I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in it apart from the ones that come from my own imagination, and of course all errors are mine. Enjoy!
*Please note that I've only gotten about halfway through season six of Supernatural I also do not know how orphanages run things, so I apologize for any inaccuracies in that area.*
One: Dad Knows Best
A twenty-five year-old, Dean Winchester stretched as he woke up in a motel room somewhere in Ohio. It had been his first time hunting on his own, his father hunting somewhere in Nevada, but it had gone fairly well, having finished up far earlier than he planned, enjoying all the extra time he had with women that he met in the local bar.
Showering, and putting on his leather jacket and the necklace that Sam had given him as a Christmas present back when he was twelve, Dean made for the door, intent on getting some sort of pie for breakfast at the local convenience store. As he opened the door, Dean leapt back with a startled shout at what he found right outside on the doorstep. Poking his head out and peeking first to the left and then to the right, he looked down at the little baby that was, amazingly, still sound asleep.
Picking the baby up, feeling extremely uncomfortable, Dean found a note pinned to the blanket that the baby was swathed in. He frowned as he found only two words on the note:
She's yours
Flipping the note over and over again several times, Dean tried to think of what women could have possibly tracked him down to Ohio when he almost always gave out fake names, rarely giving out his real name to a woman, particularly if he was only going to have a one night stand with them.
Beyond perplexed, Dean shrugged, saying to the baby, "Well, hopefully your mother will come and get you when she remembers what an ass I am."
A week later, Dean was starting to freak out. No woman had come to his motel room door demanding that he'd give them back their baby and then proceeding to slap him for being an asshole. His father, John Winchester, was also starting to call him, wondering why he wasn't back yet, and Dean was worried that he'd soon be coming up to check on him to see if Dean had really taken care of his case like he said he had.
"Where is your mother?" Dean asked quietly as he rocked the baby girl, her eyes half-closed as she started to drift off to sleep. He'd given her a name, since calling a baby "Hey you" seemed quite wrong. "You know, Sara, I'm starting to get really worried that your mother truly left you for me to take care of." The baby girl's eyes were now closed, her breathing slower, signaling she was fast asleep.
"You'd better let me get some sleep tonight," Dean grumbled, having been awakened at various times of the late night and early morning. Setting Sara down in her makeshift crib, Dean left her in the living room area of the motel room, heading to his bedroom to change.
Pulling off his shirt, he paused, the shirt half-way over his head, his ears now straining for a sound that he knew shouldn't have been there in the motel room…the sound of an unnatural snarl. His senses straining, he finished pulling off his shirt when he heard the sound again…an unnatural snarl. Finding his .45 caliber Colt MK IV Series 80 1911 pistol, he cocked the weapon, and cautiously walked out towards the door of the motel bedroom. Listening right at the door, he heard Sara start to cry and he flung the door open, his eyes widening in horror at what he saw leaning over the baby's makeshift crib.
Seemingly to be made of fire and shadow, the thing was gripping the edges of the makeshift crib; it had no definitive form, seeming to appear part human, part something else.
Heart hammering in his chest, he fired at the thing, which let loose a squeal and turned towards him, glowing eyes narrowing in fury as it seemed to say aloud and in Dean's mind sounding vaguely female, "I'll return, hunter, Dean Winchester, and I'll make sure you feel the pain that I've felt!" It disappeared than, and Dean didn't want to think of how quickly it could possibly return.
Rushing towards Sara, he scooped her up in his arms, his heart still pounding furiously in his chest. He hadn't realized how much the child meant to him until he'd seen her in danger. Rocking the baby, trying to soothe her, he didn't feel safe in the motel room, and he started to pack his things, keeping Sara with him at all times, never letting her out of his sight.
Making several trips to the Impala, he swore as he realized that a cop would have a field day if they found him driving a car without having Sara in a proper child's safety seat. Dean got into the Impala, placing Sara on his lap, driving to the nearest place he could think of that had child safety seats…
In the store, Dean found a seat that he prayed would work for Sara, the baby still crying, which only stressed Dean out more.
A plan had started to form in his mind, although he wasn't sure it would work. Paying for the seat with a fake credit card, he got Sara strapped in and started driving, his mind racing, if I keep driving, that thing shouldn't be able to keep up with us… He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw glowing eyes instead of the backseat to the Impala and his heart leapt into his throat, as he braked, turning around in his seat, only to find Sara, still crying, but nothing near her.
His heart pounding once more, Dean jumped as he heard a whisper spoken aloud and apparently in his mind as well, "Run all you want, Dean Winchester. You can't escape me. You broke my heart and now I shall break yours by taking away what's become so important to you. You. Can't. Hide." The voice faded on the last word, and Dean gripped the steering wheel for dear life, his knuckles white, his plan had just been blown to pieces in a few short seconds.
Finally releasing the steering wheel, Dean cast an agonized look back at Sara, before he got out of the car, and unbuckled her from her car seat, holding her as he leaned against the Impala, trying to soothe her, but to no avail as the child kept crying.
Dean laughed bitterly, "I've gotten pretty attached to you in such a short amount of time, kiddo…and I don't even know if you're really my daughter…" He looked up at the sky, the sun setting, the various shades of oranges and pinks a drastic contrast to his raging emotions, a car drove past, a paper fluttering in the air as the car's wind stirred it, the sheet finally fluttering to a halt in front of Dean, who glanced down at it for a second. "Son of a bitch!" He finally muttered, moving the car seat to the front passenger's seat, strapping Sara in before he was driving down the highway, a new plan in his mind, although he didn't like it.
Driving all through the night, Dean stopped several times to get baby formula, diapers, and food for himself as he drove. At one of his many stops, a Wal-Mart, a piece of jewelry caught his eye as he tried to find where the heck they kept the baby items. Grabbing the piece of jewelry, along with the other items, he and Sara were back on the road once more. Dean's cell phone rang several times, but he didn't answer it, knowing all too well that it was his father.
Reaching Tupelo, Tennessee, Dean stopped the car in front of an orphanage called St. Nicholas' Orphanage. Getting out of the car and unbuckling Sara from her car seat, cutting off a small amount of her hair and putting it into an envelope, before he walked up to the doors of the imposing building. Before he could even knock, the doors were opened by a stout woman with graying black hair, and brown eyes.
"Can I help you?" she asked, before looking Dean up and down, taking in his appearance and the child in his arms. She sighed, "Follow me."
Dean obeyed, walking down the hallway after her until she reached an office door, opening it and leading the way inside. Looking around the office, Dean noted that it certainly looked kid friendly, not that that meant anything for what he had planned.
Dean started to say, "I'm here to…"
"Put your daughter up for adoption?" The woman finished for him, her gaze showing sadness, and a bit of anger as well. "You're not the first young man to do so, finding fatherhood to be more than you can handle.
You have no idea, Dean thought, before he said, trying to put on the charm, "Yes, I just thought she'd be…"
He was cut off once again, "Better off? There are many children in this country who are orphans Mr.…?"
"Winchester," Dean didn't offer up his first name.
The woman's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't ask if that was his real last name or not. Instead, she got up and walked over to a filing cabinet, pulling a large pile of papers off the top of it, "Fill out these papers to give up your custody of your daughter."
Dean started to fill out the papers, hating every second of it, but he forced himself not to fling it aside in frustration. It was for Sara's sake that he was doing this. He wrote her full name out on the form:
Sara Mary Winchester
He couldn't help smiling slightly when he wrote it, but he focused once more as he filled out the rest of the papers, making sure he checked a box that said, "Transfer to another orphanage if not adopted in a year's time."
Once he'd finished, he slid the stack of paper across the desk, and he watched as the woman's eyebrows rose slightly when she came to the one page with the "Transfer" box, but she didn't question his decision.
She finally said, "Your daughter will be well cared for, Mr. Winchester."
Dean nodded, glancing down at the child that had changed his life so much already. He suddenly started to wonder if he was really doing the right thing by putting her in an orphanage, unsure if she'd really be safe from whatever was after her.
Mistaking the look in his eyes for something else, the woman stood up and said, "I'll give you some time alone with her before you fully hand her over to us."
Partially glad to be alone with Sara, he held her close to his chest, gazing down at the child with her little fuzz of brown hair. Pulling out the piece of jewelry, a white gold chain necklace with a small, circular locket on it, the locket having an intricate design of a cross and heart, he placed it around Sara's neck. Knowing there was a small piece of paper in there with a message for her just in case he never saw her again.
Standing up, he walked out of the office, gently handing her over to the woman who ran the orphanage before he walked out of the place to his car, getting in and driving away, silently vowing, I'm not going to tell Dad or Sam about this unless absolutely necessary. Neither of them need to know about this…no one needs to know…this is my burden to bear… He glanced at the envelope that contained some of Sara's hairs and he knew the next time he was hunting on his own he'd find a way to get a DNA test.
-Thirteen years later…
Sam Winchester glowered out the front passenger's window of the Impala, ticked off at Dean while still trying to figure out how the heck all of this could have happened without him, Bobby, or their father finding out. He had to admit that Dean had kept his secret well, up until recently, when Dean had become agitated, wanting to go to Greenville, Maine, even though they had been working a case in Michigan, Sam had found it hard to believe, at the time, that Dean had wanted to abandon a case so easily, along with how much convincing it took for him to get Dean to finish the case before going to Maine.
"I still can't believe you have a kid," Sam finally said, glaring at his brother.
Dean glanced at him, the sun hitting his brown hair, exaggerating the gray hairs that were starting to appear in it, "Believe it, Sammy."
Sam scowled at Dean as he continued, "And you couldn't tell Dad, Bobby, or me?"
"Look!" Dean snapped, aggravated now, having had to deal with Sam griping almost all the way from North Dakota. He was starting to miss the silent treatment he'd received when they'd first left the state. "None of you needed to know about it at the time. It was safer for her if nobody but me knew about her."
"But you didn't know where she was until recently," Sam said quietly.
Dean nodded, his gaze unreadable now as he commented, "Yeah, thanks to that demon, or whatever it is letting me know that it found her."
Sam didn't bother trying to get more information on this strange creature from Dean; it was obvious that it freaked his brother out though. "You did get a DNA test though?"
"Yep," Dean said, staring out the windshield and not looking at Sam.
Sam sighed, "And you still won't say what the results were?"
"Nope," Dean said, turning on the radio then, and sticking in a cassette tape, playing one of his many classic rock bands. Sam couldn't tell them apart and he'd given up guessing long ago. The music also signified that the conversation was over.
Watching the scenery roll by, Sam glanced at Dean who was silently singing along with whatever song was playing, As if I couldn't guess what the results of the DNA test were...
