Sam woke up before Jess and the kids. He checked in with James and then called Marie. Knowing what he did about hunting, he didn't think that James and his wife would be back by the next day. If hunters went missing, they were rarely found in good condition. He tried not to think about that, but he worried about the kids. He saw why Jess wanted to help kids in general but hunter's kids especially. They were scared, although they acted brave. He could remember similar situations from his own childhood but always had Dean to keep him safe. It took at least 15 years for him to realize that Dean wasn't a magical being that prevented bad things from happening. He, at 19, still felt like Dean could fix just about anything. He heard a doorknob being turned and checked on the kids.
The girls were barely awake, seemingly woken by their little brother.
Ben was the one trying to open the door and looked at Sam's feet and let his eyes move up to Sam's eyes. He shrieked and cried for his mom.
Sam sighed and scooped him up, ignoring the tiny fists that found their way to his chest. He opened the freezer door and turned Ben so that he was looking inside of it.
Ben saw a box of chocolate popsicles and stopped crying. He reached for them and held them to his chest.
Sam carried him to the table and sat him in a chair. "Do you want me to open them?"
Ben nodded and wiggled excitedly.
Caitlyn and Caroline entered the kitchen and looked at Sam inquisitively.
"Sometimes ice cream for breakfast is okay," Sam said.
The girls traded grins and sat down so that they could have one as well.
Sam put the rest of the fudge pops in the freezer and made himself a cup of coffee.
Jess woke up when she heard Ben cry but let Sam handle it, hoping that they'd be able to make amends. She got a shower and got ready for the day before going to the kitchen. "Oh. My. Goodness."
Sam turned and looked at her and then Ben. He had just wiped the kid down and he was already covered in chocolate again.
Ben licked his arm and grinned at Jess.
Jess cracked up. "Oh no, you're going to need a bath."
Ben's eyes grew wide. "Bath!"
Caroline groaned. "He loves baths."
Sam didn't move quickly enough to grab Ben before he bailed out of the chair and ran down the hallway, dripping chocolate on the floor as he ran. He caught up with him and steered him toward the bathroom. He thought Ben and Ian would be great friends if they ever met.
Jess followed along behind Sam and wiped up chocolate from the floor. She found a chocolate handprint on the wall and her heart melted. Maybe the kids could do some art for their mom to have when she returned. She frowned as she wiped the handprint away but smiled when she heard an excited giggle.
Sam was fast but not as fast as the sugar-crazed toddler. He started running water and planned to fill the tub before putting Ben in.
Ben had other ideas and dove in with his clothes on.
Sam sat back on the floor, slightly amazed at how quickly that had all gotten out of hand.
Jess kissed his cheek. "I'll take over. Can you make me some coffee and ask the girls if they'd like an actual breakfast."
Sam sighed. "At least, I think we are friends now."
Ben gave him a winning smile.
Sam smiled back. "Best buds." He placed his palms on Jess's shoulder. "Watch him, he's fast." He returned to the girls with a bit of a sheepish look on his face. "I guess that is why parents tend to limit sweets."
Caitlyn tossed her popsicle stick in the trash. "Oh, that is just Ben."
Sam carried Jess a cup of coffee and returned again. "What do you like for breakfast?"
Caitlyn shrugged. "We aren't picky. Do you have cereal?"
Sam thought about the cereal. "I think I overdid the sugar for today. Maybe we should save that for tomorrow. What about eggs?"
Caroline nodded "We like eggs."
Sam started cracking eggs into a bowl. He paused. "Which one of you is Caroline?"
Caroline raised her hand.
"Which makes you Caitlyn," Sam said.
"Yep," Caitlyn said.
Sam added salt and pepper to his bowl and scrambled the eggs. "You know, I have a sister named Katelyn."
"Is she my age?" Caitlyn asked.
"She is 12," Sam answered. He dumped the eggs into a skillet and turned back to look at the girls. "How do people tell you apart?"
Caitlyn gave him an odd look. "We look different."
