Author's note: School has just about killed me. It's not even the academics. It is the drama. I got stuck in an endless loop of assignments and have just now found time to write. I am almost back to walking somewhat normally. I just have a limp. I won't be running marathons any time soon but I can grocery shop without crutches or a cane!
(April)
April pushed the cart full of groceries and kids through the parking lot, careful not to hit any bumps as Lauren had fallen asleep in her carseat. She got to the van and pushed the button to lift the back door. She placed groceries in the back of the van and lifted Lauren's car seat to put her back into the car. She saw Ian trying to climb out of the cart and picked him up so he didn't tumble over the side. She kept a tight grip on his hand as she walked around to the side doors. She told him to stay and let go of his hand long enough to pull the door open.
Ian took his chance and took off running. Someone had a dog in their car that he really wanted to see.
April gasped and ran after him.
He darted between parked cars, enjoying the game of chase. He wasn't paying attention and ran out in front of a car that was traveling too fast to be in a parking lot.
"IAN!" April yelled, her heart leaping into her throat as she rushed after him. She lunged and yanked him back, saving him and getting grazed by the mirror on the side of the car. She picked Ian up, kicking and screaming and turned to pick Lauren up as well. When she lunged, she had dropped the carseat a few inches from the ground. She avoided the looks she was getting from onlookers and got both kids back to the van that had been left open during the incident. She placed Lauren's seat in its designated spot and tried to wrestle Ian into the car as well. That is when she had spoken to Caleb and a nymph had grabbed Ian. She shut the van door quickly to cover for the fact that her toddler had vanished into thin air. She got in the front seat and noticed she was shaking. Ian slipping away from her confirmed a worry that had been growing for weeks.
April's introduction to parenthood had been rough. She was still a child when Andy became her responsibility. She was struggling already and then Ian was born. She did her best but constantly felt like she was doing everything wrong. She loved Caleb and thought that he was an amazing father. She also felt that he was better at the whole parenting thing. The boys listened to him. He didn't get as overwhelmed as she did. Beyond the typical struggles of parenting, April was tasked with protecting three kids from the evils of the world, both human and monster. Ian was a powder keg, waiting to blow. He had abilities that they were fighting to hide away. She told herself that she could protect them as long as they stayed in the warding. When Ian ran, she temporarily lost track of him as well as Lauren. Anything could have happened. A demon could have swooped in and taken Lauren away. Her carrier was warded but a human could have just as easily taken her. Ian could have been flattened by the car.
Caleb had the boys settled by the time that April got home. He told the boys to stay at the table and went outside to help her with groceries. He pulled her into a hug and tried to sooth her frayed nerves. "Hey, it's okay."
April broke down. "No it isn't."
Caleb rubbed her back. "Let's get all of this stuff in and then we can talk."
April carried Lauren inside and let out a slow breath. They were inside so they were safe.
Ian left the table momentarily to tell April that he was sorry. It was Andy's idea but he was very convincing. He looked up at her with his big puppy eyes as he apologized. "I sorry, mama."
April hugged him. "I forgive you." She sighed but chuckled when he ran back to the chair that he was told to stay in. Where was the terror that had given hear a heart attack just minutes before?
Caleb brought the rest of the bags inside the house and locked the door. He watched April as she put the groceries away. She was more shaken up than he thought she would be. Something else was going on besides being upset that Ian ran away. He turned on a movie and told the boys they could watch it while he talked to April.
April turned the sink on to wash a few dishes but started sobbing instead. She felt Caleb's hands on her and shut the water off.
Caleb hugged her again. "Hey, talk to me."
April let out a string of words about how she had failed and the kids weren't safe with her. She'd never be able to protect them from anyone or anything and how she didn't deserve them.
Caleb figured that she needed more than a few minutes to talk. He asked a nymph to watch the kids so that he could take her upstairs. He sat down on their bed and coaxed her to explain why she thought she didn't deserve them.
April's voice wavered."We live in constant fear that the world is going to end. We know something bad is coming. How am I supposed to keep them safe from that when I can't even load groceries and keep Ian from running into the street?" April asked.
"Ian has gotten away from me. This wasn't your fault." Caleb said.
"What if a demon shows up? Ian isn't going to listen to me." April said.
Caleb talked her through her fears. "April, you are a wonderful mom. You aren't doing this alone though. Not even John is trying to protect his kids by himself and they are all adults or capable of protecting themselves. None of this is normal. You can take nymphs with you or I am sure Karen would love to tag along."
"I am going to mess up and one of them is going to get hurt." April said. "What if-"
"Stop," Caleb interrupted, his voice firm but gentle. "You're not going to mess up. We're doing this together. We have to trust each other. And that means, sometimes, we'll have to lean on others when we need to. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."
April got control of herself. She felt silly. She was thankful that Caleb was level headed. He was right. They weren't in a normal situation. She had people that could help her. The kids would be okay. Everything was going to be okay.
(John and Kate's phone conversation)
John stayed neutral as Kate and Taylor stumbled their way around an explanation about Kate's visions and the presence of hellhounds. It reminded him a bit of a younger Sam and Dean trying to explain how Dean's clothes wound up with vanilla scented body glitter on them without him having left the motel room and definitely without him having visited a club. Neither explanation made much sense. "Stop talking."
The kids both fell silent.
"Taylor, Sam spoke to you about not giving us a heads up. I know this is complicated. Going forward, remember that lives are on the line and keeping secrets is going to get people killed." John said. "Kate, I want to talk to you more about the hellhounds."
Kate nervously picked at her nails. She couldn't see his face so she couldn't quite read him without using an ability.
"If they have patterns, we need to know about them." John said.
"Are you mad?" Kate asked.
"I'm not happy but it sounds like you have worked it out with Dean. The important thing, now, is to work with the information that we have." John said.
Kate turned to narrow her eyes at Dean who was across the room. "I actually worked it out with Kim because Dean is bullheaded."
John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Take your win and don't piss him off for the hell of it."
Kate sighed. "Fine." She scrunched her nose at Dean to let him know that she had been gently banned from tormenting him. "The hellhounds just hang out on street corners."
"Ha, like that one demon dad tried to pick up." Taylor said, before clamping his hand over his mouth.