Dean wasn't really singing along with the song, his mind on Sara. He'd been hoping he'd find her safe and sound in Maine ever since the strange fire and shadow creature had come to him in a dream, crowing with triumph that it had found her. Now his thoughts were on different things, what does she look like now? Has she found the note I left her in the locket? Does she even still HAVE it? Will she know who I am when she sees me? What the hell am I going to say to her? For that matter…what the hell am I going to do with her once I get her out of that orphanage?
Sara Winchester sat in her room at the St. Nicholas Orphanage in Greenville, Maine, having faked being sick so she wouldn't have to go to school. The thirteen year-old had been severely freaked out the previous day when she'd felt like she was being watched as she walked from the school back to the orphanage. She was lucky that the head of the orphanage had allowed her to stay, Sara having a record for faking sick and skipping school, but something in her green eyes had convinced the head that she should get to stay at the orphanage that day.
At least it's Friday, she thought, running a hand through her medium length, brown hair before tying it into a "bottlebrush" ponytail. I still don't like the feeling I keep getting… Sara glanced around her room, but she couldn't see anything that would be giving her the feeling of being watched. Pushing herself off the bed, Sara headed out of her room and outside, knowing that the other orphans would be back from school and eager to play some sort of game outside. As she walked down the hallway towards the doors that led outside, she gripped the circular locket that she'd had for as long as she could remember, one of the many heads of all the different orphanages she'd been to had told her that her father had given it to her, and she treasured it, since it was her only connection to any person that had cared for her, even if her father hadn't cared for her enough to keep her.
As she gripped the locket, she started to relax. I'm probably imagining all of this… Sara thought as she pushed open the doors, glad to see some of the other kids that were her age were back from school, starting up a game of tag. Jogging over to them, she was just in time to hear who was "it" before she took off running along with the other kids that were playing, enjoying the fresh air.
The person who was it decided that he could catch Sara and made a beeline towards her, and Sara ran towards the street, though she slowed, puzzled as a sweet looking old, black car pulled up with two people in it. Her speed decreased even further as she watched two men get out of the car. Wow! Aren't they good-looking?
"You're it!" the boy who had been it said as he tagged her triumphantly. Unable to truly blame her lapse in focus on the two hot guys, she whipped around and tried to tag someone, temporarily forgetting the two men.
Dean walked down the hallway of the orphanage, managing to find the office and knocking of the door.
"Come in," the reply came from inside.
Pushing the door open, Dean walked in followed closely by Sam. A blond haired woman with movie star, blue eyes sat behind the desk, and she glanced up when Dean and Sam entered, "How can I help you gentlemen?"
"I'm looking for my daughter, who I believed has been transferred here," Dean stated, cutting right to the chase, even though the woman was hot, he just wasn't in a flirting mood, amazingly.
Surprise showed in the woman's eyes, but not in her expression or tone as she asked, "Name please?"
"Dean Winchester," he answered.
She gestured to the two chairs in front of the desk, "Have a seat please while I look through the files."
The brothers sat down, though Dean couldn't keep still, his right leg bouncing, the only visible sign of his anxiety.
The woman pulled out a file and skimmed it, before she asked, "You said your name is Dean Winchester, correct?" Dean nodded. "Where did you drop off your daughter at, Mr. Winchester?"
"In Tupelo, Tennessee, thirteen years ago" he answered.
Sam couldn't believe that his brother had remembered that, Dean hardly being able to remember Latin, which was fairly important in their line of work.
"Hmmm…" the woman frowned, looking at Dean. "If you'll wait here for a minute while I get Mrs. Hersfield…" Without waiting for a response, she left them in the office. They could hear her heels clicking down the hall.
Sam glanced at Dean, "Are you sure this is the right place?"
"Yes, this orphanage only transfers with those within its sister branches, or basically all the St. Nicholas' orphanages in the country." Dean stated.
Sam shook his head, amazed at the information his brother could retain when he wanted to retain it. "Have you figured out what you're going to do with her once you've gotten her out of here?"
"Nope," Dean answered.
Sam was frowning once more, "Are you going to tell her what we do for a living?"
"Not sure yet."
Now Sam was starting to get frustrated with his older brother, "What about the fact that you're her father?"
"Not sure yet."
Annoyed, Sam managed to keep his temper in check, reminding himself that Dean was nervous and therefore was going to act like an asshole, "Have you thought of any of these things?"
"Believe it or not, Sammy, I have," Dean said, his tone laced with fury. Sam was pushing one too many of his buttons at the moment.
Before things could get out of hand, they heard heels clacking down the hallway towards them; shooting final glares at each other, they were acting as if nothing had transpired between them when the blond and Mrs. Hersfield entered the room.
Mrs. Hersfield walked to the desk, looking at the file through her glasses, her black locks hanging down as she skimmed over it. Snapping it shut, she turned her petite frame to face Dean and Sam. "You're Dean Winchester?" She questioned, sounding skeptical.
"Yes," Dean said, trying to hide how nervous he was.
Mrs. Hersfield glanced at the file once more, before she asked, "Do you have any forms of identification?"
"Yeah," Dean said, hurriedly pulling out his driver's license.
Mrs. Hersfield scrutinized his license before handing it back, "You have to understand, Mr. Winchester, why we're worried about you taking your daughter back. She has spent thirteen years in orphanages, always getting transferred to another after a years time. Several families did consider her, but they opted for other children. You left her here once, Mr. Winchester…what would stop you from doing it again? We here at St. Nicholas' care about all the children in our care, and I don't want to see that child get hurt."
Sam kept his poker face on, though he was silently agreeing with Mrs. Hersfield, he's not even sure what he's going to do with her once she's out of this orphanage!
"I know that I gave my daughter up once, but I was young and I wasn't ready to have a kid," Dean said, thinking quickly. "I've regretted my choice ever since I left her in Tupelo, and I want a chance to get to know her and to give her a chance to get to know me."
Dean started to sweat as Mrs. Hersfield scrutinized him for several long minutes, her gaze hard as steel.
"You have a lot of paperwork to fill out," she finally said, turning to the filing cabinet.
Nervousness clashed with excitement as Sara packed her bags, having been told by Mrs. Hersfield that she'd been adopted, though the head of the orphanage wouldn't say by whom. Not that it matters, Sara thought, zipping closed her last bag. As long as they're nice, I don't care who they are! She recalled the two guys that had gotten out of the old, black car, but she'd seen them leave just as she and the other children were called in to eat dinner. They must not have found the right kid… Slinging two of her bags over her shoulders she started to head towards the doors leading outside.
She paused just in front of the doors, taking in a deep breath. Mrs. Hersfield had told her that her new family would be outside the doors waiting for her, just before the head of the orphanage had bid her goodbye and good luck.
Pushing open the doors, she walked outside, coming to a halt as she saw the two guys with the old, black car, standing in the walkway that led up to the doors. Okay, so the amazingly hot guys adopted you, no big deal, you'll adjust. Sara walked towards them, taking in the taller of the two, whose brown hair was longer than the shorter guy's, giving him a shaggy look, his puppy dog brown eyes were serious, and he didn't look like the kind of guy that liked to joke around.
The shorter one's hair style suited him well, being cut short, but spiked slightly. His green eyes showed that he could be serious when he wanted to be, but that he wasn't opposed to a good joke either. The half-smile on his face gave that away as well.
She met his gaze, green eyes meeting green eyes and her mind started to race, his eyes…they're a lot like mine…or is it that mine are a lot like his…? Does that mean…?
As soon as the doors opened, Dean had only eyes for his daughter, he vaguely registered that Sam had said something to him just before the doors opened, but he couldn't remember what it was.
He had expected her to be older, of course, but it still didn't stop him from being surprised at how much she'd grown. Pleasure welled up inside him as he caught a glint of white gold, and he knew it had to be the necklace he'd given her. Dean smiled a bit, unable to keep his joy at seeing Sara after thirteen years in.
Sam sighed, knowing he'd lost his brother as soon as the doors opened. He tried not to gawk at how much the young girl resembled Dean from the color of her hair, her facial features, and even her eyes. There were only slight differences between the pair's facial features, giving Sara quite a pretty face, and their builds were similar, both stocky in frame. There's no denying that she's his daughter. If he told me now that the DNA test proved that she wasn't, I'd tell him to get another one!
A silence spanned between the group for several long seconds, all of them trying to determine what the other was like. Dean, being Dean, finally broke the silence, "Hey kiddo, how are you doing?"
"Um…good?" Sara didn't look sure of how to answer. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but why did you adopt me if you don't even know me?"
Sam silently prayed that Dean wouldn't be his usual, blunt self. Sara would need time to adjust to the fact that Dean was her father and that he was her uncle.
Dean chuckled nervously, and said, "I'm your father."
Sara's eyes widened in shock, her mind reeling, him? He-he can't be my father! I never pictured him looking like-like… Her cheeks flushed red with sudden embarrassment, great! I thought my own father was hot…!
And Dean was his usual self, Sam thought, fighting back a sigh of disbelief.
"This stick-in-the-mud is your uncle, Sam," Dean continued, gesturing at Sam.
Glaring at Dean, Sam said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Sara."
And I thought my uncle was hot too…perfect… Sara's cheeks got even redder, if that was even possible. In an attempt to distract them from her scarlet cheeks, she asked, "Why did you leave me at an orphanage?"
"I'll tell you once we're in the car," Dean stated. Walking forward and grabbing the bag that she had slung over her left shoulder, "Come on."
As she followed her father, Sam came up to her, "Why don't I carry your other bag? It looks pretty heavy."
"No, I'm okay," she said, following her father to the back of the car.
Sam sighed, but he didn't push the matter, walking towards the front passenger door of the car.
Dean had opened the trunk, moving some of the stuff in there around, making room for her bags. Putting the one he'd carried in the trunk.
Sara frowned as she noticed that the trunk seemed shallow, and she caught sight of a latch, "Is that a latch there?"
"Yeah," her father said, not elaborating on what it was for as he grabbed her other bag from her.
Curiosity got the better of her nervousness, "What's it for?"
"I'll tell you in a bit," Dean stated, closing the trunk.
"Oh…okay," Sara said, looking perplexed, but not questioning him any further as she got into the back seat of the car, she didn't want her father to think that she was annoying.
Sam said, keeping his voice low as he looked at his brother over the roof of the car, "Dean, what do you mean you'll tell her in a bit?"
"I'm going to tell her what we do," Dean stated simply, getting into the car.
Sam sighed, "Great." He got into the car as well as Dean started the Impala up.
Sara was looking around the car curiously, taking in every detail. As Dean pulled it away from the curb, she asked, "What type of car is this?"
"A 1967 Chevy Impala," Dean answered.
Sara smiled, looking around the car once again, "It's awesome!"
Dean grinned, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror, "That it is, kiddo."
She looked away from the mirror, having been looking at it, still unsure of how to act around her father, but she asked, "You said that you'd tell me why you left me at the orphanage…"
"I know I did," Dean said, focusing on the road once more. "There are some things you need to know about your uncle and I first though."
