Hello all you amazing readers! Who is LOVING season 14 like I am? So amazing!

Since we've last seen each other, I got to go to my first con—one on the Giving Back Tour. I actually got to talk with Sam Smith (Mary) and get a picture with her. I about died. It was such an amazing experience that I went and bought a ticket for a con with J2 in 2019, haha. If you have any con tips, please let me know!

Thank you all for your kind reviews, messages, and following/favoriting this story even though my updates have been very sporadic lately. I'm having less and less time to write, but I'm not ready to give up on Kate yet, so I hope you aren't either!

I wanted to write another chapter to show different sides to John Winchester as a parent and try some fluff, especially after the intense feels the last Purgatory chapter gave! I can't wait to hear what you think :) I HUGE shout out to Emma Winchester 424 for being my cheerleader and helping me beta this chapter. You seriously need to check out her Daddy!Dean fic-it's like watching an episode!

Read, Review, but most importantly ENJOY!

Kate – 3

Sam – 6

Dean – 10

Monday mornings were never easy for anyone. The transition from the weekend was like whiplash, forcing you back into reality with an unmerciful jolt. The Winchester family wasn't immune to the harsh realities of the start of the week, but John Winchester had learned a trick or two to combat them over the past two years. It started with getting up twenty minutes earlier than usual and having a full cup of coffee running through his veins before the chaos of the morning started. A little extra boost of caffeine to get the wheels turning, especially now that he had to get all three kiddos ready and out the door by 7:30am. The school in this rural town of Montana had a free pre-school, so that wasn't something John could pass up. He had everything planned out to get through the Monday morning blues…except things didn't always go as planned. Definitely not when you had a toddler at home.

Poke, poke, poke. The feeling of a small hand prodding him ripped John from his unrestful slumber. He instinctively gripped his gun under the pillow and peeked through one eye, but when he saw a mop of messy brown hair staring back at him, he let go and groaned.

"Daddy, I hungry," little three-year-old Katie announced loud and clear.

It took a moment for the words to register—it wasn't usual for his kids to get up before him anyway…unless…John shot up out of bed in a flash, a bolt of energy surging through him. He glanced over his middle son to look at the clock on the nightstand in-between the beds: 7:04am.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. So much for getting a dose of caffeine in before the kids woke up—he was already half an hour behind schedule.

"Sam, Dean, get up," he announced as he turned to get out of bed himself.

He was met with Katie's big smile. He never understood it, but little kids always seemed to wake up happy. He often wondered what that was like. "Can I eat now, Daddy?" she prompted again.

John ran a tired hand down his face as he stood up and walked the short distance over to the kitchen, the little one hot on his tracks. When he didn't see any movement from the other two, he called over, this time more sternly, "Boys, I know you heard me. Now get up." Once he was satisfied that they'd started to stir, he turned his focus to the coffee pot to prioritize his needs while Katie climbed onto a chair at the kitchen table.

"Can I eat now?"

Without saying a word, John pulled the cereal box off the counter and sat it down in front of her, before returning to the coffee maker to dump some water in it.

"I need a bowl," came a voice behind him. John rubbed his temples, regretting the extra glass of whiskey he downed last night. Hell, that was probably the reason he was in this mess, having forgotten to set an alarm.

Just then, Sam and Dean dragged their feet into the kitchen. Sam collapsed onto the chair while Dean went over to grab bowls for everyone, reflexively stepping in to help his dad without being asked. Once the coffee started brewing, John let the smell temporarily wake him up. He turned around to his children. "We're late and you guys can't mess around this morning. We're out the door in 20 minutes, got it? We can't be late to school." He stared at Dean while saying the last sentence. The eldest son knew the weight of those words. Each time they were late, it raised a red flag and if they raised enough of those, eventually someone would come sniffing around. And that was the last thing they wanted.

Dean shook his head and replied a respectful, "Yes, sir," before heading over to the table.

"I need milk," Sam announced once Dean had placed a bowl in front of him.

Dean turned for the fridge, but John had already opened it up. It didn't take long for him to search the scarce contents and reply, "We're out of milk, son."

Sam groaned. "But I want milk with my cereal," he complained. He threw his elbows on the table and propped his head up with his hand, displeased at the response. "It's gross without it."

"Sam, I said there isn't any. Now eat your cereal and get moving," John bellowed, his patience already being tested as his head throbbed. Maybe he should have gone to the grocery store last night instead of the bar, but it wasn't like he could change that right now. Nobody liked eating cereal without milk, but this wasn't the time to divulge him in his little attitude.

