Dillon wasn't sure what time it was. He had woken to faint sounds outside the door and he was on high alert. There was a slight glow at the bottom of the door from a nightlight in the hallway. He remembered where he was. He was at someone's house that he didn't really know. He saw that his mom was still sleeping and could hear Zachary beside him. He crawled closer to the door as he heard a rhythmic scratching against the floor. He watched something slide under the door and stared at it for a moment. He went to his bag for a small flashlight and illuminated the object on the floor. He relaxed. It was a note that asked if they were awake.

Andy sat back as the bedroom door opened.

Dillon gently shook Zachary and motioned for him to follow him. "Is something going on?"

Andy stood up. "No. I didn't know if you were awake and didn't want you to have to stay quiet."

Zachary padded down the stairs after Andy.

Dillon checked on his mom before shutting the door and following the two younger boys.

They gathered in the room that was designated for the kids. It was just Andy, Ian, Dillon and Zachary as Krissy had not gotten up yet. There was a plate with cookies that Ian immediately reached for.

Dillon read what Marie had written. The cookies were meant for them to snack on until the adults got up. That was pretty cool. He bit into one and chewed slowly. There was some kind of vegetable in it to please the adults but they tasted really good.

Andy pulled a box into the middle of the room. It also had a note on it. It was a kit to make a tower that marbles could roll down. It was meant to keep them entertained so that they didn't wake up everybody.

Dillon helped Andy sort the pieces and come up with a plan. Ian wasn't exactly helpful but they managed to build a tower with tubes and loops. His teacher had one of the tower sets in the class room when he was in 3rd grade. It brought back good memories. He was still aware of every noise in the house and tensed as a door opened. He heard footsteps. They were heavy so it had to be an adult. He saw John as he made it to the bottom of the stairs.

John noticed Dillon and gave him a slight nod to acknowledge him. He could tell his presence made the kid a little uncomfortable. He started a pot of coffee and sat down to enjoy a cup before things got hectic.

Ian didn't pay much attention to the amount of sound he made. He ran to John and loudly announced he wanted a snack. He was given a banana and that appeased him for a short while.

Andy told John to come look at their tower.

He carried his coffee and took a peak into the other room. He told them it was nice and watched the marbles go down. "How long have you been up?"

Andy shrugged. "Maybe not so long."

"I'm going to step outside to make a phone call." John said. He wouldn't normally announce what he was doing but Dillon was skeptical. Everything was silent outside. It had snowed again so any sound there might have been was dampened by the new powder. The dogs were either asleep or patrolling quietly. The air was crisp. It was a good morning to let the cool breeze wake him up.

Andy was still working on his observation skills but he did catch the look on Dillon's face. "He is nice. He is just big."

Dillon sat down on a bench. "Yeah?"

"Everyone is nice here. Well, not Krissy. She's kind of mean." Andy said. "You don't have to worry."

"I'm just cautious." Dillon said.

"That's cool. You can be cautious." Andy said. He gave Dillon a small smile and went back to the marble track.

Dean rolled out of bed and stopped by Taylor's mattress. He smirked and flicked him in the ear.

Taylor rolled over. "Jerk."

"You were already awake." Dean said.

"I'm enjoying my peace and quiet." Taylor grumbled.

Dean left him alone and got a quick shower before going downstairs. He stopped to talk to Andy and asked if anyone else was awake. Of course, John was. "Where is he?"

"Outside." Andy said. He was crouched on the floor trying to fix part of the track but swept his left leg to catch Dean off guard. He quickly wound up on his back looking up at the ceiling.

Dillon jumped.

"You've got to be less obvious." Dean said, helping Andy up. He ruffled Andy's hair and pointed out how he knew what Andy was about to do.

Andy gave Dillon a grin. "He's really good at this stuff and I want to catch him off guard."

"So far he has failed." Dean said, lightly nudging Andy. He wasn't sure why he had been the one to constantly get attacked by the kids but he was amused. Taylor and Kate did manage to stun him sometimes but Andy and Ian had not learned that level of stealth yet. He heard John coming back inside so he went to speak to him.

Andy sat back down to fix the track. "One day I'm going to be a really good fighter."

