Author's note: This isn't the end of the story. I've chosen to "skip ahead" with certain information because I get complaints that things are too complicated. There are too many loose ends. The story is too confusing. It can also be difficult to write out dialog and a scenario where the characters figure something out. It is easier and quicker to do an aside where things are explained from a big picture point of view. While Kate is the main character, a lot goes on that doesn't directly involve her. It still happens because it is relevant and builds the story. I get messages that one person wants more fluff while another wants more grit. I don't know what the majority of readers want. Do you want fluff, when everything is going great and it is just normal family stuff or do you want grit, where there is depth and a variety of emotions?
I am in occupational therapy school. (Google it if you aren't sure what it is. Despite the word occupation we do not help people find jobs (a bit of a joke in the field). I'm not sure what setting I'll work in yet. I do, however, know where I don't want to work.) Occupational therapists work with people with disabilities or just an issue that makes life difficult. This is everything from hand therapy to sensory integration with autistic kiddos. That being said, I have fought for the last THREE semesters for subtitles on videos because I lost a great deal of my hearing in 2021 (woke up one morning and it was gone). So, part of my struggle is because my disabilities aren't accommodated. I also got diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which explains why my joints dislocate so easily and why I am in constant, 24/7 pain. There is a lot going on and I feel 80 instead of 30. I, like Kim, have something going on with my immune system. However, she is far more sick than I am. Maybe she is my way of working through some of the bitterness I feel at times.
(Wednesday, March 10, 2004)
Weeks slipped by with very little happening. No ghosts. No demons. No freaks. No visions. Everything was quiet and it was unsettling.
Dean helped Kim ward her apartment and gave her a pendant to wear. She was true to her word and didn't get upset if he didn't contact her for a few days. She made the appointment for Jacob and he got a few shots and a clean bill of health from the doctor.
Lee decided to move into one of the bunk houses so he and Krissy had their own place. He had been working up to it and it would cut down on the amount of time Krissy could listen in on conversations.
Charlie and Kate decorated Krissy's new room in flowers and butterflies. It was aggressively girly but Krissy loved it so much that she didn't ask why they were moving out of the main house.
Tony never came back and they got confirmation that he had passed. Sam signed papers to change Jacob's name in case they were ever asked about it. He and Jess decided to wait to get married until the summer when everyone could attend the wedding.
Rufus left the bunker for somewhere with a lot more sunlight. He could travel longer distances due to the nymphs so he decided that Florida had better weather than South Dakota.
Taylor's friend was out of a coma but still in the hospital. He didn't remember what happened and grieved Smith's loss. He needed to relearn to do a lot of the things he typically did due to the brain injury. Taylor was right though, he was popular with the girls and set his eyes on one that he had been fond of for a few years. She was an excellent tutor since he was missing school. He had actually heard Taylor but wasn't sure if it was real or a dream. He didn't see any light and no one came to visit him. His voice was just the first thing he remembered after the wreck.
Andy was getting increasingly excited each day because his birthday was on March 13th. He woke up each morning and drew a line through the previous day on the calendar that hung on the refrigerator.
The lack of chaos wasn't relaxing. It didn't give people an opportunity to let their guard down. If anything, it made them more paranoid.
One good thing that came out of the spirit incident was the realization that hunting in teams wasn't a bad idea. Running information through the Roadhouse allowed a variety of hunters to take a look at upcoming hunts and put names to the creatures that they were after. Most hunters hunted one or two types of creatures and could see the signs of a vampire or wolf right away. Working together decreased the load on those that were experts at their craft. They could give other hunters instructions and help wipe out a nest from hundreds of miles away.
Knowledge of the nymphs spread and the majority of hunters that knew where on board with their assistance. A few were set in their ways and tried to fight back against the idea but were simply told that they didn't have to use the nymphs but not to say anything if someone else did.
(The Roadhouse)
A young hunter with the last name Wittman had made numerous phone calls to the Roadhouse asking for tips on cases. He was around Sam and Dean's age but hunted by himself. He was a hunter's son turned orphan. He made his way into town a few times but tried to stay far away from other hunters. He had been turned by a vampire a while back in retaliation to his dad wiping out a nest. He was too afraid to tell anyone. He survived on blood bags but he was starving. He reached a point where he felt like he had no other choice and called the Roadhouse. Knowing about the nymphs, he was hopeful that Ellen wouldn't automatically dismiss him for what he was.
Ellen answered the phone. She got the name and scoffed. "Wittman, I ought to wring your neck. I've been worried sick." Ellen liked to check in with him due to how young he was and the lack of family. It had been a good while since she had heard from him.
