Kate rolled over in her bed and yawned. On nights that she didn't dream, she slept well. The night before wasn't one of those nights. She was satisfied with the progress at the lab but her need to understand things had grown. They had moved away from what she and Taylor were and where they came from. The renaissance faire was going to have a lot of Celtic influence. That made her remember Ada and Scotland. They knew that Gabriel had a big part to play in their bloodline but how? Could a normal archangel typically change things like that? How the hell did John not actually have abilities? Did his super hearing and freaky way of finding things out happen naturally? Human naturally... not supernaturally. She rubbed Millie's back with her palm and went downstairs. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and stumbled down.
"Are you okay?" Dean asked from the bottom of the stairs.
"Dreams," Kate said, sleepily. "I feel like I'm going crazy."
Dean waited for her to get down the stairs and took her blanket. He wrapped it snuggly around her shoulders and tucked the end corner into the top. 'If you're going crazy, this should help."
"A straight jacket?" Kate asked.
Dean smiled. "Yep."
Kate shuffled into the kitchen. She did like to be wrapped up. Dean called it 'burrito' and it had been a while since he did that to her. "How am I going to eat?"
Dean gave her a cup of orange juice with a straw. "Chill until breakfast is done."
Kate leaned her head back on the top of the chair and enjoyed her blanket. She heard John and turned. "Are we going back to the lab?"
"Marty will call us when he checks on things," John said.
Taylor sidestepped into the kitchen but didn't make eye contact with anyone.
"How was the dance?" Karen asked as soon as she saw him.
Taylor blushed. "Fun."
Dean smirked. "He got a kiss on the cheek right in front of her dad."
Taylor shot him a glare.
Karen smiled. "Well, that is very sweet."
"He tripped her so she'd hurt her foot and he'd have to carry her," Dean said.
Taylor rubbed his face. "She was dancing and twisted her ankle."
"Just like she just happened to fall off the stands right as you were walking by," Dean said.
Taylor groaned. "You know if you're picking on me again, I get to shock you again."
"Good fun versus physical harm," Dean said.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Karen asked. "Or are you two just friends still."
Taylor sat down. "I think we are just friends. I don't know."
Dean leaned forward to give Taylor the talk. "She shouldn't have to make all of the first moves. You've got to man up."
"I'm not taking advice from you. You don't have the best track record." Taylor said.
Dean sat back and sipped his coffee. "I have an amazing track record."
Kate gave John a subtle look but didn't push into his head. She wiggled her arms free from Dean's flawless blanket burrito and cleared her throat. "If Taylor is allowed to have a girlfriend now, I should be allowed to have a boyfriend."
Dean scoffed. "Absolutely not."
"It isn't fair for him to be able to do something I can't," Kate said.
"Yes, it is. He is two years older and in high school." Dean said.
Kate crossed her arms. "He isn't two years older. He's like 18 months older. When did you have your first girlfriend, Dean?"
Dean eyed her. "That isn't the same thing."
Kate gave John another look and hoped he would do what she wanted him to do.
"Kate has a point," John said, calmly. "Taylor is not of an age where he will be going anywhere with Hailey right now. As long as the boy is a freshman or younger, I don't see an issue."
Dean gave himself whiplash whipping his head around so quickly. "What?!"
"Did I stutter?" John asked.
"No. Dad, seriously? She is 12. Guys can be jerks. It is different for Taylor. A guy could easily hurt her." Dean said. He caught the slightest twinkle in John's eye and formed a thin line with his lips. "I thought we formed an alliance, Kate."
Kate shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Dean knew John had to be joking. "I don't normally disagree with your decisions but I've got to on this one. I'll have to wait until you go on another hunt and lock her in a tower."
John smiled slightly. "You cannot prevent her from seeing people at school. However, neither of you are old enough to truly date."
Dean let out a huge breath of air. "Exactly."
"Although, one day, you are going to have to step back and let her date," John said.
