Author's note: Trucklady, I think what you read was that Jamie thought Dean was being silly. To him, Dean should know who his dad is. He doesn't say that Dean is his dad.

(Andy)

Fall break was awesome as far as Andy was concerned. He didn't have to go to school or wake up early.

April had mixed feelings. She loved having the boys home but they started getting rambunctious as soon as they woke up.

Ian found April putting clothes away in the nursery.

April smiled at him. "Are you having fun with Andy?" She moved quickly and grabbed his hand before he touched the clean clothes. "Please tell me that is chocolate."

Ian looked at his fingers and then back to April.

April picked him up to wash his hands and sent him back to play. She needed to make lunch for them, but she was nearly done putting clothes away.

Andy ran into the house with Riot right behind him. He climbed onto the counter and got his own cup to get a drink with. He looked down and saw Riot's pawprints and a few boot prints. He got a towel and dried off Riot's paws and sat his boots by the door. He did his best to clean up the muddy prints and filled his cup in the sink.

April heard a slight commotion, so she went downstairs once the clothes were put away. She was careful not to trip over Riot. It was getting easier not to do that as he was getting big. "Are you boys hungry?"

Ian's eyes widened slightly. He confirmed that he was hungry and followed April around as she got the necessary ingredients.

April asked Andy to take Ian into the other room so that she didn't stumble over him. She noticed a bit of mud and shook her head. She wasn't going to fuss at Andy since it was clear that he tried to clean all of it up.

Andy looked out the window of the living room. Stupid Jimmy was outside. He narrowed his eyes and didn't look away when Jimmy looked at him.

Jimmy stuck his tongue out at Andy.

Andy growled and left the window to play with Ian. Ian was getting to be more fun to play with. He could kick a ball and throw. He kind of listened half the time too. A few minutes into playing with cars, Andy heard a thunk against the window. He quickly opened it. "Don't throw stuff!"

Jimmy laughed and aimed a second mudball at the window. Andy disappeared from the window which made Jimmy worry that he was going to come after him.

Andy returned with a smirk. "Yeah, run back home."

April could see Jimmy from one of the kitchen windows and took a deep breath. She heard Andy yell at him to stop being a little bitch and shut the water off to the sink. She walked into the living room and pulled Andy back by the back of his shirt. She opened the front door and told Jimmy to go home and leave the house alone. She shut the window and turned to Andy. "You do not talk like that."

Andy's mouth dropped open. "But mom, Dean says it and he was being a lit-"

April cut him off by swatting him. "I don't care. You aren't Dean and I'm not going to have my boys growing up talking like that." She saw Ian making a run for the kitchen and caught him as he was climbing onto the table. "Oh no you don't. You already snuck candy once today."

Andy looked at the clock. "Maybe he's hungry cuz we didn't have lunch yet."

April took a breath to steady herself. "I am trying to cook. If I didn't have to stop to correct you, maybe we would have food on the table."

Andy traded looks with Ian and carefully pulled his younger brother from the danger zone. He didn't know why she was so upset. He maybe shouldn't have called Jimmy that, but it wasn't like he hit him. He gave his mom a few minutes to recover and decided to talk to her. "Hey, mom?"

April placed potatoes in a pot. "Yes?"

Andy leaned against the doorway. "Why is calling Jimmy that bad if he is one? Is the reason you're so grumpy because you're pregnant?"

April's shoulders shot up to her ears. She didn't turn to look at him right away. She slowly turned around and pulled her phone from her pocket. "Call Dean."

Andy looked worried. "Why?"

April dried her hands on a towel and headed for the stairs. "He taught you to say that so he can deal with you two today."

Andy dialed Dean's number and sighed when he answered.

"Hey." Dean said.

"Hey, um can you come get me?" Andy asked.

Dean had been tuning up the car. "Is everything okay?"

Andy sighed again. "I think my mom is trying to get rid of us for good this time?"

Dean shut the hood. "What did you do?"

