Author's note. As always, thank you for the reviews. Hopefully, some of those long standing questions get answered soon.
### ###
"Do we have to go to school?" Kate whined.
"Yes. It is Thursday. You'll make it through today and tomorrow." Dean said.
"We need to go to that storage unit." Kate said.
"We will. The more you skip school, the more you stand out." Dean said.
Kate crossed her arms. "You don't think getting thrown down the stairs and beating up Natasha made me stand out?"
"It did. That is all the more reason for you to stay put."
"Dean, seriously. We pulled someone from heaven and opened a door that allows us to walk through time... yesterday." Kate said.
Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kate, we can't leave today. You are right. That happened yesterday. We need time to cool down. We need time to pack things up."
"So we can stay home and make up the work." Kate said.
John cleared his throat. "The decision has been made."
Kate turned on her heel and stomped up the stairs. She grabbed her backpack and bypassed both of them.
Dean sighed. "I see that streak ending soon."
John nodded. "Get them to school and then meet me at Caleb's apartment."
Karen leaned her head on Bobby's arm. "You are welcome to stay."
"We will. You also need your chance to make up for lost time." John said.
Karen patted Bobby's arm and grabbed muffins from the kitchen. She gave both to Taylor. "Give one to Kate."
Taylor smiled. "Thank you."
Dean followed Taylor outside. He wasn't sure why Kate was so set on jumping back into the fire. Maybe it was the aftermath of how much tension she had felt leading up to the time spell.
John left for Caleb's and April's apartment. Fresh memories of Mary flooded his head and he felt at peace. He got a chance to say goodbye. He got a chance to get the forgiveness that his soul needed. Seeing the boys as kids again also did something for his soul. He knocked on the apartment door and heard Andy and Ian yelling. He smiled.
Andy ran to the door and then remembered that he wasn't supposed to answer it. "Who is it?"
John chuckled. "John."
"Mama, John is here." Andy said.
April opened the door and welcomed John inside. "I was just about to take Andy to school. Caleb is in the shower."
"I can take him." John said. "They shouldn't need my ID to drop him off."
April shrugged. "Would that be okay with you?"
Andy stumbled trying to put his shoes on. "Did you drive your truck?"
"I did." John said.
Andy got his shoes on and grabbed his jacket. He grinned. "Let's go!"
April sighed. "Andy, manners."
Andy stopped. "Can we go, please?"
John chuckled and followed Andy out the door.
Andy buckled himself in and swung his feet. "Is this truck old like Dean's car?"
"No, not as old." John said.
Andy looked around in his seat. He saw a folded pocket knife. "Is this your knife?"
John turned his head to look at what Andy was pointing to. "That is one of them."
Andy asked if he could touch it. "I won't open it."
"You can look at it." John said.
Andy carefully held the pocket knife in his hand. He asked John several questions and decided he needed a pocket knife, but not until he got older.
John dropped Andy off and waited until he was safely inside the school before pulling away. By the time he got back to April's, Dean was already there. "Did Kate calm down?"
Dean growled. "No. I just about had words with her about slamming the car door."
John sighed.
April asked what was going on.
"She woke up in a twist. We are going to go check out that storage unit but we plan on going in a few days. She wants to go now." Dean said.
April picked Ian up. "I could understand why she feels frustrated."
Dean snorted. "Me too but the eye rolls and slamming of doors has got to go."
"She held it together through all of that. I'm not surprised she is struggling now." April said.
John studied her.
"She has been on a high for days, if not weeks. She's crashing." April said.
"She could crash and not be a brat about it." Dean said.
"She's still a little girl." April said with a chuckle. "You can't claim to always handle your emotions perfectly."
Caleb leaned over the back of April's chair and put his arms around her. "Dean doesn't have emotions."
Dean flipped him off.
"How is Bobby handling things?" Caleb asked.
"He is still in shock." John said.
"I would be too." April said.
