Author's note: This chapter may read differently than most of the others. As I was trying to write this, I thought that the back and forth dialog became tiresome.

Humanity was flawed from the beginning. Kings would rise up from the masses and rule for a time before someone stepped up and knocked them from their thrones. Most of human history followed an endless flow of kings and kingdoms that would rise and fall from ashes. Hell wasn't so different. When Lucifer was cast down from heaven, he formed his own kingdom. He twisted human souls that strayed too far from the safety of God's reach. That is how the first demon was formed. Her name was Lillith and she was known as Lucifer's firstborn. After Lillith, Lucifer created the Princes of Hell. The four Princes of Hell commanded Lucifer's armies for centuries. The next class of demons created were the Knights of Hell. Tihese were all far stronger and far more dangerous than the crossroads demons that made the most contact with humans.

Lucifer grew in power as his armies grew in numbers. Once he became a problem for heaven, god locked him away in the cage. The cage was impenetrable by Lucifer and all of his demons. Not even Lilith could break the chains that bound him. Hell went through different kings as Lucifer's influence was dampened. Lilith stayed loyal to her father. Some of the Princes and Knights took power into their own hands and drizzled out by extermination at the hands of angels. As the war between heaven and hell reached a pinnacle, the archangels fell along aside the lingering generals of hell.

Humanity was able to bloom for a time. Great empires were built. Great empires fell. Religion was twisted and became the main catalyst for division. Heaven and hell took the time to rebuild their own kingdoms. One of Lucifer's most loyal, Azazel, began to work on a plan to release Lucifer from his cage. He would need a very special human to unlock the final piece of the plan. When he first returned to Earth's surface, he began trials to create the human that he needed. However, at that time, religion was so heavy that a child with a difference was often killed right away. This pattern continued. He needed to be more subtle to prevent the child from being attacked by their own kind. Initially, a child could be twisted and accept the gift. This method would prove to be problematic.

As war and disease were rampant, humans became desperate. This gave way for deals to be made. A king may promise his soul for the safety of his kingdom. A father may promise his soul for the health of his family. Azazel changed tactics and began to make deals with women so that he could use their children. A woman was less likely to speak out about a child's differences if she was to blame. Attempts were made to use the children to open Lucifer's cage but they failed for one reason or another. The bloodlines were not strong enough. Over a few more centuries, a type of bloodline was narrowed down. Azazel's favorite began in Scottland. The Scottish people were strong. They adapted well and many still believed in occult practices.

Ada's family belonged to that bloodline. The women in her family that had gifts were due to Azazel's experiments. As the English marched through Scottland, wiping out clans, the bloodline was threatened. A young woman from the family escaped with two infants. Azazel lost track of them for years. When he found them again, the children had no reaction to his blood. Something had altered the bloodline. That fueled white, hot, fury in Azazel and cursed the family.

In the early 1900's Azazel was feeling more pressure to release Lucifer. He had learned that feeding his blood to infants was the best way to change them without alerting their families. Ada's bloodline was still his favorite. He followed the family but they were elusive due to the number of hunters that the family produced. That just made his plan that much sweeter. Hunters were a plague that needed to be eradicated. Using their own children against them was poetic.

By the 1950s, he had created more children but humans were still religious in ways that made them skeptical of anyone who behaved in a way that they couldn't. The new generation of children was almost perfect. They had gifts but wouldn't be able to open the cage. It would be their children that would do it. A few hunter families posed an issue for Azazel. They guarded their houses and children. They captured the demons that he sent and exorcised them.

Mary did have gifts when she was young. However, Samuel Campbell saw those gifts as problems and encouraged her to get rid of them. By age ten, they were suppressed through repeated conditioning. It was his fault that Mary had been targetted and the guilt caused him to stamp it out of her. Samuel worried that she would still be in danger and raised her to be a hunter. He raised her to be cautious and reactive to all things demonic. That kept her safe until a demon attacked the family and approached her. He promised to save John. She didn't know what the demon would require of her because her parents never told her what had happened before she was born. Then, ten years later, Sam was born and Mary died trying to protect him from the demon with yellow eyes.