John heard Taylor in the background and shook his head. He had only narrowly avoided being picked on about the possessed prostitute.
Kate raised an eyebrow. "He isn't saying anything but I can feel the glare through the phone."
Taylor grimaced. "Too soon. I'm going to keep my mouth shut."
Dean tilted his head and told Taylor to follow him to another room, leaving Kate alone to talk to John. He smirked and fist bumped Taylor. "Idiot."
Sam moved a box of jars out of the way so that Kim could sit down. "If I had even thought about saying that, he would have knocked me into next week."
Dean snorted. "I'm convinced he still would."
"He likes Sam now." Taylor said. "Jacob is like a shield."
Jess bounced Jacob. "Jacob is not a shield. Things are just different now."
Jacob chewed on his hand and mumbled happily.
"I've yet to see your dad get even remotely as mad as you claimed he did when you were younger." Kim said.
"I have." Jess said. "They exaggerate but also have done plenty to make him that mad."
"He was harsher when Sam and I were younger. He is lightened up a lot. He wasn't necessarily unfair and at the time, he was just trying to keep us alive." Dean said.
"Kate and I are immortal so he can afford to cut us a break." Taylor said.
Dean smacked his head. "You are not immortal."
"Immortal until proven otherwise." Taylor said.
Dean took a deep breath. "I have had this conversation with Kate. Thinking you are untouchable is going to be the very thing that gets you killed for good."
"I'm just saying that Kate and I are not the same as you and Sam." Taylor said. "Looks like we might get to actually hunt."
Dean rubbed his face. "No. That is not what is going to happen."
"Kim said we could." Taylor said.
Kim chuckled. "I didn't say anything and have no pull here."
"You pulled Dean's head out of his…" Taylor trailed off and sidestepped away from Dean.
Dean cracked his neck. "You are asking for it."
Sam really enjoyed it when the kids gave Dean a hard time but figured that Taylor was walking on thin ice. He looked at the boxes of jars and tilted his head. "Grab a few boxes. Might as well get the rest of these to the bunker."
Marie heard Sam and stepped into the room. "Yes, please. Also, my Ladies' group will have bedding ready this week."
"Did you tell them about the bunker?" Taylor asked.
"Oh, heavens no." Marie said. "They wanted to know why I was canning so much and I told them it was for a needy family."
Taylor playfully gasped. "You lied? You, of all people."
Marie kissed his cheek. "This family is quite needy. I just didn't specify the type of need."
"Surely there are orphans out there in need of blankets." Dean said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel bad about taking stuff from them."
"We have plenty to share. The bunker has a few blankets and sheets but a few quilts wouldn't hurt." Marie said.
"Here, I'll help." Dean said, reaching for a box.
Sam stopped him. "No. You stay here. I'm trying to get Taylor out of your hair before you murder him."
Dean snorted softly. "Man, I could get used to you pulling your weight with this family stuff."
"Don't get too used to it." Sam said. "They are your babies."
Taylor shot Sam a look. "I'm not a baby."
Marie smiled. "All of you are babies to me."
With Sam and Taylor gone, Dean turned his attention back to Kate.
"Dean, honey." Marie said. "You can take a break."
Dean threw his hands up. "I might as well." He sat down on a couch and motioned for Kim to join him.
Kim sat beside him. "You seem much more relaxed than you did this morning."
"It won't last for long." Dean said. He chewed his cheek. "I told you Tessa, the reaper, was in the vision. She wanted me to choose between two people. I don't know why and it was out of place."
"Was I one of the people?" Kim asked.
Dean shrugged, looking at her with a conflicted expression. "Yes. I guess. I don't know. It was just... weird. She gave me a choice between you and the creepy little girl. I don't know what she symbolizes."
"You choose her." Kim said. "Maybe this is a way of saying that you are going to have to make tough decisions and hesitation is bad. I'll make it easy for you. Do not choose me."
Dean studied Kim's face, searching for a way to understand her.
"If you were in my shoes, you would say the same thing." Kim said.
Dean couldn't argue with that. "It is different though."
"You are right. You have a family to live for and are supposed to save the world. I am supposed to be sick and die young. It is a no brainer. If you have to choose, do not choose me." Kim said.
Jess sat down on one of the other couches. "You could live a long life. Just because you are sick now doesn't mean you will die young."
"No but if a decision has to be made, it would be silly to hesitate." Kim said.
"What kind of decisions do you think I'm going to be making?" Dean asked. "I don't think it is going to be black and white like that."
"You admitted that you fumbled in the vision because you were worried about me." Kim said.
"I fumbled because I had no cell service and there were demons outside." Dean said.
"Has that never happened in real life before?" Kim asked.
Dean sighed. "Yes but it was different."
Kim gave him a soft smile. "All I am saying is I'm okay if things go south. You have been beating yourself up all day over a decision you didn't actually make. If something happens, I am giving you permission to make it. I won't be mad and I won't haunt you."
Dean's chest tightened. There it was again, the soft resignation in her voice, the way she was giving him permission to not think of her. It had been gnawing at him and he was starting to piece together why she confused him. She was sincere. There was no double meaning in her words. "I would like to go one day without somebody trying to throw themselves into a fire." Dean said.
"I think that people you care about want to jump into the fire because you do as well." Jess said.
Dean looked at her. "I am trying to keep everyone alive."
"I know but you are poised to jump. You have to understand that other people might mirror you." Jess said.
"I am the adult and I am the hunter." Dean said.
"You are also a martyr." Jess said.
Dean rubbed his face. "Jess, you are not helping."
Jess smiled. "I don't have to help. I just understand why certain people may be willing to jump. There are several ways that Kim can be saved that do not involve you. I think that is what she is really trying to tell you."
"Yes." Kim said.
"That isn't what you said." Dean said.
"I didn't know how to say it until Jess just said it." Kim said.
Dean was quiet for a while. He could almost understand what she was trying to tell him. He just didn't know how to let go of that responsibility. He couldn't save everyone but he could save those he cared for.
"I have the nymphs. First sign of trouble and I'll be at the bunker or somewhere else safe. I haven't fought you on any of this supernatural stuff. I have done everything you have asked as far as warding and keeping things a secret. You have to trust that I will take care of myself and follow directions should something happen." Kim said.
