Dean braced himself against the car and tried to calm his thoughts. Had they left or had they been taken? Either way, where were they? Were they okay?
Sam got out of the car and approached Dean carefully. "Dean."
Dean snapped at him. "Where did they go? You were sitting right there."
Sam held his hands in front of him. "It happened suddenly."
"Sammy, did that thing take them?" Dean asked, desperate for a lead.
"I don't know. The light came and then they weren't there." Sam said.
Dean looked down at his hands. "The box is gone too."
Sam called John to ask him to take a detour through town.
Dean went back into the house to find Hannah. "Hey, it is gone."
Hannah uncovered her head and looked around. "Where is Kate?"
"I was hoping you had an idea about where she may be." Dean said.
Hannah stood up and looked at him. "Why?"
"Where is your mom?" Dean asked.
Hannah told him that Mandy had an appointment and she was home with her brother.
"Where is your brother?"
"He went to his friend's house." Hannah said.
Dean took a deep breath. "So you were the only one here."
Hannah nodded.
"This man.. what did he look like?" Dean asked as they walked back outside.
"He had black hair. He was darker skinned but maybe still white." Hannah said.
"Did you notice anything off about him?" Dean pressed.
"His eyes weren't black. I tested him. He wasn't a shifter or anything that doesn't like silver." Hannah said.
For once, Dean was glad that Kate had given her the lowdown on creatures. "I need you to tell me everything so that I can find Kate and Taylor."
Hannah waved at Sam. "He talked kind of funny and his friend was invisible."
"His friend?" Dean was losing what patience he had left.
"There was a voice. I don't know. I don't remember." Hannah said.
"Who ever they are took Kate so we need to get her back." Dean said. He was freaking out inside but acted calm for Hannah. "You call your mom and see how far away she is."
Kate uncovered her ears when the ringing stopped. "Sam." She realized that they were no longer with Sam. "Taylor!" She looked around and found him sitting on the ground holding his head. "What happened?"
Taylor pulled his hand away from his head. "Hit my head but I think it is healed now."
Kate knelt beside him and confirmed that the wound was healed. "Where are we?"
Taylor looked around them. "How did we get here?"
Kate felt panic raising in her chest. "Where are Dean and Sam?"
Taylor grabbed her hand and calmed her down. "First we have to figure out where we are."
Kate closed her eyes. "I hear cars but they are far away."
Taylor heard them too. "So we walk to the road."
They walked a couple feet before realizing they were right back where they started.
"What do you want?" Kate asked the air. If the creature or light put them there, maybe it wanted something.
Taylor picked up the box. "I wonder if this is what Hannah had."
"Could be." Kate grabbed it and opened it.
"Hey! Don't do that. We don't know what it is." Taylor said.
Kate furrowed her brows. "It is a key."
Taylor got a closer look.
Kate pulled away from him and took it out of the box. "What is it for?"
Taylor looked at the box. "This has the same symbols as the house and my arm but it has those Celtic symbols on top."
The whispers returned and startled them both.
Kate held onto Taylor. "I don't understand."
Dean was talking to Hannah when the ringing returned to his ears. He ducked his head and turned his face away from the beam of light. When the ringing stopped and he turned his head back to Hannah she was gone. "Oh come on!"
Sam ran over to him. "Is the thing just taking kids?"
Dean called John again and filled him in. They had no leads to go on.
Kate and Taylor were looking at the box when they heard a sound behind them.
"Hannah?!" Kate screeched. She went to hug her but stopped. "Hannah?"
"No, just borrowing her so I could speak to you." The thing said in Hannah's voice.
Kate drew her knife. "Let her go."
Hannah smiled. "I'm not harming her and she is okay with this. I can't speak in my true form so I borrow hers."
Taylor put himself between Hannah and Kate. "Why bring us here?"
Hannah sat down on a large boulder. "Something that your brothers have causes.. difficulties when I try to speak."
"What do you want?" Kate asked.
"To help you." Hannah said.
"Help us with what?" Taylor asked.
Hannah pointed to the box. "That will help you one day. Not today but you must keep it with you. Many years ago a pact was made between your families and you two are the result."
"A pact? Do you mean Ada?" Kate asked.
