Author's note: Hi, lovely readers. I know I had a big gap between chapters due to school so I'm trying to get this one turned out more quickly. Make sure that you have read the chapter before this one as it is easy to skip when I haven't posted in so long. This is a big chapter that I was going to add onto but I decided to post this and the rest of it a few days from now. This week has been one of those weeks that makes me want to give up on everything. I promise I'll get the "part 2" to this chapter out faster than my previous ones. Also, I have mega brain fog. I'll listen to my chapter in the morning. If it doesn't make sense, I'll fix it.
(Monday, January 27, 2003)
The information that Sam and Charlie found weighed heavy on everyone's mind. The bunker did have books about the Styne family. Little was known about the family as they were private people. They were exclusive and didn't interact with others outside of their family unless absolutely necessary. Even modern records seemed to lack anything concrete. They knew where the family lived at least. The plot of land the family owned had been in the family for generations after a patriarch of the family found oil on the land. They were wealthy. Photos showed them all dressed in expensive clothing although some of the clothing seemed to be from another era.
Charlie was hesitant to dig anymore information up about the family because it was clear they were dangerous. Knowing that someone found her made her doubt her skills at staying hidden. Messages came at random times under different layers of encryption. Some were coded and needed a cypher while others were easy to read. It kept her busy though. She looked forward to the challenge that each message brought.
Kate struggled with the need to remain in Sioux Falls. No teleporting or spying on the family. What if they held the key to taking Abaddon down? Everything seemed like a possible key. A shadow on the ground, a voice in the wind, a slip of paper that caught her attention. She was looking for signs in places that there were no signs. She couldn't let go of the feeling that she was missing something.
Dean listened when she talked to him about the feeling, and he didn't disagree with her. He did worry that her obsession was leading her down a bad path.
Taylor was okay Monday. It was the beginning of the school week, and no one had gotten on his nerves yet. That didn't mean he wasn't feeling the effects of his age.
Karen made dinner once the kids got home from school. She liked their little routine. Dinner was a good time to chat about anything that wasn't supernatural related. It reminded of her of when she was young and sat around the table with her brothers. Dinner was more chaotic back then. She had to get her fair share of the food before the boys inhaled all of it. Taylor and Dean could eat a lot, but they weren't worried about running out of food.
Monday night ended peacefully as each member of the family found their space to wind down. Kate went to bed a little early with a stomachache and Taylor followed her after making sure Robby had food and water.
(Tuesday, January 28, 2003)
Tuesday morning was a little less peaceful. Taylor woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He avoided talking to people, but Karen made breakfast and tried to make small talk. He responded a few times before showing his annoyance with a scowl and pushing his chair under the table harder than he needed to.
Bobby called him out on it and told him to cool it.
Taylor didn't mean to be disrespectful to Karen and apologized. Bobby knocked him out of his head long enough for him to get to school without tearing anyone's head off. His first class grated on his nerves as he knew the material and the teacher took an hour to explain the simplest thing. There were kids in the class who needed more time and that was fine with Taylor. They didn't need that much time though. Kate had the ability to leave her body and explore the inside of her head. Taylor did too but not to an extent that he could do so while still paying attention in class. How did she wind up with all the mental abilities? He could shake the earth, but scrying took a ton of energy and made his head hurt.
Kate was in a better mood but inwardly, she was a wreck. Juggling the weight of the world with pretending to be an average 12-year-old was getting harder to manage. How could she be a kid when she was at the center of a demon war? How could she think about World War 1 when World War 3 was brewing?
Hannah was Kate's guardian at school. She pulled her out of her head when she needed to answer questions and nudged her when others started to notice that she hadn't blinked in an alarming amount of time. She kept track of keywords that Kate picked up on with her visions so that Kate could look at them when her brain was calm. Sure, she got distracted and missed out on information from the teacher, but all Kate had to do was tell her the answers during tests.
Taylor had his own guardian, Nate. Except Nate couldn't get inside of Taylor's head like Hannah could get inside of Kate's. He just tried to keep Taylor from flashing his eyes with people around and made excuses when he did weird stuff.
Hailey wasn't as chipper as usual. She made a mistake and embarrassed herself in front of one of the volunteer committees. It was a small mistake, and the committee members weren't even upset. Hailey just expected perfection from herself.
Taylor asked her about it but found the story hard to follow. She was sad because she got embarrassed. She didn't do anything bad but couldn't get over it. He wished his life was so simple that spelling something wrong on a poster was his biggest worry. He told her it was no big deal and to laugh about it, but she wouldn't. Normally, he would be empathetic and try to soothe her. He just didn't have it in him that day.
Hailey looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You think I'm stupid."
Taylor closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't think you are stupid."
"You are annoyed with me." Hailey said.
Taylor rubbed his face out of frustration. "No, I'm not. I'm listening. You got embarrassed. It isn't the end of the world."
Hailey was a little heart broken. She had never had Taylor speak to her that way and was hurt.
Taylor threw his hands up when she walked away. "Great."
Nate nudged him. "What was that?"
Taylor got defensive.
Nate snorted. "Yeah, but she is a girl. She is emotional and you scared her."
"I barely said anything." Taylor said. He didn't want to be that kind of guy. He just hit his limit and said something he didn't mean to. "I'll go talk to her."
"Nah, give her a bit. Ellie gets like that, and you just have to let her get through it." Nate said.
Taylor lost some of his annoyance and just felt like shit. She wouldn't trust him anymore. He acted like every other guy in school and dismissed her. Sure, the problem was small, but it was big for her. He felt like an ass.
Kate spent her lunch time in her head. She was following a sliver of a thought. It was as if she smelled something faint and couldn't place where she had smelled it before. Was it one of the memories from the time stream? She had an excellent memory, but could she have picked something up but been too out of it to fully understand? She just needed her mind to shut up for five minutes.
Hannah was sitting next to Kate when Kate found an exposed screw underneath the table. She saw blood bubble up on Kate's hand and hissed. "Katie."
Kate blinked. "Oh crap."
Hannah needed to explain the blood droplets on the floor and the lines of blood on Kate's hand. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut before doing the same thing that Kate did by cutting her hand.
Kate gasped. "Hannah."
Hannah gritted her teeth. "You healed they'll want to know why there is blood." She met eyes with another girl at their table just as the girl realized her hand was cut. That caused a small commotion that ended with Hannah in the nurse's office. The blood on Kate was explained away as Kate grabbing her hand to put pressure on the wound.
Kate stayed behind to clean up the small amount of blood before anyone touched it. She didn't know if her blood would do anything to anyone unless it got to their blood stream. She threw the wipes away and scurried down the hallway to the nurse's office. She washed her hands and spot treated a few spots on her jeans. The nurse's back was turned but Kate met eyes with Hannah. She could hear Hannah's heart beating quickly and see that her eyes were dilated. She swore silently and sat down beside Hannah. Her blood got into Hannah's bloodstream because she cut her hand on the same screw that Kate had. She pushed into Hannah's head to ask if she was okay and was met by a familiar energy. Maybe it would be like what happened to John with her feather. If Hannah got worse, she would take her to the time stream to stop the reaction.