She waited for her father to elaborate, but he didn't say any more. Glancing hopefully at her uncle, she noticed Sam giving her father a dirty look before he said, turning a bit in his seat to face her, "Your dad and I travel a lot for our job. We…" Sam tried to find the word he was looking for so as not to scare his niece.
"We hunt the things that go bump in the night," Dean said.
Sara laughed, "So you hunt, what, the Boogie Man?"
"We haven't run into him yet," Dean stated his tone serious.
She looked from her father, to her uncle, "You hunt the paranormal?"
"Or supernatural, whichever you want to call them," Dean said.
Sara's mind was working overtime, recalling the feeling of being watched at the orphanage, "So that was it…"
Dean's tone sharpened, "What was what?"
"I-I had a feeling I was being watched," Sara said quickly, her father's tone surprising her. "I never actually saw anything…"
Sam glanced at his brother, and upon seeing the panicked look in his eyes, he said, trying to reassure them both, "Maybe you were near a high electromagnetic field, that's been known to give people feelings of being watched."
"Maybe…" Sara said, not looking convinced.
Dean changed the subject then, "Being a hunter and all, I couldn't take care of you at the time, not to mention being only twenty-five when you were dropped off on my doorstep."
"What about now?" She asked.
Dean answered, "I feel comfortable taking you along, taking care of you."
Sam gave Dean a sharp glance, knowing that Dean had taken her out of the orphanage for another reason, not just based on how comfortable he was in his own ability to take care of her. Casting a quick glance back at his niece, he saw that she bought Dean's story.
The curious thirteen-year-old asked, "Where are we going?"
"Not sure yet," Dean answered, glancing Sam's way. "Your uncle and I haven't decided on where we're hunting yet. We'll be stopping somewhere for the night, though."
Sara nodded, and a silence settled in the car for quite a while, no one willing to break it with small talk. The tension in the car could be cut with a knife, and the thirteen-year-old tried to gauge what type of people her father and uncle were, but since they weren't talking, it was kind of hard to do so.
Finally, she broke the silence, "Will I be hunting with you, or will you drop me off somewhere…" Not exactly sure she wanted to hear the answer to her question, she waited with bated breath.
"I'm not sure yet," Dean answered honestly, looking in the rearview mirror at his daughter. "It will depend upon a few things."
"Like what?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Dean smirked, "Like whether or not you can shoot a gun."
"You're going to let a thirteen-year-old fire a gun?" Sam questioned with raised eyebrows.
"What?" Dean asked. "Dad took me out shooting for the first time when I was six or seven."
Sam shook his head, "Forget it."
Still assuming that what her father said he did for a living was a joke, she asked, jokingly, "So I need to know how to shoot a gun to hunt monsters?"
"Yep," Dean said, pulling the Impala off the road and into a grassy clearing. "This looks like a good spot to see what you've got." Turning off the car, he got out.
Surprised that he'd actually parked the car, Sara followed her father, getting out of the car and following him to the trunk, and she heard Sam come out of the car as well.
Dean moved the bags in the trunk out of the way before lifting the bottom of the trunk, revealing an arsenal of weapons from guns, to knives, to even some crossbows among other things.
"Dean," Sam murmured, attempting to get his brother's attention.
While inspecting several different guns, Dean asked casually, "What?"
"Don't you think that you could have told her what was in the trunk instead of just flinging it open like that?" Sam asked.
"Why?" Dean asked, glancing back at his daughter, who was gawking at the amount of weapons in the car. "Okay, I see your point, but it's too late now."
Sam cast him an exasperated look, "Just try to keep in mind that she doesn't know anything about this life, and right now, she's probably thinking that you and I are either psycho-paths or serial killers."
"Do you think we're serial killers?" Dean asked, raising his voice so his daughter could hear him from where she stood.
I don't know what to think… She thought, but she answered, "No, sir."
"See, Sammy?" Dean said, smiling as he closed the trunk, a shotgun under his arm, a pistol in hand, and a bag of cans and bottles in the other, "She's a smart kid."
Sara felt unexpectedly warm at her father's words, fighting back the urge to smile as she followed him into the clearing, while Sam followed behind the two more slowly, frowning at Dean's back.
Pausing in the clearing, Dean muttered to himself, "How do I want to do this…?" He grinned as he spotted a log lying in the clearing. "Stay here," Dean ordered his daughter, walking over to the log and setting the guns carefully on it before he set up a row of bottles and cans as targets.
Sara obeyed her father, watching him with a fascinated gaze as he set up the bottles and cans before he walked back over to her. She couldn't help trying to identify what traits they shared, pleased at finding that she did seem to resemble him.
"Do you want to learn how to shoot a gun?" her uncle asked quietly while Dean was still setting up the bottles and cans.
Sara thought about it for a second, before nodding, "It could be a useful thing to learn."
"And it will be," Dean said as he reached them, having only heard his daughter's comment, missing Sam's question to her. "Now, I want you to understand, I don't ever want to see you carelessly tossing these on the ground, or trying to show off by twirling them. These are weapons and they're deadly. You need to treat them with respect and with a bit of fear." His tone kept Sara riveted on his words, as he continued, starting to show her the basics of the guns, starting with the shotgun, "This is the safety, always keep it on when you're not using it, this is obviously the trigger, and here's the trigger guard. You've got the sight up here, and the fore stock, which you need to pump before firing." He moved onto the pistol, going over the similar parts, leaving out the fore stock of course.
Sam noticed that Sara looked a bit overwhelmed at all this new information, but before he could say anything, Dean handed Sam the pistol, keeping the shotgun as he said, "I'm going to show you how to fire both of these, then I want you to try." Pumping the fore stock, Dean took aim at one of the cans, turning off the safety before he fired the gun, the bullet hitting the can he'd been aiming at dead center.
Putting the safety back on, Dean handed Sam the shotgun taking the pistol and took aim once more, turning off the safety before he pulled the trigger, once again hitting his target dead center.
Turning the safety on once more, Dean asked, looking down at his daughter, "Ready to try and hit those targets down there?"
"Yeah," Sara said, though her eyes were wide from seeing how accurately her father had hit the two cans.
Sam handed her the shotgun when Dean motioned for him to do so, "They both are going to have a recoil, or kickback, so be careful, especially with this shotgun."
Nodding, Sara carefully took the gun from her uncle, nervous at handling the weapon and of her father, who she knew was watching her every move.
She turned off the safety first, since she wasn't familiar with the weapon and knew she wouldn't be able to find it when she'd taken aim, and she cast a worried glance at her father, who showed no reaction to this. Relieved slightly, she pumped the fore stock, took aim with the shotgun, finding her target with the sight before she fired. Her eyes widened in surprise as the can she'd been aiming at took the hit dead center, her shoulder stung from the recoil of the weapon, but her excitement overtook any thought of pain. Pumping the fore stock, she took aim once more and fired, this time the bottle she'd been aiming was hit, and she preceded down the row of targets, only missing two, the process getting easier as she adjusted to the weapon.
Fighting to keep a grin off his face, Dean walked over to the log once he was certain that Sara had the safety on the shotgun turned back on. Examining the cans he couldn't stop himself from grinning. His daughter was a pretty good shot. Grabbing the bag of bottles and cans, he set up new ones, collecting the ones that he and Sara had already hit.
Sara asked Sam while Dean reset the targets, "Did I do all right?" She was still worried that her father had been upset when she'd turned off the safety first.
"Yeah, that was great," Sam said, still overcoming his own awe over his niece's talent with a shotgun. Dean and I had best watch out if she has similar results with the pistol! Then again, it'll put both our minds at ease knowing that we won't have to always be watching out for her if Dean does decide to let her hunt with us…
Sara didn't disappoint them; it was obvious that she liked the pistol more as she turned off the safety, took aim and fired, taking out all of the targets this time around.
"That's my girl!" Dean said proudly, ruffling her hair as he walked past to collect the targets.
Beaming from her father's praise, she carefully handed the gun to her uncle before walking over to help her father pick up the cans and bottles.
Dean glanced up from where he was stooping down to pick up a can, "You know I'm relieved that you're such a natural…" When he spotted his daughter's confused gaze as she picked up a bottle he elaborated, "It means I can count on you to watch our backs if necessary."
"Does this mean I'm going to be hunting with you?" Sara asked, though she still felt a bit skeptical about the whole "hunting" thing.
Dean picked up another can, "Sort of." He straightened up, frowning slightly, "I don't really want to put you in danger…but I don't exactly want to leave you alone while Sammy and I hunt either…" He stooped down once more, picking up a bottle.
In the way that kids tended to be, Sara said quietly as she picked up another bottle, "I'm really glad that you came back for me, Dad."
Taken completely off guard by his daughter's statement, Dean was temporarily stunned, and it showed. Once he recovered, he smiled at Sara as he said, "I'm glad I did too."
Sam watched the pair, and he could easily hear what they were saying, since neither one of them was very quiet. He was just as surprised as Dean when Sara spoke. A frown came upon his features as he heard Dean's answer though, I can't tell if he means that or not…
They were back on the road again before long, but the silence wasn't as present this time in the Impala, Sara having unwittingly broken the ice with her father by calling him "Dad". The relaxed air in the car even affected Sam, who chatted with Sara as well.
"So…" Dean said; ready to start the conversation off, "Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"
"Like what?" Sara asked, unsure of what her father would want to know about her.
Dean was as uncertain as his daughter, though he tried not to let it show, "Um…favorite color, foods…um…hobbies…?" He gazed at his younger brother for help.
"Favorite subjects in school, favorite TV shows, movies, books, maybe even ask us some questions," Sam finished, not letting Dean down.
"Okay," Sara said, trying to think of what to start with. "Well, my favorite color is blue…um…my favorite food is pie…" She paused as Sam released a slight moan and Dean tried to stifle a snicker of laughter. "I guess for hobbies I like to read and draw…school I really like P.E., and English, I hate math!"
Dean chimed in then, "Same here, kiddo. We'll let Sammy have all the fun with numbers, right?"
"Right!" She said, laughing a bit. Sam just rolled his eyes. "We really didn't have time to watch TV in the orphanage, or a lot of access to one…I haven't seen any movies." Dean looked aghast at this news, as did Sam. "I really like reading books on mythology and lore," she finished.
Sam said, "That will come in handy, since we sometimes have to deal with creatures from legends."
"Really?" Sara asked, eyes bright with interest. "Like what?"
"Paegan gods, some creatures like werewolves and vampires," Sam answered.
Sara looked really interested, "Neat!"
"More like a pain," Dean said in a harsh tone. "Remember, we're hunting them since they kill people."
"Right," Sara said, abashed.
That was a good way to ruin the mood, Sam thought, shooting Dean an exasperated look.