Sam quickly recognized the growing frustration in his father's voice and chose not to comment back. Dean opened up the cereal box and went to pour some into Katie's bowl, but she put out her hands to stop the atrocity. "No! I can do it," she declared. She'd been on a long streak of wanting to be independent lately and it was quite possibly going to be the death of Dean, who was always charged with helping her. Sure, she could do just about anything a normal kid could do, but she had to do it her way, which always took much longer. And it put all the Winchesters' patience to the test each day. The stubborn toddler years were taking a toll on everyone.

"We gotta hurry, Katie. Now let me just pour the cereal," Dean replied, trying to shove her hands out of the way.

"I can do it!" she affirmed again, this time a bit louder. It became one of those split-second decisions. Dean could hesitate and their father would undoubtedly get involved, telling her to knock it off, and then the waterworks would follow along with a rising level of frustration from their dad. Or he could just let her have her way and make up for lost time after she finished pouring the damn cereal.

"Fine," he relented, giving her the box. The second option seemed like the less problematic at the time. He wasn't sure which he hated more: a frustrated John or a crying sister.

Katie gripped the box with glee, but instead of pouring out the cereal, she had to do things her toddler way. She got up on her knees and reached her hand into the box, pulling out a fistful of cereal and dumping it into her bowl, before going back for another round.

"EEWWW!" Sam screeched. "You're getting your yucky hands all over it!" Because there was never a moment when these two weren't at odds with one another. Katie retaliated by sticking out her tongue and continuing to fish out more food.

John finally poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to face the drama unfolding behind him. He took a sip, almost burning his tongue in the process, but it was worth it. "Sam, knock it off. Katie, hurry it up or I'm going to pour the damn cereal for you."

And she knew her dad would live up to his threat to do it for her. She couldn't have that, so she double timed it and dug both fists into the box and pulled out a large quantity of cereal, depositing it into her bowl.

"That's disgusting," Sam muttered under his breath.

Not liking the comment, Katie picked up a piece of cereal and pulled back her arm, ready to launch it at her stupid brother, but Dean rolled his eyes and quickly gripped onto her wrist and didn't let go.

"Here," he said, passing the box to his annoying brother. Then he turned to Katie and they locked their green eyes, stuck in a staring battle. His grip on her wrist silently told her to think twice about what she was about to do, because she was going to regret it. She struggled against his hold for a moment until she finally relented and dropped the cereal, realizing it may not be the best option after all. Even if she really really wanted to do it.

John simply watched on as he blew on his coffee to cool it down. He was thankful for Dean always stepping in and keeping his siblings in line, but it hadn't occurred to him just how much of a parent he was being to them.

Once Dean had been able to pour his own breakfast, he looked over to see his sister's face hovering about an inch over her bowl. She stuck out her tongue and quickly picked up a few pieces of cereal. She munched on it before repeating the pattern. Dean quietly groaned. Why did little kids have to be so messed up.

John took a seat at the table and instantly saw his youngest's new eating tactic. "Katie, eat right," he commanded gently.

This only caused her to sit up a bit straighter and reply with a resounding dog bark, "Arf! Arf!"

John ever so briefly closed his eyes. Not this again. "Katie, you're not a dog. Now act like a three year old and not a baby," John tried to reason with her. He knew she liked to play, she was a toddler after all, but her timing to do irritating things was impeccable. Always when they needed to be doing the exact opposite.

"Woof woof woooooof!" came the response as she bent over and grabbed some more cereal with her tongue.

"Dad, she's not listening to you," Sam tattled.

Now it was John's turn to make a parenting choice. He could push Katie to obey, which was what his instincts told him to do, or he could just let her keep eating that way because, well, at least she was eating rather quickly. He chose to bite his tongue on this one and hold back. He'd learned that there are some battles not worth fighting with a toddler. And he didn't have the energy to deal with it this morning. So instead, he sipped his coffee.

Katie happily continued to eat her food with the occasional bark while Dean practically inhaled his. "Go get ready, son," John prompted at seeing his empty bowl. Dean knew the drill by now—drop your bowl in the sink and go get changed in the bathroom. His dad liked him to get ready first because he had to be available to help his siblings if they needed it.

While Dean dashed off into the bathroom to change, John took another swig of coffee and stared between his two younger kids. He couldn't help but noticed the resemblance. They both had the same messy brown hair that badly needed to be combed after a night's sleep. It was almost comical to think their hair was the same length at this age.

But Sam interrupted his thoughts. "This would taste better with milk," he felt the need to share.