Dean scoffed. "Over my dead body."
"How about you aren't allowed to date anyone until I am allowed," Kate said with a smirk.
Dean smirked back. "I hadn't planned on dating anyway." His face changed. "So help me God if you say what I think you are about to say, I will kick your little butt five ways to Sunday."
Kate scrunched her nose. "Just don't do anything you wouldn't want me doing."
Dean flicked her forehead. "You seem like you need to run some of the sass off today."
"Hey, I can run forever. My heart rate doesn't even raise." Kate said.
Dean knew about that. "Dad, do you want to weigh in?"
John put a hand on her shoulder. "Give him some time to wake up before you're too hard on him."
"That isn't what I meant, but thanks," Dean said.
Kate already had another plan forming. It was big and would involve multiple people. She slowly made eye contact with Dean and smirked.
Dean sighed. He just knew he'd be done with the day by noon.
(Marie's house)
Desiree and James woke before the kids and got the opportunity to speak to Rod and Marie. The girls needed to be back in an actual school program, public or homeschooling. Neither parent wanted to hunt any time soon. They needed to decide where they were going and when.
"You shouldn't feel pressured in any way but we had a few options we wanted to offer you," Rod said.
James held Desiree's hand. "What are those?"
"You are always welcome here for as long as you'd like to stay. This is a big house. There is also the 'bunk house' that I can show you in a little bit. It is small but we have had many families stay there. If you want to stay around here, we could help you find a house or help you build one." Rod said. "If you want to leave and go elsewhere, we can help get you there as well."
The rental house that they had been staying in California was iffy. The owner wanted to use it for his son and they didn't know where else to go. James spoke up. "It might be helpful for us to stay around here for a while. I don't want to overstay our welcome."
"Nonsense. I love having the kids around. When I found out that Taylor was going to be adopted, I was excited to have additional family members. I wanted a lot of kids but life didn't work out that way. So, we enjoy helping other families." Marie said.
Desiree and James traded looks. Desiree did like it there. "How is the school system here?"
They heard a squeak and James tilted his head. "Caitlyn or Caroline?"
Caitlyn slowly stepped into the room.
"Were you listening?" James asked.
Caitlyn looked at her shoes. "Not the whole time."
James patted his leg. "Come here." He put his arms around her and let her sit on his leg. "How would you feel if we stayed around here for a while?"
Caitlyn's eyes widened. "I would love that. Can we stay?"
"For now," James said. "You and Caroline could go to public school."
"Would we stay here?" Caitlyn asked.
"We could until we find a place, I think," James said, looking to Rod for confirmation.
"Yes. I can show you the other house and you can decide which suits you best." Rod said.
Caitlyn ran out of the room to tell Caroline the news. It was the best news ever.
James wasn't a fan of her listening to the adult conversation but didn't have the heart to scold her for it that time. They had all been through so much.
"Callie asked if the twins could play today," Marie said.
"I don't see a reason why they couldn't," Desiree said. Things were looking brighter.
Callie was the daughter of Jonah, who had been one of Marie's foster kids. Having five brothers, Callie was thrilled when she was told that Caitlyn and Caroline would be around. All three girls became fast friends and had gotten many opportunities to hang out since the twins arrived.
Marie found Charlie and gave her a plate with a sandwich. "Would you be up for going with me to pick out a little bit more fabric?"
Charlie took a bite and swallowed it. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't come downstairs. I was working on website stuff."
"No need to apologize. You do what makes you feel the most comfortable." Marie said.
Once Charlie was done eating, she carried her plate downstairs. She washed it and put it away.
Marie and Desiree were chatting about things that they may need from the store.
Desiree covered her face, not being ready to process the thought. "Would it be possible for you to pick up a pregnancy test?"
Marie wrote 'test' down without asking questions. "Absolutely. If there is anything else, you can call or let me know before we leave."
Charlie filed that information away, thinking it might be useful for investigation purposes.