The guys chatted about hunting and how they were going to handle the 'freak' invasion. About a half hour after John dropped Andy off, April got a call from the elementary school.
"Hello?" April said. "Yes, this is his mother." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Can I talk to him?"
Andy was given the phone by the office lady and was too hysterical to understand.
April tried to calm him down enough to figure out what was wrong but her attempts failed.
Caleb took the phone. "Andy, buddy, I need you to take a deep breath. Are you hurt?"
Andy hiccuped. "No."
The receptionist offered to talk to Caleb for Andy. "He brought a knife to school and is upset."
Caleb furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll be down there in a few minutes." He quickly drove over and went into the office.
Andy was still sobbing and his face was a mess.
Caleb thought that was odd for Andy. He crouched down and let Andy jump into his arms. He wrapped his arms around him and decided to sit down. "Andy."
"I'm sorry!" Andy wailed.
Caleb didn't recognize the knife that the receptionist showed him. "Andy, you have to calm down."
Andy finally did calm down enough to talk to Caleb.
"Just tell me what happened." Caleb said.
Andy sniffled. "I was in John's truck and I asked him if I could touch that. I asked first." He eyed Caleb.
Caleb nodded. "Continue."
"I asked him questions about it and some other..." He whispered. "hunting stuff."
Caleb nodded again.
"I was playing with the ring that is on it and I think I put it in my pocket." Andy said.
Caleb sighed. "Andy."
"I promise on my life. Please don't be mad." He started crying again.
"Andy, take a breath." Caleb said.
"I put my hand in my pocket and found it and told the teacher right away. I'm sorry." Andy said.
Caleb hugged him again. "Hey, I believe you."
Andy squeaked. "You do?"
"Yes." He stood up and held Andy's hand. "What is the school policy on this stuff?"
The receptionist gave him a warm smile. "Usually there is a zero-tolerance policy but we think it was an accident too." She looked at Andy. "Just check your pockets before coming to school."
Andy wiped his face again. "I will. I promise."
Caleb offered to walk him to his class. He stopped outside the door and crouched down. He smoothed Andy's hair down and dried his face. He straightened his shirt. "I'll take John's knife back to him. Don't worry. Have a good day at school." He got back to his truck and chuckled. When he got to the house he handed John the knife.
John furrowed his brows.
"He accidentally put it in his pocket." Caleb said.
April groaned. "Accidentally?"
Caleb chuckled again. "Yes. He was so upset."
John put the pocket into the pocket of his jacket. "I should have gotten it back from him before he got out."
"He's okay. The office staff realized it was an accident." Caleb said.
Dean shook his head. "That would explain why he was hysterical."
"Yeah, he thought I was going to light him up for touching a weapon again." Caleb said.
Dean clapped him on the back. "At least the lesson stuck."
Kate calmed down once she got to school. She realized she was wrong to be snippy. In the grand scheme of things, an extra two days in finding the storage unit probably wouldn't matter. She needed the adventure though. She liked having a family and doing normal things like Christmas at a grandparent's house. Knowing what she was, though, she craved the big things like saving lives and time traveling. When Dean picked her up that afternoon, she had one request. "I want to speak to Natasha."
Dean sighed. "Kate, we can't."
"Dean, this is something I need to do." Kate said.
"Right, let me call dad." Dean said.
John was surprised that Kate wanted to talk to Natasha. He wasn't sure why. However, her tone of voice and demeanor was much better than that morning. "I'll see if you can."
An hour later, Kate was standing in front of a juvenile detention center. It wasn't necessarily jail but it was an in-between place that troubled teenagers went when they were awaiting a verdict. The place gave her the creeps.
John walked with Kate to a small room. "What are you wanting to say to her?"
"I want to make peace." Kate said. She looked through the small window. "Where are her parents?"
"I don't know. They said it was okay for you to talk to her though." John said.
Kate took a deep breath. "I want to go alone."