John took a breath and replied calmly, "I know it would, son. I'll try to grab some today, okay?"

Sam nodded but still had a look of disappointment across his face. His kids knew what an empty promise was and it was often hard for them to know when one was real coming from their father.

John checked the clock again. 7:15am. "You got two minutes to finish up and then it's time to get dressed."

"Arf, woof wooooof! Arf!" Katie barked at her father with a smile, clearly telling him something.

John took a long savory sip of coffee, secretly willing it to fill up his inner canister of patience that was running low. He replied with a sigh, "I don't know what you're saying, so you need to use real words, Katie."

She paused before picking up the last of her cereal with her tongue. "Woof."

Sam sighed as loud as could be and turned to his sister. "You're NOT a dog, Katie. You're being REALLY annoying." Ah, annoying. It was Sam's new favorite word to use for everything.

His words irritated the youngest and she turned to him with a scowl. "Aaaarrrrrrrrr," she growled like an angry dog and then she started chomping at him over and over as if she were going to bite him.

Sam put some more cereal in his mouth. "You don't scare me," he announced nonchalantly.

But that only pushed her more. She got on all fours on her chair and started barking furiously at her brother the best she could for a three year old.

"Katie, that's enough. Go get dressed," John stated. He couldn't wait for this phase to be over. Actually, he couldn't wait for these whole toddler years to be done and over with. Sure, he'd seen Dean and Sam go through the same crazy stages, but he'd never had to put up with it on his own…which made it so much harder this time around.

"Woof woof woof!" she declared loudly.

"You're a bad and annoying doggie!" Sam decreed as he gave her an unnecessarily hard pat on the head, which only made her growl more.

John was reaching the end of his line with this nonsense so early in the morning. He leaned forward, resting his coffee and elbows on the table. His eyes narrowed and he stated flatly, "Either you go get ready now or I'm going to pick out your clothes and get you dressed." He knew that would get her attention.

Katie paused mid-chomp and turned to look at her father, trying to see if the threat was true. Judging by his posture and no-nonsense facial expression, she knew he meant business. It immediately caused her to drop the act. "No, Daddy, I do it all by myself!" she whined.

John sat back in his chair, satisfied that he'd gotten through to her enough to quit the animal act. "Well if that's the case, then get going," he prompted, knowing how much she loved to do things on her own. Any sign of being treated like a baby, such as someone dressing her, was seen as the actual end of the world.

Katie hopped off the chair and took off toward her duffle bag, but not before harshly poking Sam's back from behind the chair.

"Dad! She stabbed me!" he cried out.

John tirelessly fought back the eyeroll. Granted, he didn't see it happen and he honestly wouldn't be surprised if she had poked him, but these two had a tendency to exaggerate anything. So, he chose to ignore it, otherwise it would only create more drama this early in the morning. "Finish up, Sam. Don't make us late." He got up and went to his own duffle bag to grab some clean clothes to change into.

Sam groaned and went back to eating his cereal in frustration. Of course, Katie got away with poking him really hard. His dad never listened to him anyway.

Just then, Dean exited the bathroom, freshly dressed for school with his teeth brushed and hair combed.

"Make sure Sammy hurries up," John commented to his eldest as he passed by, heading into the bathroom.

Dean nodded in response and eyed Sam in the kitchen, finishing up his cereal. Instead, he made his way over to Katie to try and move her along. By the time he got over there, she had already set two t-shirts on the floor and a pair of pants, her only clean clothes. She stared at each piece of clothing, trying to decide which to put on today.

"Just pick one, Katie. You can't take forever this morning," Dean reminded her.

She tapped her finger on her jaw. "Hhmmm." She paused. "I pick." Pause. Pause. "THIS ONE!" she announced as if she'd made the greatest decision ever by selecting the solid purple t-shirt and jeans.

"Great. Now put it on," Dean said unenthusiastically before heading over to Sam. "You done?"

Sam shoved one last bite in his mouth and answered through a mouthful of food, "Yeah. But it tasted awful."

Dean sighed. "So you've said, Sam. Now go change your clothes," he commanded as he removed his brother's bowl and placed it in the sink. The more he could do to please their father, the better it was for everyone. He lightly rapped on the bathroom door. "Dad? Can you pass me Katie's toothbrush?" It was his job to make sure things kept moving in the mornings.

John cracked open the door slightly and handed over a pink toothbrush and toothpaste without a word before closing it again. Dean was delightfully surprised to turn around and find his sister fully dressed already. Maybe things were just going to go right on this late morning.