Andy explained the situation.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to laugh. "You asked her if she was grumpy because she is pregnant? Oh, buddy. That is the absolute worst thing to ask."

Andy groaned. "How was I supposed to know?"

Dean rubbed his face. "I'll explain all of it when I get there."

Andy got off of the phone to give it back to his mom. "Mama?"

April folded a set of clothes for Ian and placed them in a bag. "Yes?"

"Um, Dean is going to come get us. We will get to come back, right?" Andy asked.

April blew air through her nose and held her arms out for a hug. "Yes. I am just going to have you go hang out with the guys so I can hang out with Jody."

Andy was going to ask if that meant he was right about the grumpiness but somewhere, some part of his brain told him that would be a very bad idea.

Dean picked the boys up and checked on April. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. "I don't think Andy knows what he did wrong."

April tossed Dean Ian's shoes. "Sometimes, when he opens his mouth, all I hear is you and you have until the end of the day to fix that."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to do that?"

April shrugged and slid a pair of sunglasses onto her head. "I don't know. I'm going to meet up with Jody and go get a massage. I'm assuming that I can trust you and Taylor to keep those two straight."

"Are we going to have lunch?" Andy asked as he looked up at Dean.

Dean snorted. "Sure thing. Then, for dinner, you can have all the sugar that you want."

April eyed Dean. "If you sugar them up, they are staying the night with you."

Andy grinned and looked back to Dean.

Dean fist bumped him. "We will talk in the car." He carried Ian under one arm and his car seat under the other arm. He let Ian stand in the seat because he knew better than to let him down on the ground.

Andy groaned when Jimmy showed up outside.

Dean looked from Andy to where Andy's eyes were fixed. He closed the door on Ian's side of the car and put a hand on Andy's shoulder. He walked him around to the trunk of the car and pulled a rifle from where it was stowed. He stepped back so that Jimmy could partially see him and acted like he was loading the gun.

Andy saw Jimmy's eyes grow wide and grinned at Dean.

Dean put the gun back and smirked. He started the car and got Andy into the car. He saw the front door open and gave April a sheepish grin.

April locked the door and approached Dean. "You can't threaten Jimmy with a gun."

Dean acted as though he didn't know what she was talking about. "I was just making sure that it was unloaded."

April scoffed. "Be a good influence today."

Dean chuckled. "I'll talk to Andy about his word choices. I'd hate for the little guy to get into trouble over something I said."

April backed up so that he could leave. Dean taught the boys bad things like swear words, but he also taught them good things. She would not have told Andy to call him if she doubted him for a second.

"Look at you." Jody said as she pulled into the driveway.

April put a hand on her stomach. "I'm huge."

Jody motioned for her to get into the front seat. "You are glowing."

April's lower back was hurting. "I haven't been nauseous."

Jody listened as April talked and quickly covered her mouth to cover the lap that escaped her lips. "Oh, Andy. These boys just do not have common sense."

April let herself laugh too. "Had he not sounded so curious I would have gotten mad at him." She leaned her head back against the head rest. "Five more weeks."

Jody was so excited for her friend. "Marie and Karen have the food covered but I'm going to take care of the clothes and dishes."

April looked confused.

"I'll come over and wash clothes and put them away. Then, I'll take care of dishes. You won't have to worry about cooking, but those casserole dishes take up space." Jody said.

April picked her head up. "Jody, you don't need to do that. I'll be able to do that stuff."

"Nonsense." Jody said. "If I get to hold Lauren while I'm there, that is just a bonus."

April smiled. "Caleb isn't going to leave dishes just for you to do them."

Jody raised both eyebrows. "Oh, I've already had a word with him." She drove to the spa place and got out. "Today you just focus on relaxing."

April rubbed her lower back as she got out. "Dean has the boys. I'm doing nothing but relaxing."

Dean had the boys all of fifteen minutes before Ian decided to kick off. Dean was trying to get lunch for them, and Ian didn't want to stay inside.

