Author's note: Is the timeline confusing? It should be because it is being altered. I'll add in a date in this chapter. I broke two of my fingers so typing is a little wonky. Reviews and feedback help me tailor the story. I adore the comments, thank you.
### ###
Taylor locked all of the weapons away in the armory. "Kate, can you help me double check that nothing was left out?"
Kate checked each room for weapons or anything that a kid could get hurt with. She helped Taylor move another bed into one room and gathered bedding. "This is going to be okay, right?"
Taylor shrugged. "When is anything ever okay?"
Dean drove toward the bunker at a questionable speed. He was deep in thought. Something was off. It was obvious that someone set them up but he didn't know who or why. Andy had a connection to Azazel. He called Taylor to let him know they were near the tunnel. He pulled into the entryway and slowed the car.
Andy knelt in the seat. "Where are we?"
"The safe house." Dean said. A vertical bar of light appeared and Dean stopped for Taylor to open the doors.
Taylor shut the doors behind them and locked them.
Dean stopped the car and turned it off.
April looked at Dean. "What kind of place is this?"
"A very secure hotel of sorts." Dean said.
Kate opened Dean's door and hugged him.
Dean got out of the car and motioned for April and Andy to get out too. "This is Kate and this is Taylor. Taylor, Kate, this is April, Andy, and Ian."
"Hi." Kate said.
Taylor waved. "I can start moving bags."
Kate showed them to the room they had prepared. "All of the bedding is fresh. We moved in an extra bed."
April thanked her.
"The showers are across the hall. You can use either door although I'm biased and the 'girls' bathroom is better."
April smiled. She blinked rapidly when Kate showed her the room. "Oh, this is a lot of showers."
Dean helped Taylor unload the car and then went to find the others. "I want to show you a few things before you settle in."
April nodded. "Yes, please."
Dean showed her the easiest way to get to the kitchen and other important rooms. "If you get turned around, just yell."
April pinched herself again. After seeing Andy possessed by a demon, she fully trusted Dean but she was overwhelmed.
Kate and Taylor distracted Andy and Ian so Dean could talk to April.
"It looks like Taylor put a chain on the armory door and a few others. This place isn't meant for kids but it is safe from anything getting in." Dean said.
April looked around at the books. "What is this place?"
"The Men of Letters were an organization of people who researched supernatural creatures. We got the key a little while back. We weren't expecting all of this." Dean said.
"Are you the only people who live here?"
"We don't live here. We are just staying until a specific storm passes. No one had been in here in decades when we found it." Dean rubbed his face. "I have questions about Andy."
April tucked her leg under her. "I don't know if I'll be able to answer them."
"It is okay if you don't know. Has anything been off about him?"
April furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
"Just anything that would be abnormal for a kid his age." Dean said.
"He is smart and sneaky but I think living with Steven caused that." April said, sadly.
Dean couldn't ask her if the kid had powers. She was very new to the supernatural world and ideally, he would be able to manage things and keep them on the periphery. Andy was still really young. Sam had dreams as a kid but he didn't know they were visions until Kate showed up. Kate had abilities too but they didn't become apparent until she was nine. "My dad, John, is on his way. He may not be here until tomorrow night but he knows more about the demon that I was talking about. I think, for tonight, we should just get you settled in."
Kate held Ian's hand as he toddled down the hallway. He was a new walker and unsure on his feet. The concrete walls and floors made her nervous. Ian looked up her with a grin and opened and closed his hand in a wave. Kate smiled back at him. She had a moment of deja vu and paused.
Taylor showed Andy the gym. "You can climb on this. Just be careful. Don't lift anything that feels heavy because it will hurt a whole lot if you drop it on your foot. We tied a sheet on that bar to make it like a swing."
Andy sat down in the hammock-like swing and pushed himself. "This place is so cool! I saw all those cars. What is in all those rooms?"