(Sioux Falls)
John got a call from Marty and could tell something big happened. Marty didn't say exactly what it was but he wanted John and Kate to get to the lab as soon as possible.
Kate didn't have time to brush her hair or change out of shorts and Dean's much too large t shirt. She ran out the door without shoes and got turned around.
"Go change, put your hair up, and get some shoes," John said.
Kate bounced on her toes. "Dad."
"Go. Two extra minutes won't hurt you." John said with a chuckle.
Kate sprinted up the stairs and changed quickly. She threw her hair in a messy bun and ran back out the door with a pair of shoes in her hand.
John shook his head. He had never seen her quite so excited. He drove over to the lab, slowly according to Kate.
Kate jumped out of the truck and slid through the door of Marty's office once they got inside. "What happened?
Marty shared her enthusiasm. "You'll have to see."
Kate followed him. She saw a dish that was red, instead of black. "Is this Caleb's? His sample kind of did that last time."
"It is not Caleb's," Marty said.
John was equally as interested although he didn't feel the need to bounce around like Kate was.
Kate looked at the name and gasped. "April? What?" She looked at April's blood type and compared it to the other samples. "How long did it take for this to happen?"
Marty got out another set to run the experiment two more times, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. He set a timer and placed one from Caleb and one from April next to each other. He moved them under a microscope so they could watch what the samples did on a screen.
Caleb's sample did what it did the last time. The toxin started to overtake his blood but after a few minutes, the blood started to 'eat' through the toxin.
April's was different. It never mixed. The toxin was like oil in water. As time went by, the sample separated so that the toxin wound up on the sides, but not mixed into the blood. The edges turned a brownish color, meaning that the toxin had changed as well.
Kate was shocked. That was not at all what she was expecting. "What happened to it?"
"We need to run more tests," Marty said.
Kate sat back and tried to put pieces of the puzzle together. "What if it has something to do with pregnant women?"
"What makes you think that?" Marty asked.
"I don't think it is blood type. With the number of victims, it is reasonable to assume that they aren't picky about that. Desiree was taken but not eaten. Yet, there were other female victims. If she is pregnant, my theory could hold some validity."
Marty wrote that down in his notes. April's sample still seemed odd, even if that was the case.
Kate texted Charlie about the theory. She got a surprising answer back. "Desiree asked Marie to pick up a pregnancy test this morning."
John stared at the results. He didn't know if he was looking at a cure or an anomaly. It did take the spotlight off of Kate's blood and give her another option that didn't involve sacrificing herself.
Kate spun around on one of the stools. "What could it be though? Okay, if they don't like eating pregnant women, is it the baby? Is it that they taste weird? Is it hormones?"
Marty was thinking along the same lines. "I will get started on examining that."
"Dad? Can I call them and tell them what happened?" Kate asked.
"We don't know exactly what happened," John said.
"No, but her blood reacted in a seemingly positive way," Kate said.
"Go ahead. Do not tell her anything definite and make sure she knows we aren't sure what it means." John said.
"Yes, sir," Kate said. She dialed April's number and smiled when she answered. "Hey, are you and Caleb sitting down?"
(Charlie and Marie)
Charlie was excited. They could be looking at a scientific breakthrough. She was a little hyper and trying to walk around like a normal person.
"Is having the children around stressful for you?" Marie asked.
Charlie was singing in her head. "What?"
"The twins and Ben." Marie clarified.
"Oh, no. I am a loner. Sorry if I seem standoffish. I like to be alone sometimes and do nerd stuff." Charlie said.
"That is perfectly fine. I want to make sure that you are comfortable." Marie said. She saw some emerald green fabric. "I think this would be perfect for your dress."
Charlie felt of it. It was soft and beautiful. Green was her color due to her red hair. "I love it. What about Kate?"
"This blue maybe?" Marie asked.