Dillon knew a little about that kind of stuff because his dad taught him. "Why?"

Andy thought about it. "Why not? My dad won't let me hunt but some skills are good to know. Besides, it is fun."

Dillon was starting to understand dynamics. They weren't normal dynamics but he was getting more comfortable. Over an hour, people woke up and were in and out of the kitchen and dining room. He listened intently but didn't get tense again.

John's phone call was to Pastor Jim. In true hunter fashion, the word had been put out and digging had been done to find any shred of Stacy's husband that was still out there. He approached Charlie and asked her to use her computer to collect a few files and photos from Pastor Jim's email. It wasn't much. There was a photo in a newspaper with an article about a family that had been saved by an unknown hero. In the background, they had managed to capture her husband, Peter, standing behind the family as he loaded his car. Another item was just a letter from a hunter that had hunted with him. He gave the printed papers to Marie and let her handle that conversation.

Stacy was shocked to see a new photo of Peter. She read the letter and felt tears welling in her eyes. That was the best gift she could have gotten. She knew the other kids would start opening gifts and things would get busy. She wanted to talk to Dillon before the festivities began. She showed him the new information and presented him with a bag that held the hat.

Dillon opened the bag and looked confused. He removed a tattered hat from the tissue paper and held it up. He studied it. "Is this…. Is this dad's hat?"

Stacy reached for his hand and squeezed it. "No. I am sorry. He was wearing his at the funeral. I showed Marie a photo and she made that."

Dillon slowly turned it in his hand. It looked the same. "How?"

"I don't know. She said she could embroider it but I didn't expect it to look so similar." Stacy admitted.

Dillon ran his fingers around the edge of the bill where the fabric was faded and frayed. He didn't know how she would have made it like that. He looked from his mom to the hat.

Stacy hugged him. He wasn't big on showing emotion and she knew that. "Try it on."

Dillon put it on his head and got up to look at the small mirror in the room. He had been told he looked like a younger version of his dad but he really saw it at that moment. He turned to Stacy and gave her a big hug.

"I don't want to make you sad. She offered and I thought you would like it." Stacy said.

Dillon swallowed hard. "I love it, mom. I really do." He found Marie in the kitchen and gave her a hug as well.

Marie wasn't expecting the hug but appreciated it. She smiled. "I see that it fits."

Zachary gasped. "Is that dad's hat?"

"No." Marie said. "It is just a replica."

Zachary was wide eyed. "I want one!"

Marie told him that she would make one for him as soon as she could. Her heart was overflowing.

Andy saw Bobby sitting down with his coffee. He put his hand on the top of Bobby's head where his own ball cap was situated as it always was. "I don't think you could make one like Bobby's."

Marie's eyes twinkled. "You don't think so?"

"You could run over it a bunch of times with a car." Andy said. He jumped back before Bobby could poke him.

"Boy." Bobby scolded light heartedly.

Kate laughed. "I think we have passed the torch onto Andy."

"The day you or Taylor stop tormenting me, hell will freeze over. There is just three of you now." Bobby grumbled.

Kate kissed the side of his cheek. "We just love you and that's why."

Bobby snorted.

Andy looked at the Christmas tree and pulled on Caleb's arm. "Can we open gifts now?"

Marie heard him and asked him to round up the other kids.

Zachary was shocked that they had gifts for him. He sat down next to Andy and opened the box he was given. It was a set of action figures. He smiled brightly and said thank you.

Each gift was quickly unwrapped and happy kids scattered to request batteries and tools to remove toys from boxes.

Marie got Taylor to help her remove a large box from atop a shelf in their storage room.

Taylor opened it when she told him to. He rubbed his hands together. "How long have you had these?"

"A friend gave them to us. I thought this might be a fun activity for the older ones." Marie said.

Dean had his back to the hallway as he was talking to John. He flinched and rubbed the back of his neck where something hit him. He whirled around but didn't see anything. He looked around him and nothing was out of place.

John didn't tell him that he saw what hit him and saw where it went.

It happened again but Dean was quicker to react. He saw Ian grab something from the floor and crouched down. He saw two foam bullets in Ian's clinched fist. He slowly stood up and did a quick inventory of who was in the room. "Taylor!"