Taylor sat down on a mat. "Each room has something different. There is one hallway that is mostly rooms with beds. There is a clinic with beds and tools to make people better. There is a laundry room, kitchen, library. Pretty much everything you could imagine."
Kate let Ian's hand go so he could crawl across the mats. "This place was made for grown-ups so there aren't many fun kid things."
"Dean said some stuff was dangerous." Andy said.
Taylor nodded. "Yep, some things can hurt you or other people."
"I'm careful with stuff." Andy said.
Taylor winked at Kate. "That is good but I'm guessing you are still learning to read."
"I know how to read." Andy said, indignantly.
"You know English words and stuff they teach you at school. Some stuff has writing on it that even we can't read. You have to be very careful because some of that stuff, you touch it and it makes all your hair fall out or turns you into a frog."
Andy's eyes grew wide. "Really?"
"Yep, so even if you are mature and careful, you shouldn't touch stuff. I think it would be awful to be a frog." Kate said.
Andy nodded quickly. He liked his hair and didn't want to lose it.
Dean couldn't get much out of April, likely because she didn't know anything. It was getting later in the evening and she looked tired. "It is easy to lose track of time down here. Feel free to shower or go to bed. I'm going to call my dad."
April got out of her chair. "Which way did they go?"
"Go left, take the first hallway after the laundry room and you should be able to hear them." Dean said.
April whispered the directions to herself. She left the library and headed toward the gym. She heard giggling and followed the sound.
"Mom!" Andy shouted.
"Hey, buddy. Wow. It looks like you are having fun."
Andy bounced on his toes. "This is cooler than our house. I want to stay here forever."
April gave him a small smile.
Ian toddled to April and held his hands out. "Up."
Kate was hit by another wave of deja vu. "Do you need anything for tonight?"
April assured her that she was fine. "No thank you. I'm going to get these two cleaned up and in bed."
Andy frowned. "I'm not sleepy."
"You didn't sleep last night." April said.
Andy shook his head.
Taylor nudged him. "If you go to bed now, you'll be up when we are and won't miss out on morning stuff."
Andy mulled over the information. "I'm a little tired."
Kate pointed out which way to go to get back to the rooms. She turned to Taylor. "I feel off."
"You too?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah, not like scared though. I think it is deja vu." Kate said.
"Andy grabbed my hand and pulled me and I swear he has done that before but there is no way because we just met today." Taylor said.
Kate searched her memory. "Have you been missing time?"
Taylor thought about it. "Maybe."
Kate went to her room. "I think some of my drawings have been vision-based. I just don't know what they are."
Taylor looked over her shoulder. "I remember you drawing these before you messed with the holy oil."
Kate ran her finger down a jagged edge. "One of them is missing."
"I didn't take it." Taylor said.
Kate stared at the book. "Maybe it was like that and I just didn't notice it."
Dean knocked on Kate's open door. "I wanted to talk to you two before calling it a night."
"In here?" Kate asked.
Dean shrugged. "Where ever is fine. I just don't want small ears picking things up."
"Library." Taylor said.
Kate continued to flip through her notebook. "Dean?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you missing time?" Kate asked.
Dean flopped into his chair. "Not that I know of."
"Something is weird." Kate said.
"Something is always weird." Dean said with a sigh.
"We both keep having deja vu." Taylor prompted.
"Over the same thing."
Dean sat forward. "What is that?"
"The kids." Kate said.
"Andy reminds me a lot of Sam." Dean said.
"No, not like that. Like certain things happened before." Taylor said.
"It could be a vision." Dean offered.
Kate felt frustration building. "No. It is something else." She pressed on the side of her head. The information was floating somewhere in space, just out of reach. "There is a page missing from my notebook."
"When did it go missing?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. I didn't notice a missing page yesterday." Kate said.
Taylor tried to focus his thoughts. Something was very off.
"I need you two to help keep an eye on Andy. He is quick and knows no boundaries. I don't want him hurting himself or someone else." Dean said.