Charlie agreed. They got the two different colored fabrics and a few odds and ends. Charlie snapped her fingers. "You know how the under part of the dress, right now, is short and the flowy stuff will go on the top?"
"Yes," Marie said.
"Right, Kate asked if it could be somewhat detachable," Charlie said.
Marie had no issues with that. "That would make travel more comfortable."
Charlie shook her head. "Dean was joking about Oktober fest. Kate wants to be able to freak him out a little."
Marie laughed. "We will see what we can do."
Charlie enjoyed shopping with Marie as much as she did with Rod. They were both cool for older people. "I need to buy something to wear to the gala."
Marie knew just where to go. "How fancy do you feel like going?"
Charlie had done extensive research on previous galas. "The charity event is out of the children's hospital. It isn't as fancy as an adult-only gala. I want to look the part but not stand out enough to blow my cover."
Marie sorted through ideas in her head. "Seems simple enough."
(Sioux Falls)
April was worried about herself and Lauren. It took a good bit of explanation before she relaxed. The reaction seemed to be good for her but bad for the toxin. She was anxious to know if Desiree was pregnant too. If she was, that could mean something about the babies.
Caleb wasn't sure how to feel at first either. It was great that there was a reaction but did that mean that April or Lauren was different? Did he pass on something?
Kate took a break from testing to let Marty look at her heart. All of his tests confirmed that her heart rate barely increased with exertion. She wasn't sure if that was going to be the same if she was scared suddenly or anxious. As far as they could tell, her heart just got more efficient at pumping blood and no longer needed to contact so quickly. That was a good thing but Kate was worried about someone finding out. She could avoid most situations but it was the same problem that healing was. They'd have to find a way to cover it.
John was worried about her as well as Taylor. "We could try to find something to dampen your abilities. You had that bracelet that used to work. If you had that, you wouldn't have to hide things."
Kate didn't want her abilities taken away but she agreed that dampening them would be a good idea. What else was going to change? They kind of assumed that they would remain mostly human. What if they didn't? That made her stomach tighten. Even when she found out that she had the abilities, she just assumed she'd learn to control them and blend in as an adult. She must still look human when she is 19. Was she ever going to be able to have a close relationship with someone that didn't already know her secret? She was joking at breakfast about dating but she suddenly realized she may never be able to date. That wasn't safe. The guy would notice something was different unless she compelled him not to. Then, the entire relationship would be built on deceit.
John snapped his fingers in Kate's face. "I am trying to talk to you."
Kate made eye contact with him. "I'm sorry."
"You are panicking. Why?" John asked.
Kate frowned and sniffled. "I'm going to be alone forever."
John hugged her. "You'll have to catch me up because I have no idea how you got there."
"The more obvious my differences become, the harder it will be to hide them. I won't be able to be close to anyone as I get older because they'll notice. Then, if they do, I can't compel them because that is like lying to someone. So, I'm going to be alone." Kate said.
"You won't be alone. You'll find the right person one day." John said.
"Well, Dean doesn't have to worry about me dating," Kate said.
"Dean is going to worry no matter what you do," John replied.
The game was over. The dance was over. It was Sunday and Taylor felt bored. He cleaned his side of the room and finished his chores. He even went for a run. "Dean, what are you doing today?"
Dean shrugged. "I don't know."
"I need something to do," Taylor said.
"You could clean weapons," Dean said. He chewed his cheek. "Except we already did all of them."
"I don't know. How desperate are you?"
Taylor sighed. "I'll clean baseboards at this point."
"Ask Caleb if they need help with the boys. Andy would probably like to hang out." Dean said.
Taylor thought it was better than watching the ceiling fan spin. "Can you call and ask?"
"And get myself roped into babysitting?" Dean said. "No."
"You don't have to babysit Andy. He just follows you around." Taylor reminded him.
Dean pulled his phone out. "I used to be cool. I used to go to bars on the weekend."
