John grabbed Kate's arm right as she teleported out of the house.
Kate stumbled and looked at him with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to!"
John looked at where they were. It was the cabin that Kate and Brian had stayed in before his time was up.
Kate followed his eyes. She didn't mean to take them there.
John held a hand up. "You need to calm down."
"Should I take us back?" Kate asked.
"No." John said. "Sit."
Kate sat on the worn sofa and bounced her legs.
John took a deep breath. "I've got to say, on following orders, what is this? Strike four or five?"
Kate shrunk. "Can I please tell you what happened?"
"You left the house." John said.
"Yes but please let me explain." Kate pleaded.
John sat down in one of the chairs and leaned back. "Go ahead."
Kate fidgeted. "Things got kind of crazy. A storm came. The trees were swaying. Taylor and I could feel the darkness and knew it was demon-related. They would have kept pushing if I didn't do something. It wasn't just us in the house. It was also Karen, April, and the boys. Plus, Caleb was on his way back and could have driven into a mess because we had no way to warn him and I couldn't push a thought into your head because I was being blocked. I confronted Hellen and got rid of her. I didn't taunt her, dad. I promise. I did the same thing that I did with the hell hounds. I read her first."
John listened to her reasoning.
"So, I did what I had to do." Kate said, softly.
"I understand that things changed. I do. I am going to ask you a question and I need you to think about the answer. Did you come up with the plan and then run out the door or did you make it up afterwards?" John said.
Kate groaned. For someone who had only recently been hanging around more often, John could read her annoyingly well. "I knew I had to do something. How was I supposed to know what to do until I saw it with my own eyes?"
"You were supposed to wait and work as a team." John said. "Why did you summon Crowley?"
"He and the other demon have a rivalry," Kate said.
"How did you know?"
Kate looked down at her hands. "A feeling."
John nodded. "So, you summoned a demon, which I know I have talked to you about, based on a feeling that he may have a rivalry with this other demon. Dean was outside when that happened. What if Crowley had decided to have the hounds remove both of you? What if he had more reason to attack you instead of this other demon? What if there had been any other outcome than the one that happened?"
Kate chewed on the side of her thumb. "I would have stopped the hounds and gotten Dean out of there."
"You knew you would be able to do that with at least two powerful demons standing in front of you?" John pressed.
"Dad, I'm more powerful than you guys give me credit for. Abaddon said..." Kate trailed off.
"Go on." John said.
"She said that you guys are holding me back. She said I was more powerful than I knew and someone should show me what I can do." She saw John's face. "I don't think that. I am just repeating what she said. I do think that I am powerful and can do these big things. You can't wrap me in bubble wrap forever."
John rubbed his face. "You do not have good control over those powers. You wing everything. You are still under my protection. You said Hellen's voice drew you outside. You are still swayed by emotions. When 19 year old you visited me, I found out that you had made a deal with Crowley. So I have been trying to drill into your head that that is not an option. You can imagine how frustrated I am to come back and find out that you did just that."
"I didn't make a deal though!" Kate said.
"You may not have but you set it up so that you may feel forced into a deal later on. Dean and I are trying our hardest to keep you from going down paths that we know you go down at some point. You are ignoring orders and diving headfirst into the flames."
Kate thought about Crowley's threats. She couldn't promise that she wouldn't make a deal to save John or anyone else. "I'm sorry."
John studied her. On one hand, he knew that she had just faced her arch-nemesis. On the other hand, she had disobeyed an order. "I want you to tell me everything that you saw when you read Hellen. I want every detail so that we can get on top of this."
Kate met his eyes. "But?"
"You still disobeyed an order." John said.
"But, dad, I had to. I told you that everyone was in danger." Kate said.
"Where you went wrong was running into that mess without a plan. You gambled with your life again." John said.
Kate chewed her lip. "Sometimes things change."
"They do, but again, protocol is to talk to whoever is in charge. You didn't give Dean a chance. You tied his hands and he wound up outside, frozen." John said.
Kate felt really bad about that. "We'd all be dead if I had waited for someone to tell me to obliterate that hell hound at the Campbell cabin."
"You are right. That was a decision you made out of necessity. Leaving the well warded house, as Dean told you not to... not waiting for your team to have your back.. do you see how that is different?" John asked.
