couldn't talk. He gasped when the pressure lessened. "No. She's my sister."
Kate was weak but managed to make it to Dean before her legs gave out. "He was carrying me."
"What caused this?" The nymph asked.
Kate thought for a moment. "I teleported too many times."
The nymph released Dean and the tendrils reached for Kate, lightly grasping her chin to study her face. "You possess this power?"
"It's a long story." Kate said.
Dean started to move but was quickly yanked back to the ground. "We've established I'm not the bad guy. I would be great if I could get up."
The nymph let him go but hit him across the chest with a vine hard enough to make him grunt.
"We are looking for a friend. I came to help." Kate said.
The nymph listened to Kate as she spoke. "I know of this Simon."
"Where is he?" Dean asked.
The nymph glared at him.
Dean held his hands up to placate her. "Got it, not welcome into the conversation."
Kate was very slowly healing. "We are hunters but mean no harm. Simon was with his father when he went missing. He has a six-year-old sister waiting for him. She is very worried."
Dean turned his head to the side as more women appeared from the trees. They also grew leaves to cover themselves for Kate's sake.
Kate found out that the nymphs had taken Simon, just as they had with several other young men. "You are sick?"
"The water supply is tainted. My kind are dying. We siphon health from healthy young men." The nymph said.
"Do you know what messed with the water?" Kate asked.
"Humans." The nymph said, bitterly.
"If you had clean water, would you stop killing people?" Kate asked.
"Of course. We are peaceful." The nymph said.
"Can our friend leave?" Kate asked.
The nymph looked toward her sisters for a moment before saying yes.
"Okay, so Simon can go home. We will find what is poisoning you and you will have clean water again." Kate said.
Dean watched them fade back into the trees. He was mesmerized. He called John to give him a discrete update.
John stopped in his tracks. "Dean spotted him with the drone." That was not totally true either but Frank complicated things. They walked a mile deeper into the woods and found Simon against a tree. He was weak and pale.
Frank grabbed him and hugged him.
Simon was so glad to see him. "Dad."
John told Frank to get Simon to a hospital and he and Pamela would stay behind to track down what hurt him. He knew what it was but that wasn't important at that moment. He made a beeline for his own kids and found them sitting on the forest floor. He checked on Kate. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I fell off of a cliff." Kate said. She looked behind John and motioned to the nymph. "This is Reigna."
John turned around. He was alarmed.
"She is nice." Kate said. "Something is causing them to get sick."
John blinked as more appeared.
"If we clear up the water, they will remain peaceful." Kate said.
"Unless harm is done to a woman or child." Reigna said, shooting Dean a look.
"They only attack people who commit crimes. They were desperate and took the men." Kate said.
Pamela was intrigued. She wanted to know more about these ancient beings.
"Get Kate to the car. She needs rest." John said.
Kate shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm healing."
"You'll rest while we figure out what the issue is." John said.
Dean felt something brush against his lower back and met eyes with a nymph that looked very interested in him. "So uh… if someone wanted to come out here to….. commune with the trees…."
John shot him a look.
The nymph that had her eyes on Dean smiled. "You are welcome at any time."
John snapped his fingers. "Get Kate out of here and make sure she heals."
Dean blushed. He winked at the nymph and picked Kate up. "Okay, kiddo, you just relax."
With Dean gone, Pamela and John followed Reigna to a small river. They walked up and down the banks in search of a pollution source. They found it after an hour. Someone had dumped waste into the river. Removing it was something that Taylor would be useful for. John explained his plan and promised to remove the waste once they were able to transport Taylor to the forest. He was glad that Simon was okay. He was just a little thrown off by the culprit.
Pamela chatted with the nymphs briefly before they left the woods. She held John's hand as they walked. "If only all cases were that easy and had that good of an outcome."
"Nymphs." John said as he shook his head.
Kate was feeling better slowly. "You were flirting back there."
Dean smirked. "They are really pretty."
"Why do you have a thing for women that could easily kill you?" Kate asked.
Dean snorted. "I have a type." He made it to the car and helped Kate into her seat. He closed the door and walked around. It was clear that it was not safe for her to zap back to Marie's house. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to see Cas standing at the front of the car. "He didn't show up behind me this time."
Kate smiled.
Dean got out and explained the situation to Cas. "She over did it and is pretty hurt. Can you get her back to Marie's house?"