"Yes. When you leave here you will understand the language on this box. It will be much easier to communicate should I need to." Hannah said.
"Why not just tell us what is going on?" Taylor asked.
"Too much knowledge can be harmful. You are not ready." Hannah replied.
Kate chewed her fingers. "What are you? You are the thing that has been attacking us at Bobby's, right?"
Hannah stood and approached Kate. "I have not attacked. I have been trying to talk to you but I couldn't until now. You are away from that house and away from the two that you call your brothers."
"Are you a demon?" Kate pressed.
Hannah laughed. "I have may names but your people refer to me as a Grigori."
"Gregory?" Kate asked.
"Grigori. Your surrogate uncle may know a thing or two. It isn't my place to explain. When you leave here you wont remember this conversation." Hannah said.
"Why not?" Kate demanded. "Why bring us here if you are just going to wipe our memory."
Hannah put her hand on Kate's face. "Not your entire memory. Just.. some."
She did the same to Taylor and snapped her fingers.
Sam and Dean heard the ringing again and Dean drew his gun. A shockwave knocked them back. Dean jumped up and saw that all three kids were back and seemingly unharmed. "Where the hell were you?"
Kate was stunned. "I don't know."
Dean pulled Kate and Taylor to the side. "One of you better start talking."
Taylor held the box out. "I don't know what happened either. We were in the car and then we were out here but I was holding this box."
Kate looked in her hands. "I have this and a name."
"You have a name?" Dean asked.
"Gregory. No... Grigori." Kate said.
Sam let John know the kids had been found but they still needed his help.
Dean turned to Hannah. "I'm guessing you conveniently don't know anything either."
Hannah shook her head.
Dean paced back and forth before ordering them to all sit on the curb. "All three of you just vanish into thin air and not one of you remembers anything?"
Kate went to stand up but stopped when she saw his face. "Dean. I promise. I have no memory."
"So you didn't just decide to zip yourself out of there?" Dean asked, pointedly.
Kate started crying. "No. I promise."
Dean believed her but it did seem like something she would do.
"I would tell you if we knew anything. We have a box, a key and a name." Taylor said.
Mandy pulled up and allowed everyone to go into the house. "Hannah, what did you help this man with?"
Hannah rested her head on her knees. "He had a message for Kate. I don't know exactly."
Mandy made dinner for everyone and waited for John to show up.
The kids were quiet and that worried Dean. He had snapped at them but they scared him. "Hey, look at me." He said softly. "When you went missing I was gutted. Then you pop back in saying you didn't know anything. I reacted badly."
Kate hugged him. "It is okay. I am freaked out too."
Hannah crossed her arms and sat back on the sofa. "That's what you do, isn't it?"
Kate let go of Dean's neck and glared at Hannah. "That isn't fair. He was scared. He is protective."
Hannah thought that Dean was overbearing. "You yelled at me before you even got here."
Dean paused and then sighed. "I didn't yell at you. You were in danger and I told you to get inside."
"I told him to, Hannah." Kate said. "You weren't listening to me. I am happy that you want to help but this thing could have taken you and no one would have known."
Hannah gave her friend a small smile. "I miss you."
"I miss you too." Kate said and hugged her.
John knocked on the door and was let in by Mandy. "Are they okay?"
"Seem to be. We don't know what happened." Mandy admitted.
John joined Dean and the kids in the sitting room. "Is everyone okay?"
Kate jumped up to hug him. "I feel okay."
The kids told them what they knew and showed him the box.
John looked it over. "You have no memory?"
Kate repeated the one word she remembered.
"I'll call Bobby and see if he can figure out what that means." John said.
They searched the area and didn't find any type of trace. There was no smell, residue or tracks.
John went out to his truck and listened to the police scanner. There was chatter of something strange that happened a few miles away. He told Dean to keep an eye on the kids and went to check it out. Once there he talked his way into the circle of cops by flashing his ID. When he got there he saw some fallen trees and something burned into the ground. The police had rushed over when they saw what looked like a bomb go off. John noticed that the burn mark looked uniform. He copied the shape onto his palm and collected some of the evidence before leaving the scene.
"What was it?" Dean asked.
John leaned against the truck. "I honestly don't know. It looked like a small bomb went off but only burned this shape into the dirt." John said and held up his hand.