Dean blinked. That was it. He didn't trust Kate to follow directions. That was part of why she stressed him out so much. "So I shouldn't worry because you'll do what I tell you to do."
Kim blew air through her nose. "Tread carefully with being bossy. If I am told to run, I'm going to run. Well, I'll nymph out of there. I'm not going to try to stay back and fight. I know my limits."
Dean let out a long, slow breath. That actually helped a lot. If he had to choose between saving two people, he could trust that Kim would save herself. There was still a voice in the back of his head that told him that she had to be protected but she had a point. Maybe he just needed to trust that other people would make it through the apocalypse whether or not he was the one saving them. He could delegate. He had to delegate or he was going to fall into the trap that Gabriel set for him.
(Monday, March 22, 2003)
Charlie worked her magic and tracked down Chris's birth family. They lived in another state and had done their best to move on with their lives. She found newspaper articles about his disappearance and the vigils they held yearly to honor his memory. The poor parents finally accepted that he had likely passed a few years after he vanished.
Kate wanted to contact them right away. They needed to know that he was still alive.
John wasn't sure if that was a good idea considering the difference in time shifts. They would expect him to have aged at the same pace their other children did. They wouldn't accept the boy into their home without questions. Atleast, he assumed they wouldn't.
"Well we have to tell them anyway." Kate said.
John had a migraine forming.
"You would want to know." Kate said.
That was true. They deserved to know.
Instead of going to school, Kate was going back to the mental facility. She was looking forward to it in a weird way. She felt like she had found her people.
They were in a time crunch. Most facilities didn't keep people indefinitely. They helped the kids stabilize and they either went home to their families or to a foster family. Chris was reaching the end of his time there and would need somewhere to go. Would a new foster family be a good thing? Probably not.
That morning, Jody placed a call to Mrs. Marsh. She was sitting at her desk with Chris's photos spread across her desk. She thought about how much the first one reminded her of Owen. She knew deep in her heart that, even if Owen had been taken through a time portal and spit out the other side, she would know it was him. It wouldn't matter how old he was or what he looked like. A mother just knew. She got an answer and cleared her throat. "Uh, Good morning, ma'am. This is Jody Mills with the Sioux Falls Police Department. I was wondering if you had a moment to answer some questions."
Mrs. Marsh was just on her way to drop things off at the post office so she said she could talk to Jody for a bit.
Jody wasn't sure where to begin. "I believe we have found your son."
Mrs. Marsh dropped her packages. "Adam?"
Jody sighed. "Yes."
"Is he alive? Is he well? Where is he?" Mrs. Marsh asked.
"He is alive and well." Jody said. She could feel the woman's relief through the phone. "The case is complicated."
Mrs. Marsh didn't care about complications and told Jody to tell her what was going on.
"Christopher. I mean, Adam, appears to be 14 or 15 years old." Jody said.
The other side of the line was silent for a few minutes.
Jody wondered if Mrs. Marsh had simply hung up the phone. She wouldn't blame her.
"Why does he appear as so?" The woman asked.
"I think this conversation is best had in person. A young boy was found years ago and was treated as a John Doe. A foster family took him in and named him Christopher. He disappeared from a hotel pool when he was 14 and was later found in the woods. He is currently at a facility." Jody explained.
Mrs. Marsh had so many questions but she was too afraid to ask. What Jody was saying didn't make sense but she couldn't bear the thought of the boy not being Adam. She had prayed endlessly since the day that they lost him. "Why do you think that he is Adam?"
"When he was first found he said his name was Adam. I'm reading the description that you gave to the police when he first disappeared. I see mention of a birthmark behind his left ear, about an inch into his hairline." Jody said.
"Yes! He had a strawberry mark that faded. It resembles a bear's head." Mrs. Marsh said.
Jody looked at the photos that he hospital took of Christopher when the father son duo found him. They documented bumps, bruises and birthmarks in hopes that he could be identified. In one photo she could see a pink mark through his short hair. It was a circle with two distinct ear shapes at the top. It did look like a bear's head.
"Where is he? When can I see him?" Mrs. Marsh asked.
"He is in South Dakota. I still need to ask questions to figure out if he is truly Adam." Jody said. "I can email you a few photos for confirmation."
Mrs. Marsh was already back in her car, driving toward her husband's office where he could easily check his email. If the boy was not Adam, then he was probably lost and confused and in need of a mother's love. She told Jody as much.
Jody smiled. "I will send those over." She heard the car door creek open and Mrs. Marsh's hurried steps as she jogged to the front door of her husband's office. She also heard the short exchange between the two as the wife told the husband that Adam may have been found. Her heart broke for them but she was also excited.
Mr. and Mrs. Marsh received the photos and immediately confirmed that the boy was Adam. They didn't care how or why he was still so young. They knew that he was their son and wanted to see him as soon as possible.
Jody told them to drive to the police department first. She needed to figure out what they were going to tell the facility, since they were under the impression that Chris was delusional. What were they going to tell his parents when they started to wonder how he had not aged?
(The facility)
Kate grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him toward the front doors. "Hurry."
"If you act excited about being here, they are going to worry about you." Dean said.
Kate rolled her eyes and changed her posture. "Do I look less excited now?"
Dean ruffled her hair. "Yes." He signed her in and spoke to Lilly about the weekend. Well, about some version of the weekend that was digestible to a normal person.
Kate spoke to Nova first. She had a photo of Chris's birth parents in her pocket and was bursting at the seems to talk to him about it. She got her chance and slid over to the side of the room he was in. She discreetly handed him the photo and waited for him to recognize the couple.
Chris's brows furrowed. "What is this?"
"Your birth parents." Kate said. She slid another photo to him that was of him and his parents when he was younger. "Don't freak out."
Chris gave her back the photos and did his best not to freak out. "How do you have those? Who are you?"
"Someone who has seen some crap. I know you aren't crazy. Your parents know you are alive and want to see you." Kate said. She gently compelled him to understand that this was real and his real parents never stopped looking for him.
Chris blinked. "They want me?"
"Duh." Kate said. "They just didn't know you had been found and the whole time travel thing messed things up."