Taylor appeared in the hallway. "Yeah?"

"Don't yeah me." Dean said. He rounded the couch and backed Taylor into the room he was beside. "What the-" He laughed. "Nerf guns?"

Taylor nodded. "Someone gave them to us. I was just testing how powerful they were."

Dean picked up one and shot Taylor in the forehead. It was a smaller one and didn't do much aside from thump Taylor.

Marie had biscuit dough on her hands but walked into the hallway. "You better not start a war right now. Those are for later."

Sam looked at what Dean and Taylor were doing. He suddenly remembered being a lot younger and Dean convincing him to tie dental floss to his tooth and the other end to a nerf bullet. Dean then fired the toy gun and it pulled the tooth out and sent it flying across the room. "Got any loose teeth?"

Dean cracked his knuckles. "Andy might."

Pamela helped Karen and Marie but wasn't as good in the kitchen as the other two women were. She was alright with that. She typically only cooked for herself. She watched people as they interacted. Dillon had settled and talked freely with Taylor and Kate. Sam, Dean and Caleb were in the throws of a conversation that light hearted as the auras around them were light. Jess was giving off a warm yellow aura as she held baby Lauren. Bobby and John were relaxed. Everyone was comfortable.

Krissy skipped over to Zachary and Andy. She had a brand-new dress and a tiara on her head. She asked what they were doing.

Andy motioned to the tray with two spinning tops whirling around. They clashed together and one fell out of the tray. "Beyblades."

Krissy knelt down beside them. "This looks boring."

"You are boring." Andy said.

"Andy." Caleb scolded.

Andy sighed. "Sorry. It isn't boring. You get them to spin and then they fight." He wondered if dads got better at hearing after they became dads. He knew John had skills but he was pretty sure his dad was catching up with him.

Krissy watched them until James' family arrived. She liked playing with the twins.

With snow boots and jackets on, the kids filed outside to burn energy and enjoy each other's company.

The volume level in the house dropped dramatically.

Jess was smitten with Lauren just as she was smitten with Jacob. She sat beside Sam and held a sleeping Lauren in her arms.

Sam hovered his hand above Lauren. "She is barely bigger than my hand."

Jess smiled. Lauren was exceptionally tiny but completely perfect. She felt a twinge of sadness that Jacob wasn't there. Would they celebrate Christmas? She didn't need to worry about that. Jacob was too little to remember something like that. He would be okay.

Kate had a new rabbit hole to go down with Charlie. She followed Charlie out of the main room and took up a spot on Charlie's bed. Shreds of truth built the frame work for mythology. They just had to pick out which shreds were truth and which were myths. They knew Abaddon was a special kind of demon.

Charlie typed Abaddon's name into the search bar. She found traces of the name in Hebrew, Christian, Greek and other texts. One said that Abaddon was a place while others an entity. "Place of destruction. Angel of the bottomless pit." Charlie said. "All of this says 'he' which is to be expected because all of this is antiquated."

"Cas told us that angels don't really have a gender. They just manifest as the vessel they chose." Kate said. She got up to read over Charlie's shoulder. "We will have to look into each story. Maybe they don't agree on who or what she is but they all agree that she is bad news."

"With all the creatures out there, there has to be one that is like the Bobby of the supernatural." Charlie said.

"Bobby is the Bobby of the supernatural." Kate said.

Charlie pictured a disgruntled crypted whose gauntlet of blood bubbled at all times of the day and night.

Kate saw the thought and laughed. "Maybe if creatures worked together." That did open up some new questions. A vamp and a demon had worked together to kidnap Hannah. She could see a lamia working with another creature since one worked with John. Was there a network? Did some creatures have a vendetta against other ones? What if the creatures knew more than they did about the freaks? They needed to talk to some creatures. Matt the vampire only knew as much as what was happening where he lived. In that sense, vamps were like humans. Just because they were a vampire, didn't mean they knew all other vampires.

Krissy opened Charlie's door. "Nana said it is time to come downstairs."

Charlie made a few notes before shutting the computer down. She and Kate could spend days brainstorming but it probably wasn't the day for that type of stuff.

