Kate put on a pair of goggles. "I feel official."

Marty, Bobby's friend smiled. "You may have a future in science. Not many women go into this field so employers and schools are always happy to pick up a girl or two."

"I thought about being a doctor but with the way the world is headed, I'd just like to finish high school." Kate said.

Bobby put a hand on her shoulder. "You are going to do more than that."

Taylor looked around the lab. "What do you usually work with?"

Marty pulled out a binder. "Medical research. I mainly run samples and collect data."

"Genetics?" Kate asked.

"Some of that too." Marty said.

"I've got all kinds of questions about my genetic makeup," Kate said.

"Well, I'm happy to help you figure that out. You all just can't go around telling people I let you in here." Marty said.

Kate made a zipper motion across her mouth. "What happens here stays here."

Marty laid out everything they'd need to compare samples and collect data. "Most of this stuff takes a while so you can set it up and I will keep an eye on it tomorrow."

Bobby handed him a sealed tube. "This is what we want to know about."

Marty put on protective equipment and drew a sample from the tube. "Where did you get it?"

Bobby raised an eyebrow at him.

"Right, don't ask don't tell." Marty said. He placed the sample on a slide and looked at it under the microscope. He furrowed his brows. "This is an organic component?"

Kate nodded her head.

Marty moved back so Kate and Taylor could view the slide.

"Now what do we do?" Kate asked.

"You wanted to see how it reacts to different things, correct?" Marty asked.

"Yes." Kate said.

Marty got a tray from another area. "You can each add a drop of blood."

Kate frowned. "I'm not supposed to."

Bobby sighed. "You can. Just one drop though."

Kate put a drop of her blood in a dish and so did Bobby and Taylor.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Marty asked.

Kate shrugged.

"You have to come up with something or it isn't an experiment," Marty said.

"Uh, maybe it will react with the blood?" Kate said. She was anxious to get a sample from Matt.

Marty prepared the slides and viewed each of them under the microscope. He switched to a microscope that had a monitor so they could all see it. "I have labeled each of these or you wouldn't be able to tell them apart."

Kate and Taylor traded looks. They could definitely see a stark difference between theirs and Bobby's.

Marty added a drop of the creature's sample to each dish. He put Bobby's under the light and scratched his chin. He hadn't expected much to happen but the sample had turned a deep shade of brown within seconds. "That is interesting." He did the same with Taylor's sample. "The 1 to 1 ratio may affect the color." He viewed Taylor's and was even more perplexed. There didn't seem to be any change at all. Kate's dish was similar to Taylor's but it appeared that the two items wouldn't mix completely. "You have me very interested."

Kate stared at the monitor. She could see slight movement. The major difference between their blood and Bobby's fed her need to 'fix this.'

"Would it change that fast if there was more blood than sample?" Taylor asked.

Bobby held out his hand for Marty to prick him again. He was invested as well.

Marty added four drops and then one drop of the sample. "We will see." He adjusted the microscope and sat back. The reaction was slower but the blood around the singular drop was turning colors as they watched.

"What is happening to his blood?" Kate asked. She got a closer look and frowned.

Marty put the first sample back onto the microscope stage. He tapped the side of it and made a sound in the back of his throat. "I'd like to do some more tests on that. Unfortunately not tonight because a colleague will be getting here in an hour or so."

Bobby thanked him and helped him dispose of the items they used.

"I will let these guys sit overnight and look at them tomorrow morning." Marty said.

"Thank you." Kate said.

"No problem. You guys have given me something that sparked curiosity. We will revisit this when the sun is up and I have slept." Marty said.

### ###

Matt paid for the snacks the kids got. For the first time he could smell the blood on Alana's arm. "When did you get hurt?"

Alana frowned. "Mom scratched me."

Matt cleaned up the wound. It was a light scratch. "When?"

"I was holding her hand when you came and got me." Alana said.

Matt wrapped her wrist. "Okay, it is okay. Just a tiny scratch." He couldn't make the phone call from outside of the vehicle for fear that the creatures could still be around. He got into the driver's seat and headed to South Dakota. He waited a little while before calling Caleb back. "Alana got a small scratch on her wrist from her mom."