Wittman apologized for not calling sooner. He was quiet as he contemplated how to say what he needed to say.
Ellen knew the pause meant something was on his mind. She placed the bar towel over a chair and sighed. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
Wittman swallowed. "I got turned."
Ellen's heart sank. "By what?"
"Vamp." Wittman said.
Ellen grimaced. "How long ago?"
Wittman wasn't sure. "Look, I haven't drained anyone. I stole a few blood bags."
"Is that why you have been avoiding this place?" Ellen asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I should have ended it first thing but I thought I could control it." Wittman admitted.
"That's also why you've been hunting so much." Ellen added.
"I'm faster and sharper." Wittman said. "I'm sorry I called. I didn't know who else to ask. I need someone to cut my head off. I can't do it myself so someone has to before I hurt someone."
Ellen was stunned.
"I'm a monster." Wittman said.
"Where are you?" Ellen asked. She understood the young hunter's dilemma.
He told her but told her not to come to him. He didn't know if he could control himself if someone got too close.
"I can get you something to hold you over." Ellen said.
"No. I've been like this long enough." Wittman said.
"Well if someone can cure you, what is the use in chopping your head off?" Ellen asked with a sharp bite to her tone.
"There is no cure." Wittman said.
"I'll have a friend drop something off for you. She's a nymph so you won't hurt her. I'll make some phone calls and let you know within an hour if I'm right." Ellen said. She hung up with him and called Bobby to ask about the freak cure that turned Mary, the vampire, back into a human.
The concoction that cured Mary wasn't guaranteed to cure Wittman. Kate had a lot of thoughts about it. She didn't want harm to come to anyone and was nervous for someone else to try it.
Dean had similar thoughts but knew if he had been turned, he would have the same ideas that Wittman was having. He'd want to at least try it. Wittman was already technically dead.
Word got back to Wittman that there was something he could try but was given no promises that it wouldn't kill him or make things worse. He agreed to try it as long as someone agreed to take off his head if it didn't work.
That was where John came in. He didn't want to be the one to do it. The man was Dean's age. He had a lot of life left to live. Still, when the cure was ready to go, he'd be the one to administer the cure and handle the results.
(A few hours later)
Wittman was taken to the facility that the other creatures were kept in. He heard the freak and froze. "What the hell is that?"
John showed him.
Wittman looked through a small window and paled. He had heard about the freaks but hadn't seen one in person. "Why do you have it?"
John tilted his head toward another room. "We are trying to figure out how to kill it."
"So I could turn into one of those things?" Wittman asked.
John had explained how they got the cure in the first place. He left out what was in it and how Kate was involved though. "It is a risk. I don't think it is much of a risk but we haven't tried this on a vamp."
Wittman was scared but determined. He agreed even with the risks. Best case, he was cured and got to live again. Worst case it didn't work and he died. He didn't have anyone left to miss him.
John instructed the young hunter to lay down on the bed in the room. He chained his wrists and ankles so he didn't break free and try to kill him.
Wittman winced when he got jabbed with the needle as the serum burned. He rested his head on the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. "My dad mentioned you a time or two."
John smirked. "Not fondly I'm guessing."
Wittman cracked a smile. "He didn't mention a whole lot of people too fondly."
John knew Wittman's dad. He was unpleasant to be around. A lot of people disliked John but he was blunt and to the point. The other hunter just had a sour attitude.
Wittman thought about his dad. Things had actually gotten better since he passed. After his mother died, his dad stayed drunk most days. He'd sober up long enough to hunt and stumble back in ready to fight. "He was a mean old bastard."
John chuckled. "I didn't want to say it."
Wittman picked his head up. "Spent my whole life fighting him just for him to die and me wind up like this."
"Well if this goes to plan you'll be up and have a whole other lifetime without him." John said.
Wittman grimaced. He could feel his muscles starting to cramp. He let John know as he was instructed. "You know, I had a sister."
John raised an eyebrow. "No, I didn't know that."
Wittman rolled his eyes. "Wasn't supposed to talk about her or my mama."
John leaned against the wall. "What happened?"
Wittman swallowed hard. "Was playing around a creek. She jumped from one log to another and hit her head. That was it." He sighed. "She was 9."
"I'm sorry." John said.
"Saved her another 9 years of dealing with the hell my dad put me through." Wittman said.
John saw his skin turning red and offered him a cool cloth. Yet another kid stuck in a bad situation. Just, this time the kid had grown up and the shitty parent had already been taken care of. He was a shitty parent at times. His boys could have told a similar story, especially Sam. Hell, they probably did tell people he was a mean old bastard from time to time. He wasn't like Wittman's father but he could see the places he failed when the boys were younger. Had Kate not gotten between him and Sam, Sam could have very well cut contact and never spoken to him again. He wouldn't have blamed him if he did.