Lauren's gifts were dormant. However, her mother sent her away to keep her safe when she started to show signs. This was an attempt to keep the demon away from her youngest child. This was the cause of Lauren's disappearance. Lauren was given a note that explained why she could never go home. The mother had had an affair and Lauren was sent to live with her real father. She struggled for years but the birth of another sister got her mind off of her own problems. She tried to be the older sister that Karen was for her. Her heart ached to find Karen and the rest of her family but she had to keep them safe. Lauren's name was changed to Elizabeth and everything was okay until she got older. The demons found her. They killed her biological father and his wife. That left her to care for her younger sister. Not long after that, she found out she was pregnant. The demons also killed the child's father. She spent the pregnancy trying to find a way to hide from the demons and save her sister and child. It was her biggest regret that she was unable to shield them. Azazel got to the baby but did not harm him.

Elizabeth worked for weeks for a way to fix the mess that she was in. She found a spell and quickly gathered the ingredients. Azazel found out and tormented her with hellhounds. She gave April everything she needed for the baby and told her to run and never look back. The spell would cover April and the baby long enough for them to hide and get away. Azazel found Elizabeth and was furious. He sent the hellhounds after her and killed her. Instead of taking her back to hell, he locked her soul in the veil with the promise that she would be forced to watch as he killed April and turned the child. She would be helpless and unable to warn or help them. It was a fate far worse than hell.

Caleb grabbed April and Ian. "Take Ian and leave."

April felt the chill in the room and quickly did as Caleb said. The door shut in her face.

Bobby grabbed the salt.

The lights flickered and the window fogged with ice.

Karen held onto Bobby's arm. "What is happening?"

"A spirit is here," Caleb said. The emf reader whined and flashed.

April guarded Ian and got inside the circle that Bobby had drawn on the floor with salt.

Karen felt a familiar presence and held up her hand. "Wait. Lauren?"

A figure appeared by the window and flickered.

Karen broke the salt line and let her in.

April gasped loudly and covered her mouth.

Lauren stayed by the window. "I mean you no harm."

Bobby and Caleb traded looks. "Why are you here?"

Lauren looked sad. "I have tried to make contact and have not been able to. Pour salt around me. I just want to talk. I mean no harm."

April grabbed Caleb. "Don't you dare."

Caleb put his arm in front of April. "What happened with the tv?"

Lauren flickered. "I am so sorry. I tried to protect him but the salt line kept me too far away."

Caleb lowered his arm. He rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head. "I'd say have a seat but that just seems silly doesn't it."

Karen was silent. She was in too much shock to respond.

They heard a loud engine so Caleb went outside. "We have a problem."

Dean looked at the window. "Do you need help getting rid of it?"

"No, I don't think so." Caleb said. "I mean, that is her sister. I think she should at least say her peace."

Kate could feel Lauren's spirit. "I can help."

Caleb gave Dean a strained smile. "Can you pick Andy up from school?"

"Yeah, I'll let dad know what is going on too." Dean said. They had a little bit before Andy got out of school but he didn't need to be around a ghost unless she was truly safe.

Kate followed Caleb back into the apartment and was immediately overwhelmed by Lauren's spirit. She held her hands up when Lauren looked at her with a worried expression. "I can help tether you." She touched Lauren's arm and pulled her into the room.

Lauren's image stopped flickering and the chill left the room.

"Where have you been?" April asked.

"Trapped in the veil." Lauren answered.

Karen wanted to wrap Lauren in a hug but her body wouldn't move.

Bobby held Karen's hand and squeezed it.

Lauren looked from Bobby to Caleb and took a slow breath. "I never thought you'd both wind up with hunters."

April blushed deeply. "You know about hunters?"

"Yes." Lauren said. "I didn't mean that in a bad way. I just thought that you were both spared."

