Andy was officially over having a cast. His arm was itchy, and he kept whacking himself with the cast at night. He found something long enough to reach his elbow and shoved it down by his hand to reach an itchy spot. He sucked in a big breath of air when he accidentally scratched himself.

April couldn't tell how bad the scratch was. She knew that Andy was uncomfortable. Casts were common in childhood. It didn't make it any easier to watch him get annoyed and feel itchy. "Let's go talk to Kate. She may be able to fix this, so it doesn't itch."

Kate was able to heal the scratch. She compelled his mind not to cause the itching sensation. She couldn't heal the break completely without raising suspicions. She chose to heal it to the point that it would look typical on an x ray. She had a growing list of things that she'd like to do to Jimmy but didn't act on any of them. She wasn't sure how some kids just decided to be mean for no reason. Andy was the sweetest kid and didn't deserve even a fraction of the grief that Jimmy gave him.

Karen asked April about Lauren and how the pregnancy was going.

April hadn't been sick in a few weeks. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant morning sickness that plagued her first two trimesters. Each day that passed brought her another day closer to a healthy baby. She remembered being anxious with Ian. Once they hit the stage of viability, some of the anxiety eased. "She is moving around a lot."

Andy pulled a face. "Like an alien."

Karen smiled. "A very cute one."

Ian was back to being a temperamental two-year-old. He was upset that he wasn't allowed to wallow around in April's lap. He didn't like being kept at a distance and being told not to press on the baby. He also didn't like the cast on Andy's arm. In general, he didn't like change and there had been nothing but change.

Dean detailed his car again and looked her over for any sign of damage. He trusted John with the car since he had just as much respect for it. He wouldn't trust anyone else. Sam had driven the car, but Dean had worried the entire time. It was his signature. If someone thought of Dean, they thought of the impala. He had a roof over his head but that was technically Bobby's. He had weapons and clothes. The car was the one big thing that was his, and all his. He shut the hood and wiped his palms down the sides of his pants. He saw Ian dart around one of the other cars and looked up to see if anyone was outside. He didn't see anyone. "Ian?" He heard shuffling and realized Ian was avoiding him. "Hey, you can't be out here alone."

Ian ran as fast as his short little legs would allow him and dove under the porch.

Dean looked under the porch. He could shimmy under there but didn't really want to. "Out."

Ian giggled and crawled farther back.

Dean saw an opening that would allow Ian to get where Dean couldn't reach him. "Ian." He narrowed his eyes. "Get out here, now."

Ian giggled again and found the opening, scooting until he made it through the gap.

Dean whistled loudly for assistance.

Bobby heard him first since he was in his office. "What?"

"Ian ran away from me and is under the porch." Dean said.

"You can't yank him out?" Bobby asked.

"No, Bobby. If I was able to, I wouldn't have called for backup."

Bobby grumbled under his breath. He leaned back into the house. "Kate, Taylor, one of you needs to crawl under the house to get Ian."

April gasped. "What? He was right here."

Karen checked the backdoor. It was closed. She spotted a low window. It was open to let fresh air in. He had pushed the screen away from the bottom and escaped that way.

Kate was the smallest, except for Andy. Andy wouldn't be able to get Ian out on his own. She tied her hair back out of her face and crawled under the porch. She found the opening that Ian found and stopped. "Ian, come out."

Ian ignored her.

Kate added some compulsion to the demand and expected Ian to immediately go to her. He did not. She tried a different approach of offering him a snack. That didn't work either. He was stubborn. She rolled over onto her back and looked up through the thin gaps of the porch's boards. "Dean, smack yourself."

Dean smacked his own cheek. "Ow, what the heck, Kate?"

"So, I can compel you." Kate said.

"Well duh." Dean said, rubbing his cheek.

"I can't compel Ian." Kate said. She thought that he may be unable to crawl out, but she could hear him moving around.

"You could have just said that. There was no reason to make me bitch slap myself." Dean said.

Kate grinned. "I had to rule myself out."

Dean started to process the inability to compel Ian. "You can't compel him at all?"

"No." Kate said. "I tried it a few different ways."