The nurse turned around with a bandage and frowned. "You do not look so good."
Hannah swallowed. "Blood makes me woozy."
Kate compelled her to sleep to negate some of the effects.
The nurse helped Kate lay Hannah down. "Has she done this before?"
Kate gave her a strained look. "She faints at the sight of blood. I'm surprised she didn't faint when it happened." Kate's own heart was beating rapidly. What if Hannah couldn't handle the blood? What if it caused a severe reaction? Why did she even cut open her hand? She needed her brain to be quiet. Crap, she cut open her hand.
The nurse called Hannah's mom just as Hannah started to wake up. She told Mandy that Hannah had a cut on her hand. She also told her it was superficial and likely wouldn't need medical attention outside of bandages and keeping it clean. Hannah was alert and chipper, so the nurse didn't think the ordeal had bothered her that much.
Hannah and Kate were released to go back to class. Hannah skipped back to the cafeteria to make sure none of her stuff got left behind. She spun in a circle and told Kate that she felt great.
Kate grimaced. "What kind of great?"
Hannah bounced on her toes. "I could lift a house." She paused and looked under the bandage. "My hand is healing!"
Kate's eyes grew wide. She snapped her head around to see if anyone was close enough to hear and told Hannah to be quiet.
Hannah giggled and clamped her hand over her mouth.
Kate didn't like how fast Hannah's heart was beating. She didn't know if she should tell someone or not. If she called John or Dean, what were they going to do? Hannah had already been exposed. The nurse said Hannah was fine to stay at school so having her leave would raise questions. No, they were stuck. She would keep an eye on Hannah and hope that the surge of energy left before school was over.
The surge of energy did not leave Hannah and she kept getting scolded by teachers because she wouldn't stop talking during class. Kate compelled her to appease the teacher. Most of the time, if she compelled Hannah, it was a light compulsion that Hannah was okay with. If Hannah was anxious about a test, Kate would compel her anxiety away. This time, she had to use something heavier.
Taylor apologized to Hailey and told her he was stressed. He admitted that being stressed was no reason to talk to her like that and that he was being a jerk. He really cared for Hailey and hated himself for the minor slip up that he had. Is that how it started with Craig? Did he get snippy on bad days and work his way up to murder? Was Taylor prone to turn out that way because his earliest memories involved domestic violence. He would never hurt Hailey, but would his anger and abilities take over one day and cause him to do something? Rationally he knew that wouldn't happen, but he felt like a monster at times. He felt like a monster pretending to be a human.
After school, Kate didn't want Hannah to go home. She was antsy and worried that Hannah was still hyper. She didn't intend for Hannah to do what she did, but stuff happened, and she felt guilty.
Hannah didn't see the problem. She felt amazing. "This is proof that your blood doesn't hurt me."
Kate sighed heavily. "Your heart is racing. Your eyes are huge. With Dean, it just heals him. He doesn't get high from it."
"Look, it is no big deal. If I get sick, I'll call you. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Hannah said. She gave Kate a tight hug and ran to meet up with Ryan for the walk back to her house.
John was in the planning stage of his next hunt. He didn't trust many people and the people that he did trust needed to be home. If Dean went with him, there was no way that Bobby and Karen could manage the kids if shit hit the fan. They had the nymphs though. They could zap Dean there and back if John found himself in a bind. Maybe they needed to teach other hunters how to handle the types of things that were deemed a Winchester specialty. Being an expert sucked when there was only one of you.
Neither of the kids rushed inside when they got home. Taylor went to the shop and Kate sat on the porch, arguing with herself.
Dean opened the door. "Hey, kiddo."
Kate looked up at him. "Hi."
"Are you going to come inside?" Dean asked.
"In a minute. I need the fresh air." Kate said.
Dean had planned to ask Taylor how his day was, but he didn't need abilities to figure out that entering the shop would be like entering shark infested waters. He would give Taylor time to work through what ever had him in a mood and go back inside.
Bobby was multitasking with research. He was double checking things for John and trying to help with the Styne research. A few years ago, their biggest worry was tracking down Azazel. Now, they were worried about rogue angels, factions of demons, mutant creatures and a mysterious family that had a target on Charlie's back.
Kate said she didn't feel good and chose to rest instead of eating dinner.
That didn't sit well with any of the adults, but one meal wasn't going to hurt her. It was possible that her stomach actually was upset.
John noted Taylor's attitude but chose not to mention it at dinner. He waited until he could speak to Taylor alone. He didn't even go into the conversation in a confrontational way. He asked to speak to Taylor and asked what was going in his head. That encounter nearly ended with him flaying Taylor.
Taylor got terribly close to the line and used up all of John's patience. He would go to bed and sleep off his angst.
Around midnight Kate startled when Taylor got into her personal space.
"Can you not shut up for 2 minutes?" Taylor asked through gritted teeth.
Kate sat up and scooted back on her bed.
"I can't sleep if you're going to talk in your head all night." Taylor said. He grabbed his pillow and blanket and chose to sleep in the basement that night.
Kate felt bad for keeping him awake and didn't tell anyone although he really scared her.
(Wednesday, January 29, 2003)
The family was lulled into a false sense of stability as the sun rose. Taylor seemed fine, cracking a joke or two with Dean before he grabbed his backpack.
Kate was quiet but didn't seem sad or upset, even to Dean.
The sense of stability crumbled around lunch time. Taylor nearly punched a guy in his class who honestly needed to be punched at some point. The guy was an all-around douche bag with the tendency to bully people with visible weaknesses. Taylor wasn't the first person to consider knocking his lights out but no one else had their coach watching every move they made.
Taylor's coach cared for Taylor, but his main goal was to keep Taylor from outing himself. The task was harder to do in recent weeks than it had been previously. He had pulled other players out of situations, so Taylor wasn't the only kid with anger issues. He needed to talk to his players and get everyone on the same page.
Taylor found himself sitting in the coach's office for the second time that day. The first time was because he seemed out of it and his coach wanted to check in. The second time was because he was about to be chewed out for losing his temper. The coach could not understand that Taylor didn't lose his temper. He got mad but losing his temper would be deadly. Punching a wall behind a kid's head wasn't losing his temper.
The coach was equal parts worried and frustrated with Taylor. He was in close contact with John and got updates as things changed. He even agreed to have a nymph or two around the school to add another layer of protection. Demons were busy and he didn't want anyone getting hurt. So, he knew Taylor had a few reasons to be angry.
"Can I go back to class?" Taylor asked, looking up at the ceiling.
"No." The coach said.
"So, I'll just miss class and get bitched at by the teacher." Taylor mumbled.
The coach turned so that he was sitting facing Taylor. He waited for Taylor to meet his eyes and pointed to the top of his cabinet where one of those old school paddles sat, collecting dust. "I haven't used that in a decade but don't think I won't."
