SUMMARY: Aly accidentally discovers what her Dad really does.
Same AU as The Adventures of Alyson Winchester
Aly: age 7, Sam: age 15, Dean: age 19
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello Dear Readers! If this is your first time reading one of my fanfics, please check out my profile for more stories with Alyson Winchester. The main story is called The Adventures of Alyson Winchester, and there are several one-shots about Aly at different ages. I hope you enjoy them, and if you do, please leave me a review!
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"Alyson! Alyson, your...brother is here!" Mrs. Daniels called.
I slowed the swing down and got off. Another girl came over and took my place on it right away. I walked across the backyard and up the stairs onto the back deck. The sliding glass door was partially open. I pulled on it and walked into the kitchen.
Dean was standing just inside the kitchen doorway, looking uncomfortable in the kitchen full of Moms.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like a drink?" Mrs. Daniels asked him.
"No thank you," he shook his head, and then he saw me, and looked relieved.
"Hey, short stuff," he said, holding his arm out, and I went up to him and hugged him.
Mrs. Daniels came over to me and handed me a small plastic bag. "Here's your goodie bag." she told me. Then she turned. "Tracy, one of your friends is leaving!" she said.
Tracy was at the kitchen table, mixing some paint that she had gotten as one of her presents. She looked up at me. "Thanks for coming!" she said distractedly.
"Thanks for having me. Happy Birthday!" I said.
"Okay, bye!"
I felt Dean put his hand on my back as we turned to leave. Mrs. Daniels walked us to the front door.
"Your sister is so polite!" she told Dean.
"Uhh...thanks," he said uncomfortably.
"All right then, goodbye!" she said, opening the front door.
We walked out the front door and down the steps. The air smelled like the flowers that bloomed on either side of the walkway.
Dean opened the back door of the Impala for me and I got in. He got into his seat and said, "Wow, that house is like a museum!"
"Yeah, it's big." I said.
He turned to look at me. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Seatbelt," he reminded me. He started the car and eased it out into the street.
"So how was the party? Did you have fun?"
"Yeah," I said again, looking out the window.
Dean stopped at the corner and turned to me. "All right, what's wrong?"
I glanced at him. "What?"
"Something's wrong. Did something happen?"
"Uh, no." I looked down at the goodie bag in my hands.
"Then what is it?"
"I- I dunno," I shrugged.
He sighed. "Well, when you're ready to talk, I'm here." He faced the front and started to drive again.
I stared out the window, not really seeing anything. I felt bad. Tracy's house was huge, she had a mom and a dad and a brother and a sister and a cat, she had a big bedroom with a frilly canopy bed and a dollhouse and toys galore. Her Dad coached her brother's little league team, he didn't leave on the weekends to go hunting, and Tracy had lived in that house all her life- she had never had to pack up everything and leave in a hurry and then stay in run down motel rooms while traveling for days. Her family seemed happy- in all the photos of them on the living room wall they were smiling, even in the ones that weren't posed.
I turned away from the window, realizing that we weren't going in the direction towards the house we were currently renting.
"Hey, where are we going?"
Dean looked at me in the rear view mirror. "You seem sad, I thought you could use a little pick-me- up." He pulled into the parking lot of a Dairy Queen. "You want some ice cream?"
"Dean, you don't have to make me feel better." I said.
"Yeah, I do. You're my little sis and I'm supposed to take care of you, and part of that is making sure that you're happy. C'mon." He got out of the car and I followed suit. He took my hand as we walked across the parking lot.
We ordered our ice cream and then went to sit at a tiny table in the corner of the restaurant.
"Now, tell me what's going on." He leaned back in his chair and looked at me. I looked back at him, wondering why he was doing this. Dean wasn't big on talking about emotions or showing them. His way of showing his love was through tickles and teasing and gifts of chocolate bars. He did hug me, at bedtime, and if I hugged him first, but that was because I was his "baby sister".
I sighed. "Tracy- she- she- she has the perfect life!" I burst out. "And she doen't even see it!"
"What do you mean?" He took a sip of his milkshake.
"She has a mom and a dad, and they have a cat, and well, you saw their house...the backyard is huge, she has her own room with a really pretty canopy bed, and a really cool big dollhouse! And she has a bike and rollerskates!" I felt tears come to my eyes and I tried to make them stop. I didn't want to cry about it, it made me feel like I was being a baby.
"I see," he said, leaning back again. "Well, Aly, I think all of us have gone through this at some point. We...we don't have a normal life. And that's just the way it is."
"But- it's not fair!" I protested.
"What, that she has stuff that you don't? Well, unfortunately, life isn't fair. That's something you're going to keep coming up against again and again as you get older, kiddo. When you get older it won't bother you as much."
"And she doesn't- she acts like none of it matters to her!"
"Well, she probably has no idea how different things are for other people. A lot of kids don't."
"Oh, some of them know." I said sourly.
"What does that mean?"
I flushed a little, not wanting to talk about it. I stared at the table top, willing myself not to cry again.
