John got in late that Monday and fell asleep on the couch.

Dean woke him up with a cup of coffee.

"Let me see that arm." John said groggily.

Dean rolled up his sleeve to show John the cut that he had gotten three days prior.

John rubbed his eyes and removed the bandage. "Kate did this?"

Dean nodded. "She sure did."

John made a noise in the back of his throat. "She didn't have any help?"

"None. Sam and Bobby were there incase she needed any but she did the stitches herself."

John raised a brow. "If I didn't know any better I would have thought you went to the ER for those."

Dean grinned. "Don't need to do that anymore. We have our own personal surgeon and her bedside manner is better than yours."

John chuckled and let Dean's arm go.

Kate skipped down the stairs but froze when she saw John looking at Dean's arm.

John looked up. "I'm impressed Kate."

She relaxed and smiled. "I practiced a lot."

He took a drink of his coffee. "I can tell. You have a gift."

Kate wasn't sure what to do with the compliment. "Can you show me some other stuff while you are here?"

John nodded. "Let me wake up first."

Sam could hear them talking down stairs but took his time getting ready. He couldn't hide anything from his dad. He would get one look at him and see the anxiety. Most parents were excited and proud when their kid got accepted into a college but John wasn't most parents

Kate ran up the stairs. "Sammy, are you coming down?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess I have to."

She grabbed his hand. "You don't have to tell him yet."

Sam sighed. "I need to soon. I can't lie to his face."

Kate winked. "Just let me know and I will make sure he is happy about it."

Sam ruffled her hair. "Stay out of it."

Kate shrugged and got ready for school.

Sam finished getting ready as well and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He could play it cool and talk to John after school. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed breakfast. He gave John a brief acknowledgement and went to the car.

"What is his deal?" John asked Dean.

Dean shrugged. "You know how he is."

Sam was known for being moody so John let it go.

Kate skidded out the door after Sam so they weren't late. "Can I visit you?" She asked as they pulled away.

"Of course." Sam said with furrowed brows.

"If Dean or John get too annoying I want to come visit for a few days." She said lightly.

He nudged her. "My door is always open and you can call me any time you want."

Kate smiled. "Can I go to college parties?"

Sam scoffed. "Absolutely not."

Kate giggled. "Okay Dean."

Sam gave her a crooked smile. "Dean would be more likely to take you to a party."

Kate tilted her head. "Did he take you to one?"

Sam thought back. "It was a high school party but he did."

Kate was wide eyed. "Was it fun? What happened? Why did he take you?"

Sam laughed. "It was okay. Drunk teenagers are stupid. Dad told him not to leave me alone because he was going to be gone for a few days. Dean wanted to go to the party so he took me and told me to stay out of the way."

Kate gasped. "Did John find out."

Sam made a face. "He did."

Kate grimaced. "I'll just steer clear of parties."

Sam smiled. "That is a good idea."

Kate waved to Sam as he pulled away from her school. She liked riding to and from school with him. Sam was good to talk to. At least she could still talk to him on the phone. She quickly found Ellie and walked with her to class. "Where is Taylor?"

Ellie said she didn't know.

Kate frowned but went to class. When they were let outside for recess Kate went to her normal spot. She jumped from one bar to the other and tried a few chin ups. They were part of her normal routine with Dean so she didn't mind doing them. She lifted herself through the bars and sat down on the top. Ellie was playing with some other friends so Kate took her time alone to watch people. She didn't want her perception skills to grow dull. She finally spotted Taylor talking to one of the other boys. She thought it was odd that he hadn't said anything to her. When she saw the other boy walk away she jumped down and walked over to him. "Hey, Taylor."

Taylor tensed up and mumbled hi.

"What's wrong? Did I make you mad or something?" Kate asked.

Taylor turned his face.

Kate grimaced. "What happened to your eye?"

Taylor shrugged. "Had an accident. I just got here."

Kate motioned for him to sit down. "Did you go to the doctor?"

Taylor shook his head. "No, it isn't that bad."

Kate sat and talked to him for a few minutes and watched how he reacted. "Was it just your eye that got hurt?"

Taylor looked at her uncomfortably. "Why do you ask so many questions?"

Kate was hurt. "You look like you are in pain and I thought maybe you hurt your side or something."

Taylor looked around them. "Okay, I got hurt more than just my eye. I'm fine though."

Kate studied him. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"

Taylor furrowed his brows. "What is that going to help?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I know first aid."

