Author's note: I am trying to find more time to write. I appreciate the messages and reviews. My leg is okay. I'm still in limbo, hoping that I'm actually healing now. We will see.
(Sam's house)
Morning came way too soon. Everyone slept fitfully. The gravity of the previous night weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
Sam rubbed his eyes and stumbled into the kitchen. He nearly ran into Dean.
Dean already had a mug of coffee. He gave Sam a weird look. "You look like a sheep dog."
Sam grumbled and told him to shut up. He poured his own cup of coffee and opened the refrigerator in search of something to eat. They really needed to go get groceries. He shut the door and turned around. "I need groceries."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "If you are wanting me to take you to the store, you could ask politely."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "You just assume I want your help."
Dean rocked back in his chair. "Fine. I'll take you."
Sam smirked. He knew Dean had already made his mind up. Dean couldn't fight the older brother gene that was imbedded into his DNA. Sam was annoyed by it frequently but also benefited from it. He could ask for just about anything and Dean would be there. He'd be a pain in the ass about it but he'd do it.
Jess got out of bed and hissed. She whimpered and sat back down on the bed to look at her foot. It was still healing from catching her toes on the side of the fireplace. She had been running on adrenaline the night before and ignored the pop she felt when she stomped down the sidewalk. A broken toe wasn't the worst thing to experience. As long as she walked carefully, she didn't have issues. That morning though, her foot was swollen and painful. She sighed and put her foot down to test if she could walk on it. She could. It was just sore.
Dean left the kitchen to get a change of clothes out of his bag. He saw Jess limping and gave her an odd look.
Jess stopped. "Don't."
Dean cleared his throat. "Sam, she's injured." He dodged her attempt at slapping him on the arm.
Jess did manage to stomp his foot with her uninjured foot. She lightly shoved him and told him to leave her alone.
Sam found them and asked if she was okay.
"Your brother is an ass." Jess said.
Sam shrugged. "That checks out."
Dean just smirked and continued on his path. He knew Jess wasn't seriously injured and he knew she didn't want a fuss to be made over her foot. She was one of the more difficult people to mess with so he took his chances where he found them. "You might want to carry her. That looks pretty bad."
Jess scoffed. She squeaked and laughed when Sam swept her off her feet. "I can walk!"
Sam ignored her and carried her to the couch. He sat her down and got a good look at her foot. "That looks painful."
Jess said it was okay. "It hurts but I just tweaked it yesterday."
Sam frowned. "I can get you some ice."
"I'm okay, Sam." Jess said.
Sam chewed his cheek. "Dad can look at it. I just don't want it to set badly."
Jess assured him she was fine but didn't argue when he went to find John. She saw Milo batting a rubber band across the floor and leaned down to tap the floor so that he would bring it to her. She scratched his head and let him jump on the couch. She heard Dean and scooted to the other end of the couch to have a better view of the hallway. She looped the rubber band around her pointer finger and thumb.
Dean stepped into the living room and immediately clamped his hand over his neck. "Son of a bitch." He felt a small welt forming on his neck. He looked around and met eyes with Jess.
Jess was too tickled to hide it.
Dean looked down at the floor and saw the band. "Did you shoot me?" He flicked it back at her but with less strength.
Milo jumped and caught the band before it hit Jess.
"I got you help and you shot me." Dean said, jokingly.
"I didn't need your help." Jess reminded him.
Dean rubbed his neck. "Nice shot." He paused. "Unless you were aiming for my face, which is rude."
"No, I was aiming for your neck." Jess said.
John returned with Sam to check on Jess. He felt around the initial break and determined that she hadn't done enough damage to go to a doctor. Those bones were small and easily aggravated. She may have rebroken the toe but the same course of treatment that he previously recommended would work to mend it again. "Elevation and ice."
Jess groaned. "I have classes."
"You can elevate it during class." John said.
Jess sighed. "I guess."
Dean suggested that he and Sam go to the store and bring breakfast back with them. He needed to call Kate as well.
Jess agreed to elevate her foot on the couch while the guys were at the store. She accepted the coffee that Sam brought her and chatted with John for a few minutes after they left. She had gotten better at reading him and enjoyed talking to him. There wasn't anyone in the family that she didn't like. She couldn't say that about her own family. She hadn't spoken to her dad in a long time and avoided her cousin and aunt at all costs. She rarely thought of them.
Dean dialed Kate's number and put her on speaker phone. "I thought I told you not to get involved last night."
Kate gasped. "You can't be mad at me."
"Making me look like a demon. Really?" Dean asked.
"You know what? I know you aren't mad at me. Stop being a grump." Kate said.
Dean dropped the act. "He freaked out and I didn't know why until dad told me about my eyes."
"Dad kicked me out of my scrying session." Kate said.
"You weren't supposed to be scrying." Dean said.
"Okay, let's skip over that. I've added this little incident to the growing list of proof that I have that he is psychsic." Kate said.
Sam spoke up. "Maybe you just subconsciously kick yourself out when you notice he is aware."
"He wouldn't be aware if he wasn't psychic." Kate countered.
"He knew you had to be responsible, or Dean was possessed. Dean handled the warding so that just leaves you." Sam said. "Process of elimination."
"Stop trying to convince me he isn't psychic. It won't work." Kate said. "Pamela may have rubbed off on him."
Sam and Dean traded looks, both having the same thought.
Kate gagged. "Ewww."
