Making Amends
The old, retired hunter leaned on his desk, with his arms folded. His head drooped, as Sam told him about Dean and Cas disappearing, when they had finally taken care of Dick Roman. Bobby was retired for one reason and that reason was lounged, lazily, over on the couch, playing her DSi XL.
Two years ago, his daughter was left on his doorstep, by her aunt, who was trying to get her away from her abusive stepfather, who had murdered her mother, in a drunken rage. Bobby had made sure she was his kid, taking her to the doctor. Of course, she looked almost, exactly like he did, at that age. Her name was Hazel and was a beautiful child. She was, extremely shy, at first, but, with the help of Ben Braeden, who became, pretty much like a cousin, or an older brother, she came out of her shell.
Bobby had found Hazel, not long after Sam, Dean, Cas, and him stopped the apocalypse. When Ben and Hazel started getting close, it was Lisa, who had suggested, moving closer, so they could visit more often. Dean would take the kids, to get ice cream or out on a fishing trip, which Bobby came along, too, on the fishing trips. She had been six, at the time and always carrying a Beyblade top and wearing an old trucker's cap of her dad's. The funny part was, Bobby had never given it to her. In fact, he had lost the cap, six years ago and was never able to find it until he opened his front door and found a shivering, bruised six-year-old standing there. The aunt hadn't even stopped to wait for Bobby to speak. She just handed him a folder and Hazel's backpack, and took off, as if someone was chasing her. It turns out, he had lost the cap the day Bobby met Hazel's mom and never realized it until after he left. It wasn't something he did, either. He wasn't the kind to just sleep with someone. Dean was the one everyone thought would have a kid, somewhere, not Bobby. He wasn't even sure why he slept with her mother, whom he, barely remembered. In fact, Bobby only known the woman for a day.
To this day, Hazel still wore that cap, though. Another characteristic Bobby had noticed, was Hazel's front teeth. They had been missing. Punched out, actually. One could probably guess, by who. It made things hard for her, to speak. With no front teeth, S, R, and L sounds couldn't come out, right. They have grown out, by now and Hazel was put into speech therapy, in school, to help retrain her sounds. The kid had come a long way and it blown the old hunter away, how proud he felt, each day.
Hazel used to adore Dean, and had come to adore Sam, once he got his soul back. Soulless Sam had, completely, scared the crap out of Hazel, even though he had never done anything to her. No one knew why. Whenever Sam would enter a room she was in, Hazel would run and hide behind her dad. It was a relief when Dean got Sam's soul back and Hazel started warming up to the big guy. It didn't last, though.
When Dean had Cas erase Lisa and Ben's memories of him, that meant memories of Hazel, too. And, when Hazel found out, she was pissed. All love the kid had for the guy was gone and hasn't been seen since. With Sam, Hazel had come to hate, stating she liked it when Dean wasn't hunting and Sam ruined things by showing up. So, besides her dad, her only favorite people were Jody and Garth. Garth was the funny guy, to Hazel, and she could never frown around him and believe her, she's tried. The guy was just too goofy.
"Good," Hazel declared, as she played her DSi. "Why couldn't you disappear with him?"
"Hazel Ann," Bobby scolded his daughter. He couldn't believe the kid could hold a grudge for this long. It had been almost two years and she was still pissed at them. Hated the brothers, even. It wasn't like Sam and Dean didn't try to make amends, and Dean tried to explain his reasoning to her. But, Hazel didn't want to hear it. She had really grown attached to Ben and had cried for days, after Dean told her what had happened. It was just as hard on him, as it was for Hazel, but, seeing how much it had affected her, did not help any.
"What?" she asked, innocently, shrugging, as if she hadn't done anything.
"You know, darn well, what, lil'missy. What you said, was uncalled for. Sam just lost his brother and friend. He doesn't need crap from anybody."