"If this is an alien I'm out." Dean said.
John chuckled.
They went inside and John showed Kate and Taylor the symbol.
Kate stood up and pulled John's hand closer to her. "Wait... I know this." She furrowed her brows and traced over the lines on his hand. "I've seen this before."
Taylor looked as well. "Where did you see it?"
Kate tried to focus but couldn't pinpoint where she had seen it before.
John put his hand on her arm. "Here, sit down. Drink some water. You can do that searching thing."
Kate took the offered water. "I can?"
"Find the symbol and that is it." John said.
Kate closed her eyes and sifted through her memory for the time and place that she had seen the symbol. "Ada!" Her eyes flew open and she gasped. "She had that symbol on a necklace."
"It always comes back to her." Dean said.
"So that proves that she is connected to this Grigori." Kate said.
Taylor stared at the box, willing it to give him answers. "Why do we have a key?"
"It could be connected to those numbers. The numbers could be a location." Sam said.
They brain stormed together about the meaning of the key and box. They were in agreeance that it was all tied together with the book that Sam had gotten.
Dean watched Hannah. She had a mild grudge against him for what she deemed was unfairness to Kate. Something had caused the grudge to be refueled, causing the increase in eye rolls and lack of cooperation. Last time he had spoken to her, they were on common ground. "Hey, Kate." Dean said quietly. "Could you find out why your friend is sending me death threats with her eyes?"
Kate tilted her head. "She thinks you are too hard on me."
"Well, of course but does she not seem extra prickly?" Dean asked.
Kate watched Hannah as well. "I'll talk to her." Kate asked Hannah if she wanted to go outside and swing.
Hannah perked up and went with her.
"So, what happened?" Kate asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I know that Dean can seem harsh sometimes but what is up with the stink eye?" Kate asked.
Hannah sighed. "You could be great and powerful but they hold you back. They freaked out when they found out about our plan and almost didn't let you save your dad."
Kate pushed the swing with her feet. "It wasn't that simple. I guess no one told you exactly what happened. That stuff is dangerous. We knew that. I wasn't thinking clearly because i was focused on saving my dad and honestly, I didn't care if I died. After I explained the plan, they helped iron out a better way of handling it. I did get to save my dad's soul but not his life. Hellhounds came and I made a run for it." She rubbed her leg. "I almost died. I would have had Dean not given me a few bags of blood. The hospital didn't have enough right away. Then after I was let go from the hospital, I made the switch with the crystals. Hellen died in that explosion. She deserved it but I had a part in taking someone's life. I had nightmares for a long time and then all of this new stuff happened."
Hannah frowned and looked at her lap. "You are a hero. You are awesome and have super powers."
"All powers aren't super. The guys are on high alert because a few weeks ago I absorbed two demons and it made me a little crazy. I made some bad choices and hurt both Sam and Dean. I was strong but couldn't control the anger that that kind of power gave me. Then Taylor and I are connected somehow. My point is that, although it gets annoying, they care. Dean is constantly on me but I understand why. He doesn't have to watch over me. He could be hunting with John or just leave. He chooses to." Kate added.
Hannah gave her a smile. "I guess I misjudged him. I just don't want them to keep you from finding out who you really are."
Kate laid back on the swing and looked up at the sky. "I'll find out one day. It is just too confusing to find out today."
Hannah laid beside her. "By the way, I don't like being yelled at."
Kate giggled. "Sorry I sicced him on you."
Hannah rolled onto her stomach and looked back to the house. "He is kinda like a guard dog isn't he?"
Kate grinned. "Looks scary but is actually adorable. Loyal. Would probably bite someone. I see it."
Dean looked out the window at the girls and then turned back to John. "If you need to head out, I think we are to the point that we could take the kids back to Bobby's."
John agreed. "I can help out on this case and be back tomorrow if you need me."
Kate watched the clouds roll by. "Hannah, if I promise to keep my guard dog muzzled, can you tell me what you know?"
Hannah paused. "What do you mean?"
"You know something." Kate said.
Hannah sat up on the swing. "I can't tell you."
"Why? Kate asked.
Hannah frowned. "When I lose time, sometimes I see things. It is like I'm dreaming and not controlling my body."