Chris furrowed his eyebrows.
"You are supposed to be like…. 30 or something." Kate said. She gently compelled him again and took the photos with her. She didn't have time to explain everything and the middle of the day room was not the best place for him to process it.
Nova called Kate over. She held up a large pot. "This is supposed to look like a friendly frog but I can't get the face right."
Kate smiled back. "Oh geez." She looked at the green pot with badly misplaced eyes. It was cute but didn't look quite right. "His eyes need to be on top of his head. Do you have clay?"
Nova turned the pot around. "Oh my god. You are so right." She had drawn the eyes above the face but it just looked weird. She didn't think about the placement of an actual frog's eyes. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she had ever seen a real frog. There was a lot she had never seen.
Kate wanted to know more about Nova's past but felt bad reading her. It wasn't any of Kate's business but she wanted to fix things. She would never be able to undo what happened. She wanted to know if everyone that hurt Nova had been arrested or if things were still happening to kids like her. She wanted to take all of the pain away from Nova but told herself to leave it alone. Nova was in a safe place. She wouldn't be forever, though. She wondered where Nova was going to go after she aged out of the facility. Would she go to an adult facility? Probably not because she was stable. The only reason she was still there at this facility was due to her fear and the kind hearts of the people that worked there. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"
Nova shrugged. "I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger."
"Oh, I could never do that." Kate said, lightly.
"I wanted to teach preschool. They are so cute at that age and get to do all of the fun stuff like paint and play with playdough." Nova said. She smiled. "I get to do that now."
"I think I want to be a doctor." Kate said.
"I could never do that. Too much stress. I also don't like needles." Nova said.
"I think nurses are the ones that deal with needles mostly. I want to make sick people feel better." Kate added.
"I think you would be a lovely doctor." Nova said.
"And I think you would be a lovely teacher." Kate said.
Nova smiled but her eyes were sad. She didn't know if she would ever be able to teach or be around little kids like that. They were so fragile. She was so fragile. None of her teachers noticed or cared when she would show up dirty or act weird. What if she missed cues from a child and did the same thing? No, it was too much responsibility.
Kate felt Nova's sadness. "Maybe you could own a pet daycare."
Nova looked up and smiled brightly. "I totally could!"
"I didn't know that was a thing until recently. I saw a doggy daycare sign on the way here." Kate said.
Nova knew the place she was talking about as she had seen it on the rare occasion that she left the facility. "The dogs look like they are having a blast every time that I see them."
Kate heard her name and handed Nova her paint brush.
Dean was reading a pamphlet about teeangers when Kate walked in. Lilly had given it to him in hopes that it would help him understand Kate and Taylor a little better. He wasn't much of a reader and didn't think Kate and Taylor were normal enough for it to make a difference. Still, it wouldn't hurt.
Kate raised an eyebrow. "What are you reading?"
Dean held up the pamphlet. "This is going to tell me why you are so moody these days."
Lilly smiled. "Not quite."
Kate sat down next to Dean. "Have you been counseling him too or is this strictly an under 18 situation?"
"We do family counseling. I find it helpful when everyone is on the same page." Lilly said.
Kate answered questions as Lilly spoke to her. None of them were very deep.
"What do you hope to get from these visits?" Lilly asked.
Kate blinked. "I wasn't sure if this was going to become a thing." She glanced at Dean.
Dean hadn't planned for it to become a thing but a lot of what Lilly was saying made sense.
"Oh. Um. I guess I stay stressed out and butt heads with my family when that happens. Maybe it would be good if I didn't do that." Kate said.
"What about how little you sleep?" Lilly asked.
"Oh. Yeah." Kate said.
30 minutes later marked the end of their session with Lilly. As they were leaving, Lilly received a call from Jody about finding Christopher's parents. Dean ushered Kate out of the office although he wanted to hear what was said. He walked Kate out and took a deep breath.
"I want to take down the organization of people that hurt Nova." Kae said.
Dean let out his deep breath. "I thought it was just her parents."
"No." Kate said.
"Katie." Dean said. "Stop reading people. We have a lot on our plates."
"Taking out a trafficking ring would improve my mood." Kate countered.
Dean rubbed his face. "Talk to Jody."
Kate smiled and hugged him. "You're the best."
Dean kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, I know."
(Taylor)
Taylor was glad that they had gym that day because he had nervous energy he needed to get rid of. He ran from one side of the gym to the other when the gym teacher blew a whistle. He could run laps all day but tried to match Nate's energy to blend in. If he needed to, he could go talk to the coach. He wanted to wait it out, though. He was just worried about Kate and the world ending. He checked in with her while she was at the facility and she seemed more at peace there.
Nate groaned when he heard the whistle again. He was envious that Taylor wasn't dying. "Can't you at least break a sweat or something?"
Taylor jokingly shoved him. "I'm trying."
"Finally!" Nate said when they were cleared to do anything else that wasn't just running back and forth across the gym. He flicked his eyes toward the gym teacher. "Don't know why he is so set on us doing laps when he hasn't in the past decade."
Taylor snorted. "Dude, that is every gym teacher." He grabbed a basketball and passed it to Nate.
Nate dribbled it and tried to shoot it but it was smacked down by Taylor. "Oh, come on."
Taylor laughed and retrieved the ball. "Have to try harder than that."
Nate pivoted and dodged Taylor's lame attempt at getting the ball away from him. He posted up and shot the ball, watching it go through the net with a satisfying swish.
Taylor fist bumped him. "My turn."
Nate rolled his eyes. "Miss a few, will ya."
Taylor barely flicked his wrist and sent the ball through the hoop. He wasn't using his nephilian abilities, he was just tall and good at basketball.
A few of the other boys decided to play as well and they had a nice 3 on 3 game going.
Taylor ran down the court and turned so Nate would throw him the ball. He went in for a layup and scored easily. He felt a slight burn in his leg when he came back down but ignored it. A few minutes later he went in for another layup and collided with another boy. The other boy stumbled but was otherwise unharmed. Taylor stumbled and his leg buckled. He hissed and grabbed his leg, gritting his teeth. "Son of a-"
Nate ran over. "You okay, dude?"