"Get out of our heads." Dean said.
"I didn't need to be in your head for that one." Kate said. "Although if you want to go that route, Dean, do you have the urge to reap people?"
Sam laughed. "I'd say your life would be in danger of being reaped if you could see his face."
"Reapers don't kill people, Sam." Kate said.
"I plan on coming home eventually and I do hold a grudge." Dean said. "Just keep being a smart ass."
Kate relented and brought up another subject. "I was doing some thinking yesterday."
Dean groaned. "Why?"
"I was anxious, not knowing what was going to happen." Kate said. "It was Bobby approved thinking."
"Explain." Dean said.
"Not if you are going to be bossy about it." Kate said.
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"
"That takes like five minutes. I am having a conversation with two of my older brothers whom I miss dearly. Surely that overrides a basic public school education. Besides, if I am late, I'll just teleport there." Kate said. She knew that last part would ruffle him.
Dean shook his head. "Just talk."
Kate smiled. "You are smart. You are good at hunting. You have done detective work before and posed as one. I talked to Jodi. You don't need a college education to be a private investigator. You could be hired by the police department as a consultant. Being a P.I. would provide an income and give you a legitimate cover. You could help find normal bad guys but also get paid to hunt. You'd have travel expenses covered and could knock out hunts on your way. Your credentials would be real so you wouldn't have to worry about faking documents."
Dean rubbed his face. "I don't know about that."
"Dad hunts a lot. You don't hunt as much. He wouldn't have time. You do. You can have a foot in both doors. You could pretend you are Magnum P.I." Kate said.
Dean thought about it. It wasn't a bad idea. It was a good cover. "I wouldn't get hired. I don't have any prior experience."
"You have been building experience since you were 4." Kate said. "Jodi and Charlie can help with paperwork. You start the business and then Jodi can give you small cases to build your portfolio."
"Just how much did you talk to Jodi?" Dean asked.
"I have your entire future planned out." Kate said.
Dean blew air through his nose. He couldn't argue that she had a good point. It wouldn't take away from his time hunting. Caleb had a 'regular' job that required him to be in Sioux Falls all week. That worked for him because he had a wife and kids. Dean didn't.
"I am taking the silence as proof that you think it is a good idea." Kate said.
"I'll consider it." Dean said. He smirked. "Go get ready for school. No abilities. Stay out of people's heads and no scrying."
Kate huffed. "You wouldn't know if I was scrying anyway."
"Dad would." Dean said.
"Either he is psychic and would know or he isn't psychic and wouldn't know because I'd be in your head and not in his." Kate said.
"You are right. I'll just have to kick your butt for good measure." Dean said.
"This is the thanks I get for trying to help you. I am not appreciated." Kate said.
"Thank you for the idea. Be good and go to school." Dean said.
Kate paused briefly. "Are you in pain?"
Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "No?"
"Hmm, I just figured that you would be with the effort it took to say thank you." She rolled her eyes when he hung up the phone. "I love you too." She mumbled. She knew Dean was amused. She knew Sam was even more amused. Saving Jess, and future victims, had her on a high. She'd keep it to herself so that Dean didn't get too big of a head but he was easily the coolest person she knew.
(School)
Kate floated through classes. She still wanted to skip a few grades but then she wouldn't have Hannah. Look normal. Act normal. Be normal. She didn't want to wear herself out so she did try to stay mentally at school when she was there. She didn't want to push herself like she did when Dean caught her at the bunker. The scrying session hadn't bothered her, but it was strategic. She didn't want anyone to be mad at her but the opportunity presented itself and she couldn't resist. There would be no redemption for a serial killer so the black eyes wouldn't set him straight. However, it could work on stupid teenagers that committed petty crimes. Just scare the life out of them at 16 and they'd be a respectable member of society. Stupid Logan. She should have pulled that out back then. She needed to check on him. Getting the shit beat out him by a girl, and what ever his dad did, probably scared him straight. She'd check anyway.
Hannah was a little lost that day. She liked the boy she had been talking to but she was on the fence sometimes. She didn't have the childlike, blind trust that people were good. That was stolen away when a vampire kidnapped her.
Kate tapped Hannah. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." Hannah said with a sigh. She tried her best to explain her feelings to Kate but didn't really need to. Kate understood.
"Do you want me to read his intentions?" Kate asked.
"He doesn't go here." Hannah said.
Kate needed to problem solve. Her abilities had their limits. She couldn't read him through text. She had to "know" someone or be close enough to them to see inside their mind.
Hannah had met the boy at one of Ryan's baseball games. They had known each other for a few years but only recently saw each other as someone to potentially date. They were both young though, so maybe dating wasn't the right word. He flattered her. It was fun.
"Will your parents let you see him in person?" Kate asked.
"I don't know. They weren't happy that I was messaging him so much." Hannah said.
Kate had an idea. "We can talk to them. I can read him. If they let you meet him on neutral ground, it will give me a chance to do that. Then, they will know if he is good or not."
Hannah smiled. "Perfect!" She dropped the smile. "If I ever get ungrounded. I used my phone after they took it."
Kate sucked air through her teeth. "Don't let a boy cloud your judgement. We have important things to do."
"Like save the world?" Hannah asked.
Kate studied her fingernails. "Yes, but strategically. That may have to wait until we are older and Abaddon is gone."
"Do you think the world will need to be saved after that?" Hannah asked.
