Jess felt like she was suspended midair. She stayed right with Sam at all times of the day. She wanted there to be a quick solution but they had to wait. Waiting was dangerous. Waiting meant things could happen. The Jamaican authorities had safely detained her father, so that was a relief. However, her mother had vanished. Kate had explained what Hellen did to all of those men, and thinking that her own mom did that to her dad made her sick. Sure, Martha was petty and moody but how did she find the nerve to steal Ross's soul.
Sam rubbed Jess's arm. "Hey, can you look at me?"
Jess made eye contact with him.
"Bobby and Kate have been researching the possibility of getting his soul back into his body. They think they may have found a way. We would need to locate your mom." He squeezed her hand. "The translation is muddy but pulling his soul from her may cause damage to her."
Jess blinked. "You mean she could die?"
Sam sighed deeply. "Yes. We might be able to save them both though."
Jess slumped. "Are you asking me to make a choice?"
"Well, not really a choice. I.." Sam trailed off.
"If you can get his soul back, do it. If it kills her, so be it. She chose to take his soul. If she survives, how am I going to face her?" Jess asked.
Sam's heart was torn. He was watching Jess sink deeper into her pit. She was bubbly and looked at the world like it was magical. The knit of her brow and bloodshot eyes reminded him way too much of the rest of the people he loved.
John watched the young couple. Jess reminded him a lot of Mary. He wanted more for his sons. He didn't want them to go through the same pain that he had. Sure, they had been thrown into the supernatural life from an early age but in ways, it was worse as an adult. Sam was having to hold Jess's hand through immense heartbreak. He knew just how helpless Sam felt. He cleared his throat. "If you trust us, we can make that choice depending on how they react."
Jess nodded. "Thanks."
John knew she was saying thank you for taking the weight of that choice off of her shoulders. "I will make sure that you stay updated."
Kate was really struggling with not using her abilities. She forced herself to stay with her body and think things through. Knowing that going off the plan would make Jess blame herself did help Kate focus. Not knowing what was happening was hard. She wanted to be on the frontlines, seeing things as they unfold. She wanted to track Martha and Hellen. Yet, she stayed. She didn't go behind their backs.
Taylor and Dean finished the siding of the house. Well, mainly Taylor.
Taylor took a break and sat down on the grass.
Dean tossed him a drink. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. I am just trying to stay out of the way." Taylor said.
Dean nodded. "What about after finishing the house?"
"The house isn't finished. Just this one side." Taylor said.
"Do you feel less anxious?" Dean asked.
Taylor sighed. "Do you know what it feels like to have deja vu?"
"Yep."
"I feel like that. I can't figure out why." Taylor said.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." Dean said.
Taylor downed his drink. "Will you let me touch something electrical?"
Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought dad already told you no."
"He did. That was about lightning though. Obviously, that could kill me. What about an electric fence? Normal people get zapped by those and are fine." Taylor said.
"Alright. Use the back of your hand. I don't want you getting hurt." Dean said.
Taylor jumped up. He followed Dean to one of the fence rows across the road and hovered his hand above the wire. He could feel tiny sparks of electricity buzzing around his palm.
"Back of your hand." Dean said.
Taylor flipped his hand over and lightly touched the fence. He could feel tingling but it wasn't the strong jolt he was expecting.
Dean touched it with his own hand, thinking it may be off. He jerked his hand back. "Son of a bitch."
Taylor laughed. "I guess it works."
Dean shook his hand out. "Are you not feeling anything?"
Taylor shrugged. "I do but it just tingles."
Dean told him to take his hand away. "Are you satisfied?"
"I guess." Taylor said.
They walked back to Bobby's house. "I'm not sure what to make of that ability."
"It helped me move those powerlines off that car." Taylor said.
Dean nodded. "It would be cooler if you could shoot lightning bolts."
Taylor laughed. "Like Thor without the hammer."
Dean teased him a little.
Taylor held his hand out toward a bush and acted like he was going to shock it. He focused his energy through his arm, into his hand, and felt his body grow tingly.
Dean saw his eyes flash blue immediately before a blue spark hit the bush.
Taylor's eyes grew wide. "Am I Thor?"