Kate furrowed her brows and looked at Taylor. "Okay, we can do that."
"He got ahold of a gun and a knife without an adult knowing. That was at his house and Missouri's. I'm trying to get April to understand how important it is but just in case, I need the extra eyes." Dean said.
"Right." Taylor said. "I told him that some stuff will turn you into a frog or make your hair fall out so he wouldn't touch stuff."
Dean snorted. "That should work for a day or two."
Kate looked at Dean. "Now what about the missing page?"
Dean blinked. "I don't know what to tell you. Unless Taylor or a cat took it, I have no idea." He got up and stretched. "I am going to shower and then relax with a drink."
When the library was empty Kate turned to Taylor. "What the hell was that?"
Taylor threw up his hands. "Exactly!"
Kate paced. "Something is wrong. Normally, if I said I was missing time, Dean would go straight to grilling me to figure out why."
"I know. He just seems unbothered." Taylor said.
"I guess, April is a bigger issue. Well, Andy but bringing people here." Kate said.
"Call John." Taylor said.
Kate grabbed her phone. "Hey, John. We have something odd going on and just wanted to run it by you."
John was on his way back toward the bunker. "Go for it."
"We are both missing time and feel really off." Kate said.
"And?" John asked.
Kate scoffed. "And? And!"
Taylor stole her phone. "It is weird and frustrating and we told Dean but he just acts like nothing is wrong."
"What makes you think you are missing time?"
"It just feels like we are. We keep having deja vu that is more vivid than typical deja vu." Kate replied.
"I will be there tomorrow. Don't work yourself up." John said. "I have another call coming in. I'll talk to you later."
Kate slammed her phone down. "Call Bobby."
The phone call with Bobby was very similar to the one with John. No one seemed concerned.
Dean got out of the shower and sat down with his drink.
Kate eyed him.
"What is wrong?" Dean asked.
"I don't know." Kate said, honestly.
Dean looked at his watch. "It is probably a good time for you to go to bed."
Kate rolled her eyes.
Dean narrowed his.
"Oh, so now you'll get upset over something." Kate spat.
Dean put his drink down. "What is your problem?"
Taylor covered Kate's mouth. "We are just anxious about the deja vu thing and no one is taking it seriously. We are just going to go sleep it off."
Kate stumbled into her room. "Don't ever cover my mouth again."
"Oh, hush. If you had kept on he would have skinned you and it would have been for nothing. We can figure this out." Taylor said.
Kate flopped onto her bed. "Maybe it is nothing."
Taylor sent a message and put his phone on the bed. "Maybe it is but it feels like something. Pissing Dean off isn't going to help anything."
"Fine."
Taylor picked his phone up when a reply came through. "I'm calling Jo."
Jo answered. "Hey, I have a little bit of time. What is wrong?"
"We are not sure. It feels like we are missing time." Taylor said.
Jo stopped brushing her teeth. "Missing time how?"
"We don't know. Things seem patchy and there is deja vu that feels real." Taylor said.
"When did it start?"
Kate tried to think. "Around Halloween?"
Jo rinsed her mouth. "So it has been going on for two weeks?"
"No, only since Halloween." Kate said.
Jo leaned against the counter. "Which would be two weeks."
Kate looked at her calendar. "No, it was not two weeks. Halloween was a few days ago."
Jo sighed. "Mom!"
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Don't yell across the house, come in here." Ellen was putting on a dry shirt before she went back down to work the bar.
"What day is it?" Jo asked.
"November... 15th." Ellen said.
Kate and Taylor looked at each other. "There is no way!"
Ellen got closer to Jo. "What is going on?"
Taylor explained what they had explained to the other adults.
Ellen was quiet.
"Then, nobody seems concerned." Kate said.
"Have either of you left the bunker?" Ellen asked.
"No." Kate said.
"So nothing could have gotten to you?"