"I did it all by myself," she announced when Dean caught her eye, looking for someone's approval.

He headed over to collect his sister with a forced smile. "Nice work. Now, let's brush your teeth in the kitchen, okay?"

She grabbed his hand to walk with him, but she didn't like his words. "I do it all by myself," she announced for the millionth time this week.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dean retorted. He let go of her hand once they were at the sink and went to drag a chair from the table, turning to Sam for a moment over by the couch. The middle sibling was gripping his school clothes and staring between where he was and the closed bathroom door. As if to help with his dilemma, Dean said, "Sammy, just get dressed out here." He didn't know how long his dad would be—John could rush his kids around, but they knew better than to do it to him. "I'll make sure Katie doesn't look," he added before Sam could even get it out of his mouth.

"Fine," he replied with frustration. "Make sure she doesn't look," he added again for good measure.

"That's just what I said, moron," Dean threw back as he dragged the chair over to the sink. "Brush your teeth and don't turn around, kapeesh?" He held his hand out to help Katie get up, but he should have known better.

"I can do it."

So, he moved back a step but still had his hands at the ready in case she lost her balance. Once she was safely up, he handed over the toothbrush and paste for her to get started. The toddler knew she should just brush her teeth and hurry but the temptation to turn around and make her brother mad was just too much for her tiny stature to handle. It was an inner calling to do the opposite of what Sam wanted. She started to turn her head, but Dean immediately put up his hand and caught her chin before she could finish. It was an early sign at just how good his reflexes were in anticipating movements, an excellent hunting skill in the making.

"If you don't turn around, we can play Legos after school today," Dean bribed. It was about the only real parenting tool he had in his back pocket for emergency situations like this. He knew how much his sister loved playing with Legos, especially when she got to play with him. Knowing he had this in the bag, he removed his hand from her chin.

Normally, Katie would have been thrilled to play Legos with Dean. But that was forever away—all the way after school. Delayed gratification was not something a three year old could handle. She wanted instant gratification and there was only one way to get it. She grinned and whipped her head around and giggled loudly at seeing her brother mid-way through putting on his shirt.

"DEAN!" the middle sibling shrieked at having his privacy invaded.

Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes at his brother's theatrics. It wasn't like he was naked. He turned back to Katie and ripped the toothbrush from her hands and quickly put the toothpaste on it before shoving it back into her tiny fist. Within milliseconds, her laughter stopped. She stared at the toothpaste already on the brush. She didn't put it there. "No!" she cried out. "I can do it!" It felt like her world was ending—this wasn't supposed to happen to her. She knew how to do that and someone did it for her. It was the worst feeling to a toddler.

She went to turn the water on to rinse the toothpaste off and do it herself, but Dean quickly put his hand on top of the faucet before she could reach it. "You weren't supposed to turn around and you did. Now brush your teeth," he said with a bit more authority than normal.

Tears started to form behind her green eyes and Dean almost caved for a second—he hated the waterworks. But he'd also hate himself even more if Katie learned that tears could get her out of anything. He didn't fully understand it at the time, but he was developing his own parental instincts on how to raise his siblings.

"Nnnooooooo," she cried out louder, desperate to do this on her own.

Just then, John exited the bathroom to all the commotion around him. He had overheard enough of the shouting to know what was going on. "Sam—bathroom, now." Sam knew better than to argue at this point, so he scurried off to brush his own teeth and finish getting ready, closing the door behind him.

John then made his way up to the other two children, glancing at the clock on his way. Five minutes to go. "I can do it!" Katie cried out as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

And there went the waterworks. It was at least once a week that this happened and John hated every second of it. His stubborn girl who fought for every ounce of independence she could get—she was a spitfire just like her mom in that aspect. But he couldn't dwell on that. Not now, not ever.

He went up behind Dean, towering over the both of them. He placed a hand on his hip and asked sternly, "Did Dean tell you not to do something? And you didn't listen?"

That only made the tears come down harder—she knew she'd been bad. Her bottom lip quivered and it made Dean's heart ache because he basically got her in trouble.

"Buuttt, I can do it," she sniffled.

But John wasn't giving up. "That's not what I asked. You didn't listen to your brother when he told you to do something. And you're about to be in even more trouble if you don't brush your teeth so we can get going." She coughed as she tried to get the tears to stop. "You're going to use the damn toothpaste that's already on that brush, or you're really going to be sorry. Do you understand me?"

