(This story is a songfic, and it's based on an OC that I wrote. I'm attempting a full-length fanfiction with her in it, but I've still got a lot of planning to do for it. However, these little plot bunnies were hopping around in my head, so I needed to get them out. :D I hope you enjoy. A little about the character: her name is Mary Elizabeth Winchester, she has brown hair and blue eyes, and she is Dean's daughter. He was seventeen when she was born, so...)

part 1

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contagious smile
And as i watch
You start to grow up
All I can do
is hold you tight

Being a parent is never easy. It's rewarding, and the bond between parent and child is something beautiful, but it's never easy. It's even more difficult when you are young – twenty-one years old, to be exact – and single. It's harder still when you travel around the country, hunting down evil and chopping its head off. That's a lesson Dean was learning now, as he looked at his four year old daughter, sitting at the table and eating her cereal.

She was the most beautiful child in the world, and woe be to anyone who said otherwise. Dean Winchester had only three things to be proud of: His baby brother, his car, and his beautiful little girl. She was unexpected, and at first he didn't know what he would do with a child – let alone a little girl – but he knew she couldn't grow up without a father. When her mother died (in an event that may or may not have been demon-related), Dean had no choice but to step up.

Now, he's glad he did. He loved her more than life itself. He couldn't imagine life without his daughter. Sammy loved her too, and so did his dad (as much as John could love anyone). It took a while for John to come to terms with the fact that Dean had a child, and was going to be raising her. All Dean really had to say was that every child needed their father. That seemed to remind John of the fact that his childhood lacked a male figure, and he quickly agreed after that (although he wasn't all too happy about it).

The fact is that Mary – which everyone agreed should be the little angel's name – was a gift to them. All people had to do was see her bright little smile, and her innocent blue eyes, and they were instantly wrapped around her little finger.

So far, she hadn't been curious as to why they travelled around so much. She didn't really wonder why she didn't get to go to daycare, or why they didn't have a house like everyone else seemed to. Dean knew she was already getting the short end of the stick, and he hoped she wouldn't turn out damaged like he had. Yes, it's true that she didn't get to meet many other kids her age, but she still had him and Sammy, and their love was enough for now… right?

He looked to his daughter and noticed that the end of one of her ever-growing, dark-brown curls was dipping in the bowl of cereal. The poor thing was not a morning person.

"Mary," he said.

She perked up when she heard her name, and turned her head slightly to see him. "What?" she asked.

He grinned at the grouchy tone, and said; "Why don't we go to the park today?"

Her eyes instantly brightened, and she smiled. "Really? Can Uncle Sammy come too?" she asked.

Dean tried not to let a frown show on his face. Sam had been spending a lot of time to himself lately. He had been throwing himself into his schoolwork, and whenever Dean asked him about it, he blew him off. It was suspicious behavior, but Dean didn't say anything. It was summer now, though, and Sam didn't have any excuses. He could go to the park with them.

"We'll ask and see, okay?" Dean said.

Mary nodded and jumped down from the chair, eager to find her clothes and get dressed. Sammy walked through the front door with his nose in another book. Dean rolled his eyes a little and let out a heavy sigh.

"Heya, Sammy," he said.

Sam looked surprised, like he didn't expect Dean to be there for some reason. "Oh, hey Dean," he said.

"So Mary and I are going to the park… wanna tag along?"

Sam paused for a second and then said; "No, I think I'm gonna stay here."

Dean frowned. What was wrong with his brother lately? "Dude, what's going on?"

Sam looked up with wide eyes; like Dean had no reason to suspect that anything was going on. "What are you talking about?"

Dean lowered his voice so Mary wouldn't hear. "I know you don't like hunting, so I don't say much when you use homework as an excuse to get out of it, but it's freaking summer, man," he said.

Sam rolled his eyes, and became defensive (like all seventeen-year-olds do) and said; "You're being paranoid, Dean."

Dean didn't say anything because Mary was coming out of the bathroom, with her shoes on the wrong feet, and her ponytails uneven. Dean's sour mood lifted just a little, but not in time apparently.

"What's wrong, daddy?" Mary asked. She was very intuitive. It's almost like she could read your emotions or something.

Dean shook his head. She didn't need to worry about it. She knew when her dad didn't want to talk about something, so she let it go… for now. He rarely got off the hook so easily. She turned her attentions to her Uncle Sammy, and noticed he was in a similar mood.

"C'mon, let's go to the park, okay?" he said.

She nodded and followed him out the door, before taking hold of his hand before crossing the street. They walked to the park, and his sour mood was left at the door of the motel room.

Dean loved seeing how his daughter's eyes lit up when they saw something new. Today, she was very excited to see the family of ducks swimming in the pond. She talked to each of the ducklings individually, and the mommy duck didn't seem skittish until Dean walked over and sat next to her.

"Whatcha got there, kiddo?" he asked.

"This is the mommy duck," she said. "Her name is Ann."

"Did you name all of them?" he asked with a chuckle.

She nodded. She had a duckling in her lap, and was rubbing its little head. "Daddy, why don't the ducks have an Uncle Sammy, or a Grandpa John?"

Dean paused and thought of the right way to phrase this. "Well, everyone's family is different."

"So they have a mommy duck, because they don't have an Uncle Sammy or Grandpa John?" she asked.

He nodded a little, and then said; "Yes, I guess you could say that."

"So I have an Uncle Sammy and Grandpa John, and that's why I don't have a mommy?" she asked.

He froze, and his heart shattered. As a parent, what do you say to that? How do you tell your child that they don't have a mommy because she died? He simply refused, because he didn't want her to go through the same pain he went through. He was too little to remember when Sammy started asking their dad about their mother, and they were never allowed to talk about her. Unfortunately, it was a rule that Dean had enforced just as much – if not more so – than his dad.

Rather than come out with it, and tell his daughter all about death and the fact that she would never have am mother, he said; "Like I told you before, every family is different. But yours is just right for you," he said.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her close. She rested her head on his side, and he barely heard her when she said I love you, daddy.

"I love you, too," he said, and she was one of the only people who would ever hear him utter that phrase. They sat there long after the ducklings and their mother had left, and they watched the sun getting lower in the sky. Eventually she fell asleep in his arms and he carried her home, vowing that she would always be safe. He would always protect her, no matter what.

Knowing clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash around
But you will be safe in my arms