Kate sighed. "Yes, sir."
John sat forward. "Come here?"
Kate frowned. "If I come over there you are going to spank me."
John slowly blinked. "You're not wrong. You're going to get a spanking for leaving the house and not thinking things through. It is the same thing over and over again. We are going to talk, just talk, about summoning Crowley. I'm not going to add that. I'm not going to add confronting Hellen or getting rid of her. This is just for those two things."
Kate slowly stood up. She saw John unbuckling his belt. "Wait, not the belt."
"I plan on giving you half your age. I want to get this behind us so you can work through the deeper stuff. However, if you want to stall and argue, I've got all the time in the world." John said.
Kate wished that John was still pissed off so that she could be pissed off too. He looked sad and understanding. How was she supposed to combat that?
John got her situated over his lap. "Why are you here again?"
Kate sighed. "I left the house and didn't have a good plan." She jumped when the belt landed.
John added the next five rather quickly, stacking two across her sit spots. He threaded his belt back through the loops and pulled her into his arms.
Kate sniffled and wiped her face. The last three honestly hurt but her defenses were down and she was feeling pain from the weight that she had been holding onto.
John just held her.
Kate leaned her head against him. "I'm sorry."
John squeezed her in response.
"I can just show you what I saw with Hellen." Kate said.
John raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to compel me?"
Kate scoffed. "You're being too nice for me to do that." She put her hands on John's head and showed him everything from Hellen's reason for becoming a witch to working with Abaddon to take down the men of letters.
John saw a few things that made him angry.
Kate could feel what he was feeling. "Yeah, I know. The creatures were created by someone trying to get out of a deal. Hellen was helping them. Then, she was after me to finish off the project."
"You don't have to worry about her anymore," John said.
"No, just the creatures, the mad scientist, and a couple of demons," Kate said.
"Why did you bring us here?" John asked.
Kate looked at the surroundings. "I panicked."
"Why here though?"
Kate thought about it. "This is where I did most of my sneaking around to form the plan to kill Hellen in the first place. I guess I just subconsciously connected it."
"Let's head back to Bobby's house," John said.
Kate stiffly stood up. "Is Dean going to be angry at me?"
"He would have a right to be." John said.
Dean heard a thump from upstairs and ran up to check it out. He opened the door and gave John a confused look.
Kate stepped from behind John. "I'm really sorry, Dean."
Dean picked her up in a hug. "You scared me to death, kiddo."
"I know. I'm sorry." Kate said.
John and Dean had a silent conversation over Kate's head.
"I know dad already got you. I was angry that you didn't listen to me but I somewhat understand. You can spend some time scrubbing baby. There is some dust on the upholstery."
Kate didn't let go of him. "Can I talk first?"
"Yeah, wait until the sun is all the way up before you clean the car. I want it to dry quickly." Dean said, lightly.
John motioned for Dean to sit down on the bed. He sat on the other one. "She was telling me about Hellen's plans."
Kate leaned her head on Dean and messed with the buttons on his shirt. "She was a worse person than we thought."
(Caleb and April)
Caleb got his small family back to their house and carried both boys inside.
Andy stirred. "Mama, can I sleep in your bed tonight?"
April sighed. "Everything is safe now."
Andy frowned, remembering how scared he was.
Caleb didn't want any of them out of his sight. "It is so late, we all need some sleep. I bet our bed is big enough just for tonight."
Andy yawned. He wasn't sure what time or even what day it was.
Caleb put the boys on the bed and chuckled. "At least wait until you're under the covers to fall asleep."
Andy grumbled when Caleb moved him but settled down and put an arm around Ian.
"We need a bigger bed," Caleb said.
April smiled. "We just need more peaceful nights and less like tonight."
Caleb hugged her to him. "I'm sorry I left you."
"It is okay. I promise. We were safe. The panic room was comfortable. I was just worried about you." April said.
Caleb watched Andy and Ian as they peacefully slept. Knowing that a demon had Ian on their radar terrified him. He was just a baby.
