Author's Note This is my first try at writing. I already had a few chapters saved and thought I would try to publish and see what happens. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read!

I don't own any of the characters/story of Supernatural.

"Forget it," Dean said, tired and honestly fearful of this conversation.

"You can't just dismiss me," his little girl said, looking at him fiercely. Sometimes he wished she was a little less like him. His sweet little angel could turn stubborn in a matter of seconds. The streak of Winchester was strong in her.

"I'm not dismissing you. I'm dismissing this terrible, reckless idea. I can do that because I'm your father." He emphasized the last word as though she would forget such a thing. She was visibly annoyed.

"I'm not a child anymore. That isn't a defense."

"You are always my child! Forever." Dean felt his voice raise slightly. They were moving into unknown territory. They didn't fight. This didn't feel right at all. He was hoping his increase in volume would make her pause, but she just leaned in further.

"Ugh. Semantics. I'm an adult and I want to do this. No, I need to. I can't just sit by and be selfish."

"No matter how old you are, suicide is still illegal." This was met with an intense eye roll.

"It's not suicide," she said, as though she was forced to say it for the millionth time.

"Yes, it is. The more you lie to yourself about it, the easier it is to make the horrible decision."

"It's me becoming what I was meant to be," the passion in her voice evident.

"No. Just no. You are perfect the way you are."

"I'm sorry but I need to do this. I'm useless the way I am. I can't help anyone."

"Dammit all. Of course you can. I'm tired of that argument. Your Uncle and I save people every day without grace."

"Real nice, dad." She turned to leave, knowing it was useless. She always called him 'daddy.' She knew that would sting some. She didn't like what this argument was turning her into, what it was doing to her relationship with her daddy. Her protector. The person she looked up to before all others.

"Stay put. We settle this tonight. I'm tired of being terrified of finding you…" he couldn't bring himself to say it. Thinking about it was misery enough.

"I found a spell that gradually unbinds my power. It doesn't have to kill me. Uncle Cas said I couldn't handle the power, but if I ease into it, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"A spell? Where did you find a spell? How do you know you can trust it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, is worth your life. It's too great a risk. I won't allow it," he hoped exerting his power would work. He needed to be done with this.

"Then I'll leave." She stood very still. The words had come out faster than she could think her way out of saying them. Dean had been rubbing the back of his neck, staring at the beer in front of him. Those three words snapped his eyes to her, looking for the strength in that threat.

"You're 17." There were many arguments, but that came out first.

"I can handle it." She didn't know how far she could take this. She didn't want to leave at all, but she needed to do this. She loved her father, her Uncle Sammy more than anything. She understood their side, but it didn't destroy her resolve. She'd done so much research. This could work.

"I can't. I need you here."

"For what?" she fired back with instant regret. The hurt look on her father's face was a first for her.

Dean paused at the terrible question and then shook his head slowly. Sap wasn't his thing, but she needed to understand. If he was ever going to win this fight, he had to convey her importance to him. She was his source of happiness, meaning, motivation. Seventeen years raising her had made him different. He didn't know what to do if he wasn't her daddy. His drive for revenge changed to a drive to raise her in a safer world. He wouldn't stop until that was achieved. For her to put herself intentionally in harm's way was more than he could bear. All of that work to keep her safe… The thought of losing her was the same as losing his soul. He knew the Winchester in her made her want to fight, protect others, to risk it all to save the world. He couldn't let her. Nothing was worth losing her.

"How can you ask me that? You are my life, my everything. I need you here to keep you safe, to be your dad."

"Daddy…," she paused, mad at herself. He didn't open up easily, so she knew he felt desperate. "Look, I know this is scary. I'm terrified. But it's selfish to not try. My mother never should have done this."

Dean took a moment. He never knew how to approach the subject of her mother. A woman he spent 12 hours with, maybe, one random evening so many years ago. He would always be grateful to her for giving him his baby girl. Sometimes he wished Evie could just be human, so she didn't have to go through the difficulties they were facing now. The constant 'what if' was running through her mind as she got older. Wondering about her power and abilities instead of welcoming the blessing of being safely hidden from an army of angels that wanted to kill every Nephilim ever been born.

"She was keeping you safe."

"She was keeping me weak," she said with sadness, not contempt. She knew this wasn't the motivation, or at least hoped. There were only stories that were passed on from others and the assumption. She'd never met her mother.

"No. Safe. This is hopeless. I'm done trying to reason with you. You are my child and I will not let you do this!" His voice was raising again… He stood up from the table.