Kate shrugged. "I still have to get rid of the freaks. I don't think Abaddon is the worst we will see."
Hannah blanched. "Why?"
"I think this is all a training exercise. Losing my dad, surviving a hellhound, tricking a demon… that all seems small compared to other things. I can disintegrate hellhounds. I made a deal with a demon. I've gotten exponentially stronger but still have a lot of weaknesses. Older me is stronger. So, I think crap will keep happening, preparing me for the big thing." Kate said.
Hannah didn't like the thought of that. "Maybe Abaddon will go away, we will find a fix for the freaks and you and I can grow up to be happy, normal, adults with boring lives."
"I am either not going to make it to adulthood or will enter adulthood fighting for my life." Kate said.
"Why do you say that?" Hannah asked.
"Adult me wouldn't be traveling back through time to fix things if everything was peachy in the future." Kate said. "I am cursed by an unknown being. Taylor and I aren't even made up of the same molecules that you are. Carbon adjacent, or something. I, more than Taylor, am like a foreign object, waiting for the universe's immune system to kick in and kill me."
Hannah blinked a few times. "So, the depression is back."
"I'm not depressed." Kate said. "I'm being realistic."
"Dark Kate spirals." Hannah reminded her. "I want bright Kate back."
"I'm still here." Kate said, with a brighter tone to her voice.
Hannah didn't think she had stepped away from the doom thoughts. "Right. Everything is fine now."
Kate got up to put her lunch tray away. "For right now, in the next hour, yes, everything is fine."
(Dean and Sam)
Dean followed Sam's directions to a grocery store. He decided to go into the store with Sam because he needed to get a few things for the drive back. Plus, he wanted to spend time with Sam. Needing groceries was just the less fluffy excuse. He asked Sam about how Jess was doing after the guy was caught.
"She is okay. I think she is flip flopping. One minute she is scared. The next minute she feels empowered." Sam said. "Thank you for saving her."
Dean looked away from him, suddenly interested in a bag of chips. "No problem."
"I'm serious. I would be lost if something happened to her. I feel stupid for not keeping a closer eye on things." Sam said.
"You would have stopped him." Dean said.
Sam looked at the list in his hand. Dean would brag about winning a game of poker or being a better fighter. He was humble when it came to the big things. Sam had known Dean as a kid and as a teenager. He grew up with the annoying older brother who glued his hand to cups and rubbed it in his face when he lost a race. Thinking back, Dean downplayed the serious things. He had witnessed a big change in his brother the last few years. It seemed sudden. He had always been that way though. He hid it better. It was under a layer of childish humor and hormones. When Sam was scared, he was there. He might have made a joke to wash the fear away but he also just showed up. Maybe it was the distance that made it all so clear. Maybe it was stepping away from being the younger brother. "Are you going to be a P.I?"
Dean shrugged. "I don't know."
"It is a good opportunity." Sam said.
"I said I'd think about it." Dean said.
"That's why I'm asking." Sam said.
Dean stopped walking. "I don't know. I never really thought about it. I've pretended to be stuff like that. I didn't consider becoming one for real. I hunt monsters."
"It is a good cover." Sam said.
"I just figured I'd hunt full time like dad does." Dean replied. "I don't know."
"Life has taken a turn." Sam said, almost to himself.
"I thought you planned on going to college." Dean said. "From a young age."
"I did. I wanted to get as far away from dad as I could. I wanted to get away from hunting. I actually like being around him now. I miss everyone. Jess doesn't want to stay at Stanford. My entire view changed. I don't need a fancy name on my degree." Sam said.
Dean could understand that. "I'm glad you're going to move back."
"I'll be an hour or two away." Sam said.
"That is better than the drive out here." Dean said. "I could use backup at times."
Sam pulled a face. "With what?"
"Kate and Taylor." Dean said.
"Hell no. Those are your babies. I tapped out." Sam said.
Dean looked unamused. "I didn't sign up for it."
"You did. As soon as she got dropped off at Bobby's house, you decided to take over." Sam said.
Dean couldn't argue. He did do that. It just wasn't on purpose. He saw Sam grab a carton of milk and grimaced. "What the hell is oat milk?"
Sam placed it in the cart. "Jess likes it." He shrugged. "She gets what she wants."
Dean cracked a small smile and let it go.
Sam waited until they were back to the car to breach another subject. "So, I talked to dad about papers a while ago. I decided to sign them."
Dean dropped a bag of groceries into the trunk and looked over to Sam. "What papers?"
"For Jacob." Sam said.
Dean wasn't shocked. "So, it is official?"
"Yeah." Sam said. He expected Dean to have a barrage of questions.
"If anything happens, you have your village waiting for you." Dean said.
"You aren't going to try to convince me it is a bad idea?" Sam asked as he got into the passenger seat.
"No. You two are adults. You have a good head on your shoulders. Hopefully it doesn't end up like that but it is good to have a plan." Dean said. "Besides, I think dad wants grandkids eventually and they wont be coming from me."
Sam chuckled. "I never saw him as the grandfatherly type. Not until recently."
"It's almost like he was a whole other person beneath all of the Azazel stuff." Dean said.
Sam ran his fingers through his hair. "That was our entire childhoods. Now he is gone and I don't even think about it."
Dean was on the same page. He often forgot that Azazel had ever been in their lives. He wondered if John ever did the same. Growing up, he had a good idea of where life would lead him. Now, he honestly didn't know. Would he ever give up hunting? Would he just focus on taking down the human monsters? No. Nothing would take him completely away from it. He was in too deep.