(The next morning)
Sam woke up but stayed still. Jess was still asleep and he didn't want to disturb her. Contrary to what she thought, she was amazingly strong. Sam, Dean, Kate, even Taylor had been practically raised in chaos. So, their strength came from years of practice. Jess went from 'spoiled' to broken in a few days. He joked about Jess being spoiled but the more he got to know her family, the more he saw that things weren't so bright. She had everything she wanted growing up but that was because her parents threw money at every problem instead of talking to her. John had made massive strides in nurturing but Dean was always there. He put on a tough guy attitude but if Sam was really broken over something, Dean helped him try to fix it. He didn't get ponies or fancy toys. He got life experience and the knowledge that someone always had this back.
Jess stretched. "You're thinking too loudly."
Sam shifted. "You can read minds now?"
Jess smiled. "No, silly. You're tense."
Sam sighed. "I'm sorry. I was trying not to wake you up."
Jess rolled so that she was facing him. "You didn't wake me up. I woke myself up. I feel... fine."
"I think it is going to hit you eventually," Sam said.
"I know it will. I think it just being over with gave me some kind of peace. I'm not worried about the 'what ifs' like I was." Jess said. She sighed. "My dad hasn't called about my mom yet."
"He may still be asleep or just caught up in everything." Sam said, softly.
Jess was still hurting by the way her dad snapped at her. "John hugged me."
Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "He did?"
"He heard what my dad said and hugged me." Jess said.
Sam rolled onto his back. "He's making up for how few hugs he gave me as a kid."
Jess gave him a small smile.
"No, I think Kate being so emotional and vocal about it has helped all of us see things from a different view." Sam said.
Jess slowly sat up. "I think I smell coffee."
"It isn't fancy campus coffee." Sam said.
"I've gotten used to it." Jess said. She pulled Sam's hand and pulled a hoodie over her head. "Maybe you and I could go somewhere and have fancy coffee though. Not today."
John, as usual, was up with Bobby when Sam and Jess came upstairs. "Good morning."
Jess blushed. "Good morning."
Karen walked around the corner and patted Jess's arm as she walked by. "Did you get enough sleep?"
"I slept well." Jess said.
"Have a seat. I'll get breakfast started." Karen said.
Dean hopped down the stairs. "I heard breakfast."
"Did you check on the kids?" John asked.
"Both are still asleep." Dean said.
"What happened?" Sam asked.
"Hellen and a demon showed up. Kate ditched me, blasted Hellen, summoned a second demon to fight the first and then teleported herself and dad out of the house when he confronted her about it." Dean said.
Jess's mouth dropped open.
"She summoned a demon?" Sam asked.
"She had a feeling that the one demon and the other demon didn't like each other. So she summoned the second one so he would have to fight his way out." John said.
Sam whistled. "Damn."
"The demon, Abaddon, could feel Ian. Taylor blocked Ian and Kate got rid of her." Dean said. "That is the short story."
"So was my mom a distraction?" Jess asked.
"No, I think it just all happened at once. It could have been some form of a distraction but we couldn't have predicted it." John said.
Jess studied the grain of the wood on the table.
"Hellen and Martha are both taken care of, regardless of how it happened," John said.
"What now?" Jess asked.
John sipped his coffee. "I have somewhere I need to be. Dean and Bobby will keep an eye out for anything that may be a threat."
Jess chewed her cheek.
Karen spoke up. "You are welcome to stay as long as you want. You don't have to go back to school yet. Then, when you do, you can come back at any time."
Jess relaxed.
Sam rubbed her back. "We have to figure out Stanford. How long will we be able to go to school before something else happens? How is Ross going to react? Will Jess still have tuition paid for?"
"That can all be figured out," Bobby said, gently.
John had mixed feelings. He would be more comfortable with Sam back with his family. He had grown to admire Sam's tenacity and didn't want him to give up his schooling. He didn't want him to quit. He decided not to weigh in on the situation.
Kate woke up with Millie laying over the back of her neck. She reached back and ruffled her fur to get her to move. Although the day before had been heavy and awful, she slept without visions or dreams. She scooped Millie up and carried her down the stairs.
Dean looked up from his plate. "You look like Taylor electrocuted you."
Kate smoothed her hair down. She put Millie down and took a seat beside Dean.
Karen offered her some breakfast and filled Taylor's plate as well, knowing that he would be down soon.