Taylor blushed slightly. Was that even legal anymore?
"You have ten more minutes before needing to be in class and you need to calm down before you go back." The coach said.
Taylor groaned. "I'm calm."
"Son." The coach said in a low tone.
"I'm calm now. He made me mad, but I'll just go back to class. He isn't even in my class." Taylor said.
"Take five minutes and make sure you are fully calm." The coach said. He gave the order gently instead of demandingly.
Taylor sighed and stepped into the weight room to burn off some of the angst.
Kate ran into a problem with Hannah.
Hannah spent the whole night awake, feeling great. She was hyper until their second class where she started to feel sick.
"Maybe you can go home." Kate said.
Hannah shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm just tired."
"If my blood is making you sick, we need to get help." Kate whispered.
Hannah yawned. "I was bouncing off the walls before school. My mom will think I'm faking it."
Kate's anxiety rose as Hannah's heart rate slowed. It was within normal limits, but Hannah was crashing hard. Maybe it was kind of like a hangover.
By lunch time, Hannah looked like death. She was sluggish and felt like throwing up. "Maybe boost me again."
Kate looked at her like she was crazy. "No."
"I'll get my energy back and I can tell my mom what happened. I'm the one who did it, so I'll take the blame." Hannah said. "I don't want to show up like this and explain what happened. They'll definitely be mad."
Kate knew for a fact that Hannah's idea was a bad idea, but she was right. After Hannah gave her a list of reasons why one drop wouldn't hurt, she caved and poked her finger.
Hannah regained energy although she wasn't bouncing off the walls. She just felt normal.
Kate relaxed. Maybe a drop was okay. Hannah got a lot more of the blood the previous day because she cut her hand. She didn't want Hannah taking the blame for anything, but Hannah's parents were a lot more relaxed than John was. Technically, it wasn't Kate's fault. She did cut her hand, but she didn't tell Hannah to do the same to cover for her. It was even possible that the one drop fixed the problem, and they could tell people after the fact and skip the crazed high that Hannah had been on for nearly 24 hours.
Karen picked the kids up from school but neither kid was talkative. She felt the tension and let them sit in silence until they got home. She offered them a snack and didn't take offense that both kids declined.
Kate hid away in her room, wrestling with layers upon layers of guilt and worry.
Taylor had another tense run in with John, but he controlled himself quicker than he had the day before. He was on thin ice, and he knew it.
John was reluctant to leave Wednesday night, but he had an obligation to save people. The world wasn't going to stop as he stayed home and kept an eye on the kids. Demons would still kill people; people would still go missing. They would just pile up unless he got rid of the creatures. He left on a good note though. When he left, everyone was calm.
Dean found Kate in her room. "Dinner is ready."
"Not hungry." Kate said.
Dean sat down on her bed. "When did you eat last?"
"Lunch." Kate said.
"You need to eat dinner." Dean said.
Kate agreed to go downstairs but picked at her dinner. She wasn't hungry but she also realized she hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch and she lied to Dean without thinking about it.
Taylor knew he couldn't handle another night of Kate sulking, so he announced that he was going to move down to the basement as he got up to put his dishes in the sink.
"Why?" Dean asked.
"The bed is empty." Taylor said.
Dean knew why a teenage boy would get tired of sleeping in the same room as his adoptive sister. The decision was just sudden, and he wasn't sure if they had a falling out.
Kate had no warning and thought it was solely because she was fighting with herself in her head. She was annoying him, obviously.
Dean stayed up to talk to Bobby and Karen. "Those two are killing me."
"Moody." Bobby said in a grumble.
"They have a lot on their minds." Karen said. "Just give them time."
Kate didn't sleep at all that night. She was less concerned about annoying Taylor, so she didn't hold herself back as she did a deep dive through her mind.
John had the intention of getting to his destination without stopping at a motel. People were in danger, and he needed to be back home as soon as possible. He felt himself growing sleepy, so he chose to stop at a truck stop to get an hour of sleep. He dosed off but was startled by a heavy presence beside him. He opened his eyes and froze.
Death was unbothered. He waited for John's brain to catch up and told him that they needed to talk. As everyone knew, darkness was closing in. Big things were set into motion that they couldn't stop. God's sister was active and breaking through the veil of the void, chipping away until she made her way out.
John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Her name is Amara?" He expected something more regal than that.
"She chose it." Death said. "God goes by Chuck."
John eyed him. "Why?"
"In some universes, he likes to explore his creation from the ground. He chose a name as a disguise." Death said.
John made a mental note to be weary of anyone named Chuck. Once Death was gone, John found himself puzzled. The whole exchange was ridiculous. He still couldn't share the information with anyone. He just had to wrestle with it. Being face to face with Death was enough to wake him up so he decided to continue driving for a few hours.
(Thursday, January 20, 2003)
(Not Sioux Falls)
Rufus pulled into the parking lot of a small diner and turned the car off. He had met up with two hunters that wanted backup on a hunt. He was more experienced, so he agreed to stop by. He entered the diner and sat with them for a bit to discuss the hunt and what they had found.
The nymph decided to check out a local shop as well as the trees surrounding the town.
Abe saw the nymph approaching them about ten minutes later and gave her a smile.
Rufus turned his head to look at her but didn't think to introduce her to anyone because he didn't think she was going to join the group.
The nymph could feel darkness in the area and had committed to protecting Rufus.
Don, the other hunter met eyes with her as well. "Evening, ma'am."
The nymph smiled sweetly.
Rufus cleared his throat. "This is Abe and that one is Don."
"Well, it's nice to meet you." The nymph said. "I am Lanette."
"You know this old fool?" Don asked, motioning to Rufus.
"I do. He has been nice enough to allow me to ride along with him back to Kansas. Airfare is so expensive these days." Lanette said.
"You made her wait out here?" Abe asked.
Lanette spoke before Rufus did. "I saw a shop across the road that I wanted to look at." She held up a small bag. "I got a barrette for my granddaughter."
Rufus hadn't perfected his cover story for her at that point, so he was glad she seemed to have one preplanned.
"You don't mind that we borrow him, do you?" Don asked.
Rufus grumbled and opened his car door. "Figure out where we are going and lets get there."
Abe stepped closer to him. "You aren't bringing the lady with you, are you?"
Rufus eyed Lanette for a moment before clearing his throat. "Hunter's widow."
Abe slowly nodded. That told him they didn't need to watch what they said around her. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head at Rufus. "She's pretty."
Rufus snorted. "Start driving."
They drove to the outskirts of town where the forest got thicker and the houses were few and far between.
Don and Abe got out of their vehicle and pulled a map out.
"We think the place we are looking for is out that way." He nodded his head toward an opening in the trees that marked the beginning of a trail.
The two men had been on this particular case for a few weeks. Every time they thought they had it figured out, they came up empty handed. It was similar to their usual cases. People were going missing. A group of boy scouts were camping one night and they were ambushed. All the boys made it out but three of the leaders didn't. A teenage couple vanished into the trees after straying away from their buddies. Something dark was in those woods and two hunters weren't going to be enough.