Dean blinked a few times. "What just happened?" He looked around Taylor. "Shit. Shit. Shit." He grabbed the water hose and doused the bush. "Bobby is going to kill you."
Taylor scoffed. "Me? You're the adult in this situation."
John stepped outside. "What is going on out here?"
"Taylor set a bush on fire." Dean said.
John furrowed his brows.
"Dean let me touch the electric fence." Taylor blurted out.
John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Get over here."
Dean tripped Taylor and walked over to the porch.
"Go ahead," John said.
"I did let him touch the fence with the back of his hand. Sam and I used to do it all the time. It hurts but doesn't cause damage. Taylor could barely feel it. We were joking about being Thor and shooting lightning from his hands." Dean said.
"So I was acting like I was going to and then... um... I did." Taylor said.
John could see that Dean was desperately trying to hold back the child that he held deep inside himself. Dean could be serious and was an amazing hunter and brother. Still, there was a small part of him that filled with glee at the sight of fireworks or, in this case, someone shooting electricity from their hands. "Did you get it all out?"
Taylor shifted. "I'm not sure."
John sighed. "Go, safely, get rid of it. I don't want you setting the house on fire or shocking someone." He snorted when Dean grabbed him and scurried away, undoubtedly to find something cool to use the electrical current on. He stepped back inside. "Dumb and dumber are out there setting bushes on fire."
Bobby leaned back in his chair. "And they are both still standing?"
John explained what happened. "Dean may have played a big part in that."
Bobby snorted. "If we can teach him how to jump-start a car like that, he will be quite the commodity. He can fix cracks in windows and pull dents from metal."
"We probably shouldn't tell Dean that." John said with a chuckle.
Kate walked into Bobby's office. "I want to go to the lab."
John looked at his watch. "You might not be able to today."
"Why?" Kate asked.
"We are still sorting through things with Martha and Ross. It may not be safe." John said.
Kate gritted her teeth. She spun and went back up the stairs without saying anything.
"She is strung so tight that I can see that tripwire fraying," Bobby said.
"She's angry." John said in acknowledgment.
Jess's phone rang, causing everyone to gather in the living room.
"Remember to act like everything is okay." Sam said. There was still a chance that Martha didn't suspect that they knew anything.
Jess answered the phone. "Hey, mom."
"Jessica, dear, you are missing out on some wonderful beaches," Martha said.
Jess could hear other people around and lively music. "I'm sad to miss it. Are you and dad having a good time?"
Martha paused. "Yes, we are."
"When do you leave Jamaica? Kate was really interested in the culture and I was wondering if you could pick up something from a local shop." Jess said.
Sam nodded in approval.
"We leave tonight. It shouldn't be a problem for me to find something though." Martha said.
Jess continued the conversation through tears. She wanted to snap and yell. She wanted to break down but she had to pretend that she wasn't speaking to the woman that ate her dad's soul.
Sam wrapped Jess in a warm hug. He held her and gently sat her phone down.
"I'll talk to Castiel," John said.
Kate had heard part of the conversation. If Martha wasn't lying, they could track her down. She ran her hand over Millie's back. She couldn't take things into her own hands. She always did that. She wanted to break her own cycle. She had to break the cycle. She grabbed her notebook and started drawing. The lines reminded her of the ones that she had drawn before knowing about Karen. They didn't look like they meant anything. She felt a pain in her head and put her pencil down. She stumbled out of her room and tried to walk down the steps but the entire house was spinning.
John heard Kate say dad and then tumble down the stairs. He knelt down and checked her, knowing the fall had to do some kind of damage. He tapped her face and said her name but got no response. He felt of her pulse and shined a light into her eyes.
Bobby and Karen offered him help.
"Get Taylor." John said.
Bobby moved quickly and opened the door to yell for Taylor.
Taylor sprinted to the house. "What is wrong?"
"See if you can help Kate. She fell down the stairs." Bobby said.
Dean rushed into the house too. He knelt on the other side of her and held her hand.
Taylor touched her face and tried to heal her wounds. "I don't think anything is really hurt." He tried to push into her head but a strong jolt made him back away. "I think she is in a vision."
John and Dean traded looks. Was it just a vision? Had Hellen found a way to get to her?