Sam raised his eyebrows. "I'm seeing double."
"Caitlyn has a scar on her face, above her eyebrow," Caroline explained.
Sam squinted his eyes. "Hmm, maybe."
Caitlyn held up her wrist. "I have a pink bracelet and Caroline has a purple one."
Sam stood up straighter. "Now, that is something I can work with."
Jess got Ben clean and let the water out. She felt a little bad because he was distressed and didn't want to leave the tub. "You can't stay in here all day."
Ben slumped. "Bye water."
Jess carried him to the kids' room and got fresh clothes from his bag. The tiny shorts and socks were too adorable for her to process. Ben had chubby cheeks and big brown eyes. He had wisps of hair so blonde that they nearly looked white. That made her think of what a baby Sam would look like. She assumed wavy hair and puppy dog eyes.
Ben followed Jess to the kitchen and climbed into a chair. He patted the table. "Drink pwease."
"Oh, so polite," Jess said. She filled his sippy cup with orange juice and handed it to him.
"When did he turn 2?" Sam asked.
"May," Caitlyn answered.
Sam nodded. Ben was a few months older than Ian but he was certain Ian was bigger. It made sense because Ian ate like a linebacker. "Is there anything you like to do?"
"We like to go to." Caroline was silenced by her sister's hand.
"Don't say the word," Caitlyn said in a forced whisper. "The p-a-r-k."
Sam didn't have to ask why since the word 'bath' had sent Ben into a frenzy. "We will look around for one of those." He still needed a chance to talk to Jess about what their dad had said.
Breakfast was kind of fun. The girls told them things about the family and Sam and Jess returned the favor.
Sam cleaned up the dishes and wiped Ben's face. "I'll get my computer and look for a park." As soon as he said it he closed his eyes and bit his lip.
Ben's eyes flew open and he gasped. "Park?"
Caitlyn crossed her arms. "You gotta spell stuff."
Sam tried to distract Ben but the ball of energy had already been set off.
Jess couldn't help but laugh a little at Sam's failed attempts. "Maybe find a toy to take with us."
Sam gave her a strained smile. "I still need to look for one."
Jess asked the girls to get changed. "We will find one as we walk."
Sam wrangled Ben into the spare room and helped him pick out a toy.
Jess braided both of the girls' hair and quickly packed a bag with water and snacks.
Sam got Ben's shoes on and stood up to take a deep breath.
Jess grinned at him.
"Dean was 6 when I was 2. How on earth did he manage?" Sam asked.
Jess took Ben's hand. "I doubt he was left in charge of you at that age. However, that may explain why he torments you."
Sam locked the door behind them. "Which way should we go?"
Caroline looked down the street. "Left."
"Left it is then," Sam said. He sent Dean a message and put his phone into his pocket.
Jess kept a tight grip on Ben's hand. She considered how Marie and Rod would keep up with him on such a large plot of land. They'd figure it out.
Sam got a response to his message and snorted loudly. He showed Jess the message. "I asked Dean how he managed to watch me when I was two and he said he tied my feet together."
Jess laughed. "I don't even think he's joking."
Caitlyn furrowed her brows. "He tied your feet?"
Sam put his phone away. "If you think little brothers are bad, just know older ones are worse."
(The bunker)
Charlie didn't feel like she could leave the bunker after finding out what was there. She had images in her head before seeing it with her own eyes but those images paled in comparison. First, there were books. There were a lot of books. That wasn't odd for a library but every single book in the building could be considered mythological. Except, those weren't myths. She loved fiction and stories of knights and dragons. Holding a book about goddesses in her hands and knowing that they may really exist sent chills up her spine. Being a hacker by trade, she was no stranger to seeing things that she wasn't supposed to see. However, actually being allowed and encouraged to see things was new. Although she had been told to keep her hands off the weapons, she had free reign over the books. She even had, almost, free reign over the control center. Sure, John asked her to not hit any more buttons but she could work with that. She could figure out what buttons were by reading and following wires. She had no desire to shut the place back down because the alarm alone nearly caused her to have a heart attack.