John shook his head. "No."
"Deep down, I know you can be a teddy bear but you don't look like one. Frankly, you look scary at times. She isn't going to talk if you are standing over my shoulder." Kate said.
John leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "If I hear a hint of a raised voice, I'm pulling you out."
Kate started to open the door. "Um, if you hear me hit the wall, that would be a good time to step in."
John shook his head. "Can you say anything without being a smartass?"
Kate grinned. "No, sorry. I've learned that from your son." She gently knocked on the door and opened it.
Natasha gave her a weird look. "Why are you here?"
"I have come to talk." Kate said.
Natasha turned her chair.
Kate still had her cast on, although the arm had been healed. She had to keep up the act so that people didn't ask why she healed in a week instead of six. "I'm not here to argue or to make you feel guilty."
Natasha snorted. "Good."
Kate sat down in another chair. She reached across the table and placed a bar of chocolate near Natasha.
Natasha glanced down and furrowed her eyebrows.
"This place looks depressing. I thought that would help." Kate said.
Natasha slowly turned around. "Um, thanks."
Kate looked down at her lap to give Natasha some form of privacy. "So, do you want to talk?"
Natasha slowly nodded her head.
"Why did you push me?" Kate asked.
Natasha bristled.
"I know you were angry and annoyed. I won once or twice when we were sparring. You didn't like me as soon as I showed up at the gym. I just want to know why." Kate said.
Natasha picked at the bar of chocolate. "I don't know."
"I guess I have been thinking about it a lot. I like being liked. I kind of feel like a freak most of the time and don't always fit in. So, when you didn't like me then, it did bother me a little. I just figured it was a rivalry thing. Then, you showed up at my school and went after me over and over again." Kate said.
"I have been at that gym most of my life." Natasha said.
"I was only there a few weeks." Kate said.
"I have been training since long before I joined. I was better than all of the boys." Natasha said.
Kate read between the lines. "And then the knew girl shows up and gives you a run for your money." She leaned forward. "Did you... like.. Taylor?"
Natasha looked away from her.
"He is like a brother. Well, we have the same last name now. My adoptive dad adopted him too." Kate said.
Natasha just took a bite of her chocolate bar.
"Did you think to ask how I got the upper hand?" Kate asked. She knew that it was a sore spot for Natasha and decided to keep talking. "That was my first time at a gym like that." She sighed. "My biological dad started training me from the time that I could walk pretty much. My.. my mom was murdered when I was a baby. Then, it was just me and my dad. He taught me to fight in case the bad guy came back. Then.." She took a deep breath. "He died too."
Natasha slowly looked at her. "I'm sorry."
Kate shrugged. "I went to live with his friend and Dean, the guy that used to take me to classes, was there too. He sparred with me and taught me the rest of what I know. So, it is instinct. I didn't learn to fight to get a black belt. I learned because my dad was terrified that I'd die too."
Natasha fidgeted. "I didn't know."
"Well, not many people do. You don't wind up pushing someone down concrete steps if you're life is all peachy so I want to know why you did it." Kate said.
Natasha studied the younger girl in front of her. "It won't make sense."
"Try me." Kate said.
"I was so angry. I don't know. I can't stop being angry. I'm sorry that you were hurt." Natasha said.
Kate got her to open up a little bit more and learned that her parents were hard to please. "So me winning that sparring match didn't please them much."
"No." Natasha said.
"Are you... like... safe?" Kate asked.
Natasha gave her an odd look. "Yes."
Kate asked a few more questions and started to piece it all together.
John looked through the window periodically and neither girl looked like they were going to strangle the other.
"Have you talked to a doctor about feeling like that?" Kate asked.
Natasha nodded. "Yes."
"What did they say?" She could tell that Natasha was embarrassed. "If you have something going on, it is okay. A lot of people do."
The hour that they had been promised ended and John collected Kate.