A quick stop for breakfast brought them back to the apartment in time for Jess to be back on her feet. She was careful not to put pressure on the part of her foot that was painful. She even let Sam rest her foot on his leg while they ate. As much as she hated accepting help, she had to admit, he was incredibly sweet.
(Taylor)
Taylor was having a gloomy school day as well. He was easily irritated and kind of on edge. Every time he ran into the creepy teacher, he struggled to keep his eyes from flashing. It was becoming a bigger issue by the day and he wasn't sure if it was internalized or if the teacher really had issues.
Nate talked to Taylor about it a few times that day. He didn't like the teacher either. He didn't like many of the teachers but that was mostly because he didn't like doing homework. He had slight authority issues like every other 14 year old boy.
Hailey was bubbly. She had something going on at her church that she was excited about. She helped run the children's church and had taught the kids some new songs that they could perform for their parents. She enthusiastically explained the whole program to Taylor between classes. She asked him to ask Kate to help her with costumes and backdrops.
Taylor said that he'd pass the information to Kate. Hailey was adorable when she was excited about something. Her smile was infectious and he caught himself smiling a few times as well. "You are making them dress up as flowers?"
Hailey gasped. "Don't make fun of the flowers. They will be precious."
Taylor took her textbooks from her and added to the stack on top of his own. "I wouldn't want to dress up as a flower."
Hailey put her hands on her hips. "You would if I asked you to."
Taylor scrunched his nose. "Probably. Don't ask me to though. I have a shred of dignity left."
Hailey grinned. "It will be perfect. I am sure we could use an extra set of hands for the heavy lifting."
Taylor walked through the classroom door and sat their books on a table that they sat at. "I'd be happy to help." He took a seat and waited for the teacher to explain that day's plan. He enjoyed history but that specific teacher went out of his way to help others enjoy it too. War wasn't a cheery topic but there was a lot to learn. He thought of Kyle and felt his mood shift. When he was younger, he thought he would join the military. He couldn't do that now. He had abilities that would make him a great soldier but he wouldn't be able to hide them. He daydreamed about how cool it would be to step back through time and get rid of someone like Hitler. That was another thing he couldn't do. As awful as that time period was, he couldn't save all of those people. The fates would have something to say about that.
Hailey wasn't as into history as Taylor was. She liked things that weren't sad. They had a short break between classes so she ran to find her friend and fellow children's church manager. People thought Kate was hard to hire and only did very specific work. That gave Hailey a bit of a boost to her reputation. She could just ask and Kate would show up. She was in the middle of talking to her friend, Abby, about the program when things got tense.
The problematic teacher pointed out that someone's shirt rose when she raised her hands. It showed a little of her skin. Normally, that wouldn't be a big issue but he made it a teaching moment and instructed another girl to do the same, to prove that they were fracturing the dress code.
Hailey felt incredibly uncomfortable, thinking that he really just wanted to see skin and humiliate the girls. She tugged at the hem of her own shirt.
Taylor picked up the confrontation with his increased hearing ability. He spun on his heel and made his way down the hallway to find Hailey. He put a hand on her arm to let her know he was there. He wanted to get her out of the line of fire, sure that the teacher was going to tell her to do the same thing. His arrival seemed to get the teacher's attention.
The teacher made a comment about the stuff that girls wore 'nowadays'. It was a cheap shot that was uncalled for. He spotted someone else that he deemed to be in a shirt that was a 'crop top'. "Raise your arms."
Taylor cleared his throat. "You don't have to."
The girl's face was red and she crossed her arms over her chest.
The teacher rounded on Taylor and called him out for being disrespectful.
"Asking underaged girls to show you their stomachs is disrespectful." Taylor shot back. That earned a smattering of hushed comments from other students.
The teacher was in the middle of saying something when a strong gust of wind hit the side of the building, causing the front doors to creak. That distracted everyone and the bell sent people scattering to find their classrooms.
Taylor took Hailey's hand to walk back down the freshman hallway but was stopped by a heavy hand clamped around his arm. He froze and slowly turned to meet eyes with his coach.
"My office, now. I'll inform Ms. Anderson that you will be late." The coach said in a forced whisper.
Taylor swallowed hard. He lost his bravado and quickly moved to obey the order. He exited the school and walked a few yards to where the coach's office was. He walked past the weight racks that he had spent so much time working with just a few months before. He found that the office door was locked so he took a seat outside of the door and waited.
Five minutes later, the coach opened the door and walked by Taylor before unlocking his office. "Come in."
Taylor was sheepish. "I am sorry."
The coach told him to set down. "No, what you said was accurate. You needed to come in here and cool off before you did something you'd regret."
Taylor bounced his leg. "I wasn't going to hurt him."
"I didn't say you were." The coach said. He rocked back in his chair and rested his feet on his desk. "What is going on in your head."
Taylor slumped. "He just bugs me. None of the girls were wearing anything inappropriate. I bet my shirt would show my stomach if I raised my arms like that. He does it to humiliate them which is gross."
The coach nodded. "It isn't right and I'll have a word with the administration. You can't bow up like that though."
"I was trying not to." Taylor said.
"If you were any other kid, I wouldn't be too concerned. You have to watch your back. You might not do damage to him but you about knocked those doors off their hinges." The coach said.