Kate helped sort through books that may contain answers about John's mysterious creature. She also helped Charlie keep track of things that she found. "We spent weeks down here on lockdown and every time we come back, we find something new."
"Do you think I'd be allowed to come here by myself?" Charlie asked.
Kate chewed her pen. "I don't know. You could ask."
Charlie opened her computer so that she could add information to a word document. She saw an icon pop up in the bottom right hand of her screen and decided to click on it. "You don't need internet here."
Kate tilted her head. "No?"
Charlie turned her computer around. "You've already got it."
"How?" Kate asked.
Charlie clicked off of the internet. "I don't know. I am not going to connect to it just in case it isn't secure. Maybe someone had been here before you guys found the place. Maybe they hooked it up a few years ago." She looked around. "It has to be coming from somewhere."
Kate stepped out of the room to report the finding to John.
John rubbed his face. "I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with this new surge of power. It is magical in nature."
"I'm magical in nature," Kate said.
John raised an eyebrow at her.
"Taylor could be the source of the internet. He is sparky." Kate said, referring to his ability to carry electricity.
"Did you find anything useful?" John asked.
Kate put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, the internet."
John chuckled. "I am talking about the fire creature."
Kate dropped her hands. "No. I was thinking though, what if the fire isn't produced by the creature."
John leaned back on the table. "Continue."
"A qareen can shapeshift into other things. We do not have any good leads on what the thing looks like. We don't think it is a normal human due to where it is taking victims from. Creatures usually have a distinguishable pattern but this one could be humanoid. It could have reasoning skills and be using other patterns to throw hunters off of what it actually is. I don't know. It could also be someone with a pet dragon." Kate said.
John paused to consider Kate's idea. He nodded and left to seek out a book in the library.
"You're welcome!" Kate said as he left.
John turned around. "Thank you for the idea."
Kate smiled and skipped back to the control room to work with Charlie. "Is there anything big you are going to be working on?"
Charlie looked up from her computer. "You mean besides kicking it in the bat cave?"
"That was Dean's first name for this place too. I mean, you kind of quit working for other people when we met."
Charlie typed as she talked. "I have a few things but I've been distracted. All of this is so cool. I'd rather do this than funnel money from one place to another."
Kate sat down in a chair and spun it in circles. "Funneling money, huh?"
Charlie stopped typing. "Um, you know. Some organizations are shady and scam people. I just... um... give some of that to people who need it."
Kate stopped spinning. "Like Robin Hood?"
"Basically," Charlie said.
"Is that how you survived before we met?" Kate asked.
"No. No way. I did some shady stuff but I never stole money like that." Charlie said.
"Are you happier now?" Kate asked, gently.
"Yes. I'm not having to run from place to place. I haven't had to sleep anywhere dangerous in a while. I am almost absolutely certain Dean isn't going to murder me." Charlie said.
Kate scoffed. "If he murders anyone it will be me." She rolled the chair to the hallway. "I'm going to go see what he is doing."
Dean could tell by the way that Kate was skipping around that she was on her way to bug him. He shut Baby's hood. "What do you want?"
Kate sat down on the hood. "To spend time with you."
Dean ruffled her hair. "You could help me check all of these cars."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Ew, gross."
"If we can sell one or two of them, we can get Sam a car. April is also going to get one for her and the kids." Dean said.
"Cars aren't really my thing," Kate said. She leaned back on the hood so that she was resting her back against the windshield. "You could get a new car. It would probably save you on gas and you wouldn't have to fix it all the time."
Dean narrowed his eyes. "Those are fighting words."
Kate sat up with a smirk. She patted the hood as firmly as she dared. "She's had a good run. You could just park her here." She rolled off the hood and backed away from him. "I'm kidding. I'm just kidding. Don't kill me."
Dean laughed. "Go get Taylor so he can actually be helpful. Apologize to Baby when you get back!"