Caleb put him on speaker. "What happened?"

Matt glanced at the rearview mirror. "She said it happened when I ran into the room and grabbed her."

"Okay, don't panic. I got scratched up pretty bad from one of those things and I'm fine now." Caleb said. He had no true evidence that the kid would be okay but he wasn't going to tell Matt that.

Matt could hear the uncertainty in his voice. When Mary had gotten bitten, she went through days of sickness.

"We looked at some stuff under a microscope. Bobby's blood reacted much quicker than ours." Kate said. "That was from the fangs though."

Matt could hear Alana's heartbeat. It was steady and even. "I didn't have a chance to grab anything before we left. I usually bring a snack on trips."

Caleb nodded. "I have you covered."

Matt relaxed. Hunters were the monsters that vampire parents told vampire kids about. They were merciless and killed just to kill. However, Matt knew that a lot of vampires were the real merciless monsters. Dean and Caleb were hunters but genuinely good people. "Thank you."

Dean sat down on a motel bed and opened a beer bottle. "I know this isn't how you operate."

"You mean making friends with a vamp?" John growled.

"There are good psychics and good witches. Even if Matt is a problem, he is the lesser of the two evils." Dean said.

"We need to put an end to that and get those two kids out of harm's way." John said.

Dean knew arguing with him was like arguing with a brick wall but he knew Kate would go toe to toe with him if he didn't at least try to head him off. "Caleb and I made a decision based on the information we had. I still stand by it. We need Matt to try to figure out how the creatures are turning vampires. A normal vampire is relatively easy to deal with but you have seen those things."

"I don't like it. You didn't get rid of the demons at April's house and you didn't get rid of the vamp." John said.

Dean got defensive. "You weren't there. Caleb and I were there. You drove in the complete opposite direction. We were pinned when Crowley was in the house. We couldn't do anything. We killed the other vampires. Matt may be our one shot at being able to research these things."

John met defensiveness with defensiveness. "I don't want you getting rusty. You haven't been hunting much lately. Don't let Kate soften you to the point you can't pull the trigger when it needs to be pulled."

Dean stood up and slammed the beer down. "I haven't been hunting because I have been with Kate and Taylor in the bunker for months. You have had me training since I was four years old. I follow orders. I do everything you tell me. I jump when you say jump. I drive hours out of my way to bring you the gear you need. The least I ask of you is to trust me on this one thing."

John blinked. Dean rarely argued. "I am trusting you. I am just also asking you to be careful."

"Do you need me for the hunt?" Dean asked.

"No." John said.

Dean grabbed his keys. "I'm driving back tonight."

"Why not just sleep and then go in the morning?" John asked.

"We have a vampire on his way to Sioux Falls. Maybe you're right and I was stupid to help him out. In that case, I better be there when he gets there." He opened the door and slammed it behind him.

John rubbed his face. He had no idea where that all came from. Sure, he could have gone about the conversation in a better way but Dean reacted how Sam used to.

Dean floored it back toward Sioux Falls. He was under so much pressure to keep kids alive and angels and demons at bay. Every decision he made weighed on him. If he wasn't hard enough on Kate and Taylor, they could turn into unstoppable monsters. If he was too hard on them, the same thing could happen. He worried over how many slices of Kate's soul could be taken out before she was no longer Kate. He worried about a demon somehow reactivating Andy and Sam. Kate's visions scared him. She had a vision of running away and being surrounded by those creatures. Did that mean she would run away? How could he prevent that? Her involvement meant that she would want to take chances. She was eleven and felt like a new race of monsters was her responsibility to vanquish. He lost sleep at night trying to manage everything and convince himself that he was doing the right thing. He was used to John's criticisms and black and white views. He didn't know why the words bothered him so much more that night than any other nght.

Andy picked up on everyone's worry and stress although they wouldn't talk about stuff around him. He liked the apartment and liked that his stuff was there. "Can you stay the night?"

Caleb sighed. "I have to go to Bobby's tonight."

"What if one of those monsters comes here?" Andy asked.