Caleb didn't have a problem with Andy going over to Bobby's house to hang out with Taylor. It gave Andy something to do and gave Caleb more time to work on things around his own house. He dropped Andy off and told him to be good.
Andy didn't need to be told to be good. He was determined to be on his best behavior. He didn't want to make Taylor not want to be his friend.
Taylor asked Andy what he wanted to do and they decided a walk through the woods to learn some tracking skills would be a good idea.
Dean confidently told Tayor that he wouldn't be going but Andy was brought in for round two of trying to convince Dean he was essential to the mission. Dean groaned. "Fine."
Andy put his hat back on and situated it how he liked it. He put a backpack on his back that had water and snacks. "Can I use a knife?"
"What kind?" Dean asked.
"My dad didn't give me my pocket knife," Andy said, sadly. "Just a tiny one."
"If we find anything you need a knife for, I'll let you use mine." Dean offered.
Andy definitely needed to find something to use a knife for. He followed Taylor down a path and asked questions every few seconds. He wanted to know everything about anything. His dad didn't want him to become a hunter. He was pretty much banned from that. He did want survival skills and tracking was one of those.
"Here, these are deer prints," Taylor said.
Andy looked closely and noted the weird footprints. He wanted to hunt one day for food. He didn't think his dad would let him near a gun though. Maybe he could bow hunt. "Do monsters make prints?"
"Some do. Some look like normal footprints so you wouldn't be able to tell what they are." Dean said. "Let's focus on Bambi."
They showed him the sinkhole in the woods and told him that is where they disposed of the grenade.
Andy studied his hands. "That was dumb, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but it is good you got that out of the way before Caleb adopted you," Dean said.
"Huh?" Andy asked.
"How do you think he'd react now if you did something like that?" Dean asked.
Andy's eyes grew wide. "Not good."
"He was upset then too but things were new. Trust me, when you know someone better, they tend to be harder on you." Dean said. "Just stay away from weapons."
Andy nodded. "Even things that aren't really weapons but could be used as one."
Taylor showed Andy more prints and items through the woods. He helped Andy climb a tall tree and caught him on his way down. "One day, you can tell Ian about all of this stuff."
"Did you teach Sam stuff?" Andy asked.
Dean thought about all of the things he had taught Sam. Some were good. Some were bad. "Uh, yep. I taught him a ton of good stuff."
"I don't think my dad will let me be mean to Ian like you are to your brothers," Andy said.
Dean covered his chest with his hand. "Me? Mean? I think you mean incredibly nice."
"Sam told me stories," Andy said.
"That was the 80s. It was a different time." Dean said.
"What about Taylor?" Andy asked.
"Taylor, am I mean?" Dean asked, shooting Taylor a look.
"He only picks on people his own size now," Taylor said. "The brothers I grew up with were mean. They let me fall through a frozen pond and didn't help me. Dean and I argue or fight but it isn't real."
Andy considered that. "I still don't think I'd be allowed to."
"See, my dad doesn't know half the stuff I did when we were kids. Now, with Taylor, he is already a teenager and can handle it. Ian is just two. I bet you are right. You have good parents who want you to be nice." Dean said.
"Sometimes being nice sucks. I don't want to be nice to Jimmy." Andy admitted.
"I'm no help with that," Dean said. "Just keep ignoring him." He wanted to tell Andy to knock Jimmy out but that was frowned upon. Things had changed since he was a kid.
Taylor played catch with Andy for a while after they got back to the house. Mentioning how mean his brothers were made him think. He was the youngest. He got beat up and tormented in a bad way. Sure, he and Dean tormented each other but it was fun. Andy wouldn't have to go through that. He wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of his family. To top it off, Taylor could be to Andy what he wanted so desperately when he was seven. They weren't brothers but those relationships were important because family didn't end in blood.
Hours later, when Caleb returned to pick Andy up, he got a chuckle out of how worn out Andy was. "Did you have fun?"