Kate stepped into the hallway. "It is just a car, Dean!" She heard him move and darted down the hallway. He wouldn't actually kill her but he was creative and loved his car. She found Taylor in the gym. "Dean wants your assistance checking the cars."
Taylor dropped from the pull-up bar. "Why is he going to kill you?"
Kate grinned. "I insulted Baby."
Taylor wiped his hands on a towel. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know. I'm bored and it sounded fun." Kate said, jabbing him in the ribs as he went by.
Taylor rubbed his ribs. "Keep playing with fire, you'll get burned."
Kate held her hand out and focused on her palm. She frowned. "Man, it would have been so cool if flames shot out of my hand just now."
Taylor left the gym and walked down to the garage. He cleared his throat. "I'm ready to help."
Dean tossed him a set of keys. "Go by the checklist."
Kate saw a water bottle on a bench and held her hand out to move it. It didn't move. She frowned. Surely she hadn't lost the ability. Maybe it was just dormant because of how quickly she was changing. She tried to teleport herself and her feet stayed rooted on the mats. She gave up and went to the library. "Any leads?"
John pointed to a stack of books. "Maybe."
Kate read some of the titles. "So, Sam is getting a car?"
"That's the plan," John said, still looking through books.
"Is it going to be from this century?" Kate asked.
John placed a finger on the line he was reading. "Are you taking digs at Dean this early in the day?"
Kate snorted. "I've been awake for a few hours. I seize the opportunity when I get it."
John nodded and went back to his book. "It will be newer than the Impala. They are looking after another hunter's kids. Marie will pick them up but it would make sense for them to have a reliable vehicle."
"I'll be expecting a car when I'm older," Kate announced.
"With Dean, Sam and Taylor all being able to drive, you'll never need to get behind the wheel," John said.
Kate shot him a look. "Like I want to tag along with them all the time."
"You're a ways off from driving. Once you are old enough you'll have your own. Taylor drove the truck for a while on the way here. He needs to be able to operate a vehicle if there is an emergency." John said.
"What about me?" Kate asked.
"Yes, you will learn," John said.
Kate drummed her fingers on the table "Can I please tell Dean you told me I could practice driving on the way back to Bobby's house?"
"That is not going to fly with him," John said.
"No, but it can be an order from you. I just want to see the horror on his face. Then, I'll tell him you didn't say that." Kate said.
John chuckled. "It is your funeral."
Kate jumped up. "If he asks, I expect you to back me up. After the stuffed skunk, I know you have a devious side."
John waved her off. "Go on. I'm trying to read."
(Caleb's house)
April got a burst of energy and started cleaning all corners of the house. Caleb had to go to work and that left Andy delicately trying to avoid his mom so that she didn't make him clean too. There was a lot of stuff that he would do for his mom because she was a lady and also pregnant. He'd take out the trash and hand her her phone when she dropped it again. He'd get drinks for her and even keep Ian busy. That didn't mean that he wanted to deep clean the house. He wanted to ask if Owen could play but that would involve asking his mom. If she saw him, surely she'd remember he could help out and that didn't suit him.
April sorted all of the boys' toys and put them in bins, tossing the broken ones in a plastic bag. It was only August but it would be getting cooler in a few weeks. She pulled all of their clothes out and added the ones that were too small to a bin. She folded all of the fall stuff and put the summer stuff back into their closet. She groaned as Ian dumped a toy bin for the third time. "No, Ian. One toy at a time."
Ian ran a toy car across the floor and grabbed an airplane.
April scooted over and put some of them back into the bin. While Caleb was agile and sure on his feet in most situations, the soles of his feet often found small cars and legos in the middle of the night. "One toy."
Ian ditched the toys and tried to pull clothes out, wanting to take part in what April was doing.
April gave him the airplane and folded a few items that he had knocked over. She had been fighting him for an hour, trying to prevent him from hitting her stomach as he climbed on her. "Andy, can you play with your brother."
Andy showed up in the doorway. "Yes, mama. I'll bring my army men back in here first."