(Later in the day)

The kids built an army of snowmen and wore out patches of ground from making snow angels. The nerf guns were brought into the mix and entertained the boys more than the girls.

Dean and Sam stepped outside when John did. It was too nice of a day not to get some fresh air.

Sam was a scrawny kid. He had grown into himself as he hit adulthood but Dean was used to him being somewhat of a twig. Due to a smart remark on Sam's part, Dean hit him, playfully, in the stomach. His hand hit solid rock. "What the hell?"

Sam laughed. "Jess and I have been going to the gym." He flexed his arm to show that he had put on a decent amount of muscle.

Dean looked at John. "I tried for 18 years to get him in shape and suddenly he wants to hit the gym."

"Jess is more convincing than you are." Sam countered. "She has nervous energy and it is good for both of us. It is healthy but it also gives me peace of mind that she is stronger than she looks."

"You might stand a chance now." Dean said.

"I've got height on you." Sam reminded Dean. "You'll have to stick to beating up the kids."

"They hold back." John commented.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, they are going to beat me with their abilities. Without them they are not so tough." He got hit in the neck by a foam bullet and locked eyes with Andy. "You could have hit me in the eye."

"I wasn't aiming at your eye." Andy said. He took off sprinting away as Dean stepped off of the porch.

Dean had Sam throw him the nerf gun that was left on the porch. He aimed and caught Andy in the arm.

Andy heard the bullet strike him although he couldn't feel it. He went in for another shot and tripped over Riot. His gun bounced away from him and was confiscated before he could retrieve it. He rolled out of the line of fire and ducked behind a car.

Dean left the gun where it was but waited for Andy to go after it.

The yard was quiet for a few seconds. The kids were planning on how to get the gun back.

John and Sam sat in the chairs on the porch. They were entertained to just watch the action.

Dean thwarted all retrieval attempts. He was quick and the kids weren't as sneaky as they assumed they were. He chatted with his dad and brother but didn't take his eyes off of the gun. It looked like the kids were getting tired of trying to grab it but he didn't trust them. They could have the gun if they wanted it but it wasn't often that he got to target practice on the kids.

April opened the door. "Are you shooting the kids?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "I am teaching them survival skills." He shot Caroline as she darted toward Caleb's truck. "Zig zag at least!"

April shook her head. "They don't need to know those survival skills." She left Dean to his game. Her boys were entertained and not trying to zap themselves with the fence.

Krissy fell and started crying loudly. She limped around and Andy helped her onto the porch.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

Andy said that Krissy was running and tripped.

Krissy held up her knee and sniffled.

Dean sighed and opened the door to let her inside.

When Dean turned back around, the gun in the middle of the yard was gone and Andy had jumped over the railing and made it to the safety of cover. "Hey!" He whipped his head around. "Krissy!"

Krissy was on the other side of the glass door and quickly locked it.

Dean narrowed his eyes. They played him. He got hit with another foam bullet and took note of where it came from. Damn kids learned quickly. "Neither of you were going to warn me?"

John gave him a slight smile. "They had a plan and worked together. I'm not going to ruin that for them."

Dean shook his head. "I expected a distraction but that sounded real." Krissy's tears were real. She was flushed and visibly upset. That all went away the moment he turned around. They had each found their skillset. Zachary and Andy were going to be trouble in the future if they hung out often enough. Luckily, that was Caleb's problem and not his own.

Dillon followed Taylor and Kate past the tree line. He was okay leaving Zachary back at the house. It took some deep thought but he finally relented.

Taylor had his bow on his back and walked down an all too familiar trail. It was covered with snow but he knew the way by heart. He opened a gate and waited for the other two to walk through. He latched it behind them and paused to let the dogs catch up. He was surprised they had made it that far without an entourage.

Dillon looked out through the trees. He could see the edges of the creek where water was frozen in time.

"You can target practice at the house but it is cooler out here." Taylor said. He pointed to another set of fence rails.

Dillon walked over and looked down. It was a decent drop.

Taylor set his bow and sent an arrow over the creek, into the side of a tree.

Dillon was wide eyed. "Whoa."

Kate leaned against the railing. "Show off."

Taylor fired off a few more arrows and hit his target every time. "Want to try?"