Taylor paled. "How did you know?"
"I pay attention to my players. It is windy out there but not that windy. Don't let this one teacher get to you." The coach said. "You have a reputation and other students look up to you."
Taylor groaned. "I'm a freshman. I'm supposed to be invisible so that I can do dumb things without anyone seeing."
The coach chuckled. "Sorry, son. You stand out. Taking up for those girls has kids talking. You have something special, beyond what you can do."
Taylor had a hard time accepting compliments. He shifted uncomfortably. "So, am I running laps or are you calling my dad?"
The coach studied him. "No."
Taylor tilted his head slightly.
"I sent you in here to cool off. You did. Your teacher is under the impression that you are helping me with something so you'll sit there for a few more minutes and make sure your head is good." The coach explained.
Taylor leaned back in his chair. "You kind of spooked me."
"Good." The coach said. "That means I've still got it."
Taylor raised an eyebrow. "You can still put the fear of god into people."
"Football players tend to be big and thick skulled. Can't be too soft on them or you all would get out of hand." The coach said. He let Taylor have a minute in silence. He thought about his brother. "I haven't talked to your dad in a while. I owe him a lot. My brother is home and doing well. His wife and kids are happy to have him home."
Taylor sat forward. "Has he had issues?"
"He has dreams but their house is demon proof. So is mine." He pointed toward the wall. "So is this place."
"I've got to say, for someone that had just found out about demons, you took it well." Taylor said.
"With the way this world is, demons just make sense." The coach said.
Taylor cleared his throat. "So, something just happened and it is really cool but not something that I can just go around telling people."
The coach matched his posture. "Go on."
"Dean, my oldest brother, put together a string of cases that a police officer showed us. Suspect was a serial killer. Had a lot of victims too. He figured out that the killer was after my other brother's fiancé." Taylor said.
The coach's eyes widened. "Why was he after her? Is she okay?"
"Yeah. My dad and Dean drove to California to catch the guy. He's been arrested. Things happen to our family and they seem random at first. Obviously, it wasn't random that we were given that case. Someone or something is pulling strings." Taylor added. "It runs deep."
"I'm glad the piece of work was caught." He soaked in the information. The family amazed him. "You best head off to class."
Taylor stood up. "Uh, thanks. I feel calmer."
"Good. If I catch you making doors rattle like that again, I'll call your dad and have you running laps until he gets here." The coach said.
Taylor met eyes with him. "Yes sir, I will control my temper." He caught the look on his coach's face and relaxed. There was a hint of kindness to his tone. He wasn't angry. He wanted Taylor to control himself to save his cover. There was an understanding between them that softened his words. He walked back to the school and down the hall to his class. He had lost sight of himself for a few minutes but he felt calm and cool. He needed to be more careful.
Hailey was relieved to see Taylor when he returned to class. She had gotten separated from him by the coach and was worried that he was in trouble for speaking up. She would feel so bad if he got into trouble.
Taylor sat beside her and opened his notebook. He jotted down a quick note that explained where he was.
Hailey relaxed. She studied his face from the side when he turned his attention toward the teacher. He was so kind and gentle but was ready to stand up to a teacher for the sake of the girls. He had layers that she hadn't managed to see yet. She knew that he was a complicated person and made it her goal to peel back those layers. It would be a while before she would be allowed to go on actual dates so she'd have to work on him sporadically until then.
Taylor could feel Hailey watching him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and winked. He smiled when she blushed and turned her head. Hailey was an open book. She displayed the majority of her character for all to see. She was pure and he liked that about her.
At the end of the day, Karen picked both kids up, not wanting to make them ride the bus home.
Kate got into the car. "What did you do?"
"Me?" Taylor asked with his hand over his chest.
"I felt it." Kate said.
Taylor flicked her. "Creepy teacher was being creepy and I got a little mad. My coach talked to me."
"Did you hit him?" Kate asked.
"No." Taylor said.
"That's a shame." Kate said. She smiled. "Hi, Karen."
"Hi, sweetie. What is this about the teacher?" Karen asked.
Taylor groaned. "It is the one I've had issues with. He was making girls raise their arms to see if their shirt showed skin. I told a girl she didn't have to do it and he said I was disrespectful. I told him, basically, that making girls show him their stomachs was disrespectful. I got tense and made the doors rattle. My coach pulled me out and made me sit in his office and cool down."
"If they don't do something about him, I'll have a word with them." Karen said.
"Thanks." Taylor said. "My coach said he'd bring it up."
"Good." Karen said. She was no stranger to that type of teacher. When she was a kid, most of the teachers were like him. It was more acceptable back then. It never made it right but she was glad that girls had a better shot in life than they did just a few decades before. She adored Kate and saw how strong she was. She had been strong willed as a child too but had to hide it away. It wasn't socially correct. Things had changed a lot over the years and her absence from earth seemed to accelerate all of that.
(That afternoon)
Jodi showed up at April's door with a thick mat. It was a struggle to get it up the steps but she managed. The precinct had a gym that they used for training. The mats were being phased out for newer ones that could support the weight of adult bodies. The old mats would be perfect for a toddler that was determined to break his neck.
Ian immediately dove onto the mat and rolled around. He jumped on it a few times and rolled forward, getting used to the depth of the mat. He wanted it closer to the couch but April wouldn't let him move it. He fell face first onto the mat and whined but didn't throw a fit. He sulked for a minute and then went back to rolling around.