Dean leaned against the door to Caleb's truck so he could talk through the open window. "I only had to tell him not to mess with sharp stuff three times."
Andy gasped loudly. "No, he didn't! I didn't touch sharp stuff. Wait, I did. I touched a knife but he let me!"
Dean smirked. "Are you sure?"
Andy looked from Dean to his dad. "I swear on my life."
Dean reached through the window and nudged Andy's knee. "He was very responsible. He did ask me to use the knife. You've got a good kid."
"Why'd you have to scare me like that?" Andy asked.
"I'm mean, remember?" Dean said with a snort.
Andy leaned his head back and let out a breath of air. "You don't joke about that stuff. I could have died."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't have died."
"Well he was just joking and my soul died," Andy said.
Caleb shook his head. "I knew you didn't mess with anything. Thank you for following the rules."
Andy gave him a thumbs up.
Dean reached back through the window and motioned for Andy to open his hand. He dropped some candy in Andy's hand and claimed it was to make up for 'being mean'.
Andy took it and forgave him, although he didn't think he was actually being mean.
Caleb smiled. "Don't fall for it, buddy. How much candy do you think he gave Sam?"
"That was the 80s dad," Andy said around a mouthful of candy.
(Marie's house)
Callie, Caitlyn, and Caroline sought refuge in the treehouse, making it a no-boys allowed zone. Callie's brothers protested but were easily distracted. She had two that were older and three that were younger. The youngest was still an infant but the two that were older than him were around Ben's age, but a little older than him. He didn't mind that. He just tried to keep up and do what they did.
Desiree needed a moment to herself after Marie and Charlie returned. She felt sick to her stomach with worry. She loved her children. The ordeal with the freaks still had her shaken and she had admitted that she needed help. Watching them play outside with Jonah's children helped ease her mind. They deserved so much more than they previously had.
James found Desiree in the bedroom that they had been staying in. She was in tears and curled up on her side, laying on the bed. He sat down next to her. "What is wrong?"
She motioned to the two positive pregnancy tests sitting on the nightstand.
James looked at them. He had a moment of panic but schooled his expression. "Why are you upset?"
"Ben is two. What are we going to do?" Desiree asked.
"Welcome another baby," James said.
"James, we are barely scraping by right now," Desiree said.
"We were but now we are in a good place... physically. I spoke to John about Marie and Rod. They genuinely want to help us. It isn't a pity thing or an obligation. They really want to help." James said.
Desiree slowly sat up. "What if this baby was exposed to something in that cave?"
"They didn't hurt you, did they?" James asked.
Desiree shook her head. "James, I didn't know. I didn't know I was pregnant when I left for the hunting trip."
He gently hushed her. "I know. You wouldn't put any of our children in danger."
Desiree leaned into him until she felt stable. Marie had to know since she was the one that bought the tests so she figured she should tell her.
Marie hugged Desiree and congratulated both her and James.
Charlie overheard the news and snuck off to let Kate know.
(The lab)
John was just about ready to leave the lab when Kate sprinted back into the room, her phone held in the air. He put a hand out to stop her. "You can't run in here."
Kate took a deep breath and let it all out at once. "Desiree is pregnant. That means that there have been odd reactions with at least two pregnant women. We need a blood sample to see how her sample reacts. We need to know if it is the hormones or something to do with the fetus. How could we get more blood to test? Two isn't enough. Are the freaks able to smell something and choose not to bite them or is it something else? If it is just a scent thing, can we synthesize that? Are they smart enough to know the difference?"
John gently grabbed both of her arms. "Breathe."
Kate sucked in another breath of air and let it out.
"These things are going to take time," John said.
"She would probably give a blood sample. We could tell her that there is a lab testing stuff like this. We don't have to say what kind of lab. How much did you tell them? Obviously, you told them you knew something about the freaks but how much? Do they know we have some trapped? Do they know that two of them died? Well, three of them but unless you told them, they wouldn't know about the third one. Why did that one die? Is the fourth one alive? We should take one of April's shirts down there and see how it reacts. It would be best if April went in person but I don't think Caleb would like that. I wouldn't blame him. I wouldn't like it either."