Andy tried to keep Ian busy, but he kept trying to run for the door.

Dean pulled Ian back to him and held onto his arm while he ordered food to go. He felt teeth dig into his fingers and crouched down to look at Ian. "If you bite me, we are going to have issues." He was going to enlist Taylor's help as soon as they got to Bobby's house.

Ian allowed Dean to hold his hand until they got back onto the sidewalk. He yanked his arm and broke free to go check out the toys across the road.

Dean sat the food down and grabbed Ian just as he stepped into traffic. His heart was in his throat. He barely got Ian back to where he had left Andy because toddlers were stronger than they looked. He groaned and swatted Ian three times and had Andy help carry food. He hated cracking down on any of the kids, but Ian was little. He got a nasty look from a woman with a young boy and rolled his eyes. He bucked Ian into his seat and took a deep breath before getting into the car as well.

April got a call immediately after that. She assured the woman that the boys had not been kidnapped and they were with a known adult.

Dean got a call from April.

April could hear Ian in the background. "So, one of Andy's classmate's moms claims that she saw you hit Ian."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you mean the spanking he got because he tried to play chicken with oncoming traffic, yeah."

April cringed. "I knew you didn't hit him like she was saying. I just want to know if I need to pick them up."

Dean turned to look at Ian and narrowed his eyes. "No. He and I have come to an understanding."

Ian glared right back at Dean to tell him that, under no circumstances, did he intend to take any part in the understanding that Dean claimed they had.

April apologized and reminded Dean to let her know if they caused too many issues.

Dean shifted the car into reverse and held the phone with his shoulder. "I've got it. I do carry holy water just in case he wants to have another fit."

April gasped. "Dean Winchester."

Dean smirked. "Bobby, Karen and Taylor are home. Between the four of us, I think we can handle him." He got off the phone with her and turned onto the main road to Bobby's house. He caught the glare that Ian still had on his face when he looked into the rearview mirror. He blew air through his nose. Kate was off with John so Ian had to make up for the grief that Dean would be missing in her absence.

(Kate and John)

Kate was enjoying her time with John. She read through her book a few times and bounced ideas off of him. She also got to talk to Jess. She sounded happy with the baby, although he was due to go home in a few days. "Dad, how many grandkids do you think you'll have?"

John slowed his truck. "A few." He turned off the interstate and found a place to walk around for a few minutes.

"I guess it is up to Sam since Taylor and I can't have kids and Dean doesn't want any." Kate said.

John walked around to her side of the truck. "I know that bothers you. You don't have to pretend that it doesn't."

Kate hugged him. "I'd just like to make that choice instead of it being made for me."

John wiped a stray tear. "You could adopt."

Kate smiled softly. "I can also spoil Sam's kids."

John got a message from Lee while they were stopped and responded to him. He furrowed his eyebrows. He was asking about hunters nearby that could help with a vamp hunt. He called and spoke to Lee while Kate was inside the rest area and ran in after he was off the phone.

Kate got back into the truck and tilted her head. John had a weird look on his face.

John rubbed his face out of frustration. "We need to add a day to our trip. Lee found a nest of vamps and needs backup."

Kate shrugged. "Okay."

John turned back to head the opposite way as they had been headed. He had a feeling that Lee would try to take out the nest by himself. He got confirmation of that an hour into the drive.

Kate squeaked and slid on the seat as he whipped around a few cars. She caught her breath and looked up at him. "Do you want me to get us there without getting us killed?"

John shot her a look.

Kate shrunk in the seat. "If it takes too long, I can zap us there."

John got control of his frustration. "I'm going to call him again. I will let you know if I need your help."

Lee got the call from John. He just had a narrow window of time. He could wipe out the nest before anyone else got hurt or killed. He tracked them down and had a good idea of how to get the drop on them. His only issue was Krissy. He parked his car down the road from the nest and told Krissy to stay put. He was just going to get a closer look and then return to the car.