Dean tried to make up for the harshness of his tone, "You won't have to worry about not having pie a lot, it's my favorite food as well." He was pleased to see that his daughter perked up after that. He continued, "I'll have to rent some movies for us to watch as well." His next statement was directed at Sam, "What kid doesn't get a chance to watch movies?"
"Apparently not this one," Sam stated.
Dean chuckled, "Definitely have to fix that." Another smile crossed his features as he heard his daughter giggle. "Maybe tonight we'll try to watch a movie or something."
"That sounds good, Dad," Sara said, trying to get used to the word, as well as liking the sound of it as she addressed her father.
Sam glanced at Dean, and tried to hide his smirk as he noticed Dean's ecstatic expression. This was one of those moments where Dean was very easy to read, other times Sam would be lucky if he could guess if Dean was in a good mood or a foul one. Spotting a decent looking motel, Sam suggested, "Why don't we stop there for the night? Figure out where we're heading next, and possibly relax for a bit."
"Sounds good," Dean said, turning into the motel parking lot and parking the Impala before turning off the engine. "Sammy, why don't you go get us a room and Sara and I will bring in the bags."
"All right," Sam said, giving a knowing smile as he got out of the car. Dean merely rolled his eyes as he got out.
Sara got out of the car as well and walked to the back of the car, her father already starting to grab the bags out of trunk, shouldering most of the bags, handing Sara the remaining few. "I can carry a few more," she said feeling bad that she only had the few bags, which weren't that heavy.
"I've got these," Dean said, closing the trunk and heading towards Sam, who was walking out of the main building, holding the keys to one of the small housing facilities. Sam unlocked the door to number seventeen and led the way into the blue room, everything from the walls, to the curtains, to the furniture was in various shades of blue.
"Cool," Dean said, grinning.
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's bad joke, "Yeah. It's the only place they have with three beds along with a shower."
"Now that sounds good," Dean said as he set down the bags. "It'll be nice to have a hot shower…this place does have hot water, right?"
Sam rolled his eyes again, "Yeah, Dean. This is a step-up from where we usually stay."
"So you don't usually stay at places like this?" Sara asked.
"Uh…" Sam knew he fully deserved the exasperated look Dean gave him. "It depends on what we can find. Places like this are usually booked so we have to settle for…well…less."
Sara didn't seem too troubled by this as she set the bags she'd been carrying down, as long as I'm not in an orphanage, we could sleep outside for all I care!
Taking Sara's silence to mean something else, Dean said, "It's a rough life, but if we didn't do it…well…let's just say there'd be less happy endings in the world."
Deciding that silence was still the best way to go as she sat on the bed, Sara merely nodded at what her father said. Feeling uncomfortable, Dean decided to flee temporarily, "I'm going to go to the local Blockbuster and see if I can rent a couple good movies to watch tonight!" He didn't waste any time in exiting the room.
Chuckling, Sam looked at his niece, "You know, I haven't seen him that uncomfortable in several months at least."
"Is that a bad thing?" Sara asked worriedly, not wanting to make either of them feel uncomfortable around her, especially if they truly were related. She didn't have many doubts about this fact, and the doubts she had weren't that bad…or at least not to her…not yet.
Sam smiled, "No. It's not a bad thing. It means he cares enough about you that he doesn't want to screw up."
"Oh," was all Sara could come up with. Sam just laughed. After a few seconds of silence, Sara asked, "So what do you and my dad really do?"
"We hunt monsters, ghosts, demons," Sam met her skeptical gaze, "Look I know it all sounds crazy, but it's what we really do for a living. It's not exactly a good living, but it's a living."
Sara rolled her eyes, "Right."
"You'll see," Sam said with a smirk. "I think your dad plans on taking you with us, though I wish he wouldn't." He tried not to let his expression give away his thoughts, it's going to take a while for me to get used to referring to Dean as her dad…
Sara frowned, "Why?"
"It can get dangerous," Sam explained. "And you and me. We're your dad's weakness." Still having trouble saying that, Sam added as an afterthought.
"Because we're family," Sara stated.
Sam nodded, "Yeah…family means a lot to your dad and me. More than you'll probably ever realize."
A bit confused by that statement, Sara frowned, "I've been in a lot of orphanages for all of my life up until this point…" She couldn't finish what she wanted to say, I don't think you guys realize how much you already mean to me… Noticing that her uncle was waiting for her to finish, she randomly changed the subject, "So…Uncle Sam-my," There is no way I'm calling him Uncle Sam! "What movies do you think my dad will get?"
I never thought I'd be so happy to hear someone other than my dad or Dean call me Sammy, Sam thought before answering, "Well…with Dean…it can be anything really...depending on his mood."
"I take it my dad's a moody guy?" Sara questioned.
Sam gave a half-hearted smile, "It's not that he's…moody…It's just that he-he's kind of hard to read." His niece gave him such a confused look that he elaborated, "What I mean is, Dean doesn't show his emotions. It's hard to gauge what mood he's in unless you've known him a long time, and even then it can be hard."
"Right," Sara wasn't exactly reassured and it showed in her voice.
Sam tried to reassure her, "Look, I'm not trying to scare you or make you overly cautious with Dean, it's just that I think you should know."
Sara nodded, not reassured in the slightest.
Before an awkward silence could really set in, Dean walked in grinning widely like he'd just won the lotto, "Got to love good, old-fashioned Blockbusters!"
"I take it you found some good movies?" Sam asked.
Dean threw him the bag of DVDs, "Man did I ever!"
"Dracula, Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein," Sam looked up at Dean incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"
"Not in the slightest!" Dean said still smiling. He turned to Sara, "So, Kiddo, what do you want to watch first?"
Sam handed the bag of old time movies over to her and she looked each one over. Even if she'd never really had the pleasure of watching movies often or much access to a TV she could still tell the movies her father picked were old. "Um…what about this one?" she hazarded a random pick and happened to grab Young Frankenstein.
"Ah, now that's a good first choice," Dean said, nodding in approval. "Gene Wilder, what an actor. You'll be laughing throughout the whole thing!"
Sure enough, Sara did laugh, though not throughout the whole thing, unlike her father and uncle. She didn't understand some of the lines they laughed at though, and sometimes it was nervous laughter from her uncle, though she couldn't understand why. From Young Frankenstein they moved on to the other movies. The poor girl got scared out of her wits and she couldn't fathom how her father and uncle could laugh; it seemed so wrong to her.
When the last movie finished, Dean said without a second thought, "All right, time to hit the hay, Kiddo."
"What?" Sara couldn't keep the squeak of fear out of her voice.
Dean gave his daughter a reassuring smile, "You shouldn't be scared of those monsters, because if they were real I'd kick their asses." He winked at her, and she gave him a timid smile. "Get ready for bed, go on."
Once Sara was in the bathroom and Sam could hear the shower running, he asked Dean quietly, "Why didn't you tell her the real reason you came back for her?"
"She doesn't need to know," Dean said, not meeting his brother's gaze as he put the DVDs back in the bag to take back tomorrow when they left.
Sam looked incredulous, "You tell her what we do for a living, you have her shoot GUNS, and you don't think that she has a right to know that some sort of demon is after her?"
"I want her to feel safe, all right?" Dean snapped, facing Sam. "I can't keep what we do from her a secret, I can't drop her off somewhere, she HAS to stay with us! But I can-I can let her go to bed feeling safe at night and not trying to sleep wondering when some crazy ass demon is going to show up and try to kill her!" He took a shuddering breath to calm himself down as he turned away from Sam.
Sam stared at his brother's back in surprise, "You want her to feel safe when she sleeps…?"
"Yes, is that a problem?" Dean demanded, though he didn't turn to face Sam.
"Dean…" Sam said, "She's going to learn that monsters, demons…everything that most kids think are fake or just stories are real…do you really think she'll feel safe then?"
"Yes, I do," Dean said, turning to face Sam once more.
Sam couldn't believe his brother, "How…?"
"Because she'll see that I won't let anything harm her," Dean stated. "Neither of us will, and she'll learn that."
"Dean…" Sam really didn't want to ruin his brother's plan, but it was just so flawed. "We aren't always going to be there to protect her. There may come a time when we can't come running to her rescue."
"No there won't," Dean said quietly, his gaze intense.
Sighing, Sam shook his head, "You need to be realistic here…"
"I am being realistic," Dean snapped once more. "I'm not going to let her down again."
"Again?" Sam asked quietly before realization struck him. "Dean, you were twenty-five and you just finished your first hunt, there was no way you could have kept her with you, besides the fact that Dad would have been pissed and made you take her to an orphanage anyway!"
"I should have done more," Dean murmured. "It wasn't fair to her."
Sam was now getting annoyed with Dean's pity party, "Dean, there is nothing that you could have done better! Just accept that fact and move on!"
While in the shower, Sara could have sworn she heard her father and uncle's voices raised in anger along with a few other sounds, but she ignored them, lost in her own thoughts, some of her doubts about her father and uncle's real identities starting to come back to the surface.
So maybe they are serial killers and want me to join the "family business"…I mean the bloodied stakes, all those guns and knives…there's no way monsters are real! She thought, though a part of her truly wanted to believe that they hadn't lied to her yet. Common sense was telling her otherwise. Turning off the shower, she grabbed a towel and started to dry herself off, fighting back the tears that had risen to her eyes, just once…just once in my life I want to be happy and not have to question it! With a vicious throw, the towel hit the wall. Luckily it was only a towel that didn't make much noise as it hit the wall and then the floor.
Dean was rubbing his, now sore, jaw while Sam had a hand over his right eye, both of them having gotten a swing in at the other.
As she walked out of the bathroom in her PJs, Sara noted how they were, but she decided not to mention it, thinking it'd be safer for her not to say anything. As she crawled into one of the bed's Sam headed into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, "Night."
"Night," she said.
Getting her blankets situated, she noticed her father looking at her, when he caught her gaze he said quietly, "Night, Kiddo."
"Night, Dad," she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable as she rolled over, her back to Dean, though she could feel his gaze on her back. She managed to argue to herself so that she could fall asleep, he hasn't seen me in several years…he wouldn't hurt me…I don't think… With these thoughts running through her head, she didn't fall asleep until she heard Sam exit the bathroom and heard Dean enter.
Sitting at the edge of his bed, Dean was terrified to take his eyes off his daughter for a second. Even though he assumed that the demon-or whatever it was-wouldn't enter the room, he was still afraid that it would, and that it would kill her.
When Sam finally exited the bathroom, he took one look at Dean and decided he'd have to watch his niece, regardless of how foolish it seemed to him, it was obvious that Dean wouldn't take care of himself if he thought she was in danger. Touching his brother's shoulder, Sam sat on the edge of the bed, watching his niece and Dean merely stood up and walked into the bathroom. No words were needed between the pair.
"You know it just occurred to me," Sam said as Dean exited the bathroom, a towel hanging on his shoulders.
Dean threw the towel back into the bathroom, "What?"