Wittman got increasingly sick over the span of an hour. He spiked a fever and broke out in hives. He convulsed and shivered. He finally went limp and took slow, shallow breaths.
John watched the hives fade and his skin pale. He wasn't sure if the cure was killing him. Another hour passed and he maintained a bit of warmth and color where he had been pale when he arrived.
Wittman slowly came around and started to stir. He felt like absolute shit. His head was screaming and his entire body hurt.
John tentatively offered him a small sip of water.
Wittman took the sip and let his head fall back. "Did it work?"
"I don't know." John said.
Wittman looked at John's neck. He couldn't see or hear the blood pumping through the arteries.
"Do you think you could eat?" John asked. He produced a thermos with broth in it. He poured a few ounces in a cup and unchained Wittman's wrists so he could sit up.
Wittman took small sips of the broth and closed his eyes. He couldn't stomach human food as a vampire.
Once John felt comfortable with how Wittman looked he told him that he would be accompanied by a nymph to a motel room where he could get cleaned up and rest for a while. That kept him away from people just in case the cure was short lived. If the cure stuck, they could probably use it for other vamps. Hunters wouldn't have to die just because they were turned. He had encountered numerous vampires that had been normal people until they were attacked. They were typically bad at controlling themselves and had to be taken out anyway. The lines between human and creature were blurring more each day.
(Inside Kate's head)
News of the positive reaction to the cure was just the good news that Kate so desperately needed. She had been stuck in a loop in her head all day and having an answer stopped her from thinking about every possibility. Kate didn't consider her thought process much of a process. It was akin to throwing a handful of darts and seeing where they landed. She could follow trains of thought and dig through memories to pull up the smallest detail of information for a case. She could remember a pair of red shoes she had when she was three. She could remember that when she was 6, they were sitting in a diner waiting for food and a woman three tables over was talking about a free litter of kittens. She really wanted one of those kittens. She had so much information in her head at any given time that it was difficult to sort through things that were important, like a cure for a vampire and unimportant, like a litter of kittens from 6 years ago.
Atropos resetting the day that Smith died showed Kate that her memory of events wasn't reliable. Maybe her memory couldn't be distorted quite as easily as the average person, but a lot flooded back into her mind when Atropos allowed her to see the do-overs of the day. It was like a thin wall between how she perceived reality and how reality truly was. If she scratched at the wall long enough, she could see through to the other side. That was how she figured out that they had lived the day before right before the wreck happened. She had an itch and continued to scratch. How many walls were there? What was she not remembering?
Kate had visions of John and Dean that seemed almost normal. She was in the car with Dean and they were driving somewhere. Something was off though. She had a vision of John in which he was angry with her. His face was slightly different. His eyes were different. They looked and sounded exactly like their normal selves. They weren't shapeshifters or possessed. She would be able to tell. The visions became more frequent each day and made her uncomfortable. It didn't help that the high pitched sound that the tear in the veil created started at random times through the day and night. It started in her bedroom while she was asleep. She would get up and look out the window and see the rip only to blink a few times and it vanish. It started happening when she was away from the house. It felt like the void was following her.
(Outside Kate's head)
Marie insisted that everyone meet at her house for dinner to celebrate the good news but also because it had been at least a week since she had seen all of their faces.
The sun was still out and only the fluffiest clouds dotted the sky. It was a perfect spring day to spend outside.
There were new baby goats and cows. One of the dogs had puppies and Marie had lost count of how many bunnies were popping up. They were holding out until the spring weather set in.
Ian was especially excited about the goats. His play style was a lot like a goat. He liked to jump off of things and head butt people. The baby goats were small enough to not hurt him if they decided to head butt him. He thought it would be a good idea to try it with an older goat a while back and quickly found out that it wasn't as fun as it looked.
Before leaving Sioux Falls Karen approached Dean. "I'm sure Marie would be fine if you invited Kim."
Dean cringed. "I mean… she isn't in danger."
Karen squeezed Dean's arm. "She is a sweet girl and may not have plans this weekend."
"Did Kate put you up to this?" Dean asked.
"No." Karen said. "I just think it would be a nice gesture." She was not the partying type at their age. She just stayed home. She was too shy to make many friends. Until she met Bobby, no one invited her anywhere. She just saw a small bit of herself in Kim and assumed she was in a similar spot that weekend.
Dean considered it. He shrugged and sent her a message.
Kate ran down the steps with her backpack over her shoulder.