Dillon nodded. He had never used a bow and it took more strength than he was expecting.

Taylor gave him tips and told him it was okay that the first arrow landed on the ice.

"How do you get them back?" Dillon asked.

Taylor hopped over the fence. "I'll bring them."

Dillon shot Kate a look. "Isn't that slick?"

Kate shrugged. "If he falls he will be fine."

Taylor worked his way down the edge of the drop off until he reached a place that it wasn't too steep. He jumped from the ground onto a tree that had grown sideways. He lowered himself onto the ice and shuffled over to the opposite edge of the stream. He felt around until he found a good root and hoisted himself up the over edge. He removed the arrows from the tree and grabbed the one that Dillon had missed with. His foot went through the ice on his way back. It was shallow and did little more than wet the bottom of his boot.

Dillon gasped but Kate laughed.

Taylor looked up the embankment. "Don't laugh at me."

"Then don't look so funny when you do that." Kate said.

Dillon was torn between having fun and wondering if what they were doing was safe.

"Don't worry. He knows what he is doing. The way he went down is just thin ice over dry ground." Kate said.

Taylor made it up the other side more quickly with Dillon looking away from him. "As much as I'd love to cliff dive, breaking a leg would put a damper on the holiday."

Dillon liked hanging out with them. He didn't worry about Taylor getting the arrows and even managed to hit the tree twice.

On the way back, Kate pushed into Taylor's head. "I'm sorry you are hurting."

Taylor slowed down. Of course, she felt what he felt when the ice broke. It was harmless but the sound triggered that deep memory of drowning beneath a sheet of ice. Her insistent laugh was her attempt at bringing him back to the surface.

Kate was well aware that they were all on thin ice. One sign from Abaddon, one memory of David, one gust of wind and the entire family was going to crumble. She nudged Dillon. "Don't tell anyone about that."

Dillon snapped his head to the side to look at Kate.

She winked at him and jogged ahead to the house.

Taylor stayed back with Dillon. "Maybe hopping across the creek isn't the best idea but she is joking. You haven't been roped into a crime."

"It is hard to tell if she is joking." Dillon admitted.

"Yeah. She hangs out with Dean a lot." Taylor said.

"He seems cool." Dillon said.

"He is." Taylor said. "Most of the time."

Dillon made a comment about hearing that the Winchester family specialized in demons.

"Yeah demons kind of follow us." Taylor said without thinking.

Dillon stopped walking. "They follow you?"

Taylor had gotten so used to his new life that he had forgotten just how strange it was. He could talk about monsters with Dillon but he couldn't talk about anything else. Dillon seemed naïve at that moment. He seemed young. There was only a two year difference but Taylor realized how old he felt. He had a wisdom that he wished he didn't have. Charlie knew everything but she was different. He felt like he was talking to someone who didn't know about the supernatural at all. That wasn't a bad thing. He just felt like he was standing in front of a door with a flood behind it. "Uh, not literally follow." He needed to be more careful with his words.

"Are they as bad as people say?" Dillon asked.

Taylor couldn't tell him about Craig and David. He couldn't tell him about trapping Azazel. "They are strong and can hurt you without touching you." He was uncomfortable. "I assume anything a hunter says about any creature is true. All of it is bad." He heard a loud whistle and quickened his pace.

Dillon ran behind Taylor and reached the fence by the house to see Taylor's grandfather standing behind the gate.

"A tree fell on the shed and I need a few extra hands to move it." Rod said.

Taylor could do that single handed but that would raise questions.

Rod told the guys on the porch the same thing he told Taylor and Dillon.

Dean smirked. "There you go Sam. This is what you've been training for."

Sam grabbed Dean in a headlock and laughed when Dean couldn't immediately break through the hold. "You are getting rusty."

Dean jabbed him in the ribs. He was glad that Sam had taken time to be a little more fit. It kept him safer. Dean would have to outdo him, of course, but motivation was motivation.

Caleb had to keep Ian out of the way so he let some of the other guys help. While Andy was gaining a sense of self preservation, Ian would toddle right into danger without a care in the world.

Dean helped Rod cut up the tree. He saw Dillon watching him and paused. "Do you want to try?"