"Aly? What's going on?"
"They- some of the girls, they were doing their hair and they laughed at me 'cause I didn't know what a curling iron was! And they said that I was a tomboy!" The tears were back, and I could feel my chin start to tremble. "Melanie said- she said it was 'cause I don't have a mom to teach me this stuff." I whispered, and my voice cracked. I bowed my head as the tears spilled out of my eyes and down my cheeks.
"Hey, hey..." Dean reached across the table and lifted my chin up. "It's okay. Aly." He wiped a tear away with his thumb.
"No it's not!" I couldn't explain to him how hurt I felt, how much there was an ache inside sometimes when I saw girls with their moms. I pulled my chin out of his hand and turned my head away for a moment, blinking the tears back.
"Why- why did she have to die?" I looked at him, and I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes before he got uncomfortable.
"I don't know. It just- happened that way. And it's sad, but that's our life."
"How come no one will talk about it?"
"Because, Aly, it was a really hard time for us." He looked to the side for a long moment, and I wondered if he was trying not to cry, and then I felt guilty for upsetting him.
"I'm sorry, Dean." I said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
"No, I mean I'm sorry I talked about it."
He sighed. "It's okay," he gave me a little smile. "You know, you have something that she doesn't have."
"What?" I ate more of my ice cream.
"You have Dad, and me, and Sammy, and Uncle Bobby- four guys all looking out for you. Not many people have that."
"Yeah, I guess." I gave a little shrug.
"What do you mean, 'you guess'? Any of us would do anything for you!" He reached across the table and ruffled my hair.
"Okay, Dean." I stirred my ice cream since it was getting melty. "Anything, huh?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Can I have a cat?" I looked at him seriously.
"Well...you know we can't have a pet, because we have to go on the road sometimes."
I threw my spoon down on the table, suddenly upset. We had had to leave suddenly, two times in the past year, and I didn't understand why, and no one would explain anything to me, no matter how much I protested. I got the feeling sometimes that there was more to Daddy's hunting than they were telling me. And I had seen a strange book laying around that had lots of weird symbols and drawings in it.
"Why do we have to do that? I hate it, and I don't get it, and no one will tell me why!" I crossed my arms and looked at him, feeling defiant.
"Because we just do," he said, and his tone brooked no argument.
"Why can't you just tell me-"
He shook his head. "That's enough, little girl."
"WHY?" I asked loudly, and the couple at the table next to us turned and looked over at us.
He leaned forward suddenly and hissed, "Drop it, Aly! Now!"
"Why can't I talk about it?" I said frustratedly.
"NO," he said in a hard voice.
I slammed my fist on the table and he looked at me, surprised.
"Aly, for the last time, drop it."
"Talk to me!" I hissed angrily. He reached across the table and grabbed my wrist. "I said no! One more word, and I'm taking you out to the car, and the only conversation will be between my hand and your ass!"
Tears came to my eyes and I looked down at the table. Dean let go of my wrist.
"I think we're done here. Let's go," he said curtly.
I picked up my cup and spoon and put them in the trash can on the way out to the car. Neither of us spoke on the ride home.
When he parked in front of the house, he turned to me. "Listen, I get it, you're frustrated and upset. You're envious of your friend, and you don't know how to deal with it. Well, that's just how life is for us. You'll understand better when you're older."
I sighed. "You always say that." I said sourly.
"Because it's true," he reached back and cupped my cheek with his hand. "I'm sorry, short stuff."
I wasn't sure if he was saying he was sorry for our life being unfair or for snapping at me earlier. We got out of the car and went into the house. Sam was on the sofa, watching a tv show about space.
"Hey, Aly. Fun party?" Sam looked up at me.
"It was okay." I flopped down next to him on the sofa. "Did Daddy call?"
"No, he said he'll call tonight, remember?"
"Aly, do you want to help me make dinner tonight? I'm making pasta, you can brown the ground beef." Dean called in from the kitchen.
"Okay, Dean." I agreed. I figured he was probably trying to distract me from what we had been talking about earlier by keeping me busy. And if I was with him in the kitchen he could keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't get upset again.
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I woke up suddenly, realizing that a loud clatter had woken me up. I rolled over in bed and listened. I could hear voices talking, more than one. I thought I heard Daddy's low rumble, and got out of bed. Had he come home early? I ran down the hallway and through the living room to the kitchen, and saw Daddy's broad back standing in front of the table.
"Dadd-" I started, and as he moved to the side, my voice died in my throat as I saw what was on the table. There was a blanket spread out, and on the blanket was an animal of some sort, but it didn't look like anything I had ever seen before. It looked kind of like a dog, with gray skin and dark clumps of fur, and a long hairless tail. There was an open wound on its side that was bright red with blood. As I watched, a man that was standing on the other side of the table picked up a large knife and began to cut into the creature- I opened my mouth and screamed.
"Aly." Someone pulled on the blanket I had wrapped around my head. "Aly!" It was Dean. He pulled on the blanket again. "Talk to me!"