April let Caleb hold Ian. "How are you here?"

Lauren relaxed as she saw that Caleb and Bobby weren't set on getting rid of her right away. "I was trapped in the veil as punishment for upsetting a powerful demon. I couldn't help you or speak to you. A few months ago, I was able to leave the veil. I have been too weak to make contact. I tried too before I could leave but that attempt didn't work as well as I had hoped it would."

Bobby patted Karen's back and encouraged her to say something.

Karen swallowed hard and approached Lauren to hug her.

Kate nodded. "She is pretty solid for now."

Karen wrapped her arms around Lauren and held her for a few minutes.

"Karen, I am so sorry." Lauren finally said.

Karen stepped back. "Why are you sorry?"

Lauren told them about the reason she had to leave. She told them that she had been hidden from demons but they eventually found her. "My children were cursed. The demons were angry that I was hidden and went after you, Karen. Your children were to be cursed as well."

Bobby put a hand on Karen's shoulder. "We didn't have children." He felt a sense of guilt. "Is that why Karen was possessed?"

Karen leaned her cheek against his hand. "I would rather die than have my children go through this."

"How are you back?" Lauren asked.

"That is a long story. We pulled her from heaven to open a doorway to time." Kate said.

Lauren nodded slowly. She answered as many questions as she could. "The ghost that was in your house in Kansas, I met him in the veil and he said that he would give you a message from me. He was so grief-stricken that he couldn't get the message across."

"Did you plant John's number?" April asked.

"No. At the time I was unable to do anything. A friend of this family did that." Lauren said.

"Who?" April asked.

"Her name is Tessa."

"The reaper?" Bobby asked with a scoff.

"Yes." Lauren said.

Lauren helped piece together a lot of the missing information. Azazel was responsible for the demon that caused Karen's death. He was responsible for Lauren's disappearance and death and he was responsible for Andy being altered.

"We killed him." Kate said.

"That must be why his hold on me was released," Lauren said.

The connection between everyone began to become more visible. There was still so much that they didn't know and wouldn't find out for a long time.

Karen was able to find peace knowing that Lauren hadn't been kidnapped and that she had lived for years after leaving. Her mother hadn't sent her away for evil reasons. She was trying to keep her safe.

Tessa called for Lauren. "You can't stay here."

Lauren glanced toward the window. "I made a pact with Tessa, the reaper. She would allow me to complete a short list of tasks and I would go with her once those were done."

"Can she wait until Andy gets home?" April asked.

Lauren smiled sadly. "No. I have overstayed already. I would love to stay but I am putting you all in danger by being here. I cast a protection spell over this place a few days ago."

Karen and April were able to say their goodbyes and let Lauren go in good spirits.

Lauren approached Kate. "You are going to do big things one day. Tessa will return and give you a book that will explain things that I can't."

Kate released Lauren from the tether and stepped back.

Dean picked Andy up.

"Where is my mom?" Andy asked.

"What, am I not cool enough to pick you up?" Dean asked.

Andy grinned. "You are."

"Good because I was going to let you steer the car for a bit." Dean said.

Andy tossed his backpack into the backseat and jumped in.

"After we get to an empty parking lot. I don't think the cops around here would like it if they saw you driving." Dean said with a smile.

Andy was super excited. "Are you going to my party?"

Dean nodded. "You know me, I can't pass up free cake." He drove over to a large parking lot and adjusted the steering wheel so that Andy could steer while he controlled the pedals. "There you go, don't over correct."

The apartment was quiet after Lauren left. Everyone was in deep thought and some form of shock.

Kate let Dean know it was okay to come back and also got in touch with John. "Yeah, she came back as a ghost and told us some stuff."

John had stopped to refuel his truck. "Is she gone?"

"Yes. Tessa took her. Oh, she is going to bring me a book." Kate said.

"Lauren?"

"No, Tessa." Kate said.

"I am not comfortable with you being around a reaper." John said.

"Why? Apparently, we are friends." Kate said.