Taylor smiled at her. "I'm okay. It is nothing."

Kate could see the concern on his face. "Were you doing something that you don't want an adult to find out about?"

Taylor froze.

"When I burned my arm I didn't tell anyone and it got infected. I burned it doing something I wasn't supposed to do." She said.

Taylor sighed. "Is that why you were out of school?"

Kate nodded.

"Why did you hide it?" Taylor asked.

Kate blushed. "I didn't want them to get mad at for me for going behind their backs."

Taylor frowned. "I know how that is."

"So do you think you need medical attention?" She asked.

Taylor shrugged again. "I'm okay."

"That isn't what I asked." Kate said.

Taylor smiled at her. "You are persistent."

Kate smiled back. "I've been told that before. I promise I wont tell anyone. I wont even ask how it happened."

Taylor sighed. "I might be a little bruised up on my back and chest."

"Does it hurt when you take a deep breath?" Kate asked.

Taylor stared at her. "No."

She asked him a variety of questions to narrow down the more serious injuries.

"Why do you know all this stuff?" Taylor asked.

Kate blinked. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up."

Taylor narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

Kate sat back. "What?"

Taylor shifted. "There are all these things that just don't make sense and I can't figure it out."

Kate blushed. "I don't know what you mean."

"You are different. The more I talk to you the more I realize how different you are. The things you can talk about and all the stuff you know. Not to mention that you can do pull ups like you are lifting a finger."

Kate looked at her hands. "Why were you watching me?"

Taylor looked at her. "Why were you watching me?"

Kate looked up. "I watch everyone and you know what. You are different too. You talk about all the same things I do and can apparently knock a ball over the fence without any effort."

It was Taylor's turn to blush. "I have to be really careful. My dad is paranoid and not everyone is a good person."

Kate nodded. "My dad is paranoid too."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Kate figured that she could compel him to forget things if the conversation took a bad turn. "Is there something about your family that most people can't know about?"

Taylor nodded slowly.

"Mine too." Kate said.

Taylor took a deep breath. "Is that why you know all this stuff?"

Kate nodded. "Is that why you handle a gun so well?"

Taylor bit his lip and didn't say anything.

"My brothers had some reservations because of things like that." Kate said.

Taylor stiffened. "I shouldn't have done that."

Kate put a hand on his arm. "Is the reason that you don't want to tell anyone you are hurt, about your family secret?"

Taylor pulled his arm away. "I shouldn't be talking to you."

Kate slumped. "Sometimes it sucks being a kid in a family like mine. I can't worry about normal kid stuff and have so many extra rules. I can't even go to the ER too many times or they will ask questions." She baited him into trusting her.

Taylor put his head in his hands. "I'm so dead."

Kate moved closer to him. "I'm not going to tell anyone. My brother, Sam, is cool. He understands these kinds of things. How about after school we talk to him and he can make sure you don't need medical attention. If you do we have a kit and can fix minor issues like small cuts and stuff."

Taylor considered the offer. "I'll think about it. Okay? Don't talk to anyone. I shouldn't even be talking at all."

Kate squeezed his hand. "If I told anyone, you could just tell them that I have a secret. Since we both have stuff we can't talk about, that makes me the safest person to talk to."

Taylor gave her a weak smile. "Blackmail?"

Kate smiled. "No, common ground."

They walked back to the building when the bell rung and split in opposite directions once inside.

Kate fidgeted through her last few classes. She hoped Taylor was okay. She had never seen him so subdued and anxious. She hoped that Sam would be cool about things. She wanted to know what he was so afraid of. Could his family really be hunters too? If they were, how had Bobby never met them? Surely he couldn't be supernatural himself. He had been alone with her, away from other people and didn't hurt her. She was afraid of what the answer could be but also understood Taylor on a unique level.

Sam waited outside the school for longer than he normally waited. He sent Kate a message to let her know he was outside.

Kate's phone buzzed and she swallowed hard. Her heart was beating fast. She started to walk through the door when Taylor finally walked around the corner. "Are you coming with me?"

Taylor looked uncomfortable. "I'm supposed to walk home so just for a few minutes."

Kate sighed and walked with him to Sam's car. "Wait here." She opened her door and knelt on the seat so she could talk to Sam. "Taylor is hurt and I want to make sure he is okay. I don't know what happened but something is wrong. Can he come with us for just a little bit so I can make sure he is okay?"