Bobby got a flashlight for Kate so that she could see exactly where Ian was.

Kate found him. He wasn't upset. He was happily kicking up dirt and dust. "Come on, bud. We have to get out of here."

Ian looked at the bright light and turned so that it was no longer in his face.

Kate didn't have the ability to project a stern tone. That wasn't something she had inherited from the Winchesters. She could wedge herself through the gap that Ian had, if she pulled some of the boards away. However, he would move further back, and she didn't want him to catch his head on a screw or nail.

Taylor crawled under as well. Maybe he could boost Kate.

Kate pulled a big of Taylor's energy and compelled Ian again. She got a reaction as he started to crawl out, but she was shocked when he threw himself onto his back and kicked his legs like he was trying to fight off someone dressing him. The compulsion only held for a few seconds before he was able to sit back up.

Taylor's eyes were wide. "Oh, shit." They couldn't rely on compelling him if he did something dangerous. That backup plan went out the window.

April was a mess. She was worried and embarrassed.

Karen took April back inside. "There is no need for us all to be out here. He is just fine. He will come out in a little while and be just fine."

April was well aware that the compulsion didn't work. That was part of why she was worried. The bracelet had been a life saver. Ian had budding abilities that he didn't need to activate.

Dean walked around the other side of the house to see if there was a gap there as well. If they could go in the opposite direction, they could force him out. Of course, that would be too easy. The porch was only on one side of the house. The back side was solid.

20 minutes slipped by, and Andy decided he'd go inside too. He wished his dad was there because Ian would probably listen to him.

Dean didn't think Ian would stay under the house all day. He'd get bored or at least hungry. He told Kate and Taylor to crawl out. If Ian thought they went inside, he may leave.

John returned to Bobby's house to Dean, Kate and Taylor sitting on the porch, watching the ground on either side. "What is going on?"

Dean sighed. "Ian crawled under the house and we can't get him out."

John pulled a face. "One of the kids can't grab him?"

"No." Kate said. "We can't compel him either."

John groaned. "Why?"

"We tried. Taylor boosted me and Ian was able to fight it." Kate said.

John was a little shocked that Ian could fight the compulsion. He was also a little shocked that a toddler could get themselves in that situation and refuse to come out. Neither of his boys had tried that as toddlers. They may have attempted it, but it lasted until he got to the count of there. Ian was just a different breed of kid.

The four stayed outside and got into a conversation about the gala. The plan of 'attack' was pretty simple. The goal was to get Charlie to where she needed to be without alerting security.

John caught movement from the corner of his eye and stepped off the porch. He made eye contact with Ian and barely managed to grab his ankle as he dove back under the porch. He was rewarded with a deafening screech and a small foot kicking his hand. He pulled Ian out and stood him up. "Stop."

Ian went limp and tried to twist out of John's grasp but that didn't work.

John felt teeth on his arm as he lifted Ian and popped the back of his leg to get him to let go. That barely phased Ian.

Dean's mouth was open as he watched Ian fight for his life. He wouldn't get away from John, but he could probably escape the grasp of a creature.

John swatted the back of Ian's legs and carried him inside to hand him off to April.

April couldn't get a good hold on him due to her belly.

John was over the meltdown and popped his leg again. None of the swats were hard. The kid was two. Still, most kids got the message.

Karen was able to wrangle Ian well enough to take him to the bathtub. He was covered in cobwebs and dirt. Once she started running water, he dropped the tantrum and let her lift him into the tub.

April looked at John. "Oh my god. I am so sorry."

John shook his head. "Not your fault." He didn't blame April or Caleb. Caleb was consistent. Ian was just very hardheaded. He walked outside to talk to Dean and the kids.

"Did he bite you?" Kate asked.

"Yes." John said, turning his arm so that they could see the bite.

Dean grimaced. "Is he calm now?"

"I think so. He stopped screaming when Karen got him in the bath." John said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "He didn't even notice that I swatted his legs."

"He was putting up an impressive fight. He could wrestle a bear and win." Dean said.

John cracked his neck. "Does that not remind you of when Kate absorbed those two demons?"

Dean's face fell. "Now that you mention it."

