"Daddy?" a little girl peaked around the doorway. Dark brown hair fell like wavy curtains down to her waist, beautifully matching her tan skin that came from many hours of adventuring outside. Sam looked up from his and Jess' bed and smiled.
"What is it, Sweetheart?" Sam smiled as he beckoned her inside. She went to sit next to him, her actions like that of a butterfly or small bird. She looked up at him with her deep emerald eyes with all the seriousness an eight year old could muster.
"Castiel and I were discussing names," she began gravely, pronouncing Cas' name like cas-ti-EL. "And I noticed that besides Castiel, I'm the only other one with an exotic name. Like, you can find sams and deans and jessicas all over!" She frowned and crossed her arms at the end of her little rant, as if to dare him to say differently. Sam laughed, and she scowled harder. Then he picked her up and set her on his lap.
"Did Mom tell you the story of when you were first born?" he asked softly as his little girl began to make braids in his hair. She stopped to think and frowned in concentration.
"No," she finally decided, "But what does this have to do with my name?"
"Well listen and I'll tell you," he smiled. She leant back into his chest and began playing with her necklace that uncle Dean had given her. It was the amulet Sam had given him and he had given Cas who in the end gave it back to Dean. So in a way it was a present from all of them.
Sam smiled at the thought and wrapped his arms around his baby girl as he prepared to tell her the story.
"As you know, your uncles and I have led a very hard life, so when your mother came into my life she was like a light that brightened my life. However, we...were separated," Sam explained quietly. The little girl looked up at the sound of his sad voice and smiled in encouragement. Sam smiled back and took a deep breath.
"I was so sad that I left with my brother to travel. We fought bad guys and occasionally saved the world. Some terrible things happened, but during it we got to meet Cas." His daughter looked up and giggled at the mention of her favorite uncle's name.
"Then you saved the world for the last time 'n uncle Castiel 'n uncle Dean fell in love!" she finished dramatically, letting out a happy sigh imagining their 'fairytale' love. Sam chuckled.
"Don't tell your uncle Dean that," he advised. She nodded gravely. She knew her uncle didn't like to talk about such 'unmanly' things, whatever that meant. Sam cleared his throat, and she let him continue the story.
"So anyway, after your uncles fell in love and we saved the world, your mother was brought back to me. And she was beautiful," he added softly, "Just as beautiful as I remembered." His throat caught and he felt the prick of oncoming tears. He took a moment to compose himself as his daughter contemplated what he had told her.
"Then," Sam continued when he was ready, "I asked her to be mine and we got married."
"Then you had me," the girl interrupted.
"Not quite," Sam corrected, "We tried to have children, but your mother couldn't seem to and I was still recovering from my earlier life. But finally-"
"Finally you had me." she cut in again. Sam nodded.
"Yes. You were our little miracle," he hugged her tight, "Worth every bump and bruise on the way." His daughter giggled and squirmed in his tight embraced.
"But what about my name?" she demanded. Sam held her and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I'm getting to that," he chided, "anyways, after many months of pain and worry, your mother went into labor. I called your uncles and they came by to help me get her into the car and to the hospital. When we got there the doctors took her in, but they didn't think you would make it. We waited for hours and hours as they tried to help you out, but then you just decided to come out all on your own." he stopped to kiss the top of her head. "You were a miracle, and when your uncles and I came in all we could do was look at how beautiful you were. You didn't even cry, just opened your eyes and smiled. Jess-Your mother and I hadn't even picked out a name, we weren't sure if you'd come. The nurse asked what we wanted to name you, and your mom and I just stared at each other, too amazed to say anything. Then your uncle Cas walked up to your mom and smiled down at you. 'Bella. Bella. Bella' he had whispered, over and over again. Jess asked him what it meant and he said it was the only word in the tongues of men that came even close to describing you. Bella is the Italian word for 'beautiful'. We decided it was perfect for you."
"Wow," Bella whispered breathlessly. "That's so awesome, but how come my name is pronounced differently from other Bellas?" she added quickly.
"Because drawing out the 'Bel' in Bella is how the word beautiful is pronounced in Italian, and most other 'Bella' names are nicknames of longer names. Like Isabelle, which doesn't mean beautiful," Sam explained. Bella's face furrowed in thought as she processed the information.
"Oh, ok," she replied when she understood what he was saying. After a few moments of contented silence, Bella twisted around and wrapped her arms around her dad.
"I love you, Daddy," she mummbled into his shirt.
"I love you too, Bella," he echoed as he fiercely hugged her back.
He wished he would never have to let go, that it would be like this forever, but he knew that the wild spirit in his arms could never be denied freedom. So as she slipped out of his protecting arms and skipped away, he memorised every part of her, lest he never saw her again.
Because no matter what kind of life he led or how happy he was, he was still a Winchester. And someday something would have to break.