Dean picked her up and carried her to the couch.
Jess and Sam both moved to give Dean room.
"Is she okay?" Jess asked.
"We don't know," Dean said.
John looked back at her eyes to make sure she didn't have a concussion. He furrowed his brows. "Bobby, do you have a brighter light?"
Bobby got his light from the first aid kit.
John shined the light at a different angle. Kate's eyes were different. He moved the light around. It looked as if she had an extra lens. He wouldn't have noticed it if it didn't reflect a blue tint when the light hit it. He reached up and tilted Dean's chin. He shined the light into his eye and asked him to look in different directions.
Dean blinked the spots from his eye. "What are you looking for?"
John showed them what he was seeing. "Taylor, let me look at your eyes."
Taylor leaned his head back and let John get a good look at his eyes.
"So that must be something that changed with grace," John said.
"That could be why we see certain things that you don't. Like the colored rings on Mary's drawings." Taylor said.
John wondered what else had changed, structurally. If they continued to change too much, hiding what they were would be harder. He took a photo of Taylor to make sure his eyes didn't reflect light the way that a shapeshifter's eyes would. After Gordon, they never wanted to have a hunter on their tail again.
They had to wait for Kate to stir or something to change. She was relaxed and had no fever, which were both good things.
Karen made something to eat and ushered the other young ones into the kitchen.
Dean slowly left Kate's side. He worried about her but John was keeping a close eye on her.
Jess sat down as Sam said he would make her plate. She was so tired and still out of it.
Sam sat two plates down.
Taylor nudged him. "Do you want to see something funny?"
Sam smirked and nodded.
Taylor waited for Dean to put his plate down and then touched him on the back of the neck with two fingers.
Dean jumped and swore under his breath.
Sam laughed genuinely.
"Hey! You could have done some damage there." Dean said.
Taylor grinned. "Nope. I can control it."
Dean rubbed his neck. He threw his hand out to the side and hit Taylor in the chest with the back of his knuckles.
Taylor grunted and rubbed his chest.
"If you shock me again I'm kicking your ass. Got me?" Dean said, not angrily.
Taylor shrugged. "You can't kick my ass if you are on the ground."
Jess cracked a small smile.
"Sammy, if that happens, I expect you to do the ass kicking." Dean said.
Taylor scoffed. "I could be like a tens unit. I barely zapped you."
Dean looked at Bobby. "You aren't going to say anything?"
Bobby chuckled. "This doesn't sound like any of my business."
"He set your bush on fire," Dean said.
Taylor kicked him under the table.
"I was testing out a theory, that Dean supported," Taylor said.
"You'll have to show me that," Sam said.
"Find something that isn't my rose bushes to burn," Karen said.
Taylor's cheeks turned pink. "Yes ma'am."
(Kate's vision)
Kate found her bearings and realized she was in Hellen's house. Had she subconsciously gone there or was she summoned? She wanted to wake up but she couldn't. That was never good. She was stronger than the last time she was there. She just needed to stay focused. The house was still intact. She searched but Hellen was not in the house. She couldn't open the outside doors or windows. She was stuck.
She went to Hellen's office and rifled through papers and books. Something had caused her to return. She saw a book that she vaguely remembered seeing Hellen with. It stood out from the rest. She opened it and flipped through pages. Some were blank. She did see a symbol and a word. She made a mental note of those and abandoned the book. She opened a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. When she opened it, she was hit by something that she couldn't quite process. Her hands tingled and the hairs on her skin stood on end. She dropped the folder, causing papers to scatter. She looked down and tried to absorb as much information as she could. She heard the lightest footsteps and slowly turned her eyes to the door. She swallowed hard. She took a step back, willing herself to wake up. She looked into the eyes of the creature. The bone structure was familiar, although the body had long since given in to the toxin that ran through its veins. She knew them at one point. She needed to get out of there. Her foot slipped on one of the papers, causing her to fall onto her back. She blinked and the creature was jumping over the desk, onto her.
"Daddy!" Kate sat up quickly and scrambled off of the couch, tripping and nearly hitting the ground.
John grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Kate."
Kate fought against him and screamed in terror.