Caleb looked out the window. "They can't climb walls. They don't like light either. All those street lamps would keep it far away until daylight. Then, the sun is the worst for them."

Andy frowned. "What about demons?"

"We painted sigils all over the place. No demon can get in here." Caleb said.

"Angel?"

"All the bad angels are gone. Only Cas can get in here and we like Cas, right?" Caleb asked.

Andy frowned. "I guess."

April was listening to Caleb talk to Andy. It was sweet and Andy really liked Caleb. She sighed. "Time for bed little man."

Andy shook his head. "I'm too scared for bed."

Caleb looked at April. "I have an idea, I'll be back." He walked a block to the convenience store and found a small spray bottle. He brought it back to the house and wrote on it with a marker.

"What is that?" Andy asked.

Caleb poured the rest of his holy water in the spray bottle and sat down on Andy's bed. A stream of water left the bottle and hit Andy's chest.

Andy giggled and grinned.

"You aren't old enough for a weapon yet but this works better against a demon than a gun would." Caleb said.

Andy gave it a try and sat it on the bedside table. "I don't want to waste it."

Caleb ruffled his hair. "Salt lines are down too. You are set."

Andy yawned.

April tucked Andy into bed and kissed his head. "Goodnight."

"Night mama, night Caleb." Andy said through another yawn.

Caleb chuckled. "Night." He got the truck keys out of his pocket and jangled them in his hand. He felt awkward.

April bit her lip. "Thank you."

"Oh, it is no problem." Caleb said.

"No, it was a lot. Thank you for helping with the boys too. I really appreciate it." April said.

Caleb blushed lightly.

April tiptoed and kissed his cheek. "Seriously, thank you."

Caleb was flustered. "Uh, uh, you are welcome." He stammered.

April smiled. "Goodnight."

Caleb swallowed hard. "Night."

April shut the door and fixed the line of salt. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she had felt the subtle flutter of butterflies.

### ###

Dean was driving mindlessly when he felt pressure in his head. He blinked and a woman appeared in the seat beside him. He was startled but his body didn't react.

The woman snapped her fingers. "Sorry, had to compel you for a second."

Dean slammed his foot on the break.

The woman nearly hit the dashboard. "Don't freak out."

Dean pulled over.

"It is me. Look, birthmark." Kate said.

Dean blinked a few times. "What the hell?"

"I knew you'd overreact so I compelled you not to freak out and wreck the car. I forgot you used to jump out of your skin when we'd pop in." Kate said. She twisted in the seat and reached into the backseat. She grabbed a beer and popped the top.

Dean grabbed it before she drank it. "How old are you?"

"21." Kate said.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, I'm 19 but a Nephilian from the future." Kate said.

Dean scoffed and handed her the beer.

"Just so you know, Nephilian can't get drunk off of one beer." Kate said.

"I'm guessing you found out how many it takes though." Dean said.

Kate smirked.

Dean relaxed. He recognized her facial expressions and general energy although she looked different. "What brings you here?"

Kate put her feet on the dashboard and motioned. "Drive."

Dean swatted her feet away and then slowly pulled the car back onto the road.

"Don't doubt yourself." Kate said.

Dean furrowed his brows. "What?"

"You are brooding and pensive. You and John just had an argument and you are worrying over wither or not you are doing a good job." Kate said.

Dean rubbed his face. "How do you know that?"

Kate sipped the beer. "Who do you think called John and demanded to know why you drove back on little sleep and acted off."

Dean snorted. "How'd that go?"

"Don't ask. You are doing a good job though." Kate said.

"Does that mean the blood stunt is the last stupid thing you do and I finally got through to you?" Dean asked.

Kate grinned. "Nope."

Dean groaned.

"Things are good for a while, and then get bad. Then they are good again." Kate said.

"You came all this way to tell me that I'm doing a good job?" Dean asked.

"Yes and no. I didn't always realize how much you had weighing on you and I hate that. Trust yourself. You and I will butt heads sometimes but you are my favorite person. Even now, you are the one person I know I can go to. I came to give you this." Kate said and handed him a bracelet. "Tessa told me, a long time ago, that the Winchesters had a pesky habit of not staying dead. Remember that."