April sighed and thanked him. She was turned around putting Andy's shorts away when she heard the toys get dumped again. "Ian Grant, no. One toy." She put them back in the bin again and turned back around. Moments later she felt the airplane hit her in the back. She spun around and saw Ian looking very angry. "No, sir. You do not throw things at me."
Andy heard a smack and then Ian crying. He ran into the room just as Ian got a second smack and gasped. "No, mama you can't! He's just a baby!" He wrapped his arms around Ian and tried to calm him down.
April separated them. "Andy, go wait in my room."
Andy reluctantly let go of Ian and ran to his mom and dad's room, distraught.
April sat Ian in time out and put the toys on top of Andy's bed. "Sit." She left the room and shut the door, leaving it open slightly. She was relieved that Ian didn't move from where she sat him.
Andy was an anxious mess and holding on to his dad's pillow.
April sat down beside him. "Andy, you cannot do that. You are going to confuse Ian. He is going to think I'm this bad guy and you are trying to save him."
Andy sniffled. "You said you wouldn't spank babies."
"He got two swats over a pullup. He is a toddler now. He has been dumping toys out and not listening. Then, he got mad and hit me with one of them." April explained.
"He wasn't hurt?" Andy asked, drying his eyes.
"No. He falls and bumps things all the time. Even then, he barely notices. He cannot throw things at people. What if he did that to Lauren when she gets here?" April asked.
Andy sighed. She was right. "Are you gonna tell dad?"
"About Ian?" April asked.
Andy nodded his head.
"Yes. Ian won't get into trouble again. We will just talk about it."
Andy snapped his head up. "Am I in trouble?"
"No. You can't do that again but now you know. If you are ever worried, you can talk to us. You can't jump in the way though. That confuses him." April said, reaching for Andy's hand and patting it.
Andy nodded again. "Okay."
April stood up. "Hopefully he is still where I left him." She checked on Ian and was a little shocked that he stayed in the chair. "No hitting mama."
Ian looked at Andy for a moment and then back to his mom. He lifted his arms so that April would pick him up.
April lifted him and kissed his cheek. "Maybe Ms. Jody would let me cash in that babysitting check."
Andy's eyes lit up. "I want to play with Owen!"
April called Jody and asked if she would mind watching the boys. She was relieved that Jody said yes. "I want you to be on your best behavior while you are there, Andrew."
Andy shoved his feet into his shoes. "Okay, mom."
April put Riot's leash on him and walked the boys to Jody's house. "Thank you so much."
Jody smiled brightly. "Absolutely no problem at all. Owen is bouncing off the walls."
"If either of them or Riot, give you issues, please let me know," April said.
"We've got it under control here. I'll bring them back this afternoon."
April walked a little slower on the way home. She was kid-free and able to enjoy the sunshine. She felt Lauren move and put her hand on her stomach. "Oh, little miss. I can't wait to meet you. I'm outnumbered out here."
(Sam and Jess)
Caitlyn and Caroline headed to the swings as soon as they got to the park. Really, they didn't get to go that often. Their dad hunted a lot. Their mom hunted certain kinds of monsters. They knew all about the monsters. They scared Caroline more than they scared Caitlyn. Really, Caitlyn was scared too but she was five minutes older so she had to be a bit braver.
Sam chased Ben around and let Jess hang out with the girls. He didn't know how kids that small had that much energy.
Jess checked on the twins. "Do you like to swing?"
"Yes, swings are the best," Caroline said.
"Marie and Rod are the people that you will stay with after you leave here. They have these kinds of swings but also a hammock, tire swing, and rope swing." Jess said. She knew that neither parent would be back by the next day and wanted to ease the kids into the idea that they would be with someone new.
"Are they nice?" Caitlyn asked.
"Very. Marie is the best cook in the world. They have a pony that I bet Rod would let you ride. They live on a big farm and have dogs and all kinds of farm animals. They are kind of like grandparents for everyone." Jess added.