John shook her. "Kate!"
Kate blinked. John's voice sunk into her head. She looked up at him and melted into his arms.
Dean ran into the living room. He put a hand on Kate's back. "Hey, kiddo. You're okay."
Kate cried into John's chest. Seeing herself being attacked by the creature was terrifying. She barely woke up before it was too late. She started thinking about the papers and stiffened.
John felt her posture change. "Are you okay?"
Kate wiggled away from him. She blinked as she processed what she saw. She started getting angry and her breathing got heavy.
Dean touched her. "Kate, what is going on?"
Kate got up and paced. "Evil bitch."
John cleared his throat. "Katelyn."
Kate ignored him and paced, getting angrier and angrier. She scratched at her arms and muttered under her breath
Dean put his hands on both shoulders. "You are tearing into your arms."
Kate looked down at her arms. She balled up her fists and growled in frustration.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Dean asked. He wasn't prepared for the screech and flurry of words that came out of Kate's mouth.
John grabbed her by the arm and swatted her once.
Kate gasped and threw her hands back. She looked at him with sad puppy eyes and melted again.
John groaned. "I'm just trying to get you to snap out of it."
Kate sniffled. She sat down and let Millie climb on her. "If I tell you the whole story, you are going to assume that I did something wrong and I'll get in trouble and you won't listen."
John sighed. "What?"
"My head started hurting so I was going to come down here. I woke up on the couch. I had a vision and I didn't have control of it. It wasn't my choice." Kate said.
"You called out for me and then fell down the stairs." John said. "What was this vision?"
Kate eyed Dean and John apprehensively. "Hellen's house." She whimpered at the looks on their faces. "I tried to get help. I didn't go to the house in secret."
John nodded. He believed her. "What happened at the house?"
"I couldn't leave. I tried. I saw some things in Hellen's office. I need paper." She drew the symbol and wrote down the name. "Then, there was this big folder. I dropped it after I started feeling funny. I tried to read pages that were on the ground. I got enough information to start with. Then... one of those creatures showed up. I knew them though. I can't quite place who it was but it was someone that I knew. Then I fell and it attacked me." Kate said.
Bobby looked at the symbol. He went to his office to find references.
Dean sat down and held his arm out so that she would scoot closer to him. "Is that why you woke up so scared?"
"Yeah, and then I just got pissed off." Kate said.
"What did you see on those papers?" John asked.
Kate gritted her teeth. "She has something to do with the creatures. She helped create them."
That information sunk into everyone's stomach like a heavy rock.
Bobby walked into the room. "That symbol is in reference to the knights of hell. They are a high order of demons. Abaddon.. where have I seen that name?"
The following two hours sent Kate into a tailspin. She was tense and on edge.
Dean pulled John to the side to talk to him. "She might need to get out of the house. I know she is pissed but Jess is already on edge. Sam thinks that seeing Kate so volatile is making her feel guilty."
John sighed. "She and I will leave for a little while. Keep an eye on Taylor."
"He seems good." Dean said.
John gave him a look. "Until he isn't. I've got Kate."
Kate didn't ask why they were leaving the house. She wasn't sure she cared. However, she was happy to stop by the lab for a few minutes.
John asked Marty to look at Kate's eyes.
Marty was surprised to see the abnormal lens. "What can you see that you couldn't before?"
"I don't know. Time but I don't see it all the ... time. I can see traces of things from magical or supernatural things." Kate said.
"This is remarkable," Marty said.
"I'd be interested to see what else is different about me but god knows I can't spill a drop of blood without a written order." Kate said.
John shot her an intense glare.
Marty could feel the tension. "Well, have you come up with any more ideas about these creatures?"
Kate straightened her back. "They were created. They didn't just happen organically. I had a vision and saw some literature about them. I think it was correspondence between people."
Marty grabbed a notebook. "Can you give me a few details?"
Kate explained bits and pieces of what she saw. "I think, this man was trying to make a creature. It was a big project so he wasn't alone. Hellen was pretty powerful so I guess she helped him." She twitched, letting her anger flow back into the front of her mind.
John watched her reactions. He decided to call an end to the visit before she blew up again.
Kate got into John's truck and crossed her arms.