Cas nodded. He transported Kate back to Marie's house and placed her on Charlie's bed to rest. He turned to go but saw Krissy in the doorway.
Krissy's mouth fell open and she dropped the cup of milk she was holding.
Charlie took Krissy's hand so that she'd step over the puddle on the floor. "He's an angel."
Krissy just stared at Cas. She gasped and got wide eyed as a pair of wings spread from behind Cas's back. She was still in shock when he left.
Kate patted the bed. "You can't tell anyone."
Krissy crossed her heart with her finger.
Kate touched Krissy's hand and looked into her eyes. "Forget about the angel unless you are in danger." She hissed and rolled off the bed. "I think I'm going to get a warm bath." She opened the upstairs bathroom door and turned the water on to fill the tub. She went to her bag and removed a clean set of clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had black circles under her eyes and she was pale. She carefully removed her shirt and froze. Her back and chest were covered in dark bruises. No wonder the nymph wanted to strangle Dean. She looked away from the mirror and grabbed a soft towel. She slipped into the bath and held her breath as her tattered skin got used to the warmth. She wanted the bruises to fade quickly. It was bad enough that they saw what that last teleport did to her face. They'd freak out with the rest of it. She felt fragile. She was strong. She was powerful. She was created to destroy archangels. She barely survived a simple flight through space. She wasn't healing fast enough. She hurt.
(That afternoon)
Ian was a cherub after a nap.
Sam was a little amused. He had been completely overwhelmed by how severe the meltdown was. However, Ian looked absolutely harmless playing with his trucks. He was happy to be the guy that stayed back and played games and made sure the kids didn't kill themselves. Anything serious made him freeze.
Krissy was jittery but played nicely with the others. Her eyes were flitting around. Kate's compulsion to forget the angel hadn't worked due to her weakened state. However, Krissy knew she wasn't supposed to talk about it. Angels were real? That meant her mom was in heaven. That made her happy. She looked up to the sky and said a small prayer. She didn't have to be scared when her dad left. She could just ask the angels to keep him safe.
Rod helped Dillon and Taylor drag the elk to the house. Even he was impressed by the size of the thing. They wouldn't have to worry about meat for a while.
Dillon was excited to see how to clean the animal and butcher it. It was a little gross but it was something his dad was supposed to teach him. He just died before he got the chance.
Andy and Zachary had to check out the elk too but Krissy had no desire to. Ian looked at it for a few minutes before running off after Riot.
Marie watched them from the back door. She turned her head and saw Kate. "Excellent shot, sweetie."
Kate smiled. "Adrenaline is helpful."
"You could have made that shot without the adrenaline, just take the compliment." Marie said.
Kate still felt sore. She couldn't turn her neck far enough to see her back because it was stiff. She needed to show someone but didn't want that person to overreact. "Jess."
"Yes?" Jess asked.
"Can I talk to you?" Kate asked.
"Sure." Jess said. She walked with Kate until Kate slipped into a room.
"You know I got pretty banged up because I did too much." Kate said.
"Yes. Are you okay?" Jess asked.
"I'm showing you because I need you not to freak out. You know the guys will lose it if I have a papercut." Kate said.
Jess nodded knowingly. "I'll stay calm."
Kate turned her back to Jess and lifted the back of her shirt.
Jess sucked air through her teeth. "Oh, Katie."
"Is it bad?" Kate asked.
"You have lines of bruising around all of the bones." Jess said. She lightly touched Kate's back. "Is the front like that?"
"Yes." Kate said. She slowly lowered her shirt so it didn't hurt.
"This is serious." Jess said.
"I know but what are they going to do besides worry? I can't go to a doctor and right now it is just sore." Kate said.
"Come with me. We will talk to Sam and tell him you are healing slowly so we can keep an eye on you." Jess said.
Kate sighed. She didn't want to make people worry.
Sam spoke quietly with Jess before approaching Kate. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a train." Kate said with a weak smile.
"You are flushed." Sam said, feeling of her head.
"I'm warm." Kate admitted.
"Alright, here is what we will do. I plan on going back outside to help with the elk. Why don't you get a warm drink and sit out in one of those chairs?" Sam asked.
Kate nodded and let Jess get the hot chocolate for her. She took a seat and tried to get comfortable.