"Are you bringing homework?" Dean asked.
"No. I have art supplies." Kate said.
"Why?" Dean asked.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Forgive me for trying to deal with my stress in a constructive way."
Dean smirked and ruffled her hair. "I thought today would be less stressful."
"I am happy about the vamp thing. That is super cool. Instead of hanging out with you I plan to do cooler things and paint something." Kate said with a smile.
"That's fine. I wouldn't want your geekiness to rub off on me." Dean said.
"I'm riding with dad." Kate said. They had no reason to use the nymphs so they opted to drive. It wasn't that long of a drive and gave Kate and John the chance to chat.
"I'm nymphing to the Roadhouse to get Jo." Taylor said.
"I think she could handle the two second trip without you escorting her." Dean said.
"I thought I'd drop in to say hello to Ellen. She gets fussy if you don't do that often enough." Taylor said.
"Tell her I said hi." Dean said. He got a message back from Kim and snorted softly. He grabbed his keys and went out to his car. Of course she wanted to go. He still hadn't gotten over how well she adapted. There were so many ways he thought that conversation could have gone and hadn't considered that she would be calm.
(Dean and Kim)
Kim showed Dean some of the new warding that she added to her apartment. Some of it was hidden in a painting that Kate did. She wasn't sick and felt amazing that day. It was rare. She chatted with Dean as she fixed her hair and make up.
Dean leaned against the doorway. "You can ward against different things but nowhere is warded enough to keep everything out."
"Isn't Bobby's house secure?" Kim asked.
"Yes but a vamp could walk onto the property. We keep doors and windows locked at night." Dean said.
"So where do you go if something happens and you aren't warded well enough?" Kim asked.
"The bunker is probably the safest place." Dean said.
Kim slowly turned around. "The bunker?"
Dean let out a slow breath. There was still so much that he didn't need to tell her. Why had he mentioned it?
"You have a bunker? What kind of bunker?" Kim asked.
Dean wasn't sure how to explain it. "We found an old bunker." He tried to downplay it for a minute but figured that her knowing about it wasn't a bad thing. Even if word got out, most things couldn't get in without a key. Cas and Tessa could because they had a special allowance to get around the angel warding. The nymphs and Kate were about the only beings that didn't get stopped.
"The batcave?" Kim asked. She touched his chest with the palm of her hand and looked into his eyes. "Can I see it?"
"You wouldn't want to." Dean said. "It's really nothing."
"It is the freaking batcave." Kim said. She saw a glint of excitement in Dean's eyes. "Please. Finding a secret underground bunker is on my bucket list."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"I just added it." Kim said.
Dean chuckled. "Fine. I'll show you and then we will go to Marie's house."
Kim squeaked excitedly. She threw her shoes on and grabbed Dean's hand when she saw the nymph. She stumbled but was steadied by Dean as her feet hit what felt like concrete.
The nymph turned the light on and asked if they wanted her to stay.
"I'll let you know when to come back. You've got babies you probably want to get back to." Dean said. The combination of Jacob, Lauren and Levi had the nymphs preoccupied.
Kim looked around. They were in a library filled with books. "All of these are about what you do?"
"Most of them." Dean said. It had been a while since he had given a bunker tour and forgot how exciting it was. "Sam thinks this is the coolest room but I don't think so. Follow me."
Kim followed him to where most of the weapons were kept. She gasped when he opened the door. She looked slightly scared. "Whoa."
"The gun I keep on me is nothing compared to some of this." Dean said. He shut the light off. He took her down to the garage and showed her all of the old cars.
Kim hopped down the steps to get a good look at the cars. "What was this place again?"
"There was a secret society called the Men of Letters. They got wiped out though." Dean said. He continued the tour and ended up at his room. He opened the door. "Not fancy but a good place to crash when the world is ending."
Kim walked in and sat down on the bed. "This place is cooler than the batcave." She had chillbumps. "I didn't know what you did. You were just mysterious. This is…." She paused. "Really hot."
Dean smirked. "Hot?"
"You're out there saving the world, fighting monsters." She blushed slightly.
Dean sat beside her and pulled her into a kiss.
"We don't have to be there at a certain time, do we?" Kim asked.
"Just before dinner." Dean said.
Kim laid back onto the bed, pulling Dean with him. "And no one else is here."
"Just the two of us." Dean said.
(2 hours later)
Dean heard his phone and groaned. He answered it and cleared his throat. "Hello?"
"How far out are you?" John asked. "Food is just about done."
Dean quickly looked at his watch and rolled out of the bed. "Shit."
John heard rustling and shook his head.