John pinched the bridge of his note. At some point, Kate would become friends with a variety of questionable beings. "This is not a small thing. You will treat it with caution."

Kate sighed. "Yes, sir."

Dean brought Andy back to the apartment and carried him into the house with a hand clamped over his eyes. He set him down and removed his hand.

Andy gasped and jumped up and down. There were streamers and character posters. There were even balloons. "This is awesome!"

April hugged him. "Happy birthday!"

Jody, Sean, Owen, Taylor and John showed up not long after that. The apartment was cramped but full of love.

Caleb got Andy's attention. "Check out your room."

Andy ran down the hallway and busted through his door. He screamed excitedly and scaled the side of the bunk bed.

Caleb reached up and tapped his arm. "Do not fall off the side."

Andy looked down at the floor. "Thank you!"

Caleb grinned. "You are welcome."

Andy dove under the new blanket. "Optimus Prime!"

Owen got on the top bunk too. "Mom, I want bunk beds."

Jody poked her head into the bedroom. "Oh wow. Look at that."

Caleb left the boys to explore the bunk bed with a clear warning that no children should jump from the top bunk for any reason.

Kate told Dean and Taylor about what Lauren had told them. "Tessa is going to contact me."

Dean pulled a face. "Last time she showed up didn't you almost die?"

"Well, she showed up because I did die." Kate said. She cringed. "Let's just not talk about that."

The other adults sat around the table and sipped on coffee.

"The house over by ours was just put up for sale." Sean said.

"We didn't see that one." Caleb said. "I think the boys need a backyard."

"You have been to our house. It is similar." Jody said.

Caleb traded looks with April. "What do you think?"

"We could let the kids go to the park and take a minute to look at the house." April said.

They heard a loud thunk so Caleb went to check on the boys. "What happened?"

Andy looked at him with wide eyes.

Caleb slightly narrowed his eyes. "I know you didn't jump because I told you not to. We are going to eat some cake and then go to the park." He knew the temptation to jump from the bed would be too much and wasn't going to fuss at the kid on his birthday. "You shouldn't jump but if you were to fall, aim for the other mattress. Broken arms aren't much fun."

Owen scrambled down from the top bunk and grinned at Caleb.

Andy ran into the kitchen. "Is it cake time?"

They all had cake and let Andy open some gifts. Overall, it was a great party.

Andy and Owen were the first ones out the door. Jody's house was a few blocks away but still within walking distance.

Sean caught both of them by the hoods on their jackets. "Wait for an adult."

Both boys froze.

The others caught up with them.

"Good catch." April said.

Jody chuckled. "If Owen was much worse about running off we'd keep a leash on him."

"Now there is an idea." Caleb said and ruffled Andy's hair.

"We want to go to the park before it gets too dark." Andy said.

Taylor left Kate's side. "I can run ahead with them."

Jody nodded her approval and held Sean's hand.

Ian saw Andy running away and fussed.

Kate held out her hands. "I can take him."

John and Dean were both tired from the drive.

"You should head back to the house. Karen and I will bring Kate and Taylor home." Bobby said.

The previous owners of the home in question happened to still be there. They were more than happy to show Caleb and April around. The house had three bedrooms and a smaller room that could be an office or a fourth bedroom. There were two bathrooms and a good-sized backyard.

April fell in love with the house right away. It was older so it had character.

Caleb could tell by April's face that she liked it.

Bobby and Karen excused themselves so that they could help keep an eye on the kids and the young couple could have time to look at the house alone.

Taylor was used to Andy being rambunctious but his crazy was amped up when he was around Owen. They dared each other to do things and he cringed a few times as he was certain they had broken a leg or worse.

Kate pushed Ian on the swings and helped him with the slides.

Owen saw a dog and stepped away from the playground. "Andy, look, a dog!"

Andy ran after him.

"Owen, Andy, stay over here." Taylor said.

Kate put Ian in her lap to go down one of the bigger slides.