Taylor stood up but couldn't put weight on the leg. "Yeah I… I think I hurt my leg."
Nate thought it was odd that Taylor was calling attention to himself in an effort to blend in. He did look like he was really in pain though. He helped Taylor over to a bench so he could sit. "What are you doing?"
Taylor rubbed his leg. "What?"
"You don't get hurt. Well, you do… but you know… you heal." Nate said.
Taylor winced. "I don't know what I did. Still hurts like hell."
The gym teacher was useless with anything besides a skinned knee so he told Nate to take Taylor to the nurses office.
Taylor limped out of the gym with Nate's help. He stopped in the hallway and got a good look at his leg. He had a knot on the back of his calf and it was not going away. He felt the other leg start to burn and swore under his breath.
"Do I need to get the nurse, the coach or your dad?" Nate asked.
Taylor slid down the wall to sit in the floor. "Coach."
Nate sprinted down the hallway in search of the coach. He simply mentioned Taylor's name and was quickly followed to where Taylor was left.
The coach knelt down. "What is going on?"
Taylor honestly didn't know. He pointed to the knot on his leg.
The coach felt down the back of his leg and told Taylor to move his ankle. He furrowed his brows. "Son, I think you tore a muscle."
Taylor was bewildered.
"Let's get you out of the hallway. Nate, help me get him up." The coach said.
With Taylor in the coach's office, able to fully assess the situation, he sat with both legs out in front of him. "Oh, I think I know what's happening."
The coach already had his phone out to call John.
"Growth spurt." Taylor said.
"That isn't some growth spurt." The coach said. He put the phone to his ear to talk to John.
"He doesn't need to come down here." Taylor said.
The coach asked John to hold on. "Taylor, everyone in that gym saw you go down. The cameras have you hobling down to my office. Do you want to sit there for a minute and skip back to class like nothing happened?"
Taylor's face turned red. "No, sir."
The coach made sure the coast was clear and had John nymph over to check on Taylor.
John looked at Taylor's leg. "Yeah, that is a muscle."
"It will heal." Taylor said.
"Things heal when they are in the right spot." John said.
"You don't think it will work its way back down?" Taylor asked.
John just looked at him.
Taylor groaned.
John got a look at both legs. "You think this is a growth spurt?"
"You know last time I started having a lot of bone pain and got taller all at once." Taylor said.
"Have you been having the bone pain again?" John asked.
Taylor's eyes drifted.
John stood up straight. "Taylor."
"On and off." Taylor said.
John didn't expect Taylor to announce every ache and pain. "What about today?"
"My leg started burning before this happened. My right leg is burning now." Taylor said.
John grimaced. "Stay still. You don't want the other one to snap too." John rubbed his face. How was he going to get Taylor out of the school and to a safe place without causing more damage or getting caught?
"Um… my arms burn too." Taylor said.
John let out a long, slow breath of air. "If I wasn't concerned about the hospital keeping you, I'd have paramedics haul you out on a stretcher."
Taylor groaned. "I can walk."
John met eyes with Taylor. "No you cannot."
"I can nymph away." Taylor said.
"People are going to get suspicious if you don't eventually show back up." The coach said.
"What about a wheelchair?" Nate asked.
"No, I don't want to use a wheelchair." Taylor said. He saw the look on John's face. "Dad…. no."
"How else do you figure we are going to get you out without snapping another muscle?" John asked.
"The nurse has one." Nate said.
Taylor glared at him.
"You can be human for five minutes and get wheeled out of here like a normal person." Nate said.
"You are being a pain in the ass because I wouldn't let you score." Taylor said.
"If you hadn't been showing off maybe this wouldn't have happened." Nate shot back, playfully.
"Go get the chair. Tell the nurse his leg is hurt. I'll say that I called John." The coach said.
John went with a nymph back to his truck so that he could drive to the school. He was hoping that Taylor was right and that he was just having a weird nephilian growth spurt. Even if that was the case, they had to figure out how to get his leg back together. He sighed and called Kate.
Taylor grumbled about the damn wheelchair until his coach told him to suck it up. He just didn't like having a fuss made over him.
Nate was going to make the ride to the office enjoyable but one wheelie was enough to get the glare of death from their coach. He promised to be careful and not do anymore tricks. He did, however, pick up the pace when they were farther away.
Hailey stepped out of her classroom to use the restroom and gasped. "Taylor! What happened?"
Taylor lurched forward as Nate suddenly stopped the chair. "Oh, uh, twisted my ankle."
"Being a real pansy about it too. Won't even walk to the nurses office." Nate said. He groaned from the mild gut punch Taylor gave him. "He's fine. Coach insisted he hitch a ride because he's our star player and the star player cannot afford to have an injured ankle."
Hailey kissed Taylor on the cheek. "You poor thing. Let me know if you need anything."
Taylor gave her a small smile. "Will do."
Nate continued their journey to the front office but stopped before turning the final corner.
"You, good, man?" Nate asked.
Taylor was holding his arm. "Pulled something reaching back to punch you."
"Pulled something like normal, pulled something or pulled something apart?" Nate asked.
"Somewhere in between." Taylor said. "That break check didn't help."
"Oh, shit. Sorry. What if your back does this?" Nate asked.
"If my spinal cord snaps like my leg did, that would be really unfortunate." Taylor said.
Nate got Taylor to the office and waited with him while John was on his way. He was teasing Taylor but was also worried.
John finally got to the office to sign Taylor out of school. He asked for Nate's help getting Taylor to the truck because he didn't want Taylor to straighten anything completely. "What happened to your arm?"
"Nate was being an ass so I hit him in the stomach." Taylor said.
John paused. "You two couldn't get from one office to the other without making this worse?"
Nate stepped back. "Hey, I was providing comic relief and he chose to lash out."
"He also tried to throw me out of the chair." Taylor said.
Nate gave Taylor a look. "Are you trying to get him pissed off at me?"
"Better than being pissed off at me." Taylor said.
John shook his head. "You're both working on it." His comment was on the light side as the bickering was healthy. "Kate is going to see what she can do."
"I thought she was in the nuthouse." Nate said.
"Investigating." Taylor said.
"She is home." John said. He got Taylor situated and told Nate to take the wheelchair back inside. He cranked the truck and backed away from the school. "How is the arm?"