Krissy waited and waited. She perked up when her dad finally showed up again. "Can we go now?"

Lee fumbled around in the toolbox. "No. I'm going to go back. You have to stay here. Do not leave the car. You have everything you need."

Krissy frowned. "I don't want to stay alone."

Lee held her at arm's length. "Krissy, this is important. I'll be back in just a little bit. Now, do not leave the car, do you understand me?"

Krissy sniffled and nodded her head. "Yes, daddy." She watched as he walked through a set of trees. It was daytime but the clouds made everything seem spooky. She colored and played with her dolls. She saw some squirrels running around and they reminded her of the bunnies. She waited until she felt like it had been too long. She kept getting scared by the wind and just wanted her dad. She carefully put her shoes on the right feet, the way that Marie had taught her. She slipped out of the car and thought to grab her jacket. It was too cold for her dad to be gone that long. She stepped into the same trees that he had and looked around. Which way did he go?

Kate was growing antsy. She didn't know why. Part of her knew why. Had John not driven like a bat out of hell, she would have insisted that she zap them there.

John saw Lee's car and parked next to it. "Dammit."

Kate saw the door hadn't been closed all the way and Krissy wasn't there. "I'll find her."

John motioned to the map. "Lee headed to that barn."

Kate walked behind John, begging Krissy to make a sound so that they knew where she was.

Lee was able to get rid of two vamps before alerting any of the others. Another jumped him but he got it pinned to the floor and beheaded before it did any damage to him. He was overwhelmed and kicking himself for heading in alone. He got rushed by a fourth and swung his knife but didn't make contact with it. He saw another one and lost control of his knife for a few seconds. He felt his body being weighed down but managed to swing hard enough to drop one of them. He saw Krissy's face and then heard an earsplitting scream. He couldn't reach her though; he was already pinned.

John moved faster than he thought possible. He was inside the house and pulling Krissy to him before he fully registered what was happening. He tried to hand her to Kate but couldn't. He swung his machete and dropped a vamp.

Kate shot another with a vamp killing bullet and dropped him too.

The last one had Lee in its grip but was thrown off of him by a blast from Kate's hand. John ended the last one and the house was still. He still had Krissy attached to him and she was still screaming. He dropped the knife and got a look at her. Her face was covered in blood. He stepped out of the house. She looked to be okay. He rubbed her back and tried to get her to take a breath. "It's okay. It's all over."

Kate checked on Lee while John was doing his best to calm Krissy. Lee was exhausted and probably had a broken arm.

Krissy stopped screaming but started crying and wouldn't let go of John.

John sat down on the steps and waited for Kate. He got confirmation and spoke softly to Krissy. "Your dad is okay."

Krissy still had a grip on John but slowly calmed down. She saw her dad's shoes and peaked around John's arm.

John stood up and expected Krissy to let go of him.

Krissy shifted enough to look at her dad. She frowned and asked if he was okay.

Lee tried to touch her face. "I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Krissy pulled her head back. "You left me!"

Lee tried to apologize to her, but she had already turned her face away from him.

John moved his jacket to shield Krissy from the inside of the house and made sure that all vamps were dead. He growled and tilted his head for Kate to get a look at one of the vampires.

Kate's eyes widened.

John talked Krissy into letting go of him. "Kate is going to help you wash your face and hands."

Krissy took Kate's hand and slowly walked her to the bathroom. She heard footsteps and quickly covered Krissy's ears. She compelled her to tune out what was being said and sat her on the counter to clean her off.

John grabbed Lee by the shirt and dragged him over to the vampire's head. "You see that?"

Lee winced.

John pointed to the unmistakable signs that told them that at least one of the vampires had run into a freak. "That stuff spreads. Those freaks that have been killing hunters... this is how they start out."

Lee's stomach was in his throat.

"You could have waited for backup." John said through gritted teeth.