Sam looked at her and then at Taylor. "I'm not going to kidnap him."

Kate gave him an exasperated look. "He is going to walk home. We could just give him a ride and talk on the way."

Sam sighed deeply but agreed.

Taylor knew he was being stupid but trusted Kate on some level.

Kate got in the backseat with him and Sam drove the car to a shaded area. "Now, what is going on?" Sam asked.

Taylor glanced at him with worried eyes. "I just got hurt and Kate said you could maybe make sure I didn't need to go to the doctor."

Sam eyed Kate. "How hurt are we talking?"

Taylor rested his forehead on the back of the seat. "I should go."

Sam took pity on him. "Look, I have done stupid stuff before and gotten myself in trouble. I get it. I get not wanting to go to the doctor so just work with me."

Taylor looked into his eyes and could see the sincerity.

Sam got out of the car and walked around to Taylor's side. "Come on, we both know she isn't going to leave you alone until she knows you are alright."

Taylor smiled and gingerly got out of the car.

Sam looked at his eye. "That is quite the black eye. Is the bone broken?"

Taylor felt along his cheek bone. "I don't think so."

"She said your back and chest may be bruised." Sam said.

Taylor swallowed. "This stays between us."

Sam nodded.

Taylor lifted his shirt to show Sam his torso.

Sam sucked in air through his teeth. "What kind of accident was this?"

Taylor stiffened.

"Let's try it this way. Did you get hit by something big or did you fall? That can help narrow down what kind of injury might be under all of this." Sam said gently.

Taylor swallowed. "I um.. something hit me."

Sam nodded. He prodded Taylor's side to make sure there was no swelling. "What is under the wrap?" He said, pointing to the extra t shirt that Taylor had tied around him.

Kate got out and walked around the car.

Taylor shook his head. "I don't want her to see."

Sam looked at Kate. "She has seen worse."

Kate gently untied the shirt and pulled it away. There were several small cuts as though he had fallen against something with spikes. "Those could use a few stitches or at least butterfly bandages."

Taylor shook his head. "If I go to the doctor like this they are going to make all kinds of assumptions."

Sam told Kate to get in the car. He waited until he and Taylor were alone. "I'm going to ask you some questions. I know that you want to hide things but I need to know what is going on. No matter what you tell me, I am not going to run and tell anyone else. If I feel like you need additional help I will tell you that and will not force you to do anything."

Taylor shifted uncomfortably. "Okay."

"Was this an accident?" Sam asked.

Taylor swallowed. "I don't know."

Sam looked at him. "Has something like this happened before?"

Taylor slowly nodded.

"Did some one do this to you?"

Taylor grimaced. "It is complicated."

"Okay. Let's say this was an accident. Did someone in your family accidently cause you to get hurt?" Sam prodded.

Taylor looked away from him and blinked his eyes. He needed to shut his mouth. "Does it matter?"

Sam nodded. "You do need medical attention. I get that sometimes families need to hide things so I think we can patch you up but I'm not taking you anywhere without your parents knowing. Now if this accident was due to someone like your dad, that raises some issues."

Taylor groaned. "I'm actually okay. I'll wrap it and I'll be fine."

Sam leaned against the car. "Are you safe at home?"

Taylor stared at him.

"My dad can lose his temper sometimes. Especially if he has been drinking. Now, he has never done that to me but I can connect the dots." Sam said.

Taylor started to walk away.

Sam stopped him. "Do you think you could call and tell him that you are going to a friend's house? Would he ask questions?"

Taylor thought about it. "I can call my mom. She would be okay with that."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Do that. I want to make sure you are not injured worse than it looks like you are. Kate enjoys hanging out with you so I owe it to her."

Taylor gave him a small smile. "I like hanging out with her too."

They got back in the car and Taylor made the call.

Kate shifted around in the seat. "What is going on?"

Sam looked in the rearview mirror. "Taylor is going to come with us so he can get cleaned up."

Kate squeezed Taylor's hand. "Is everything okay?"

Sam gave her a look and considered his words. "I think we need to know what is actually going on."

Taylor hung his head. He was kicking himself for saying anything at all.

"Are you afraid that we will tell someone?" Sam asked.

Taylor nodded.

Sam thought about it. "We have our own secrets. If Kate shows you something as collateral, will you feel better about talking?"

Taylor slowly nodded. "I think."

Sam nodded his head.