Hazel sat up and glared over at the remaining Winchester. "Now, he knows how I felt when HIS BROTHER TOOK SOMEONE FROM ME!" Once the kid yelled that, she slammed her DSi shut, and bolted from the room. Slamming the front door, shut, Hazel jumped off the front porch and dashed across the yard, to her clubhouse she and her dad had built, crawling inside the opening. She removed the stick, letting the wooden framed door drop, with a loud clanging noise. On the front of the clubhouse, was a sign that read, No Wincesters Allowed. Hazel was still learning how to spell big words, including names. She was only eight years old.
The moment Hazel had stormed out of there and slammed the door, shut, Bobby let out a tired sigh. "I don't know how else to get through to that kid," he admitted.
"Dean and I have tried everything to get her, to accept our apologies. Hazel really seems to hate us," Sam replied, sympathetic.
"I know, Sam. We just have to keep trying, I guess. That kid has a lot of hate and anger stored up, from losing her mother, too. That probably didn't help any, when Dean had Cas erase their memories."
"I thought it was the most dumbest thing, Dean has ever done, but, he wouldn't talk about it. And, the only person that he was willing to talk about it, with, won't even give him, the time of day."
"It's his decision, Sam. In his mind, he thought he was making the right choice. Hazel's just too young to understand all of it. Or, at least, part of it. The kid's smart, though. She may does understand and just don't want to. Either way. It crushed her."
"Has she, at least, moved on from it?" Sam then added, "At least, continues to live and be a happy kid?"
"Yeah. She spends most of her energy, playing with her Beyblades. By the way, whatever you do, don't take a step back. There's one behind yer foot." Sam lifted his foot and looked underneath, where a plastic and metal, red and yellow, round top was. He reached down to pick it up. "Don't need to add another thing to the hate list."
Sam was looking the toy over, in his hand. "Still don't understand the point of these things."
"I call them, tops on steroids." Bobby let out a chuckle, "I've seen most of the cartoon and even I, still don't get it." He frowned when he saw how depressed, Sam looked. "You gonna be okay?"
Sam let out a breath of air. "Yeah, I will be."
"So, what are ya gonna do?"
"What we promised to do, when one dies. Not bring him, back. As much as I want to. I don't know. Think I'll just hop in the Impala and just drive."
"You're always welcome here. Even with the Death Star after ya."
Sam couldn't help smile. It was hard to believe, Bobby could make those references, now. "Thanks, Bobby."
"No problem, kid." The old hunter stood up and gave the young man, a hug. He walked Sam out, to the Impala and waited until he was out of sight before going, in search of his little monster, knowing exactly where she was hiding.
Bobby squatted down, to knock on the wooden latch. "I know you're in there, Haze. Come on out," he called. "Don't make me come in there," when Bobby didn't get a response.
"You can't fit, Dad," a little voice returned.
"Well, guess I have to get stuck, then, so we'll both be stuck in there."
The latch lifted up and out crawled Hazel. She propped it, back up, with the stick.
"You okay, kiddo?" he asked.
"Is he gone?"
"Who, Sam? Yeah? Why?"
"Then, yeah, I'm okay."
Bobby sighed, under his breath, so Hazel couldn't hear. "Are ya ever gonna let Sam and Dean out of that dog house?"
"Nope," she shook her head. "Not until Dean gives me, back what he took from me."
"Well, Dean's not around any more and Sam needs us, more than ever. Can't you, at least, let him out?"
"Sam's the reason Dean had to do that. Things were fine before he showed up. I wish Sam had stayed gone and I'm glad Dean is dead," she snapped.
"You don't mean that, Hazel Ann," Bobby told her, firmly.
Hazel snapped, again, with, "Yeah, I do."
"Hazel Ann, that is enough. It's been two years already. You need to accept what happened, happened. The past can't be changed and Dean, I'm sure, regrets doing it. He loved those two, just as much as you did. That's why he did it. To protect them. He felt he was putting them, both in danger. Sometimes, you gotta make hard decisions like that, for the ones you love."
Hazel folded her arms across her chest and pouted at the dirt. "Dean is still a stupid head. I don't care. I hate them. I hate my step dad. I hate my mom."
"You do not hate your mom. She loved you, Hazel."