Dean's heart sank. "Why?"

"That is the kind of detail that I can't give you." She leaned over and hugged Dean. "Things will be okay."

Dean patted her arm. "Thank you."

Kate looked outside and then at a watch on her wrist. "Just so you know, when we do figure out how much alcohol it takes to get a Nephilian drunk, it is largely Taylor's fault and I merely fall victim to peer pressure."

Dean chuckled. One of his fears was that Kate would lose what made her Kate. 19-year-old Kate wasn't that different from 11-year-old Kate. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Kate grinned. "And ruin the surprise? Nope."

Dean blinked and she was gone. He felt lighter. Some of his worries melted away. He was doing a good enough job that Kate at least made it to 19 and still kept her personality. He turned his music back on. He had forgotten to ask about the bracelet but he assumed she would have told him what it was if she had been able to.

### ###

Alana fell asleep but Brandon didn't.

"Brandon, is her head warm?" Matt asked.

Brandon felt of Alana's head. "No."

Matt wasn't sure how to handle things. If she did turn, having her in the same room as Brandon could get him hurt or worse. He wasn't going to leave either of them alone. He saw a sign for Sioux Falls and called Caleb. "We are almost there."

Caleb had been at Bobby's house for a little while. He left April's on a high and had to control his facial expressions so Bobby didn't torment him. "There is a motel right as you get into town. I'll meet you there."

Matt let out a breath. "Thank you. I can't thank you enough."

Caleb smirked. "No problem." He drove over to the motel and waited in the truck. Once Matt arrived, he helped get the kids into the room and out of the dark shadows.

Alana was sleepy. She was scared and just wanted her mom. The motel room was warm though.

"Bobby put some of Kate and Taylor's old clothes in that bag. It isn't much and may not fit that well." Caleb said.

Matt looked through the bag. "Alana, look."

Alana smiled. The pajamas were simple fuzzy pants and a t-shirt with cats on it. She had the same pair at home but they were almost too small. She took them into the bathroom and changed. They were a shade big but comfortable. "Thank you."

Caleb smiled. "You are welcome. Can I look at that arm?"

Alana held her arm out.

Caleb figured that a nail grazed her as she was pulled away. The cut itself was not life-threatening. "I will clean this up and get it wrapped so you can sleep."

Alana nodded.

Caleb looked at Matt. "That other bag is for you."

Matt opened the bag and sighed. He turned his back and drained the blood bag. His head stopped hurting and his senses returned to normal.

"You good?" Caleb asked.

"Yes, thank you." Matt said.

Caleb held out a tube. "If we could get a blood sample, we could test it against what we already have."

Matt sat down. "Yes, absolutely. Take what you need."

Caleb drew enough blood to fill the tube and capped it. "There is some fruit and stuff in that cooler, for when the kids wake up. I'll see what I can do about food for you."

Matt thanked him again.

Caleb felt good. He felt like he was doing some good. Much of the time, hunting meant wiping out creatures. It was satisfying but they didn't always get to see the outcome. Sure, he had pulled people from caves and rescued children, but it was not often. Helping April was simple and he hoped he got to do it again in the future.

Dean drove into Bobby's driveway and looked in the mirror. Of course, Kate would go after John. He wasn't angry anymore. So, there would be no reason for her to call John. He went inside the house and left his boots by the door. The house was quiet.

Caleb hadn't fallen asleep by the time Dean made it to the room. "Why are you back?"

Dean flipped the light on. "I just decided to head back."

Caleb raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, dad and I had an argument and I stormed out." Dean said.

Caleb sat up. "Really?"

"Yes. I am fine now. A 19-year-old Kate stopped by to see me." Dean said.

Caleb chuckled. "Are you serious?"

Dean pulled his socks off. "It was the weirdest thing." He turned the light off and kicked off his jeans in favor of sweatpants. "I have a hard rule about not harming kids but if some teenage boy so much as looks at her wrong, I'm going to rethink that rule."

Caleb laughed. "I think she could stand up for herself."