Kate took a deep breath. "I can do certain things. No one can know."

Taylor gave her a confused look.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

Taylor nodded again.

She closed her eyes and pulled a little of the pain away.

Taylor pulled his hand back. "What..what did you just do?"

Kate teared up. "I can ease people's pain. If anyone found out, I would get kidnapped and sent away to some lab somewhere."

Taylor took a deep breath. "That.. that is cool. How long have you been able to do that? Do you have super powers?"

Kate smiled. "That is a story for another time. You can trust us."

Taylor sat back in the seat. "Okay."

Sam sent Dean a message and drove to Bobby's house. "I'm going to run inside for a minute. You two can stay out here."

Kate held Taylor's hand as she saw the anxiety bubbling up. "It is okay. I promise."

Taylor's eyes were shifty. "I shouldn't be here."

Kate closed her eyes and gently compelled him to calm down. "It is going to be okay."

Taylor took a few deep breaths and bounced his legs. He couldn't believe that he had given in so easily. His whole life he had been trained to keep his mouth shut and he had broken.

Sam walked out of the house with Dean in tow.

Dean opened Taylor's door. "I heard you got injured earlier today."

Taylor nodded.

"Let's get you checked out then."

Taylor very reluctantly followed them into Bobby's house. He was on edge and jumpy.

John and Bobby walked outside to ease some of his anxiety.

Sam went to grab the med kit and Dean had Taylor sit down in a chair.

"Right now we are just going to fix you up. No questions." Dean said.

Taylor dug his nails into the palms of his hands but nodded.

Dean gently touched his shoulder. "Is most of the damage on your chest and back? Do you have anything else on your legs or anything?"

Taylor shook his head. "Just here." He motioned to his torso.

Dean nodded and told Taylor to take his shirt off.

Kate took a deep breath when she saw his entire back. She fought the urge to ask what happened.

Sam wiped down Taylor's side and back. "Was this caused by something heavy? Do you think you could have broken ribs or deep tissue damage?"

Taylor shook his head. "My ribs don't hurt."

Sam handed him a glass of water and got a closer look at the cuts. "Could something have splintered off into these?"

Taylor shook his head again. "I don't think so."

Dean looked at Kate and then at Taylor. "Kate is our resident medic." He pulled up his sleeve. "She stitched me up the other day. At least two of these need to be sewn up."

Taylor snapped his head up. "No stitches. I'd have to explain who did them."

Dean rubbed his face. He felt all kinds of off. "If we use butterflies will you need to explain those?"

Taylor reached behind him "I can say I put them on."

Dean was skeptical. They took care of the smaller ones and made sure they were clean. Dean could see the shape of the bruising. He sat down across from Taylor. "Can I be honest with you?"

Taylor nodded.

"I think that someone did that to you and you are afraid of them getting angry that you got help."

Taylor grimaced.

"I think that you are scared and need some help."

Taylor didn't reply.

"Sam told me about your deal. I want to know what happened and why it happened." Dean said gently.

Taylor shook his head. "I can't."

Kate sat down beside him. "Secret for a secret?"

Taylor shrugged. "I guess I have already screwed up anyway."

"Does your family train too?" She asked.

He thought about it. "Kind of."

"Dean taught me how to fight and handle weapons so I could protect myself." Kate said.

Taylor looked at her. "That is why I train too."

"There are people and things out there that could hurt one of us so we have to know how to defend ourselves."

Taylor nodded to agree.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "What kind of er... people would want to hurt you?" Dean asked.

Taylor paused. "I really can't say."

Dean sat across from him. "Our family hunts. We go after bad guys that hurt people. Sometimes those bad guys have friends who come after us."

Taylor blinked rapidly. "Okay... I could say that is the same for my family."

Dean pulled Kate to the side and asked her if she could wipe his memory if they needed her to.

Kate said yes.

Dean sat back down. "Does your family hunt?"

Taylor shook his head. "Like deer?"

Dean glanced at Sam. "What happened to make people want to hurt you?"

Taylor slumped. "My dad was in the military. He also worked for the government I guess. He is paranoid about some of the bad guys finding us. A long time ago one did and after that he made sure that I knew how to fight and makes me run and work out all the time so I can protect my mom."

So his family didn't hunt. Dean didn't know what to do with the information. "Did one of them hurt you this time?"

Taylor shook his head.

Dean rocked forward in his chair. "Did your dad hurt you?"