Kate tossed Natasha a second candy bar. She gave her a sad smile and walked out with John. "She is bi-polar."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me." John said.
Kate stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "Actual bipolar disorder."
John stopped too. "That doesn't excuse her trying to kill you."
"No, but not being allowed to take the medication for it does make it a whole lot harder to cope." Kate said.
John rubbed his face. "Kate."
"She is on it while she is here." Kate said.
"So what now?"
Kate sighed. "I made my peace. I told her to talk to the therapists here and tell someone if she got home and her parents wouldn't let her take the medication."
John put a hand on her shoulder. "That was big of you."
"Thanks." Kate said. She took another deep breath. "I'm also sorry for arguing this morning. I know school is important and so is blending in."
"We are going to go back to the facility another time before we go on that road trip." John said. "Then, we will make sure all of our ducks are in a row before going out there."
### ###
Taylor had gone home when Dean did. He was sitting at the table getting to know Karen a little better.
"No, ma'am. My only half brother is locked up." He looked at Dean. "As far as I know."
"Taylor, sweetie. You can call me Karen." Karen said.
Taylor blushed. "Sorry, it is a habit."
"You are a strong kid." Karen said.
"Thank you. It would have been a different story if Bobby hadn't let me stay here." Taylor said. He gave Bobby a smile.
Bobby nodded. "I got soft with Sam and Dean around and then Kate and Taylor weaseled their way in too."
Karen hugged Bobby. "I'm so glad they did."
Dean rocked back in his chair. "He's putting on a show, Karen. He tried to kick us out but we refused to leave."
Bobby slapped the back of Dean's head. "Idgit."
Taylor grinned. "This is why he likes me better."
Bobby snorted.
"Oh, come on. Kate and I have been nothing but a joy to have around. What have you done for him?" Taylor asked, jokingly.
Dean rocked forward in his chair. "I took over dealing with you two hellions so he could take the easy one out."
Bobby chuckled. "He did do that."
Karen squeezed Bobby's hand.
"As cute and cuddly as Taylor and Kate look, they are both... sometimes... a massive pain in the ass." Dean said with a smirk.
Bobby jabbed him in the side.
Dean rubbed his side. "Are you jabbing me for language or because I'm right?"
Karen thought the bickering was sweet.
Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm too old for all of that."
Dean scoffed. "I'm too young."
Taylor met eyes with Karen. "They are discussing the times that Kate and I have nearly died at their hands."
Karen chuckled. "What?"
"It was a paddling. You survived." Dean said.
Taylor's face turned red.
Karen rested her elbow on the table. "You paddled him?"
Dean wasn't sure if she was clarifying or if it bothered her. "Uh, I don't know how you intended to raise your future kids but my dad has his own methods."
Karen couldn't imagine Taylor ever earning something like that. "No, I just, what happened?"
Taylor grimaced. "I used an ability to drive my mom's husband insane. He snapped and hurt a nurse."
Karen gasped. That explained that. "Oh my."
Dean smirked. "Oh, I have all kinds of stories. Taylor is only half as innocent as he looks."
Bobby chuckled. "Dean, don't forget that I have way more stories about you than you have about Taylor."
Karen relaxed. "When did you start staying here?"
"Our mom died when Sammy was 6 months old. I'd say we wound up here for the first time when he was two or so. Maybe closer to four. At first it was just when my dad really needed somewhere for us to stay." Dean said.
"Then by the time they were teenagers, I couldn't get rid of them." Bobby said.
Karen smiled.
"Kate was around but not as much. She got dropped off right before she turned nine and has been here, for the most part, since then." Dean said.
"I'm the newest addition." Taylor said with a smile.
"Unless you count April and her boys." Dean said with a smirk. He poked Bobby's side. "Bop."
Bobby smacked his hand away.
Dean chuckled. "Bobby's best buddy is a one year old."
Karen's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"His choice." Bobby said.