"That sucked." Kate said with a frown. She still felt a little guilty about it. "I tried to compel him. He shrugged it off."

John nodded. "We have a bigger problem than him not listening."

Dean leaned back on the porch swing and let his head rock back to look up at the rafters. "Just what we need, another kid with powers that don't listen."

Kate jabbed his side. "Maybe you are losing your touch."

John tilted his head. "Grab some boards. We will block that so he can't get under there again." He saw Andy looking through the window and sighed. He motioned for him to come outside and cleared his throat. "Do you think you can hold a drill?"

Andy's eyes lit up. "I think so."

"Good. Taylor is going to need help boarding up the porch." John said. Andy had been well behaved for a while. He was stressed and giving him a job would be good for him. "Kate, can you help him wrap up that arm? You don't want dirt underneath the cast."

With Kate and Andy inside, and Taylor finding wood, John looked at Dean. "We need to find a solution for those abilities... for all of them.

(Later)

Caleb drove over to Bobby's house as soon as he got done with work. He was mortified that Ian had caused such a scene.

Andy was happy to see Caleb and hugged him when he got out of the truck.

Caleb ruffled his hair. "Why is your face so dirty?"

Andy scrunched his nose. "Dean had grease on his hand and touched me."

That didn't surprise Caleb but it did explain the thick eyebrows and mustache that Andy was sporting. He walked back into the house with Andy and kicked his boots off at the door. Ian ran to hug him as well and he scooped him up into his arms. "You, young man, have caused way too much trouble today."

Ian giggled and leaned his head back so he could be almost upside down.

Caleb put him down and found April. He kissed her cheek and asked her how she was feeling.

With formalities out of the way, John asked Caleb if they could talk.

Again, talks with John had a tendency to make one a little worried about themselves. Caleb sighed and left April with Karen.

John, Dean, Bobby, and the kids were sitting in the living room, waiting for Caleb. John wanted to explain what happened in detail and point out that Ian could fight compulsion.

"He ran from me and crawled under there. Kate tried to get him out and he ignored her." Dean said.

"I compelled him and that didn't work. Taylor boosted me and that worked for a moment but he was able to break the link." Kate said.

Caleb shifted uncomfortably. "He broke the link?"

John nodded. "That bracelet doesn't seem to be covering it anymore."

Caleb groaned and rubbed his face. "How the hell am I supposed to gatekeep a two-year-old? He doesn't understand. I am working on his behavior but he will always have the abilities."

"That is why we are all in here," John said. "We have to figure out if he is being boosted or the bracelet is getting weak."

April joined them. "He got over that tall gate somehow." She had been wondering if his escape had been due to abilities.

Andy was itching to listen in on the conversation. He wanted to know what they were going to do about Ian. Surely, they wouldn't send him away. Andy wouldn't let that happen. He saw that Karen was busy with Ian and got a little closer to the living room. He'd just listen to part of it. They weren't talking about monsters or anything so it would be okay.

"Are his abilities growing or do they seem to be stronger at certain times?" Kate asked.

Caleb and April traded looks. Caleb answered. "There are a few things that could have been ability related but I'm not sure."

"I absorbed two demons and went kind of nuts. I was strong but couldn't control my temper. Ian kind of reminded us of that." Kate said.

"How would he be getting boosted?" April asked.

"We would have to find out." John said. "He doesn't go very many places that do not have warding. That is if it is demon related. He could be pulling from Kate or Taylor but that doesn't make much sense."

"It could be at the childcare center." Caleb said.

April blanched.

"If it is there, that is an easy fix. We will just ward the place." Dean said.

"I could do volunteer hours there and see if anything is off." Kate said.

John shook his head. "That falls under your restrictions."

Kate's eyes flashed for a fraction of a second before she reigned herself in.

Taylor whipped his head from Kate to John. He noted the look on John's face and pushed into Kate's head. 'Focus on our trip with Charlie. Don't challenge him.'

Kate took a deep breath and shrugged. "Taylor could use his Spidey senses to check it out."