"Enough! We aren't getting anywhere and you can't just forbid me! It's my life, my body!" Evie screamed. She had never yelled at him. Not once.

"Go to your room!" It was a weird reflex. He had never sent her to her room, but he couldn't let her yell at him. He was losing control, and the thought terrified him. How much longer could he keep her here and keep her safe.

She was frozen in place. Despite herself, tears rose in her eyes. Dean saw them and felt like a monster. He made her cry. She turned and ran. He wanted to follow her, but didn't know what he'd say. He wasn't changing his mind. Maybe it would make her rethink it when she could she how angry he was. He hated this. He sank back into his seat at the table and took a deep drink of his beer. She'd never questioned him before. They always understood each other, and she respected that he knew best. He had no idea how to navigate this new part of their relationship. He was starting to lose her already.

Sam came into the kitchen, grabbed a beer, and sat opposite Dean.

"Did I just hear you yell?" Sam's eyebrows rose.

"She won't listen," he said exasperated.

"So you thought being louder would help?" Sam smirked. He was frustrated too but knew driving her away wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"She threatened to run away," Dean said solemnly. Sam's smirk vanished.

"She can't do it on her own anyway. She needs someone else to perform the spell."

"Wrong. She can do it herself."

"What?!" Sam was leaning forward.

"She found a spell that would let her unbind her grace gradually, whatever that means. She thinks that'll solve everything." Dean sounded tired, was tired.

"No! She can't do that. It's still incredibly dangerous. There is no precedent. We have no idea how she'll react, what her body can actually take. What if it goes wrong? She could die instantly," Sam was panicking. She hadn't liked Cas' explanation before and there hadn't been an alternative. Now this wasn't just a crusade, it was almost a reality. She was going to risk everything and they would almost certainly lose her. Sam wanted to go yell at her, force her to understand. Now he understood Dean's outburst earlier. It was a desperate need to get her to listen, to see reason.

"I know. Cas was very clear that messing with this now was suicide. Even by some miracle she survives, she is putting a target on her back to every angel on earth."

"How do we make her see that?" Sam was sincerely at a loss. "Reverse the rolls. Force her to see it from our side?"

"We'd be hypocrites," Dean chuckled sadly. Both men had risked everything to save the world.

"We had a specific purpose. She just wants to reach a potential she believes to be there but isn't. She wants to be like us and knows we won't let her hunt. I'm sure she thinks if she had the abilities of Jack, we would. Even though I still wouldn't," Sam finished with a swig of his beer.

"Me either," Dean added.

"This is impossible," Sam sighed.

"Yep."

They sat in silence, trying to solve a problem they both thought should be simple. She just shouldn't do it.

"Is there a way to strip her grace? Remove it entirely?" Sam perked up.

"I don't know. She'd hate us forever," Dean sounded defeated.

"At least she'd be alive to hate us."

Dean rolled his eyes at his younger brother. But, maybe this was a viable idea… She would hate them, but at least it was off the table. Maybe in time, she would see their point of view, understand why they did it. Sam was right, at least she'd be alive. He began to pray to Cas. They needed help.

Wings fluttered. Cas sat with them at the table. Dean told him about Evie's plan.

"She'll certainly die." Cas' bluntness was unwelcomed to the men sitting next to him. Dean winced.

"How do we take away the choice?"
"Taking her grace would kill her instantly. Taking an angel's grace turns them human in the body they have taken. As a Nephilim, she has no vessel, she is a pure angel with a human soul. Taking her grace would stop her heart. Since her powers were bound, her body is weaker than Nephilim who grow into their grace. Unfortunately, she is just human. Her grace keeps her alive, but it can't heal her and it can't be used for anything other than keeping her body alive to facilitate her soul. She is the second of her kind that I am aware to have existed. There could be more, but they were not detected by angels because there was no visible grace to find. We studied the other. Trying to determine how he functioned. They extracted grace and he became weaker with every extraction. He lost the ability to walk, then to sit up, to breath, and then his heart stopped. They realized his grace was his life source. If she lost it, no one could save her. She would be lost to us. Her body needs it like it needs blood and we have no way easy way to replace it for her."

Dean and Sam sat quietly. The news was horrifying.

"The release of her grace would overwhelm her system. Even a little at a time. It would be as though she overdosed on a drug. She would die slowly in agonizing pain as her heart-"

"Enough." Dean couldn't take anymore. Both Winchesters looked defeated.

"Then what is my purpose?" Three heads snapped around to the door to see a very teary-eyed Evie looking back at them.