"When we had to take care of that shape shifter baby, you lied about how you knew how to change a diaper," Sam stated.
"I didn't lie," Dean countered as he pulled on his shirt, "Lisa really does have a sister who has a niece that I helped to take care of. I just merely…" He paused trying to find the word he wanted, "Tweaked the truth a bit."
Sam gave a forced smile and a chuckle, "When I think of all the things you said and how true or false they were." He shook his head.
"Oh, like you or dad never kept any secrets!" Dean said in a fierce whisper, not wanting to wake his daughter.
"Not like this…well…I never did anyway!" Sam snapped in a whisper, remembering that his niece was sleeping. "Dad kept Adam a secret though, are you trying to be like him?"
Sam knew he'd gone too far as soon as the words left his mouth. Eyes blazing with contained fury, and jaw clenched; it was obvious that Dean was exerting a lot of self-control in not shouting, "I wanted to keep her out of this life, but now that she's in it, I'm going to do the best I can. I'm not going to just drop her off at some random place, she'll come with us. It may not be the best solution, but you know what, Sam? She's not your kid! So I'm going to raise her my way, and I don't care what you think on the subject!"
"Dean…" Sam said, knowing he had pushed one too many of Dean's buttons. "I'll help you take care of her, but…I just think there are better ways of raising her than in this life…than raising her as a hunter."
Silence reigned for a bit as Dean sat on the edge of his bed, watching his daughter's sleeping form. About ready to give up on waiting for a reply, Sam lay down on his bed, and Dean finally spoke, though Sam barely heard him, "I know…"
While Dean was starting to eat some apple pie the next morning, Sam was left to the task of waking up Sara. After several attempts at being nice by simply calling her name and shaking her shoulder, he cast an exasperated glance at Dean, "I'm going to have to throw water on her or something."
Mouth half full of pie, Dean shouted, "Sara, pie!"
Sam couldn't believe that worked, Sara's eyes flew open, and she sat up, looking around and finally spotting the pie.
Giving a smirk, Dean said, "Go change and then you can have some, all right?"
"Yes, sir," Sara said, heading to the bathroom once she'd grabbed a change in clothes.
"I can't believe that worked," Sam muttered as he sat down across from Dean at the table. "She really is your kid."
"Yeah, she'll start sleeping more lightly though after she's seen what we do," Dean stated darkly. He changed the subject quickly, "So, find anything?"
"Actually, yeah, looks like we've got a shape shifter close by," Sam said, "Only a few miles from where here in a town called West Bethel."
"How far is it from here?" Dean asked.
"Well, we're in Rumford so about thirty five minutes."
"Not too bad then, what makes you think it's a shifter?" Dean questioned.
Sam answered, "The fact that all the suspects who were arrested claim to be in different places then where the murders took place."
"Makes sense then," Dean commented, distracted as his daughter exited the bathroom and sat down at the table.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable sitting down at the table, she decided to study its surface intently; I think I intruded on a conversation I probably shouldn't have… She didn't want to look up at either of them, half-afraid that she'd see something in their eyes she didn't want to acknowledge.
A small smile appeared on Dean's face as he grabbed a paper plate that was next to the pie tin and cut a piece of pie with a knife. Placing the pie on the plate and snagging a plastic fork, he slid the plate over to his daughter, "Eat up, God only knows when we're going to get our next meal, especially if we've got a shifter on our hands."
Since her father addressed her, she looked up, and was relieved when she didn't find any malice or murderous intent in his eyes, and though she was still skeptical on the whole "monster hunting" thing, she was genuinely curious as she asked, "What's a shifter?"
"Shape shifter is the full title," Dean answered. "It can take the form of anything really, including humans."
"So…how can you tell a shape shifter from an everyday, average human?" she questioned.
"A retinal flare when they're caught on camera," Sam answered.
Sara frowned, "That's it?"
"Well that, and the fact that they might want to kill you," Dean added helpfully.
Not at all soothed by this thought, she reluctantly asked her next question, "How do you kill them?"
Dean gave a nod of approval at this question, while Sam frowned, "Well, kiddo, a silver bullet or blade through the heart, decapitating them works too, or using iridium."
Sorry I asked, Sara thought, her mind once again wondering if her father and uncle were psychopathic serial killers who merely thought they were hunting monsters when they were really killing people. She didn't voice her thoughts though, merely eating her slice of apple pie.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look before Sam continued with their earlier conversation, "There have been three deaths so far; we can question a couple of the victims' families and, if Bobby can swing it, maybe even some of the accused."
"Sounds like a plan," Dean said.
About thirty five minutes later, they had arrived in West Bethel, a small town that seemed to be an agriculture oriented town, yet it definitely played towards a tourist's soft spots with plenty of shops lining the streets.
"This side of paradise," Dean said, remembering the welcome sign just as they entered town. "Not so much of a paradise now with these murders."
"You do realize that they call their town that because it's at the base of Paradise Hill right?" Sam wanted to make sure Dean knew his facts.
Dean gave Sam a look as he said, "No, I didn't, Mr. Walking-Encyclopedia."
Stifling a snigger as Sam shot Dean an annoyed glance, Sara gazed out the window of the Impala, taking in West Bethel, various shops flashing past, no two seemed to sell the same thing, one place sold chocolates, another sold appliances, yet another sold pet supplies, the list just went on and on really. At the center of the main part of town was a small park, some jungle gyms set up for kids to play on along with some park benches for the adults to sit on.
Pulling in at the Rose Stay Inn, Sam quickly checked in, and then all three of them unloaded their bags into their room, a fairly decent room with light brown walls and two beds, a cushioned chair, and a bathroom.
"This will be interesting," Dean muttered, before he turned to Sara, "Why don't you go grab some IDs for Sam and I out of the glove compartment, they're in a cigar box, pick whatever ones you want, just make sure they're from the same agency." He handed her the keys to the Impala.
Wondering how many IDs they had, she walked back outside and unlocked the passenger side door of the Impala and shut the door before she opened up the glove box, managing to find the cigar box that was shoved in the back of it. Opening it up, Sara's eyes widened in shock at how many IDs were sitting in there, each with a fake name and an agency, "Holy crap," she muttered, shifting through them. There were IDs for pretty much every agency a person could possibly think of, plus a few extra. Grabbing two FBI IDs, she put the box back into the glove compartment, and started to head back to the room, making sure to lock the door on the Impala.
When she knocked on the door, her father opened it within a few seconds, in the process of putting on a tie. Surprised at her father's new attire of black pants, polished black shoes, pristine white shirt, and black tie, she wondered what exactly he and Sam were planning.
Once he finished putting on his tie, Dean asked, "So what IDs did you grab?" Sara handed him the ones she'd grabbed, and Dean nodded in approval, "Agent Nugent and Seger, good choices." He fondly ruffled her hair, Sam came out of the bathroom a second later wearing almost the same clothes as Dean, except he had the addition of a black jacket. Dean was soon matching, though, as he grabbed a black jacket off the bed, handing Sam his ID.
Sam took a look at his idea before he stowed it in a pocket within his jacket, "Ready?"
"Yep," Dean said. He glanced down at his daughter, "You've got two options, kiddo, either you can stay here in the room with all the doors and windows locked and wait for us to get back, or you can come with and stay wherever I tell you to stay at while Sammy and I ask some people questions."
Shooting Dean an incredulous look, Sam had to force himself not to argue with Dean or tell his brother what he really thought about the two options.
"I'd like to come with," Sara said, not liking the idea of being alone in the hotel room.
Dean nodded, "All right then, let's go!" He led the way out, holding the door open for his daughter, and reluctantly Sam as well. "Don't get used to that," he warned Sam.
"I won't," Sam muttered, walking towards the Impala and getting in.
A few minutes later found them back in the main part of town. Parking the Impala on the same side as the park, Dean turned around in the driver's seat, "I want you to stay here while Sammy and I go talk with some of the victims' families, all right?"
"Yes, sir," Sara answered.
Dean nodded in approval, "We'll be back shortly to pick you up and we'll discuss the case." He didn't miss the look Sam shot at him this time, but he didn't say anything about it yet. "See you in a bit, kiddo."
Getting out of the car, Sara was starting to think the hotel room hadn't been such a bad option as her father drove the Impala down the street. All of the parents that had their kids at the park gave her weird looks, so she simply sat on a bench, watching the TV's that all had the same movie playing at the appliance store.
"What was that look for?" Dean demanded as soon as Sara had shut the door.
Sam sighed, "You said you didn't want to just drop her off at places, and yet you just did!"
"I can't take her with when we're questioning families about their black sheeps," Dean stated.
Sam rolled his eyes, "She could have waited in the car then."
"Because that's so much better," Dean muttered. Sighing, he said, "Look, I couldn't come up with anything better, so I figured the most populated part of town she'd be safe in while we did this, then we can try and figure out what this shapeshifter's typical victim profile is since we didn't get to see who the people the shapeshifter impersonated killed."
Sam nodded, "Right…"
Pulling up to the first house on their list, Dean and Sam got out of the car and rang the doorbell, a hassled looking woman opened the door, "Can I help you?"
"Mrs. Hook, Agents Tugent and Seger, FBI," Sam said, both him and Dean flashing their fake badges and IDs. "We're here to talk about your husband, James Hook."
Pushing her long, black locks out of her tear-filled eyes, she whispered, obviously fighting back her tears, "I already spoke with the police about him. I had no idea that he would…" She closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip, "That he would kill that girl."
"Girl?" Dean asked, just managing to keep the alarm out of his voice.
She nodded, breaking down in tears as she demanded, "What kind of psycho kills a thirteen-year-old girl?"
About a half hour after Sam and Dean had left, Sara was still watching the TVs at the appliance store, the TVs now simply showing the people walking past, the movie having ended fifteen minutes ago. The families that had been in the park had left about ten minutes ago, obviously done with their daily dosage of outdoor activity, sighing, Sara looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Impala coming down the street. No such luck. Turning her gaze back to the TVs, she continued to watch the people passing by on them, some people even looked at the TVs, others waved at their own image on the screens, while others just simply walked by.
Her heart skipped a beat as a guy in a fancy suit walked past, and as he glanced at the camera that was catching his image, his eyes flashed silver and she didn't need her father or uncle there to tell her that it was a retinal flare caught on the camera. The guy turned his gaze on her for a second and her heart stopped. Looking away quickly, she pretended to be fascinated with something on the bench. By the time she looked back at the appliance store, the guy was gone, no trace of him, but she couldn't rid herself of the fear that was starting to course through her veins. All she knew was that she didn't want to stay out in the open park by herself any longer.
Scanning the building signs along both sides of the park, she spotted a library and made a beeline towards it, trying to look nonchalant as she headed towards it. Once inside she settled herself at a table closest to the librarian, keeping an eye out for the guy she'd seen.