"Uh, five minutes." Dean said. He hung up the phone and pulled his pants back on. "Lost track of time."
Kim jumped up. Her hair was tangled.
Dean got a good look at her and took her hand, jogging down to the showers. He tossed her a towel and took a quick shower as well. He ran his fingers through his hair and got dressed. He grabbed Kim's clothes and brought them into the bathroom.
Kim hurried. She got a look at herself in the mirror and frowned. The water caused her eye makeup to run.
Dean told her she didn't need it but they could grab more at her apartment.
The couple were dressed and ready to be picked up in record time.
Kim grabbed a hair clip from her apartment and touched up her makeup. "Ready!"
John was waiting outside for them to arrive. He saw them appear out of thin air and raised his eyebrow.
Dean stopped before going in the door.
John put a finger on his chin and turned his head to look at his neck. "You missed a spot."
Dean scoffed and rubbed his neck.
John smirked and shook his head. "Everyone is sitting down."
Dean ushered Kim inside and took off to the upstairs bathroom before trying to go to the dining room. He saw the lipstick stain and rubbed at his neck with a wet cloth.
Marie welcomed Kim and Dean and asked what they wanted to drink. She handed Dean two plates and told him to get food.
Sam sat down across from Dean. He looked at Dean and then at Kim before snorting softly. He gritted his teeth and hissed as Dean's foot connected with his shin under the table.
Later in the evening, Marie found an old baseball glove in a box of things she was sorting through. She remembered Taylor being quite little and Rod showing him how to throw and catch a ball. The glove was intended for small hands and had been used by at least a dozen of the foster kids. It was worn and would be perfect for Andy.
Andy asked Taylor to show him how to play baseball and opened the front door. He looked into the driveway. "Dean?"
Dean was leaning with his head back on the couch. "What?"
"Where is your car?" Andy asked.
Dean turned his head. "Nymphed over here."
"Dad said you were going to drive." Andy said.
"Well, I didn't." Dean said.
"He said you were though." Andy said. Caleb had just told him that he was driving and probably hit traffic when he asked why Dean wasn't there yet.
Caleb rubbed his face. "It doesn't matter."
Taylor cracked his neck. "Why did it take you so long to get here if you didn't drive?"
Dean shot him a glare.
"You left before I did." Taylor said. He was enjoying the chance to bug Dean.
Kate decided she couldn't miss out on the torment. "Why do you smell like bunker soap?"
Dean quickly stood up and pointed to the door. "I'm about to start kicking butts if you don't get out of here."
The boys scrambled to go outside but Kate just shrugged. "I just think it is weird that you expect me to tell you every little thing that changes when you start threatening people for honest questions." She squealed and ran from him before he could grab her.
April and Jess invited Kim into another room to save her from the sibling chaos.
Dean said that he was going to sit outside to get some fresh air and make sure the kids didn't do anything dumb.
Sam told him that he would be right there as soon as he changed his shirt.
Jacob was a bundle of giggles and joy. He thought everyone was funny and smiled most of the time.
Sam asked John to hold Jacob for a bit while he changed. Another thing about Jacob was that he drooled, constantly. It was likely from all the smiling he typically did.
John smiled at Jacob and spoke softly to him. He had a twinge of sadness. Jacob was nearly 6 months old. That was how old Sam was when Mary died. That was the age that their entire journey began. He forgot how small Sam was. He knew Sam started crawling after Mary died but couldn't remember when. It was likely in a motel room witnessed only by Dean as John was busy with research or standing outside the door talking to another hunter. He wondered how Tony could abandon Jacob and choose to throw away all the things Jacob would become. If he was honest with himself, he kind of did the same thing. He missed the little things with the boys. Sam's first word was mama. Mary had been over the moon because Dean said dada first. It was a few days before her death and she soaked up every moment. John was distraught after her death and hearing Sam cry for his mom killed him. Eventually mama turned into Dee. Dee this. Dee that. Dean started kindergarten and Sam was roughly a year old. Dee was a toddler Sam version of Dean's name and John heard it relentlessly from the time that Dean went to school in the morning to the time that he got home in the afternoon.
Sam stepped back into the room but didn't say anything. He knew that John knew he was there. He didn't want to interrupt the moment that Jacob and John were having.
John was in deep thought and took a long, slow breath.
That caused Jacob to giggle.
John cracked a smile. He turned to meet eyes with Sam. "If you decide to hunt full time I'm kicking your ass."
Sam jerked his head back and snorted. The comment was light hearted and typically something Dean would say.
"I screwed up a lot with you boys because I was focused on hunting. I don't want it to happen again." John said.