April was grateful for the soft-landing spot. He had been giving her heart attacks all day with his antics. The towel bar in the kids' bathroom had to be upgraded and anchored to the wall with thick screws because he kept climbing to grab it with his hands, pulling himself up and trying to walk his feet up to the bar as well. They really needed to build a jungle gym to tame some of his energy. She had gotten a few calls from his preschool, letting her know he had hit his head or fallen off of something. He was always fine. He'd get mad they made him take a break and even more mad if they tried to put ice on his head. She assured them that they didn't need to freak out every time he fell. It would happen a lot because he was busy and had no fear.
Andy checked out the mat too. He asked if he could take it to his room.
"You will not jump off of your top bunk." April said.
Andy's face went blank.
"I know things." April said.
"I haven't jumped off of it…." Andy licked his lips. "In a while."
"Good." April said. "It isn't a toy."
"We could get a trampoline." Andy said. He looked hopeful and had a list of reasons if she was against the idea.
"Trampolines take up a lot of room." April said.
"We have a big yard. It wouldn't take up that much room. We could go under it so we don't really lose space. We can jump on it or use it to make forts. It is good for exercise." Andy rattled off his premade list.
April laughed. "I'll talk to your dad."
Jodi let April know that they could have all four mats if they needed them. She'd just need help transporting them. That one mat took all of the energy that she had left.
Ian tackled Andy, causing him to fall back onto the mat.
Andy wrestled him off of his legs and pinned him down with one of his arms. "Look mom, we can't hurt each other."
April blocked Ian's mouth before he bit Andy's arm. "No biting."
Ian froze. He shut his mouth and pushed Andy's arm away. He tackled him again and giggled when he rolled over Andy's shoulder.
"Boys." Jodi said. "You've got your hands full."
April certainly did. The age gap worked well because Andy was old enough to let her know if Ian was being too rough. She was not too concerned with him being too rough with Ian because Ian was a tank. She still appreciated that he was careful. Lauren was going to grow up tough with two older brothers. Tough but well protected.
(Driving back to Sioux Falls)
Dean didn't mind crossing a few hunts off of John's list. There was no sense in driving straight back to Bobby's house just to turn around and drive back to the towns on the list. He had just as much hunting gear as John did in his truck.
John had a suspected ghost to get rid of. That was basically a milk run. They had gotten ghost hunting down to a science. It was rare to be caught completely off guard. Still, he went into a ghost hunt with the same level of respect that he did when facing a demon. Never underestimate the creature.
Dean contacted the kids and let them know what he and John were doing that day. He got the same in return. Bobby had a handle on the kids so it wasn't necessary that Dean and John know what they were up to but it didn't hurt to know. With the size of the family getting larger, communication was essential. It would be easy to lose track of someone. Maybe that was part of why he was so exhausted. It used to be just Sam. He'd worry about John but he was in charge of Sam. He always knew where Sam was.
The ghost hunt turned out to be two ghosts and they were angry. They fought back and gave the Winchesters a run for their money. In the end, two ghosts were dispatched from their earthly prison and sent to where ever their souls were bound for.
Dean was exhilarated. He had a sore arm from getting thrown into a wall but he felt alive. He had a huge grin on his face after making sure that John was no worse for wear.
"The old lady was strong. You've got to give her that." John said. The older ghost was an older woman. She had stringy gray hair and her form was deteriorating. The second one was a man. He was younger. He could have been her son or an unfortunate person that got trapped in the house. They didn't get that much of the story. Typically, they dug around enough to identify the people behind the ghosts. Then, they got rid of the ghosts. Jess and Kate wanted to know more about their lives. That rarely crossed his mind. Even if the ghosts were good people that had an important story, he didn't let himself get caught up in it. If they were good, they were free and on their way to heaven. If they were bad, that wasn't his problem.
(Bobby's house)
Kate had gotten back on the Abaddon trail. She wasn't deep diving but she was brainstorming. Her brain storms came with gale force winds and tornados. She got so caught up in her head that the stillness outside her window made her feel disoriented. She half expected to be picked up by a tornado and land somewhere in OZ with a pair of red slippers on her feet. She moved so that she was kneeling on Taylor's bed. She looked out the window and watched water drip from a nearby tree branch. It was getting warmer. The snow would be around for a while still but during the peak of the day, the ice started to melt enough to leave the ground damp and muddy. They had reached the gross part of winter.
Taylor was in the garage, working on a piece of machinery.
Liam was lounging on the work table, keeping his human company.
Taylor caught himself talking to Liam. He felt silly, considering that Liam was just a cat, and not likely to offer him advice. However, that was preferable sometimes. Sometimes he just wanted to talk and work things out by himself. He got a call and answered his phone. It was Dillon. "Hey, man, how's it going?"
Dillon was a little excited. "I saw the coolest thing."
"What was it?" Taylor asked. He wiped his hands on a shop towel and leaned against the table to pet Liam.
"There was this big ass bird. -Sorry mom!- anyway there was this bird that landed in the parking lot." Dillon said.
Taylor was interested. "What kind of bird?"
"I don't know dude. It was huge. I didn't see the bird. I just saw the prints." Dillon admitted.
Taylor had an image of a giant chicken walking around outside. "What kind of prints then?"
"Wings." Dillon said. "When we went for a walk at your grandparents' house, we saw the wings in the snow."