Speeding down a street after interviewing the last family on their list, Dean was furious with Sam, "How the hell do you miss the fact that all of the people murdered by this shapeshifter were children? Specifically girls that are my daughter's age?"
"Maybe the fact that I'd just learned that you had a daughter?" Sam speculated. "Dean, I don't know how I missed it, but I missed it, all right? I'm sorry!"
"You'll be really sorry if we can't find her at that park," Dean practically growled.
Exasperated, Sam snapped, "I am sorry I missed the fact that all the victims were young girls, but don't take out your anger at yourself on me!"
Dean's gaze was livid, "The only thing I'm mad at right now, is you!"
"You're mad that you left her at the park without any real protection!"
Dean's response was to drive faster, the engine roaring.
After a few seconds of silence, Sam shook his head, "Look man, I am sorry I missed such an important fact…"
Dean didn't say anything, already scanning the park for his daughter. His eyes widened in panic as he didn't see her, "Sam, she's not there!"
Looking for his niece, Sam said, "Maybe she went into one of the shops, she's a kid after all. Shops interest kids, right?"
"I hope you're right," Dean said, parking the Impala and getting out, forgetting his anger at Sam for the time being as they started to search.
Sara sat in the library, now reading a book since the librarian had told her that if she wanted to stay in the library, she at least needed to be either checking out a book, using the computers, or reading a book if she didn't have a card. So, she was now reading a book on supernatural creatures, which she was getting irritated with since it seemed to be a work of pure fiction, nothing within it seemed credible, or at least not that she could tell. The shapeshifter chapter had nothing about retinal flares in their eyes, how to kill them, or anything.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she would have flown out of her chair if the grip on her shoulder hadn't been iron tight. Looking over her shoulder, relief shot through her as she recognized her father and uncle. Her relief soon faded as she saw the anger in his eyes and the way his jaw was clenched. His tone indicated that he was indeed pissed as he said in a quiet tone, "We're leaving here, now."
Hurriedly putting the book back, feeling her father's furious gaze on her back the whole time, they eventually exited the library. As soon as they were in the park, Dean demanded, "What the hell were you doing in there?"
"I was…" she didn't get a chance to finished, and she flinched away from her father's sharp tone.
"I told you to stay in the park! When I give an order I expect you to follow it! Next time you're not just going to get off with just a simple telling off, do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," she whispered, head lowered.
Dean snapped, "I said do you understand me?"
She raised her voice so that he'd hear her, but she kept her head lowered, "Yes, sir."
"Get in the car!" Dean turned away from her then, putting his hands behind his head and walking a few steps away from her. He heard the car door open and then shut, signaling that she'd did as she was told. Taking a deep breath, Dean tried to calm himself down. He'd been panic stricken when he hadn't seen her in the park, and he and Sam had checked several places that they'd thought likely for her to be in. It was only with Sam's urging that they'd checked the library, and he'd been relieved to find her, he really had been, but the terror that he'd experienced was enough to make him angry with his daughter at making him worry so much.
Sam had listened to Dean yell at Sara, and he noticed the way she'd kept her head lowered, and how she was now sitting in the car, head pressed against the window, keeping herself turned away from where her father was. He mentally went over the conversation that Dean had just had with Sara, and he frowned as he recalled Sara trying to say something about why she was in the library. He also recalled the brief look of panic she'd had in her eyes when she'd turned around to see who had grabbed her shoulder.
Making his way over to where Dean was, he stood next to his brother, brown eyes brooding.
"Don't lecture me on yelling at her," Dean muttered, lowering his arms. "She needs to know what I expect from her. This-this was bullshit. I should have just left her at the hotel if I knew she'd pull a stunt like this…"
"Don't you find it odd that she did disobey you?" Sam asked quietly.
Dean nodded, "Yeah, I do. She's listened so far when I've told her to do things."
Glad that he'd made that little bit of progress with Dean, Sam continued trying to lead him towards where his own thoughts had gone, "Don't you think she'd have a good reason for disobeying you?"
Frowning, Dean looked at Sam, "What are you getting at, Sammy?"
"What I'm getting at, is Sara disobeying you isn't adding up in my mind," Sam said. He started to voice his thoughts, "When you were…speaking…with her just now, she tried to say something about why she'd been at the library instead of in the park."
"Kids make excuses," Dean said, shrugging. "I'm not seeing where you're going with this."
"Let me make it a bit clearer then. When you grabbed her shoulder, and she turned around to see who exactly had grabbed it, did you notice a look of fear in her eyes for a second before she realized it was us?" Sam questioned.
Thinking about all that had occurred, Dean rolled his eyes then, muttering, "Son of a bitch." He started walking towards the Impala, saying over his shoulder at Sam, "You stay right there!"
Sam shook his head; he had no intention of following Dean while he tried to set things straight with Sara. He definitely was developing a soft spot for his niece, especially when Dean was reminding him a lot of their father and how he'd treated them when they'd been kids.
Head pressed against the window, Sara was trying her hardest not to cry. So life wasn't fair, nothing new really. Her having a decent family after being stuck in many different orphanages for thirteen years, who was she trying to kid? She knew better than to think like that, and yet she had. She'd deluded herself into believing that her father was a great guy who wouldn't yell at her needlessly, or at least would listen to her excuse before he yelled. Blinking back tears, she wondered, why do I do this to myself?
Hearing one of the doors open, she turned herself further away from whoever was entering. She didn't want to be seen crying.
Dean released a sigh as he shut the door and looked at his daughter who, from what he could tell, was determined not to look at him. Not exactly sure what to say, Dean just decided to wing it, "Hey…um…I know I yelled at you out there, but when I didn't see you out there in the park I thought that something bad had happened." He didn't want to say outright that he thought the shapeshifter had gotten her. "But…I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, not when you'd been obviously spooked by something…I should have let you say something then, and I didn't, so you can say what you wanted to now…" He paused, waiting for her to speak.
Sara listened to what her father said, but she didn't say anything when he said that she could. Even though he sounded sincere, she was afraid he'd yell at her again for not telling him sooner about the shifter.
Not exactly sure what to do, Dean looked out at the people on the street, his gaze soon went to his daughter's reflection in the window, and he glanced outside at Sam to make sure his brother wasn't looking before he pulled Sara gently away from the window and against his side, rubbing her shoulder, "Hey! I don't want you to be afraid to tell me things." She wouldn't meet his gaze, "I mean it. If something scared you, I want to know about it." He lapsed into his uncensored talking habits, "Hell, if I'd known that yelling at you would get this result I would have thought things through a bit more…but honestly, kiddo, you scared the crap out of me, that's why I yelled, I got myself so freaked out about what could have possibly happened to you that I just snapped when Sammy and I finally did find you." His little speech was rewarded with her actually looking up at him and his heart twisted a bit as he saw some tears in her eyes, "Now I've been honest. Do you want to tell me what you saw that scared you into disobeying me?"
Taking a deep breath, Sara said, hoping he'd believe her, "I saw the shapeshifter." She watched her father's expression, but Dean made sure to keep his skeptical feelings to himself until she was finished. When he didn't automatically say she was lying, it gave her a bit of confidence as she continued, "I was watching the TVs at the appliance store, it was showing the people outside who were walking past, when I noticed one guy who looked at the camera recording him, and his eyes were a silver, and I don't mean just his irises, his whole eye flashed silver."
Dean knew she wasn't lying the moment she described the retinal flare, he didn't ask her what the guy had looked like, though, since the shifter had probably shed his skin already or was would be soon. "Go on," he said, when she stopped.
"He-he looked at me, so I pretended to be looking somewhere else, and when he was gone, I just went to the first place I could think of where there were people, since the park was empty when the shifter walked past."
"The library," Dean said, looking away from her. He felt like a dick right then and there. Sam had been one hundred percent right in thinking that she'd been scared by something, the only reason that his daughter would disobey him.
"I-I won't disobey you again though," she said quietly, taking Dean's looking away to mean he still wasn't pleased.
Dean automatically looked at her again, his eyes serious, "You did the right thing. I don't want you thinking that you can't act on your own, Sara. You can. If something doesn't feel right, I don't want you standing around, I want you to act!" Glancing out the window to make sure Sam was still not looking towards the Impala he pulled his daughter into a two-armed hug, "You did the right thing. I'm just a dick sometimes." He was rewarded with a laugh from his daughter, who returned the hug then. Releasing her, Dean grinned, "I guess I should go reassure your uncle that I didn't yell at you more, huh?"
Sara laughed, "Yes!"
Glad that he had made things right with his daughter, Dean left the car and shouted to get Sam's attention, "Hey! We need to get back to work."
Translation: you were right Sam, and now I've managed to set things right, let's go hunt a shapeshifter, Sam thought as he headed towards the Impala.
Getting into the front passenger's seat, his phone started to vibrate as Dean said, "We'll head back to the hotel, drop you off and…" He trailed off as Sam answered his cell.
"Agent Seger…" Sam frowned as he listened to the officer. "We'll be there shortly," hanging up the phone he turned to Dean, "Struck again in broad daylight. Man killed his…" He trailed off, remembering that Sara was in the backseat.
Turning around in his seat, Dean addressed Sara, "We're going to drop you off at the hotel, I'm going to let you in then I want you to lock the door behind you. Don't open it for anyone, do you understand?"
Sara nodded, unsure why her father seemed so worried.
The ride back to the hotel was a tense one, no one saying a word. Dean let her into the hotel room and he listened as Sara locked it behind her as soon as the door shut. Satisfied that she'd listened to him, he hurried back to the Impala, "Another girl killed?"
"Yeah," Sam said. "We won't know more until we get there."
"Right," Dean muttered, peeling out of the parking lot and heading to the address the officer had given Sam.
Sara heard the Impala's tires squeal as her father and uncle left. With nothing to do, she turned on the TV, flicking through the channels to try and find something interesting to watch.
Arriving at the house, Dean and Sam got out of the car, flashing their badges at the officer minding the caution tape to make sure people kept away. Entering the house, they listened as a woman sobbed to an officer, "Riley had just come home and he said he wanted to see Katie…" A sob wracked through her frame, "I didn't even hear her scream, I just heard the window break, and when I went to see what had happened. I-I…" She broke down sobbing, shaking her head back and forth, unwilling to continue.
An officer approached Sam and Dean then, "Agents Tugent. Seger."
"Officer Tate," Sam said, looking away from the heartbreaking sight of the mother. "What exactly happened?"
"Father comes home, goes to see his daughter, and basically butchers her after duct taping her mouth shut," Officer Tate reported, looking sickened. "It's just crazy seeing such similar crimes, all done by different men. We haven't caught the guy yet either, but I'd almost bet he'll claim to have been somewhere else, break down crying when he hears about his daughter." He pulled off his hat, revealing his crew-cut black hair, "It just doesn't make any sense…"
"Tell me about it," Dean muttered.