The room was quiet. Reality started to seep in. Kate hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to Jess. She wasn't sure if she was angry at her or if she was okay.
Jess tapped Kate's hand. "If you take a shower and wash your hair I can braid it."
Kate took that as Jess saying she was okay. "Yes, please."
As Karen expected, Taylor showed up about two minutes after Kate did.
"Thank you, I'm starving," Taylor said and shoved a fork in his mouth.
"How do you feel after getting hit by lightning?" John asked.
Taylor paused and looked at Dean. "I didn't mean to get hit."
John snorted. "I'm asking how you feel, Taylor."
"Oh, uh. I feel fine." Taylor said.
"What caused it?" John asked.
"I don't know. There was a lot of flashing and thunder. It just got me through the window." Taylor said.
"I'm with Dean on this one. If you try shocking him with that much in your system, he has a right to kick your ass." John said, lightly.
"Oh, now you're on my side." Dean said.
(April and Caleb)
Caleb tried to roll but someone's hard head was firmly against his shoulder. He reached back and touched Andy's head.
Andy opened his eyes.
Caleb slowly got out of bed and got Andy out too. "Your mom and brother can sleep."
Andy padded down the hallway and followed Caleb.
Caleb pulled a chair out for him. "You did a really good job yesterday."
Andy frowned. "I was scared."
"I know, but you listened to the adults and helped keep Ian safe." Caleb said.
"Were you safe?" Andy asked.
Caleb sighed. "Our job went smoothly. You guys were in more danger. I'm sorry I wasn't with you."
Andy spied leftover muffins and grabbed one. "I was worried that you weren't gonna come back. You are big and strong and a good hunter but my heart worried."
"My heart gets worried about you too. I want to have a better day today. i was thinking about fishing." Caleb said.
Andy perked up. "Can I go?"
"Yep. We can pick out a fishing rod just for you and everything." Caleb said.
Andy wiggled excitedly. "Where are we going to go?"
"A work buddy said that we could use his boat down at the lake." Caleb said.
Andy gasped. That was real fishing. He had never even been 'fake' fishing where you stand on the shore. A boat was fancy and he didn't think he'd ever be on one. "A real boat?"
Caleb laughed. "Yes. He needs my help fixing something on it so we can go fishing today and then after that part is fixed, we can round up friends and I can pull you around on one of those tubes."
Andy jumped up and hugged Caleb. "I've only seen that on TV"
"I had planned on going before all of this happened but we have had some rough times. I think a good time is needed." Caleb said.
Andy was so excited. He didn't know how to swim very well though. "Can you show me how to swim?'
"Yep. I know you can doggy paddle but we will practice real swimming."
Andy got back into his seat and worked on his muffin.
Caleb wanted to give Andy and Ian, and eventually Lauren, everything they could dream of. Summers were supposed to be fun. He knew that future summers would have bursts of supernatural activity and their lives would never truly be normal but he could give his family good memories to drown out those bad ones.
"What day is it, dad?" Andy asked.
"July 2nd," Caleb answered.
"Are we going to have a cookout and fireworks?"
Caleb rubbed his chin. "I don't see why not. I'll just have to talk to the other adults. I'm not sure if Bobby or Jody already have something set up."
"Owen said that the city does a big show and sometimes planes fly over your head. They have special food and music too!" Andy said, excitedly.
"I'll talk to Sean or Jody in a little bit. We could go as a group." Caleb said.
"Maybe Dean would like to go. He likes big explosions." Andy said.
"He does. I'll ask him, okay?" Caleb said.
Andy nodded. "Karen is making a pretty dress for baby Ren."
"Lauren?" Caleb said.
"Uh-huh. I'll call her Ren. I don't think I'm supposed to tell you about it though." Andy said.
Caleb chuckled. "Okay, I'll just say I know nothing."
(Bobby's house)
Jess detangled Kate's hair.
"Are you mad at me?" Kate asked.
"No. Not at all." Jess said.
"Well, your parents are messed up and stuff. Hellen..."
"Katie, none of that was your fault. I'm not mad." Jess said.
Kate shifted in her seat.
"I hope you didn't get into too much trouble," Jess said.
Kate groaned. "I save the world and still get my butt beat."
Jess chuckled.
"It wasn't that bad. He understood most of what happened." Kate said.