Lanette couldn't walk into the woods with them without blowing her cover. She would wait until Abe and Don were away from the cars before following them.
Rufus didn't think freaks were involved but he could be wrong. With the information he had, he didn't think anyone would have ever made it out if freaks were roaming around. Bobby said they were organized and smart. Wendigo was Rufus's bet.
The three men stayed close together as they walked down the narrow path. Each one was on high alert, never letting their eyes settle for more than a moment. The trees were getting thicker. The forest floor was dark even though the trees had lost their leaves during the winter. They walked for a half mile before seeing the first sign of disturbance. A purple scarf snagged in the branches of a fallen tree.
Rufus inspected the scarf. "None of those boy scouts got a look at what took the leaders?"
"They didn't even hear the first one get taken. They didn't hear a bunch of yelling when it came back." Don said.
Rufus didn't like silent creatures. The information didn't rule out a wendigo, but it puzzled him. Wendigo were good hunters. They were known for sneaking up on people. Usually, those people had a chance to make some noise. They liked to leave people alive and drain them slowly. How could a group of 20 or more boys and a half dozen chaperones not hear or see anything? Next to nothing was left behind. No stray shoes or cell phones. Nothing. The police had combed the area multiple times through the years.
Lanette flowed through the trees, studying the area. She didn't find anything abnormal such as claw marks or gouges. The trees that had fallen were from winter storms. Everything she saw could be explained.
The men stopped to look at the map again. They had been out for well over an hour and started to consider heading back before darkness fell.
A loud pop sounded deep into the trees. It was the sound of a large log or branch snapping.
Rufus put a hand on his gun and looked around. Something was moving through the forest at a high speed. He whipped his head to the side as it sounded like whatever was moving was changing directions.
The ground started to shake. The sound got louder as sticks and leaves were dispersed.
Don let out a yelp as he felt something wrapping around his torso, lifting him into the trees. He fought against the grip but it was useless.
Abe was grabbed next and hoisted high into the tops of the trees, out of Rufus's line of sight. He swallowed hard. He heard a terrifying, shrill screech and the hair on his neck stood up. He could no longer see either of the other hunters and the commotion was too loud for him to hear them if they were still alive.
Another shrill screech erupted from the shadows followed by a third.
Rufus was yanked back and off the ground by the same thing that grabbed the other hunters. He was out of breath and bruising from the effort that he was using to break free. He pushed against his binds with the palms of his hands but stopped suddenly. It was a vine wrapped around him. The vine was thick but had bark on it. He was wrapping his head around all of it when the shrill screams stopped and an uneasy silence fell across the forest. He was returned to the forest floor gently and sucked in a large breath of air when the vine released him. He heard one of the other hunters yelling before he was dropped a few feet away. Rufus checked on him. "Abe, are you okay?"
Abe scrambled onto his feet. "What the hell was that?"
Don was deposited next to them. He patted himself to ensure that he was alive and in one piece.
They heard sticks breaking again and tensed.
Three large thuds were heard behind them, causing them all to jump and turn around.
Lanette stepped from behind a tree with the head of one of the creatures. She held it out for Rufus to look at.
The other two men were speechless, having no idea what had happened.
"What is that?" Rufus asked. He had yet to see a creature that looked anything like it.
"They live underground. They have tunnels and pull people into them." Lanette said. The loud sounds through the forest were from her using the tree roots to catch the creatures. "They have fangs."
"Does it live in the trees too?" Abe asked.
Rufus took a deep breath. That part of the ordeal was most likely from Lanette preventing them from being taken underground. "Let's get out of here so we can see better." It was getting dark and the shadows were deep. He stopped Lanette and spoke to her quietly. "I don't know what that thing is. Can you get it somewhere safe where Bobby and them can take a look at it?"
Lanette nodded and let Rufus continue down the path with the other hunters.
At the cars, Don reached into his duffle and pulled out a beer. He opened it and took a few big gulps. He was shaky and confused.
Rufus had to explain things to them somehow but didn't know how to do it.
"What was that?" Abe asked.
Rufus rubbed his face. "Which part?"
"The thing that yanked me off the ground and strangled me." Abe said.
"It didn't try to strangle you." Rufus said.
Don looked around. "Where is the lady?"
Abe narrowed his eyes. "Rufus, you had better tell us what the hell is going on."
"The vines happened to be the thing that saved you." Rufus said. Where was Kate at a time like this? Couldn't he just wipe their memories? "I don't know what the creatures were." He saw Lanette walking from the end of the trail and sighed. "She saved you."
Abe whirled around and looked at Lanette. "You said she was a widow." He pulled his gun out but a vine from the tree behind him gently wrapped around his arm and prevented him from raising it to shoot her.
"I am a wood nymph." Lanette said.
"You brought a god damn creature with you?" Abe asked, angrily.
Lanette wasn't offended by the anger. "I do not harm people."
Don was too dumbfounded to talk.
"I am able to move through the trees and become one with them. I could feel those things under the earth and prevented them from reaching you." Lanette said.
"I didn't tell you what she was for good reason." Rufus said.
Abe was mad but the lady did save them. "So, you just buddy up with monsters now?"
"I understand why you are frightened, but I meant no harm." Lanette said.
Don finally spoke up. "What do you do?"
"We are peaceful. However, we are very strong. We protect the forests and the people who live peacefully there as well." Lanette said.
Don looked around at the trees. "How many of you are out here?"
"Just me." Lanette said. "I like seeing new places, so I am traveling with Rufus to satisfy my curiosity as well as watch his back as he has something after him."
Abe relaxed his arm. "So, how do we know you won't just snap his neck."
Lanette offered him a kind smile. "My kind loves humanity. It is not in our nature to cause harm unless threatened. We get nutrients from the earth but thrive when we are around humans that are joyful. Children's laughter and joy is the strongest fuel there is."
"Children?" Don asked.
"We have stories. I do not know where my kind came from, but it is said that a little girl ran from her family as they were cruel toward her. She was deep in the woods, wet, cold and afraid. She saw a shooting star and made a wish that the trees would protect her. Some of the elders say this is when the first wood nymph was created." Lanette said.
Abe and Don fired off questions that were quickly answered by Lanette. A long chat ended with both men accepting her as a friend instead of a foe. Nothing was black and white and they could see the benefit in having an ally that could turn the trees against anyone who wasn't them.
"I would appreciate if you two didn't go tell everyone about her." Rufus said.
"No, I know a few hunters who wouldn't care if she is helpful." Abe said.
"So, do you have sisters?" Don asked. "I wouldn't mind having backup on some hunts."
Abe scowled at him. "I'm your backup."
"She is a whole lot prettier." Don said.
Lanette smiled. "If you find yourself in danger, you can use these." She produced two small pieces of bark from her hand. "
Don took the bark and studied it. "What is this?"
"A beacon." Lanette said. "A way to communicate. You must know that no harm may come to us. We do not take kindly to people play tricks."