Sam quickly said before Officer Tate could ask Dean any questions, "Do you mind if we look in the girl's room?"
"Go ahead," Officer Tate said.
Upon entering the girl's room on the second floor, Dean and Sam felt bile rise in their throats as they saw the blood spattered everywhere.
"This is insane," Dean muttered. "I thought that shifter we hunted when your friend was in trouble was bad, but this…" He shook his head, "This is nuts!"
"I hear ya," Sam said, going to the window. Dean looked at a picture on the girl's bedside table, a picture of her, her mother, and her father, all smiling happily in the photo. A perfect family. The girl, Katie, had her father's green eyes, her mother's blond hair. He set the picture down, disgusted at what had been ruined by a monster.
"Dean," Sam called out urgently, attracting Dean's attention. He was leaning out the window, but he leaned back in holding a small piece of flesh that looked like it had fallen off something. "Think it belongs to the shifter?"
Leaning out the window once Sam was out of the way, Dean spotted another, larger piece of flesh on the sidewalk near the house on the right, "I'd say it does. Let's see if we've got a trail to follow."
Heading down the stairs and outside, a female officer bumped into Dean, "Oh! Excuse me!" She said, meeting his eyes, she gave a small smile.
Dean gave a charming smile back to the pretty officer, "It was my fault."
"Come on!" Sam said, grabbing Dean's shoulder and dragging him away, "We're on a case!"
"I know!" Dean said, shrugging Sam off. "Doesn't mean I can't look!"
Rolling his eyes, Sam spotted the piece of flesh, looking around, he pointed towards a tree, "There!" The hurried over to the spot where some blood and flesh clung to the bark.
"How much do you want to bet that it leads to the sewer?" Dean asked.
"Not a penny." Sam answered as they headed towards the nearest sewer cover, where they found more traces of flesh, blood, and mucus.
About three hours after Sam and Dean had left to go to the crime scene, Sara was trying to figure out why some kids her age found certain shows cool. To her, they were simply overdramatized shows that didn't reflect real life. Then again…what did she know about real life? Monsters existed, this much was now proven.
The door to the room opened, or at least as far as it would with the chain still on it, she heard her father laugh and call through the bit that was open, "It's me, you can undo the chain."
Relieved that he was back, she reached up and undid the chain, Dean walked in, but Sam didn't. "Where's Uncle Sammy?" She asked, confused as to why her uncle wasn't there.
"He's doing some research at the library, trying to figure out where the shifter will strike next," Dean explained, shutting the door.
"Oh, okay," Sara said. She felt awkward as she asked, "Shouldn't you be helping him?"
"I wanted to check on you," Dean answered. "Why don't you come with me and help out?"
"Sure!" Sara replied happily, following him out of the room and into the Impala.
"This sucks!" Dean grouched, as he once again stepped in a puddle within the sewer. "I feel like we're being led on a fucking goose chase!"
"No kidding," Sam said, managing to avoid a puddle. They'd be in the sewer for little over two hours, following the trail of flesh, blood, hair, mucus, and other unsavory things, and they still hadn't found the shifter, or at least the skin that the shifter would have shed.
Rounding a corner, Sam muttered, "It was a goose chase…" They had found the pile of flesh that they'd been searching for, no shifter in sight.
A rattling sound made them both go on high alert, each pulling out their pistols. Dean took the lead, moving slowly around another corner. Cocking the weapon, he whipped around it, finding a very familiar, terrified female officer, who released a muffled scream as Dean rounded the corner. Uncocking his weapon and stowing it back in his jacket, he reassured her as he pulled off the duct tape over her mouth, "It's okay, we're not here to hurt you. We're going to get you out of here."
Sam asked the officer as they unbound her, "Do you remember what happened?"
Touching a half-dried wound on her forehead, the officer answered, "No. I was on patrol the other night when something hit me from behind. I woke up down here…" She looked at them with her brown eyes, "Who are you?"
"Agents Tugent and Seger," Sam answered.
Dean asked her, "Do you think you can make it out of here on your own?"
"Well, yes, but why?" She questioned.
"We need to track down whoever did this to you," Dean answered, though Sam noticed a wild look in his eyes.
"Yes, I can make it out," the officer affirmed.
"Let's go," Dean said to Sam, starting to run back the way they'd come.
Sam asked as he ran after Dean, "What's going on?"
"That woman's been down here since last night, yet she bumped into me an hour ago at that house!"
Sam didn't need to be told anymore as he ran faster, catching up with his brother as they tore down the sewer, back the way they'd come.
Climbing up the ladder and shoving off the manhole cover, Dean didn't stop for a breather as he dashed to where the Impala was parked. Sam heard him shout, "Son of a bitch!" He soon saw why as he drew even with his brother; the Impala was gone.
Feeling around in his jacket pockets, Dean slammed his fist against a telephone pole, "Son of a bitch! That bitch stole my keys and my car!" His eyes then widened in fear as realization struck him, "Oh my God, Sara!" He looked around and spotted a car on the street. Walking over to it he tried the door handle, the door opened. He grinned as he got in, "Got to love small towns!"
Halfway to the library, Sara watched as her father answered his phone, though she'd never heard it ring, when he flipped it closed, he said to her, "Change of plans, Sammy found a lead on where this shifter might strike next so where heading over to an abandoned house."
"Okay," Sara said, watching the buildings of the town flash past. They didn't go too far from the main street, her father stopping the car in front of the abandoned house.
"This is it," Dean said as he got out of the Impala, "I want you to stay close to me, understand? And don't question what I do."
Sara nodded, "All right."
Opening the trunk of the Impala, Dean grabbed a couple knives before he slammed the trunk closed, and headed towards the house. The sun was almost below the horizon as they entered through the half-open door that hung off its hinges, and Sara stayed close to her father, just like he had told her to.
The house was trashed on the inside, furniture lying haphazardly around, most of it broken, dust everywhere, windows broken in, everything in disrepair, even the stairs didn't look all that safe.
Looking around, Dean said, "We're going to look upstairs first."
Sara wished that they wouldn't go upstairs, but she didn't say anything as she followed Dean up them.
He paused at the top of the stairs, and glancing over his shoulder at her, he asked, "Do you know the best thing about being this type of father?"
Sara started to back away slowly, her foot heading towards the step just below as she answered, "No…I-I don't."
Dean turned fully around then, "You'll do anything just because I say so." He swung his arm with the knife handle facing towards her before her foot even hit the step. The knife hit her skull and she fell, blacking out.
When they reached the hotel in the stolen station wagon, Dean left the car running as he dashed towards their room, only to find the room door partially closed.
Sam muttered as Dean entered the car again, "They could be anywhere by now…"
"They have to be in town still," Dean insisted, peeling out of the parking lot. "We just have to find the Impala and we'll find them!"
Knowing that Dean was clinging to this small hope, Sam didn't voice his fears about what they'd find if they did find the Impala, and he doubted it'd be the shapeshifter.
Dean had the station wagon tear down the main street, wanting to search the other side of town first, assuming the shifter wouldn't want to remain on the same side of town where it'd led them on the false trail. Desperately, he started to search the side streets for any sign of his Impala.
When he reached a four-way stop, Dean tried to figure out which way to go when Sam said, "Dean! Turn left! I can see it!"
Not hesitating, he turned left, and he then saw his Impala in front of an abandoned house. Stopping at the corner of the same street, he had barely put it in park when he got out and started towards the house, the sun having set an hour ago.
Sam got out as well, following more slowly, not wanting to intrude on his brother's grief in case they were too late…
The throbbing on the left side of her head made Sara come to, at first her vision was a bit blurry, but it soon came into focus as her father pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against.
"Good, you're awake," he said, putting the knife under her chin and tilting it upwards so that she was forced to look up at him, as she struggled, she realized that she was bound to a simple, wooden chair. "I was starting to wonder if I'd hit you a bit too hard. Now that you're awake, the fun can start. A little father-daughter fun."
"You're not my father, you're a shapeshifter," she said
The shifter grinned, "Daddy did tell you that much, didn't he? Too bad he forgot to tell you that I was going after girls your age. Didn't want to scare you too badly, did he?"
Sara glared at him, though it was definitely hard to do. The shifter looked and sounded like her father, but she knew it was the shifter. Her father wouldn't do something like this to her, she was fairly certain of it.
"The question is, how much fun do I have?" The shifter mused, moving the knife out from under her chin. "Do I take it slow and make you suffer, or do I do it quick, like I did with that other girl, hmm? Decisions…decisions…"
Wanting to stall for time, she said, "My father will kill you once he gets here!"
"You mean IF he gets here," the shifter said, giving a smile. "You see, I recognized Dean and Sam Winchester for what they were the moment I saw them-hunters so I led them on a wild goose chase. I don't take too kindly to their kind, after all, one nearly ruined my fun up in Canada, but I managed to take care of him. All hunters have this air about them, and your father and uncle are no exception. They'd have everyone believe that they have no weaknesses, but they do. Or more specifically, your father does, I can't be sure about Sam."
Sara asked, stalling for time, "What's that?"
"You are one of his weaknesses, right now, you're his biggest one. Your uncle is the second," the shifter answered. "There are others, but I'm most interested in you. You see, I enjoy seeing parents torn up when their children are killed, the best part is seeing the one who's form I've taken. Oh, yes! To see their anguish, especially when they hear that they did it, even when they KNOW they were somewhere else, you can see them wondering: did I really kill my baby girl?" The shifter gazed at her then, "Your father will be really torn up. I wish I could stick around to see his face, but I can't risk him noticing me among the crowd, now can I?" He glanced out the broken window before he smiled, "I think I'll take my time, I'll enjoy your screams. Especially when you forget I'm not your father."
Sara flinched as the shifter gently touched her cheek, and whispered softly in her ear, "You know I love you, kiddo." The knife tip touched her forehead, and she bit back a cry of pain as he drew it from where her hair started on the right side of her forehead down to her ear.
"Don't worry," the shifter said, seeing the tears of pain in her eyes. "Dad's here. Nothing will hurt you."
She closed her eyes as the knife came towards her right arm when a noise of a creaking stair came from downstairs, causing him to pause.
Giving a quick slice to her arm that took her off-guard, causing her to actually cry out, the shifter lovingly kissed her forehead, "Don't cry. I'll be right back."
When the shifter left, she struggled against the ropes that bound her to the chair, but to no avail. She closed her right eye as blood dripped down her face, tears mixed with her blood as she wondered where her real father was. Another, unbidden thought went across her mind as well, are they even looking for me?
Dean and Sam both hurried back down the stairs when one of the steps creaked under their weight. Hiding on either side of the stairway, they listened as the shifter came down the stairs slowly.
Listening intently, Dean waited for the shifter to get closer, cocking his pistol. Sam did the same before he looked Dean's way. Nodding, as the shifter reached the lower part of the stairs, they both leapt around from where they'd been hiding, but the shifter was ready, punching Dean in the face with a right hook before he could even pull the trigger, knocking him into Sam.