Kate sat up too. "What have you seen?"
"I don't think I can tell you. I think it is a secret." Hannah said and looked around.
"It is just us. I'll read you if you are too afraid to talk." Kate said.
Hannah held her breath and then spilled. "There were people talking. It sounded like you were given something that altered your body and they wanted to know how it worked."
Kate's mind raced. "The stuff in the vials."
Hannah shrugged. "So a long time ago, the same thing was done but it didn't work the way that it should. I guess it got handed down through generations and you are now showing signs. I don't know what kind of signs."
The ringing and light returned for a moment before vanishing again.
Dean and John ran out of the house. "Girls, are you okay?"
Hannah and Kate both stared at them. "What?" Kate asked.
Dean asked her about her talk with Hannah and wasn't surprised that her memory had been wiped again. He wondered if Hannah was the one wiping memories. "Let's go back inside."
With no leads and an increasing number of questions they left Mandy's house and headed back to Bobby's. Bobby's house felt safer and they wanted to get home before too late.
Once they cleared the neighborhood Taylor asked Kate to reach into her back pocket.
"Why?" Kate asked but felt something. "When did this get there?"
Dean slowed the car down. "What is it?"
Taylor took it and held it up. "Recorder."
Sam turned around. "Where did you get that?"
"I always have it on me." Taylor said.
Dean looked at him through the mirror. "Have you been recording us?"
Taylor shook his head quickly. "No. I use it... I used it for my dad a few times incase I needed... proof."
Dean's shoulders dropped. "How did Kate wind up with it?"
Taylor hit play and sighed in relief. "Kate and I talked before she went outside with Hannah. With memories missing, we figured that it would be a good idea to record a thing or two."
"Did it work?" Sam asked.
Taylor hit play again and then paused it. "If this has something important enough that the light came back to wipe their memory again, it could still be watching. Maybe we should call people and let them hear it at the same time so that even if it wipes our memory, someone will know."
Dean snorted. "You are the good kind of paranoid, kid."
Taylor grinned.
They each made a call with their phone and Taylor played the recording.
"A guard dog, Kate?" Dean scoffed.
Kate shrugged.
Bobby listened to the crackling recording and writing down what he heard. "So you kids are some kind of experiment?"
"Great, we are guinea pigs." Kate said.
Taylor hushed everyone. "Listen." When the ringing had returned, the recorder had picked up the whispers.
"It is just that creepy whisper stuff again." Dean said.
Taylor looked at Kate. "No, it isn't."
Kate put her ear closer to the recorder. She grabbed her note book and wrote down what she heard. "Is this what you heard?" She held up the notebook.
Taylor nodded. "I think so."
They shut the recorder off and everyone was silent.
Dean finally spoke. "What do the magic whispers have to say?"
"If you hear someone speaking a language that you kind of know but not every word, you can piece together what they mean. That is what this is. I'm pretty sure it was telling Hannah to back off." Kate said.
"Not Hannah. The Grigori." Taylor said.
"So Hannah is a Grigori?" Dean asked.
"No." Kate said and tried to calm her mind down. She gasped loudly. "The Grigori is the invisible friend that Hannah mentioned. That is why she doesn't remember. When we left the car, I think we spoke to it."
"You left the car?" Bobby asked in a firm tone.
"More like we were taken." Kate said.
Taylor spoke up. "I think we spoke to this Grigori and that is why we remember the name. I think it is friendly."
"So who wiped your memory in the yard?" Dean asked.
Kate swallowed. "Someone not so friendly."
John cleared his throat. "Good thinking on the recorder, kids. You may have cracked this thing wide open. Bobby, can you and Missouri figure out who Grigori is?"
Bobby and Missouri both said yes.
"If you kids need me, I'm just a drive away." Missouri said. She had been working on finding out more about Ada but this took her in another direction.
With everyone off the phone, Kate slumped in her seat. "I don't like being a guinea pig."
Taylor took her hand. "That makes two of us."
Kate picked up her notebook and started drawing again. She needed to clear her head.
Sam looked back after a while to check on her. "What are you drawing."
Kate looked at the page. "I don't know."
Taylor rubbed his eyes from where he fell asleep. "Holy crap."