"I need to pick up something. We will go back to the house after that." John said.
Kate just chewed on her thumbnail.
John drove over to a shop on the far side of town. He picked up the items he needed and put them into the back of the truck. He didn't want to take Kate back to the house if she was going to snap. "We will get Hellen sorted. This may not even be Hellen. It could be someone who worked with her."
Kate flicked her eyes to meet his. "It is Hellen."
"I believe that you didn't intentionally go to her house but.."
"But what?" Kate asked, forcefully.
John's jaw twitched. "This is too close for you. If Hellen shows up, one of us will handle it. You cannot get involved."
Kate whipped her head around. "Are you serious right now?!"
John growled. "Lower your voice."
Kate clenched her fists. "Like hell, I'm not getting involved. You can't keep me from that."
"Katelyn." John warned.
"No. You got to handle Azazel. Talor got to handle David. I am going to handle Hellen." Kate spat.
"You cannot get involved right now. If it is safe for you to handle it, we will let you. Hellen, we don't know what shape she is in or who she is working with. I do not want you to rush in and fall into a trap." John said.
"I'm not an idiot." Kate said, hotly.
"I am reminding you that you aren't. It is going to be easy for her, or whoever this is, to strike a chord and trick you." John said.
Kate mumbled something under her breath and looked out the window.
John took a side road and stopped the truck.
Kate glared at him. "Why are we stopping."
"You and I are going to talk." John said and swung his door open.
Kate opened her door and slammed it behind her.
"I heard what you said. You know better." John said.
Kate gritted her teeth. "You were supposed to because it is true."
John leveled her with a stern look. "You will straighten up and remember to remain respectful. You are not going to throw a tantrum and act like this because you are angry.'
Kate threw her hands up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were just so level-headed and peachy when going after Azazel. Sam and Dean would beg to differ."
John took a deep breath. "I am not asking you to be 'peachy'. I am expecting you to hold your tongue and treat us with a little human decency."
Kate drove her heel into the dirt. She started to fire back at him but saw him unbuckling his belt. "No. You are not going to use a belt on me. You should just be happy I haven't gone rogue."
John stared at her. "Did you just try to compel me?"
Kate blinked.
"Katelyn Amelia, you answer me right now." John said.
Kate stepped back.
"That won't work on me or anyone else because we have been drinking vervain since you and Taylor ran off to that party." John said in a low tone.
Kate blinked again. "Why?"
"This is why, Katelyn. Taylor used his abilities on Dean. If we cannot trust you to not do that, we will continue making sure that you can't." John said.
"I didn't do that! That was Taylor!" Kate said.
"It works for both of you and you just showed me that I can't trust you with that." John said. He pulled his pocket knife out. "Go cut a switch."
Kate's mouth dropped open. "Not a switch. You were being unreasonable."
John shook his head. "If I have to go cut one you are going to lose your jeans."
Kate grabbed the pocket knife from his hand and stomped away to cut a stupid switch.
John took it from her when she returned and peeled it. "I brought you to town with me to get you out of the house. I stopped by the lab to give you something else to focus on. We have put up with the growling and eye rolls. No more." He put his foot on the tire of the truck and pulled her around. He flipped her over his raised thigh and clamped his arm over her back.
Kate was angry that he was such a jerk. She vowed to not react. That quickly went out the window as lines of fire spread from her backside to her thighs. She held her breath until she had to breathe. "Ow. Ow. Okay, dad."
John stopped for a moment. "No, you earned this." He started back adding lines to the previous ones. He didn't have to hit her hard to get the message across. He finally stopped when she was sobbing and stopped fighting him. He broke the switch in half and let her stand up.
Kate sucked in a huge breath of air and rubbed at the sting. She tiptoed and cursed her stupid abilities for not healing her. She met eyes with John and melted.
John scooped her up so she could put her arms around his neck. "I expect an attitude change."
Kate nodded and sniffled.
"I know that she is your Azazel. You have to stay safe. You aren't a regular kid. They could hurt you but they could also get their hands on you and make you do things that hurt people. I need you to keep your head on straight, okay?" John said, soothingly.
Kate whimpered. "Okay."