John took Kate's hand and placed it over her own mouth. "You are going to work yourself up." He cut her off before she started again. "I know you are excited. This is big. I did not tell them everything about the freaks and they do not know we are testing. They won't know, for now at least because we would have to explain how we are doing the testing. Aside from Ellen, no one else knows."
Kate dropped her hand. "I bet Cas could take samples from a doctor's office or something."
John pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is not going to happen. We are going to do this a certain way. Even if we got our hands on a bunch of samples, we would not be able to figure this out tonight. It is going to take a long time, no matter how fast we go."
Kate followed him back outside. "I could technically speed run this. You'd just have to loosen the reins."
"If you cannot control yourself, I will do so," John said.
"I was just saying... hypothetically. I am controlling myself. You have to know it is incredibly painful and shortening my lifespan but I'm doing it." Kate said.
John turned the truck on. "If you have more ideas, write them down."
Kate held up her notebook. "If anyone finds this, they'll think I was a lunatic."
John couldn't disagree with that. Her way of taking notes, which made sense to her, did look a little loony. "Then you had better keep track of it."
"If anyone found your journal, they'd think you were a devil worshiper or had hallucinations," Kate said.
"Again, I keep track of it," John said.
"You know how Bobby found out some stuff about his family from that book we found at the bunker? There are a lot of questions still because no one is around to answer them. One day, when the world is free of monsters because we are going to get rid of all monsters, our descendants will think we were all nuts. There is going to be a great great great grandkid who reads your journal and wonders what kind of drugs you were on." Kate said.
"They'll worry less about me and wonder why we claimed that you and Taylor could teleport or carry electricity," John said.
Kate twisted in her seat. "Speaking of that!"
(Later, at Bobby's house)
Dean detailed his car again. He considered charging people money for detailing jobs because he was a professional, but he only cared about his car. He didn't want to have to pry fruit snacks from the floorboards of minivans. He heard Taylor outside talking on the phone.
Taylor wrapped up his conversation when he saw Dean.
Dean smirked. "Was that your girlfriend?"
"No, but it was Hailey," Taylor said.
They bantered back and forth until Dean sprayed Taylor with water and Taylor zapped him in retaliation.
Dean tried to chase Taylor down but the kid was putting effort into getting away. He would just wait him out. It wasn't like he didn't know where Taylor slept. He went inside and ran into Kate who gave him an odd look. He returned the look and went to the kitchen for a drink. He got another odd look from Bobby and ran his hand down his face. "Do I have something on my face?"
Bobby got closer and squinted his eyes. "Not your face."
Dean pulled his head back. "Then why are you looking at me like that."
Bobby motioned to Dean's hair. "Did you mean to do that?"
Dean ran his hand over his head. "What?"
"Go find a mirror, son," Bobby said, shaking his head.
Dean went upstairs and looked in the mirror. He roughly ran his fingers through his hair and put his head under the faucet to wash the top of his head. He scrubbed and nothing was removing the gray streak that ran down the middle of his head. He tried to figure out what the hell had happened and suddenly it hit him. He stomped outside and yelled. "Taylor Harvelle Winchester get your ass over here so I can beat it."
Taylor did not respond. He wasn't suicidal and wanted to be out of Dean's reach for as long as possible.
John carried his duffle bag up to the house. "Why is he getting his ass beat?"
Dean angrily motioned to his hair.
John raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like skunks. You kind of look like one right now."
Dean's jaw twitched. "Taylor shocked me and this happened."
John scratched his chin. He didn't make further comments and chose to go inside.
Dean went inside as well. He pulled a beer out of the refrigerator and sat down.
Karen ran her fingers through his hair. "It isn't that bad. I can show you how I cover my grays. No one will know."