"No, ma'am." Don said. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"How does it work?" Abe asked.
"It can read your intentions. We will not show up without a request. You have to find yourself in need and focus as though you were calling us." Lanette said.
"What if I lose it?" Don asked.
"We will find it as it is connected to us." Lanette said.
Rufus scratched his chin. "Uh the Winchesters have some of those things Kate was making."
Lanette closed her eyes for a few moments before turning to look at a tree a few yards behind them.
Don and Abe both widened their eyes as another woman grew from the tall tree.
"This is my sister, Althea." Lanette said. She held out her hand for two small leather keychains. The keychains were made from two pieces of leather sewn together with a thin gap just big enough to place the bark in for secure keeping.
Abe added his to his keys and clipped them back to his belt loop. "John Winchester knows about these…. Women?"
"You will have to ask him. I'm sure you know him well enough to know that I have no business saying what he does or what he doesn't know." Rufus said.
"He's got more kids now, doesn't he?" Don asked.
"I have his number if you want to call him up to chat about his personal life." Rufus said.
Don snorted. John was well known in the community, although some only knew him by name. A fierce hunter with an impeccable record. Just not someone you wanted to cross.
Night was approaching and brought a chill with it. "Miss Lanette, Miss Althea, we had best be getting back to our motel for the night. It was nice meeting you." Don said.
Rufus shook his head. "When she said call if you are in need, she meant if you are in a life or death situation."
Lanette gave Don a wink. "I never specified."
(Sioux Falls)
John was gone. He left for a hunt that he couldn't turn down. Things were unstable at home, but it had been a long time since everyone had been even remotely stable. He felt guilty leaving Dean and Bobby to shoulder that responsibility, but people were dropping like flies elsewhere.
Kate was forever lost in her head. She saw the walls closing in and the people that she loved being constricted by the impending doom that had settled around them. Crowley was taunting her. Hellhounds were knocking people off bikes and howling in the night. Someone was in her line of sight, just obscure enough to leave her wondering who or what they were. They had answers she so desperately needed.
Taylor had a massive chip on his shoulder that had been growing for weeks. Everything irritated him. He was tense and quick to react. He had better control when John was home. He couldn't pinpoint what he was mad at so he chose to be mad at everything. He wanted a normal life. He wanted demons to go away. He didn't read Kate, but he could feel her tension through the night. She was wrestling with the whole Abaddon thing, and it kept him awake. He understood. He empathized and wanted to help but he also lost sleep and got tired of how sensitive that she had gotten. He said he wanted to move out of their room to the basement and it hurt her feelings. He told her to leave him alone and it hurt her feelings. She was so quick to get sad that he felt like he couldn't breathe at home.
Kate was sensitive. She could feel an awful wave of guilt pulling her in because she picked up pieces of memories when she went to the time stream. She knew something was going to happen to make her feel like that. She knew why Taylor wanted his own room, but the guilt made her feel like she was annoying and that is why he wanted space. She talked too much or whined too much. The feeling suffocated her, and she lost track of reality at times.
Dean spent time with Kim on and off. He had mixed feelings and didn't know how to handle them. She was fun to hang out with in the bedroom but also outside of the bedroom. He just didn't see her as someone he was dating. They weren't dating. A conversation with John helped ease some of his worries.
Pamela and John had been an item for years. They were friends with benefits. She lived in another state, and they sometimes went months without seeing each other. John could call her if he needed womanly advice, and she comforted him when he was stressed. Neither of them got angry if there was a lapse in communication because life got busy. The arrangement had worked for a long time, and they were both happy with it. John explained that it was okay for Dean to do the same. Kim could be a part of his life without him feeling like he had to maintain a relationship with her. They could go to a movie or wedding together without the expectation of staying together for any length of time.
Dean talked to her about it and she was on board with it. That was one less thing to cause him unneeded stress.
Kate went to bed that night feeling like she had gotten hit in the chest. Things were moving quickly, and she couldn't focus long enough to do anything about it. She really needed to say something about the blood.
(Friday, January 31)
Kate and Hannah were due to help Sam and Jess in Stanford that afternoon. They had stacks of pamphlets and trinkets to hand out and just needed to transport the items to Stanford along with themselves. Both girls felt that they didn't really need to do a full day of school because the event was important. Sadly, they were told no and had to go to school.
Their school day was going smoothly as they were both excited. Hannah had procured Stanford t shirts and Stanford colored hair ribbons. If they were going to take part in a Stanford event, they may as well look the part.
While Kate didn't view herself as girly, she did like the ribbons. Hannah braided her hair in town braids and added a ribbon to each braid. She looked normal. Maybe that was it. She looked like a normal girl going to a normal school event.
Taylor had a rougher time at school. The classes were too long for the attention span that he had that day. He was crawling out of his skin and needed to blow off steam. He wasn't grumpy toward Hailey although she asked him several times why he was mad. He couldn't tell her much because he didn't really know. He was mad about supernatural stuff, but he couldn't get over the constant state of irritation he found himself in.
Kate picked up on some of Taylor's feelings but was promptly shut out of his head the moment she said something.
Taylor watched the clock as the end of school drew near. He just had to make it through two more classes. He got a stern look from the teacher when he answered a question in the wrong tone. That made him angrier. Nate nudged him to tell him his eyes were glowing, so he got up to go to the bathroom. Of course, the teacher told him he needed a hall pass but he couldn't turn to look at him.
Nate had Taylor's back and approached the teacher to feed him a line about David. The teachers knew something terrible happened to Taylor's previous family, so they usually accepted any mention of them for a reason that Taylor needed to be out of the classroom. He even got the permission to make sure Taylor was okay. He ran down the hallway to the bathroom to find Taylor.
Taylor was staring into the mirror with his eyes glowing. He couldn't rein in the anger and felt like he was going to burst.
The lights flickered in the school causing most of the school to think that the electricity was causing it. The coach thought differently. He doubled as a Chemistry teacher, but he didn't have students in his class due to a planning period. He heard Nate's voice as it traveled down the hallway. He entered the bathroom just as Nate was pushed against the wall. "Taylor!"
Taylor snapped out of it. He blinked rapidly and looked from Nate to the coach.
Nate winced as he was let go.
"Both of you, office, now." The coach growled.
Nate wasn't angry at Taylor. He knew his friend didn't intend to hurt him although it spooked him.
The coach's office was disconnected from the school by a few yards. That made it the safer space for Taylor to go if he was going to cause the lights to flicker.
Taylor was quiet and in his head.
Nate was rambling trying to explain to the coach that nothing happened, and he just misunderstood what he walked in on.
The coach went to his desk and made a call to the front office to explain why Taylor was going to be running laps instead of being in class. He roughly pointed to the door that lead to the field. "Start running."
Taylor growled but did as he was told. The laps were probably needed as he could work through some of the anger in a way that wouldn't get people hurt. He just needed to pace himself so he wasn't caught on camera running faster than a normal human could.
The coach told Nate to sit down in his office.