"Do I need to cut a couple of switches to keep on hand?" John asked.
"No sir," Kate said, pitifully.
"We are going to go back to the house. It is getting late. You are going to go to bed a little early." John said.
Kate let go of his neck. "Okay."
"Get back in the truck," John said.
Kate gave him her best Sam-style puppy eyes.
"No sympathy from me, kid. You earned every one of those lashes." John said.
Kate frowned. "You never got switched as a kid?"
John snorted. "Many times."
"So there isn't a small part of you that remembers that and doesn't feel even a little tiny bit bad?" Kate asked.
John sucked air through his teeth and cringed. "I remember alright. That doesn't mean I feel guilty for busting your tail. Maybe that just means I understand why those are so effective."
Kate whined as she got into the truck. "If I ever have kids I'm never using a switch on them."
"Funnily enough, I said that same thing one time. Then, I had the boys and they tested every nerve I had. Then, you came along and found the ones I didn't know I had." John said.
Kate gave him a sour look.
"I'll keep using a switch on you until you stop mouthing off like that." John said.
Kate sighed. "I'll just go mute."
"Your face says what your mouth doesn't." John said.
Kate leaned her head back. "I can't wait to be an adult."
"Don't wish away your childhood. Adulthood isn't as fun as it sounds." John said.
Kate tucked her feet under her. "You don't get whipped or switched."
"No, but you wind up having to be the one doing that." John said. "It is worse on this end."
Kate snapped her head up. "That is a lie and you'll never convince me it isn't."
John relaxed. The tension was gone and normal firey Kate was back. "You'll have to let me know, a long long time from now when you have a twelve year old."
"Out of all four of us, do you think we really will have kids?" Kate asked.
John thought about it. "I don't know. I think Sam will. I don't know about Dean. I think he is too scared. Do you think you will?"
Kate looked out the window. Part of her wanted kids one day. Part of her was scared. "I don't know if I will live long enough for that."
John slowed the truck down. "Why would you say that?"
"I don't think I will ever stop being hunted by someone or something." Kate said.
John reached over and squeezed her hand. "We will keep you safe."
Kate gave him a sad smile. She knew he couldn't keep that promise forever. No one could. She wouldn't be able to keep them safe from everything, although she was certain she would try. She'd bend time and change history one day.
Taylor shared a sinking feeling with Kate. Neither one of them truly understood it but it felt a bit like the pit that grew in your stomach as music played before a jump scare in a movie. Something was there. Something was coming. Something was wrong but what? He didn't want to dwell on the pit. He looked outside and rubbed his hands together. "I need ideas."
Dean looked outside. "Do you still feel charged?"
Taylor grabbed his arm, lightly shocking him the way a joy buzzer would.
Dean smacked the back of his head.
Sam found great joy in witnessing the hell that Taylor had started giving Dean. It gave him a break as the younger brother. He patted Jess's leg. "Do you want to go outside and watch them do stupid stuff?"
Jess gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't miss it."
Sam held her hand and walked outside with her. The sun was sinking lower but it was warm. He put an arm around her and leaned on the railing of the porch.
"Taylor, if you shock me I'm taking my belt off." Dean said.
Taylor grumbled. "How is that fair?"
"I'm older and I make the rules." Dean said. "They don't have to be fair."
Jess relaxed against Sam. For a moment, she forgot about her parents and souls.
John pulled into Bobby's driveway and shook his head. "Taylor must still be charged up."
"I want to try that." Kate said.
"Right now, you are to go to bed." John said.
Kate sighed. She was tired. She said hi to everyone and then trudged up the stairs. She brushed her teeth and changed into soft pajamas. She flopped onto her bed face first and welcomed Millie to lay beside her. She felt herself being pulled into sleep and didn't fight it.
John went upstairs after a while to make sure that Kate had gone to bed. He covered her with her sheet and scratched Millie behind the ears. Kate was strong, yet fragile. She was brave, yet fearful. He had met the older version of her and while she was the same, she was also different. She held herself differently. He wondered when that change happened. Was it trauma? Was it age? He brushed hair out of her eyes and sighed. He thought about what Dean had said about good times and bad times. He knew something was coming. He just hoped it wasn't the thing that broke her.