Sam nodded. "I'll leave the hunting to other people."
Kate quietly watched them. As usual, she could feel emotions. John was sad in a way. She could understand why, though. Not using her abilities was about to drive her crazy. Feeling emotions was an autopilot ability that she didn't have to control. Abilities like healing and dream walking took a bit of control on her part and were exhausting after a while. She thought of it like walking and running. Sitting in one spot didn't take energy to sustain. Sitting was like her ability to feel emotion. Dream walking was like walking in real life. Eventually she would get tired but she could do it for a long time before it bothered her. Healing people and throwing hellhounds was like running. Each ability took varying levels of energy that she didn't always have. The exhaustion she had been feeling for a little over a week confused her. She couldn't tell if not using the abilities somehow made her tired or if something else was going on. She just wanted to sleep. She opted to go inside and take a nap to fight some of the exhaustion
(Outside)
Taylor took Andy out, far away from the cars to play catch. He showed him the same technique that Rod had all those years ago. He had been meaning to teach him to play baseball but things kept getting in the way.
Andy mastered catching the ball as he and Owen often threw a ball around at recess. "I want to get good at hitting it." He had also used a bat at recess but Owen wasn't a very good pitcher.
Sam and Dean sat on the porch watching Taylor and Andy play. It reminded both of them of when they were younger. The way they played was slightly different. They were less focused on hitting the ball with a bat as much as hitting each other with the ball. Dean claimed that it was a lesson in reflexes and toughened Sam up.
Andy hit the ball and got excited. "I did it!"
"Good job." Taylor said. He ran over to Andy and repositioned his hands. He threw the ball a couple more times, slightly adjusting Andy's stance each time.
Andy started thinking about Jimmy Morris. Jimmy Morris played on a baseball team and thought he was better than the other kids. Andy wondered if he could get on a team but not the same team. He wouldn't want to be on a team with Jimmy Morris.
John stepped outside. "How's it going?"
Dean shrugged. "He is hitting more than he is missing."
Taylor picked up the speed with his pitches, trying to get Andy to the point that he would know what to do during a game. He had to run after one of the balls that went a bit further than he was expecting. "A little bit more power and you'll be racking up home runs."
Andy missed three times and got frustrated. The fourth time he imagined the ball was Jimmy and twisted into the hit with his full strength.
The ball sailed over Taylor, over a row of junk cars and right through John's truck window. The sound of shattered glass was followed by absolute silence.
Andy dropped the bat and covered his mouth.
John slowly walked off the porch and looked through the now broken window of his passenger side front seat. He opened the door and retrieved the ball, making sure there wasn't any glass on it. He took a minute before walking back to the porch.
Andy ran over. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
John tossed him the ball. "That was a really good hit."
Andy swallowed.
"You were far enough out that it shouldn't have hit the truck but that was a good hit." John said.
Sam scoffed. "Oh but when I broke the window…."
"You were a teenager and threw a rock through the window." John said. He studied Andy. "It was an accident. Tell Taylor to take you out a little further away from the house."
Andy slowly backed away without saying anything. He didn't want to jinx it and John get mad. He backed into a car and spun around before sprinting back out to Taylor.
"He has been a grandparent for less than a month and is already a pushover." Dean said.
Sam smirked.
John sighed. "I'm not going to get angry at him for an accident."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not saying I wouldn't have when you boys were his age. I'm saying I'm not going to now." John said. "My talk with Wittman reminded me that some things aren't worth fighting over.
"What are you going to do about the window?" Dean asked.
"Clean the glass up and get a new one I suppose." John said.
Dean would have said something about it being an accident had John gotten upset. He did, however, find it amusing that John was so calm about it. "I guess I'll help." He got up and got the supplies needed to clean up the glass. He wondered if typical families cleaned up glass as often as theirs did.
Jo wasn't interested in being outside with the guys so she asked if she could enjoy Jess and the others.
"Of course." Jess said. She patted the couch beside her. "Jo is about to turn 18."
Kim smiled. "Exciting. Do you have any plans?"
"Not really." Jo said.
"Oh you know, go get a tattoo, buy a pack of cigarettes. There are perks to turning 18." Kim said lightly.
Jo laughed. "You haven't met my mother."
Jess leaned a bit toward Kim. "Picture a woman version of John."
Kim pulled a face. "Definitely don't want you doing any of that then."
"Are you going to get a tattoo?" Jo asked.
"You mean like the one Dean has?" Kim asked.
"Yeah." Jo said.
"I don't know if that would be okay." Kim said. "I know about things but I'm not really part of the family or anything."
After a short conversation Jo grabbed Jess's arm. "Kate has been wanting to tattoo someone."