Caroline stopped swinging and let herself slow down. "My mom and dad aren't going to pick us up?"
Jess sighed. "Sam and I will have to go back to our classes. It isn't that fun at our house anyway. Your dad has to drive back to where you were. You'll get picked up but you get to hang out with Marie and Rod for a few days as well."
Caroline sniffled and looked away.
Jess's heart broke. "It isn't a bad thing. People go there all the time just to visit because it is so fun."
"I want my mom to be okay," Caroline said, weakly.
Jess nodded. "We all do. You just get to have fun while your dad looks for her, instead of getting stuck in a motel room."
The conversation got steered away from sad things and to normal girly things. The girls were mature for their age but still loved frills and glitter.
Jess could work with that. "Maybe we could have Sam watch Ben and we could go to the mall."
Both girls liked that idea.
Jess turned around and giggled. Sam looked concerned and ready to leap if Ben fell. A few moments later Ben jumped off of the equipment and into Sam's arms.
Sam carried him over to the swings, hoping that he would swing for a moment and not run off.
"The girls and I would like to go to the mall," Jess said.
Sam scratched the back of his head.
"You could handle Ben, right?" Jess asked.
"Well, yeah," Sam said. He saw Ben rub his eyes. "Does he take naps?"
Ben whipped his head around and stared at Sam in disgust.
Caitlyn covered her face. "You gotta spell stuff."
Sam grabbed Ben before he took off running. He tried to get him to swing but that was a failed endeavor.
They let the kids play for another hour and then started walking back home, much to Ben's dismay.
Jess gave him a snack and that seemed to help a little.
"He's not gonna want to n-a-p but he needs one," Caitlyn informed Sam.
"Uh, is there a way to get him to?" Sam asked.
"Mom pats his back until he falls asleep," Caroline said.
Sam felt Ben growing heavier. He didn't think he'd have to do much besides put him down because he was about to pass out.
Jess smiled at Sam. He looked adorable carrying Ben. Maybe it was the size difference or Ben's chubby cheek smooshed against Sam's shoulder. Maybe it was the look in Sam's eyes that said he might need a nap too. She opened the door for Sam and grabbed her wallet from their room.
Sam tried to put Ben down on his mat but that caused him to whine.
"Dad sometimes lets him sleep on the sofa so he can watch his shows," Caroline said.
Sam leaned down and placed Ben on the couch. He took a blanket from Caitlyn and pulled it over Ben's back. He waited for a moment to make sure Ben wasn't going to sit up then sat down on the opposite side of the couch, propping his feet on the small coffee table.
Jess kissed his head. "Do you need anything?"
Sam licked his lips. "Water, please."
Jess brought him a cup of water and gave him the remote. "You boys have fun."
Sam leaned his head back. "Mhm, so much fun."
Once the girls left the house and started to walk to a bus stop, the twins started asking questions.
"Is Sam your husband?" Caroline asked.
Jess blushed. "He is my boyfriend."
"Why do you live in the same house?" Caitlyn asked.
Jess blushed deeper. "Uh, his dorm had some issues. It is cheaper if we spit rent."
"Are you gonna get married?"
"When are you gonna get married?"
"Why don't you have kids?"
"Do you guys hunt?"
"Do you have brothers?"
"Do you have sisters?"
"Do your parents hunt?"
"Do Sam's?"
Jess bit the inside of her cheek so she didn't crack up. "How about I only answer questions if I get to ask some as well?" She waited for a car to pass before crossing the street. "We aren't married but will be someday. We are still very young so we don't have kids. I have no siblings but Sam has a sister and two brothers. His dad hunts. My parents do not hunt. Now, do you guys go to school?"
"We did but now we homeschool," Caitlyn said. She took a deep breath. "Is Sam's brothers cute too?"
Jess grinned. "I'd say they are a bit too old for you."
Caitlyn shrugged. "I wasn't gonna date them. I just wondered."
"Dean is 23. Taylor is 14. They are both very handsome." Jess said, filing away that conversation to embarrass Sam with.