Dean chugged the beer. He heard Taylor ask Kate where he was. He slid into the hallway.
John put an end to it before Dean maimed Taylor. "Dean, go look in the mirror again."
Dean narrowed his eyes but followed the order. The streak was gone. He checked a dozen times before going back down the stairs. "What the hell?"
Taylor hid behind John. "Prank."
Dean put his hands on his hips. "Somebody better start talking."
Kate grinned. "Taylor made you see something that wasn't there."
"Then why did they all see it?" Dean asked.
"They are good actors," Kate said.
The tension in Dean's forehead left as he processed what she was saying. He made eye contact with John and a look of betrayal crossed his face. He slowly turned around and looked at Bobby and Karen.
"Don't be mad. This was a vital exercise that we needed to test out for when we go to the gala." Kate said.
"Gala my ass," Dean grumbled. "Taylor, come over here."
Taylor shook his head.
"Oh no. Shocking the shit out of me wasn't part of the exercise." Dean said.
Taylor scoffed. "It wasn't any worse than normal."
Dean cracked his knuckles.
Taylor skidded by him and sprinted up the stairs, catching a shoe to the back before he could clear the landing.
Dean rubbed his face. "Why do you all hate me?"
Kate hugged him. "We don't. You can take a joke and are fun to prank because you prank us back. Look how happy dad is. That was fun for him and you know he doesn't find joy in many things."
Dean rolled his eyes. "At my expense."
Kate tightened her hold on him. "It was pretty funny."
Dean pried her arms off of him and bent slightly, cupping her face in his palms. "I'm assuming that was your idea."
Kate nodded.
Dean narrowed his eyes. "I need that level of evil when it is time for Taylor to suffer."
Kate met eyes with him. "You are just way easier to prank."
"It is either help me or you take the fall with him," Dean said.
Kate leaned into his palms. "Are you actually mad at me?"
"I want to be pissed at all of you but that was pretty funny. Well, it will be once I don't feel like I'm going to pass out." Dean said.
Kate stepped back. She looked around in her backpack for a moment and found what she wanted. She presented Dean with a glass jar with pie in it.
Dean looked at her skeptically. "Is this from Marie's house?"
Kate smiled. "Yep."
Dean opened it and grabbed a spoon. "Wait, why did you have this?"
"Obviously because you were upset and it made you feel better," Kate said.
Dean furrowed his brows. "How long were you planning that prank?"
Kate shrugged. "For a few hours."
"Then why did you have the pie?"
"Oh, I got a couple when we went over there for Ian's party. I just keep one in my bag in case I need to be on your good side again." Kate said.
Dean snorted but ate his pie. It was still the best he had ever had. He caught John out of the corner of his eye. "You are spoiling them by going along with their plans. It is going to bite you in the ass one day."
Kate shrugged. "How do you know I didn't compel him to play along?"
Dean eyed her. "You aren't that stupid. Hey, here is an idea, you could prank him, instead of me."
Kate scoffed and looked at John and then back at Dean. "I'm not that stupid."
Taylor poked his head around the corner to see if Dean was still mad.
Dean saw him. "Stop cowering. I'll laugh about this tomorrow."
Taylor relaxed dramatically.
"Just so you know, Hailey is going to be told every single embarrassing story about you that I can think of," Dean said.
Taylor tilted his head. "There aren't that many."
Dean smirked. "I said that I could think of. They don't have to be true."
Taylor held his hand out to call a truce. "I promise I will never shock you again if you promise not to kill me."
Dean narrowed his eyes. He shook Taylor's hand, half expecting to get zapped. "I'm going to hold you to that."
Taylor pulled his hand back. "Where did you get the pie?"
Dean shot Kate a glance. "Any pie that was brought from Marie's house is mine. You two don't deserve pie."
Kate scrunched her nose. "You know we love you, right?"
Dean snorted. "Yeah, I know."