"Oh my god. Dean would kill her." Jess said.
"So she doesn't really do the tattoo. She just makes it look like she did." Jo said.
"I wouldn't want him to get mad." Kim said.
"He pranks everyone constantly." Jess said. "We have to take the opportunity for payback when we find it."
Jo ran up and tapped on Kate's door. She slowly opened it and crept closer to the bed.
Kate groaned. "What?"
"I thought of a Dean prank." Jo said.
Kate sat up so quickly she almost fell the opposite way.
"Do a fake tattoo on Kim." Jo said.
Kate rubbed her eyes.
"Naturally she would want one but in reality she doesn't want to cross a boundary. However if you told her it was okay and did the tattoo here, that would make sense." Jo said.
Kate stood up. "Let me grab supplies."
Jo got Kim to go upstairs as well.
"Are you sure he won't get mad? I don't want to do something he doesn't want." Kim said.
"It is your body." Jo said.
"Yes but this is his world." Kim said.
"Just roll with it." Kate said. She asked Kim where she wanted the fake tattoo and drew the outline of the symbol on her skin with a marker that resembled the ones that tattoo artists used. She started filling it in slowly as she wouldn't be able to give her a real tattoo all at once. She used pink paint to mimic slight inflammation around the area that was filled in.
"You don't have a tattoo gun." Jo said.
"I'm resourceful." Kate said. She worked on the tattoo for a half hour and heard the front door open. She told Kim to keep it together and not blow their prank.
Dean asked where the girls were and April said they were upstairs. He called out for Kim to see if she was ready to go home.
Kim covered her mouth and bit her hand. "In a minute."
Dean furrowed his brows and went upstairs. He heard a buzzing sound and knocked on Kate's door.
Kate shot Jo a look.
Jo cracked the door. "What do you want?"
Dean scoffed. "Well excuse you."
"We don't need you in here." Jo said.
Dean narrowed his eyes. "Katelyn."
Kate bit her lip. "What?"
"What are you doing?" Dean asked.
"Art." Kate said.
Dean made Jo step back. He got a glance at Kim's side and widened his eyes. He grabbed Kate's wrist and pulled it back. "What the hell are you doing?"
"She wanted the demon tattoo." Kate said.
"Now?" Dean asked, trying to stay calm.
"She's an adult." Jo said.
"Yes." He looked at Kim. "I can take you somewhere if you want one." He rubbed his face and counted in his head.
"Or here is free." Kate said. She swallowed as he removed his hand from his face.
Dean tilted his head. "Hallway."
Kate slid off the bed and followed him. "She said I could."
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you insane? You aren't a tattoo artist."
"I could be if I got to practice." Kate said.
"Her immune system sucks. Do you think she, out of all people, is going to be able to fight the infection that is going to set up because you decided to do that?"
Kate shrugged. She yelped and stepped away from him. "It isn't a big deal." She made a dash for the door and ran to the bed so she could hide behind Kim.
Dean narrowed his eyes. He caught a slight glint to Kim's eyes and let out a slow breath. "That isn't real." He got closer and rubbed his fingers over her side. He reached behind her and flicked Kate's ear. "I was about to hurt someone." He looked into Kim's eyes. "Specifically them."
Kim smiled. "I've been told you prank people constantly."
"Ah." Dean said. "Which one of them came up with this?"
Kim shrugged.
"They are using you as a shield. They think that just because you are here that I won't strangle them." Dean said.
"If she really wanted me to, I'd do it." Kate said.
"No." Dean said.
"When I turn 18 Kate is giving me my tattoo." Jo said.
"Do not make me call your mother." Dean said. "No one is getting tattoos from a 12 year old."
"So we wait until I turn 13." Kate said.
Dean lunged and grabbed her. "We will be right back."
Kate tried to get away from him.
"I wonder what dad would think about you handing out tattoos." Dean said.
Kate gasped. "It wasn't real though."
"Who is he going to trust first?" Dean asked.
Kate licked his arm.
Dean wiped his arm on her face. "Although, Andy did break his window and he just told him it was a good hit."
Kate stopped struggling. "Really?"
"I guess the deal with Wittman and then something with Jacob broke him." Dean said. "Still, I think we should test out how patient he's gotten."
Kate started fighting him again. "You don't want Kim to see this side of you."
"Oh she'd be cool with it." Dean said. "Right?" He put an arm around Kate to keep her in one place.
"He's trying to kill me." Kate said.
Kim laughed. "Maybe you aren't as kind as I thought you were."
"I warned you." Dean said. He dug his fingers into Kate's side.