Dean told Karen about Andy and Ian and sat back.
"Oh, Bobby, that is adorable." Karen said.
Bobby grumbled. "You all are ruining my reputation." He rubbed Karen's leg. "If you want to meet Caleb, April and their boys, I can call them."
Karen absolutely did want to meet them.
"This is a lot to come back to. If you need time, we are more than happy to give you some space." Dean said.
Karen got up and puttered around the kitchen. "Bobby and I will have space in a few days. I want to meet the rest of the family."
Taylor got up. "My nana loves to cook. She made a bunch of food so the freezer is full."
Karen looked in the freezer. "Wow. Well it is good somebody was feeding Bobby. Lord knows he'd live on scraps if you let him."
Dean craned his neck so he could look into the side room where the freezer and pantry were. "He fed us rice and beans for every meal until Taylor came along."
Bobby bumped Dean's chair leg causing it to tip over.
Dean caught himself before he hit the floor. "and brisket."
Bobby shook his head. "Idgit."
Kate skipped into the house and dropped her backpack.
"Take that upstairs." John said.
Kate clamped a hand over her eyes to hide the automatic eye roll that she couldn't stop. She picked up the bag and spun around to go up the stairs.
"Did you straighten her out?" Dean asked.
"She straightened herself out." John said.
Caleb had gotten the message from John and headed over with April and the boys. He knocked on the door and had to yank Andy back. "Take your shoes off, boy."
Andy dropped to the floor and wrangled the boots off of his feet. He unzipped his jacket and tossed it over the arm of a chair.
Caleb shook his head and put the jacket on a hook.
Andy slid into the kitchen. "Hi!"
Karen smiled brightly. "Hi, there."
Andy approached her and held out her hand. "I am Andy."
Karen shook his hand. "Well, it is nice to meet you. My name is Karen."
Andy ran out of the kitchen and pulled on April's hand. "Come on, mama."
April followed him and introduced herself.
Bobby heard a small, "Bop, bop, bop." coming down the hallway and stepped through the door. He picked Ian up. "This is Ian."
Karen patted Ian's leg. "Where did Bop come from again?"
Kate leaned against the door facing. "Bobby gets all embarrassed because Ian imprinted on him. I thought it would be hilarious to teach him to call him papa but my attempts got shortened to Bop."
Karen smiled at Ian. "You just go ahead and call him whatever you want."
Caleb tried not to stumble over Andy and introduced himself too.
As they chatted and told Karen a bit about that addition to the family, Ian studied her. Once he was sure that she wasn't dangerous he patted her.
Bobby scooted closer to Karen on the couch so Ian could reach her. He smiled when Ian crawled into her lap.
Karen's heart melted. "Hi, there."
Ian got comfortable in her lap and played with the bracelet on her list.
Karen had always loved children and seeing her house filled with family was better than heaven.
Bobby put an arm around her and listened to the others talk.
Andy had been in deep thought. Caleb was his dad now. He said that Dean was like his uncle. He waited for a lull in conversation to speak. "Who is my grandpa?"
April furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Caleb is my dad. Dean is my uncle. So which one of you is my grandpa?" He asked and looked between John and Bobby.
John chuckled. "I'm not old enough to be a grandfather."
Dean smirked. "Ian already has the grandfatherly name down."
Bobby grumbled.
April tapped Andy. "Not all families have grandmas and grandpas. You don't have one but you have plenty of people here who act like family."
Andy shrugged.
"When are you two getting married?" Karen asked.
"Oh, we haven't set a date. Caleb just proposed on Valentine's day." April said.
Andy rested his head on his arms. "Soon I hope. I'm tired of waiting."
"What are you waiting on?" Caleb asked. "Not much will change."
"I can have your same last name and Jimmy Morris will have to be quiet." Andy said.
Caleb sighed. "Is he still picking on you?"
Andy fidgeted. "A little. I tripped him though so he stopped saying stuff."