Later, Caleb brought his family over to Bobby's house.
Andy excitedly told everyone what their plans for the day were. "On a real boat!"
Dean nudged Andy. "Can I come too?"
Andy stepped back. "No, this is just a me and my dad day. You can ask your own dad."
Dean cracked up and ruffled Andy's hair. "Oh, I wouldn't want to get in the way of that."
Taylor crossed his arms. "I think he would have fought you had you tried to tag along."
Dean held up his fists. "I can beat him up."
Andy punched Dean's arm. "You can't beat up kids."
Dean grabbed him and flipped him upside down. "I can hold them upside down and put their head in the toilet."
Andy screeched and flailed so hard that Dean nearly dropped him.
Dean deposited him on the sofa. "Just keep that trick in mind."
"My momma would fight you if you did that. She doesn't even like when I get mud germs on me." Andy said.
Dean nodded. "She has a point."
"God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. Make sure you tell her that." Sam said. He grunted when Jess elbowed him. "Okay, don't tell her that."
Kate got done with Dean's car and tossed the supplies into a bucket. She smirked to herself and opened the door to add a dusty smiley face to the dashboard. It was small but he'd notice it instantly.
Caleb called Andy's name and told him it was time to go.
Andy quickly ditched the other young people and ran after Caleb.
"That is so sweet." Jess commented.
April looked outside. "He absolutely adores Caleb."
"I'd say Caleb feels the same about Andy." Dean said. He felt Ian's little hands on the side of his leg and flipped him upside down before he could bite him. "Same goes for you, short stop. No biting."
Ian giggled and whined when Dean put him down.
"Gin?" Ian asked.
"Again? Do I look like a carnival ride to you?" Dean asked.
Ian bounced. "Gin."
Sam got his attention. "Do you want to go outside?"
Ian took Sam's hand and waved 'bye' to April.
"He has no loyalty," April said with a laugh.
Dean got up and watched Jess and Sam with Ian as they helped him climb things outside. "How long do you think it will be before those two have one of those little monsters?"
"It had better be a while for either of you," John said.
Dean turned around. "Either of us? Not me. You had better have that talk with them."
John shook his head. He was reasonably surprised that Dean didn't have little Deans running around. Although it was possible he did and they never stayed around long enough to find out.
Dean was responsible in a lot of ways, but as Tessa showed, sometimes his upstairs brain didn't work as fast as the other one did.
"How mad would you be?" Kate asked.
John sat down and thought about it. "I don't know how to answer that."
"I'm not asking so that I can run off and have a baby when I'm fifteen." She caught Dean's eye. "I'm not!"
John leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, deep in thought. "Why do you think I would be angry?"
Dean wasn't expecting that question. "Irresponsibility. Another mouth to feed. Added stress. Money. Danger to have around hunting. Sam and I weren't exactly helpful until we got older."
John laced his fingers together. "If you had gotten some girl pregnant when you were 16. Yeah, I would have been mad. Now, I would worry. I wouldn't be mad. Before Mary's father died, we weren't even married yet. He made it clear that any child we had would be a mistake and he'd never support us. I don't want to do that. I know it was painful for Mary. So, when that time comes, if it does, I'm not going to shun you. I'm not going to get angry at you. A child is never a mistake. Kate if you open your mouth right now... I think all of you should wait a while. Taylor, Kate, you are still kids. Dean, you are an adult. Sam and Jess are in a serious relationship but kids are hard. So that is my advice, wait. But if something happens, do not hide it from me thinking that I'm going to be angry."
Dean sat back. Wow, John had changed. "Is it because we have a bigger family system now?"
"I think I have had time to rethink things and when Kate asked me, I had to think about it. I do not want to be the man that Samuel Campbell was." John said.
Dean scoffed. "Could you imagine him with grandkids? He spoils the hell out of you two."
"Oh no, a granddaughter," Kate said.
John chuckled softly. "Many, many years from now. Now, if you're being stupid and something happens, you're going to get an earful."
"Don't look at me," Dean said.
Kate leaned her head back on the back of her chair. She felt an uneasy sense of peace. The previous days were filled with anxiety and darkness and suddenly it was gone. It was too easy. Was that the darkness that she and Taylor had seen coming? Was that why they felt the need to build the shelter? She heard Ian's giggle outside the window and felt a flicker of sadness. Would Abaddon be back? How long could they hide him?