Nate fidgeted in his seat. "I can explain."
The coach sat down in his chair. "Go ahead then."
"Taylor just needed a breather. I was talking a lot. He didn't hurt me or anything. You just walked in when I tripped and…" He trailed off as the look he was getting from the coach told him that the coach knew what he was saying was false.
"Did he push you against the wall?" The coach asked.
"He wasn't even close to me." Nate said.
"Son don't lie to me. I know things are different. If he is that close to snapping, someone ought to know." The coach said.
Nate licked his lips.
"Unless you want me to assume you aren't going to tell me what's going on and I just need to make a phone call to your dad first." The coach said.
Nate looked shocked. "Well, I don't think we need to do that."
"I'm not going to turn Taylor in. I think his dad needs to be involved in whatever is going on, but I know he uses those powers for good most of the time. I don't think he is a monster. I think he is a teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder." The coach said.
Nate bounced his leg. "You know how his dad is."
"I do." The coach said. "I know how yours is too."
Nate swallowed. "He has been upset for a bit. Today he just got more upset, and I annoyed him."
"Did he push you?" The coach asked.
Nate grimaced.
The coach nodded. "Go to the window and keep an eye on him. I'm going to call his dad."
"Can't you talk to him?" Nate asked.
"I will. I don't know what is making him act like this. If it is something above my paygrade, I'm going to need backup." The coach said.
Nate felt like crap. He was set on calming Taylor down so that he didn't get into trouble, but he wound up making him madder and making him react in a way that would get him into even bigger trouble. He didn't want to throw him under the bus, but his friend was clearly losing control.
John saw the coach's number and pressed the back of his head against the headrest of his seat. He took a deep breath and answered.
The coach told him that Taylor was running laps and having trouble controlling himself. He told him that Taylor pushed Nate against a wall with his abilities and his eyes were glowing.
John gritted his teeth. He talked to Taylor about his anger before leaving. Talking to Taylor at that moment was only going to put everyone else at higher risk. Taylor needed sense knocked back into him but was too mad to hear anything John had to say. If it was Sam or Dean, he would have chewed them out and told them he would deal with them later, but they didn't have abilities that could level the school. Their eyes didn't glow and put them at risk of being discovered. He couldn't turn around and get to the school before the day was over, let alone before school was over. He would have to delegate to someone else.
Taylor could run for miles and miles but the stupid cameras around the field prevented him from being able to run like he wanted to. He saw the coach standing outside of the door and groaned. He respected his coach, but he was also frustrated.
The coach waved Taylor over and told him to come back inside.
Taylor followed him and sat down next to Nate in the coach's office. "He doesn't need to be here." He meant that Nate had no part in all of it and that he didn't need to be in the hot seat with him.
Nate was temporarily hurt but quickly understood what Taylor was saying. He didn't know how much the coach was going to ask them, but he figured he'd wind up in the hot seat regardless. The bathroom incident wasn't the first thing that had happened that week. Nate wasn't a narc though. He wasn't going to run tell someone about those kinds of things, knowing that Taylor would get his ass handed to him.
The coach had been a teacher and a coach for more than 20 years. He knew how teenagers worked. He was no stranger to angry, hormone fueled, teenaged boys with poor impulse control. Taylor had a lot of impulse control but was swiftly running out of it. "Your dad is on a hunt."
Taylor's eyes flashed.
The coach didn't react. "Do you want to tell me what has you like this?"
Taylor shook his head.
The coach cleared his throat. "You aren't going back to class like this so you might as well get it all out now."
Taylor dug his nails into the palms of his hands.
The coach gave him time to think but didn't back down.
Taylor cracked his neck. He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be at school. He didn't want to be home either. He wanted to be somewhere away from people where he could uproot trees without anyone nagging him about it.
Nate was uncomfortable. He tried to talk but a look from the coach kept him from opening his mouth.
The coach rocked back in his chair.
Taylor couldn't breathe around the tension. He stood up suddenly and pressed his palms to the side of his head.
Papers flew from the desk, scattering them around the room. The lights flickered and the air felt heavy.
Nate squeaked. "Taylor."
The coach told him to go back to class.
Nate forced himself to leave.
"Reign in it." The coach said.
Taylor clenched his fists. "I can't."
"What do I need to do?" The coach asked.
Taylor just shook his head. He didn't want to snap but he couldn't control all of the emotions bubbling up from within.
"Are you going to do something that would blow your cover or hurt people?" The coach asked.
Taylor snapped his head up. "I'm not a monster."
"I didn't say you were." The coach said. "You have to control yourself."
"You don't think I have been? You don't think I am right now? The building is still standing, isn't it?" Taylor spat out.
The coach stood up to get close to Taylor and look into his eyes. He knew Taylor could easily hurt him but also knew Taylor wasn't that kind of person. He was quickly losing control and needed someone to push him back. "If you need to go somewhere to let this out, so be it. You tell me who to call and I'll do it. You aren't going to yell at me though. You aren't going to destroy anything. I am giving you an out and you had better take it."
Taylor heard the bite to his voice and found a shred of strength to keep himself from unraveling. I need to go.
"Who do I call?" The coach asked. Taylor couldn't answer him, so the coach asked one of the nymphs to take Taylor. "Taylor, someone is going to pick you up and take you somewhere safe."
Taylor heard him but the ringing in his ears distorted his words. He heard another voice and felt something touching his arm. He sucked in a big breath of air and stumbled. A large portion of his power was siphoned from him and left him reeling. "What the fuck?"
The coach put a hard hand on Taylor's shoulder. "She is going to take you somewhere and you are going to clear your head."
Taylor blinked and found himself in a dense forest. He whirled around and met eyes with a woman.
The woman studied him.
"Who are you?" Taylor asked in a growl.
"Nymph." She said simply.
That made sense in Taylor's head. "What did you do to me?"
"Removed you from the school." The nymph said.
Taylor clenched his fists again, causing the ground beneath them to shift. "You took something from me."
The nymph was unbothered. He couldn't hurt her with the abilities he was using. She could get out of the way if he exploded but she could also fence him in if she needed to. "I took enough energy from you to get you out of there safely."
"Where am I?" Taylor asked.
"Far away from anything else." The nymph said.
Taylor stepped back until his feet hit a fallen log. He sat down and folded forward so his hands were on the back of his head. He stayed like that for a while before standing up. "Take me back."
The nymph shook her head.
Taylor's eyes flashed blue again. "I said take me back."
"Not until you calm down." The nymph said. She got out of the way before the wave of energy hit her. She returned to Taylor standing in the middle of a circle of uprooted trees. She let Taylor burn himself out before speaking to him again.
Taylor was caught between still being pissed off and realizing that he was doing actual damage.
"How do you feel?" The nymph asked.
Taylor glared at her.
The nymph simply nodded. A few more outbursts later she asked Taylor how he felt again.
Taylor was exhausted. He used up the extra power he had been holding onto and he could no longer fling trees at will. "Take me home."
The nymph studied him. "Are you sure?"