The other guys had the elk covered for the most part so Sam made sure the younger kids didn't get too close. Rod and Taylor were careful with knives but all it took was a split second and a small hand to cause an injury.
Zachary and Andy ran back around the house, bored with the elk.
Krissy skipped around behind the two boys. She wanted the twins to come over so she had some quality company. She had perfected the annoying little sister role.
Andy turned around. "Back up."
Krissy huffed loudly. "You are bossy."
"You are in the way." Andy said as he helped Zachary lift a plastic sheet to cover the top of the fort.
Sam heard Krissy start crying loudly and squinted his eyes. He reacted to her claiming that Andy hit her. He grabbed Andy by the upper arm and pulled him where Krissy couldn't see. He hit his own leg and spoke loud enough so that Krissy could hear.
Krissy gasped and ran over to them. She pushed at Sam's leg. "He didn't hit me! I was just mad."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Krissy nodded.
Sam let Andy go and gave him a subtle wink when Krissy looked away from them. "You are going to get someone into serious trouble by saying stuff like that. Then, if someone does hit you, no one will believe you."
Krissy apologized but gave Sam another dirty look before running back to the fort.
Kate and Jess heard the altercation and were both confused.
Sam walked back around.
"You know, the older you get, the more you sound like dad. It is like watching a werewolf change on a full moon." Kate said.
Sam lightly tossed snow at her. "For your information, I smacked my own leg. I know he didn't hit her but she is going to be the death of him."
Jess chuckled. "Still, you do sound like your dad."
Sam grabbed her in a gentle headlock and messed up her hair. "You and I are on the same team."
"The scaring the life out of babies team?" Kate asked.
"You look like you are feeling better." Sam said.
Kate held up her hand with her fingers held close together. "A little bit."
"Jess, do you mind checking those bruises every hour or so? I want to know how fast or slow this is going." Sam said. He spotted Andy and went to talk to him. "Hey, are you okay?"
Andy put his hand over his chest. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry, bud. I was trying to make a point to her." Sam said.
Andy smiled brightly. "It's okay. She may be nice now." He looked to be deep in thought. "Can you help us with the fort? I'm not all the way tall enough."
Sam asked if Rod needed his help before following Andy to the fort. He did note the looks Krissy was giving him. He didn't even swat Ian or Andy but he couldn't tell her that. It wasn't like anyone would look down on him if he did but he didn't want that reputation. All of the important people knew the real story. He was raised one way and could see the need for it at times but he really wanted to avoid it with his own future kids. He guessed it would depend on which side of the family they got their stubbornness from.
(John and Pamela)
John let Dean go blow off steam after Kate made it home. He knew Dean needed the time but they weren't doing anything else at the moment.
Pamela slid into a the booth across from John. They'd have a nice meal and retire to a motel room until Taylor could show up and remove the stuff from the river. She saw a sense of calm on John's face. Simon was okay. Worry had been lifted from his shoulders. "Did Dean say what the girl looked like?"
"The cashier?" John asked. "He just said she was pretty."
Pamela leaned forward. "Are we sure she isn't one of those women from the forest?"
John went blank for a split second. He shook his head and smirked. "Well if she is, at least they seem friendly."
Pamela squeezed John's hand. "He isn't going to live the Tessa thing down."
John pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. Oh, I was mad but then the look on his face made it funny. I'm glad he is okay now. It is just not something I expected him to do."
Pamela raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, I expected him to 'do' that but not with a reaper." John said.
"To be fair, he didn't know she was a reaper." Pamela reminded him.
"I've been told I can't say anything because you are a psychic." John said.
"You have a type too." Pamela told him. She gave him a smile and sat back when their food got to their table.
(Dean)
Dean met up with Olivia. It didn't take a lot of flirting to win her over. Either she was just a small town girl bored with guys in town or Dean's magic just worked really well. He wasn't complaining.
Olivia was thoroughly charmed but asked if they could go to his motel room instead of her apartment.
Dean said that was fine. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable at her house. He shoved his duffle farther under the bed and watched her undress. The uniform she had on hid some great curves. He fell back onto the bed as she approached him. He had a moment of clarity. Was she a nymph? IS that why she jumped in bed with him so quickly? He was not going to call Kate and ask if she was human. He made that mistake already. He looked at her face and made a decision. If she was a nymph and had plans to kill him, with the way things were going, he'd die a happy man.