Ian squealed excitedly and bounced. He was so excited he bit down on her arm.

Kate felt his teeth pressing on her arm but it wasn't a hard bite. She tilted his forehead back and scrunched her nose. "We don't bite."

Ian grinned and signed 'again' for the slide.

Kate walked back up the steps and went back down the slide with him. Her arm was itching like crazy. She let him down and looked at the bite. He had barely left an impression but all around the bite was inflamed. "Hey, Taylor. Can you look at my arm?"

Taylor ran over to check on her. "What happened?"

"He was excited and bit me but it didn't hurt. He didn't bite down. He kind of just mouthed my arm." Kate said.

Taylor got a closer look at her wrist. He wiped it off with his jacket sleeve. He tilted his head and rolled his sleeve up. He put his wrist near Ian's mouth.

Ian licked Taylor's arm and grinned.

Taylor didn't feel anything so he rolled his sleeve back down. He looked around and didn't see Andy or Owen. "Ah, crap." He ran back to the other side of the park and saw a red coat in the trees. He quickly walked into the wooded area and grabbed Andy by the arm before grabbing Owen as well.

Andy was a little worried because Taylor looked mad. "The puppy doesn't have an owner."

"I told you two to stay at the park." Taylor said. He made them sit down on a bench and crouched down. "I had no idea where you went."

Andy fidgeted. "Are you going to tell on me?"

Taylor sighed. "If I was to tell Caleb that you ran off from the park he would light your butt up. Owen, what would your dad do?"

Owen frowned. "The same thing."

Taylor rubbed his face. "This stays between us. If you leave the park again I will be telling both of them, got it?"

Andy and Owen nodded.

Taylor let them go and turned to see Kate watching him.

"Nice Dean tone there," Kate said with a smirk.

"I had just told them to stay. Andy is mischievous but Owen and Andy together is another level of mischief." Taylor said. He rolled his sleeve back up and showed Kate the irritated area on his skin. He poked Ian's cheek. "Do you eat battery acid or something?"

Bobby and Karen approached the kids and let them know they were there to help.

Kate and Taylor showed them the marks on their arms.

Ian chewed on Bobby's hand frequently when he was getting new teeth. "He has never done that to me."

"Maybe it is because of what we are." Taylor said.

Karen picked Ian up. "I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"No. He didn't even really bite me." Kate said.

The boys stayed around the park and didn't go after the dog again. They both knew they were lucky that Taylor was keeping it a secret.

The parents returned and took over so that the others could go home.

Kate was feeling the fatigue. She yawned as they walked.

"Maybe you could go to bed early tonight." Karen said.

Kate rubbed her eyes. "I probably should. If I get a shower can you untangle my hair?"

Karen smiled. "Of course. Then I can twist it or braid it so you don't wake up with tangles."

Taylor looked at Bobby. "Would you brush my hair?"

Bobby snorted. "You are on your own."

Kate jabbed Taylor in the ribs. "Jerk."

Taylor smiled at her. He wasn't making fun of her. If anyone needed extra attention from a mother figure, it was Kate.

A week zipped by with little to no excitement. No one complained though. Excitement for the Winchesters usually meant absolute chaos and danger.

Lacy's sister was moving out of state for a better job opportunity and had asked her to move as well. Dean didn't want to see her go but it wasn't fair to keep her waiting around. He was never one for long-term relationships anyway. He didn't feel comfortable telling her about hunting and she would always be a target. At least Jess and April knew about the supernatural.

Kate was drawing when Dean walked down the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Dean said.

"Out?" Kate asked.

"Yes, out is where people go when they are not in." Dean said.

Kate frowned. "Why are you so grumpy?"

Dean sighed. "I'm not. I'm just going to let off some steam."

Kate shrugged. "Be safe."

Taylor was in Bobby's office looking through journals and smirked. "Yeah, be safe. I don't think we can heal STDs."

Dean walked into the office and flicked Taylor's ear. "No one asked you."

Bobby shook his head. "Idjits."