"That wouldn't raise questions at all. What high school boy lurks around a daycare?" Taylor asked. He rocked back in his chair and caught something out of the corner of his eye. He had leaned back far enough to see Andy laying in the hallway, trying to blend into the floor. He made eye contact with Andy and waved his hand, telling Andy to get back.

Andy quickly slid back into the kitchen; thankful Taylor noticed him instead of one of the adults.

John raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

Taylor waved his hand again. "Dust bunny."

John snorted. He didn't believe that. "Dean will ask Castiel if he has any ideas."

"Why me?" Dean asked.

"Are you incapable?" John asked.

Dean paused. "Uh, no."

Taylor stretched and said that he was going to get a drink. He walked around the corner and looked at Andy. "Do you want them to know you are listening?"

Andy's eyes widened. "No."

"Find something to do that isn't suspicious." Taylor said. "We are just trying to keep Ian safe and happy. You don't need to worry."

"You aren't going to tell them, right?" Andy asked.

Taylor sighed. "No. Just stop doing it."

John eyed Taylor as he returned. "Drink?"

Taylor turned on his heel and grabbed a glass of water. He figured John knew but wasn't angry that he told Andy to stop instead of turning him in.

(Marie's house)

Rod returned to the house with a truck that had a full tank of gas. He agreed to drive Charlie to Bobby's house.

Charlie was a nervous wreck. She was shaky and a little emotional. The danger didn't bother her that bad. It was like a quest. The fear of failure bothered her. They were trained hunters. She was a computer nerd with major anxiety and the inability to lie to someone's face. She was pacing back and forth talking to herself when she nearly ran into Krissy. "Hi."

Krissy just crossed her arms. She waited for Rod to walk through the door and gave him a sad look. "I want to go for a drive."

"Sorry. I can take you somewhere when I get back." Rod said.

Krissy was too little to understand that Charlie wasn't competition for affection. There was enough love to go around.

Rod ruffled her hair and grabbed some of his stuff from another room. He carried it out to the truck and grabbed Charlie's bag as well.

Krissy had an impressive pout. She crossed her arms and looked up at Charlie. "I don't like you."

Charlie blinked. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry." She narrowed her eyes as Krissy stomped away. It was a good thing that Krissy was an only child. If she had a baby brother or sister, they'd likely wind up in a basket floating down the river. At least James's kids didn't dislike her. They were pretty cool. Ben was a lot. They were all friendly though. She could see the pain in Krissy's eyes and wanted her to know that she was okay. Charlie wasn't going to take Krissy's pseudo grandparents away.

Marie gave Charlie a bag with some snacks. She hugged her. "Have a good trip."

Charlie laughed weakly. "I'm going to need an acid trip to make it through this trip."

Marie turned her to walk out the door. "None of that. You are too bright to be messing with that stuff."

Charlie got into the truck with Rod and fidgeted with her hands. This was real. It was going to happen. She was going to slip through security to steal files from an evil doctor. That was the stuff of tv shows and books. She was always the person behind the computer screen. Physically going somewhere to do something made her nervous. She wasn't cut out for that. She broke out in hives when she was embarrassed. What if she stood out too much? Her hair was bright red. If someone noticed something and they wound up on a wanted list or the news, she would be really easy to find. Maybe she should have dyed her hair or gotten a wig. Her eyebrows were red. No, that would be too obvious. What if the security guards were well trained? They'd see her being nervous and assume something was up. Then, they would watch her, and she'd never be able to sneak away.

Rod thought it was endearing that Charlie mouthed what she was saying to herself. She did talk to herself but was trying to be quiet. Her facial expressions gave her away and he could tell she and herself were in an intense argument. "You can talk out loud."

Charlie snapped her head up. "Huh?"

"You are arguing with yourself. If you want to, you can do that out loud. I may have some insight." Rod said.

Charlie repeated everything that had previously been stated in her head. "I am going to mess this up."

"You won't. John will give you instructions." Rod said.

Charlie worked on deep breathing. "Okay, but what if I mess it up?"

Rod had to think about that. "They are good at thinking on their feet. You can always ask John."

Charlie cringed. "No thanks."

Rod smiled. "You aren't Kate. Talk to Dean if that helps you."

Charlie calmed down. "I'll talk to Dean."