Dean knew she would be alright. If some fool kid broke her heart, she could hold her own.

"You'll have to tell me about her in the morning." Caleb said with a yawn.

Dean flopped down on his bed and grumbled.

### ###

Kate woke up early. She saw Dean's car and furrowed her brows. She'd ask him about it when he woke up. She gathered both kittens and carried them downstairs. "Breakfast time." She started a pot of coffee and looked through the freezer. They'd definitely need more food. She moved around the kitchen as quietly as possible. The bunker was massive and easier to move around in but Bobby's house was a true home for her.

Bobby woke up a little while after Kate. "Good morning, you are up early."

Kate smiled and handed him some coffee. "Dean is back too."

Bobby scratched his chin. "Must have gotten back not too long ago."

"I want to know what Marty says about the samples." Kate said.

Bobby looked at his phone. "He will call me when he sees something."

"Did Caleb get what he needed from Matt?"

Bobby sipped the coffee. "Yes, he did I'll take it down there when Marty gets there."

"I really want to go." Kate said.

"I know but you have school." Bobby said.

Kate wanted to complain but it felt good to be back to normal. She had friends and school was better in school as opposed to in the bunker. "I'm happy we are back."

"Me too." Bobby said. "This place was too quiet."

Taylor heard voices and went downstairs. "Morning."

"Do you two want to take the bus back here this afternoon?" Bobby asked.

"Does April need help?" Taylor asked.

Kate wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm sure Caleb is more than happy to help her."

Taylor grinned.

"You two must know something I don't." Bobby said.

"Caleb is sweet on April." Kate said.

Bobby chuckled. "I'll ask him about it."

Dean was groggy when he woke up. The night drive and visit by future Kate made him disoriented. He smelled coffee and made a beeline for it.

Kate wrapped her arms around his middle. "You are back early."

Dean had no doubt she'd sniff out an issue, even if he was no longer upset. "I can pick you up from school."

Kate smiled. "Okay. Breakfast is on the table." She threw her backpack over her shoulder and ran out the door so she wasn't late for the bus.

"So, why did you drive back last night?" Bobby asked.

Dean sighed. "Dad and I got into it."

"About what?" Bobby asked.

"You know how he is. Everything is black and white and if it isn't done his way, it is wrong." Dean said.

Bobby nodded. "I do know. We are going to go down to the lab in a little bit."

Dean groaned. "I just need a shower and some coffee."

Caleb cleared his plate and washed it. "What is the plan for today?"

Bobby smirked. "Are you wanting to go hang out with April?"

Caleb blushed. "Kate and Taylor are a pain in my ass."

Bobby chuckled.

"I'll go down to the lab too." Caleb said.

John had an idea as to why Dean got as angry as he had. Nothing he said was meant the way it sounded but he wasn't known for sugar coating things. He stepped on Sam's toes more often than not but Dean usually saw eye to eye with him. Mercifully, Dean wasn't the 'talk it out' type of person. He'd give him his space and then in a day or two, they'd go back to normal like the argument never happened.

Marty opened the lab and checked on the samples. He wanted to know what the substance was because the reactions were interesting. He recorded data and spent more time looking at the slides on a microscopic level. Bobby's blood was thick. Even the second sample was nearly gel-like.

"We have something else to test." Bobby said.

Marty waved him over. "Now what is this?"

"Just more blood." Bobby said.

Marty snorted but prepared the sample. The blood did look different but he would save questions for later. He added the unknown sample and viewed it with the microscope.

"What is it doing?" Dean asked.

Marty flipped the monitor on. "Nothing yet."

Caleb eyed the monitor too. Something had to happen because something turned vampires into those things.

Marty looked back through the lenses of the microscope. "That is odd." He leaned back and pointed to several black dots. "In these areas, these cells are sticking together." He studied them for a few minutes. "It looks like a cell but it isn't like any kind of cell I've seen. What is this?"

Bobby sighed. "The clear stuff is from some kind of fangs. The other stuff is another type of blood."

Within a few minutes, more black dots appeared. The red blood cells were destroyed and only plasma and the black cells were left.