And now she had no option but to comply or risk an even worse punishment, which nobody wanted to receive at 7:00am. She nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes, Dad." She sniffled a few times to get herself under control and then John disappeared to hurry up the other kid. Katie turned to glare at the toothbrush in front of her. The toothpaste was staring back, mocking her because she hadn't been able to do it all by herself. It was the worst punishment for a toddler seeking independence.

Although Dean felt guilty from the whole scenario, he knew there wasn't much time left. "Come on, Katie, it'll be okay," he coaxed, trying to encourage her.

After a few moments of silent struggle with herself, she finally relented and slowly drew the brush closer to her mouth, cringing the entire time. She sniffed a few times as she brushed her teeth, staring at the bottom of the sink in displeasure.

Satisfied that she could take care of the rest, Dean went over to put on his shoes alongside his father. In a rare moment of affection, John said casually to his eldest, "Thanks for your help this morning."

Dean felt a sense of pride invade his body, almost like a foreign object. His cheeks flushed at the praise, but he tried to brush it off like it was nothing. "Of course, Dad," he replied simply. Because it was his job after all.

The whole drive to school, Katie sat subdued in her car seat, not saying a word. Typically, nobody could shut her up on the way there, she always raved about the exciting things she'd get to do that day. But the whole toothpaste incident seemed to take a lot out of her. John kept a watchful eye on her through the rearview mirror and felt an unfamiliar pang of guilt in his heart, something he just couldn't quite shake off this time. So, he made an unusual decision to fix it.

Finally, John had parked the car in the school lot and everyone piled out. Dean was surprised to see their father get out, too. Usually he sent both little ones with Dean and he just left. After the nice moment they had just shared, Dean was scared something had happened. "I can take them, Dad," he reminded.

John gave him a quick smile, proud at how helpful his eldest always was, making his life easier. "You and Sam get going before you're late. I'll walk Katie to pre-school."

Katie looked between her dad and Dean, nervous she was going to get in trouble before he took her to her classroom. Dean instinctively hesitated for a moment—he always took them and he didn't like change much, especially when it came to his siblings. But he knew there was no fighting it, so he nodded and tugged on Sam's backpack. "Race ya, nerd."

Sam didn't put up a fight and took off running for the school doors, Dean a few steps behind him to make sure he won.

John just chuckled at those two and grabbed Katie's hand, walking toward the school. Her green eyes stared up at him the entire way, waiting for him to say something, anything, to her. But it was a silent journey. Once they were inside, they made a few turns to get to the correct part of the building and John stopped them at the start of the hallway that ended with her pre-school classrooms. He released her hand and knelt down in front of her, causing her to bite her bottom lip with fear. She didn't want to get yelled at in school.

"That's your room down there, huh?" John asked calmly, even though he knew the answer.

Katie wasn't sure what to think of the question, but his tone let her relax. "Uh-huh. That's Mrs. Altman's room."

"I see." John nodded as if he were learning the information for the first time. He turned and stared down the hall as if scoping out the scene and then he turned back to her. "Well, it looks like a long way." He paused.

"Not super far. Dean always walks me to the door," she explained.

John acted as if he was processing the 'new' information. "Does he?" He scoped out the hallway again. "Well, do you think you can walk there…all by yourself?"

Suddenly her green eyes were filled with life again, her energy and joy revived. She nodded furiously. Dean had never let her walk there all by herself. The opportunity to do something new on her own was a source of power she couldn't explain. She stared down the path to her classroom and turned back quickly. "Yes! I can do it all myself," she exclaimed with a smile.

Seeing that look was enough to give John's life meaning for some time again. He respected that she wanted to be independent, heck, he wanted to raise fiercely independent kids who could take care of themselves, but it had to come in doses with a toddler. He smiled back. "Okay then, off you go, Katie." Standing back up, he motioned that it was okay for her to take off.

She hesitated for a moment, double checking that he wasn't going to change his mind. She stood up a bit straighter and asked innocently, "Will you watch me do it?" The small child in her was searching for his approval of what a good job she was about to do.

John chuckled. "Of course, munchkin."

Beaming brightly and without waiting another second, Katie took off walking down the hall with an extra skip in her step. Every five feet or so, she'd turn back to make sure her dad was still watching. Finally, she made it to the end of the hall, right in front of the classroom door where her teacher greeted her. But before she went inside, she turned back to look at her dad. The grin on her face was ear-to-ear and hard to miss. She couldn't resist-she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled back, "I did it all by myself!"

John chuckled at his youngest as he gave her a thumbs up, so he didn't have to yell back down the hall. He knew he would never win any parenting awards—hell, he barely knew what he was doing on a daily basis. But he was damn proud of his little girl and her path to independence.