"Sam is tall," Caroline said.
"I know. He is the tallest in his family. He makes me feel short." Jess admitted. She found the bus stop and waited on the bench with the girls. "Do you like having a little brother?"
The girls traded looks. "Most of the time."
(The bunker)
Dean found a paragraph in one of the books that caught his attention. "What happens to the victims?"
John pointed to his journal. "Most vanish. Some have shown up burnt to a crisp with organs missing."
Dean made eye contact with John. "Ritual organs or snack time organs?"
Charlie gasped. "There is a difference?"
"Werewolves eat hearts. Witches use them in spells." Dean said.
Charlie cringed. "That is gross."
John read the paragraph that Dean had shown him. "That is one way to play fetch."
Kate read it as well. "Oh, fancy familiar." She turned the book around for Charlie. "Someone or something with power can create a being that follows their orders. These creatures can be things like qareens that someone traps but it is said that others can be created. A golem is a clay creature. This book is on witchcraft but not all witches get their powers the same way. Some get powers from demons. Some are born with it and some pull power from their coven."
"So you kill the witch and you're good to go?" Charlie asked.
"Unless she has friends," Kate said. She put the book down. "Can I see the police reports from the missing people?"
John didn't have enough information to be helpful.
"I can find more!" Charlie said. She covered her mouth. "If you want."
John rubbed his face. "We need to know more about how those people died. We also need details about who went missing."
Charlie squeaked excitedly. "Okay!"
Dean watched her run from the room and chuckled. "Left, Charlie."
She ran back by the door a moment later. She needed her computer. She could help with that part of the research. That was her specialty.
(Caleb's house)
Caleb was tired when he got done with work. He was hungry and wanted to take a long shower. By April's request, he picked the boys up on his way home. They were also tired.
Andy and Owen had formed a pit in the backyard with ample help from Ian and Riot.
Caleb was almost tempted to make the boys ride in the back of the truck.
Jody apologized for the dirt on them but smiled. "They had fun."
Caleb thanked her and loaded the boys into the truck. "How was your day?"
Andy fidgeted. "It was good."
The drive to the house was short, only a block away at most. Caleb stopped the boys before they ran inside. He made them go through the back and undressed Ian before he brought all of his dirt into the house. He did the same with Andy and told him to run bathwater. He rubbed Riot down with a towel and got the dirt off of him and then stepped inside.
April kissed him. "How was work?"
"Great. Just tired." Caleb said. He tossed the towel into the washer. "How were the boys."
April told him about what happened. "I talked to Andy."
Caleb sighed. "I will talk to him too."
April patted his arm. "I'll get them cleaned up. Dinner is done so you should make yourself a plate. I'll call you when it is time to put pajamas on Ian."
Caleb smiled and kissed her again. Putting pajamas on Ian was a team sport. He sat down with a plate of food and ate slowly. The sounds of giggles from the bathroom made him smile. He remembered that he was supposed to call John so he dialed the number and put the phone on the table.
John answered right away. He discussed what he needed to with Caleb and put his own phone on speaker when Caleb asked.
"So I have a question," Caleb said.
"Go ahead," John said, opening another book.
"At what age did Dean stop losing his mind and trying to intervene when Sam got into hot water?" Caleb asked.
Kate spoke up. "He got way less cool the moment he turned 18."
Dean pinched her. "No, they all got so annoying that I stopped feeling bad for them."
John sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You're both wrong."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"You tried to step in the way when Sam busted my truck window," John said.
Dean scoffed.
"With these two knuckleheads, and with Sam too, when he was younger, if you do crack down on them, what is your ultimate goal?" John asked.
Dean traded looks with Kate and Taylor.
"Are you not trying to prevent me from having to deal with them?" John asked.
Dean shrugged. "Yeah, so that it doesn't stress you out."
John chuckled. "Bull. Caleb, I guess I'll let you know when he grows out of it. I don't suspect he ever will"