Taylor held his head. "Yeah."
Kate was already home when Taylor got back.
Taylor had been gone for a few hours, trying to manage his anger. He thought it was working pretty well but annoyance hit him fast.
Dean told Kate to go to get everything together so she could go to Stanford a little early. That was one less kid to set the world on fire. He could talk to Taylor, man to man, and get things settled before John came back into the mix.
(Stanford)
Kate and Hannah were giddy and excited to hang out with Sam and Jess. They got to try food that Sam and Jess liked from the local area and bounced off the walls until the event started.
Hannah was going strong, but she crashed again. It was nothing that a drop of blood couldn't fix. She snapped out of the fatigue and went back to rapidly talking to Kate.
Jess even mentioned the change to Sam. "I'd like what ever she drank before coming over here."
Sam laughed. "I think it is the age and the novelty of being here."
Kate waved people over and got their attention for Jess's booth.
The event was running smoothly with an endless flow of people stopping by to talk to them.
Sam got up to get food for everyone and to stretch his legs. He was followed by the girls but didn't mind them. They were happy and staying out of trouble. He decided to call Dean to chat with him for a minute.
Dean answered the phone in a growl. "What?"
Sam blinked. "Oh, uh, I just wanted to check in."
"Can't right now. Going to kill him." Dean said.
Sam paused on his walk back to their booth. "Who?"
"Taylor." Dean said.
Sam took a deep breath. "What happened?" He heard a loud pop in the background and a growl from Dean.
"Nothing you need to worry about. I'll tell you later." Dean said.
Sam pulled the phone away from his ear because Dean yelled Taylor's name as he was hanging up. While Dean often threatened to murder them, it was usually in jest. Dean wasn't going to really murder Taylor, but Sam was a little worried about Taylor's skin. It was rare that he heard Dean that mad and he was equal parts curious and nervous to hear what happened.
Kate skipped along beside Sam. "What did he say?"
Sam grimaced.
Kate thought about Dean. She didn't scry but she got a glimpse at his emotions. She grimaced back at Sam.
"I don't know what Taylor did, but I wish him luck." Sam said.
That took some of the pep out of Kate's step. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn't told him about the blood before she left. Her stomach flipped and her face fell.
"He's okay." Sam said. "Are you?"
Kate blinked. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Is something on your mind?" Sam asked.
"What? No." Kate said.
Sam thought that was odd but didn't push her.
Hannah pulled Kate out of her head and returned to flagging people over to the booth.
Sam pulled another box from under their table to replace keychains that had been taken by people that stopped by. It was a good thing that Kate went on a keychain making spree or they would have run out an hour into the event. They were a big hit.
Kate and Hannah were still buzzing with excitement and chattering to themselves.
Jess smiled at someone approaching the table and offered them a pamphlet that explained what program she was in and what they were raising awareness for.
Kate and Hannah stayed close to Sam and Jess but found a ball to kick back and forth.
Jess fielded questions and collected business cards from a few employers. She expected to get overlooked because some of the booths had more interesting things to entertain people. However, she had not gotten a solid breath since they opened. It warmed her heart. She recognized a few people a few booths over and tensed.
Sam followed her eyes. "Stacy?"
Jess nodded.
Kate felt the shift and studied Jess.
Stacy and her mother approached the booth along with one of Stacy's friends.
Jess forced a smile and offered them a pamphlet.
Stacy looked at the keychains as though she was disgusted. "What are you doing?"
"Raising awareness." Jess said. They chatted for a minute although it was tense, and Jess had to bite her tongue.
Kate, never one to turn down a fight, skipped over. She put her arms around Sam's shoulders as he was sitting down.
Stacy's mother raised both eyebrows. "Who do you have with you?"
Jess turned to touch Sam's shoulder. "This is Sam."
Sam stood up to shake their hand in an introduction, but they wanted no part in that.
"Sam is my fiancé. This is his sister Kate and her friend Hannah." Jess said.
Stacy scoffed. "Finance?"
"Yeah." Jess said.
"I wasn't aware you were dating." Stacy's mother quipped.
"We do not talk often enough." Jess said.
Kate could hear thoughts in their head and gritted her teeth.
"Your mother would not approve of you getting engaged at your age." Her mother said.
"Do you want a keychain or just want to make small talk?" Kate asked. "There is a line behind you."
"We will step to the side." Stacy said. She didn't leave though. It bugged her that Jess had a fiancé when she didn't. She wanted to pick out things about Sam that she didn't like but nothing stood out immediately. He was well dressed and tall.
"When did you change majors?" The mother asked.
Jess sighed. "A while back. This is my passion."
"It isn't going to get you far in life. Social workers do not get paid well." Stacy said.
"Good thing I don't care about the money. I care about helping people." Jess said.
"You're just going to rely on him." Stacy's mom said, flicking her eyes to Sam.
"He is pretty reliable." Jess said. She turned her attention to the new people that would be interested in what the booth was about.
With Jess's attention elsewhere, Sam caught the attention of the pair. A comment was made about Sam expecting to inherit everything Jess had from her parents.
Sam shook his head. He didn't care about the money either, but the truth was, Ross threw most of it away. Jess wouldn't get a trust fund. "
Kate didn't say anything to Hannah but did look at her for a few moments. She wanted the women to leave as they were making Sam and Jess uncomfortable. "What is your major?"
Stacy beamed as she told them about the incredibly dry and boring major that she had chosen because everyone else in the family also chose it.
Kate furrowed her brows. "Sounds boring. Sam is going to law school."
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Hannah asked.
"Do you have your own apartment?" Kate asked.
Stacy stumbled with trying to answer their questions in a way that still made her look good.
"Wow. That is sad." Kate said. "I'm sure you'll find someone one day."
Stacy's mom took over talking as she needed the girls to know that Stacy was the better person. She would have a lot of money one day and had always been better than Jess.
Kate shrugged. "We like Jess. She is really cool."
Stacy's mom asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up to prove her point.
"Not a massive bitch." Hannah said with a snort.
Sam squeezed his eyes closed for a moment.
Stacy's mom was appalled. She looked to Sam and Jess to admonish them for allowing Hannah to use that language.
Kate smiled sweetly. "She's my friend so you can't be mad at them."
Jess was focused on the people she was talking to but trying really hard not to tune into Kate's conversation. She heard Hannah and bit the inside of her cheek.
"Staying over here trying to convince Jess she is a subpar human is a weird use of your time." Kate said. "Surely you could be more productive elsewhere."
"She is my niece and we have not seen her." Stacy's mom said.
"Too bad, should have tried months ago. We are her family now and we like her how she is." Kate said.
Jess gave her a soft smile.
Sam put a hand on Kate's head. "Alright, let's get back to our job and finish handing these out." He handed her a stack of papers to distribute.
Kate took them from his hand and tilted her head to tell Hannah to go with her. She stepped around the table to be between the booth and the women that still hadn't left. "You're taking up valuable space that other people could be occupying."