"Wait, you are taking us seriously?" Kate asked.
"Yes. Missing time could mean possession." Ellen said.
"Dean, John and Bobby all blew it off." Taylor said.
"Dumbasses." Ellen mumbled.
"What do we do?" Kate asked.
"I've got to get downstairs. I don't think you can do much right now. Document things." Ellen said.
Jo watched Ellen's change in demeanor. She waited for her to leave. "That was weird."
"What happened?" Taylor asked.
"Her whole face changed. She was worried and then decided to go to work." Jo said.
"Is there a virus that only messes with adults?" Kate asked.
Jo chuckled. "I don't know. I'm with you though. Something is going on."
Dean flicked Kate's light. "You were supposed to be in bed an hour ago."
Kate groaned. "We are talking to Jo."
Dean snorted. "Jo can go to bed too for all I care."
Kate sighed. "I'll call you later."
Jo made notes of their conversation. She was equally as anxious and felt like something horrible was going to happen.
### ###
Another hour went by and Kate could not rest. She tiptoed out of her room to go to Taylor's. She cracked the door open and saw movement. "Taylor?"
"Hey, I'm awake." Taylor said.
"Good, we need to find out what is going on. I was thinking and I swear this has happened before." Kate said.
Taylor sat up in his bed. "I was thinking that too."
"If it wasn't for you, I'd just assume I was going crazy." Kate said.
"Nope, not crazy."
"I'm going to use an ability." Kate said.
"Don't." Taylor tried. "We can't."
"We are vulnerable right now. If we do not find out what is going on, we could be in danger." Kate countered. "I'm going to do it regardless, so help or don't."
Taylor groaned. "What are you going to do?"
"Memory search or dream walk. They are simple abilities that low level psychics can do."
Taylor cringed. "How can I help?"
"Make sure Dean doesn't wake up and see me." Kate said.
Taylor was wildly uncomfortable. "Okay."
Kate laid back on Taylor's bed and closed her eyes. She imagined she was walking back through time. She looked for anything that was off. She saw a stream and stopped to splash her face with the cool water. She knelt down and the stream ran dry. That was odd. She looked upstream to find the obstruction and removed a stick that had fallen in the way. The water trickled down across rocks and broken branches. She touched the stick to the water and the water split around the stick and rushed to the sides. Farther upstream there was a dam that blocked another route the stream could have taken. Why was she here? She knew about beaver dams. She tried to walk away from the stream but a voice caused her to turn. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled. "You."
"You are me?" Kate asked.
"Yes."
"Why are you here?" Kate asked.
"You have to stop."
"You can't be me because me would know that telling me to stop is going to make me not stop." Kate shot back. She looked at the woman's wrist. "You don't have a birthmark."
The woman got closer to Kate. "You heal."
"Not my birthmark. You aren't me." Kate said.
The woman lost her blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a tailored suit and had brown hair.
Kate blinked. Her eyes narrowed. "Naomi."
Naomi raised an eyebrow.
"I assumed you'd have a punchable face. Turns out you do." Kate hissed.
"Now that isn't very kind of you. I am just trying to help after all."
"I don't need your help. Are you erasing memories?" Kate asked.
"No, not me. You are doing that." Naomi said.
Kate glared at her. "No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. An older version of you but still you."
"What do you mean?"
Naomi put a hand on Kate. "You will one day be very powerful. You will use that power poorly and hurt people. Then, you'll feel bad about it and try to undo things. Ask Castiel, he knows all about it."
Kate slapped Naomi's hand away. "You are lying."
Naomi smiled. "Remember Lacy?"
Kate sat up suddenly. Her eyes were wide and her hair was damp from sweat.
"What is wrong?" Taylor asked.
"I'm the one erasing memories but not me, not now me." Kate said.
Taylor stared at her.
"Cas." Kate said and darted out of the room.
Taylor groaned and ran after her. "What about him?"