Kate giggled until she lost her breath. "Okay. Okay. Mercy."
Dean let her go. "Do not try to corrupt her." He held a hand out for Kim.
"Where are we going?" Kim asked.
"Somewhere far away from these two." Dean said.
"Back to the bunker?" Kate asked. She bailed off the end of the bed and back into a wall.
Dean cracked his knuckles and crossed his arms. "You are pushing it, kid."
Kate put a hand over her chest. "In what way?"
Dean smirked. "Don't assume I won't do anything because she is here."
Kate batted her eyelashes at him. "You mean because I'm teasing you? Are you that easily angered?"
"Jo, why don't you and Kim go downstairs." Dean said, not taking his eyes off Kate.
Kim was tickled. "I need her to finish the tattoo though. If she leaves it like this it will look funny."
"Do not encourage her." Dean said.
"You can't tell her what to do." Kate said.
"It is a safety thing. You really can't trust her." Dean said.
"I think she is sweet." Kim said.
"It's a ruse." Dean said.
Kate tilted her head. "I heard my name. I'll just tip toe out of here."
Dean caught her and messed up her hair. "I know where you live."
Kate laughed and left the room to see why Marie was calling her name.
Jo followed her.
Dean had Kim go to his room with him.
"Are you really mad?" Kim asked.
"Had she given you a real tattoo I wouldn't have been happy." Dean said. "If you want one, you can get one. I just don't want her stabbing people and someone getting an infection from it. No jailhouse tattoos needed."
"Jo came up with the idea. I was a little iffy because I didn't want to overstep. I didn't know if it was a family thing." Kim said.
"It is your body." He paused. "Although, I think I have an idea for retaliation. You are going to make her think we argued about it and I didn't want you to get one because it's too involved in what we do."
"Aw, that would be mean." Kim said. "I don't want to retaliate."
"Well that is too bad." Dean said.
Kim smiled. "It was a harmless prank."
Dean scratched the back of his head. "Ground rules. You are not allowed to team up against me."
Kim laughed. "Uh, I don't do rules."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "Part of letting you know about things was you agreeing to go with what I say."
"That is taken out of context." Kim said.
"I don't remember there being guidelines for context." Dean said. "I'm the oldest. That means they all think it is fun to gang up and make me miserable. You heard Andy and Taylor. If you aren't on my side, what am I going to do?"
"You seemed to be just fine beforehand." Kim said.
Dean sat on the bed and pulled her to sit on his lap.
Kim kissed his neck. "I don't think two hours at the bunker was enough to convince me that I shouldn't team up against you."
"Well there is no reason we couldn't spend the whole night there." Dean said. He patted her leg to get her to stand up. "Right now though, I need you to act like you are mad at me and I have a couple kids to go beat up."
Kim grinned. "I like this side of you."
"Why?" Dean asked.
"You are playful and goofing off with your siblings." Kim said.
"They torment me." Dean said. "I'm glad you find that fun to watch."
Kim rubbed his neck with her thumb to remove the slight lipstick stain. "It is very fun to watch."
Dean stopped by the bathroom to make sure he was clear from lipstick and stopped Kim at the top of the stairs. "Think about your family or something. She reads people really well and I need her to think you are upset long enough for her to get upset."
Kim nodded. "I've got this."
Sam was waiting for Dean outside. He couldn't interpret the look on Dean's face. "You know there are kids in the house, right?" He winced and put a hand to his head where Dean smacked him. "Oh that isn't why you were upstairs alone so long?"
Dean snorted. "Bitch."
"So that means you might like her for other reasons." Sam said.
Dean jabbed him in the side. "Taylor and Kate are already on it today. They are kids so I can't actually hurt them. You are an adult now, Sammy."
Sam chuckled. "When have you ever cared if I was an adult or not?" He got the tattoo story from Dean and laughed. "You have to admit it is creative."
"My advice is to keep Jake far away from any of them." Dean said.
"Jake?" Sam asked.
"Jacob seemed too formal." Dean said. "What kid wants to go by Jacob?"
"Sounds like dad isn't the only one settling into his family role." Sam said.
"He's sticking around. Should probably get used to him." Dean said. He looked out over the balcony at the trees. "Uh, I was thinking. You know how our initials are carved into Baby? I thought we could add his."
Sam was touched. "That is actually really nice of you."
Dean pulled a face. "You had to make it weird." He lightly shoved Sam and stepped off the porch. "Hey Taylor! Come over here, I just want to talk to you!"
(Second Author's note)
Sorry this one is a little shorter. I have been sick and have had no energy. I thought a short chapter was better than no chapter. One day I will catch a break.