"What is it?" Kate asked.
Taylor blinked a few times. "That is it!" He took the notebook and drew a few smaller symbols next to the one that Kate had drawn. "It isn't a symbol. It is a sigil and it is a banishing sigil."
Dean slowed the car down and pulled over. "How do you know? What does it banish?"
Taylor stared at the page. "I don't know."
Dean grumbled. "Then how do you know it banishes something?"
Taylor searched for an answer. "I wonder if Grigori is trying to feed us clues without getting caught."
Dean mulled that over. "That would explain why he went for dust drawings on my car instead of knocking on the door."
"Or he may have to take on a human form to speak." Kate said.
"Like a demon." Sam said.
"It isn't a demon because it got around all of the demon warding." Dean said.
Kate swallowed. "What is more powerful than a demon?"
Dean pulled back onto the road. "I have no idea."
Kate looked out the window. "It could be an angel. The light is white or blue. It is the opposite of the black smoke."
Dean laughed. "There is no such thing as angels."
"How do you know?" Kate asked.
"If there were angels why wouldn't they try harder to protect people?" Dean asked.
Kate sat forward. "You mean like enveloping me in a dome of light and burning away two hell hounds and a demon?"
Dean scoffed. "That was that soul spell you did and your parents' souls."
Kate sat back in her seat. "Maybe we are part angel, Taylor. Maybe they are running experiments on human hybrids." Kate said with a giggle.
Taylor grinned. "Maybe it was an angel that saved Ada in that cave."
Dean slammed on the breaks as he lost his vision from a bright light.
Sam lurched forward. "Dude, what are you doing?"
Dean blinked a few times. "Thought I saw a deer."
Sam shrugged and looked out the window he noticed a sign for Sioux Falls. "Dean, seriously. We aren't in that big of a rush."
Dean scoffed. "I am going ten over, Sammy."
Sam looked at his watch then showed Dean. "You sure about that?"
Dean shrugged. "We made good time."
Sam looked back at the kids. "Of course they fell asleep."
Dean smirked. "You used to do the same thing. We'd get a few miles from home and then you would knock out."
Bobby was waiting for them when they pulled into the drive way.
Dean carried Kate in and went back out for Taylor.
Bobby talked to Sam about the case but Sam looked confused. "We talked about all of this when you all were driving back here."
Sam shook his head. "No we didn't."
"Balls." Bobby grumbled.
Dean walked back to Bobby's office. "What is it?"
"Son, do you not remember the conversation we all had when you were driving?" Bobby asked.
Dean furrowed his brows. "We haven't talked to you since before we left Mandy's house."
"Where is the recorder?" Bobby asked.
"What recorder?" Dean thought that Bobby was losing his mind.
Bobby checked Taylor's pockets but it wasn't there. He went out to the car and looked in Kate's bag and under the seats. He found it under the front seat. He took it back into the house and pressed play.
Sam, Dean and Bobby listened to a conversation that neither Sam or Dean remember having.
Sam took the recorder and hooked it to his computer to make copies of the recording. He also called John to relay the message after Bobby told him to.
"Angels." Dean said in disgust. "That can't be right."
Bobby shrugged. "While I was looking for who Grigori was, I found that it isn't a who, it is a what. Grigori are watchers, according to the lore I could dig up. I'm still working on it but they are what we would consider a guardian angel."
Dean sat back in his chair and ran his hand over his face. "So who wiped our memory?"
Bobby put the book down. "I don't know. Stands to reason someone who didn't like the angel jokes."
Dean rolled out of the chair and ran up the stairs. "Check Kate!" He ran into his room and shook Taylor. "Come on kid. Wake up."
Taylor lazily opened his eyes. "I'm awake."
Dean sat on the side of the bed.
Taylor sat up. "Wait, when did we get here. Did... did you... carry me up here?"
Dean blushed. "Yes. Shut up about it. How do you feel?"
Taylor raised his eye brows. "Confused."
Dean stepped into the hallway to make sure Kate was okay. "So the thing just made them sleep."
Bobby checked Kate's eyes. "Looks like it."
Taylor walked into Kate's room. "What is going on?"
Dean groaned. "Looks like you two have a guardian angel."