Taylor stood up straight. "Yeah."
"Well, this is the same kind of wings." Dillon said.
"Like an eagle?" Taylor asked.
"No like a bus." Dillon said.
That did not check out. What kind of bird was the size of a bus? Maybe Dillon was exaggerating. "That sounds cool." He had a bad feeling. "Do you have a picture?"
"Yeah. I snapped a photo. I knew no one would believe me." Dillon said. "I can upload it to our computer and email it to you."
Taylor finished what he was doing and went inside so that he could ask Bobby to look for the email. He wasn't sure what he expected. He took a seat across from Bobby and waited, chatting a bit with Bobby until they got the notification.
Bobby clicked on the email and sat back to let it load. The internet was handy but not always fast. He waved Taylor over to view the photo together.
Taylor confirmed that the wings looked like bird wings. He didn't quite understand how big the print was until he noticed a car parked a few spots away. He pointed to the car. "What can leave a print like that?"
Bobby rubbed his head. "Nothing natural."
Taylor had a thought deep in the back of his mind. He called out for Kate to look at the photo.
Kate skipped down the stairs and around Bobby's desk. "What are we looking at." She jumped back. Her face lost its color. "Those are angel wings."
The declaration hung in the air.
"An angel was there." Bobby said.
"An angel died there." Kate said. "That is a scorch mark." She had seen them in visions.
"How did an angel die?" Taylor asked. "Aren't they invincible?" He was speaking without thinking. Of course, they weren't invincible.
Kate turned on her heel and ran outside. "Tessa!"
Tessa showed up looking a bit winded. Her hair was disheveled and she stumbled. "Kate." When Kate usually called, she heard her and zapped over. Not that time. That time it was like the ground was jerked out from under her feet. She found her composure and asked Kate what was going on.
"An angel died outside of our friend, Dillon's apartment." Kate said.
Tessa was startled. "How do you know?"
Kate took her hand and pulled her inside. "Look at this photo."
Tessa gasped. Each angel's wings were unique. She got a closer look at the photo. She thought she might know the angel that had died. She needed to see the scene. No one had said anything over angel radio. That was odd. Usually there would be chatter or an SOS. She was given the location and rushed to see if anything was left behind. The death of an angel did leave behind a scorch mark but the mark faded. It was like a heavy soot. Rain could wash it away. She didn't know how long ago the angel had died. She dealt with the death of humans thousands of times per day. A fellow angel though. She had not dealt with one of those in quite some time. Not since the war. Although another war was brewing. That was what had Castiel preoccupied. She, as a reaper, did not fight on the frontlines unless absolutely necessary. Other classes of angels were tasked with that. She landed at the scene and crouched down. There was still ash. She touched it with her fingers and saw flashes in her head. She did know the angel. He was a Grigori. She had not been aware that he had an assignment so she wasn't sure what brought him to a small town in Nebraska. There was no evidence of a struggle. When angels fought, buildings crumbled and trees fell over. She returned to Bobby's house with the news.
Kate developed a headache from the amount of information that she was processing. "What killed him?"
"I do not know." Tessa said.
Kate put her back to a wall and slid down so that she was sitting on the ground. "This has to be connected to us."
No one had an argument good enough to disagree. An angel showing up at someone's house, someone that they knew, wouldn't be random.
"What could kill an angel?" Taylor asked.
"An angel blade." Tessa said. "An investigation will be done. The surrounding area had not been disturbed. If he had gotten into a fight, he would have fought back and there would be damage."
"So, an angel can't just get beaten up really bad?" Taylor asked.
"Angel uses a human host. It is the human's body that is beaten. They can heal the human. If the damage is too severe, they leave the host. They'd return to heaven or search for another vessel." Tessa said.
Kate had grown eerily quiet. She could taste the air again. Every molecule of her body felt like it was electrified. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. "What about a really strong demon?"
The conversation came to a screeching halt.
"Why do you ask that?" Tessa asked.
"The spell is wearing off. It's always demons. Abaddon is a knight of hell. I think the angel was assassinated and placed where someone would see the aftermath. Not just anyone. Someone that would get the news back to us. I think it's a message." Kate explained. "What better way to make us cower than to show us that they are stronger than our allies."
Bobby didn't like where this was headed. "That is a theory. We don't know what happened yet."
"It is all going to end the same way." Kate said.
Taylor felt the darkness building. "Tessa, can you figure it out and get back to us?"
Tessa was frazzled. "Yes, of course." She crouched to be at Kate's level. "Katie, look at me. Please don't make me come after you."
Kate furrowed her brows. "I'm still here."
Tessa lightly touched the side of her face. "Are you? Remember that I can sense things that others can't. Anger will drown you."
Kate looked into her eyes. "I'm ok."
Tessa stood up. "I'll return."
Bobby prevented Kate from going straight to her room. "I'm going to alert your dad. Let's all take a step back until Tessa has answers."
Kate told him that she would take a step back. Her theory was pretty out there. There were a million other explanations. She just felt like it was personal. Abaddon had attacked Jess's parents because she couldn't hit close enough to home. If she was leaving messages through friends of the family, that meant she still couldn't get close enough. It could also mean that she knew that Kate was a gleeful martyr. She knew that Kate would feel like it was her fault if others suffered. She'd reach the end of her rope and take extreme measures to solve the problem, throwing herself directly into the fire.