Kate winced as John's voice raised. She had made him mad a few times. Hell, she had pissed him off. Not like that though. He never spoke to them like that. She contemplated telling him that Lee's arm was already broken, just in case he got the urge to break it for him. She heard a sound in the distance and looked out the window. She swore quietly and wrapped a dry towel around Krissy. She tiptoed into the room that John and Lee were in and waited for John to look at her. She flicked her eyes toward the back of the house and looked down at the floor where vamps had been scattered.

John looked over her head and also swore, although not quietly. He grabbed Lee's knife and shoved Lee through the door. He took Krissy from Kate and got them all back out to the road.

Lee was told to get into his car and drive to his motel room.

John and the girls followed.

Kate sat in the back with Krissy. She soothed her and sighed when she fell asleep from exhaustion. "Dad?"

John acknowledged her.

"I heard everything you said." Kate said.

John furrowed his brows. "And?"

"I just think what I said before we left Bobby's wasn't all that bad." Kate said. She smiled when the corner of his eye crinkled. She looked out the window. "We've been driving a whole ten minutes and I haven't even mentioned the freak stuff."

John met eyes with her through the mirror. "Sometimes, I think you are like Sam. Then, other times I think you are more like Dean."

Kate tilted her head. "How's that?"

John smirked. "You don't know when to hush." He was calm once they got to the motel. He still had a lot to say to Lee, but the ordeal was bound to be a wakeup call. He looked at Lee's arm and agreed with Kate's observation about it being broken. He didn't want Kate to heal him though. He thought it was best that Lee healed naturally since it was his own stupidity that caused the break. He also thought that Lee needed to take time off and being down with a nasty break would force him to do just that.

Lee showered and changed before he went to a clinic to get his arm casted. He apologized and thanked John for getting there when he did. Krissy was sleeping so he begrudgingly left her with John and Kate.

Kate looked through Krissy's bag and found a clean outfit. She ran a warm bath and gently woke Krissy up.

Krissy looked around the room and started crying.

John sat down on the bed beside her. "Your dad is just going to go get a cast on his arm. It's okay."

Krissy's bottom lip wobbled.

Kate touched her arm and gently compelled her to get a bath.

Krissy was so tired and sad that she didn't fight the bath. She even let Kate wash her hair without a fuss.

Kate got a chance to read Krissy while she was helping her. She saw that Krissy left the car and wandered around in the woods. She saw that Krissy got scared by someone or something in the woods. She also saw Krissy enter the house and witness her dad getting attacked by vampires. The blood that had covered Krissy's face was due to where she was standing when one of them went down.

Krissy shuffled out to the room and shivered. The heater was on, so she decided to sit next to that.

John made sure that he didn't have blood on him and called Bobby to keep him in the loop. When he walked back into the main room, he spoke to Kate in a hushed tone.

The heater groaned and clicked a few times since it was old. Krissy got startled and ran to John.

John told her it was just the heater. He sat back down on the bed and let her climb into his lap. He studied her for a moment and considered what to say. "Did something cause you to leave the car?"

Krissy sniffled. "I got scared."

John had that conversation with most of the kids he spent any sort of time with. He went through it with all four of his kids and Andy as well. He saw the fear and worry on her face and understood why she felt like she needed to leave the car. She was just vulnerable, and his heart stopped when she screamed before they made it into the house. Lee would want to have a word with her about staying put but John didn't want him to focus on that. He made a dumb choice as an adult. In retrospect, John realized he made that same choice many times. The difference was that he trusted the boys to stay where he left them. Lee knew Krissy was out of practice and not likely to follow an order. Dean was older when he was left with Sam. That didn't excuse John but did make him compare the boys to Krissy.

Kate watched John. He was deep in thought. She could almost see each emotion as he processed it. If Krissy was any other kid, would he have given her the gruff speech about not leaving a safe spot? Was he just biting his tongue because he wasn't responsible for her? No, that wasn't it. He had a very short list of subjects that he was not likely to bite his tongue on.