(Later)

Kate didn't think she'd make it through the night without losing her mind. They would leave early the next morning. She was anxious and wanted to get the show on the road. She had been banned from helping and that made her go stir crazy. This was something she could help with.

John just had to rain on Kate's parade. He pulled her off to the side before Charlie arrived. "Kate, I need you to cooperate."

Kate sighed. "I am the epitome of cooperation."

John raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think that?"

Kate bounced on her toes. "Right now, I am. I really want to take part in this. I know you will bench me if I do anything wrong."

"This could be dangerous." John said.

Kate looked into his eyes. "Dad, I swear. I know you don't trust me, but Charlie will be there. I would not do anything that would affect her. I'm going to follow everything you say because I am working with others."

John nodded. He didn't need to lecture or threaten her. She knew everything he was going to say. He checked the time. "Charlie will be here soon. Go get ready for bed."

Kate frowned.

"Do you want to argue?" John asked.

Kate slumped. "No. Will I get to talk to Charlie?"

"Yes. She needs sleep because she doesn't function on four hours. You can talk to her and then you all will go to bed." John said.

"Okay, thanks." Kate said. She ran up to the bathroom and got ready for bed. She was barely holding it together. She didn't agree with John's terms. She needed to do more research. She swallowed her pride and went with it though. The sooner she was on his good side, the sooner she could be back in the lab.

As soon as Charlie got to Bobby's house, she got out of Rod's truck and approached Dean. "I totally wont unless I do, you know, things happen but what happens if I totally screw this up."

Dean snorted. "You go to jail, or we ditch you."

John smacked the back of his head. "Mess up how?"

"Well, what if someone catches me? What if I break under pressure? This isn't just hacking into something. This is big." Charlie said.

"If I didn't think you were capable, i would not have agreed to you coming." John said.

"Sure, I'm capable. I am also the worst liar ever and cry if someone looks at me the wrong way." Charlie admitted.

"Do you plan on screwing up?" John asked.

Charlie's eyes drifted. "No."

"If things go completely wrong, Cas will pull you out of there. If we have to improvise, that is okay. We know how." John said. "Just do what you are told, and it will be fine."

Charlie decided not to worry about it anymore. Well, she would worry but she would wait until she was in the thick of it. Just think of it like a video game with an awesome storyline. She wasn't a character though. If she died, she didn't get to respawn. Wait, she may actually be able to. Kate had the secret mojo so it was possible that she could be respawned. Hells yeah. She could rock that.

John let the girls chat for an hour before announcing it was bedtime. He added in an extra order to say it was truly bedtime and not stay up and talk time. Early morning grumpiness would be met with ice water being dumped over their heads.

Kate sat up in her bed. "If you are grumpy..."

"No. You do not get to dump water on me. I can wake up early just fine." John said.

Kate groaned. "You know, I have an excellent argument against that, but I'll save it."

Taylor shook his head. She liked to play with fire and that boggled his mind.

(Caleb's family)

Caleb took his family home. His heart was heavy. He was worried about Ian. Part of it could be Ian's personality. Caleb wasn't a walk in the park as a kid, but he didn't have extra things running through his veins. With Andy, they could talk to him and make rules. Ian was young. Ian understood more than he should, so that helped a little. John had spoken to him one on one as well. He didn't feel judged. John actually really helped him. John had been helpful for years but in different ways. Sam, Dean, and Caleb were a little feral as teenagers. Caleb's dad died. John was gone a lot. Bobby... poor Bobby. While John wasn't as soft and cuddly as he had been since Kate showed up, he was a good father. He made sure his boys were safe. He made sure they had their heads on straight. He offered to help with Ian and Andy. Caleb sometimes forgot they weren't his blood. He loved them more than anything. Blood or not, they were his boys, and he was going to do right by them.

"Dad?" Andy asked as he brushed his teeth before bed.

"Yeah?"

"Ian is okay right?" Andy asked.

Caleb took a slow breath. "Yes. We just need to figure out where this extra strength comes from."

"I wish I still had powers." Andy said, sadly.

"No kid should have them. They are a lot of responsibility and can do more harm than good." Caleb said.