Bobby plopped his hat onto his desk and rubbed his temples. "That is going to be a problem."
Taylor looked toward the stairs. "A big one." He had thoughts too. He could easily get lost in them if he wasn't aware that Kate was a ticking time bomb. "Who gave us that case?"
Bobby couldn't be sure. Was it Gabriel? Was it some other being? "I don't know."
"I'm going to go talk to her." Taylor said. He opened the door without knocking but he entered slowly. "I can feel the energy."
"I'd be worried if you couldn't." Kate said. She had a piece of paper in her hand that she had crumbled and straightened several times. It had softened and shrunken from its original form. Kate felt like that piece of paper. Each blow crumbled her. She smoothed herself out, or often times, someone else did, she'd be almost back to normal but the creases would never fully go away.
"What are you doing with the paper?" Taylor asked.
"Seeing how many times I can crush it and straighten it before it starts to tear." Kate said.
"Is that a metaphor?" Taylor asked.
"Maybe." Kate said. "I'm not going to screw up."
"That isn't why I am up here. You are upset. You don't need to be upset by yourself." Taylor said.
Kate stopped crushing the paper. "I want this to be over. It will never be over though, will it?"
"What exactly are we talking about?" Taylor asked.
"Feeling like the entire world is about to be knocked off its axis if I don't do the right thing." Kate said.
Taylor sighed and sat down on his bed. "I don't know. It does seem endless. We will figure this out though."
Kate opened the paper again. It had a weak spot. She lightly traced it with her finger nail and watched a small tear form. She held up the paper. "I guess I got my answer."
"For the paper. Not for you. Not for us." Taylor said.
Kate just shrugged one shoulder. She was fighting with herself. She could feel herself being pulled apart. It was mentally excruciating. She felt her phone buzz a few times before turning it over to see who was calling her. She groaned and answered it. "Hey, Dean."
Dean was confused by her tone. "Hey, kiddo. I just called to check in."
Kate's voice was flat, void of emotion. She explained to him what they knew so far.
Dean snapped his fingers to get John's attention. "That can't be a good sign. I didn't know angels left marks."
"I guess so." Kate said. "Not the first one I have seen. The others were in visions."
"Listen, dad and I will be home soon. I'll see if Cas knows anything." Dean said.
"Okay." Kate said.
Dean felt his own headache forming. "Please keep it together. I know this sucks. I know you are trying your best. Just please wait until we get back."
Kate assured him that she would. She still wasn't at 100 percent of her strength and the visions fatigued her more quickly than they had before. After she was excused from the call, she went back to her paper crushing. "It would be nice to know if a demon was behind this."
Taylor blanched. "Do not summon one."
"I'm not that stupid." Kate said.
Taylor didn't think she was stupid but he did think she was struggling with the path she was expected to be on. "Let me help."
Kate didn't look at him. "Find out where Abaddon is."
Taylor cringed. "I don't know if I can do that. We are all trying."
"Can't waste all day up here. Might as well be productive." She placed her crumbled paper on her bed and left the room. "Hey, Karen, do you have anything I can help you with?"
Taylor sat on her bed and tried to pick the ball of paper up to study it. The slightest touch caused it to disintegrate. He managed to scoop most of it into his hand. He watched it cave in, and flow into the palm of his hand like fine sand. He folded his hand to hold the sand in is fist. He clinched his fist until his fingers started to hurt. He opened his fingers and saw a small marble in his hand. He had fused all of the pieces together to form a hard rock. He sat it on Kate's desk. If she was in danger of dispersing like the particles of paper, he could put her back together. At least, he hoped that was his part in the metaphor.
(The bunker)
Rufus heard humming coming from somewhere in the bunker. He followed the sound down the winding hallways until he got to a closed door. There was a red glow coming from beneath the door. He pulled his gun from his back and slowly opened the door. He saw a big table in the middle of the room. It was covered by a map and a big red light emanated from the center. He slowly lowered his gun. "Child, what the hell are you doing here?"
Kate snapped her head up and looked at him with complete and utter shock. "Why are you here?"
Rufus stepped farther into the room. He got a good look at Kate. Her eyes were wild. She had dirt on her face and her jeans were ripped at the knees. "Katelyn?"
Kate stepped back. "You aren't supposed to be here."
"Well, I am. Does your dad know you are here?" Rufus asked.
Kate looked panicked. She took one last look at the table and backed away from him. "You saw nothing. I was never here."
Rufus stood in the middle of the room, next to the map table. He rubbed his head. What had he been looking for? He was forever walking into rooms and forgetting what he was looking for. He turned off the light and went back to his cup of coffee that was waiting for him. He was getting too old.
(Bobby's house)
Kate flattened a piece of dough onto the counter. She watched Karen place a spoonful of a meat mixture into the middle and fold it neatly into a ball. She did the same. They were Karen's version of steamed pork buns. Kate felt herself calming down with each bun she made. She made a small one with the left-over dough and carefully made a face with her finger tips. She held it up for Karen to see.
Karen smiled. "That is adorable. You could have a future in culinary creations."
Kate thought cake decorating would be fun. Maybe she'd break out her skills for someone's birthday.
Karen dropped the buns into a steamer and set a timer. She washed her hands and had Kate help her prepare the rest of the meal. She liked having a kitchen helper. She also liked being able to keep an eye on Kate. If she was by her side, she was safe and not anywhere else getting herself into trouble she couldn't get herself out of.