John thought through what Kate saw when she read Krissy. If Krissy had stayed and Lee had died, how long would it have been until someone found her? What if a vampire had found her instead? "Does your dad have a plan for you that you are supposed to follow?"

Krissy looked up at him. "A plan?"

"My kids have phones so that they can contact someone if I get hurt or go missing. When Sam and Dean were little, I gave them a set time they were supposed to wait before calling someone like Bobby." John said. They were usually left in a motel room, not on the side of the road.

Krissy shook her head.

"I will help him figure something like that out." John said.

Kate had a few ideas and wrote them down on a sheet of paper. She couldn't say them out loud with Krissy there. When she and Jess had brainstormed about having a safe place for hunters' kids to go, they talked about transport. Kate could zap people in and out of places. She didn't have perfect control over it, but it was still an option. If Krissy had a way to contact her, she could at least hear her. If there was an emergency, she could pull her to safety.

John read the paper and handed it back to Kate. He would talk to her about it in private. If Krissy knew she could just talk to Kate in her head, she would want to know how. She would ask questions. Lee would ask questions. Castiel was fighting his own battles in heaven. They couldn't call on him constantly. Kate wrote a note about creating a pendant that would work as a placebo. Lee may question a pendant, but it was easier to explain away. Maybe that was something that older Kate had information on.

Krissy had a bit of a grudge against John since he raised his voice that one time when she had to ride to Sioux Falls with him. He was kind of big and scary. He did save her from the vampires though. He wasn't so big and scary at that moment. He was nice and she liked the band on his watch. Her heart was still very scared when sounds drifted in from the outside or if the heater clicked. He felt safe. She could go back to being mad at him when her heart was a little more brave.

(Sioux Falls)

Dean kept a close eye on Ian since the kid wanted to act up. He did get him to stay calm and spin on the tire swing for a few minutes. He was happily the cool uncle figure in the boys' lives. He didn't like having to correct them. So, if Ian was compliant and not trying to get ran over, Dean was content.

Karen and Bobby helped entertain the boys and Taylor showed Andy a few things in the shop.

Andy loved spending time with them. He learned new things and got more attention.

Ian was full throttle and running around looking for things to get into. He liked being chased and giggled wildly when Dean stomped like a dinosaur before chasing him. That was their game.

Karen started making dinner as the day progressed. Hopefully, she could get both boys fed and the guys could get them good and tired before they went back home. She pulled bread from the oven and gasped as she almost dropped the entire pan.

Ian reached for the pan because he was hungry.

Karen lifted it out of his reach. "Wait, it is way too hot."

Ian whined and followed her as she moved to the table. He tried to grab the pan again and got pulled from the chair by Bobby. That reminded him that he was not on board with cooperating.

Dean let his head fall back as he looked at the ceiling. "Great."

Taylor sat his shoes by the door. "I guess he is grumpy again."

Karen broke off a piece of bread and blew on it to cool it down. She handed it to Ian and finished cooking their meal.

Ian saw something else he wanted and tried to grab that as well. He shrieked and stomped his feet when Bobby didn't let him.

Bobby handed Ian off to Dean as his patience was worn thin.

Dean felt like he was on a boat, or the floor was uneven. He was standing still but the nerves in his legs were firing as though he was walking. It got worse as Ian got angrier.

Taylor shot Dean a look. He motioned to the air around him and flicked his eyes to a lamp that was on Bobby's desk.

Dean snapped his fingers in front of Ian's face. "Hey, stop that."

Ian went limp but stopped crying. He pointed to the kitchen and whined at Dean.

"We are going to eat. Karen is almost done." Dean said. He stepped outside with Ian to distract him. He felt his legs tingle and gave Ian a stern look. "Do I need to pop you again?"

Ian frowned and shook his head.

Dean narrowed his eyes. Ian understood far more than he let on. "Food is almost done. We are supposed to be hanging out and having a nice evening."

Ian looked back to the house.

Dean shook his head. "Not until you cool it."

Ian snapped his head up as a flowerpot moved. He smiled and clapped excitedly. "Kitty."