Taylor couldn't straighten it. "If I was a t-rex I'd be doing great."
Dean was waiting outside with Kate as John pulled back into Bobby's drive way. He helped get Taylor out of the truck and inside to the couch.
Taylor winced because his leg still hurt. "Hey, if this is a growth spurt I might actually be taller than you."
Dean flicked his forehead. "Won't matter if you can't walk."
Kate took Taylor's shoe off and felt of his leg. "Tendon tore." She switched to the other leg. "This one is fraying."
"So am I a gimp now?" Taylor asked.
Kate acted offended. "Do you not think I can fix this?"
"It's new." Taylor said.
"Well fix yourself then." Kate said, standing up to act like she was going to storm off.
Taylor leaned his head back on the couch. "Fine, work your magic."
Kate warned him it would likely hurt but pressed on the back of his leg to work the muscle back down to where it could heal. She relaxed when he did.
"Good as new." Taylor said, starting to stand up.
John put a hand on his shoulder. "You are going to sit there until the burning goes away."
Taylor opened his mouth to argue but John wasn't up for arguments. "Being superhuman is confusing."
"I know, right!" Kate said. "Bodies just pick and choose what and when to heal."
"Maybe this is your body telling you to relax." Dean said.
"I feel better." Taylor said.
"You can't straighten your arm." Dean said.
Taylor held his arm out. "It is pretty straight." He dropped it and gave up his attempt to get off the couch. "If I'm stuck here, can I atleast have the remote?"
John handed Taylor the remote. "Tell me about what you found out." He stepped into the kitchen with Kate and Dean to discuss the Chris/Adam situation.
"So, Nova's parents were part of a trafficking ring and not all of the people have gotten caught so I want to investigate and wipe them all out." Kate said.
John sat down, clearly exhausted. "About the boy."
"I told him his parents want to see him but compelled him not to freak out." Kate said.
"Pretty much." Dean said.
"He can hear the veil. What if other people can?" Kate asked. "I want to know why he can hear the veil. Is he like me? Did the doctor do something to him? Cameron can't hear it. I asked him."
Taylor still had his nervous energy and desperately wanted to go for a run. Every muscle twitch earned him a glare from John, though. "Can I atleast do something productive?"
"Not if you disable yourself." Dean said.
"I'm going to crawl out of my skin." Taylor said.
"Now you know how I feel." Kate said.
Taylor groaned and covered his face with a pillow. "I have known how you feel because you radiate your attitude 24/7."
Kate huffed. "Stay out of my head, then."
John grabbed a box of shells and handed them to Taylor. "The two of you can work on making these demon-resistant."
Kate brightened.
"Without using your blood." John said.
Kate frowned. "Well I guess they just won't be truly demon-resistant then."
"We could fill one with that dust that Hannah got and see what it will do to a hellhound." Taylor said.
John eyed them both. "You are overestimating the amount of patience I have left for the day."
"You haven't even been home all that long. Who ran the rest of it out?" Taylor asked.
"Another hunter." John said.
Kate sat down on the coffee table and looked at the shells. "What are they doing?"
"Working on getting himself killed." John said.
"That's not very specific. That could be at least 90 percent of hunters." Kate said.
"He is after a demon and not too open to suggestions." John said. "Ellen sent him to me because of our track record."
"What kind of demon?" Taylor asked.
"Is it the kind we can trap and interrogate?" Kate asked.
John cleared his throat. "Dean, kitchen."
"If you go in there to talk about it, we can still hear you." Kate said.
"Looks like you are getting your privileges revoked." Dean said. "Anything you hear isn't meant for your ears and you can't do anything about it."
Taylor tried to toss a balled up piece of paper at Dean but it fell short due to how tight his muscles were.
"Go ahead and hurt yourself again. You're going to heal eventually." Dean said.
Kate stood up. "Wait, are these demon resistant bullets for the hunter?"
John gave her a slight head nod and turned to go to the kitchen.
"Guess we can't hand out the demon killing recipe to people we don't know." Taylor said.
"Universal bullet." Kate suggested.
"Ghost, werewolves, shapeshifters and demons?" Taylor asked.
"Might as well." Kate said. She grabbed a few ingredients from Bobby's stash and portioned them out for each bullet. They had come a long way from using shotgun shells packed with salt to ward off ghosts but the method was still tried and true. Shooting most creatures wouldn't kill them but it could slow them down. If a hunter was going in without proper research, it was reasonable to at least hand them a decent chance of escaping.
(After school)
TJ missed one more day of school for a doctor's appointment so Jody and April walked the boys to TJ's house for a formal apology.
Andy and Owen apologized to TJ's parents for cheating off of him. They explained what happened and felt truly awful about it. Luckily, though, TJ didn't care or understand what the issue was. That meant that he wouldn't be mad and not want to be Andy's friend. They could move on having learned a hard lesson but no lasting damage was done.
TJ wanted them to see his room. He wanted them to stay and play but for some reason, they had to go. He didn't understand why but didn't feel like making a fuss. His new room had cool things that his therapist recommended. His old room didn't have those things. He had little lights like the ones that went on Christmas trees. He had a soft rug and colorful plastic on his window that kept the sun from being too bright.
Andy did see the colorful plastic from the outside of the house and asked about it.
Alyssa told him it was supposed to make the room less bright but also cast colors across the room.
Andy sighed. "Maybe I'll see it one day."
"When you aren't grounded." April said.
Andy gave TJ a sad wave as he saw him looking through the window.
Alyssa smiled. "One day soon you'll get to come over and play." She thanked April and Jody for stopping by with the boys and closed the door as they walked away.
Andy shuffled his feet along the pavement of the sidewalk. "I feel sad."
April nudged him. "Stop scuffing your shoes. Why do you feel sad?"
"TJ is different." Andy said.
"Being different is okay." April said.
"Yeah but he can't talk." Andy said. "Most of the other kids don't play with him."
"Do you play with most of the other kids?" April asked.
"Sometimes." Andy said.
"Do you mostly play with Owen?" Jody asked.
"Yes." Andy said.
"Did you feel like you were missing out on things with just one best friend?" Jody asked.