Dillon got wide eyed. Using a chainsaw was something he had not been able to do yet. Of course, he wanted to try.

Pamela joined John at his truck. He was watching the boys silently. She laced her fingers into his and smiled at the slight squeeze he gave her.

Dean showed Dillon how to avoid cutting off his own leg and let him cut through pieces of the tree.

Taylor and Sam split the wood and tossed it on the growing wood pile.

After the tree was cleared, Rod checked out the inside of the shed. He scooted some stuff around sighed heavily.

Taylor assessed the damage on the outside and got a tarp to cover the cracked roof.

Rod asked Dean to help move a board so that they could clear stuff from where the roof had caved in.

Dean grabbed the board and pulled. It was wedged pretty good so he started to wiggle it. He heard a low growl and paused. He didn't think it could be from the metal creaking but he didn't hear it again so he returned to wiggling the board. This time he heard an unmistakable hiss and stepped back. He asked someone for a flashlight and peered into the area behind the board. He locked eyes with a frightened and very angry mama cat. He slowly backed away. He called Sam over and handed him the flashlight. "You are the cat person. You deal with that."

Sam crouched down to look and laughed. He was not about to stick his hand in there but Dean's reaction was funny.

They couldn't move the rest of the debris until the occupants had vacated.

Kate was requested for the special job. If she got scratched or bit, she would heal but she was soft spoken and could coax the mom out and grab the kittens. She slowly placed a piece of boiled chicken on a box and talked softly to the cat. The cat wasn't feral, just scared. It took a few minutes but she was able to feel around and pull a kitten out. It was tiny but not a newborn. She placed it in a box that Rod had provided. She found a total of five kittens. The mom hopped into the box so she was confident that there were no more left behind.

Rod carried the box to another shed that would be warm and cozy for the kittens.

All of the kids had to see the new kittens and happily played with them while the guys fixed the other shed. It was a welcome surprise.

"I don't know you anymore." Dean said.

Sam snorted. "Now what?"

"Jess changed you." Dean said, jokingly.

"For the best." Sam said.

Dean agreed wholeheartedly but had to give his younger brother a hard time. It was still weird seeing him as an adult, off doing his own thing and becoming his own person. Jess was good for him and for that, Dean was grateful.

The shed was quickly repaired to a point that they could leave it alone for a few days.

Dinner was near so most of the people went back into the house to clean up before the big meal.

Pamela followed John up the steps but lagged behind. She heard a slight scuffle and shook her head. Sam and Dean were still very much brothers.

Dean looked up to acknowledge Pamela and got one last quick jab at Sam.

Sam shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted from foot to foot as the cold set in. He asked Pamela how she was doing and knocked the snow from his shoes.

Pamela studied the two young men for a moment before tilting her head to tell them to come up onto the porch. She had been watching John as the two interacted. Watching him wasn't new. She did that a lot. She had something to say but didn't know how to say it at first. "I was watching your dad when you two were arguing over the cat."

Dean rubbed his hands together. "Second guessing his parenting?"

Pamela smiled. No. "I see auras around people. Everyone has their own hue but that hue can change depending on how that person feels. He is proud of you boys."

Sam looked at her dumbly.

"He has told you that recently but he really is. He was glowing when you were working together. I think it is your relationship that caused it this time but I know him. He has always been proud but he has stopped to think about it more often now." Pamela said. She left them with that bit of information and joined the others inside the crowded house.

Sam and Dean traded surprised looks.

"Here I thought we were just being dumbasses." Dean said.

Sam shrugged. "Apparently he supports that now." He looked up at the sky as a few snow flakes fell. "We blamed Kate for making him change so suddenly. Do we know when he started dating Pamela?"

Dean caught Sam's drift. "Wait, you may be on to something." He knew Kate and Taylor made him change, as it made all of them change. However, Pamela had done her fair share of work on John too. "Kate says that there are alternate timelines. Where do you think we would be had all of this not happened?"

Sam's face fell. "I'd be without Jess eventually."

"I'd go to hell." Dean said. He sighed. "Some days I want to strangle her but we would be in sad shape without her." He smirked and looked at Sam. "Kate, I know you are listening to our conversation."