"If I got them back, would you not like me anymore?"

"I would love you either way. I love Ian either way. Kate did a good thing for you and for Sam. You get to be a normal little boy." Caleb said.

"I'm useless." Andy said.

"No, you are not. You are doing exactly what you should be doing."

"Is it okay if I am still sad about them getting taken away?"

Caleb picked Andy up and sat them on the counter. "You can be sad. There are times that I wish I had abilities. Kate and Taylor have a lot and they struggle, especially Kate."

"What did John talk to you about?" Andy asked, suddenly.

"You boys."

Andy's eyes widened. "Why?"

Caleb helped him down. "Go get into bed and I'll tell you."

Andy slid under his blankets and rested his face on the bars of his bunk bed. "Was he mad at us?"

"No. You and Ian remind him of Sam and Dean when they were little. Mary died when Sam was a baby, so John had to figure out the parenting stuff by himself. He said that he can see where he messed up with some stuff. He wants to help figure out how to make things work with the two of you." Caleb said.

Andy frowned. "I've been good though."

Caleb chuckled. "Not like that. We have to get Ian figured out, but it is more than that. No one wants you to struggle the way that Dean did with Sam."

"We have a mom and a dad." Andy pointed out. "Sometimes, I think about when Steven was my dad. Did you know Taylor kind of did the same thing."?

"I did know that. He thought Craig was his dad. How cool is it that neither of you wound up actually being their kids?" Caleb said.

"Did you know that I used to want Dean to marry my mom?" Andy asked.

Caleb laughed. "No. I didn't know that."

"I'm glad you did. I like Dean as a friend. You are a very good dad."

Caleb melted. "Thank you, bud. You are a very good son."

Andy rolled onto his back. He still had something on his mind. "If I see Steven again, I'm going to be upset."

"I'd say so. We would all be upset." Caleb said.

"If he tries to hurt my mom or Ian, I'm going to shoot him. You'll just have to forgive me." Andy said, adamantly.

"You will hide. You will not try to shoot him." Caleb said.

Andy sat up quickly. "Dad, hiding won't protect mom."

"That is my job. Your job is to listen." Caleb said.

"Owen said if someone tries to kidnap you, you are supposed to scream and kick them in the crotch." Andy said.

Caleb blew air through his nose. "That is effective."

"I know not to touch guns for real. Can you show me how though? What if something happens and I have no choice but then I don't know how to get it to work and I mess up?"

Caleb studied Andy's face. "I will show you the basics. However, if you ever, and I mean ever touch one when you are not supposed to, you will be in big trouble."

Andy crossed his heart. "I won't even get near them."

Caleb read Andy a story and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about guns. Get some sleep."

Andy yawned. "I love you dad." He waved to April who was at the door. "I love you mama."

Caleb turned to Ian who was already asleep. He crouched down. "And I love you too, little man."

April loved it when Caleb put the boys to bed. Hearing them talk to each other warmed her heart. She was also glad that she married Caleb and not Dean. Dean was great but fun as a makeshift brother-in-law. Caleb needed her as much as she needed him. She was certain that one day Dean would settle down. It would probably be when Kate and Taylor were older. He had his beyond full at the moment. She put a hand on her stomach and felt Lauren moving around. She forgot about her worries with Ian's abilities just long enough to daydream about what it would be like once Lauren was born.

Caleb watched April's face change. "Are you okay?"

April smiled. "Yes. I was just thinking that we are going to have to fight people to hold our own baby."

Caleb placed his hand beside April's. "She is going to be very loved." He was silent for a moment. "Do any of us know how to raise a baby girl?"

April shrugged. "I guess we wing it just like everyone else."

Riot whined at their feet, having been shut out of Andy's room.

Caleb cracked the door for him to go in. "We are doing well, for winging it." He entered his own room and shut the lights off once April was settled into bed. He fell back to lay beside her. "How did I get so lucky?"

April chewed her cheek. "It wasn't luck. It was fate. We had a ghost. You had a freak. Now we are here."

Caleb slipped his arm under her head. "Luck, fate, destiny, I don't care. I'm happy you're here."