Both of them recovered quickly, and Dean muttered, "So, can you handle the handsome fella over there while I head upstairs?"
"Pretty sure I can," Sam said, taking aim with his gun and firing at Dean's double.
Dean didn't waste any time, heading quickly towards the stairs and taking the steps two at a time.
The shifter managed to dodge the bullets Sam fired at it, swinging the knife blade expertly. Ducking and weaving to avoid the deadly blade, Sam didn't expect the punch in the stomach that left him winded. Before he recovered, the shifter grabbed his hair and slammed his head against the floor, and though Sam struggled to keep conscious, he soon blacked out.
Sara's eyes widened in fear as she listened to the gun shots, wondering if it was her father and uncle that were taking on the shifter, or some poor policemen who wouldn't stand a chance against the shifter. She heard heavy footsteps on the stairs just as the gunshots stopped. When her father entered the room she assumed it was the shifter and closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the knife come near her again.
"Are you all right?" Dean asked as he started to untie his daughter from the chair. He saw the cut on her forehead and arm, half-wishing now that he'd let Sam come up instead so he could have put a bullet in the shifter.
Daring to open her eyes as she felt the ropes holding her midsection to the chair come undone, she stared at her father as he moved to her right side, untying her right arm, "I'm okay…"
Her voice was barely a whisper, so Dean knew that meant otherwise, "I'm going to get you out of here, don't worry." Dean finished untying the rope that held down his daughter's right arm, he moved on to the left one, he didn't think much of it when he heard someone hurrying up the stairs.
Feeling relieved that her father was there, she looked away from him just as she saw her father's figure entering the room, "DAD!"
Whipping around, gun in hand, Dean felt a kick on his wrist and the pistol flew out of it. The shifter swung downwards at him with a knife, and he caught the shifter's wrist, twisting it till the shifter cried out in pain, dropping the knife. Receiving several punches to the right side of his face, Dean rolled, trying to get the upper hand against the shifter.
As soon as Dean started to fight with the shifter, Sara struggled to untie her left arm, wanting to help her father. Finally undoing the rope, she hurried over to where her father's pistol had landed in a corner, when she turned around, pistol cocked and ready to be fired, she froze. She couldn't tell which one was the shifter, and which was her father.
Dean caught sight of his daughter with the pistol just as the shifter got him back onto the floor, slamming his head against it, he shouted to his daughter, "Shoot it!"
The shifter glanced at Sara, and said, "Don't shoot, you'll hit me, the shifter is this one!"
"Sara, shoot it!" Dean shouted as he managed to get a punch in with his right arm.
The shifter fell back and let Dean pin him to the floor, "Shoot now! You'll hit it!"
"Don't shoot until I move!" Dean grunted as the shifter punched him in the stomach and then the face, Dean shouted once more, "Shoot!"
Sara's heart was pounding in her chest, her ears were filled with the sound of it, her father's cries of shoot and don't shoot muffled by the sound. Which one is which? Who's the shifter and who's my father? I can't shoot if I hit the wrong one! As they two wrestled, each one shouting shoot or don't shoot depending on what position they were in, she focused on the one she thought was the shifter and waited for a clear shot. When the one she'd focused on had the other pinned to the floor and was pulling back his right arm to punch the one on the floor, she pulled the trigger, the sound extremely loud, even over her heartbeat which had muted the other sounds. The bullet hit her target dead on in the back of the head, no sound escaping from the parted lips as he fell forward onto the one he'd had pinned.
The thud was as loud as the bullet as Sara sank to the floor, her back against the wall, she knew she'd shot her father, she just knew it. She'd screwed up, that was her life after all. There was no happy ending for her, she'd shot her father, now the shifter would finish what it started, kill her uncle if it hadn't already, and then kill more people, more kids. Silent tears streamed down her face as she slumped to the ground.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Dean pushed the shifter's body off of himself, rolling it to the side. Sitting up painfully, he saw the bullet's exit through the shifter's forehead. Unable to keep himself from grinning, he said as he turned to face his daughter, "That was a nice shot there kid…" The words died in his throat as he saw his daughter on the ground, tears streaming down her face, her small frame trembling. What had he been thinking? She was a kid! A kid shouldn't have to kill or be in the life of hunting!
With a grunt of pain, Dean got to his feet and walked over to his daughter. Using the wall, he slid down next to her, on her right. Once he was situated, he pulled her against his side with his left arm; he rubbed her shoulder as he pressed his head against the top of hers and tried to soothe her, "Shhh…it's all right. Shhh, shhh, shhh. Hey, it's all right…I'm here…Shhh…" He didn't take his eyes off the far wall as his mind started to think of what he should do with his daughter, since one thing was obvious-she couldn't stay with him in this lifestyle. He'd been an idiot to even try and keep her with him. It wasn't safe for her to be with him, nor was it healthy for her. His eyes never left the wall, not even when he heard footsteps on the stairs; he just continued to soothe his daughter as best he could.
Sam stood in the doorway to the room, taking in the scene; he wasn't actually sure what to do. Dean was already trying to soothe his daughter, the shifter was dead, and from what Sam could tell; either Sara or Dean had killed it just from where the gun lay near the pair. He watched silently as Sara adjusted her position and cried into her father's shoulder. Seeing that his niece wasn't terribly hurt from what he could see, his gaze went to his brother.
Dean looked a bit worse for wear, but nothing that wouldn't heal fairly quickly; he didn't like the look in his brother's eyes though. They were filled with pain, sorrow, and more pain. He had a bad feeling as to what his brother's thoughts were.
When Sara realized that she hadn't shot her father, the tears came all the faster due to relief, and when he soothed her, she cried all the harder simply because she was so happy that he cared about her, he really did. He wasn't a psychopathic killer. He wasn't insane. Yes, he hunted monsters, but he was still her father. It was nice to think that someone cared.
A week later, Sam was glaring out the front windshield of the Impala, furious with his brother for what he was about to do. Worst of all, Dean hadn't told Sara what he was doing or where they were going. Dean had driven almost non-stop to Pennsylvania from Maine, all for one purpose…to drop Sara off at an orphanage there. Dean had told Sam this the same night that Sara had killed the shifter, simply saying that he couldn't keep her with him when it put her in danger. Furious beyond belief, Sam cast a frosty glare at his brother. If Dean had really deluded himself in believing that she'd be one hundred percent safe while with them, then Sam really would punch him the next time they stopped. It wasn't fair to Sara; after all she had been through, to drop her off at an orphanage.
Oblivious to the frosty glare he received from his brother, Dean was staring down the highway, feeling sick to his stomach about what he was about to do. Glancing back in the rearview mirror, he asked his daughter, "Are you okay?"
When her father asked her for the umpteenth time if she was okay, she simply nodded, wondering what was up. The tension in the Impala could be cut with a knife between her father and uncle, not to mention that her father was acting strangely. Ever since the night she'd shot the shapeshifter he'd been acting weird. He'd rarely left her side when they had been at the hotel, and when they'd hit the road, he'd ask her if she wanted to stop at just about every family tourist spot there was, and though they had stopped at some places, she just couldn't enjoy herself when her uncle was apparently angry with her father about something, which worried her.
Pulling up to a curb in the town, Sara stared in absolute horror at the sign that read: Pennsylvania State Orphanage. She stared at her father as he got out of the car, "Come on."
Reluctantly, she obeyed, getting out of the car and walking to the trunk where her father was pulling out her bags. He handed her one, carrying the other two as he headed towards the front door of the orphanage. Sara only followed him for a few steps before she stopped, desperately trying to figure out what she'd done wrong, why else would he be abandoning her again?
When Dean didn't hear his daughter's footsteps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and asked, "Are you coming?"
Instead of answering his question, Sara said, "Dad…"
Dean turned around completely, having a feeling that he knew what coming-she was wondering why he was doing this, and he had an answer ready. Sara's question took him completely off-guard though, "What did I do wrong?"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Dean reassured her as he walked back to where she stood.
Sara gazed at him in confusion, "Then why are you abandoning me again?"
"I'm not abandoning you," Dean said, setting down the bags he'd been carrying, green eyes meeting green eyes. "This is just the best thing I can think of…"
"Best thing for who?" Sara demanded, "You?"
"No," Dean said, shaking his head, "For you." He stopped any argument from her by holding up his hand, "This is the best thing for you. No more monsters. No more nearly getting killed. None of the life Sam and I live! You'll be safe!"
Sara shook her head in disbelief, "Dad…"
"It's for the best," Dean repeated, looking away from his daughter's hurt gaze. "It's not a life I want for you…you shouldn't have to kill things at this age…"
"If this is about me shooting the shifter, I thought I shot you, that's why I was upset!" Sara continued to argue.
"It doesn't change the fact that I don't want this lifestyle for you," Dean stated.
"Dad…it's not like I can just forget that monsters exist…" she murmured, looking at the ground, "I can't just forget about you or Uncle Sammy. I can't just go with a family if one even wants to adopt me when I'll be wondering if you're coming back for me…"
Dean was shaking his head, his eyes closed, he couldn't say the words that he had planned to say, I won't be coming back…
Lifting her gaze up from the ground, she watched him shake his head. Not wanting to lose the family she'd just found out she had she continued, "What happens if a shapeshifter is here? What if it impersonates you? I'd go with it and you wouldn't be around to…"
"Stop it," Dean said, cutting her off. What Sara had said had occurred to him, but to hear her voice his worries aloud was too much. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, and he then looked at her. It was obvious she really didn't want to be parted from him or Sammy, and he honestly didn't want to abandon her again either. He picked up her bags, with a sigh, "Son of a bitch…" Dean walked back to the Impala, and he heard his daughter following behind him, easily picturing the smile on her face. Sure enough as he opened the trunk and placed the bags in there, she was smiling. It was contagious too, since he smiled back at her as he closed the trunk and said to her as he walked towards the driver's door, "Are you sure you want this, kiddo?"
"A family? Of course!" Sara answered, sliding into the back seat.
Dean sighed. That hadn't been what he'd meant at all, but he figured there was no point in trying to explain what he meant to his daughter. Getting into his seat, Sam said to him, "It's better this way, Dean."
"Right," Dean said, starting the engine, and, out of habit, turning on the radio, his favorite station playing, "Walk This Way" by AC/DC. Sam shot him a look, and Dean apologized to his daughter, "Sorry, habit."
Sara had been softly singing the words to the song when her father spoke, and she exclaimed, "Don't turn it off! I love this kind of music!"
Sam groaned, while Dean gave him a triumphant grin, turning up the volume and singing, his daughter's voice joining his. Sighing, Sam knew that the lack of old music was now over, but he didn't mind it too much at the moment, especially since Dean hadn't gone through with his decision, and instead, Sara was still with them, things weren't all that bad.