"He knows." Kate said. "Lacy. Who is Lacy?"
Taylor found the name to be familiar. "I don't know. What are you doing?"
Kate grabbed a few items from a shelf and carried them to a large room that was once used to hold demons and other types of monsters. She drew a sigil on the ground and cut her hand. "Cas!"
Castiel felt himself being ripped through space and landed with his back against a concrete wall.
Kate's eyes were blue. "Why haven't you answered my prayers."
"There is a lot going on that you know nothing about." Castiel said.
"Like you knowing why our memories are being messed with?" Kate demanded.
Castiel flinched.
Kate clenched her fist and stared at Cas.
Castiel winced in pain. "Stop. I can explain."
Taylor touched Kate's arm. "Signals. We have to stay hidden."
Kate let go of the grip on Castiel. "Talk."
"How do you know your memories are being messed with?"
Kate crossed her arms. "I had a vision."
"Your timeline has been... adjusted and memories erased." Castiel admitted.
"I'm the one doing it." Kate said.
Castiel was suspicious. "Not exactly."
Kate clenched her fist again.
Castiel held his hand out and forced her to hit her knees. "You will mind your anger and stop attacking me."
Taylor wrapped his arms around Kate.
Kate was about to snap but let go. "Tell me what the hell is going on."
"You, future you, returned and changed a few things. You had noble reasons. It is crucial that a paradox is not created so you knowing about all of this can make your plans ineffective." Castiel said.
"I turned bad and am trying to make things better?"
Castiel got close to Kate. "Who told you that?"
Kate blushed.
Castiel crouched in front of her. "What did you do?"
Kate let her eyes drift. "Do I turn bad?"
"You have that potential. Sam and Jessica were attacked by a demon and died a few weeks ago. You went back and prevented that. That action created other outcomes. You have been altering this timeline in an attempt to avoid a catastrophe." Castiel said.
"No, Sam is supposed to get older."
"He will. I cannot explain everything to you." Castiel said.
"Who is Lacy?" Kate asked.
Castiel was losing patience. "No one."
Kate quickly stood up. "Bullshit. She is someone."
Castiel stood too and got into Kate's personal space. "You are a child and do not need to know everything."
Kate glared at him. "I will find out." She tried to push into his head but felt a sudden pain and held her head.
"Do. Not. Try. To. Read. Me." Castiel ground out. "I cannot tell you certain things because it will change this timeline."
Kate whipped her head back around. "I'll tell Dean."
"Please do. You can explain why you summoned me here. Better yet, explain how. You are not heading my warnings and the wing ability you are using is rare." Castiel said.
Kate's eyes flicked toward the doorway. "Did she die because of me?"
Castiel softened slightly. "No."
"Is she hurt?"
"No."
"Then why can't I know?" Kate asked.
Taylor poked her. "Kate."
"How can I protect people if someone I'm supposed to trust is hiding things?" Kate asked.
"I will not disclose information that your older self told me not to." Castiel said. "Taylor, you may read my intentions."
Taylor held his hand out for Castiel's. "He isn't trying to do harm."
Kate sighed. "I'm sorry. I heard you were going behind our backs and losing memories is a big thing. Please don't tell Dean about this."
Castiel nodded. "That would require his knowledge of the timeline alterations."
"Wait, wing ability? What wing ability?" Kate said.
"An angel's wings are not visible unless they want them to be visible, however you seem to be able to pin them." Castiel said.
Kate cringed. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."
"I would not have allowed you to do damage."
"So what is older me like?" Kate asked.
Castiel tilted his head. "Much like you are now but far wiser."
"That is understandable."
"What about me?" Taylor asked.
"I have not spoken directly to you but you are able to do the same thing that Kate has." Castiel said.
Kate shrugged. "So we make it to adulthood." She held out her fist to bump Taylor's.
"Do not speak of this to anyone. I will return and wipe your memory again. You cannot know what has been changed or why. One thing I will alert you about is curing Andy." Castiel said.