Sam cracked a smile when Dean got no reply. "If she was, she isn't going to give you the satisfaction of knowing you are right."

Dean got up so that they could go back inside. "Give me some time. I am picking up some of dad's abilities." His stomach growled as he opened the door. Without Taylor, they'd probably be eating hamburgers at Bobby's house for Christmas.

(Dinner)

Andy and Zachary sat together and discussed Transformers and other boy things. Krissy sat between the twins because she was certain that Ben or Ian would run over her again.

Dean walked by the kid's table and lightly messed up Krissy's hair. "Good act, kid."

Krissy grinned. "I had you fooled."

Dean just smiled at her and narrowed his eyes at Andy.

Andy grinned too before returning to his conversation with Zachary.

There were enough 'older kids' to have their own table which was fine by them. Charlie hadn't spoken to Dillon much but tried to make small talk. She was glad that Taylor and Kate were extroverts.

Dillon had started to feel like he was really inexperienced with all of the hunting stuff. He didn't think Taylor and Kate went on a lot of hunts but they knew way more than he did.

Kate could feel Dillon's worry so she slipped in an explanation as to why they seemed more experienced. She said something to Charlie about a lore book and stopped to loop Dillon in. "Bobby has hundreds of lore books. I've read maybe half of them. There isn't much to do in South Dakota."

This eased Dillon's worry. His mom would never let him hunt but he was trying to appear cool to the others.

Charlie said that she liked to read but wanted no part in seeing any of the creatures face to face.

Kate heard a beeping sound coming from Charlie's room. She furrowed her brows and tried to ignore it. Charlie had gotten a response to one of her searches. She couldn't be sure if it was supernatural related. It could be anything. She ignored it but it sat at the edge of her peripherals, annoying her throughout dinner.

Jess had a few things on her mind so she missed bits and pieces of conversation.

Sam squeezed her hand and gave her a subtle look.

That helped Jess focus and participate again.

Sam noted that both Dean and John caught the brief exchange. He flicked his eyes between them and couldn't help but smirk. He tilted his head slightly to the side.

Dean took a few seconds and then sat back with a snort.

John knew the boys had their own form of communication and he could usually decipher it but he was a little lost.

Sam leaned forward to be a little closer to John. "You and Dean had the same look on your face at the same time. Dean said he was picking up some of your abilities. He was right."

Pamela was looking down but smiled. Her actual abilities were not constant. She had to focus. She did catch something between Sam and Dean but it didn't seem serious. She was amused more than anything.

Conversation at the adult table flowed well but was slightly guarded. They would probably be taking digs at each other but Stacy didn't need to know that Dean and Caleb were dumbasses when they were teens. She didn't need to know that Kate and Taylor had abilities. On that note, neither did Lee, James or Desiree.

John did a mental headcount of how many people knew about Taylor and Kate. The list was growing uncomfortably long. He trusted everyone that knew but he didn't feel like he was in control of everything. Throughout life, he had very few people that he could trust. He was suspicious of people and an excellent judge of character. However, the list of people that knew the big secret made him realize that his 'circle' had gotten a lot larger. Caleb's family, Bobby and Karen, Ellen and Jo, Rufus, and even Charlie. He was iffy about Hannah. He knew she wouldn't rat Kate out but she was bound to go down with Kate. He thought that Charlie was timid enough to not jump when Kate did. Kate's demon deal was going too well. That was too easy. He knew it was going to get bad but wanted to know when and how.

(Jo and Ellen)

Jo knew everyone was having a blast at Marie's house but Noah had asked her to go to his house for dinner. She would have other holidays with the family.

Ellen was invited but chose to stay at the Roadhouse. This decision was made partially because Jo would die if her mother followed her to her boyfriends house. The bigger reason was that people needed a warm place to land when their travels brought them through Nebraska. She had kept the Roadhouse open on Christmas for years. It started before Bill passed and it would continue until she did.

Dinner at Noah's house was a typical Christmas dinner. He had siblings and a few had kids. It reminded her a little of Marie's Christmas but on a smaller scale. Noah had told her about a weapon that his dad had. It was on a shelf because it was useless but it looked cool. Of course, Jo wanted to see the weapon. It was an old gun. It had a long barrel and felt heavy in her hands. It was a little awkward to aim.