(Caleb and Andy)
Andy proudly held his red fishing pole over the side of the boat. He didn't like the life jacket but Caleb insisted that he wear it. "When will a fish bite?"
"You have to stay quiet and wait," Caleb told him.
Andy leaned back and got comfortable. "Dad?"
"Yeah, buddy?" Caleb asked.
"Do you think your mom would like me?"
Caleb furrowed his brows. "Of course."
"Do you think she'd be happy with you adopting us?"
"Yes, she loved kids. She would love you and Ian to pieces. Where did this come from?" Caleb asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking. I know family doesn't end in blood but is it better when it does?" Andy asked.
"No. Jess's mom and dad are proof of that. Is this about Lauren?"
Andy got quiet.
"I will love her just as much as you boys and no more." Caleb said.
"Well, Ian is mama's real son and Lauren is her real daughter plus your real daughter." Andy countered.
"We both chose you." Caleb said.
Andy sighed.
"I chose to adopt you. I didn't have to. I wanted to. I wanted to get back home to see you and your mom and your brother. I wanted to take you fishing so here we are." Caleb said.
"What if I turn bad again?" Andy asked.
"You were never bad."
"I had demon blood in me. What if it comes back?" Andy asked.
"I would love you just the same. Why would it come back though?" Caleb asked.
"When all the bad stuff happened at Bobby's house. I just had a feeling. I could kinda see things." Andy said.
"Maybe being that close to that stuff just sparked it up a little." Caleb said.
Andy felt a tug on his pole and jumped up, nearly falling out of the boat.
Caleb grabbed him and helped him reel in the fish. He let Andy hold the fish up and took a picture. "That is a huge fish."
Andy carefully put the fish in the ice chest. "Do you think we can cook him?"
Caleb laughed. "Yes. If that is the only one we catch, me and you will have to split it and everyone else will be out of luck."
Andy held his tongue at the side of his mouth as he threaded another worm onto his hook. He was careful not to catch himself or Caleb as he recast his line. "I can get some more, don't worry."
They chatted as they waited for another fish. Caleb soaked up the conversation and enjoyed his time with Andy. "Do you want to play a sport?"
Andy whipped his head around. "Mama said I can't play football because of concussions."
"What about baseball? I can show you how and then we can try to get you on a team." Caleb offered.
Andy started reeling in his line again. "I can get one of those shirts that says "Fisher" on it?"
Caleb smiled. "Yep." He helped Andy get the second fish in the boat.
Andy grinned. "Hey, I'm a really good fisher."
Caleb snorted. "Wow, that was a cheesy pun."
Andy thought his joke was great and doubled over.
Caleb felt a tiny tug on his own line and reeled in a small fish.
Andy cracked up again. "That is a baby."
"Hey, you took all the big ones."
Andy couldn't stop giggling. "I'm gonna tell Dean!" He stumbled and flipped over the side of the boat.
Caleb reached down and hauled him up by the top of his life jacket. "Uh huh, that is what you get for laughing at me." He tossed the fish back into the lake.
Andy shook his head to sling water out of his hair. "Why'd you throw it back? The kittens could have had a snack."
Caleb wrapped him in a towel and took the opportunity to tickle him under his arms. "Very funny." He let him go and had him sit down in the sun to finish drying. He had the same thoughts that Kate did. The day was so bright and wonderful compared to the previous days. The mission was too easy. Noone truly got hurt. He sighed. Andy didn't see him add the warding to the boat and life jacket. He didn't see him preparing to make sure the lake trip was safe. Hopefully, he could keep that off of Andy's radar.
Andy opened a water and took a sip. He tilted his head and looked at Caleb. "We should do this more often."
Caleb smiled and ruffled his hair. "Yeah but you're going to do all the work. You're the only one who can catch anything worth eating."
Andy grinned. "That's okay. I don't really want to skin them."
Caleb smirked. "Well, if you kill it you skin it."
"Nuh uh. You gotta use a knife for that and that's a weapon. I can't touch those."
Caleb nodded his head. "You're right." At least that one lesson stuck.