Kate blinked. "Cure him?"
"Yes. You met at this time specifically so he could be cured and unable to do unrepairable damage once he is older."
"How do I cure him?" Kate asked.
Castiel sighed. "That is for you to figure out."
Kate groaned. "Of course he vanishes."
Taylor let out a breath of air. "One of these days you're going to mouth off to a creature and they are going to end you."
"Castiel isn't a creature." Kate argued.
"No, he is a literal angel and I'm just saying, even if you make it to adulthood, I know what is going to be the death of you." He said with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. My attitude." Kate grumbled.
Taylor looked at the spellwork on the floor. "You should clean that up."
Kate quickly did away with the ingredients and the symbol that had been drawn. "If you could time travel, when would you go to?"
Taylor let himself think about it for a few minutes. "Here, now."
"Really? Why?" Kate asked.
"I'm too afraid to go back in time and accidentally change something."
Kate giggled. "That may be why older me is the one responsible for this mess. I'd go back to before we knew what we were."
"I wouldn't. It was nice just being kids but things weren't great at home. It sucks being stuck here but I'm not afraid of waking up to someone hitting me." Taylor said.
Kate frowned. "We are hiding from angels and still safer than you were with your original family."
"This is a cool family. I like it better than the old one."
Kate smiled. "Well, technically, you've always been family. We just didn't know it."
"I wonder if we will be the last generation." Taylor said.
"Can Nephilian have kids?"
"I have no idea. I guess we wing it."
### ###
John hit a snag in his journey that delayed him another day. He had every intention of getting back to the bunker but was forgetting why he would need to hurry. Jo's research did lead him to someone that was hunting angels but he didn't think that they knew about Nephilian. They knew enough to make him weary though.
Taylor tried to keep Andy entertained but the kid was a ball of energy and questions. He didn't want to be responsible for answering supernatural questions and accidentally telling him something that he didn't want to know.
April was able to relax slightly. The bunker was safe from demons. She was still wrapping her head around the whole demon thing.
Dean was waiting for John to get back so he could split the mental load. Andy was for sure connected to Azazel. He wondered just how many kids the demon had gotten to. He didn't have abilities so that made things easier. "I'm going to run to the store. What can I get for everybody?"
"Junk food." Kate said.
"Can you get a new concrete bit for the drill?" Taylor asked.
Dean wrote 'drill bit' on a list. "April?"
April walked out of her room. "I am good. We don't need anything."
Dean scoffed. "Diapers?"
"Oh, maybe."
"What size?" Dean wrote down a few other things. "Where is Andy?"
April startled.
Taylor and Kate split up to look for him. Taylor found him and let out a huge breath. "You can't be in here without an adult."
Andy frowned. "I'm being careful."
Taylor pulled him from the file room. "You know which rooms you can go into."
"I was bored and there isn't anything in there."
Taylor sighed. "Just a word of advice, just follow the rules. Dean doesn't like when they are broken and his dad is so much worse. You don't want to make him mad."
Andy frowned. "Okay."
Taylor announced that Andy was with him.
Dean kept his mouth shut although he had strong opinions. He gave April a tense smile and sighed. "I'm going to get this stuff."
April talked to Andy and reminded him that he couldn't just go where he wanted.
Dean rolled his eyes when she couldn't see him and grabbed his keys. He flicked his eyes from Kate to Andy and then left.
"Where was he?" Kate whispered.
Taylor sighed. "File room."
"Great." Kate grumbled. She found a ball and kicked it up and down the hallway with Andy. She felt bad for him. His real mom died because of Azazel and now she was supposed to cure him somehow. She didn't even know where to begin. Her blood could maybe cure Sam but she wasn't going to test it on Andy.
A while later, Dean returned with groceries.
Taylor ran to help him unload the car. "What was the surface like?"
Dean laughed. "Busy."