Karen sat down with Kate. "What are you drawing?"

Kate showed her the sketch of Lauren. "You don't have any photos with her. I was going to draw one."

Karen smiled. "That is very sweet of you. I saw the one that you drew of me."

Kate blushed.

"You have a true talent." Karen said.

Kate really liked spending time with Karen. "How are we going to split things up when Jess and Sam get here?"

"We do need extra room." Karen said. "We will figure it out."

Kate wondered if that was part of the reason Dean was a little bit grumpy. Maybe he would find a new girlfriend.

Caleb and April loved the house that they had looked at on Andy's birthday. It had just about everything they wanted in a house. The walls needed new paint and there were other repairs that needed to be seen to but Caleb was handy. The previous owners said that they were willing to lower the price if Caleb took over the repairs. They were older and just wanted to move to a warmer climate.

Sean offered to help with the paint and stuff. He enjoyed Caleb's company and was happy that Owen had a good friend. It also helped that Jody and April got along flawlessly.

Saturday rolled around and Sean and Caleb decided to do some work on the house. They brought Owen and Andy with them so they could play in the backyard and give April and Jody a break.

Andy liked that the yard had two big trees. He could hang a rope from one of the limbs and have a nice swing. He could even have a treehouse if Caleb would build one for him.

"Stay in the backyard or in the house." Caleb said before he poured paint into a pan.

Andy kicked a ball around with Owen for a while and then found some loose ground to dig up.

When Sean went to check on the boys they were thoroughly covered in layers of dirt. "It seems as though they have found some dirt to roll in."

Caleb peaked outside and chuckled. "I suppose we can hose them down before we leave."

Taylor exhausted his supply of sticky notes. "There is just too much here that we need to look at."

"You have all the time in the world, kid." Bobby said.

Kate wanted answers just as soon as Taylor did. The more answers they got, the more they wanted. "Lauren said that Tessa would contact me. Maybe I am supposed to summon her."

Bobby leaned back in his chair. "I don't think summoning a reaper would be in your best interests."

"Not just any reaper." Kate said. "Tessa."

"Even if I was okay with it, you know Dean isn't going to be." Bobby said.

Kate crossed her arms. "Dean is 'out' tonight."

"You sure as hell are not going to summon her tonight." Bobby said and looked at her with a stern expression.

"Summon is a strong word." Kate said.

Bobby's phone rang and he answered it. He gave Kate a look. "Yes, John. The kids are both in here with me."

Kate grumbled. "Why does he only call at bad times?"

"Your girl has it in her head that she should summon the reaper." Bobby said.

Kate squeaked. "No! That isn't what I said."

Bobby held the phone out to Kate.

Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hi."

"You will not summon the reaper." John said.

"I'm waiting on her to contact me and I was just spitballing. I didn't say I was going to." Kate whined.

"I know how your spitballing ends up. You will not summon her or reach out to her." John said.

"We are friends though." Kate said.

"Katelyn Amelia Winchester, you listen to me right now. She is not your friend. Things like that do not befriend humans. I do not know what happened to make her want to work with us but I swear if you ever make a deal with a reaper or demon, if you so much as befriend a reaper or demon, I will blister your ass."

Kate swallowed hard. "Why would I befriend a demon?"

John growled low in his throat. When older Kate had spoken to them, she had made a deal with Crowley and supposedly befriended him. "I do not know. I'm just making it clear now."

Kate chewed on her thumbnail. "I didn't really plan on getting a demon buddy. Reapers aren't bad guys. They don't kill anyone or hurt people. They just show up to guide you to the afterlife."

"Katelyn."

Kate sighed. "I got it. Keep all of my friendships to the human or cat variety."

Caleb washed his hands and stepped outside to tell the boys it was time to grab something to eat. He didn't see them. He walked around the house and checked upstairs.

Sean walked down the street and called out to them. Panic started to creep up into his chest.