Dean looked up too. "Liam." He was grateful for the fluffball due to the distraction. He got Liam out of the flowerpot and let Ian pet him.

Ian was used to Riot. He was soft but licked a lot. The cats didn't do that.

Taylor tapped on the window to let Dean know that he could bring Ian back inside. He could still feel a sort of static in the air.

Ian managed to stay cool and calm until he was done eating. He wanted the treats that he saw earlier. He was devastated when they wouldn't let him have one.

Karen tried to explain that the mini cheesecakes needed to set before they could eat them. There was no way to explain that in terms that Ian could understand or accept.

Taylor imagined that he was enveloping Ian in a bubble. It was the same process that he used to cover the grenade so that it didn't explode.

Dean felt a pit in his stomach. Was the bracelet growing weaker or was Ian growing stronger?

Andy was a little worried too. He didn't want Ian to get into big trouble. The escape attempt at the restaurant broke his heart as a big brother.

Ian felt trapped and got even more upset.

Taylor let the shield down because it was just making the situation worse.

Ian sat down in the floor and tried to pull his bracelet from his ankle. He kicked his feet when the link didn't break.

Dean stood him up. Was it burning him? There were no marks aside from a small one from where the chain had been pulled against the skin.

Ian ran over to Andy's chair and shook his arm. "Off."

Andy's face turned red.

Ian shook his arm again. "Bubba off."

Andy panicked. He couldn't take the bracelet off for Ian. They'd be so mad. He only did it once... okay, twice. The second time was for 2 seconds though. He stammered and tried to play it off.

Karen gently took Ian's hand. "Andy can't help you. He knows not to do that. Now you can stop the tears and tantrums. If you want dessert, you have to wait patiently."

Ian melted and reached for Karen so that she would pick him up. He rubbed his eyes and sniffled.

Karen rubbed his back. He was tired. She had Bobby take him because he still had the easiest time getting Ian to nap.

Everyone relaxed once his eyes were closed. The adults talked about the abilities and bracelet.

Andy kept his mouth tightly shut. He should really just confess. No, that would be pointless. He just wouldn't do it again. Ian would forget about it eventually.

(John and Kate)

Krissy wanted to color but didn't want to leave her safe spot. She got pens from Kate so that it was easier to color without putting pressure on the pages. She strayed from the coloring book and drew a few dots on her arm. She looked at John's arm. He was reading something. She looked at his face and back to his arm.

Kate was texting Jess about Jacob and enjoying a calm moment before the storm returned. Krissy was calm but would probably get scared again when Lee got back. She craned her neck to get a better look at what Krissy was doing. She caught John's gaze and raised an eyebrow.

John glanced at his arm. He was fully aware that Krissy was decorating his forearm with what he thought were flowers. There was a happy little sun. That part was clear.

Kate covered her mouth to hide a grin. She was going to reach for her camera but the glare she got made her stop. No one would believe her if she didn't document the colorful tattoos creeping up John's arm. She would plead her case before he washed it off. If he tried to play it off, she would just compel him to let her take a photo. She would risk her hide for evidence. He would claim that he was just appeasing her to keep her mind off the vampires. That was partially true. Pamela claimed that John was a teddy bear, although most people would disagree. Kate saw bits and pieces of his softer side as time slipped by. She was largely to blame for that. She wondered if young John was like Dean currently was. Dean pretended to be gruff but told her bedtime stories when she couldn't sleep. Was that how John was before Mary died?

John's nose flared. He couldn't hear Kate's thoughts but had an idea of what was going through her head. "Don't start."

Kate grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "You were the one that said I don't know when to hush."

John flicked her leg. "I'm telling you now to hush."

Kate rubbed her leg. "Hey, Krissy, do you want me to take a photo so you can remember your drawing?"

John had to give Kate credit for the loophole she found. "One."

Kate tilted her head. "Are you keeping score or saying one photo?"

John gave her a small smile. "Both."