Taylor looked at him and then back at his hands.

"The more we know, the better we can help you." Dean said.

Taylor put his head down. "I don't know what happened when he was gone but it messed him up. He has nightmares and is always afraid people are watching. He goes on trips and when he comes back he is extra paranoid and angry. I messed up."

"Messed up how?" Dean asked.

Taylor looked at Kate. "I don't know."

Kate frowned and put a hand on him.

"Your dad thought you messed up and hit you?" Sam asked.

Taylor nodded reluctantly. "He doesn't know what he is doing when he gets like that. He probably thought I was whoever he is always watching out for."

Dean felt for the kid. "Can you stay with a friend for a few days?"

Taylor shrugged. "I can ask."

Dean stepped outside to talk to John.

John and Bobby looked up as Dean walked over. "What is it?"

Dean kicked the rocks. "They aren't hunters. His dad is ex military and may have worked for the government. The guy trained Taylor so that he could protect his mom incase someone went after them. It sounds like his dad has some PTSD and is paranoid. I don't know exactly what he did but the kid is pretty beat up and his dad was the one that did it."

"Son of a bitch." John hissed. He could be hard on his kids but he would never raise his hand to them like that. "Does he need treatment?"

Dean looked at him. "He needs a few stitches but is afraid that his dad will find out."

John growled.

Bobby put his hand on John's arm. "What are you thinking?"

John bit his cheek. "I'm thinking about going over there and beating the shit out of his dad."

Bobby sighed. "While I'd love to tag along with you, I don't think that is going to help the kid."

"I don't know if his dad is paranoid and makes him think they need to lay low or if they actually need to." Dean said.

Bobby nodded. "I think I should do some digging and see what I can find on him."

John followed Dean to the kitchen.

Kate gave him a wide eyed look.

He gave her a small smile and a wink.

Taylor startled when he saw John. He looked like he was about to run.

"We haven't met." John said. "I'm Kate's father."

Taylor stared at him.

"Dean told me a bit of what happened. It looks like you need that side stitched up."

Taylor shook his head. "I can't."

John nodded. "I understand why you are afraid. Kate can sew you up so if you are asked about it, you wouldn't even need to lie."

Taylor looked at Kate. "He would get mad I guess but not mad like he would if I told an adult." He licked his lips.

Kate swallowed hard. She didn't want him to go back home. "I can do the stitches."

John drummed his fingers on the table. "We can figure out the rest in a minute but let's get you put back together." He grabbed the stuff Kate needed and drew up the lidocaine that they'd need to get through the procedure. "This is going to sting." He said.

Taylor gritted his teeth but didn't move.

They gave the lidocaine time to kick in before Kate started working on his side. She found it much easier to work when she wasn't worried about pain. She had to admit it was a little weird since he wasn't a family member and she had never seen him with a shirt off. She hoped that the cuts healed nicely and he didn't hate her for doing a bad job.

Once Kate as finished, John double checked the wounds and bandaged them. "When is your mom expecting you home?"

Taylor looked exhausted. "By dark."

John looked outside. They had a few hours. "Okay, why don't you rest here for a little bit while we figure some stuff out."

Taylor looked uneasy.

"You and Kate can take some food into the living room and watch a movie or something." John offered.

Taylor eyed him. "Okay."

Things were awkward as Kate sat beside Taylor on the couch. There was so much unsaid and Kate knew that there was so much that needed to be said. She had just sewn up his side and there was no way to make it not weird.

Taylor looked at her for a while. "The scar on your leg isn't from a bear is it?"

Kate swallowed. "No."

Taylor gave her a small smile. "Didn't think so." He reached his hand over and held hers while they watched the movie. He tried to focus on the moment of calm and safety. Kate was mysterious and so was her family.

Kate fought the urge to read him as they sat side by side. She would want him to respect her privacy so she wasn't going to invade his. She didn't know what was going to happen but her heart skipped a few beats. She smirked to herself. Her life could never be normal or simple. She squeezed Taylor's hand. Of course the first time she held hands with a boy was going to be after she had stitched him up. She glanced over at Taylor and wondered what chaos would ensue for her to get her first kiss. She leaned her head back. She glanced down the hallway toward where Dean's voice was drifting from. She was surprised he wasn't hovering over her shoulder making sure they stayed two feet apart at all times. She smiled to herself. She couldn't even think about kissing a boy but she might just mention it, later on, just to ruffle him.