"I guess not." Andy said.
"We are kinda brothers though." Owen said.
"Yeah, like my dad and Dean." Andy said.
April chuckled softly. "Maybe you two should listen to them when they give you advice. That whole brotherhood thing got them into trouble sometimes."
Andy cringed.
They reached the point in the sidewalk where they'd have to split up to go to their respective houses.
"I don't want to find out either of you have done a fraction of the type of stuff they did." Jody said.
"We aren't gonna hunt." Owen said.
"I was talking about all of the other stuff." Jody said.
"What kind of other stuff?" Owen asked.
"Those are stories for when you are a little older." April said.
"How are we supposed to know what stuff not to do?" Owen asked.
Jody raised an eyebrow. "You know what stuff you are allowed to do."
Owen sighed. "Not much of nothin."
Jody ruffled his hair and told him to say bye to Andy.
Andy said bye as well and frowned as Owen walked away. He couldn't play with either of his best friends. He shuffled his feet again but stopped with the first shuffle. "Mom? Why do they make shoes you can scuff? Shouldn't they be tough?"
"Those shoes are tough but scooting your feet across the ground is going to wear them out." April said.
Andy looked down at his feet. "I have more than one pair."
April sighed. "Andy."
Andy looked up at her. "No, mom. I'm not arguing. I just thought about how I don't just have one pair anymore."
April looked puzzled.
"Before the ghost thing, I always just had one." Andy said.
April's heart twisted. "Things are a lot different now."
"I heard you tell dad you thought you were a bad mom. You aren't. You are the best mom." Andy said. "Remember when you would give me food and say you weren't hungry?"
"Yes." April said.
"You kept me safe when Steven was mad. I don't remember a lot anymore but you did a good job." Andy said.
"Oh, Andy." April said. "I'm just glad that we have your dad and everyone else now. We are spoiled."
"Do you think you are a bad mom because I'm a bad kid sometimes?" Andy asked.
April stopped walking and faced him. "You are never a bad kid. You just make bad choices sometimes."
"Like dad when he was a kid." Andy said.
April shrugged. "I don't know. He may have actually been a bad kid." She held her hand out for Andy to hold as they walked. "Even bad kids can grow up to be really good adults."
Andy thought that was funny. He did wonder what Caleb was like when he was his age. He just got a lot of stories from when he was a teenager.
April could see the wheels turning in Andy's head and asked what he was thinking about.
"Am I gonna lose my head when I am a teenager?" Andy asked.
"Oh, I hope not." April said.
"What if I can't help it?" Andy asked.
"I think we will cross that bridge when we get there. I'm not sure why you would lose your head." April said.
"I think everybody else did. You did crazy stuff too but you won't tell me what kind of crazy stuff." Andy said.
"Nothing too crazy." April said. "I drank when I wasn't supposed to. I tried to smoke but it made me feel really sick. I was angry and wanted to do everything adults told me not to do." April said.
"Was it because of teenager stuff?" Andy asked.
"Are you asking about hormones?" April asked.
"Yeah, those." Andy said.
April smiled. "Those are just chemicals your body makes so you can go through changes. It isn't just when you are a teenager. I had a lot of them when I was pregnant with Lauren."
"They make you moody?" Andy asked.
April remembered some of her mood swings although she handled them well. "I guess that isn't a good example, bud. Yes, teenagers do get moody but it isn't just something that happens because they are teenagers. Teenagers go through a lot of changes and sometimes they fight with their parents. For your dad, his dad was gone a lot. He was pretty angry. I'd say the same is true for Dean. I was dealing with some stuff like that as well. When you don't have good communication, it is easy to get angry."
"Do we have good communication?" Andy asked.
April stopped at the bottom of their steps and sat down. "I think so. We have been chatting the whole way home."
Andy sat beside her.
"If you ever have anything you need to tell me or your dad, you can tell us and we won't get mad." April said.
"I told you guys about the cheating thing." Andy said.
"Because you got caught." April said. "There may be consequences when you make bad choices but it is always best to tell us what is going on. One day you may feel angry or think we have been unfair. You can tell us that. You can tell us all of your worries and thoughts. Remember that when you do become a teenager and think you might be losing your head."
Andy took a deep breath. "I don't like the new soap you use because it smells like an old lady."
April laughed. "Thank you for letting me know. I won't use it anymore."
Caleb cracked the door. "Everything okay out here?"
April stood up. "Yes. Andy and I were just chatting."
Andy ran up the steps. "I told her that her soap smells like an old lady and she didn't get mad."
April hugged Caleb as she walked through the door. "We were talking about communication and how he can tell us things."
Caleb rubbed her back. "I'm guessing that was unexpected."
"A bit." April said. "He was worried about becoming a teenager."
Caleb locked the door. "Already? You've got to make it through your pre-teen years first."
Andy kicked his shoes off by the door. "Are those better?"
Caleb rubbed the back of his head. "You know, I can't say I remember too much from those years. They must not have been bad enough to be memorable."
(Sam and Jess)
Brody told Sam that he had some stuff for him but didn't specify what it was. He knew that they had just been kicked out of their apartment but didn't know where they were staying.
Sam was able to get a hotel room nearby to cover for the fact that they no longer lived in Stanford. It was quick thinking on his part. He grabbed bags from Marie's house and tossed them into the room to make it look like they had been staying there for a few days.
Jess nymphed over with Jacob before Brody pulled up.
Brody called Sam and told him to help him get stuff out of his car.
Sam ran down the steps and out to the parking lot. "What is all of this?"
Brody shrugged. "Baby stuff."
Sam walked around to the trunk of Brody's car. "Why?"
"My mom." Brody said.
Sam picked up several boxes of diapers. "She knows we just have one baby, right?"
"Apparently they use a lot of diapers." Brody said.
Jess gasped as the guys brought boxes into the hotel room.
"My mom." Brody repeated. He returned a few minutes later with a few bags and pulled a colorful package from one of them. "Uh, I guess babies wear these to swim."
Jess looked at the pack of swim diapers.
"I told her where you were staying and my sister's baby outgrew them so she threw them in with other stuff." Brody said.
Jess looked at Jacob. "Do you want to go swimming?"