"You tripped him?" Caleb asked in a low tone.
Andy's head snapped up. "Oh."
Caleb rubbed his face. "We can talk about it later."
Kate rubbed Andy's back. "We can go upstairs and play so the adults can chat."
Taylor offered to take Ian too but the glare that Ian gave him caused him to pull his hands back.
Bobby looked at Ian's face. "Taylor, I'd watch my hands. He looks about ready to strike."
Taylor bowed dramatically. "Sorry, Ian. I didn't mean to offend you."
Karen ran her fingers through Ian's hair. It was short but soft. "He's fine."
Ian settled back against Karen's chest and looked up at her with a soft smile.
Dean nudged Bobby. "I think she stole your friend."
Bobby rubbed Ian's back. "She's a better friend anyway, buddy."
Taylor and Kate kept Andy busy until his eyes started to grow heavy. "Let's go downstairs. I bet Ian is ready for bed."
Andy yawned. He let Taylor carry him down the stairs.
Caleb saw Andy's heavy eyes. "We should head home. It was so nice to meet you."
April removed a protesting Ian from Karen's lap. She pulled a teething cookie from her pocket and won Ian's affections again. "We live in town. If you get tired of these guys, you are welcome to stop by."
Karen and Bobby saw them off and waved as they left.
"Bobby, this is lovely." Karen said.
"I'm glad you think so. It can get loud." Bobby said.
Karen put her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest. "In heaven, I was reliving our anniversary. It was a wonderful day. This is so much better. I know you said you didn't want kids but look at what you have made."
Bobby's heart broke at the memory of how shattered she had been when he said no to having children. "I was so afraid that I would end up like my dad."
"You didn't." Karen said.
### ###
The next day, Kate couldn't help a bit of the attitude that slipped out. She really didn't want to do school. She wanted to be home getting to know Karen.
Dean got the brunt of it. "Kate, do not think for a second I won't send you to school with a sore butt."
"God, Dean. Just give me some space." Kate said and angrily tried to brush a persistent knot out of her hair.
Dean eyed her. "This is your last warning." He turned and went down the stairs. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
Karen gave him a muffin to go with his coffee.
"Thanks." Dean said.
"Is Kate okay?" Karen asked.
Dean sighed. "Yes, sorry if that was loud. She is wicked smart and has a heart of gold but an attitude the size of Texas."
Karen chuckled. She patted Dean's arm before going upstairs. She gently knocked on the bathroom door.
"Dean, I'm hurrying. I have plenty of time before school." Kate said.
"It is just me, Kate." Karen said.
Kate opened the door. "I'm so sorry. I thought Dean was back."
Karen gave her a warm smile. She saw the massive tangle in Kate's hair and knew the frustration. "Would you like me to help you with that?"
Kate let her shoulders drop. "Can you?"
Karen gave her another smile. She told her to go to her room and then she'd be back momentarily. She returned with a small spray bottle and a comb.
Kate sat down on her bed and turned when Karen gently directed her shoulder.
Karen hummed while she worked through the knots in Kate's hair. She worked most of them out and found the culprit. "I'll show you a trick." She pulled nail clippers from her apron pocket and clipped a few strands of hair. "Next time you get a hairband stuck in your hair, try clipping a few strands first."
Kate felt of the back of her head. "I was just about to break out the scissors."
Karen squeezed her shoulder. "I have been there. Try the clippers first. How do you normally wear it?"
"Uh, down or in a ponytail," Kate said. She frowned. "Sam used to braid it before he went to college."
"I can if you want." Karen offered.
Kate gave her a smile. "Please."
Karen had Kate grab a few small bands and spritzed her hair with the spray bottle. "Are you having a rough morning?"
Kate slumped. "No. I just get irritated sometimes."
"Living in a house full of boys will do that." Karen said, lightly.
Kate turned. "Do you have brothers?"
Karen chuckled. "Five."