Noah didn't know much about it. The previous owner died but left the gun in a secure location for Noah's grandfather to find. Since the previous owner was a hunter, they assumed it had something to do with creatures.

Jo thought the bunker would have a book about the gun if Bobby didn't. She'd bring it up when she talked to them.

Ellen served a few hunters that always seemed to show up on any given holiday. She had her regulars. She was back in the kitchen grabbing plates of food when the bell above the door chimed. She noticed a man sitting in a booth but his back was to her. She passed by his table and felt her heart jump into her throat. She took a few seconds to compose herself and slid into the booth opposite the man. "Boy you look like Bill."

Older Taylor took that as a compliment.

"Is there a reason you are trying to scare the life out of me?" Ellen asked since Taylor had been a little mysterious with his entrance.

"I can't really go around showing my face to everyone." Older Taylor said.

Ellen studied him. "No. Anyone who sees you now is going to know you are Bill's son without having to ask."

Taylor scratched his jawline. "It is the scruff, isn't it?"

Ellen thought back to the trimmed beard that Bill always had. Younger Taylor looked like Bill but older Taylor was closer to the age in which she had met Bill. She told a costumer that she would refill their cup in a minute and turned her attention back to Taylor. "I know you don't waltz back here for no reason. So, why are you here."

Older Taylor sat a thin folder on the table and slid it to Ellen. "Some useful information."

Ellen opened the folder. The folder had photocopies of an old journal. She would need better lighting and some time to figure out what the scribbles meant. "You aren't going to tell me what this is?"

"I can't." Taylor explained. "I can't change things. I can just nudge you in the right direction."

"How's Kate?" Ellen asked, surprised that she wasn't the one walking back through time.

Taylor grinned. "Scared of you."

Ellen scoffed. "Scared of me? Why would she be scared of me? Unless….. did she go and do something stupid?"

Taylor tapped the table. "You and dad have the same ability to put the fear of God into people with a look."

Ellen turned that same look on him. "Did she do something stupid?"

"Not this time." Taylor said after searching for the right words. "We've all got a lot of living left to do."

Ellen growled under her breath and yelled across the bar for an impatient man to wait or get his own damn beer.

Older Taylor chuckled a bit but quickly hid it when she looked at him again.

"Is Kate in danger?" Ellen asked.

"No, that is why she sent me here." Taylor said, jokingly. He offered Ellen a sheepish grin and slid down in the seat slightly.

"You had better answer me and don't you dare zap out of here without telling me the truth." Ellen said.

"We have stuff going on in our time. It is complicated. Those papers will help. Kate has some damage control to do and you and dad both see right through her. Call it a guilty conscience." Taylor said. He glanced at the bar. "Hey, how about a beer?"

Ellen eyed him. "Boy you are pressing your luck." She saw a mischievous grin cross his face and, in that moment, he looked identical to Bill. "I know you can't stay long and I'm not giving you alcohol for you to wind up somewhere you don't plan to be."

"I've sworn off the stuff anyway." Taylor said. He stood up to leave since Ellen was right. He couldn't stay long. He had just gotten fond of pushing her buttons over the years. Like John, she was rough on the outside but soft on the inside.

Ellen walked Taylor outside so that he could depart without being seen.

Taylor scanned and knew no one was outside to see him fade away. He learned his lesson with Gordon all those years ago.

Ellen's crooked smile was quickly hidden as she walked back into the Roadhouse. Her nose flared and she shot a death glare at the man that had demanded a beer yet again. She got his drink and reminded him that he was in her bar and she could easily kick him out on his ass. She carried the folder of papers up to where she and Jo shared an apartment. She slipped on a pair of glasses that she pretended she didn't need and got another look at the papers. The journal was worn and old. She assumed that is Taylor didn't just bring the journal itself. She didn't want to take her eyes off the bar for too long so she read the inscription on the front page of the journal and placed the folder in a locked safe in her room. The papers had to be important to prompt a trip back through time.

The inscription gave the name of its owner and a year that had long been forgotten. Samuel Colt 1860.