Hannah stopped and looked them up and down before shaking her head. "Embarrassing. Grown women acting like that."
Kate motioned for them to move. She gave them a smirk. "Nice meeting you. Hope I never do again."
Sam cleared his throat.
Kate turned her head and gave him a sheepish grin before turning back to them. She whispered where only they could hear her. "Leave. Don't come back." She compelled them but effortlessly.
Sam covered his face once the trio left. He took a deep breath and moved his hands. "Just go hand out flyers."
Kate batted her eyelashes at him but did as she was told. She shook off the frustration and put on a big smile. "Would you like a flyer? Social work is important to protect the most vulnerable in our society."
Hannah motioned toward the keychains. "Handmade keychains for a donation to the program. Your donations help kids."
Jess got a break in the line and pulled her shirt over her face. She took a shaky breath and looked at Sam.
"I didn't know how to stop them." Sam said.
Jess shook her head. "No, they were right. I have never seen my aunt that shocked by something."
"I should have known." Sam said. "As soon as Kate opened her mouth, I should have known it was going to go downhill."
Jess giggled softly. "At least they won't be back over here."
Sam sighed. "She compelled them."
The line picked back up and didn't die down for another half hour. The last keychain was bought, and booths were broken down.
Hannah and Kate were hyper and skipping around until they got all the way back to Sam and Jess's house.
Sam stepped inside once everything was in and took off his boots. "Girls."
Hannah and Kate stopped in their tracks.
"What was that?" Sam asked.
"Defending Jess's honor." Kate said.
"Do your parents let you talk like that?" Sam asked Hannah.
Hannah blushed slightly. "No but you guys do."
Sam rubbed his face.
Kate studied him. "Don't try to be Dean. You are not mad at us, and I heard you snicker."
"Thank you for sticking up for me." Jess said. "They are miserable people."
Kate gave Sam a look.
"I'm not mad at you. Stop being sassy for a split second." Sam said.
Kate put her hand over her chest. "I will not."
Sam shook his head and pulled his coat off. "I'm not trying to be Dean."
Kate shrugged. "He wouldn't have hidden the laugh."
"You're probably right." Sam said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Just let the adults handle it next time. Mouthing off like that can shine a bad light on things."
"We are 12. We are supposed to be temperamental." Hannah said. "People expect us to talk back."
Jess smiled. "Tonight was a success. Thank you both." She asked Kate for a moment to discuss an idea she had for Sam's birthday and left the living room with her.
Hannah stepped closer to Sam after Jess and Kate left the room. "You won't tell my parents, right?"
Sam snorted. "No."
Hannah relaxed. "Good."
"You didn't look like you cared a minute ago." Sam said, lightly.
"I was following her lead." Hannah said. "You know, act unbothered."
"Yeah, you better watch that. It is fun until you both wind up in deep weeds." Sam said. He smirked. "Like you telling my dad he had no power at your house."
Hannah's mouth dropped open.
"Dean told me." Sam said.
"I had just gotten attacked by a hell hound." Hannah said.
Sam laughed. "He is far worse than a hell hound. Don't follow her off a cliff."
"Being an accomplice isn't nearly as bad as the perpetrator." Hannah said.
"You think that." Sam said. "I've got a few dozen stories of following Dean and it ending poorly."
The girls were supposed to go back to Sioux Falls via nymph express but Dean hadn't answered his phone.
Sam didn't want to send them into the middle of an argument, and they had a few hours to go before bedtime. "We can watch a movie. I'm going to message Dean."
Kate grinned and hugged Sam. "Okay."
Jess settled into the couch and pulled the money that they had earned out of the money box and started to count it. "I'm surprised we made so much."
"We are awesome at our job." Hannah said.
Jess smiled. "You were a big help."
Sam returned to the living room with a pit in his stomach. Yeah, Dean was pissed but something else was going on. He thought that Kate could be boosting him by radiating power because he saw a few things that weren't there at the time. The girls worried him a bit.
Kate was afraid of making John and Dean mad but was quick to forget that when an impulse hit her. Hannah was a lot more timid but fed off of Kate. If Kate was going to jump off a cliff, Hannah was going with her. If Hannah was alone in something that she didn't have Kate's backup for, she would likely backdown.
Sam wasn't wrong to be worried about Hannah and Kate. Everyone knew they could be trouble, but the trouble ran deep. Hannah, before Kate, was an average kid in an average family. She fought with her siblings and blended in at school. She wanted to do exciting things, but the size of her family meant they didn't have the money or time to go to interesting places. They weren't poor by any stretch but making a weekend trip to Italy was out of the question. She and Kate were best friends instantly. She had other friends, but Kate was the coolest. She was traumatized by the vampire that kidnapped her, but Kate helped her get over the shock. She was best friends with a nephilian. One of only two to ever exist. Her best friend could vaporize hellhounds and heal people from the brink of death. Helping Kate find a way to save Brian's soul was the start of it all. She wanted the adventure and danger that went with looking into things that she probably shouldn't. Kate was going to save the world and Hannah just wanted to be on the list of people that helped her do it.
Hannah's personality fit with Kate's before everything went down. Hannah had the potential to be fearless and bold but hadn't gotten the chance to display her bravado. That changed with Kate. Ryan didn't mess with Hannah as much as he used to. Hannah found confidence. All she needed was that little push. What Sam saw was that Hannah was teetering on the edge of a bigger cliff, waiting for the right moment to jump. What Sam didn't see was that she had already jumped, fueled by the powerful feeling she got touching Kate's blood. Hannah knew the rules and knew what happened when they were broken. She knew things would be bad if she helped Kate do something dangerous. There was just no way for her to comprehend the gravity of choices that she would make in weeks to come. She'd rationalize that what ever they did, it would be worth it. Taking down demons would always be worth it.
Kate saw Sam studying them and got uncomfortable. Was he trying to read her in the Winchester kind of way or was he trying to read her with abilities. Was she doing the radiation thing again? How far did that travel? Was she boosting Andy? She gave Sam a small smile and turned her head so she was looking at the tv.
Eventually, Sam sent the girls back to Sioux Falls and fell into bed beside Jess. Bobby said they could come back although Dean was still processing stuff. He closed his eyes and settled into the bed, nearly dosing off instantly. He saw flashes although his eyes were closed. He sat up suddenly and looked at Jess.
Jess startled. "What is wrong?"
Sam rubbed his face and pressed on his temples. "I don't know. It isn't clear."
Jess soothed him and got him to relax. "Can I help?"
Sam sighed. "No. I just…. I can't understand what I am seeing and just calling my dad in the middle of a hunt to say that I feel weird won't work."
Jess kissed his cheek. "Rest. Call him tomorrow. You may understand things better and one night of sleep won't hurt anything."
Sam forced himself to relax. Jess was right. He needed a clear head. He had gotten used to not having visions so the weak ones he got from Kate's radiation just made his head hurt. He'd call in the morning and talk to Dean first. By then, things would be settled, and he wouldn't be so frustrated with Taylor. He never stayed mad long.