Kate gasped. "I am so sorry."
Karen smiled warmly. "I was the only girl until my younger sister came along."
Kate chewed her thumbnail. "Are any still.."
"Living?" Karen asked. "I haven't had the chance to look. However, I don't think I can contact them. To them, I died years ago. I don't think they'd handle my coming back the way that you all have."
"I'm sorry." Kate said. "I asked for a younger sister and everyone says no." She smirked. "Dean says absolutely no more kids."
Karen rubbed her arm. "How do you want your hair braided."
Kate shrugged. "You can choose.
Karen had fond memories of braiding her sister's hair. She was a surprise and her parents were older by the time she was born. She had curly hair like Kate's but it was darker. "I have Dean distracted with a muffin, so tell me what is on your mind."
Kate thought that she could fall asleep with Karen doing her hair. Her hands were gentle and soothing. "I don't really know sometimes. Weeks ago, I had visions. It bothers me when they aren't clear. It took a lot of digging but I figured out what they were about. That is how I learned about the time stream and that bringing you back may be possible. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least. When everything settles, going back to school just feels stupid."
Karen got Kate to open up and finished with her hair. "All done."
Kate felt of the braids. "Can I go look?"
Karen smiled. "Of course."
Kate ran to the bathroom and smiled. She went back and hugged Karen. "Thank you." She had two french braids but a little bit of hair was left out to curl around her face. The braids met behind her head and ended in a ponytail with ringlets. "How did you do that?"
"Practice," Karen said with a smile.
"With your sister?" Kate asked. She saw a sad look cross Karen's face. "What happened?"
Karen sighed. "My sister, Lauren, disappeared when she was ten."
"I'm so sorry." Kate said.
Karen gave her a sad smile. "After so many brothers, Lauren was like a living doll. She loved fancy braids and bows." She stood up. "I'll warm you up a muffin before school."
Kate changed her clothes. She wondered what Karen's sister looked like. If she disappeared, that was different than dying. She wondered how old she would be. She closed her eyes. "Get through the school day."
Dean met eyes with Kate when she entered the kitchen. He held out one arm for her to step into a hug.
Kate put her arms around his neck.
"Do you feel better?" Dean asked.
Kate nodded.
Dean pulled on one of her curls. "What is this?"
Kate swatted his hand away. "Don't ruin it." She scrunched her nose. "This is why I sass you."
Dean snorted. "Here I just thought it was because dad isn't around to hear it."
Kate reached over and smashed his muffin with the palm of her hand.
Dean smirked. "Still tastes the same." He said and shoved the rest of it in his mouth.
Taylor joined them. "Nate asked if I could stop by his house after school."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Taylor shrugged. "I don't know."
Dean rubbed his face. "Not today. Isn't he still grounded?"
Taylor's face went blank. "Uh, maybe."
"Then no." Dean said. "You need to be back to pack anyway."
Kate scoffed. "Oh, I'm the only one you threaten this early in the morning?"
Dean sipped his coffee. "The threat was unspoken." He raised an eyebrow at Taylor.
Taylor gave him a thumbs up. "Crystal clear."
Dean looked at the time. "You two better start walking if you plan on catching the bus."
Taylor tilted his head. "You can take us though."
Dean smirked. "I won't have time to warm up the car. You know I don't go anywhere unless baby is warmed up."
Taylor grinned. "She's already on and waiting."
Dean quickly went to the livingroom to look out the window. "Did you swipe my keys?"
Taylor held his hands up and stepped back. "To warm up your car so you wouldn't be cold when you took us to school."
Dean lightly smacked the side of Taylor's head. "I'm going to go look. If you so much as rolled the car forward I will know."
Kate smiled at Karen. "Brothers, right?" She heard the impala's horn honk, letting her know to get a move on. She groaned and ran up to get her backpack. Three adoptive brothers was a lot of work. She wasn't sure how Karen survived five.