Jacob had no idea what that meant but enjoyed the crinkly plastic the diapers were in.
Sam got all of the stuff inside the hotel room and tried to stack it neatly. "Tell her thank you. She really didn't need to do all of this."
"What else is she going to spend money on? Another country club?" Brody said.
"Forgot you guys are rich." Sam said, jokingly. He didn't forget. Brody wore the nicest clothes and drove a nice car. He wasn't stuck up but didn't hide his wealth.
Brody told them he'd hang out with them another night as he had plans with a new girl he had met over the weekend.
Sam surveyed the stack of stuff. "Marie is going to run out of room at her place if we don't move soon enough."
"Impossible." Jess said.
Sam looked through one of the bags that was full of baby food and snacks. He wasn't sure Jacob could eat any of it yet but one of the packs had 4 to 6 months on it. He opened it and saw little tablets of what the bag said was yogurt melts. He broke one into pieces and gave Jacob a taste.
Jacob pulled a face but quickly decided the yogurt melts were the best thing he had ever tasted and reached for the bag.
Sam handed Jess the broken melt to feed him. "I guess those are a hit."
Jacob ate the remaining pieces and whined when it was gone.
Jess laughed. "Here, hand me the bag." She had to pry Jacob's hands off the top of it to open it. "Hold on. I'm trying."
Jacob was content as long as she fed him quickly enough. He was devastated when the bag was taken away, though.
Jess didn't want him to have an upset stomach so she cut him off at the recommended serving size.
"The pool may be too cold for him but the tub here is pretty big." Sam said.
Jess shrugged. "Might distract him from the lack of food."
Sam took Jacob and bounced him slightly. "You aren't starving."
Jacob disagreed.
Jess ran some water and got it to the right temperature before letting Sam place Jacob in the water. She loved bath time because Jacob loved it as well.
Jacob just had more room to kick as the water was deeper and the sides were farther away.
Jess gently wiped his face with a cloth to get rid of the drool and yogurt melts. "It doesn't feel weird anymore."
Sam looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Each day it feels a little less weird. He is ours. I don't feel like we are just babysitting anymore." Jess said.
Sam agreed. He was still getting used to it but it did feel natural. He heard his phone and passed Jacob to Jess. "I'll be right back." He dried his hands and answered it. "Hello?" It was the couple that they were buying the house from. He spoke to them for a few minutes and returned to Jess's side.
"Who was it?" Jess asked.
"The people we are buying the house from. There are a few things in the house that need to be fixed and they wanted to know if we wanted them to hire someone to get it fixed beforehand." Sam said.
"What did you tell them?" Jess asked.
"I told them not to worry about it right now. What I can't fix, I'm sure Caleb can." Sam said. They were one day closer to starting over, far away from Stanford.
Jess eventually pulled Jacob out of the tub as the water cooled and wrapped him in a warm towel. "Someone is sleepy."
Jacob only weakly protested the change from the water to a set of pajamas and happily took the bottle that Jess offered him. He was asleep before Sam let all of the water out of the tub and dried up stray droplets.
Jess patted Jacob's back although he had fallen asleep. "Isn't he the cutest thing?"
Sam smiled. "Yeah, he is." He thought they were both the cutest things.
(Later in the afternoon)
Taylor's arms and legs finally stopped burning and he was able to stand up without injuring himself. He was still sore but everything was where it needed to be.
Dean stood in front of Taylor and narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, atleast me getting taller than you sucks for me too." Taylor said.
"You aren't taller than me." Dean said.
"Yet." Taylor said.
Dean lightly shoved him. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit like I tore a tendon or something." Taylor said.
Kate had been thinking about Taylor's reaction to the sudden growth. It was like his body behaved like a human and the jump in height was supernatural. "I wonder if when I cut my leg and it doesn't heal, if my body isn't going through something similar. We are partially human."
"You are mostly human." Dean corrected her.
"We did change a lot in the bunker. It could just be residual human anatomy." Taylor said.
"You look human so you are human." Dean said.
"So, demons, werewolves, vamps, ghouls, shapeshifters…. Are they all human?" Kate asked.
Dean flicked her. "You do not eat humans so you don't fall into the same category."
"Demons don't eat humans." Taylor said.
"They just possess humans." Dean countered.
"What if we are just possessing our bodies? We did die and essentially vaporize." Kate said.
Dean flicked Kate again.
Kate rubbed her arm. "Ow."
"You aren't possessing your body or that wouldn't have hurt." Dean said.
"Demons can feel pain." Kate reminded him.
"If you douse them in holy water." Dean said. He snapped his fingers. "Missouri and Pamela are humans."
"Well, duh." Kate said.
"So you are." Dean said.
"That is comparing apples to oranges." Taylor said.
"No. They have abilities. They can both leave their bodies." Dean said. "You scry. Your spirit doesn't detach from your body."
"I teleport." Kate said.
"So do the rest of us. We just have to have assistance." Dean said. "I know you are different. You have abilities. Today is just a reminder that you aren't invincible. You two," Dean looked at Kate, "Especially you forget that your abilities aren't always there to save you."
"I guess this means no hunting any time soon." Taylor said.
"I'm still talking to dad about that. If you go hunting, you have to act like any other human. You have to assume your abilities are not going to kick in. Keep your skills sharp so you can rely on them." Dean said.
"When I run, my abilities don't kick in for a few laps." Taylor said.
"Do you have control of that?" Dean asked.
Taylor looked to Kate in hopes that she could explain it in a way that Dean would understand.
"Not full control but it is kind of like an adrenaline rush. We can kind of hold it off when things are calm so we appear normal." Kate said.
"I can block things out and not hear conversations from 3 rooms away but if I focus, I can turn the hearing thing on." Taylor said.
"So you overhearing me and dad talking is a choice?" Dean asked.
Taylor walked right into that one. "Not always."
"We haven't figured it all out yet so sometimes we hear things and it isn't our fault." Kate said.
"More proof that you can't rely on the abilities." Dean said.
"We understand." Taylor said. "You don't have to keep turning everything into a lesson."
"Both of you are thick-skulled." Dean said. He eyed Kate, knowing exactly what she was about to say. "Yeah, I know. It's the Winchester in you."