"Then, why did Mom just stand there and watch him, beat me with a belt? I still have the scars from the buckle," she lifted her Star Wars black T-shirt, where several tiny, faded scars were. There was also some along her back, as well. "And, when he stabbed me, too."
Bobby always hated laying eyes on his daughter's knife scar, under her rib cage. It was heartbreaking to know of the abuse his baby girl went through. Thankfully, Hazel's mother had latched onto her and Bobby was able to speak to her before he had to salt and burn her bones. He could see how much she loved their daughter, especially if Hazel's mother had a hard time letting go. Then it hit him. Hazel had two stubborn parents, so of course she would be, too. And, since her mother raised Hazel, for the first six years, of course, Hazel learned about not being able to let go from her mother, as well.
A little over a month had gone by, before Sam returned with a couple of surprises. One, being for Hazel. Bobby was surprised to find, Sam had already found a girl he liked. Her name was Amelia. At his feet was the link that had brought them, together, panting, happily. Sam explained, he had hit the dog, with the car, by accident and rushed him to the nearest vet, where Amelia worked.
"Listen, I know I shouldn't but I'm desperate, Bobby."
"About what?" the old hunter asked, confused, staring at Sam.
"I, uh, may have brought the dog here, to give to Hazel, as an apology gift."
Bobby had his arms folded, across his chest. "In other words, yer looking to bribe the kid, for her forgiveness," he said.
"Maybe," Sam replied.
Bobby sighed. "Both you, Dean, and Hazel are gonna be the death of me, I swear."
"I told him, it was a bad idea, too," Amelia took Bobby's side," smiling over at Sam.
"I like her, already," he also smiled, between the two.
"Come on, you two. It's, at least, a start," Sam tried to tell them.
"I would expect something like this from Dean. Not you, Sam. But, fine. You can give the dog to Hazel."
"Where is she?" Sam asked, eagerly, now.
"Where do ya think?" he smiled.
"Right," Sam nodded and headed down the steps. "Come on, Riot," he called the dog, to follow him.
Bobby and Amelia, slowly, followed, behind. "You think this will work?" she asked him.
He shrugged, "I don't know. I doubt it."
Sam squatted down, in front of the clubhouse and knocked on the latch.
"Who is it?" a little voice answered, from inside.
"It's Sam. I have something for you," he called, back.
Being a kid, not even Hazel could resist the alluring temptation of a gift. "What is it?"
"Come on out and you can see."
The latch was pushed up. Right as she stuck her face out, it was inches from a furry, cold, wet snout. The dog licked her nose, making her shut her eyes. Hazel wiped the sloppy kiss on her arm. She looked up at Sam. "You got me a dog?"
"Well, I hadn't planned it," he admitted. "I had hit him with my car and he could really use a good home, now that's he all better. I wouldn't be able to take care of him, the way you can. What do you think, Hazel?"
Hazel looked from him, to the dog, and back at Sam. "I know you're trying to bribe me so I will forgive you."
Wow, this kid was smart! Sam forced a grin, "is it, working?" he asked, full of lots of hope. The dog was already trying to get Hazel to play with him, pawing at her knee. He dashed back, spinning around, to face the kid. If the dog had a tail, he would be wagging it. "His name's Riot and he loves to play fetch."
Hazel watched the dog, for a moment, before she propped the latch with the stick, to crawl out from under it. To Sam's surprise, Hazel went over and hugged him. "Thank you," she murmured before running off, after the dog. "I know where a tennis ball is, Riot!"
Sam held a hand down, on the ground, when he looked behind him and smiled. He stood up, brushing the dirt off and headed back over to Bobby, who stood there, stunned. "I think I made some progress," he smiled.
This is rewritten from a story I wrote, 3/4 years ago. For some reason, I had started thinking about Hazel, again and wanted to write about her. She was six when I wrote the old version, and some details I have forgotten has been changed. Pretty sure Ann was not her middle name. Most of the details I could remember, though. Let me know what you think! I'd love to continue this one. :)