Caleb didn't think a human would have taken the boys. Andy knew enough to say no to strangers. That left something supernatural to have taken them or they left on their own.

The dog from the park had darted by the house and got Owen and Andy's attention. They decided to try to catch it since it was cold and wet outside. They weren't sure if it had a home but it did have a limp.

After walking down the street and yelling for the boys Sean and Caleb walked back to the house. It had started to rain heavily and the temperature dropped.

Caleb rubbed his face in frustration. "Can you check your house?"

Sean drove down the street to his own house and looked around.

Caleb called Kate.

"Hey, Caleb." Kate said.

"Andy and Owen were playing in the yard at the new house and must have walked away. We have been looking and yelling for them but nothing." Caleb said.

Kate gave the phone to Bobby and tried to do a mental search on Andy. She saw trees but couldn't make out where they were.

Bobby spoke to Kate and then told Caleb that he would bring Kate and Taylor over so that they could get a better read on the boys.

Caleb had told April just to stay inside in case they stopped by the apartment. She had Ian and he didn't want her running around in the rain with him.

The boys caught up to the dog and looked at his collar.

Andy patted his head. "Where is your family?" He looked around him. "Where is my family?"

Owen noticed that they had strayed from the path and started to worry. "I don't know which way home is."

"Me either." Andy said.

The dog took off again, leading them deeper into the forest.

Caleb told Bobby to start looking away from the house so that Sean didn't wonder how the kids found the boys. He still didn't know about the supernatural and that was not the way for him to find out.

Taylor remembered the woods behind the park. "When we were at the park, they followed a dog over there."

"Did you tell Caleb?" Bobby asked.

Taylor groaned. "No. I got them back to the park and warned them."

"Seems that warning did a whole lot of good," Bobby grumbled.

Taylor mentally kicked himself for not saying something although they had no proof that the dog was back.

Kate scryed on Andy again. She showed Taylor what he was seeing.

Taylor knew the area better than Kate did. He saw a flash of fur. "I think that was the dog."

Kate thought that it was odd that the dog would be at the park and also at the new house. It could live on that street but the wooded area was on the wrong side for that to make sense.

Bobby, Kate, and Taylor split up a few yards from each other so that they could canvas the area.

Andy clicked his tongue for the dog but it kept running. If it had a hurt foot why was it running? "I don't think this is the right way."

Owen was cold from the rain and wanted to go back to his mom and dad.

They turned around to walk the opposite way of the dog but they weren't sure if that was the way to go.

The dog yipped and growled a little.

Andy looked at him. "We have to go home, puppy."

The dog blocked them and tried to get them to continue into the woods.

Taylor heard the yips and ran toward the sound. He found the boys standing next to each other with the dog circling them.

Andy went to run to Taylor but the dog tripped him.

Taylor closed the gap and got between the dog and the boys. Something was off about the dog. It wasn't attacking them like a rabid dog. It was clearly trying to steer them.

Kate caught up with Taylor and slowly approached them. "We need to get them out of here."

Taylor put Andy on his back and tried to step away but the dog jumped.

Kate held up her hand to hold the dog back. "Bobby!"

Bobby ran to her voice. He pulled a gun from the back of his pants and aimed it at the dog.

The dog looked surprised and backed off.

Bobby patted Owen on the back. "Go with Kate. We are going to get you boys home."

Taylor focused on getting the boys back to the road while Bobby and Kate kept an eye on the dog. What kind of dog knew what a gun was? Maybe Bobby just looked scary.

Kate called Caleb to tell him that the boys were safe and that they were going to the apartment because it was the closest to where they were.

April enveloped Andy in a tight hug and rushed them inside to get dried off.

Kate stopped Bobby at the front door. The dog was black with three white paws and a patch of white on its chest. It had one floppy ear and one ear that stood halfway up. "When I was working with Hellen and viewed her house, there was a photograph of a dog that looked a whole lot like that."

"Do you think it was her pet?" Bobby asked.

Kate grimaced. "I think it was her familiar."

"Balls"