"Oh! You got grape nehis." Taylor exclaimed.
"I did. I also got pie and will stab you with a fork if you touch it." Dean said.
Taylor pulled his hand back from the bag. "Noted."
Dean whistled for Kate. "Can you start putting these away while we get the rest of the stuff from the car?"
Kate nodded. She had heard his threat to Taylor and put the palm of her hand on the top of the pie box. She met eyes with Dean and smirked.
"You are a brat."
"I know. It is part of my charm." Kate said.
Dean snorted. "You have been warned."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine. I won't touch it."
Dean walked back to the car with Taylor. "Anything happen while I was gone?"
"No. We played with Andy for a while and then he went to the room with April."
Dean nodded. He knocked on April's door. "Hey, I'm back. Do you want your stuff in here?"
April smiled. "Yes, I can help."
Dean poked his head inside the door. "Where is Andy?"
April gasped and looked around the room. "I don't know."
Dean felt his temper flare. How hard was it to keep tabs on one kid? He told Taylor to put groceries down and find Andy.
Andy was standing in the middle of a room looking at things in amazement. He had never seen so many weapons. That wasn't saying much though. He had really only seen the ones at his friend's house. He didn't even know the names for some of the weapons in front of him. They must be superheroes or something. He stepped closer to a wall of guns and reached to touch one. He felt someone grab his arm and a sharp sting spread across his bottom. "Ow!" He tried to put his hand behind him but his feet left the ground and an arm wrapped around his waist.
Dean carried Andy back to April's room and sat him on the bed. He was fuming. April was supposed to keep track of her own kid. Andy knew not to go into the room and he was going to have a talk with whichever kid left the door unlocked.
Andy ran to April. "He hit me!"
April's eyes grew wide and then narrowed. "You what?"
Dean groaned in frustration. "I swatted him because I found him in the weapons room about to grab a gun."
April stammered. "What? He was with me."
"He obviously wasn't." Dean said.
Kate motioned for Andy to go with her. She knew Dean was mad and an argument was brewing.
Dean forced himself to take a few breaths. "I am trying. I really am. This place isn't safe if he is going to go where ever he wants whenever he wants. Why would you even get near a gun right now?"
Andy blushed. "I.. You don't keep loaded guns."
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is what you remember from that entire conversation."
April was embarrassed but also felt attacked. "He was with me. I don't know how he got all the way down there."
Dean turned and looked at Kate and Taylor. "Which one of you went into the armory?"
Kate shrugged and looked at Taylor. "I didn't."
Taylor shrugged to. "I didn't either."
"Then who unlocked it and moved the chain?" Dean asked.
Kate's heart started to beat faster. She knew she wasn't to blame but Dean was frustrated and would think it was her.
April couldn't process how Andy could have gotten away from her.
Dean ran his fingers through his hair. "So, what is it going to be?"
April looked at Andy and then at Dean. "I am so sorry. I don't know how he got there that fast. Andy, you know better."
Dean blinked slowly. He sighed and shrugged. "Do not go into that room, no matter what."
Kate thought that April genuinely didn't know how Andy got away. He had gotten out of her own sight twice and she only noticed it because she had been told to keep an eye on him. She also knew Dean didn't bend that easily. She looked at Taylor for a moment. She stepped into another room and grabbed a trinket. "Hey, Andy." She said and threw the trinket at April.
The trinket hit the wall to the side of April.
Dean slowly turned. "Katelyn Amelia.."
Kate held up her hands. "Wait. Wait. That should have hit her."
April stared at her.
"Why the hell would you do that?" Dean asked and stepped closer to her.
"Dean, red card. Stop for a second."
Dean stopped. He looked at where April was and where the trinket hit. "Taylor?"
Taylor shook his head slowly.
Dean looked at Andy and furrowed his brows.
April pulled Andy closer to her. "Maybe we should leave."
Kate held her breath.