I let go of the blanket and sat up as it fell off of me, scrabbling towards the head of my bed where I curled up in a ball. I was crying so hard that I could barely see.
"Wh-what was th-that thi-thi-thing, D-dean? Wha- what was th-that man d-doing?" My chest hitched with sobs and I could barely talk. I was terrified and disgusted.
Dean leaned down and picked me up off of my bed.
"Shh, it's okay," he soothed.
"No it's not! There's a dead thing on our kitchen table!" I shrieked.
"Whass goin' on?" Sam stood at the door, rubbing his eyes.
"Sammy, go back to bed." Daddy stood behind him. Sam turned to look at him. "Go on."
Sam padded back down the hall. Daddy came into the room and I hid my face in Dean's shoulder, scared to look at him.
"Aly, it's all right, shh, relax," Dean said gently.
"Alyson." Daddy said. "Alyson, look at me."
I turned my head to him. "What are you? Are you some kind of doctor that does 'speriments on animals?" I exclaimed, then I turned my head back into Dean's shoulder and sobbed.
I heard Daddy sigh. "No, that's not it. That's not it at all."
I felt Dean lean down, and he tried to put me on the bed.
"No!" I whimpered, clutching at him.
"We need to talk," Daddy said.
"Sam told me you were like a superhero, but superheroes don't have dead things on their table!" I shrieked again.
Daddy sighed again. "Will you listen to me if I explain things?"
"Okay," I sniffled, trying to calm down. "I want Dean to be here." I said. I took a deep breath.
Dean sat down on my bed with me in his lap, and Daddy sat down and faced us.
"You know that I hunt, right? And Sam told you that I hunt bad guys who hurt people, right?" Daddy leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Well, it's not just bad guys. Sometimes it's bad...creatures."
"What do you mean?" I frowned, confused.
"Well, there are creatures out there..."
"Like what kinds of creatures? Bears and lions?"
"No...supernatural creatures."
"What's super—natural?"
"Creatures like werewolves and vampires and ghosts." Dean said.
I looked up at him. "What?" I looked at Daddy. "They're real?"
They both nodded. "And there's lots of other kinds of creatures too. Like the one in the kitchen. We're looking at is and cataloging information about it to share with other hunters."
"You mean other people do what you do?" I asked.
"Yes." Daddy said. "Uncle Bobby is a hunter too. And Pastor Jim."
"They are?"
He nodded again. "Now listen, you can't tell anyone about this."
"Why not?" I frowned again.
"Because most people don't believe, and they would think you were crazy. They would... look into our family, and they might take you away from us."
"Why?" I felt scared.
"Because what I do doesn't look good on paper, and it's not the typical "apple pie life" that people have, and people might think it's not good for you and Sammy to be with me. So we need to stay under the radar and not draw attention to ourselves, that's why you need to behave extra good in school."
"Is it- is it safe?"
"Well, I mean, there's always a risk when you're hunting. But I know what I'm doing, and if I need help I get it. That's why your brother and I go out sometimes, we hunt together."
"You do?" I looked up at Dean, who nodded.
"And you- you kill these creatures?"
"Yes, we do, so that they don't keep hurting people." Daddy said.
"So you are kinda like superheroes."
"Yes, in a way," he nodded, sitting up straight.
"John, the body is starting to...disintegrate." The man from the kitchen stood in the doorway, wearing rubber gloves on his hands that were covered in black goo.
Daddy sighed. "I've got to go finish working on this. Aly, I know this is a lot to take in, but you've got to try and go to sleep. We can talk more about everything tomorrow."
"Can Dean stay with me 'til I fall asleep?" I asked.
Daddy looked at Dean. "I guess so. We should be okay out there." He leaned forward, kissing me on the forehead. "Get some rest, baby girl." he said, standing up and leaving the room.
Dean moved me onto my bed.
"Lay down." he told me.
"No, I want to snuggle." I said. He leaned against the headboard and I curled against his side, putting my arm around him. He put his arm around my shoulders and stroked my hair.
"Dean?"
"Yeah?"
"Why does Daddy do this?" I asked.
He shifted a little bit. "Well...it's because of how Mom...passed."
I looked up at him. "I thought it was a fire." I said.
"It was. But Dad's pretty sure it was caused by something... supernatural. He just doesn't know what, yet. He's still looking."
"Is he- is he gonna kill it when he finds it?" I looked up at Dean.
"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I haven't talked to him about it, so I don't know his plans." He patted my back. "Close your eyes, now. Get some sleep."
After a moment, I asked, "I know you're a hunter with Daddy. Is he training Sammy too? If that why Sam has to do all the PT, and stuff in the woods? And the shooting with you guys?"
Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah."
"Will I have to learn how to be a hunter too?"
"Uhh, I don't know, Aly." Dean sounded uncomfortable. "You're still kinda young. We'll talk about it more in the morning. No more questions. Sleep."
I sighed. "Okay." I closed my eyes and snuggled in closer to him, and I fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.