Dean pulled Caleb to the side. "Vampires are dead. Well, they died and came back as vampires. What happens if one of those things gets ahold of a regular dead person?"

Caleb rubbed his face. "Wouldn't the bite come from them trying to eat?"

"We don't know that." Dean said. "We saw what it did to Bobby's blood. Does that mean humans turn too or what?"

Caleb asked Marty to test out his blood and Dean's as well.

Marty was more than happy to do so. The more data they had, the more clear things would become. Dean's sample reacted the same way that Bobby's did. Caleb's had a reaction somewhere between Taylor's and Dean's. "I am going to formulate some questions and have each of you answer them. I am intrigued. I'd like to know what about your blood is making this react differently."

Bobby thanked him and walked Dean and Caleb out.

"He looks like a kid on Christmas." Dean said.

"I thought I was asking a favor but I think I might be doing him a favor." Bobby said.

"I just want to find out how to put an end to all of this." Caleb said. He had a personal hatred for the things.

"You get to name them." Dean said.

"What?"

"If they don't already have a name, you should name them." Dean said.

Caleb scoffed "Why is that?"

"To our knowledge, you are the only person that has survived one of them."

"You did too." Caleb said.

"Not the way that you did. You got cut up. I just grazed a few shards of glass." Dean reminded him.

"Had Kate and Taylor not saved me, I wouldn't have survived." Caleb said.

Dean stopped. "Maybe that is why your blood reacted differently."

Bobby agreed. "You may still have some grace floating around in there."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "The second Kate hears that she is going to run with it."

Dean groaned and bumped the tire of the car with his boot. "Luck would have it that her blood would be what fixes this."

"Seems like it." Bobby said. "She and Taylor were experiments. Your whole family was but it came to a head with them. It would make sense that their blood would change things."

"I just want her to keep her blood in her body." Dean said. "She is so set on helping others that she would not think twice about giving every last drop."

Caleb laughed. "After you told her not to use any of her blood she told me to prank you about it. I was supposed to tell you that she used her blood but it was okay because she said that you said it was okay."

Dean snorted. "You know, part of what made me calm down was seeing her still have that fire all those years later."

Bobby leaned against the car. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, 19 year old Kate made a pitstop while I was on my way here." Dean said.

"Just like that?" Bobby asked.

"She was the same but older. She had the same grin and talked like she does now. She gave me a bracelet but didn't say what to do with it." Dean said.

"So she is okay?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. She was still Kate." Dean said.

Bobby knew that weighed on Dean. "Well good."

Caleb chuckled. "Do you remember when we were teenagers, your dad came home from a shapeshifter case and we were floored. We couldn't understand how such a creature would exist."

Dean smiled. "And now I'm unbothered by a time-traveling Kate."

Caleb looked away from Dean and Bobby. That was also the year that his dad went missing.

"He'd be proud of you son." Bobby said and clapped Caleb on the back.

Dean opened the car door. "I can drop you off at April's."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "What for?"

Dean smirked. "You tell me."

### ###

Castiel opened the door to Naomi's cell. He gave her food and water. "You wanted to talk."

Naomi nodded her head. "I have no hope that you will free me. I offer assistance only because it is far more important than my own well-being."

"What assistance is that?"

"The monster you have here. I know about it." Naomi said.

"What do you know about it?" Castiel asked.

"God did not create it," Naomi said. She drank her water and placed the bottle on the table.

"God did not create any of the monsters." Castiel said.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "The creature was not made by divine intervention."

"Go on." Castiel said.

"It is man made." Naomi said.

"How do you know this?" Castiel asked.

"A troop of angels was dispatched to get rid of the first experiments," Naomi said.

Castiel pulled her tray away from her. "Speak quickly."

Naomi pulled the tray back. "When someone messes with God's creatures, sometimes they create dogs with snubbed noses or mules. Other times they create children who turn into Nephilian. Then, in some cases, they turn an ordinary creature into the creature that you have caged."

"Who did this?" Castiel asked.

Naomi sat back and folded her hands on her lap. "I'd like my one phone call."