"What was your plan if he didn't do that?" Dean asked, tensely.
"Taylor." Kate squeaked.
Taylor could see the terror in April's eyes. "Kate knew that Andy would hit it midair and it wouldn't hit you." He saw that she was still confused. "We knew that having a kid here meant the armory needed to stay locked no matter what. Kate and I didn't open it while Dean was gone. That leaves you or Andy. He is moving things without touching them."
April sat down on the bed and covered her face. "What?"
"Are you telling them what to do?" Kate asked.
Andy put his hands behind his back.
"You may not mean to. When Dean was very upset with you did you tell him not to be mad in your head?"
Andy nodded slowly.
"Did you mean to or were you just hoping he would not be mad?" Kate asked.
"I didn't mean to."
Taylor cleared his throat. "What happened with the door?"
"When I turned the handle it opened." Andy said.
Dean turned and walked out of the room and down the hallway. The kid did have abilities and didn't know.
"He is compelling you somehow to not notice when he leaves." Kate said.
"Why would you do that?" April asked. Her voice was breaking.
"I didn't know I was." Andy said. "I promise I didn't mean to be bad."
Taylor left to find Dean. "Are you okay?"
Dean braced himself against the counter. "Yeah."
Taylor leaned against the wall. "So the hand and jaw twitch are just a coincidence?"
Dean turned around. "How hard is it to follow a basic rule?"
"If you are used to people just letting you do things, I'd say it is pretty hard. All he had to do was think and people give in. I really don't think he intended to do it." Taylor said.
"Dealing with your abilities and Kate's abilities is hard. You are both older and have some form of common sense." Dean said.
"One of us more than the other. I'll make vervain tea." He gathered the ingredients and started a pot of water to boil. "What are you going to do?
"I don't know."
"I don't envy you." Taylor said. "I mean, sometimes it would be nice to skip the kid years but you are kind of screwed no matter what you do."
"Gee, thanks." Dean grumbled.
"Go for a run or something." Taylor said.
Dean cracked his knuckles.
"The tea is brewing. I'll pass it out. Kate and I can keep things together." Taylor said.
Dean looked at him. "Deja vu."
Taylor felt his mouth go dry but remembered that he told Dean to go out when Kate had nearly broken him. "Good advice can be repeated because it is good advice."
Dean patted Taylor's shoulder. "Okay, do you mind letting them know? It is awkward and I am not one for words right now."
Taylor assured him that he would take care of the awkward side of things
Kate tried to explain things to April to calm her down. "Andy, you can learn to do things to help people. You can be a superhero. If you do bad things with your gifts, that wouldn't be good. Now that you know you have them, you have to work really hard to use them for good."
Andy snuggled into April's side. "I'm scared."
April pulled him close to her. "It will be okay." She started to realize how many times Andy had gotten away from her and felt l like a horrible parent. She knew Dean was angry and had every right to be. She just hoped he didn't kick them out while it was still unsafe. They could go back home but they had no car.
Taylor carried mugs into the room. "Drink this."
April smelled of the liquid. "What is it?"
"Vervain. It protects you against compulsion." Taylor said.
April sipped it. "This is all insane."
Kate scrunched her nose. "Yeah it is."
"Where is Dean?" April asked.
"He went for a run." Taylor said. "He will be back."
Dean ran through the woods and kept a decent pace. The air was crisp and the leaves were turning colors and falling from the trees. He slowed down and put his hands behind his head to catch his breath. He walked back toward the road and found a stump to sit on. He uncapped his water and took a long drink. A streak of fire was visible through the tree branches. It looked like a shooting star but it was broad daylight. He heard a crash in the distance and got up to walk closer to the road. He saw a second ball of fire and felt the shock wave. A third fell from the sky and crashed into the trees a few miles away. "Are they bombing the place?" Dean asked out loud.
Castiel grabbed his shoulder. "Worse."
Dean jumped. "What is worse?"
"Naomi."